The smartwatch peace of mind
I’ve always struggled with the point of a fullflat smartwatch. Paying several hundred dollars for a device that is essentially a second (often rubbish) screen that lives on your wrist – and becomes redundant as soon as you’re out of your iPhone’s Bluetooth range – was something I couldn’t compute.
As of December 13, that’s changed. For those who can afford it anyway (I’ll come to that later).
That’s because New Zealand has caught up with the rest of the developed world and Kiwis can use an Apple Watch Series 5, a device that launched back in September, independently from their iPhone.
Spark has made this possible, beating its rivals to become the first New Zealand carrier to offer a data plan for the Apple Watch.
This, by the way, is a full two years since Apple launched its first watch, the Series 3, that supported cellular connectivity.
Better late than never, I guess. Speaking of which, there’s still one significant feature that’s missing from the Apple Watch in New Zealand.
ECG (electrocardiograph) is still not available here. This, as I understand it, is due to regulatory issues that government authorities and Apple haven’t finalised yet.
There are a few things I need to clear up before I go any further. First, if you want to use the Apple Watch Series 5 totally without tethering the data connection off your iPhone, there is an added cost.
You’ll have to pay for a separate sim. An e-sim, in fact. Spark is currently charging $12.99 a month for its dedicated Apple Watch e-sim. This, of course, will work only if you have an existing monthly mobile plan with Spark. These start from $39.99/month.
What that $12.99 a month e-sim buys your Apple Watch is freedom. More specifically, freedom from your iPhone.
For example, you can now go for a run, swim, cycle, or any number of activities and still be contactable without having to carry a hefty oblong in your pocket.
From a personal point of view, I would never go for a run or (more likely) play golf without having my phone in my pocket. And the reason was/is a simple one. I’m a bit of worrier.
If someone needed to get in contact and couldn’t because I refused to take my phone out with me, I’d feel terrible.
In fact, the above scenario, or being anywhere without my phone, would already have me feeling sick due to the anxiety of the ‘‘what if?’’
And that’s the point of the Apple Watch with cellular. Which is ironic. Because you have to pay an extra $12.99 a month to not use your iPhone.
That’s on top of the $39.99 a month for the base Spark pay-monthly plan and $729 for the Apple Watch Series 5 itself.
If it detects that the wearer hasn’t moved a minute after the fall, it does something truly brilliant.
It’s not cheap. But it’s oddly worth it. I’m writing this with an added sense of security. Safe in the knowledge that I am contactable until the second I take my watch off at night.
The reverse is true too. Apple has put a lot of work into making the Apple Watch a life-saving device for the wearer. Features such as fall detection have an added layer of functionality thanks to cellular connectivity.
First, it detects a fall. Then, if it detects that the wearer hasn’t moved a minute after the fall, it does something truly brilliant. It automatically calls emergency services and uses the watch’s GPS location data to direct ambulances to the wearer’s location.
Perfect for joggers and cyclists, for example. Likewise, older users can benefit from the Apple Watch’s passive wellbeing monitoring for obvious reasons.
To sum up: The Apple Watch Series 5 was already a mind-blowingly advanced device. The always-on retina display; the Noise app that alerts wearers when they’ve been exposed to damaging sound-levels for too long; the Heart app that monitors for high/low heart rates and irregular heart rhythms – these were all fantastic specialist features.
However, the addition of cellular connectivity is, for me, what makes the Apple Watch tick.