Why I sold my Apple Watch

After staying up till 3am to preorder and receiving it on day one, I sold my Apple Watch yesterday.

I figure I’m pretty much the canonical target market for smartwatches — a middle-aged software developer with a penchant for Apple hardware — but even so I just wasn’t using it.

For years I’ve promoted the idea of “ambient information awareness” as part of a sort of an archaic revival where we stop focusing on technology so much and just let it blend into the background and help us without having to interact so much. The Apple Watch seemed to be an early step towards that and I couldn’t have been more excited to take that step.

Before I got it I envisioned using my phone less, leaving it here or there rather than always having it in my pocket. I loved the idea of a tap on the wrist with only useful information coming to me. I thought remote control of my lights and media plus touchless voice messaging would be the primary uses with lots of apps providing functionality I hadn’t even thought of.

And I was right on all counts. It did all that. But it didn’t change anything. I still needed to have my phone close by (and that’s not a dig against lack of cell connectivity — I would have carried it anyway for the screen). The most important notifications did come right to my wrist. I did control my lights and my media and for a while I did use it for messages and some miscellaneous other apps. But it all waned over time.

A week ago when I decided to give it up and get an iPad Air 2 instead, it was because having those notifications on my wrist didn’t make them any more important. I still don’t care what’s happening on Facebook. I’m still pretty good at remembering what events I’m going to today. As someone who sits at a desk all day, an activity report was not overly useful. My lights are mostly automatic, I rarely adjust them manually. We still needed to have a media remote because my wife doesn’t have a Watch. Messaging was a “say and pray” affair that just wasn’t faster overall than pulling out my phone and I’m not as text-loquacious as I used to be anyway. As for apps, I rarely left the watch face in the end.

The thing I used it for more than anything? Showing my toddler pictures of flowers and butterflies.

Despite the sentimental value of it having been partially a gift, I think she’ll miss it more than I will.

Notes:

First posted here.

Techpionions just did an analysis about why people stop using Apple Watch.