Apple's recent unveiling of the Apple Watch Series 7 was met with a lot of flak for being 'boring' and 'unexciting' — but all of those comments miss the point of the Series 7 entirely. The Apple Watch has been a fairly divisive product ever since the first model launched in 2015. On the one hand, some folks hail it as one of the very best smartwatches on the planet. Simultaneously, other people slam it for the steep price, square design, etc. In typical Apple fashion, the Apple Watch excites one group of people, angers others, and sells a boatload of units in the process.
With this latest announcement of the Apple Watch Series 7, this sentiment of the Apple Watch is put on display once more. Announced on September 14 alongside the iPhone 13 and iPad mini 6, the Apple Watch Series 7 is an objectively minor upgrade over the Series 6. It has a larger display, faster charge speeds, enhanced durability, new colors, and... well, that's about it. Compared to the Series 6 it's replacing, the Series 7 has the same chipset, battery life, and health sensors.
In a lot of corners of the internet, these iterative changes haven't been taken so kindly. There's a vocal group of people slamming Apple for becoming lazy with the Apple Watch, not offering any innovation, and effectively re-launching the Series 6 with a slightly different body. It might be fun to poke fun at Apple with these Series 6 and Series 7 comparisons, but doing so holds no legitimate value. Why? Because the Apple Watch Series 7 isn't supposed to be for people who bought last year's model.
This is a point that a lot of people often forget in the consumer tech space. When a company like Apple releases a new iPhone or Apple Watch, it's releasing that new model for people who actually need an upgrade that year — people who have a generation from two, three, or even four years ago. Take me as an example. I purchased the Apple Watch Series 4 in 2018 right when it launched, and it's been my Apple Watch of choice ever since. For people upgrading from a Series 4 or Series 3, the Apple Watch Series 7 is a remarkable upgrade. Whether it be the smaller bezels around the screen, always-on display, blood-oxygen tracking, or the much newer processor, making that leap to the Series 7 is substantial. The goal of a new Apple Watch isn't to completely retool last year's model. The point is to take that formula, improve upon it in a few key ways, and push it as the best model yet for anyone ready to upgrade. It's the same situation with a new iPhone, Microsoft Surface Laptop, or even a new car.
It's also important to remember that iterative upgrades aren't a new concept for the Apple Watch. In fact, the entire legacy of the Apple Watch has been established around small year-over-year changes. Remember the Apple Watch Series 3? It added cellular and water resistance for the first time, but it also had the exact same health sensors and design as the Series 2. The Series 5 and Series 6 models were also very tame. They added new health features like ECG and SpO2 tracking, yet the design didn't budge from the Series 4 case introduced in 2018. The Apple Watch Series 7 is no different from its predecessors in this regard. There may not be new health sensors or an upgraded chip this year, but Apple has delivered a more impressive display, quicker charging, and enhanced durability (in addition to all of the other upgrades from the last couple of years).
At the end of the day, the Apple Watch Series 7 is still the best Apple Watch yet — and thus one of the best smartwatches money can buy in 2021. Not everyone may agree with Apple's strategy for how it's gotten to this point. However, seeing how Apple Watch sales figures absolutely dwarf competition from Samsung, Fitbit, and others, it's obvious it is working for many people. If you have a Series 6 and aren't impressed with the Series 7, that's OK! Wait another year or two, see what Series 8 and 9 have to offer, and upgrade then. For everyone else, the Apple Watch Series 7 is for you.
Source: Apple
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September 20, 2021 at 12:33AM
