Apple’s Most Personal Product Turns 10 Today
Apple Watch celebrated a massive milestone today as it turned 10 years old. Its launch back in 2015 marked the first major new product category for the Cupertino tech giant since Steve Jobs passed away. It was a huge gamble that ultimately became one of Apple’s best selling products to date, cementing it in history as the one smartwatch to rule them all.
I Remember It Like It Was Yesterday
I remember the day I stepped into an Apple Store to pick up my gen-1 Watch — what would later be known as the Series 0. It was the 42mm model in Space Gray aluminum with a matching black fluoroelastomer (silicone) band. It wasn’t the fanciest model in the lineup, but at the time, the stainless steel series was just outside of my budget, and I didn’t have the extra kidneys to spring for the solid-gold model, which was priced at a completely sane, totally reasonable $17,000. So aluminum would have to do. 
Even though the original Apple Watch Sport wasn’t nearly as refined as today’s anodized and glossy variants, it was beautiful. I only wish I could say I loved it, but truth be told, I didn’t.
In fact, I wore my original Series 0 for a week and returned it. For what it offered, I just couldn’t justify spending that kind of money on a device that did basically everything my phone did without much benefit. Notifications on my wrist weren’t as cool as they originally seemed. My Fitbit Charge 2 was better at tracking my heart rate than the Watch that often gave me false low readings. Worst of all, the UI was very slow and clunky, nothing like anyone expected from an Apple product.
But my journey didn’t end there. Far from it. I kept seeing ads, replaying videos, and feeling the pull of Apple’s crack marketing team imploring me to dip my toes... er, wrist...back in. So I did. I bought another Series 0 the next month, and long story short, I’ve had an Apple Watch attached to me ever since.
A Watch for the Ages
That first Watch would go on to be part of some of the biggest events in my life. My second weekend with it landed on my bachelor party, where it let me in on texts from my fiancé as me and the boys played WhirlyBall. It paired nicely with my suit on my wedding day, a decision that some would regret due to its dated design, but I certainly don’t. It helped me stay in touch with family members when my mother got sick a few months later, and it was even there keeping time at her funeral when cancer took her earlier than anyone expected.
Needless to say, that Watch quickly became a special piece of kit that got me through many times, both good and gut-wrenchingly bad.
But if I had to sum up my overall feelings of the Watch, they bubbled up in one interaction I had at a fast food drive thru. After placing my order and pulling up to the window, I handed over my credit card as I always did, Apple Watch strapped to my wrist. The young kid in the window said, “Cool! An Apple Watch! Do you like it?” The only thing I could think up was, “Kind of.”
And that was the honest truth.
On one hand, my Apple Watch still had all the limitations that led me to return it in the first place — it was expensive, it didn’t do much more than my phone, the UX was gruelingly slow, and the entire thing was completely unnecessary. But on the other hand, its quirks were beginning to grow on me. I still didn’t lovethe Apple Watch yet, but I also couldn’t imagine leaving the house without it.
Ultimately, Apple’s first wearable would go on to fix most of the gripes I had with the clunky software, the hardware would receive major performance upgrades, and the heart rate algorithm finally stopped throwing false readings. At some point around Series 4, it started to feel like a real refined product.
Apple’s Most Personal Device Ever
Various versions of Apple Watch have been on my wrist for 10 years straight now, coming off only for two hours a day to charge before going right back on. In that time, I’ve amassed tons of fitness data that have been extremely helpful in understanding my health as I slip further into my 30s.
I use it to close my Activity Rings, track my workouts, keep tabs on my heart health, and measure my step counts from week to week. I watch my sleep and look out for any signs of sleep apnea (so far, so good). Critical metrics like heart rate variability and wrist temperature let me know when I’m likely to get sick. Apple Watch will even tell me things I was surprised to find in the Health app, like stride length, walking steadiness, and how much time I spend out in the sun per day.
What other device has more active hours than the one that’s been on my wrist for a decade? What gadget has been watching my heart, and my sleep, and every other important metric so that I can make better choices and learn how to live a healthier life? What other gizmo knows me as well as the one that records the most essential things about me?
Nothing. Apple Watch is, without a doubt, the most personal product the Cupertino tech giant has ever made, and there will probably never be another device like it again.
And after all this time, that is truly something I love about my Apple Watch.