Apple Watch Series 4 – Bowen’s missing link.

I’m a committed Apple fan, so if you’ve already been triggered then disappear into the ether now. Be it my MacBook Pro, iPhone XS Max, Apple TV and HomeKit I’m all in. Which is the Apple trap, because you kind of have to be. If I wasn’t, my home would be off-grid in terms of the 24 odd smart devices I have. But until now there’s been a missing link in my Apple arsenal, their bloody watch. So, after a period of time using the Samsung Galaxy Watch our dictator Trevor Long finally picked up on the fact I should try the Apple Watch Series 4.

Before I go on, I have to say the Samsung Galaxy watch is an excellent device. I spent several months with it and found the traditional round dial and hundreds of apps and third-party watch faces a massive bonus. Also using the bezel to navigate through the various menus was the most user-friendly interfaces I’d come across. But iPhone uses generally don’t buy Samsung Watches, because of a range of compatibility issues. 

I have the 44mm $1,199 Space Black Stainless-Steel Case with Space Black Milanese Loop. I’ve in recent times decided I’m a smartwatch guy. While I appreciate a well-crafted analogue watch many of the brand’s I’d be attracted to are outside the cup of water and Caraway seed Trevor provides me as means of payment each month. 

But now, all that has obviously changed. But are there really any real glaring advantages to owning an Apple Watch, even in my Steve Jobs created world? First of all, I’m still not entirely comfortable with the square shaped look, I kind of feel like I’m wearing a mini iPhone on my wrist. 

Navigating around via the Digital Crown that has haptic feedback is cool, but not as effective as the bezel on the Samsung. The display is absolutely brilliant, the notifications for messages, calendar entries and emails are exactly what I’ve lived with for at least 5 years now. There’s a sense of real familiarity about it. 

Navigating through the selected apps I’ve chosen to sync from my phone is a dream, the touchscreen is smooth, fast and about as fluid as it gets. I’m no athlete so much of the health data I haven’t really used, but the fact it has the potential to provide ECG data is pretty epic. Although not available in Australia yet, this technology that could detect heart anomalies will arrive here at some stage.

Having direct access to my Apple music library is fantastic, if I was a jogger and paired some earphones with it, I suppose. While taking and making calls while leaving your phone elsewhere is actually fantastic, providing a clear and loud enough call to converse in moderately loud environments.

But you know what my biggest gripe with the Apple Watch Series 4 is? Watch faces, I can’t find a single one that I really like. I kind of feel a tad disappointed every time I glance down at it. If Apple wasn’t such a closed system, I’m sure private developers could come up with something a tad more special than the 26 Apple offer.

I can’t go back to the Samsung though, mainly because my carrier Telstra and Apple itself don’t allow for a cellular connection. Also, once I’m in it’s a case of pick and stick with Apple. But I’m subjective enough to realise there are some seriously worthy contenders out there. Yes, I’m biased. But aren’t we all?