10 Ways the Apple Watch Will Save You Time

Monday, I wrote about my initial impressions with the Apple Watch. (Read them here.)

As the launch quickly approaches, there are still many questions about its use and features.

The big question on my mind is, “Will the Apple Watch be a true timesaver? Or just another shiny gadget that interrupts our lives?”

Time Saver or Interruption?

Apple has been particularly tight-lipped about even the most basic features of Apple Watch. There still hasn’t been a full demo of the watch and the device’s operations are being coyly revealed in a handful on videos on Apple’s website.

Apple Watch: “Timesaver or time waster?”  That is the big question.

Many people are worried about too many alerts. Constant interruptions on our wrists versus in our pockets.

While I think it will be important to control and filter notifications, I am not as concerned with the number of alerts. Your phone is already ringing and buzzing.

Apple Watch should give us a better and quicker way to address the alerts that really should reach us. Instead of reaching into your pocket and pulling out your phone to “see who is calling,” you can instantly, from your wrist, dismiss the potential interruption. I have been doing this with my Pebble Watch for over a year and it can be a great timesaver to prevent unwanted interruptions.

My hope is that the Apple Watch will interrupt us less than our phones. As well, it will prevent you from getting distracted by other things on your phone.

Here are 10 Ways the Apple Watch Will Save Time:

1. Stops the Buzzing – Too many of our daily interruptions are buzzing phones and emails. The Apple Watch uses a “taptic engine” that alerts the wearer via a silent “tap” on the wrist.
2. Quickly Pass on Calls – Phone calls interrupt too many of our daily activities. Instead, of scrambling to silence that ringtone or see who is calling, you will be able to instantly do this from your wrist. This was one of the best features I enjoyed with my Pebble smartwatch.
3. Stop the Phone Quick Draw – How many times a day do you reach into your pocket or purse to check your phone? The answer: too many. Whether you are checking notifications or the weather, Apple Watch will prevent many of these unnecessary checks. As well, it will keep you from getting drawn into other apps.
4. Apps at Your Fingertips – Evernote, Wunderlist, and more will support watch apps at launch. It will be interesting to see how having this information on our wrist will save time and effort. Even simple tasks like having a shopping list on your wrist will be a quick timesaver.
5. Reduce Missed Alerts and Calls – When you do want that call or message to reach you, the Apple Watch will make a better experience to ensure that we don’t miss the important ones. With just my phone, I frequently missed calls or messages from my wife or kids because I keep the ringer silent.
6. Answer Quick Calls on Your Wrist – I don’t think we will use the watch for extended calls, but if you have ever been in a situation when your hands are full, taking a quick call on your wrist will come in handy. For example, the other day I was putting the kids in the car and it would have been simple to answer my wife’s call on my watch.
7. Quick Access to Info – How many times do we pull out our phone to check the weather or news? I know I do this too often. Using Apple Watch will be quicker and less intrusive. And less likely to start engaging us in other phone related apps/info.
8. Hey Siri – Love her or hate her, Siri is here to stay. Even easier than reaching for your phone, you will be able to ask questions, take memos, or send a text quickly.
9. Apple Pay – Even easier than using your phone, use Apple Watch to pay for purchases. Also, it allows those without an iPhone 6 to join the Apple Pay system. (iPhone 5 and 5s users)
10. What Time Is It? – Oh, I almost forgot… it’s a watch. Most of us use our phones to check the time. Instead of pulling your phone out and getting distracted with your Facebook app, you can quickly check just the time. Novel concept.

Just a Timepiece or Something More?

Most of these timesavers involve not pulling out your iPhone to perform a task.

Initially, the Apple Watch may save time and effort because it prevents you from using your phone. As well, it will keep you from getting sucked into other activities on your phone.

However, I believe the longer term impact of Apple Watch is yet to be seen.

Just as the iPhone forever changed our definition of a phone, I think that the Apple Watch will do the same for timepieces. In a short time, we will be using our watches for uses that we can’t even imagine today.

I’ll let you know in a few weeks… my Apple Watch arrives April 24th.

Question: Do you think the Apple Watch will be a timesaver? What uses do you look forward to? You can leave a comment by clicking here.