Apple Watch Ultra 1: a year in a review from an average individual.

Novelty is a powerful drug. One that has gotten the better of me more than I would like to admit in my life. It’s pretty difficult to ignore that feeling of desire. When the shiny new thing seems so much better than what you already have. You start to logic your way through how it will improve your life, or all the cool new ways you can use the new gadget. In the end, more often than not, the object of your desire ends up being little more than the original it replaced. Such was the case with my Apple Watch Ultra. 

My first Apple watch Bricked after an update, and in my infinite wisdom, I took it to the local Verizon where they very skillfully talked me into getting a new Apple Watch Ultra. I of course had already been looking at the Ultra beforehand, and I knew all of the fancy features. I had, just a week prior, been imagining all the diving and swimming I was bound to do with this behemoth on my wrist. It was a pretty easy sell.  Is that the reality that awaited me? Did the Apple Watch Ultra change my life?

What I had imagined

I saw that beautiful big screen, with the bigger battery, and better sensors, and I thought I had to have it. I disillusioned myself to believing that I needed it. I believed that watch would make me a better person. That is terrifying to think, that I convinced myself, an object, would make me more than what I was. Of course in hindsight, I see I should have started with the basics. 

The reality of the Apple Watch Ultra 

 It wasn’t life changing, it didn’t make me do any more than what I was doing before. I used it as a watch that got notifications, could tell me the weather, and to play some music. I did use it for swimming for some time. So to be fair, it was really nice to get those extra metrics of swim distance and water temp. I did love the bigger screen, it fit well on my large build and looked a little less dainty than some of my previous wrist watches, which I liked. The battery life was so much better than the Apple Watch SE, my previous smart watch. 

It was still just a watch. 

What’s the point?

I don’t want to talk you out of treating yourself, if you are looking at a new fun thing. I think that is important from time to time. Just think about if you need the best, fun, new thing. Or If maybe the previous model will suit you just fine. I think more often than not we confuse the best newest gadget, for the one that will fit our lifestyle and our budget the best. Cameras are an excellent study of this. You can easily spend thousands of dollars on a high end camera, which granted, will last you for years. But maybe starting with a simple camera  will help you get the basics. Or maybe you are looking at a new phone, and the potential of the new chipset is mouthwatering. But maybe, the two year old phone is just as good in many ways, and we will save a few hundred bucks by buying that one instead. 

All I’m saying is in a world full of maximalism and buying the best, think about what you need instead. Then take that saved cash and enjoy a nice weekend trip, or put it towards a good gift for a fantastic friend. In a world that is often thoughtless, aim to be intentional. 

In the end, you do you. I do love my watch after all. I feel super cool wearing it. But I probably would’ve been just as happy with another SE or even the Apple Watch 7. 

Stay Nifty Folks. 

-Zach. 

#Technology #apple #ios #smartwatch #NerdyChic #TodaysTech #thoughts