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I can never remember to wear my Apple Watch because it fails this very basic test

Apple Watch
AP

When people notice that I'm wearing an Apple Watch, they almost always ask me what I think of it.

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The conversation generally follows the same script. I say I like it, but that me wearing it is actually a pretty rare occurrence.

“I never remember to put it on,” I say. “This is the first time I’m wearing it in about a week.”

You can call me scatterbrained or forgetful, but the fact is I never ever forget things like my keys, my iPhone, or my wallet. If I forgot either of these three things, my day would be pretty difficult to get through. My Apple Watch? Not so much. I’d hardly miss it.

This is something that should actually have Apple pretty worried. It’s evidence that the Watch, which starts at $349 and can cost as much as $17,000, doesn’t pass what Sonny Vu calls the “turn-around test.”

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The turn-around test, as defined by Vu, who is the CEO of a wearable manufacturer called Misfit, is simple: If you leave your apartment in the morning and realize only once you get to the subway station five blocks away that you forgot to wear your smartwatch, would you turn around and go home to get it?

Wearable technology simply doesn't pass this test yet.

In an interview with Fortune last year, Vu said fitness tracking, which is just one element of the Apple Watch, “is just not a compelling use case.”

“We makers haven’t been able to make [fitness tracking] sufficiently compelling. It doesn’t pass the turn-around test. It doesn’t even come close,” he said.

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I couldn’t agree more.

The Apple Watch actually does fitness tracking very well. Whereas many fitness trackers measure activity in relatively flat metrics like number of steps taken or distance traveled, the Apple Watch measures activity on a number of different scales (calories burned, hours spent standing, and time spent exercising).

apple watch fitness
The Apple Watch's fitness tracker is actually pretty good.
Apple Screenshot

What I like about the Apple Watch is its customizable workout tracker. Before each workout, I tell the watch what activity I'm about to do. The list of exercises is pretty broad and includes everything from indoor cycling to rowing. You can then set goals, based on calories, distance, or time. It also measures your pace and heart rate.

While it's nice to have all this information, it certainly isn't necessary. I never set goals or go back to analyze past workouts. Generally the feature I find myself looking at most is the “elapsed time” clock. If I ever forget to put my watch on before a workout, I hardly noticed.

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None of the other apps are all that useful.

Sure, it's convenient to be able to go into a meeting without my phone and see important calendar reminders, texts, and emails show up on my wrist. But most of the time I feel rude when I find myself staring at my watch during a conversation with colleagues.

apple watch charger
The Apple Watch needs to be charged nightly.
Business Insider

I have never used Apple Pay or Uber on my Apple Watch. Some other apps like Swarm I tested once and never used again. Responding to texts is all but impossible.

One thing that keeps me from wearing the Apple Watch each day is the fact that it requires a nightly charge. If I could just wear my watch to bed, it’s more likely I would continue wearing it the next day.

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My colleague Dave Smith agreed, saying that the watch’s battery life was a big impediment to him using it.

“I lost the inertia I had when I first bought it,” he said.

Apple, of course, relies on loyal customers who buy their products again and again and again. You don’t just buy one iPhone. You buy one and then buy another one in a couple of years when yours slows down, or you want the latest features. The same can be said for laptops and many of Apple’s most beloved products. That’s why Apple makes such a big to-do over its product announcements each year.

I'm a loyal Apple customer but I don’t see myself ever buying another Apple Watch, at least not in its current form. If I lost my Apple Watch tomorrow, my life would hardly be any different. 

Apple Apple Watch Wearables
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