{"id":8220,"date":"2015-05-06T12:30:44","date_gmt":"2015-05-06T16:30:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.nccomputertech.com\/?p=8220"},"modified":"2015-05-06T12:30:44","modified_gmt":"2015-05-06T16:30:44","slug":"review-the-absolutely-optional-apple-watch-and-watch-os-1-0","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2015\/05\/06\/review-the-absolutely-optional-apple-watch-and-watch-os-1-0\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: The absolutely optional Apple Watch and Watch OS 1.0"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

If you’re wondering whether to buy an Apple Watch, consider your computing life as a hierarchy of needs:<\/p>\n

At the bottom sits your must have device\u2014a computer, tablet, or phone\u2014capable of independently accessing the Internet and storing useful quantities of data. And one step above that is Internet access itself. You need a device to use it, but your device can\u2019t do much without it.<\/p>\n

Every tier similarly builds upon the one below it. Next comes useful apps\u2014browsers, productivity software, whatever you need to work and play\u2014and these all extend your device\u2019s functionality in basic, useful ways. Services for work (Dropbox, Office 365) and entertainment (Spotify, Netflix) follow. The line between software and services is increasingly blurry (especially if we\u2019re talking about software-as-a-service) but most of them feel more optional. Everyone needs a browser. Not everyone needs Dropbox and Netflix and Facebook.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Andrew Cunningham Tech Hierarchy of Needs. Note the Mickey Mouse watch face at the very, very top.<\/p>\n

Finally, we get to the top of most users’ needs\u2014accessories. This encompasses anything that wouldn\u2019t work (or would be drastically less capable) without everything toward the bottom of the pyramid: standalone cameras, iPods, printers, scanners, input devices, and\u2014yes\u2014watches.<\/p>\n

Make no mistake, the Apple Watch is a thoroughly optional accessory. Even if you think you want it, wait if there\u2019s a shadow of a doubt in your mind\u2014if not for the inevitable hardware revision, then at least for the OS and the surrounding app ecosystem to firm up. A $349-or-more pricetag is still a lot of money to spend on a question mark.<\/p>\n

But after spending a week with an Ars-purchased 42mm space gray model (and spending a substantial amount of time with Android Wear), I can tell you that unnecessary things can still be useful. If you buy or like using your Apple Watch, you\u2019re not an idiot who is wasting both your money and your precious time on this earth.<\/p>\n

So the Apple Watch isn\u2019t something you need, but does it make things \u201cquick\u201d and \u201cconvenient,\u201d as Apple\u2019s own marketing suggests? As the heir apparent to the smartwatch throne, does it live up to its advance billing? And as a version 1.0 product, what still needs to be fixed\u2014and how?<\/p>\n

Read More: Review: The absolutely optional Apple Watch and Watch OS 1.0 | Ars Technica<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you’re wondering whether to buy an Apple Watch, consider your computing life as a hierarchy of needs: At the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2,10],"tags":[87],"class_list":["post-8220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-apple","category-technology","tag-apple-watch"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/papNkV-28A","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9655,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2021\/03\/09\/fuquay-varina-and-holly-springs-computer-repair\/","url_meta":{"origin":8220,"position":0},"title":"Fuquay Varina and Holly Springs Computer Repair","author":"NCCT","date":"March 9, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Welcome to our blog. 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