It looks like Series 8 is the current version. Series 9 is predicted to come out around September, 2023.
I guess my main question is if any sort of monthly fee is required, or can you just pay for the watch and enjoy its features?
Howsabout the fancy stuff like EKG, pulse oximeter, GPS - are there monthly fees for these - or any other - features?
Thanks!
mmm
There is no monthly fee for the watch itself or any of its built in features, only if you want to pay for an additional cellular plan through your cell service. But if you always have your phone on you anyway a separate cellular plan is pretty useless.
There are no fees for the features, but Apple’s “Fitness Plus” is $80/year. You can get it without a watch, but most people seem to want it for the automatic tracking and data dumps to other Apple products, rather than input everything.
I’ve got an Apple Watch 7. As others have said–no monthly fee, but I have added some things that do cost (I pay those yearly).
Be sure your carrier supports Apple watch. Some don’t. I have Spectrum, and I pay an extra $10 a month I think. (I have the Apple Watch w/GPS and Cellular).
To clarify on the “Fitness Plus” thing… that’s an add-on that you don’t need for regular workouts. I have been using my Apple Watch since the first model for running and have never had to pay any extra fees. The watch feeds data to the Apple Health app, which then can be accessed by other services, such as the Virgin Pulse service they offer us at work for tracking steps.
These days I wear the Ultra model, which comes with cellular, so I do have to pay for that. As others said, it’s usually $10 /month with a dozen extra hidden fees, but it’s not nearly as much as adding another phone.
No you don’t. It is not necessary to pay for cellular service unless you actually feel you need to use it because you will be in places with the watch but without your phone.
The Ultra and Stainless Steel models both come ready to use cellular but they do not have to have that option set up. I always have my phone with me so it makes no sense to pay an additional $10 per month fee.
Well, it looks like Apple has changed things up a bit–in the past the cost of cellular service would have been a moot point since they offered the cellular connectivity as an expensive add-on and people not wanting the service would have simply bought the cheaper non-cellular watch.
These days it looks like anyone wanting a stainless steel Apple Watch gets the cellular radio built in whether they want to activate it or not. Same is true for the Ultra.
It’s worth it to me to active the cellular since I am a runner. I don’t have to carry my phone with me when I go for a long run. Furthermore, if something unpleasant happens to me anywhere and my phone is lost/damaged/stolen, I still have a phone on my wrist.
Thanks for all the good info.
mmm
There are two types - wi-fi/bluetooth only and the ones with cellular also. I don’t see a reason for cellular unless you typically forget your phone.
As others mention, there are apps that cost money. However, my watch with no additional fees tracks my exercise, standing, walking (how many steps) as part of the iPhone’s (free) apps, plus cycling, cross-country skiing etc. If I wear my watch to bed, it tracks how much sleep time I get in the iPhone health app. Plus all the other apps - I have one that does cardiographs, start the app and touch the crown etc. Mickey Mouse on my main screen will tell me the time if I tap the face. (You can customize the heck out of the default watch face)
I don’t recall buying any of the watch apps, let alone paying monthly fees - the only thing I pay Apple for is the video service.
But a lot of the apps are extensions of the iPhone apps. I suppose you can use the watch without owning an iPhone in a stretch, but probably not - the first thing it does out of the box is ask to pair with an iPhone.
My wife got the first version of Apple watch when they came out. We were wandering New York on vacation when she realized she’d forgotten her phone in the hotel. We wandered into the 5th Avenue Apple store and suddenly she started getting texts from her work. Apparently the Apple Watch recognized the public Apple network (I assume same name in every store?). It did not need the phone to connect with her ID and relay any outstanding text messages.
I’ve never tried it, but I understand you can load music onto the phone itself and play through bluetooth headphones even when the phone is not present. My watch annoyingly reminds me (I never bothered to turn it off) every hour to stand and stretch except at night, if I have been sitting too long. It will ring if I’m getting a phone call, and bing to show me new texts. I can reply to texts with dictation should I choose.
Most convenient for those of us who need it, swipe up to get the screen that will make your phone ping so you can find where you put it down last.
All in all, a versatile add-on to an iPhone.
Probably the most useful one sentence recommendation is: if you already own an iPhone, the Apple Watch is the best smart watch, if you don’t, it isn’t.
I like nice watches. Then I bought an Apple watch. As much as I hate this, the other watches just don’t get worn. Damned thing is too useful, and you get used to that.
I should add too, it picks up wifi credentials from the paired iPhone, so no need to login separately with the watch itself. Authenticate with the iPhone, and the watch will know how to authenticate going forward too. I assumed the Apple store wifi was already programmed into the iPhone or watch (or is it no-authentication?) so that’s how it worked the first time we went in there.
Yes.
On another thread I wrote about my every day watch, a nice Breitling that was a wedding gift from my watch. I’ve been wearing it for over 20 years.
So when my father-in-law was upgrading his Apple Watch, he asked if I wanted his. It took me all of 2 seconds to say thanks but no thanks. My fear is that I’d love it so much that my Breitling wouldn’t get worn.
Yeah maybe I’m being ignorant but so be it. I’ll keep wearing my old Breitling. So I told him thanks but no thanks, and that I already had a nice watch.
That was 3-4 years ago and I’m still wearing the Breitling Aerospace every day
Are you me?
I have a Rolex Submariner, Omega Seamaster Pro Chrono, and Omega Speedmaster Pro “Moon Watch” (the most attractive in the lot, IMHO).
These fine timepieces sit in the winder box all week long until I choose one of them to wear to church.
It’s a shame to leave them unworn the rest of the time, but the Apple Watch is that good.
I assume you mean you don’t see an need for it in your life (quite reasonable). Because runners don’t always take their phone along with them, intentionally.
I hare running with my iPhone. That said, my $30 Timex Ironman meets my fitness/running needs except for their crappy watchbands.
Bad news for those of you with a $17,000 gold Apple watch:
I was looking at getting an Apple Watch, but couldn’t find a 24-hour analogue watch face for it. So I got an actual 24-hour analogue watch from Svalbard instead and just use my phone otherwise.
I had to look that up - I’ve never seen or heard of a 24-hour analog clock face before. For someone raised on 12-hour standard face, that could be confusing as heck. To each their own… 
I’m with you too. I had to look it up, and had never before seen or heard of such a thing. Their displays to me would be confusing, but apparently it’s a thing so if you love it, knock yourselves out.
Here are two examples, one with two watch hands and the other with one hand.
2-hand version: I believe the time here is 2008 (8:08pm)
1-hand version: I believe the time here is 0930 (9:30am)
Yes, I’ve learned my one new thing for the day. Thanks.
I would imagine the one-had version would be better for people who would instinctively revert to the traditional hands. The joke nowadays is how many young people can actually read even a traditional clock face…?
Svalbard makes a lot of unusual watches: ones that run counter-clockwise, ones marked in decimal time, ones that use Eastern Arabic numerals, ones with single hands, etc.
Some of the 24-hour watches have a choice between putting midnight (24:00) or noon (12:00) at the top of the dial. That’s definitely a personal choice to be explored…