Apple Watch - is it worth £400? Do I need it?

[WeightWatching2019]

I’m on a health and fitness drive for 2019 (aren’t we all!) so I like the idea of ‘closing my circles’ - is that worth £400 though?

Is it an arse to have to charge it every day?

Do you actually, truly use all the features?

All opinions welcome!

I wear mine every day. I set exercise goals and check whether I’ve closed my rings each day. It monitors heart rate, steps and all the other stuff, sends me alerts and I use Apple Pay. There are lots of other things too.

It’s worth it for me, because it’s my regular watch, so cost per wear, it isn’t expensive. There is probably lots of stuff I don’t even use, but I can carry on exploring the features.

It's super fab and one of my best buys -for myself-

@Foxyloxy1plus1 how do you set your own exercise goals?

I had a 3 - couldn’t get on with it at all and found charging it daily a pita. I had a charge 2 at the same time and always defaulted to that.

Now have a charge 3. I can’t see myself wanting another Apple Watch tbh.

Have had everything apple for a very long time but don’t get the Apple Watch at all.

You can go to the activity app and set your goals forexercise, standing and moving. It gives you a calorie target which you can change up or down. It gives you steps, miles walked etc. One of my fitness instructors has hers set at 700 calories used. Mine’s less than that, but I find that 45 minutes of Zumba closes the exercise ring. I like to monitor heart rate too, which shows at the bottom of the screen.

I don’t think you can change your stand or exercise goals, I think they’re always 12 hours and 30 minutes.
To change your move goal from your watch, go into your activity ring and press down on the screen. It’ll then bring up ‘weekly summary’ and ‘change move goal’.

I like mine I got the series 3 though for £220 on Black Friday, I don't think I would want to pay £400

Also don't know if anyone has mentioned but if you get the cellular one your iPhone also has to be with EE or Vodafone, I am with Tesco (O2) so a cellular wasn't an option as I did want to change provider

did not want to change provider

Thanks @Foxyloxy1plus1 & @noblegiraffe.

Thanks for all the useful advice. How does the Apple Health app compare to the Fitbit app? Can you actually use the watch to sync with Apple Health and then get this data to sync into the Fitbit app or is there no point?

Also - can you receive phone calls on the GPS only one, if your phone is nearby?

The watch automatically syncs with Apple Health, but I don’t know if you can then put that in the fitbit app. What do you want it for?

You can receive and make phone calls on your watch if your phone is nearby. I do it with Siri. Hey Siri, phone DH, then talk into my wrist. It works pretty well.

I’ve got a fit bit and love it, on my 3rd Upgrade now.... but I really want the apple watch4. Just because it knows if you’ve had a fall and sends emergency services to your location, I go for miles with the dog and think it’d be great

I got the series 4 a few weeks ago and I love it. The fitness tracking is brilliant, and even better if you have a fitness app on your phone that also has an app on the watch. I use Runkeeper for tracking running and walking and being able to see the stats on the phone is great, and the watch sends my heart rate to Runkeeper on the phone where it's tracked with my location, pace, etc.

You asked about the difference between the series 3 and 4:

Apple watch compare

They made a lot of small improvements in the 4. The speaker is 50% louder for example, which makes it much easier to hear Siri or a call. And the EKG function, a faster processor, etc.

The only advantage of the cellular version that I could identify is the ability to take calls without your phone. That wasn't worth the extra up front and on going costs for me.

It's really a brilliant bit of kit.

You need to have a reception for it to work jaffa, I walk/live in the Yorkshire Dales where a reception isn’t a given.

Also - can you receive phone calls on the GPS only one, if your phone is nearby?

Yup, both ring, you chose which one to answer, usually my phone is stashed up high where inquisitive two year old hands can't get it so I'll answer on my wrist, get my phone and transfer the call over, which is really simple, there's s little green button on the top left of the phones screen that you just tap and that's that. If I'm busy (housework, changing a nappy etc or just can't sit down with the phone at that moment) I just talk to my wrist. It's odd at first but you soon get used to it.

Twigletaddict I’m Yorkshire too, that’s not as great as I thought then. I’d assumed it would be like emergency phone calls on your phone. Probably stick with the Fitbit

I find it very handy at work as when a text or notification comes in it doesn't look like you are constantly looking at your phone

It also opens my iMac which is very handy

I have an original one bought some years ago. It's still going strong though no longer gets updated.

I don't have the cellular one as I always have my phone relatively near by. I may choose to change it for a newer one soon for that reason though even in the older OS it can do pretty much everything I actually usefully need it to do. Having never been a watch wearer I now wear this pretty much every day.

Teenage Dd now has one. We got her the 3 this Christmas after her third Fitbit strap broke - fitbits are good but no where near as well made, and Dd is a careful wearer, though they will replace them for free generally. It was cheaper than the 4 but the differences weren't worth it for what she wants it for. The 3 is also slightly smaller in terms of screen and strap length which is actually better for her.

I don't see why your need one if you've got your phone with you all the time.

I teach so can't have my phone out, due to the camera issue. My phone is locked in a cupboard in my room but I can still get texts, emails etc via my watch.

When walking around a new city I can have directions on my wrist but without having to carry my phone around and out. I like this more so for Dd so she is at less risk of dropping it or having it snatched too.

When at the gym it was easier to change songs or look at stuff on my wrist than having to access my phone.

I like the heart rate monitor the watch has - I have tachycardia and sometimes palpitations so it's good to record at times.

The fitness tracker on your wrist is usually more accurate than a phone on your pocket or back.

With the GPS version, would I be able to listen to an audiobook on my phone in my bag but control it from my wrist? I hate having to root around in my bag when out and about.

What app do you use for audiobooks? It certainly works for music and podcasts, they just come up automatically on my wrist if I open them on my phone.

Same for directions, I ask my phone for directions and my wrist buzzes when I need to make a turn. Or I ask my watch for directions and it brings up apple maps on my phone.

I use either Audible or BorrowBox (for library books).

So, I caved BUT I got it for £250 because I traded in an old phone!

Now - questions!! Is the only way to go to the home screen (the one with all the apps) to press the dial in? You can't get there through tapping or holding?