Apple Watch Offers Simple Solution For Lefties
When the Apple Watch was first unveiled, there was concern that it was right handed only but the watch face rotates, so it can also be worn on both hands. The crown, typically used to adjust the time on a watch has been reimagined for use with the Apple Watch. It’s now the primary control to navigate around the Apple Watch interface (apart from the touchscreen but we’ll come to that).
I’m a lefty, and it occurred to me that accessing the Digital Crown of Apple Watch might take a little bit of over-the-top (but not over-the-top) contortion to get used to. Still, I never considered it to be a real problem, much less a potential deal-breaker. I’ve worn watches for a long time, and right-wristing them has rarely — if ever — been a big issue. Most days, I actually prefer keeping the crown against my forearm, as it prevents the thing from digging uncomfortably into the top of my hand when I’m banging away at the old Model M.
The fix from Cupertino re: Apple Watch is, of course, going to matter to many people, and it’s simple enough that there was no reason not to bake it on in. Obviously, a watch face doesn’t need to rotate, since 12 0’clock points up regardless of which hand you’re wearing it on. But Apple is actually letting people turn the entire wearable itself upside down, thereby reorienting the Digital Crown (and “Friends” button) for left-handed use. This renders it more accessible to the right hand, but it also changes the look a bit, as those input toggles are both off-axis.
I’m not sure I’ll use this feature regularly, but I’ll certainly try it out, and I’m glad to see that Apple is paying attention to problems I didn’t even know existed in the first place. I’m not saying they thought of everything with Apple Watch, but sometimes it sure feels that way.