Thoughts on Large Watch Screens

Today I played with an Apple Watch Ultra in a shopping centre and two thoughts came to mind. The first is that this is finally a calculator watch that is big enough for an adult to use. This is meant more as a joke than as a serious comment.

The second thought is that if they are not careful watch screens will become too big. The only iOS phone I can consider is the SE because the others are too large, and if they are not careful then watches too, will become too big. I don’t want such a large screen.

Apple seem to want to replace mac book laptops with ipads, ipads with mobile phone, and mobile phones with the Apple watch Ultra. Eventually Apple will go back to being a secondary brand. They have already split away from the four box mode. Cheap pro, expensive pro, cheap consumer, expensive consumer.

Remember, what made Apple stand out a few years ago is that we had four products to choose from. Now we have a dozen more choices. Apple is no longer as simple as before.

The Ultra is advertised as an adventure watch but I am more tempted by the PRT-B50 if I was going to get a watch. I like it’s simple functionality and how it ties in to the phone. It has a two year battery life instead of 30hrs.

If you want a dive watch then the Suunto D4, for 200 CHF will have the same usefulness as the ultra, but designed by dive pros. The Apple watch SE is 265 CHF, at the time when I quickly googled the watch.

For the price of an ultra watch you could get three or four specialist devices instead. I am not saying you should. I’m saying that for the quarter of the money you could choose a device that suits your needs better.

Am I trying to convince you or myself?

And Finally

Without giving a specific brand or watch you can get a GPS running tracker for 100 CHF rather than 800-1000. It will track running, cycling and more, but not hiking. For 100 CHF you can track your sports, and it’s 39mm wide, rather than 42, 44 or more. It fits comfortably, goes for 13hours, of sports tracking, in theory, and a week in normal mode otherwise.

My aim, in giving such suggestions, is not so much to help you save money, as to play with a number of devices, and see which ecosystem you like, or love most, and which one you think is lacking.

I use sports tracking watches one and a half hours to two hours a day seven days a week, three hundred and sixty five days a year. I want to keep track of what I do, and have complete data. I don’t need an 800 CHF watch, when a 100 CHF watch does what I want. I will write about that watch after I have played with it for a week or two, not before.