By Caleb Keith –

Almost everyday somebody gives me shit for wearing an Apple Watch. The comments fly in like, “It’s too expensive…” or “It doesn’t do anything your phone can’t do….” For the most part, I think all these people are wrong. I don’t love my Apple Watch just because I am an Apple fanatic, but because it is more useful and less intrusive than any other gadget I can see on the market today. The number one complaint I hear about technology is that it is taking away and removing personal interaction from our daily world. People bury their faces in phones, tablets, or computer screens almost all day, so how could one more screen on your wrist come close to solving that problem?

Let’s start off with the basics; above all else the Apple Watch serves as a good keeper of time. Often people forget or negate the fact that an Apple Watch actually tells the time or is meant foremost to function as a watch. Keeping time is the central feature, and most of the other useful functions of the watch build off of the watch face. Unlike phones or computers, a watch is not meant to be stared at, but glanced at. A quick look should give you the time without getting in the way of what you are doing. Apple has taken the idea of the “glance” and expanded it through to more pieces of information. The Apple Watch was designed to give you quick bits of information without getting in the way of everyday life. And it falls in line price wise with most “nicer” watches out there, which do nothing more than tell time.

Apart from telling time, when I glance at my Apple Watch, I can quickly see when my next meeting or class is, and a quick tap up on the screen then reveals a weather forecast, my heart rate, and some quick keys which allow me to find my phone if I left it lying somewhere around the house. The great thing about all of these functionalities is that they are passive; the watch doesn’t require my input to gather, track, or present information. It then presents that information with a simple tap on the wrist, using its haptic engine or it will wait to present it when you next check the time.

Staring and reading on the Apple Watch for more than thirty seconds is uncomfortable and feels unnatural; but that’s a good thing! That means less time staring at the screen and more time interacting with the world around me. The Apple Watch’s passive nature is its biggest selling point, but it is also typically its biggest criticism. That’s because at times the passive abilities of the Apple Watch make it so that the product doesn’t feel exciting. The Apple Watch is less exciting than a new iPhone, but it’s also less distracting and less intrusive. Being less intrusive and more helpful is exactly what I want from new technology. I want to be able access the information that is necessary in our modern world, but I want it in a way that is more simple and takes less time to consume. The Apple Watch is the first new piece of technology I have seen in a long time that actually accomplishes this goal. Some of us want to be less distracted by our technology. It may not be the best solution, but it’s a really good start, and they only have room to improve.