No, but I have the 5 from last year and love it.

No, but I have the 5 from last year and love it.
by kellykapowski (2020-09-18 12:37:20)
Edited on 2020-09-18 12:53:34

In reply to: Anyone getting the new Apple Watch? posted by nd5thyear

There doesn't appear to be any large differences between the two. That said, prior to the 5, I had the 4 with cellular as well as wifi capabilities. The cellular rarely worked, so when I purchased the 5 after an unfortunate kid accident breaking the screen of the 4, I went with the wifi only to save the additional $10/ mo through Verizon as well as the additional upfront cost. Additionally, it does great in water. I swim with mine all the time. I've been very happy with it.

If you want to track your steps like you would in a fit bit, get the free Pedometer+ app and add it as a "complication" to your watch so that you can see your steps in real-time. Other complications I like include the weather, UV index, stock market, sunrise/ sunset time (I run in the evenings, so this is helpful to know how much time I have left), heart rate monitor and pandora. In all honesty, the feature that I use the most is quite embarrassing. You can swipe up and click on button and it will ring your iPhone, which I am constantly misplacing in the house.

Another thing that I like, but don't often use is the fact that you can pre-load Apple Music playlists/ songs onto the watch, connect wireless bluetooth headphones to the watch and listen to music played from the watch without the watch needing cellular, wifi or a bluetooth connection to your phone. So, if you were to go running, etc for example, you could leave your phone at home. If you decide to go with the cellular version and Apple has managed to really improve its cellular capabilities, you could leave your phone at home and answer calls/ texts/ emails through it as well with or without headphones as the watch has a speaker... but talking into your watch is a bit awkward. (If you would like to do this without the cellular option, as long as your watch is connected to wifi OR close enough to remain bluetooth paired to your iPhone, you can still do this). I haven't seen much in terms of reviews about the cellular capability improving though. The cellular add on reduces battery life in between charges, which can be a nuisance.

The only things that I would like to see in future models would be an increased battery life (it needs to be charged daily, which I usually do overnight... but it can charge in about an hour if I forget to remove it) and the ability to track change in altitude when running. It records "floors of stairs," but that simply isn't the same thing. This is a very specific running thing, but I like to track my mileage and pace with my watch. My runs typically consist of between 1.5 - 3 miles of very steep trails that go straight up a mountain. Without the change in altitude, it makes deciphering my pace difficult. This is coupled with the fact that I lose service (not Apple related whatsoever), so I can't really accurately map my runs either aside from just knowing what my usual routes are.

I also wish that they would offer child sized Apple Watch bands. I use the size Small band that they provide and typically wear it on the smallest hole. When it gets stretched out, I end up needing to purchase another one because the watch won't read my heart rate that well. I've tried some of the knock off bands from Amazon, but they ultimately fail within a couple weeks. Considering you are probably a dude from your profile, I highly doubt this would be an issue for you.

Get the sport loop band

I have the same size issue, but the sport loop is completely adjustable. Probably never getting the regular band again.

Hmm. Maybe. How does it do in water? I like that the regular

is rubber and totally waterproof. It also tends to go better with nicer clothes since I rarely remove it.

You can’t soak it but it will hold up to some water

And it is fine with sweat. For non-working out I am fine with it unless I got somewhere nice, then I tend to convert to a bracelet band or a scarf converter and tie it on. I only occasionally wear the rubberized anymore.

Apple must be reading the BR... they just came out with 2

New types of rubber bands!

Same, but noticed some peculiarities with the IOS update

I've had the Microsoft Band 1 and 2, Samsung Gear 3, and now the Apple Watch 5. The Apple watch is in a class by itself, nothing is even close. I love it, and don't even mind charging it every night.

That said, since I updated my iphone and watch to IOS 14, the watch is calculating my calories and steps completely differently. I usually average 3100-3600 calories burned per day, depending on activity obviously. But never less than 3,000, and never more than 3600. Last 3 days I've been doing the exact same things I did prior to the update. My steps are reporting as down 20%, and my calorie consumption is down 30%. Huge discrepancies.

I agree that the short battery life in annoying. Most ...

... of the competitors for athletic uses, including Garmin, Suunto and Coros have done a much better job on that front.

It really is annoying. I like to use it to track my sleep,

but when I do that and charge the watch during the day, I end up forgetting to put it back on. I have running friends who wear both an Apple Watch and a Garmin, which I think is just weird. If the Apple Watch were to be upgraded to include the Garmin running watch features coupled with an increased battery life, I would turn my 5 in for a credit and then buy the new one. Until then, as long as my watch remains in good condition without any kid accidents, I'm not upgrading.

What sleep app do you use? I have added three so ...

... far and have found them lacking. I deleted the first two and I'm going to give the third one or two more nights to try to convince me to keep it.

Just the standard one. I’ve tried a few of the downloadable

Apps and thought they were silly. I read that they are planning to update their sleep app with more functions in a TBD watch OS update though.