Marc Saltzman - Apple Watch For Dummies

Apple Watch Series 6: Still available for sale, this Apple Watch debuted in the fall of 2020. Along with new band materials and styles, this model added an even better “always on” screen, blood-oxygen monitor, always-on altimeter, and more (which I cover in this book, of course).

Apple Watch Series 7: This watch is the latest Apple Watch model (as of this writing), which adds a bigger and tougher screen, faster wireless charging, all-new colors, an optional QWERTY keyboard for typing, and more. Choice of materials include aluminum, stainless steel, and titanium.Apple says the challenge of the Series 7 redesign was to create a bigger display while barely expanding the dimensions of the watch itself. To accomplish this feat, the Apple Watch display was reengineered to reduce the borders by 40 percent, which allows for nearly 20 percent more screen area than Apple Watch Series 6 (and more than 50 percent more screen area than Apple Watch Series 3).

Apple Watch SE: Much like the less expensive iPhone SE, Apple Watch SE is meant to give you premium features at a more affordable price. It includes a great-looking Retina display, advanced sensors to track your movement, sleep, and more.

Apple Watch Nike+: Ideal for fitness types who like the Nike brand, this special edition Apple Watch Series 4 (and special loop band) was designed to be your running partner. The watch synchronizes with the Nike Run Club app and Nike Training Club app.

Apple Watch Hermès: A partnership between Apple and Hermès, this fashion-centric watch includes bold, colorful (and extra-long wraparound) leather bands and an exclusive new watch face.

You also have a ton of choice when it comes to materials you want in an Apple Watch and what style of band to choose. With Apple Watch Series 6, you can go with aluminum, stainless steel, titanium, or ceramic. Apple Watch Series 7 offers five new aluminum case finishes, along with a range of new band colors and styles. See Figure 1-2.

FIGURE 1-2:Apple Watch Series 7 gives you more colors and band options to choose.

In the fall of 2019, Apple also announced Apple Watch Studio, a website that lets you choose a case and pair any band. Try it out for yourself at www.apple.com/shop/studio .

Despite there being nearly 200 countries on Earth, only 9 of them received Apple Watch when it debuted on April 24, 2015: Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Now dozens of countries sell and support Apple Watch — including models with cellular connectivity.

Some people may question why they need a smartwatch. Perhaps you traded your watch for a smartphone years ago and now wonder why you’d go back to the wrist. One word: convenience. Not having to carrying anything is pretty darn handy, which you soon find out when using your Apple Watch. Simply glance at your wrist to glean information — wherever and whenever you need it — not to mention the fact that your watch can tap you with a slight tactile vibration to let you know about something, such as a calendar appointment or a loved one giving you a virtual “poke.” Buying something at a vending machine or a retail store by simply waving your wrist over a sensor is also kind of awesome. Having an airline attendant scan a bar code on your watch’s screen to let you board a plane? What a time saver.

Thus, you can keep your iPhone tucked away, preserving its battery for when you really need to access something with it. In fact, some Apple Watch models can make or receive calls and texts even without a smartphone nearby, which I get to in Chapter 5.

Perhaps because you wear it on your wrist and will likely glance at it multiple times throughout the day, Apple Watch will become an extension of yourself. When you strap it onto your wrist, you’re not going to want to take it off. Now, that’s personal.

As you discover in this book, Apple Watch has many, many features. Some of the main categories include time, communication, information, navigation, fitness, entertainment, and finance (mobile payments). The following sections highlight Apple Watch’s main features, but be aware that a few may require the GPS + Cellular model (and I indicate where).

Instead of a regular watch that simply shows one face, you can choose what you see on your Apple Watch. The watch has many styles to choose among right out of the box, as well as numerous downloadable apps that customize the look of the face. You can also change the color of the watch face to match your outfit. Chapter 4walks you through it all.

Apple Watch also includes various stopwatches, timers, and alarms. Whether you use your fingertips or your voice, your Apple Watch can let you know when it’s been 30 minutes so you can pull something from the oven. Or you can time your friend doing laps in a pool — from the comfort of your lounge chair. Apple Watch also lets you set an alarm to wake you up in the morning. You can use the Timer app as a game clock, for example, to tell you and your opponent when your time is up in a round of Scrabble. Check out Chapter 4for all the details.

See who’s calling by glancing at your wrist. Apple Watch displays the caller’s name (Caller ID) or perhaps just a phone number (which often happens if that person isn’t in your iPhone’s Contacts). You can also use the Apple Watch microphone to record and send sound clips to friends. Some Apple Watch models — those advertised as GPS + Cellular — let you leave your iPhone at home and take or make calls right from your wrist when you’re out! Heed the call, and go to Chapter 5for details.

What’s more fun and quicker than a phone call? The Walkie-Talkie feature built into Apple Watch. As the name suggests, Walkie-Talkie lets you press to talk to someone else who has an Apple Watch. Let go to listen for the reply. 10-4, good buddy? I cover this feature in Chapter 5, which is about different ways to use Apple Watch to communicate.

In case you weren’t aware, Apple Watch has been morphing into a powerful health device that can monitor what’s happening inside your body. It sounds like science fiction, but the Apple Watch Series 6 and Series 7 models include a heart-rate monitor (measured in beats per minute), electrocardiogram (ECG), and even a blood-oxygen monitor (to measure how well oxygen is being sent from the heart and lungs out to the rest of the body). Maybe not as impressive, Apple Watch can now detect when you’re washing your hands — an important habit now more than ever because of COVID-19 — and starts a 20-second timer. The new Mindfulness app features an enhanced Breathe experience, plus a new session type called Reflect.

In a nutshell, the Emergency SOS feature built into Apple Watch calls for help when you can’t. Whether it senses a troubling anomaly through the heart-rate or ECG sensor or detects a fall, Apple Watch can dial emergency services, notify your contacts, send your current location, and even display your Medical ID badge for emergency personnel. I cover all this in Chapter 8, which focuses on fitness and health.

You can read and reply to messages with Apple Watch, as shown in Figure 1-3. Hold your wrist up to read the message, and lower your arm to dismiss it. Chapter 5walks you through all the messaging functions of Apple Watch, including some models that don’t require your iPhone to be near you at all!