Episode #66: Why I'm Ditching my Watch (Free Member Version)

I gotta be honest: I’ve loved the idea of the Watch since Tim Cook announced it in September of 2014. I immediately understood how it would change the landscape of wearable consumer electronics for millions of people.

But I didn’t purchase one. At least not at first.

No, there was one feature I was willing to wait for, a remarkable feature that required the product to become more mature and advanced. That feature? A fully working phone, right there, on my wrist, with no linked smartphone required.

I saw it coming, I hoped it would come quickly and, by gosh: Apple delivered, three years later in 2017, didn’t they?!

It was like, Dick Tracy but REAL! Well… minus the 2-way TV.

Now, anyone could leave their phone at home and head out into the wilds to enjoy whatever their hobbies were. The realized promise of the Watch was that we could stay in touch when necessary - even out on the trail! - as long as there were cell towers nearby.

Remarkable. It was a total game changer, and I rarely, if ever, say that.

And so, as I wrote about back in Episode #37, I purchased an Watch SE (affiliate link here). I was so incredibly happy that I did. I went out for hikes without my iPhone 11 in my pocket. Instead, I had my Watch on my wrist and my Airpods Pro in my ears. I could listen to music or podcasts while I steamed up the trail, I could initiate and receive phone calls and text messages if necessary, and - when the hike was over - I could even use my watch to pay for coffee or groceries by waving my wrist at a Near Field Communications (or “NFC”) payment device.

No phone? No wallet? No problem!! I was set.

So… what went wrong?