Apple’s Series 3 smartwatch may look the same on the outside as the previous generation (albeit with a new ceramic gray option and contrasting red-tipped digital crown), but what they have inside might help kick the somewhat sleepy wearable category into high gear. To be clear, Apple isn’t the first to put cellular connectivity into a smartwatch — but it is the first to put it into a good smartwatch.
The Apple Watch is still a device I have mixed feelings about, even though I generally wear one every day. It’s not essential the way a smartphone is, but it can be time- and stress-saving in some key situations, especially if your job depends on being current. And it’s undeniably useful if you happen to run, train or travel with any frequency.
Apple faced a lot of criticism when the Watch first launched, and while subsequent rethinks of the software experience have improved things a lot, it’s still not praised with anywhere near the frequency and intensity of other products in its lineup, especially the iPhone.
But if you’ve spent any significant time with other wearables, you start to realize just how much the original Apple Watch (and the Series 2, by extension) actually got right. It ticks basic boxes that are not so consistently checked by Android Wear or Samsung competitors, with things as basic as notifications and heart rate tracking.
Cellular connectivity probably won’t end up actually adding a ton to the experience of owning an Apple Watch — it’s not going to become your sole device, for instance, replacing an iPhone entirely. But it will shore up some of the remaining limitations the Watch has, and it could turn the tide of overall sentiment for the device....