I treated myself to a new Aluminium (Space Grey) Apple Watch Series 5 a couple of days ago. I’ve been wearing it all the time, just like my just-replaced Series 2.

I as early on the Apple Watch train, seeing immediately the usefulness, but I have been frustrated by the usage and of the lack of watch faces. Series 5 changes nearly all of this.

Always-On screen is a real bonus and when it was announced earlier in the year I actually said, “Shut up and take my money” to the screen! The new faces are much better and are going in the right direction, but I ‘d like to see more options, complications and more styles. After 5 years of Apple Watch I think Apple could make more of an effort to add hands that are not a direct rip off of the Patek Philippe Nautilus. I’d say its and opportunity for Apple to add to its Apple Watch Store.

I bought it with the Nike Sport Loop, and hence the Nike+ Apple Watch, for one reason only. Nike’s Sport Loop is the only one in black. I don’t use the Nike faces no run club so the Nike branding is irrelevant to me.

I thought I’d like the Sport Loop a lot as I walk, run and cycle regularly. But I find it annoying to put on and take off. It’s just a bit too fiddly to poke your hand through the loop, it needs stretching sometimes for me — big hands? — and I find this uncomfortable. I really like It once it’s on, as it is way softer than I thought it would be. I’d never actually touched one before. Where I live we don’t have an Apple Store so getting to see this stuff is quite difficult.

Lastly, the usefulness seems to have exceeded my expectations. Things are just that much more fluid and therefore useful. I pared down the interactions on the previous watch to only necessary apps and complications as the load time was intolerable at times, but with the 5 I think I’m going to add more and more (slowly) and then use more of the watch for operations that would hitherto make me reach for my phone.

I’m really enjoying it so far.

12 November 2019 — French West Indies