This red digital crown, who is it for?
It denotes cellular capability on the Apple Watch, a way to decouple from your phone
if you're more action oriented. So like a jogger or rock climber or paddle boarder?
Remember that? But those are such athletic scenarios which few of us actually do.
Personally, I think I can stick with the Wi-Fi only model, because obviously I have my phone
with me everywhere anyway. But perhaps I'm missing something, and to find out I set myself a challenge.
Live with only this old, cellular, Series 6 Apple Watch for a week to find out if my
life can even function with it. And it alone.
The rules of this challenge are simple. No laptop, no iPad, and no iPhone 4 an entire week.
I can, however, use a desktop computer so that I'm not alienated from work duties at
the office. The first thing I think I need to get used to is...
Hello? Hello, Jonathan. This man being...
Oh, oh hi. It's my realtor.
Untethered communication is the big sell for the cellular Apple Watch.
But as it's now my only source of communication, it's not easy or convenient.
Making speakerphone calls isn't great in a serious open office like ours.
And if you want, you have to switch to your AirPods after you make the call.
The most convenient way to reply to messages is with dictation.
But again, that'll disturb people around you.
So I'm writing with my finger, which takes longer. The on-screen keyboard found on newer Apple Watches is better and faster, but you're
not going to be conducting any long-winded text message threads on here.
And if you have friends on Android, you can text them via SMS.
But for that to be enabled at all, your iPhone will need to remain powered on no matter where
it is. Phone keys wallet, no phone keys wallet.
Okay. Unfortunately, it appears I can't connect my Apple Watch to my Bluetooth, which is
a little sad. That means I'm going to have to drive in silence or use old CDs.
What am I going to do now? How am I going to listen to my podcasts?
So this is a three-bedroom townhouse you're interested in.
It's big and open. It's got a nice patio right off your dining area.
Wow. Yeah, it is bigger than I was expecting, but I got to make sure it fits my couch.
So I'm just going to measure. Oh, I should take a photo first.
The thing that makes the iPhone so useful and amazing is that it can do everything.
But because of this challenge, doing something like viewing this apartment requires a much
more involved setup. I have to bring my massive old DSLR and notepad and tape measure, but if I had the iPhone,
I could literally do that all on one device.
I could take an ultra-wide photo of the space, write my thoughts on the note-taking app and
even measure things out with the measure app. So how much is this place?
Oh, it's just a little over 800,000. Oh my God, this housing market.
Crippling boredom. It's what you get when you sever yourself from your phone.
What am I supposed to do on the toilet? What am I supposed to do right now?
My habit for years has been to pull out my phone and scroll, but with this Apple Watch,
I can't. No videos, no articles, no tweets, nothing.
Just fiddling with the digital crown and swiping through different faces.
Hello? Hey, Johnno, are you busy right now?
No, actually. Did you come over and help me with some things?
Yeah, I'll be right over. Okay, Johnno, I've started a really big project.
I'm working on an album from 1999. What?
It was on my Europe trip, so I'm hoping to cut this out. I need this glued in.
When you don't have a phone around, the time you spend with others does change.
You are simply more present when hanging out with family or friends.
The impulse to look things up during conversations is quelled completely, because it's not possible.
What I'm getting at is I really didn't feel like I was missing anything important.
What I was missing were the habits, and those are good things to miss.
So the week is over, and what has it been like?
Great, actually. What really surprised me is what a great digital detox this is.
You hear people moaning, I gotta get off my phone, I gotta stop using Facebook.
But they're empty commitments because the cost of completely severing communication
makes the prospect untenable. But with the Apple Watch, you're not actually severing communication.
It's so liberating. Let me give you an idea of how different life was with only the Apple Watch.
My average sleep increased by a full half hour during the week.
I didn't waste hours a day on Twitter. I went on two hikes, all recorded in the fitness app.
If you want to try this, it's worth knowing the cost. Firstly, cellular capability increases the price of the Series 8 watch by $100.
But it's only $50 more on an SE. And that's before you register for a cell services, which is pretty easy.
To sign up, you'll need an existing plan on a non-discount service provider.
The monthly cost for this service is $10, plus a one-time activation fee of $45 should
you BYOW. Apple Watch.
But is it worth it? I don't think so.
Not for a digital detox, because it's going to require some accountability.
No, perhaps $120 a year is accountability enough to do it regularly.
But for me, it wouldn't be. So yes, it's certainly possible to live with only an Apple Watch.
It's even great. But if you want to do a digital detox, there are cheaper ways to do it.
You could set up Screen Time in iOS or delete your Facebook account, which I recommend.
What a beautiful sunset.
I don't have a camera.
If you already have a cellular Apple Watch and you feel like you don't know why, try
this challenge. It'll answer that question. And if you're looking at the product page trying to decide between a cellular or Wi-Fi
model, well, you'll know if you need one. Otherwise, unless you have a child with whom you want to gift the Apple Watch three years
from now and set up with family setup, I think you're probably best sticking with a Wi-Fi
model. As for me, I don't have any children, except for my baby mini iPhone, darling.
Thanks for detoxing this Mac Address.
If you think the Apple Watch should be its own device on its own cellular plan, give
this video a like. Now I'm curious if that's something you would go for.
Ditch the iPhone, only cellular Apple Watch, comment below.