Yes, Apple does know what time it is. It's time to get serious about smartwatches.
Life is pretty good with the new Apple Watch Series 2. It looks exactly like my old Apple Watch, the wearable Apple unveiled two years ago (and launched about 18 months ago), but has new components and brand-new software. Both have changed the experience with Apple’s smartwatch in largely positive ways.
While little has changed in Apple Watch design, Series 2 and the latest software, called watchOS 3, do represent an important strategic shift. In particular, the new OS moves aside cutesy features like Digital Touch (that's where you draw on the screen) and sharing your heartbeat in favor of more utility. Those features aren't gone, but they've definitely been demoted.
Every Apple Watch owner will gain the benefit of this revamp, but you'll need a new Apple Watch (either a Series 2 or the Series 1, whose processor is getting an upgrade going forward) to get the combination of better performance and the new OS. Put simply, watchOS 3 and Apple Watch Series 2 make quite a package.
A better gadget
At a glance, there's virtually no way to tell the difference between a first-generation Apple Watch (now called Series 1) and the new Series 2 that Apple unveiled last week. However, upon closer inspection, you may notice that the speaker slots, which sit on the left edge of the Apple Watch’s curved body, are ever-so slightly larger and, just below that, there’s a new hole next to the microphone hole. The second hold there help equalize pressure in the newly water-resistant smartwatch.
On the inside, though, is all-new hardware, including a brighter display, the S2 SiP (“System in Package”) which includes a new dual-core CPU and a new GPU, a larger battery and a special speaker system that plays sound and handles water, but more on that later.
The most exciting part of this multi-organ transplant is surely the new SiP. It makes the Apple Watch Series 2 faster and more responsive than the original Apple Watch in almost every way.
Maps, for example, load far more quickly. Navigating a map on the tiny 42mm screen (you can also get a smaller 38 mm model) means lots of scrolling around. On the original Apple Watch, I had to wait a second or two for the OS to draw in each section, even with a robust internet connection. Now, large sections of the maps flow much more quickly.
Apps also download and install noticeably faster. With first Apple Watch and watch OS 1, I could wait literally hours, for a watch app to appear. I gave Instagram the okay on the Series 2, and it installed and worked in 3 seconds. Large apps, like the game Lifeline, took longer. It installed in about a minute and was ready to launch roughly 20 seconds after that.
Dunk it
The Apple Watch was already an able activity and fitness device, but now Apple Watch Series 2 is the first model ready for a swim. Every Series 2 watch, regardless of material (aluminum, stainless steel, the new ceramic), is water-resistant up to 50 meters (164 feet), which effectively makes the smartwatches waterproof.
However, before you go diving off the deep end into the nearest pool, understand that the Apple Watch Series 2 is not ready for swimming all the time. Before going for a dip, you need to open the Workout App and select “Open Water Swim” or “Pool Swim.” This basically prepares the Apple Watch for going under the water (up to 50 meters). You can also activate this setting through the new Control Center (you sweep up from the bottom of the Apple Watch screen to access it) and select the Rain Drop icon. Either way, a tiny water drop icon appears at the top of the screen during your activity.
When you’re done, you’ll want to get the water out of the Apple Watch using the new speaker system. To eject any water, you turn the digital crown, which is on the other edge of the watch, opposite the speaker slots, until you hear a series of tones and a beep. Those sounds generate vibrations that essentially spit out the water.
It’s not what I’d call “no nonsense” waterproofing, but it gets the job done.
watchOS 3
As evidenced by the new control center, watchOS 3 is an excellent partner for these hardware changes.
Apple Watch Series 2 is faster and more responsive than the original Apple Watch in almost every way.
In addition to the new Control Center, which also gives fast access to battery life, airplane mode, snooze, find my iPhone, lock and audio playback options, there’s a new App Dock. You access it though the Apple Watch Series 2’s second button. It’s right below the digital crown. A press brings up a carousel of favorite apps for quick access. The faster hardware should make it easier to quickly access these running apps (you can remove any of them from the dock). It will be interesting to see how it works on the original Apple Watch.
That dock took the place of the original watchOS’s circle of friends and direct access to the Digital Touch tools (sending heartbeats, doodles, taps). I don’t have a problem with this. These were fun, but essentially useless features, especially since most of my friends and family did not have Apple Watches. They’re much better served in their new home, Messages.
Now, in addition to taps, heartbeats, emoticons, doodles and quick responses, you’ve got scribbles, which may be more useful than most. It lets you draw letters, which the OS converts into real worlds. Essentially, you can scribble a quick response. There isn’t much space to write -- you can only fit two or three letters at a time -- but I was able to write brief messages using my index finger.
Even changing watch faces has gotten easier -- just swipe left or right to access and switch them. To customize any watch face, I still press down on the screen, activating the Taptic Engine underneath so I feel the vibration, which fools me into thinking the screen is depressing (it’s not). New to this edition is the Minnie Mouse watch face, which surprised me with her adorable voice when I tapped the screen (The Mickey Mouse Apple Watch face does the same thing).
The new screen is definitely brighter (Apple rates it at 1,000 nits) and the colors look more saturated with whiter whites. At the same brightness setting as the original Apple Watch, the Series 2 is a little easier to view even in bright sunlight.
The best news, though, is that this display update did not come at the expense of battery life. I’ve always been pleased with my Apple Watch battery life. Apple promises a full day on the Series 2 and that’s what I got. My day starts at 6 a.m. and sometimes goes until 10 at night. And there’s always a little charge left on the Apple Watch when I place it on its wireless charger.
Get with it and breathe
The Apple Watch Series 2 with watchOS 3 is a more able workout companion that ever. In addition to the aforementioned swimming workouts, the Activity App includes Wheelchair Activity optimization.
Apple's list of workout options still doesn’t really account for strength training.
Each Workout screen also now offers four live metrics customized to each activity and they appear on the same screen and stay visible for the duration of your workout. No more swiping to check your heart rate. You can, though, swipe right to pause or end the workout or pause by pressing the digital crown and button at the same time, so you don't have to look at your watch.
Without question, Apple Watch Series 2 is an able fitness-tracking device, but Apple is also interested in your general well-being.
By now, I’m pretty used to the Apple Watch telling me to stand up at the most inopportune times (in a movie theater, at an Apple Event), but now Apple wants me to breathe, because it’s good for me. Slow, measured breathing can calm you down and actually affects the parasympathetic system, all that involuntary stuff that goes on in your body (heart rate, digestion, etc.).
I did not enjoy paying attention to my breathing.
Like the Stand app, Breathe pops up every once in a while (you can also launch it whenever you want), and asks you to conduct a short breathing session. It starts with just a minute.
When you start, the app asks you to be still and pay attention to your breathing. Then a sort of flower pattern slowly expands and contracts on the screen, while the Taptic Engine vibrates against your wrist. You're supposed to breathe in as the flower gets large and the taps more intense and exhale as both diminish. At the end, you hear a little tone and get a heart rate reading.
I did not enjoy paying attention to my breathing. Like most people, I breathe without thinking. The more the Breathe app asked me to pay attention to and control my breathing, the more I struggled to breathe. This is probably why I do not do yoga. Others may love Breathe, but I didn’t get it.
Where am I?
What I do like is the addition of a built-in GPS. It lets me leave the phone behind when I take a walk and will, if I’m doing a workout, track the route and then pass off the information to the iPhone Activity App so I can view my walk (or run) on a map.
The GPS doesn’t work indoors and can take a moment to pick up the GPS satellites. So the Apple Watch starts with Wi-Fi to find its initial location.
This didn’t always work consistently. Initially, I couldn’t get the Watch GPS to work at all. Eventually, though, I took a walk without my phone and when I returned, it passed the information back to my phone. I opened the app and there was my walk around New York City's Union Square Park. The graphic, which did not precisely track the walk around the perimeter of the park, was color-coded according to indicate my pace at various points throughout the walk.
The GPS also works with the Maps app so you can access location and directions through your Apple Watch Series 2, even if you leave your phone behind. This worked, but not consistently.
What was good about the initial Apple Watch remains. It’s still great for notifications and quick responses. It gently taps my wrist when it wants to get my attention. I can still answer phone calls through it (but, lacking its own cellular radio, it still needs the iPhone to do it). It still reminds me to stand up every once in a while and I’ve grown to like the Activity Circles. WatchOS 3 also lets you share your activity circles.
However, it’s also clear that telling time, tracking workouts and getting notifications may not have been enough justification for the Apple Watch. With Apple Watch Series 2 and watchOS 3, Apple has transformed its wearable into something approaching a tiny iPhone. Look at some of the other new features they’ve added: Find My Friends, the HomeKit app Home, and 911. You can now even use the Apple Watch to unlock your Mac.
Apple has transformed its wearable into something approaching a tiny iPhone.
Apple may have reined in some of the original Apple Watch whimsy, but it’s enhanced it in a number of smart and essential ways. While Apple didn’t deliver a fresh design (maybe next year), new components make it faster, while new software makes it smarter and more useful. Plus, for those who care more about the style than the technology, there are now even more material, finish and band choices.
Where Apple disappointed me is in failing to introduce a material that could bring the price of the entry-level Apple Watch Series 2 under $200. Instead, we got another high-end material, ceramic, that starts at $1,249. At least the last generation Apple Watch Series 1 starts at $269 (for the 38mm model).
Ultimately, though, the Apple Watch’s new balance between fashion and utility seems just about right. It’s still my favorite smart watch.
Apple Watch Series 2 with watchOS 3
The Good
Faster components
Ready for a swim
Brighter screen
Built-in GPS
The Bad
No new design
The Bottom Line
Apple's wearable is smarter and faster than ever, but it's also more usable than ever.
Topics Apple Watch Mashable Choice
