Why male tech writers don’t think cellular for the Apple Watch matters

Women probably need a cellular Apple Watch more than men

Apple announced Series 2 of the Apple Watch last week. It’s a solid upgrade, adding GPS, waterproofing, and much faster speeds. One thing it didn’t include was a cellular chip. This means that in order to access the internet, the Watch is still dependent on being paired with an iPhone.

Most male tech journalists I’ve read don’t seem to think this is a big deal. After all, they say, when is our iPhone not with us anyway?

This view makes a lot of sense to me. For me personally, I don’t see any urgent need for the Watch to have its own, independent access to the internet. My iPhone is always in my pocket and so my Watch always has all the connectivity it needs.

I wonder if I’d think the same if I was a woman though. My wife doesn’t have a Watch yet, but if she did, her use of it would be different to mine as she rarely has her iPhone in her pocket. It’s usually in a bag. Many – well – most of her clothes mean that she doesn’t have the option of having the iPhone on her. And this, I think, makes a big difference.

For me, I can never envisage a scenario where I would be going out where I can’t easily have my iPhone with me. But there are many times when my wife would probably prefer to not have to have that big, clunky device with her.

Having the option of being able to go out for an evening without taking her iPhone but yet still being fully contactable would be a big deal. To know that, with no more than her Watch, she could send and receive messages and access any critical information would make a huge difference.

This is one reason I’m sure Apple will be very keen to add a cellular chip to the Watch as soon as it’s viable. Many of us men many not see the need, but I imagine there are plenty of women who would love the freedom to be able to go out and about without their iPhone.