WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.760 Something horrible happened a little after the new Apple Watch Series 9 came out. 00:00:07.760 --> 00:00:12.680 My watch, an almost three-year-old Series 6, would make a weird sound whenever I touched 00:00:12.680 --> 00:00:16.320 the screen. 00:00:16.320 --> 00:00:20.840 It felt loose right up until the moment when I could pull it off entirely. 00:00:20.840 --> 00:00:24.720 The screens come off. How'd that happen? 00:00:24.720 --> 00:00:30.280 It is weird. I'm not sure if it's the battery expanding or if all that COVID hand-washing soap ate 00:00:30.280 --> 00:00:34.000 away the adhesive, but I can't use my Apple Watch anymore. 00:00:34.000 --> 00:00:37.320 Hmm. That does bring up an interesting question. 00:00:37.320 --> 00:00:42.120 Should I fix my three-year-old Series 6 Apple Watch, or is the Series 9 compelling enough 00:00:42.120 --> 00:00:49.440 for me to buy a new one? 00:00:49.440 --> 00:00:54.200 One thing I've been curious about since starting this job is the longevity of Apple products. 00:00:54.200 --> 00:00:58.280 It's why I refrained from upgrading to the 2nd Gen AirPods Pro despite them being so 00:00:58.280 --> 00:01:03.400 much better. It's why I'm back to using this iPhone 12 mini every day, and it's why I kept using 00:01:03.400 --> 00:01:09.840 the Apple Watch Series 6 until now. There have been many upgrades to the Apple Watch in the past three years, but none of 00:01:09.840 --> 00:01:14.640 them have really moved the needle for me, except for the bigger screen maybe. 00:01:14.640 --> 00:01:19.000 There were a few periods where my batteries below 90% capacity state would leave me stranded 00:01:19.000 --> 00:01:23.160 at the end of the day, but somehow that would fix itself after an OS update. 00:01:23.160 --> 00:01:27.120 So even three years later, while my life would improve with the battery replacement, I could 00:01:27.120 --> 00:01:30.320 live without one. But we're getting close. 00:01:30.320 --> 00:01:36.560 I can't, however, live with the screen coming off. So I booked a battery replacement appointment at the Apple Store in hopes that they would 00:01:36.560 --> 00:01:40.920 simply fix the battery and screen in one go. I mean, half the work is done, right? 00:01:40.920 --> 00:01:44.160 Well, I did make an appointment for a battery replacement. 00:01:44.160 --> 00:01:47.160 We don't do any repairs on the watch. It's pretty old. 00:01:47.160 --> 00:01:51.520 We would replace it. Hmm. And it's going to take a few days as well. 00:01:51.520 --> 00:01:54.680 But what about getting a new Apple Watch Series 9 instead? 00:01:54.680 --> 00:02:00.520 There are improvements here. The new S9 chip, which you should know is the first actual CPU upgrade in years. 00:02:00.520 --> 00:02:03.800 A new gesture interaction method called DoubleTap. 00:02:03.800 --> 00:02:10.640 An ultra-wideband upgrade and new for 2024, a deactivated blood oxygen sensor, only for 00:02:10.640 --> 00:02:14.160 Americans. Ah, yes. That story. 00:02:14.160 --> 00:02:19.000 Basically last year, the U.S. International Trade Commission, ITC, ruled that Apple violated 00:02:19.040 --> 00:02:23.680 two blood oxygen sensor patents owned by Masimo, a health technology company that also owns 00:02:23.680 --> 00:02:30.240 Bowers and Wilkins for some reason. Anyway, Apple is appealing this ruling, but they have been denied the request that the 00:02:30.240 --> 00:02:33.360 import ban be lifted for the duration of the appeal. 00:02:33.360 --> 00:02:39.840 Not even Joe Biden was willing to veto the ruling. So that's why Apple has deactivated the sensor, and it could take upwards of a year for this 00:02:39.840 --> 00:02:46.080 to get fully resolved. That would have been a point for my old Series 6, which was the first to introduce the feature. 00:02:46.080 --> 00:02:49.560 But for the fact that here in Canada, the blood oxygen sensor is still functional on 00:02:49.560 --> 00:02:56.200 new watches. Well, sort of. I skimmed over some studies to see how well the Apple Watch compares to conventional pulse 00:02:56.200 --> 00:03:01.240 oximeters, which read from the tip of your finger, which is a more accurate place to measure. 00:03:01.240 --> 00:03:07.600 Hmm, unsuccessful. Well, while the Apple Watch can provide accurate readings, it can also provide scary low readings 00:03:07.600 --> 00:03:11.920 in healthy individuals too. It's why Apple's website has the fine print that says, 00:03:11.920 --> 00:03:16.040 The blood oxygen app is for wellness purposes only, and not for medical use. 00:03:16.040 --> 00:03:20.440 It's why Masimo's CEO is amusingly saying that users are better off without it. 00:03:20.440 --> 00:03:25.600 And it's why I don't care. Speaking of the tip of your finger, simply by pinching it twice with your thumb, you 00:03:25.600 --> 00:03:28.960 can do simple actions with your Apple Watch using double tap. 00:03:28.960 --> 00:03:34.400 Be it answering your phone, scrolling through your widgets, controlling music, and dealing 00:03:34.400 --> 00:03:40.280 with messages. It's very low res, only able to activate one thing depending on your state. 00:03:40.280 --> 00:03:43.760 Only for a few false positives, it does work quite well. 00:03:43.760 --> 00:03:47.800 But despite wearing this watch for months, I have yet to be in a situation where my hands 00:03:47.800 --> 00:03:54.360 are full and it helps. Though I will say if I was a jogger, which I am not, double tapping to skip a song while 00:03:54.360 --> 00:03:59.600 jogging would be really convenient. Oh, they'll be aware that's not the default setting. 00:03:59.600 --> 00:04:03.160 The upgraded ultra-wideband chip will help you precision find your iPhone should you 00:04:03.160 --> 00:04:08.560 misplace it. But because it's only supported on the U2 chip, only users of an iPhone 15 and newer 00:04:08.560 --> 00:04:14.360 can take advantage of it. I think one of the biggest reasons why you'd want to get a Series 9 is because of the chip 00:04:14.360 --> 00:04:18.840 upgrade. It's noticeably faster than my Series 6, doing just about everything. 00:04:18.840 --> 00:04:23.760 Apple tends to support devices with significant chip jumps the longest, though at this point 00:04:23.760 --> 00:04:27.520 software support clearly outlives the battery and adhesive anyway. 00:04:27.520 --> 00:04:31.720 To reduce their carbon emissions calculations with the Series 9, Apple no longer sells any 00:04:31.720 --> 00:04:36.640 leather watch bands. Instead, we get the fine woven magnetic link band. 00:04:36.640 --> 00:04:40.560 It is indeed fine, but I'm really going to miss Apple's take on leather. 00:04:40.560 --> 00:04:45.560 Luckily, if you do want a leather watch band, consider this video's sponsor, Bandwork. 00:04:45.560 --> 00:04:49.320 Oh, I got an email from Apple. 00:04:49.320 --> 00:04:52.360 Four days late. We need to hear from you. 00:04:52.360 --> 00:04:55.440 Our technicians have completed a diagnostic repair of your product. 00:04:55.440 --> 00:05:02.960 I don't like the sound of this. Well, it turns out that according to Apple's technicians, my Apple watch has a damage slash 00:05:02.960 --> 00:05:09.080 dent slash gouge on the display. No, the adhesive came off. 00:05:09.080 --> 00:05:15.400 This means that my $100 battery replacement has been categorized as a $400 other damage, 00:05:15.400 --> 00:05:19.360 which is the same price as a new Series 8 at openbox.ca. 00:05:19.360 --> 00:05:24.560 And because I'm dealing with the bureaucratic nature of big, I have a large powerful corporation, 00:05:24.560 --> 00:05:28.880 I cannot appeal. I can, however, ask questions. 00:05:28.880 --> 00:05:33.760 Here's one. Should we reform the ITC court so that Apple can only ask questions about their patent 00:05:33.760 --> 00:05:38.120 infringement ruling? 00:05:38.120 --> 00:05:42.480 I don't know if you noticed, but I'm actually wearing the first Mac Address merch on LTTstore.com. 00:05:42.480 --> 00:05:47.960 It's the Steve Turtleneck, and it comes in tall sizes. 00:05:47.960 --> 00:05:52.480 Apple's reticence to repair my watch comes from the fact that they don't repair anything, 00:05:52.480 --> 00:05:58.640 only replace. And that's so strange to me. Watch repair has been a part of timekeeping for centuries, and yet the largest company 00:05:58.640 --> 00:06:02.480 in the world can engineer a watch that they would feel confident repairing. 00:06:02.880 --> 00:06:08.840 Apple made a big deal that this watch with the woven band is completely carbon neutral. 00:06:08.840 --> 00:06:15.920 And that's great. But I mean, repairing a watch emits way less emissions than replacing one. 00:06:15.920 --> 00:06:21.920 Hi, I'm here to pick up a repair. 00:06:21.920 --> 00:06:25.560 Since the Genius Bar is useless, I'm going to go to an independent repair shop. 00:06:25.560 --> 00:06:29.960 I wasn't expecting this to become a repairability gripe video, but alas, it's taken almost 00:06:29.960 --> 00:06:35.480 two weeks for Apple to support me. Another repair shop will fix my Apple watch in a few hours, despite Apple's onerous 00:06:35.480 --> 00:06:38.520 restrictions on parts and access to manuals. 00:06:38.520 --> 00:06:42.560 It's good to have the old watch back, and for almost $75 as well. 00:06:42.560 --> 00:06:50.280 Now, I do have to admit, it wasn't the cleanest repair. I did have to remove some excess adhesive from the digital crown, and I have to accept 00:06:50.280 --> 00:06:58.120 that water resistance isn't guaranteed. But like, after three years, it clearly didn't hold up from the factory either. 00:06:58.120 --> 00:07:03.680 The battery, however, is performing quite well. Though I think the Series 9 is a little better. 00:07:03.680 --> 00:07:11.480 This in spite of the fact I was using the smaller model. I do, however, much prefer the larger size of my older Apple watch, even if the thicker 00:07:11.480 --> 00:07:15.840 bezels means this old screen is only marginally bigger than the smaller Series 9. 00:07:15.840 --> 00:07:20.120 I'm also missing out on the on-screen keyboard. 00:07:20.120 --> 00:07:25.440 The decision between fixing this old Apple watch and replacing it with a $400 new one, 00:07:25.440 --> 00:07:28.440 for me, is easy. Fix it. 00:07:28.440 --> 00:07:33.360 The battery is a consumable, like car tires, and Apple watches get five years of software 00:07:33.360 --> 00:07:39.280 updates now, so everyone can expect one battery replacement in their watch's lifespan. 00:07:39.280 --> 00:07:42.560 Except maybe Apple. 00:07:42.560 --> 00:07:46.240 After five years, the new Apple watch might look more compelling when this model is no 00:07:46.240 --> 00:07:49.760 longer supported, and this replaced battery is no longer holding a charge. 00:07:49.760 --> 00:07:54.480 But until then, I'm going to keep using this, because it's great. 00:07:54.480 --> 00:07:59.120 Thanks for not replacing this Mac Address. If you want to watch another video we did on the Apple watch, you can watch the one 00:07:59.120 --> 00:08:03.840 where I used this one, which is a cellular model, as my only mobile device for a week. 00:08:03.840 --> 00:08:07.840 The result was surprising, and I'm curious in the comments below how long you've been 00:08:07.840 --> 00:08:10.600 using your Apple watches for, and if you've replaced the battery.