The Apple Watch Is 10 Years Old. Here’s Why I Never Bought One

Since the Apple Watch first went on sale in April 2015, it’s thought that well over 200 million of them have been bought. Yet not one has found its way onto my wrist. And unless it gets a major revamp in its second decade, I don’t see that changing.

The Apple Watch Lacks a Killer App for People Like Me

When the original Apple Watch launched, the skeptics greeted it with questions about whether the tech was even necessary, and what purpose it would fulfill. For me, those questions remain unanswered.

The first-generation Apple Watch had health and fitness at its core. A decade later, that has become the primary focus of all smartwatches. As someone who doesn’t work out or do much fitness activity—certainly not enough that needs tracking—the watch’s main feature doesn’t apply to me.

The health tools are admittedly impressive but are not strictly essential. And I’ve owned a cheap Fitbit before for sleep tracking, and all it did was give me data to obsess over without having any practical effect on my sleep (although some people like it). Given that I’m increasingly conscious of my screen time, I’d be more interested in buying a smart ring if I ever decided I needed these features.

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If you’re over smartwatches, but want sleep and fitness tracking a smart ring may be your best bet.

Without that, the Apple Watch for me would become little more than a glorified notifications device. And I don’t think any of us need more notifications in our lives. Sure, the watch is packed with lots of little hidden features, but nothing to justify its price tag. The third-party app ecosystem isn’t filling the void, either.

Back in March, research from Counterpoint showed that demand for the Apple Watch had plummeted by 19% in 2024. Maybe it’s time for Apple to find a killer app for people like me. The fully AI’d version of Siri might be it, but who knows when we’ll get that?

It’s Another Device to Manage

Even without a compelling reason to pick up an Apple Watch, curiosity alone would normally be enough to tempt me. Yet I always found more reasons not to buy than to buy.

As someone who hasn’t worn a watch for decades, I find the Apple Watch off-puttingly bulky. And, frankly, it isn’t the most attractive piece of tech Apple has ever made. The square shape might be better for a user interface than the round Wear OS watches, but I don’t like how it looks, and looks matter for smartwatches.

And there are the broader principles. It’s yet another screen to look at, another battery to charge, and another gadget destined for landfill when it’s no longer supported.

I could be tempted by an Apple Watch if it would cut down on my screen time, but it doesn’t do that. The constant pinging of notifications can become intrusive. And you don’t even get to leave your phone at home when you go out. Although it’s slowly becoming more independent, it isn’t a standalone device and still needs an iPhone to function properly.

The lack of progress in battery life over the last decade is disappointing, especially now that rival devices like the OnePlus Watch 3 can go two weeks without a charge. All the tips for extending the Apple Watch battery life amount to disabling features and using it less, which kind of defeats the point.

And there’s its lifespan. An Apple Watch should last you as long as an iPhone, or perhaps even a MacBook, after which it becomes e-waste and you have to buy a new one. And that assumes you don’t get any issues along the way, as it isn’t easy to repair. iFixit gave the Series 10 watch a repairability score of three out of ten.

I Could Still Be Persuaded

A lot of people love their Apple Watches. But it’s also true that social media is full of stories of people who bought one and eventually gave it up. They either found that it wasn’t as useful as they’d hoped it would be, or that the constant barrage of notifications was stressing them out.

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And yet, I’m not against the idea of the Apple Watch in principle. With the right combination of features and upgrades, I could still be persuaded to adopt one. But we’re ten years in, and there’s no sign of it happening. For now, my wrist remains bare.