Scroll through any tech news and rumors site these days, and
you will be inundated with Apple coverage. Everyone wants to talk about the new
AirPods and Apple News+ and the Apple Card and everything else the behemoth
tech company announced at their Apple Special Event last week. But if you read
one of those articles, you will have read them all – a lot of speculation, a
lot of talking points and, especially in the case of Apple News+, a lot of derogatory
information. (Apple News+ represents a direct threat to tech reporters’
employers and ultimately their livelihoods).
That coverage is all well and good if you are an Apple fanboy
– someone who HAS to know about the latest and greatest Steve Jobs’ old
brainchild has to offer. But what if you are a regular old consumer? What if
you are someone who still rocks the iPhone 6 and has yet to make the jump to a
smartwatch. This article is for those people. Because I am one of those people.
In the past two months, I made two separate (but related) Apple purchases. First, I got an Apple Watch Series 4. I did not want an Apple Watch, mind you. I liked my classic Bulova. I’ve sneered at digital watches since I was a child. And what is an Apple Watch but a digital watch made cool? But I got a deal, and with my Bulova needing a new battery, I decided I would at least try it out.
If my immediate experience with the Apple Watch wasn’t
disappointing, it was only because of how low my expectations really were. The
thing just flat out did not work. I followed all of the instructions, downloaded
the app on my phone, turned it on and off about half a dozen times. Nothing.
Ok, sure, it told time. And I suppose it looked cool. But it could not make or
receive calls. It sometimes could send text messages but usually couldn’t. It
began to seem like a giant waste of money.
Indefatigable as I am, I was determined not to give up. I
scoured the internet for reasons that my Apple Watch might not work as
expected. The only thing I could reasonably come up with was that my phone was too
old.
Apple’s website claims that the Apple Watch Series 4 will
work with iPhones 6 or later. I had an iPhone 6S, so my watch should have been
compatible. Could it be that Apple was not entirely truthful? Maybe they wanted
schmucks like me to think they could get away with spending $400 for a new
watch without simultaneously shelling out $700 for a new phone.
Turns out, that is exactly what happened. While Apple may
not have been completely mendacious when claiming the Series 4 “works” with the
iPhone 6, the assertion is clearly misleading. If you want your Apple Watch to
perform the primary function of an Apple Watch – namely, sit on your wrist and
show other people that you own an Apple Watch – then an iPhone 6 is perfectly
suitable. If you want it to perform all of the advertised secondary functions,
then you need a newer model.
So, I did it. In what turned out to be more of a necessity than I had ever imagined, I bought an iPhone XR, hopeful that the upgrade would solve my Apple Watch problems. And you know what? It did. Since getting the iPhone XR, I have no complaints about any piece of Apple tech I own. The watch excels at making and especially taking calls. (I had never answered a phone call from the golf course before). Another feature I like is that I can control the music on my phone when it is plugged in to an audio jack on the other side of the room. (The downside here being that I needed to buy a special Apple-sanctioned adapter in order to be able to even play such music anymore).
Long story short: I do recommend the Apple Watch Series 4 for any traditional watch wearers considering making the leap. But caveat emptor, depending on what is in your pocket, it may end up costing you hundreds more than expected.
