We gave Gary one week and an Apple Watch. How did he get on...
I am not a devoted Apple fan; in fact the very last place you’ll find me is outside an Apple store at God knows what hour waiting to hold the latest Apple product. To this day my main work device is a Dell notebook and although I do confess to owning an iPhone and iPad they were recommended by a fellow director; the product's simplicity and helpfulness were things I quickly decided I could not live without.
With Adido’s new vision fresh in my mind (along with a recent Apple advert) I decided to take a glimpse at where we are heading and purchased an Apple watch, if for nothing else to see what all the fuss is about. Adido is a successful digital agency that myself and three friends established 12 years ago, working with brands like M&S, Bournemouth Council and Orange, my role means I spend the majority of my time outside of the office. I own another business Nineteen48, an ethical coloured gemstone company that mine Gemstones in Sri Lanka and am father to an amazing little boy who keeps me on my toes, oh and I love football, golf, tennis and squash as well. Why am I telling you this? My life is incredibly busy, trust me. And managing my time efficiently with the use of technology is crucial for me to be able to work on the go. So did the Apple Watch help?
The first mentionable is the heart rate monitor and activity app, a slightly bias opinion however as I’m a firm believer of ‘If you can measure it, you can improve it’. It focuses on three things – sit less, move more and get some exercise (blue, red, and green bars).
I especially enjoy the Watch’s feature to remind you every hour to stand up (provided you have been sat down and not done so already) as well as how you are progressing against all three focuses throughout your day. The visibility of the activity app on the watch face also acts as a reminder (or a less aggressive coach) of how you are getting on against your targets.
During your journey home from work you can see: how many calories you've burned, steps taken, and distance travelled. This helps to see if you are actually progressing and pushing yourself. This of course all being available at the end of your arm. You don’t even need to get your phone out or have it with you, during a game of tennis my phone would be in my bag at the side of the court and would stay in range. Having not testing the range myself, I would recommend this article about the range between your phone and the Apple watch: bradymower.com/apple-watch-connection-distance-iphone.
For me the gym is an excuse to explore the word ‘Procrastination’ however when I play sports I have to push myself, the heart rate monitor is fantastic to record how your heart rate is going up. Before the Watch I used to let my breathing tell me how hard I was pushing myself, but the monitor provides an instant insight into how hard you are actually working. Like I said, I like to measure, being in my mid 30’s I aim to get my rate between 128 to 146, unless I’m playing squash or football, in which case I aim for 147 to 166, to achieve max fat burn (I’m no expert) but the ability to measure instantly allows me to adjust my performance accordingly.
What about other elements? Well it’s a fantastic watch… As well as telling the time (Yes it does this!) It also lets me see my next couple of appointments, the temperature, the date, and other useful elements depending on the face settings, all in all making life that little more convenient.
The world clock is another of my favourite features, having the knowledge of when the sun will rise and set as well as the time in countries all over the world, especially useful to me for communicating within my gemstone business, with associates in Sri Lanka and Australia.
Connectivity done right again by Apple means you are able to control your iPhone from the watch, this comes in handy with the camera when you want to take a group shot, being able to view the photo and shoot it from your watch.
Clipping your phone to your belt, although possibly outdated, can be an effective way to save time and improve access to your phone’s features, however I find that the ability to call and listen to music on your watch a far more sophisticated way of doing so. I like making calls whilst I’m walking, so pacing around the office and boardroom is a familiar sight, which I can now do without having to get my phone out (Possibly looking slightly weirder than having a belt clip).
