Today the Apple Event 2023 Wonderlust took place and there were some interesting things announced. In this article I will focus on Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Ultra 2 and a bit on watchOS 10. There are many things that make me excited and don't be surprised if I say that the new Apple Watch may deserve to be the most perfect smartwatch.
ATTRACT
1. Apple S9 Chip – More Powerful
After three generations of Apple Watch using the same chip but with a different name, finally Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 are generated with a new chip which is Apple S9 which is more powerful. The chip has 5.6 billion transistors which is 60% more than the Apple S8, offers 30% faster GPU power and a quad-core neural engine.
With this new faster chip, the new Apple Watch will last longer, support more features and functions and will provide a more satisfying usage experience.
2. Double Tap – Control the Clock Without Touch
Do you remember or know AssistiveTouch? It is a accessibility feature where the clock can be controlled with finger gestures. Either squeeze once or twice and grasp once or twice to launch an app, remotely control the iPhone's camera and answer phone calls. On the new watch, it is named as Double Tap and its use is expanded to almost 100% of the watch controlled by fingers only.
This may be the only way to become a Jedi on Apple products. In my attempts to use AssistiveTouch on the Apple Watch Ultra I found this feature to be very interesting. Who would have thought that a feature that was originally for the disabled could now be a useful feature for everyone.
3. Brighter Screen
The screen description of the Series 9 can reach 2000 nits and the Ultra 2 reaches 3000 nits. This is the highest level of brightness on a pair of smartwatches. Now in any situation with very hot sunlight, Apple Watch can be used as usual without squinting at what is displayed on the watch screen.
4. Better Object Tracking With New UWB
I couldn't find a new name for the ultra wideband (UWB) chip other than it being listed as second generation. This chip can track objects more precisely and be Internet of things (IoT) device friendly. It allows the Apple Watch to locate a lost iPhone precisely and with visual, audio and haptic assistance.
Then when the user is close to the HomePod, the clock will continue to display now Playing to control the music. As someone who often forgets where the iPhone is at home due to too many devices being tested, this is the feature I want to use the most because the current Find My ringtone system is sometimes not very helpful.
5. Smarter Series
All this time to monitor the health data collected by the Apple Watch, the Health and Fitness applications are used. On both of these new Apple Watches Siri can be given commands to tell the wearer's health level. Just ask “Siri, how many hours did I sleep last night?”, “Siri, what about my heart rate?”, “Siri, show me my latest sports data.” and many more.
This is especially useful after the user has finished a workout session. With a sweaty body it feels uncomfortable to touch the Apple Watch screen. Through voice commands it is not only faster but avoids dirt on the screen.
7. watchOS 10- Needed Improvements
With the new watchOS 10 more and more user-friendly features are added. NameDrop is supported for example allowing personal information such as phone number and email to be shared with Apple Watch and iPhone owners as easily as connecting the two devices. Widgets make it easy to display information quickly without using a watch face with complicated complications.
For those who feel the screen is too small, information on the Apple Watch can be displayed on a nearby iPhone. Very useful for those who cycle and all the information can be seen in detail on the iPhone they have. The high number of features and useful functions is one of the main reasons why the Apple Watch is the smart watch with the largest market share at the moment.
8. The First Carbon Neutral Apple Watch
By 2030, Apple aims to become a completely carbon neutral company. Through Series 9, for the first time Apple has a product that is carbon neutral. The entire watch uses materials that are either recycled or more sustainable to reduce the impact on the environment.
The packaging of each Apple Watch is based on fiber material. Construction materials, electricity consumption and transportation for the Apple Watch are also key factors in making Apple's ambitions a reality.
DISAPPOINTING
8. The design is still the same
Since last year everyone is looking forward to the new Apple Watch design. Series 8 should use a flat design and then it is rumored to be used on Series 9. But as you can see the clock design is still the same. It's been years since Apple Watch used the design introduced since Series 1. Only the screen is bigger but 90% of the other designs still retain the original touch of Sir Jony Ive.
It sounds like the real changes to the Apple Watch will only be present with Series X in conjunction with its 10th anniversary. Just as the major changes to the iPhone were introduced through the iPhone X seven years ago. I can only hope.
9. Not All Functions Can Be Used
The more accurate Find My feature is limited to iPhone 15 series owners only as it requires Apple's second-generation UWB chip. Next is the Now Playing feature that comes out when the clock is close to the HomePod. This smart speaker is not sold in Malaysia until now.
It is disadvantageous to users when there are interesting features but cannot be used for certain reasons. Similar to my experience using the Soli radar on the Pixel 4 which can only be used in Singapore a few years ago.
10. No Improvement On Series 9 Battery Endurance
According to Apple, the Series 9 can last up to 18 hours or up to 36 hours in low power mode. This is about the same as the battery life on the Series 8. Apple advertises the Series 9 with “all-day battery”. Since when does a day only have 18 hours? Even elementary school children know that the whole day is 24 hours.
Improved battery life should be a given as we can see their competitors like the Galaxy Watch6 Classic have a battery life of 40 hours with AOD and 50 hours without AOD.