Why I’m not Buying an Apple Watch

First reason –I’m an Android user and enthusiast : ) Like it or not, Android and iOS don’t play nicely with each other, and the Apple Watch is a companion device for the iPhone. It’s definitely an intriguing device though, and I enjoyed learning more about how Apple plans to tackle the wearables space. The Apple Pay announcement was also extremely fascinating – my colleague Zil has prepared an excellent and informative review of Apple Pay. Back to the topic at hand. Why would I stay away from this device? A few reasons come to mind, some are banking related, and others are not:

• The battery life is expected to be pitiful. The rumour is that this device will POSSIBLY last through the day and will need to be charged every night. I have to regularly remember to charge my laptop, mobile phone, Fitbit, tablet, Kindle, kid’s iPad, and a bunch of rechargeable batteries that are used in various toys and gadgets around our household. I don’t want anything else that I need to charge regularly, and I certainly don’t want to travel with another charging cable or dock. My goal is to downsize our chargers and we need better battery life and a set of charging standards to be able to do this. Note that this comment isn’t specific to the Apple Watch – it’s an issue for the Android Wear watches as well, and the primary reason I’m hesitant to dive in. I’m also a believer that the success of mobile payments will be contingent upon battery life (among other things). Who wants to end up at the POS with a dead device or worry that this could happen?
• It only comes out in early 2015. The slew of Android smartwatches has clearly put pressure on Apple to ANNOUNCE a device but they obviously aren’t ready to release it. Otherwise, it would have ended up on the shelves as rapidly as the new iPhone 6 and 6+.
• It’s a first generation offering. This builds on the previous point regarding battery life and release date. Like most new products, this first gen device will require some improvements. It will certainly be fun to tinker with, but will be frustrating at the same time. If you are an iPhone user and you want a smartwatch you are limited to this first generation offering. Note that competing Android offerings from Samsung have already gone through multiple product iterations and will be even further along by the time the Apple Watch is released. Motorola and LG also have first generation products out there that will be rapidly refreshed.
• I don’t think it’s very fashionable. I like watches and there is much to appreciate about a beautiful timepiece. A watch is my primary if not only “accessory.” To me this watch looks a bit childish and cheap. Not to mention that if you want a nicer band or colour it will cost more money. My wife disagrees with me, she thinks it's awesome and she is an iPhone user. Most of the Android watches aren’t that fashionable either, with the exception of the Moto 360 (save for the black bar at the bottom of the screen) and the LG G Watch R. The watches will get nicer over time and it will take a generation or two for these to become more elegant timepieces. Note that not everyone shares my opinion about the Apple watch as a fashionable timepiece – Hodinkee, a watch review site (not a tech site), finds the watch to be well made and fashionable. Hat tip to Jimmy Dinh for pointing me to this particularly informative review.
• Health reasons. Radios communicating everywhere – in my pocket, my house, at the office, etc. Do I need another, particularly one that is stuck to my body? I have no scientific data to back this up at this point, but I do think about harmful exposure.

Now that I’ve vented, here are a few reasons why I would consider the watch. I’m not sure they are enough though to justify the price tag:

• I’m a gadget enthusiast. I’d buy a smartwatch for pure tinkering purposes. You’ve probably gathered by now that I like this stuff. Even if it’s not practical, I enjoy a hands on approach to understanding how these devices work and what they can be used for.
• As a fitness device and companion. I currently wear a Fitbit, and while I really like it, I’d like to get rid of it. It’s just something extra to remember, carry and charge. This class of devices will likely disappear as heart monitors, step counters, etc. get built into smartwatches and mobile phones. The Apple Watch, or any other smartwatch could make a great bike computer or running computer.
• To experiment with Apple Pay (in the morning of course, when the battery still works!).
• As a conversation starter with bankers. I enjoy demoing cool technology to our banking clients that unfortunately don’t have the time to think about new technology or devices. Their day jobs are demanding and they turn to us for opinions on how emerging technology with impact the banking landscape.

Enough about me. More importantly, what does all of this mean for financial institutions? I recently blogged on wearables for banking and you can read more about that here. Even if the masses aren’t flocking to smartwatch banking, I believe that every bank should buy this watch and a couple of Android watches. It’s critical for banks to understand the impact of new technology and the best way to learn about it is hands on experimentation and experience. Buy a couple, give them to your senior digital banking product folks and tech staff so that they can form educated opinions. This will require some budget of course – a budget that every bank should have for research and development and the creation of new products. What I’m suggesting certainly isn’t typical or commonplace, but well needed if banks want to be the digital powerhouses that they are aspiring to. Will you buy the Apple Watch? Why or why not? How does Apple Pay factor into your purchasing decision? Please weigh in with your thoughts or comments.