We can only face the passage of time by watching it pass. Something few people bother to do. Nor even Apple, in such a hurry to market its new Apple Watch that it was unable to integrate its biggest new feature in time, a gesture interface called Double Tap.
Announced as one of the two main improvements brought exclusively to the all-new Apple Watch Series 9 (the ninth of the name, in other words), the Double Tap interface will be activated later in October, thanks to an update of its firmware.
The other new feature is the presence on the watch of the Siri voice command, which until now was hosted in the famous computing cloud. This means that you can interact with Apple Watch Series 9 by voice even when it is not connected to a phone or the Internet. Its capabilities still remain quite limited: for the moment it only has access to what is on the watch, i.e. physical activity data, timers, alarms, and so on.
Perhaps independent mobile app creators will find a way to release a version of their apps that stores more information locally, for use offline. But this is not the case at the moment. Hopefully they’ll also take advantage of the Double Tap feature, which allows you to control the watch with one hand, by tapping your thumb on your index finger twice quickly.
We also hope that Apple will explore this avenue further. Google’s Wear OS watches offered a much more comprehensive gesture and contactless interface as early as 2015.
S9
The global smart watch market has been losing steam since the start of the year. The pace of sales fell by 20% in one year from the first months of 2023. The slowdown is at least as significant for Apple, which has seen its dominance in this market drop from 32% to 26%, since the start 2022, reveal statistics from the analysis firm Counterpoint Research.
This is enough to revive rumors that Apple might want to shake things up a bit in 2024 or 2025 with what Internet rumor calls the “Apple Watch ‘one day per charge. Given the fairly long lifespan of the Apple Watch, owners of an older model might want to wait until then to get their hands on a model that will last them another decade, or so.
Because in the meantime, the Apple Watch Series 9 is only a timid update. The device has the same dimensions of 41 and 45 mm as its predecessor. Its processor can perform certain tasks up to 2 times faster (which is noticeable in everyday life), and it is 25% more efficient. We still decided to limit its autonomy to less than a full day. It is then difficult to use it fully, both to monitor your physical activities during the day, and your sleep state at night, without plugging it in twice a day.
At least, its display remains on permanently, which is practical, and we have increased its brightness to 2000 nits, the equivalent of 2000 lit candles which would fit in a small box less than 5 cm wide. It detects collisions and can send an alert, a feature that will reassure many people.
It costs $549 base, $20 more than the model it replaces. The less powerful but equally versatile $329 Apple Watch SE is probably the better of the two choices this year.
Ultra Bright
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is a more high-end watch which is also being revisited this fall. The big news is the brightness of its display, which goes from 2000 to 3000 nits. This lighting transforms the watch into a very useful flashlight when camping, especially these days, given the shortened days.
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is aimed at lovers of the outdoors and the most intense physical activities. Its 36 hours of autonomy stretches up to 72 hours by reducing the sensitivity of the sensors. It can follow you through an entire Iron Man triathlon (3.8 km swim, 180 km bike, 42.2 km run). Its software interface is probably the most readable on the market, even when running, cycling or swimming.
Note that its rivals of the same price from Garmin, Polar and others do the same. The Garmin Epix can last up to 30 hours with active GPS reception. However, no other watch in this category offers the connected functions of the Apple Watch: LTE cellular connection, music on demand, contactless payment, etc.
No other connected watch is sold with the promise that its manufacturing is entirely carbon neutral. Paired with the appropriate band, Apple Watch uses only recycled materials and renewable energy. What remaining polluting emissions are offset by purchasing “high-quality” carbon credits, says Apple.
It may seem like a minor detail, but major outdoor retailers will confirm that environmental responsibility – or at least the appearance of it – ranks high among the purchasing criteria of outdoor enthusiasts when they equip themselves to go play outside.