5 Lessons I Have Learned From Owning an Apple Watch for One Year

Last Updated on May 29, 2021

1. Wear Your Apple Watch Upside Down

Ok, to be honest, I didn’t even realize I could do this until yesterday. But wow, what a difference this makes! Let’s assume you wear your Watch on your left wrist: all you have to do is swap the two bands, rotate the watch 180 degrees upside down, and change the orientation under General Settings. While Apple seems to shy away from advertising the Watch in its “upside-down” orientation, I found it is almost surprisingly more useful.

Positioning the button on the side closest to your body is more sensible for a number of reasons. First off, you are less likely to accidentally press the button when your hand is bent backward (as it would be if you were doing a pushup, etc.) In my experience, I have found that actually pressing the button is less problematic in this orientation as well. You can easily click the Digital Crown using your thumb instead of your index finger which feels more natural. Finally, orientating the Apple Watch upside-down puts the microphone and speaker closer to your ears and mouth during phone calls which is an obvious advantage.

2. Two-Tone Bands Are Better Than One

I own three Apple Watch Sport Bands but I have managed to make it feel like I have six! My Apple Watch came with the standard white sport band and I eventually purchased the bright blue and midnight blue sport bands to go along with it. What I quickly discovered was that it is usually more fun to mix-and-match one color Sport Band with another to get a two-tone combination like white and blue or light and dark blue.

3. WatchOS 3 Makes ALL The Difference

WatchOS 3 is everything that my Apple Watch should have been from the beginning. This software update has maximized my Watch’s utility exponentially. Without a doubt, using my Watch is at least ten times more enjoyable and more productive now than it was before. I no longer have to wait more than 3 seconds for a given app to open, load, and respond. Apps work MUCH faster. Repurposing the side button was an ingenious decision. The software is more polished and the Watch Face customization was the biggest lacking feature prior to this OS release. I honestly love what Apple has done with the new software update and I could not be any happier with it.

4. I Mainly Prefer the Built-In Apps

When I first got my Watch, I was underwhelmed and admittedly even disappointed by the Watch’s App Store. However, over time, I realized it wasn’t actually a big deal. I don’t need to download apps to my Apple Watch. My greatest needs are met with the software that comes pre-installed. I can check the time, see what time it is in Spain where my boyfriend lives, easily view my calendar at a glance, set reminders now, respond to texts, track my health, and so on. All of the essentials are there. The convenience is there.

5. The Series 2 Apple Watch Probably Isn’t Worth It

As a matter of fact, strictly from a financial standpoint, I strongly believe nothing other than the Series 1 or First Generation Apple Watch Sports are actually worth it at this point in time. If you have money to burn or, for whatever reason, feel that you desperately need GPS and a higher water resistance rating… then go for the Series 2! However, with WatchOS 3 and the improved processor in the Series 1 Watch, the original Watch is more than capable of meeting and exceeding the needs of most people and it certainly presents the greatest bang for your buck right now. Considering the rate at which technology goes obsolete, I do not think it is worth spending a single dollar more than you have to on something that is undoubtedly going to have to be replaced in just a few year’s time.

The Apple Watch Sport is the least expensive option and although it’s made of aluminum and not ceramic, stainless steel, or 18k gold like the higher-end versions are, I think the difference will go unnoticed by most and is, on average, not worth the extra cost.

This is the version of the Apple Watch I own:
Apple Watch Sport 42mm Silver Aluminum Case with White Sport Band

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The Rocky Safari