PCMag Editor Revisits 2015 Apple Watch Review After 11 Years, Sees Health Pivot
Updated
Updated · PCMag · Sep 2
PCMag Editor Revisits 2015 Apple Watch Review After 11 Years, Sees Health Pivot
1 articles · Updated · PCMag · Sep 2
Summary
Eleven years after rating the original Apple Watch four stars, PCMag’s executive editor said the 2015 review underestimated how long Apple would need to define the device’s real purpose.
The reassessment argues the first model never became the must-have smartwatch the reviewer expected, with early selling points like wrist apps and heartbeat sharing failing to make it essential.
Later Apple Watch generations found that purpose through health and safety features, including heart-rate alerts, ECG monitoring, fall detection and sleep apnea tracking.
Ahead of Apple’s next watch announcement, the editor says the product’s next phase could center on predictive health tracking, on-device AI coaching and multi-day battery life.
With simpler rivals boasting 21-day batteries, has Apple's quest to build an essential health monitor created an over-engineered device we must charge daily?
Can the smartwatch evolve from a trendy status symbol into a true medical diagnostic tool without crossing the line into inducing constant health anxiety?
As Apple pushes for advanced on-device AI, will the ultimate cost be the very battery life needed to monitor our health continuously?