"Who Exactly Is The Apple Watch For?"
Eventually, we’ll figure out who, exactly, the Apple Watch is for. Here are some possibilities. …
You have a physical job
The first wave of reviews has come from tech reporters, who spend most of their time sitting at desks, their smartphones just a few inches away. Beyond constantly begging you to stand up, the watch doesn’t have much use at a desk. It’s not even the fastest way to tell time (there’s a slight lag for the screen to light up).
But it could be killer for people who spend their days on their feet. A tightly edited selection of notifications could be incredibly helpful for people waiting tables, working on oil rigs, taking classes or treating patients. Companies could even create custom apps to track and assist their employees.
Aside from that Big Brotherly last sentence, Kelly makes a good point. In fact, her entire list is generally judicious (which is surprising given the usual nonsense exuded by all things CNN, coupled with the largely ignorant, half-considered nature of all these “Who’s it for?” Apple Watch articles). Interestingly, by the above reasoning, I might not be quite the target market for Apple Watch I thought I was. Because of the nature of my work here and elsewhere (which all actually happens inside my apartment), I might very well get less use out of some core Apple Watch communication and notification functions than will people with real jobs.
Luckily, I’m pushing towards one of those. Recently, I asked my CNC instructor about shop policies on wrist wear, with the idea that Apple Watch might easily replace keycards and dangling ID badges. Surprisingly (because, you know, degloving), he answered that nowadays, it’s common practice for operators and technicians to wear rings and watches, mainly due to the fact that safety standards have increased to the point where exposed lathes and spindles are a rarity during use. Most modern mills simply won’t run unless their safety doors are closed. While I’m still not sure I’d wear an Apple Watch on the factory floor, there’s no question that — in a physical working environment of almost any kind — Apple Watch would be far more useful than it is for me as I bang away at an old Model M in my living room.
It’s my job to write about Apple Watch. Ironically, I’ll probably get a lot more use out of the thing when I move on to unrelated endeavors.
Of course, I kind of like it here, so we might be stuck with each other for a while.