AWU2 kinda pointless?

[Zest28]

Price is typically not a function of cost. Particularly in the “luxury” market.

It would only cost 1/10th if it was a cheap Chinese knock-off product. But Apple does the design and research of the product themselves at a USA salary.

That is where the money is going.

You can find probably $5 Apple Ultra Watch 2 knock-offs on Alibaba, who are leeching of all the research and development work Apple did.

 

[Zest28]

it's quite simple my friends.

You guys aren't endurance athletes.

Talk to any runner, cyclist, hiker, trail runner, etc. You get a garmin or if you are less serious then get an apple watch.

i wear both apple and garmin.

Now for my non athletic friends who hit the gym they don't use smart watches.

So you are saying Pro Triathletes who use an Apple Watch Ultra are not endurance athletes?

 

[Born Again]

So you are saying Pro Triathletes who use an Apple Watch Ultra are not endurance athletes?

Are there?

AWU is getting better but it's not a great triathlete watch. You and i know it.

 

[Zest28]

Are there?

AWU is getting better but it's not a great triathlete watch. You and i know it.

****, I guess I have to cancel my half iron man race this year then because I don’t have a Garmin Watch.

On the next group ride, I will tell everybody to stop using their bike computers and power meters and use a Garmin Watch for cycling also.

 

[Howard2k]

It would only cost 1/10th if it was a cheap Chinese knock-off product. But Apple does the design and research of the product themselves at a USA salary.

That is where the money is going.

You can find probably $5 Apple Ultra Watch 2 knock-offs on Alibaba, who are leeching of all the research and development work Apple did.

None of that matters.

 

[Zest28]

None of that matters.

Ofcourse the costs matter. If Apple would outsource all their R&D to China, just watch how cheap the Apple Watch Ultra 2 would have been.

And the Apple Watch Ultra is not a luxury watch, it’s a sports watch. They are competing against Garmin, not Rolex.

 

[Jared G.K.]

12) Sleep tracking - now that I agree is kinda useless, you go to bed, you wake up, why do I need to track that?

if you have sleep apnea (like myself), it tells you whether or not the treatment worked and you had sufficient (deep) sleep or not, and if you potentially should readjust therapy parameters.
INCREDIBLY useful, it's a fixed part of my daily routine to check that every morning.

Also, "11) heart rate and blood oxygen" - VERY useful, if you have too high or low heart rates, to check if your medication works or not. Blood oxygen, there are certain levels a healthy person should be at - a very convenient way to figure out if you are in that range and whether or not you should speak to a doctor.

And there is so much more useful stuff that an AW offers. I think it's genius, for me one of the most useful and unique Apple products.

 

[Thomas Davie]

Hey guys..
I bought AWU2 two months ago as my first apple watch, and ever since I am struggling to like them and make use of them. Now, I am not a sedantary type and a move quite a lot, but it's not like AW is making my workouts any better, I perform the same because I know what to do. Is there something I am missing? It feels more like nuisance to start workout every time I work out only to have it logged so that my number in Fitness app do not suck...
Next thing are the sensors.. heart beat sensor - sure. But blood oxygen sensor? I never needed it, and won't need unless I have some kind of emergency, same for ECG, or is there something I can do with this data?

For real I don't understand it, everything the watch does I can do on my phone, and the sensors and mostly never needer. Or is there something I am missing here? What are your use cases? Need some inspiration maybe. Thanks

Dialysis patient here;

1) I use the SPO2 to see how well my Erythropoeitin/Aranest injections are working. That’s the synthetic hormone that increase red blood cell production/Haemoglobin levels. About 12 hours after injection I’m at 98-99%. that drifts down to 93-94% after 2 weeks.

2) With a smart scale > Apple Health it tracks my weight, water content, etc so I k ow how muchfood/liquid I can safely consume.

3) Sleep tracking is useful for medication adjustments when the medical staff can look at my printouts.

4) Monitor step count and try to adhere to a minimum

5) Heart rate - same as number 3

6) Calendars 5 - having the ability to have my appointments, calendars, reminders, tasks etc on my wrist is priceless.

7) Now that the temperature tracking is working that’s another diagnostic tool I have to compare to the before and after temperature readings I get at dialysis

8) I’ve got Carrot Weather complications on my watch along with notifications that tell me when it’s too warm for me to be outside, b/c I’m not allowed free consumption of water

9) Cellular phone b/c I need comms in case of a medical emergency and am always misplacing my phone

10) Just Press Record so I can take audio notes from the dialysis staff and have them transcribed and waiting for my on my Macs at home

11) Canada Post app so I can track deliveries/Shop app

12) Our Groceries so I can have my grocery list with me and don’t have to rely on my iPad Pro to be with me

13) GPS tracker/mapper. There’s an abandoned rail line near my house. it’s publicly accessible/allowable. It stretches for miles and it’s nice to know where I am/how far from home

There’s more, but these are what I can think of while I boringly sit here in dialysis. And I definitely want an AW2 so I can squeeze one more complication onto the watchface and have something more resistant when my new kitten finds it on the charger and chews on it. I don’t use it for fitness at all and have turned all notifications to move.stand, etc turned off. Basically, used for quality of life and monitoring certain aspects of a chronic medical condition.

And then there’s the fun stuff, being able to carry my music and podcasts on my watch while working in the garage and burning trash in the fireplace. Audiobooks, calculator, compass for hiking in the bushes. Below is where I hike near my house in the middle of nowhere and the direction I usually head to. I frequently can and do get lost. No more! 👌

Cheers

Tom

edit: depending on complications, how often they refresh and what kinds if notifications I want/need I can get 1-2 days of always on display at a good brightness. Obviously I want more but I can live with 1-2.

 

[Howard2k]

Ofcourse the costs matter. If Apple would outsource all their R&D to China, just watch how cheap the Apple Watch Ultra 2 would have been.

And the Apple Watch Ultra is not a luxury watch, it’s a sports watch. They are competing against Garmin, not Rolex.

You think that Apple sets the price of their products on a cost+ basis?

 

[Sorinut]

So you are saying Pro Triathletes who use an Apple Watch Ultra are not endurance athletes?

I know several Pro Triathletes, and none of them use an Apple Watch while competing or training; maybe there is but I haven't met them. I'm a trail marathon runner, and haven't met anyone using an Ultra, or any Apple Watch, during a race...the batteries just don't last enough.

My buddy is an elite ultramarathoner (top 10 in the world), and he wears an Ultra on the daily, but uses a Fenix during races and training.

 

[tomtad]

Literally the temperature on my wrist is my most feature

 

[TechnoMonk]

if you have sleep apnea (like myself), it tells you whether or not the treatment worked and you had sufficient (deep) sleep or not, and if you potentially should readjust therapy parameters.
INCREDIBLY useful, it's a fixed part of my daily routine to check that every morning.

Also, "11) heart rate and blood oxygen" - VERY useful, if you have too high or low heart rates, to check if your medication works or not. Blood oxygen, there are certain levels a healthy person should be at - a very convenient way to figure out if you are in that range and whether or not you should speak to a doctor.

And there is so much more useful stuff that an AW offers. I think it's genius, for me one of the most useful and unique Apple products.

After a severe car crash when a guy ran over red light and T-boned me at 50 MPH, I had severe PTSD. I would wake up multiple times with night mares. My doctors and therapists used AW sleep tracking to see my progress and gauge what was working. My PTSD symptoms have gone down but I do keep a close watch. I absolutely look at breaths/min, heart rate, HRV with sleeping tracking to reduce stress. Integration with Bluetooth scale, BG monitors, and food tracking with my fitness pal gives a complete picture in Apple Helath.

 

[TechnoMonk]

The concussion from the crash knocked my balance. The vestibular therapist asked me to share my walking steadiness metrics from AW. It was amazing to see the progress I made in 12 weeks compared to the baseline at start of therapy. I never knew AW tracked the detailed information about walking, balance and steadiness. I hope I don’t have to use any of those, but it’s good to know there is lot to Apple Watch than some fancy work out/run/bike metrics.

 

[Thomas Davie]

The concussion from the crash knocked my balance. The vestibular therapist asked me to share my walking steadiness metrics from AW. It was amazing to see the progress I made in 12 weeks compared to the baseline at start of therapy. I never knew AW tracked the detailed information about walking, balance and steadiness. I hope I don’t have to use any of those, but it’s good to know there is lot to Apple Watch then some fancy work out/run/bike metrics.

I never even thought about walking steadiness. I’m on several medications which make me ‘unsteady’ so I’m going to try and follow my walking steadiness for a period of time after a medication dose.

Thanks

Tom

 

[TechnoMonk]

I never even thought about walking steadiness. I’m on several medications which make me ‘unsteady’ so I’m going to try and follow my walking steadiness for a period of time after a medication dose.

Thanks

Tom

Walking steadiness is a trend, usually weekly. If you are trying to do hourly or every day, look at walking asymmetry. Combination of two can give you daily and trends of if you are getting steadier or worse.

 

[yui4]

I don't have my phone out in the gym and when I'm on the rota for call outs in work the watch is a super handy for alerting me to a call

I also find it handy so I can filter notifications that require a reply straight away or dismiss until later

 

[mcled53]

Hey guys..
I bought AWU2 two months ago as my first apple watch, and ever since I am struggling to like them and make use of them. Now, I am not a sedantary type and a move quite a lot, but it's not like AW is making my workouts any better, I perform the same because I know what to do. Is there something I am missing? It feels more like nuisance to start workout every time I work out only to have it logged so that my number in Fitness app do not suck...
Next thing are the sensors.. heart beat sensor - sure. But blood oxygen sensor? I never needed it, and won't need unless I have some kind of emergency, same for ECG, or is there something I can do with this data?

For real I don't understand it, everything the watch does I can do on my phone, and the sensors and mostly never needer. Or is there something I am missing here? What are your use cases? Need some inspiration maybe. Thanks

The watch is mostly just an iPhone 2nd screen. I carry my iPhone (max) in my pants front pocket. Access the watch is just much easier than pulling the phone out. I do like to use it for heart rate monitoring while exercising. If I exceed ~140 bpm for more than ~10 min. then I sometimes get aFib.

 

[JohnRckr]

The watch is mostly just an iPhone 2nd screen. I carry my iPhone (max) in my pants front pocket. Access the watch is just much easier than pulling the phone out. I do like to use it for heart rate monitoring while exercising. If I exceed ~140 bpm for more than ~10 min. then I sometimes get aFib.

Good use case.

 

[Mikeske]

it's quite simple my friends.

You guys aren't endurance athletes.

Talk to any runner, cyclist, hiker, trail runner, etc. You get a garmin or if you are less serious then get an apple watch.

i wear both apple and garmin.

Now for my non athletic friends who hit the gym they don't use smart watches.

No I am not an endurance athlete I am a 65 year old male with a heart issue and I have a AWU and the primary reason is to monitor said heart. I have lost weight went to a healthy lifestyle and walk 3-5 miles a day with the watch. I know that the watch is silently monitoring but also by using it functions I feel safer. I know not medically approved but still a great of way to monitor before needing a doctor and the info can be readily accessible to my doctor.

 

[boss.king]

Hey guys..
I bought AWU2 two months ago as my first apple watch, and ever since I am struggling to like them and make use of them. Now, I am not a sedantary type and a move quite a lot, but it's not like AW is making my workouts any better, I perform the same because I know what to do. Is there something I am missing? It feels more like nuisance to start workout every time I work out only to have it logged so that my number in Fitness app do not suck...
Next thing are the sensors.. heart beat sensor - sure. But blood oxygen sensor? I never needed it, and won't need unless I have some kind of emergency, same for ECG, or is there something I can do with this data?

For real I don't understand it, everything the watch does I can do on my phone, and the sensors and mostly never needer. Or is there something I am missing here? What are your use cases? Need some inspiration maybe. Thanks

It's wild to say that something's useless just because you don't find it useful. And to be clear, it's totally fine if you don't get any benefit from it, but that's really different from it being useless.

For example, I use my watch to:
- play and control music and podcasts while exercising (without my phone)
- control playback when my phone is in my pocket or in another room
- get turn by run directions for walking and cycling
- track my exercise and general health
- get notifications on the go
- reply to texts
- answer calls when I can't get to my phone
- set timers
- silently wake me up without waking up my wife
- pay for things basically everywhere
- scan loyalty cards
- unlock my mac
etc.

I do agree that the blood oxygen feature is pointless becuase it's not medically certified and is information most people have no idea how to even read, but the heart rate monitor is great.

And I only have a series 7. The battery life on the Ultra is incredible, potentially worth the ubpgrade price just for that.

But yeah, if you have no use for any of the features of the watch, I have to wonder why you bought one in the first place. As fancy as it is, it's still just a watch. It's not going to make you healthier or anything, that's all still up to you.

 

[unchecked]

The watch is mostly just an iPhone 2nd screen. I carry my iPhone (max) in my pants front pocket. Access the watch is just much easier than pulling the phone out. I do like to use it for heart rate monitoring while exercising. If I exceed ~140 bpm for more than ~10 min. then I sometimes get aFib.

But you don't need an Ultra to do that. When I needed to replace my 3 a few years back, I figured out I didn't need a 6 and just got the SE2.

Therein lies the issue. The SE2 exists and if you need more out of your smart watch, then a Garmin will be that better device.

 

[boss.king]

But you don't need an Ultra to do that. When I needed to replace my 3 a few years back, I figured out I didn't need a 6 and just got the SE2.

Therein lies the issue. The SE2 exists and if you need more out of your smart watch, then a Garmin will be that better device.

But a Garmin isn't a good second screen for iOS users, whereas an Ultra is. There's nothing wrong with Garmin watches, they're great for serious athletes, but if what a person wants is a better Apple Watch, they're objectively the wrong choice.

 

[Martin Bland]

Smartphones are parasites that feed on your attention. Even when it is in your pocket, there is some part of your brain thinking about the phone being in your pocket.

Throughout our day we constantly handle them one way or another. In the morning, in bed, right after waking up, as part of the morning routine, in the car where we plug or unplug CarPlay. At work, shopping, at night back in bed, again. Everywhere, all the time. We are either staring at it, moving it around, or holding it. It’s constantly in our minds.

I use my watch to be rid of my phone. It allows me to remain available for important calls/texts without having to carry a phone. The feeling is liberating.

I now leave the house without a phone, and feel present, and free again - you can’t do that with your phone.

I recommend that everyone with an Apple Watch try leaving their phone at home for a couple weeks to see if they feel the difference.

 

[boss.king]

Smartphones are parasites that feed on your attention. Even when it is in your pocket, there is some part of your brain thinking about the phone being in your pocket.

Throughout our day we constantly handle them one way or another. In the morning, in bed, right after waking up, as part of the morning routine, in the car where we plug or unplug CarPlay. At work, shopping, at night back in bed, again. Everywhere, all the time. We are either staring at it, moving it around, or holding it. It’s constantly in our minds.

I use my watch to be rid of my phone. It allows me to remain available for important calls/texts without having to carry a phone. The feeling is liberating.

I now leave the house without a phone, and feel present, and free again - you can’t do that with your phone.

I recommend that everyone with an Apple Watch try leaving their phone at home for a couple weeks.

This only really works if you have and use the cellular option.

 

[Howard2k]

I have cellular. All the same, outside of running, it’s just never a burden to carry the phone either. Although I always go for the smaller phones. I can imagine with the larger phones, for me, it might be more of a pocket space issue.

My employer covers the cost, and I genuinely appreciate having the cellular for emergencies, bit it’s just not something that’s super useful. I would still buy a cellular watch all the same from now on, knowing that even if it doesn’t have a plan it can still make an emergency call. I’m almost 50, there’s value there.