[chucker]

Originally Posted by Capella So I turn the following questions to AppleNova: 1.) Who has an Apple Watch and what do you primarily like to do with it?

I got a used "Series 0" (original version; identical with Series 1 except it has half the CPU cores and is thus too underpowered to run watchOS 5) last year from a colleague for $120. I'm not sure I actually want to upgrade to a more recent one for full price.

It's too slow (and too small? it's 38mm) to conveniently use apps. It also has some reliability issues with sync — for example, timers and notifications syncing seems quite intermittent. I'm guessing this works more smoothly on newer models. But either way, this means I hardly use it for apps.

I do, however, use it all day and night: I sleep-track using Autosleep, and charge both before going to sleep and in the morning before taking a shower; that way, it lasts me through the day.

I use Activity and try to keep my move and exercise rings full, at least on weekdays. The stand ring is a lot harder, as is filling rings on weekends. But there is a gamification feedback loop, which overall helps my health. So that's cool.

I sometimes look at heart rate as well, but that seems a bit of a toy.

And I sometimes use it to input weight, but this requires launching an app, which is very slow. Oftentimes more convenient to do on th ephone instead.

Originally Posted by Capella 2.) What do you wish you could do with it and why? (Like apps you wish you had, etc.)

I'm not sure I would use apps more if it were faster. I might?

I have the Authy app installed for two-factor authentication, but it seems useless the way it is. It takes a long time to launch (which is not primarily the app's fault), and then it also doesn't let me tap the code to copy it over to my Mac (using Continuity Clipboard). I'm guessing this is a limitation on WatchKit's end. In contrast, on my iPhone, I can tap a code and then hit cmd-V on the Mac. Pretty cool when it works, and I find that increasingly, Continuity does just work. It took quite a few years to get there, but it has gotten more reliable, I think. I hope to one day have this functionality on the Watch instead, but that only makes sense if it's fast and convenient.

Speaking of, I also use the Watch to unlock my Mac. This, too, seems to have gotten much more reliable in recent months. It could be a little faster, and I'm guessing it will be on a newer Watch.

Getting back to health, as others have mentioned, more sensors would be great. I'm probably too young for stuff like ECG to really matter (but who knows), but some other medical data would be nice. I think Apple has plenty of growth potential here both in terms of technology/real-world applications and as a sustainable business, meaning they also have the incentive to invest. I also trust them more than the average corporation to keep the data private and secure.

But, more concretely, it's a bit hard to see where the Watch can go in the short term. They made significant improvements like ECG for the Series 4, but I'm not sure what more they can add for now.

There seem to be quite a few things that haven't panned out yet or haven't been cracked yet. Some have been killed entirely or made optional, like the side button showing a contacts list, the app grid, or time travel mode. Some UI paradigms just don't seem implemented well, like buttons seemingly randomly hidden behind a Force Touch press. It would be great if Apple could make improvements to this experience. They've iterated on it, but it doesn't feel like they have it figured out, and they definitely didn't when they shipped 1.0. So that's a bit of a shame.

It also doesn't feel like there's good guidance on what a third-party app should be. Again, this has improved (such as more audio stuff working for third parties in watchOS 5), but WatchKit is still quite limited, possibly for technical reasons, but possibly also because Apple doesn't really have a vision on what third parties should be able to do. They're certainly second-class citizens to an extent they aren't on the iPhone.

Originally Posted by Capella 3.) What third party bands are you loving?

I'll mostly repeat what I posted on Twitter: the Watch came with an orange Sport Band, which I honestly don't find that attractive / fancy for regular-day use. It does, however, seem to have the best fit and yield the most accurate health data.

Then I have a monowear Classic Leather Band. Looks fancy enough, but the fit is not great, and consequently, the data is not reliable. On top of that, it wears fast. The inside has collected a lot of my sweat. Would not recommend for regular use; might consider putting it on for special occasions!

Then I moved to the MoKo. A good compromise, especially given the absurdly low price tag. It fits reasonably well, and looks neat, too. This is what I've been wearing for months now.

I see other people switching a lot and making a collection. I feel like Apple is underselling the usefulness of easy band switching.