Apple Watch Series 7: The Good and The Bad
The original Apple Watch launched in 2015 and quickly became the best selling wearable device. With the launch of a product behind a great amount of innovation, Apple opened the door to a whole new way users would interact with others and other Apple devices while keeping track of their daily activities. The goal of the Apple Watch from the launch date was to complement the user’s iPhone by adding new functions and features that would free user’s from their iPhone’s. The original Apple Watch launched with some key features that included: Apple Pay, Health and Fitness tracking, and Haptic Feedback. Apple Pay to this day, allows users to pay with their Watch because of the NFC chip that’s built into the Watch. Since the launch, the Apple Watch’s Apple Pay feature included a dedicated secure element chip that creates a single-use security code for each transaction. Health and Fitness was another important feature when the Apple Watch launched because of the amount of information that is quickly provided by the watch. It allows users to see health and fitness information like their heart rate, distance traveled (while working out), and activity rings. Lastly, the taptic feedback that Apple Watch provides is great for information like notifications and navigation. The taptic feedback provides the user with a vibration that essentially “taps” their wrist to notify them.
The Apple Watch is a prime example of a ubiquitous computing technology. The watch seamlessly blends into the user’s lifestyle as it adapts to their daily activities. This is made possible by the ecosystem Apple has in place for its devices and the Apple Watch proudly gets to show this seamless blend by becoming truly ubiquitous. While wearing this device it is constantly collecting data from the user and integrating it into life enhancing apps. This type of technology is amazing because it is able to take data from the real world to add to the positive aspects of ubicomp. These aspects include changing behaviors for the better and allowing greater convenience for the user. Successful ubiquitous technology like the Apple Watch allows integration of people into the real world.
Apple’s most recent installment of the Apple Watch is the Apple Watch Series 7. Although this model ranks significantly higher on the spec sheet in comparison to the Series 1, it still follows in the footsteps of the original Apple Watch by including the key features that the original was launched with. Some of the new features on the Series 7 include the largest screen ever featured on an Apple Watch, top of the line sensors, and a new S7 chip. These new features are beneficial to the users and features such as battery life, performance, and display are improved each year. More users invest into the Apple Watch each year as the technology improves. I have decided to conduct a small-scale research study to see how the Apple Watch Series 7 is used in the real world and I was able to gather attitudes and opinions on this ubicomp system with real world examples.
The Good
When I conducted my research study I was able to collect a great amount of positive feedback. Beginning off, the most popular answer I received when I asked the 5 people I interviewed about their Apple Watch Series 7 was its ease of use. This can be described in many ways but the best way to put it was that all 5 people loved how easy the watch was to use and they loved the amount of information that was provided to them quickly on their wrist. Similarly, the next best answer was the user’s loved seeing notifications on their watch without having to take out their iPhone. The notifications allow the user to send a quick response or they allow the user to dismiss the notification. These users as a whole loved the fact that the Watch tracked their fitness and health. They found this feature to be really good for activities such as working out and going for bike rides because of the different information provided like heart rate, steps, distance, and time.
There are other aspects that the Apple Watch Series 7 provides that these interviewees loved like its design and style. The Apple Watch Series 7 offers a number of different casings, colors, and bands which allows the user to be unique. One user in particular, we’ll call him K, loved the idea of an electronic watch. It helped him realize that everything is becoming technologically advanced and he enjoys how easy it pairs with his iPhone. Another user, we’ll call her T, still benefits from traditional features that were included with the original Apple Watch. She uses the timer on the watch when counting respirations in the hospital where she works. There are so many good things these users had to say about the Series 7 but the last bit of positive I’ll mention is the fall detection feature. One user, we can call him V, I interviewed stressed how important this feature is and how it essentially saved his life. This feature gives the user 45 seconds to reply, if there is no response the watch contacts emergency services and sends a message to the users favorites in their contacts.
The Bad
With all the good things the users I interviewed had to say about the Apple Watch Series 7, they also had some feedback that wasn’t so good. One of the biggest factors these users pointed out was the premium price tag that comes with the Series 7. Apple has always been notorious for having premium pricing when it comes to their products. They do this to set a statement and to show their competitors that their customers are loyal and they continue to purchase their products, even with the premium price tags. Another negative factor these users have pointed out is the fact that they accidentally trigger Siri or they end up pressing the digital crown by accident a little too often. The users said that this can get annoying at times, especially when it happens more than a couple times some days. The user (V) stated that “the buttons are very sensitive and touchy, some examples include randomly lowering the volume to my music and triggering Siri”.
We all know how important our devices’ battery life is to us. It determines the amount of use and tasks we can expect from our device day in and day out. These users have all stated that they wish the Series 7 had a better battery. Battery life is always a main feature that Apple tries to improve on each year. Regarding the Series 7’s battery life, three out of the five users have stated that they also don’t like how they have to charge their watch daily. As technology continues to evolve and improve, longer lasting batteries for ubiquitous technology and wearable devices is something to look forward to in the future.
Closing
After doing some deep research and interviewing close friends and family members, it shows how important ubiquitous systems play a key role in users’ everyday lives. Evaluating the positive and negative aspects of the Apple Watch Series 7 has shown how a wearable device such as the Series 7 impacts these users and how they rely on it to perform specific tasks throughout their life. The research has also shown that while the Series 7 may not be perfect the users still had many good things to say about this model while leaving room for thoughts on improvement. The Apple Watch will never be “perfect” because as ubiquitous technology continues to evolve, it will always be designed around the wants and needs of the users.
Works Cited:
Hristov, Victor. “Apple Watch History: The Evolution of the Ultimate Smartwatch.” Phone Arena, PhoneArena, 5 Jan. 2022, https://www.phonearena.com/news/Apple-Watch-history-evolution_id136466.
Haslam, Karen. “Review: The Original (First-Gen) Apple Watch.” Macworld UK, 24 Jan. 2022, https://www.macworld.co.uk/review/original-apple-watch-review-3544044/.
Pedamkar, Priya. “The Top 8 Important Apple Watch First Generation Features.” EDUCBA, 26 July 2021, https://www.educba.com/apple-watch-first-generation/.
Sabuda, Serena J. “Blending Ubicomp and Gamification with the Apple Watch.” Views on Ubiquitous Computing, 13 Dec. 2016, https://sabuda.wordpress.com/2016/12/11/blending-ubicomp-and-gamification-with-the-apple-watch/.
