Tag: #applewatch

Apple Software Updates

Nächsten Montag, am 18.09.23 ab etwa 18:00 Uhr erscheinen (unter anderem) iOS 17 und watchOS 10. Ich habe aktuell schon die Release Candidates installiert. Und mir machen vor allem die kleinen Dinge gr0ße Freude, wie dieses Peanuts Watch Face. Das hier ist das Always-On Display, das beim Aufwachen der Uhr einen hellen Hintergrund bekommt, auf dem Snoopy und Woodstock immer wieder neue Kapriolen aufführen. Das macht gute Laune.

Der Standby-Modus in iOS 17 lässt sich durch Widgets konfigurieren und zeigt nachts ein stark abgedunkeltes Display mit roter Schrift auf schwarzem Hintergrund. Voraussetzung: Das iPhone wird geladen und ist im Querformat aufgestellt. Aktuell nutze ich dafür meine Anker 622 Powerbank. Ich bin gespannt, was ich da noch so alles brauche. Ganz heißer Kandidat ist der Anker 3-in-1 Cube, der allerdings auch ordentlich teuer ist.

Weil es gerade im Bild ist. Dieses Jahr habe ich das iPhone im Apple Clear Case gehabt. Das hat sich sehr bewährt. Rundum guter Schutz, auch für Display und Kamera, keine Verfärbungen.

A few thoughts on the Apple event

Predictions for the Apple iPhone event were on point this year. Apple did not suprise and they also did not disappoint. And predictions were wrong in one important respect. Apple did not raise prices.

My thoughts in no particular order:

  • iPhone 15 gets the Dynamic Island that was introduced last year on the 14 Pro. It also has the A16 Bionic processor found in the 14 Pro. The main camera gets upgraded to 48 MPixel, also found in … the 14 Pro. What it does not get is the variable refresh rate display, which Apple calls Promotion. Hence, not always-on.
  • iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max get a new A17 Pro processor which once again blows past all other smartphones from any vendor. It also has a new internal architecture, much like the non-Pro 14 last year, that makes it more repairable. The frame drops the stainless steel which is replaced by Titanium, making the Pro model lighter than any before. Good change. Pro has a 3x telephoto lens and Pro Max goes to 5x.
  • The photo/video features are just blowing my mind. I need to wrap my head around all the details.
  • Apple drops Lightning and replaces it with USB-C. That is going to be popular with the Android crowd and tech nerds, but most regular iPhone users could not care less. Lightning is still superior in terms or durability and mechanical construction. Old accessories might no longer work. Apple will be happy to sell you new ones like the EarPods with USB-C connector. (EarPods are still the best casual microphone you can use, far superior to Bluetooth).
  • USB-C is a plug that can be used in many ways. On iPhone it supports USB 2, on iPhone Pro USB 3 with 10 Gbit/s. That is still not Thunderbolt like the iPad Pro uses. We will see what the charging cable will deliver. On iPad Pro it only support USB 2, so you need to buy a better (and thicker) cable.
  • Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 use a new chip based on the A15 making them faster. Peak display brightness goes up, but the design remains the same. A major design overhaul is expected for next year, when the Apple Watch turns 10.
  • Apple talks quite a bit about their progress towards their goal to become carbon-neutral by 2030. Apple Watch is the first product to get there. Apple is increasingly using recycled material and now is also dropping leather from all accessories. No more leather bands or leather cases. I like.
  • A neat party trick is the ability to double tap your index finger and thumb to execute the default option on Apple Watch, like dropping or answering a call, snoozing you alarm etc. This has been announced for the new watches only.

Did you see any suprises? What did you find interesting?

3000 days #dontbreakthechain

Yesterday I completed 3000 days where I closed all my rings on Apple Watch. That is more than 8 years. My longest streak has been more than a thousand days, but then eventually something happens that makes you miss da day. Sometimes it’s a bug in the software, and other times it is a bug in your body.

Counting from the first day that I closed my rings (600 kcal, 30 minutes exercise, 12 hours standing) it took me 3021 days to get to 3000. At the very end, on September 7 it showed 3000 days, did not give me the award, went back to 2999 and only on September 8 it awarded me.

3000 out of 3021, that is 99.3 % success. Being consistent makes all the difference. No matter what the weather looks like, no matter if you are lazy today, just go out and get moving. Many things happened in those eight years. I had surgery, I woke up in an ICU, I got teeth implanted, but I always picked myself up.

My habits have formed, I rarely check if I completed the rings, and that is how I missed 21 days, sometimes by just three kcal. But every single month looks like this calendar view.

69 days to 3000 #dontbreakthechain

June was a good month. I did not break the chain, which sometimes happens when I am not paying enough attention, and I also met the challenge of burning 771 kcals for 14 days. I am over 400 weeks of not breaking the Move chain (600 kcals) and 69 days from now I will have closed my rings for 3000 days.

I hope you are still with me. vowe recommends Apple Watch.

8 years of wearing Apple Watch

Apple Watch Series 8 (GPS + Cellular, 45mm)

Exactly 8 years ago I started wearing an Apple Watch, the original series. At that time, Apple was offering an aluminium sports watch, the “regular” watch made from stainless steel, and an outrageously expensive gold watch. Apple did not yet know what to do with the watch and they eventually pivoted to health and fitness, which happened to be exactly my use case from day one.

I wanted to close my rings every single day of the week, and I have now been doing this for 8 years. As you can see, I completed 2900 days with reaching my move goal, out of 2920 days. My longest move streak has been more than a thousand days until I missed one day by a few calories.

A few years ago, Apple Watch alerted me of a health condition that turned out to be a severe sepsis, a potentially life-threatening situation. Three doctors made the right decisions within just two hours. I had surgery the next day and I walked out of the hospital three days later.

In the years since Apple Watch has received an ECG monitor, fall detection, crash detection, irregular heart rhythm detection. The display has gotten a lot better, it has been always on for more than three years, its battery life has gotten much better, and it charges faster, so that you can wear it 23.5 hours a day and track your sleep. The long-term health data makes it so valuable for me. When my resting heart rate goes up, I know something is wrong.

With Apple Pay I can pay for almost everything just by holding it to a payment terminal, I can take a call without even carrying my iPhone and can dispatch iMessages just by talking to it. When I leave the house, I continue to listen to a podcast through my AirPods, and all this tight integration makes the watch indispensable to me.

That’s all nice and good. But what makes me wear this thing every single day is that it watches over me.

I may not even be here without it.

On to the next 100 days to complete the 3000 days of closing my rings. #dontbreakthechain

Apple Watch passt auf

Wenn der Ruhepuls plötzlich um 16% nach oben geht, stimmt was mit dem Körper nicht. Und das hat die Apple Watch zuverlässig entdeckt und gemeldet. In diesem Fall wussten wir es und waren bereits beim Arzt. Und dennoch ist es beruhigend zu wissen, dass dort ein kleines Gerät am Handgelenk aufpasst und ungewöhnliche Entwicklungen meldet. 2017 hat mich das gerade noch rechtzeitig zum Arzt geschickt. Und dann haben Hausarzt, Internist und Chirurg binnen weniger Stunden alles richtig gemacht.