Why I Threw Away My Apple Watch • Hacker News Board

Re: Why I Threw Away My Apple Watch

#11

Post by ratg13 » Tue, Dec 12, 2023, 6:19 AM UTC

ChatGTP wrote: post #5

0172 wrote: post #4

TL;DR Author threw away watch because they keep forgetting to charge it and managing charging cable was difficult. There must be reasonably easy solutions to both of these problems.

I have a wireless charger next to my bed, I go into the shower, put it on there, come back and it's good for another day or so.

I bought an Apple Watch, I also don’t use it because of the charging.

The sleep data would be the only thing really valuable to me, so taking it off at night would defeat the purpose, and travel too often to keep any sort of permanent setup.

I don’t know that there is a good solution.

Re: Why I Threw Away My Apple Watch

#12

Post by keymon-o » Tue, Dec 12, 2023, 6:21 AM UTC

xet7 wrote: post #8

keymon-o wrote: post #3

I understand the issues you experience. I don’t get the point you are trying to make. I have a cheaper smartwatch and a dirty cheap robot cleaner. Cheaper smartwatch has e-ink screen, notifications, payment, health monitors, etc. It doesn’t have all possible smart features, but in return I got 30d battery life. Cheap robot vacuum cleaner is based on basic sensors, no lidar or recognition systems. It gets stuck in cab…

What smartwatch models is it?

Garmin Instinct 2

Re: Why I Threw Away My Apple Watch

#13

Post by keymon-o » Tue, Dec 12, 2023, 6:22 AM UTC

ssivark wrote: post #6

keymon-o wrote: post #3

I understand the issues you experience. I don’t get the point you are trying to make. I have a cheaper smartwatch and a dirty cheap robot cleaner. Cheaper smartwatch has e-ink screen, notifications, payment, health monitors, etc. It doesn’t have all possible smart features, but in return I got 30d battery life. Cheap robot vacuum cleaner is based on basic sensors, no lidar or recognition systems. It gets stuck in cab…

Which watch is this?

Garmin Instinct 2

Re: Why I Threw Away My Apple Watch

#14

Post by deafpolygon » Tue, Dec 12, 2023, 6:51 AM UTC

0172 wrote: post #4

TL;DR Author threw away watch because they keep forgetting to charge it and managing charging cable was difficult. There must be reasonably easy solutions to both of these problems.

Just changing some habits was useful in managing this.

- firstly, turn off the Always On feature - this saves an immense amount of battery and I'm not staring at my wrist half the day anyways.

- IN the morning, when I have my coffee - slap it on the charger at my desk.

- Showering - slap it (or simply leave it) on the charger, then get dressed and put it on

- In the evening when I'm cooking/eating dinner, slap it on the charger.

I find that a 30-minute charge time is enough to juice it up for 8h or more. It is often fully charged in an hour or so.

Re: Why I Threw Away My Apple Watch

#15

Post by bestham » Tue, Dec 12, 2023, 6:52 AM UTC

Somehow, this really resonates with me. I have used an Apple Watch off and on the last three years. While I have no problem keeping it charged, doing so is still a chore. When I wake up, I remove my iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch from the charger. Some mornings it feels like my sole purpose in life is to dress myself in technology and while keeping the various integrated batteries topped off. I got the watch for the fitness functions and because I love technology. And the fitness functions are really good, closing rings have had me exercise more than I would otherwise. The problem I have with the Apple Watch is that it makes it really awkward to wear a real watch, one of the few pieces of jewellery that I as a feel confident wearing. Double wristing is not for me. It is a marvellous piece of technology can be really useful, but it limits me more than it enables me.

Re: Why I Threw Away My Apple Watch

#16

Post by deafpolygon » Tue, Dec 12, 2023, 6:53 AM UTC

galaxyLogic wrote: post #2

> Before our robot could start his work, I had to clean the floors. Typical

Know how to starve a robot? Hide the food stamps under the charger.

Re: Why I Threw Away My Apple Watch

#17

Post by Log_out_ » Tue, Dec 12, 2023, 7:15 AM UTC

keymon-o wrote: post #3

I understand the issues you experience. I don’t get the point you are trying to make. I have a cheaper smartwatch and a dirty cheap robot cleaner. Cheaper smartwatch has e-ink screen, notifications, payment, health monitors, etc. It doesn’t have all possible smart features, but in return I got 30d battery life. Cheap robot vacuum cleaner is based on basic sensors, no lidar or recognition systems. It gets stuck in cab…

Wasn't there a version with self winding but no surplus return to battery. It had no health sensors though as a extrem low energy device.

If I recall correctly the winding energy was directly used up for operations to spare the battery. Someone help me out, the core was some SOC from TI..

Re: Why I Threw Away My Apple Watch

#18

Post by michaelteter » Tue, Dec 12, 2023, 7:15 AM UTC

I got rid of mine because of the battery as well. The benefits didn't outweigh the extra mental overhead of having one more thing to manage daily.

Except for times when I want to capture health data, or when I'm exercising, I wear nothing. After all, I always have my phone with me, so I always know what time it is.

But when I want to wear a watch, my Garmin Venu SQ2 provides nearly as good activity and health tracking as the Apple watch, plus more sports tracking features... and its battery lasts days. It's also lighter and cheaper, so if I break it I won't be as upset.

Re: Why I Threw Away My Apple Watch

#19

Post by vsnf » Tue, Dec 12, 2023, 7:17 AM UTC

deafpolygon wrote: post #14

0172 wrote: post #4

TL;DR Author threw away watch because they keep forgetting to charge it and managing charging cable was difficult. There must be reasonably easy solutions to both of these problems.

Just changing some habits was useful in managing this. - firstly, turn off the Always On feature - this saves an immense amount of battery and I'm not staring at my wrist half the day anyways. - IN the morning, when I have my coffee - slap it on the charger at my desk. - Showering - slap it (or simply leave it) on the charger, then get dressed and put it on - In the evening when I'm cooking/eating dinner, slap it on…

This description makes you seem like a slave to your own technology

Re: Why I Threw Away My Apple Watch

#20

Post by madmod » Tue, Dec 12, 2023, 7:20 AM UTC

I genuinely don’t understand why this is a problem for some people. It charges in under 15 minutes while I shower each morning. When I’m traveling I do always forget the charger however.

Robot vacuums on the other hand are awful for me. I always leave small cables and things on the floor like a jacket on the back of a chair. Also it does a poor job of transitioning from a hardwood surface to a thick rug. It frequently fails to charge even sitting on the dock. Also it is louder than even my shop vac.