I waited a LONG time for the Apple Watch.  It finally came almost a month ago, and it’s been attached to my wrist all day. every day. since that time.  What do I think about it after having more experience with it?

1. Upgrades- what band is best?  I bought the watch with the Milanese loop on the stainless steel watch.  I bought a white sport band and when it arrived, I switched out the loop for the sports band.  While I love the look of the Milanese loop and will wear it when I’m out for business, for day to day and for workouts, the comfort of the sports band cannot be beat.  It’s by far and away the best watch band I’ve ever owned.

I love the infinite adjustment of the loop band, but when I was playing squash with my husband, I found it would occasionally feel like it was digging into my wrist, and I would constantly be fussing with it.  I still adjust the sports band every once in a while, but far less frequently during the day.  (Your wrist does change size slightly during the day- this should be expected.)

2. The stainless steel watch felt heavy at first, but I no longer notice.  I’m glad I got the stainless watch from a fashion point of view, but it’s about twice the weight of the sports version- I think I could have been perfectly happy with the basic version, to be honest, and would appreciate the cut in weight, at least initially.  Again, since I’m running for office and need to look like a “Grownup” often, I’m happy, but between the cut in price and weight, the regular watch is just great.

3. It’s a conversation starter.  Since I am using Apple Pay on the watch, I have a passcode, and it locks when you take it off, but this then requires you to unlock it when showing it around to friends. (Slightly annoying, but a great safety feature.)  People do notice it, and ask questions.  The most frequent questions are about functionality and why.  And that leads me to:

4. Some apps are incredibly useful.  I love the health and fitness apps, including workout, with the reminders to stand, heart rate monitor, progress updates and awards.  These apps also sync with the health app on my iPhone, where I can see weekly and monthly trends.  I’ll update you next month with whether or not it has helped me lose any weight 🙂

One of my new favorite apps is Hours.  I can start and stop timers in an instant from my wrist, which is great when I’m tracking time on projects for work.  I can leave my phone in my purse, or plugged in, and still access all the info I need while working from the watch this way.  Also, Hours lets me look at my hours and graph them and print out reports, making sure I stay accountable to my boss for time spent.  This is incredibly handy, and works much better for me than when I depended on remembering to write down my start time, or opening up some app on my desktop.  It will also ask if I forgot to start a timer, which has also proved useful.

I’ve used Apple Pay a few times now, and it’s just a fantastic way to pay for things, especially for someone famous for digging through their purse for their wallet.  I’m looking forward to giving the travel apps a run through with upcoming trips, ranging from uploading boarding passes to Passport, using the Maps app to find my way around on public transportation as well as walking, and using Trip Advisor for restaurant recommendations while out of town.

The weather app, Dark Sky, lets me know of upcoming rainstorms, particularly helpful if your house is located in an area where you tend to lose power.  This taps me on the wrist, without requiring me to look at my phone or dig it out of my purse.

I also find I’m using Swarm to check in places more frequently, when it’s just a tap on my wrist.

Clear is a great to do list app, which is beautiful on the iPhone, and equally useful on the watch in keeping me on track.  Definitely a winner.

I did have to adjust my social media settings and reminders to make sure I was only getting important messages.  I really appreciate being able to send quick responses to texts, such as “I’m on my way” from my wrist at a stop light, in the store, or while in a meeting- rather than typing a whole response- it feels safer and more polite, especially if you are in a public setting.

I know more apps are on their way, and I’m sure many of them will be great.  But the apps that work best now are lightweight versions of iPhone apps that strip the functions down to essentials, and essentially allow the watch to be that “quick start” or remote button.

5. Safety features: I think the Watch will be particularly handy while traveling.  I tend to carry a lot of junk in my purse, and I hate fumbling for stuff – my wallet, phone, etc. while in public or at a register.  I feel a little vulnerable as well as disorganized.  By allowing the primary wallet  and phone functions to take place in the watch- payment, directions, texts, simple phone call response- I never have to have that feeling again.  If it gets to the point where you could have your driver’s license and public transport card on the phone as well, I might be able to leave my purse at home completely.  That would be a blessing.

A remote control for your phone sounds silly, I know.  But it’s amazing, especially for women who tend not to carry a phone in pockets as much as guys do (Heck, much of our clothing comes without pockets) how much you can do simply on your wrist.  And for anyone who has ever said “Where did I put down my phone?” the ability to ping the phone from the watch without using Find My Phone on another device is helpful as well.

I’m still happy with the watch and eager to find new ways to further expand its use, but right now, it’s a big win for me.