Are smartwatches really worth the hype? Analyzing the application of the digital tool


Many a time, I hear many critics say things like smartwatches are nothing but an utter waste of money because they solve no new problem. They’re just there to do things that a regular smartphone app could do.

But I couldn’t help but wonder: why would anyone think that?

Like for real, how would you say that gadgets that cost hundreds and thousands of dollars are good for nothing?

If that were true, then why would people go as far as purchasing highly expensive smartwatches like the Montblanc Timewalker e-strap, a smartwatch strap that costs $4000, when they already own the best smartphone money can buy?

Perhaps for luxury and fashion reasons, some might argue.

But with the era of wristwatches becoming obsolete due to the advent of smartphones, there has to be something special about this new form of time-teller for people to be going over the moon for them.

So if you’re still wondering whether smartwatches are really worth the buzz they get, then you must know that: YES, they’re worth it.

And this is why!

They don’t just tell the time
Many of the critics who think smartwatches aren’t worth the top dollars they come for sometimes argue that the basic functions of these watches are things that a regular smartphone would be. But what these people fail to grasp is that there are so many smartwatches on the market today that do much more than just tell the time, snooze alarms, push notifications, or house a calendar. 

Some smartwatches can work in place of a pedometer or fitness tracker these days because some of them come with the most sophisticated fitness tracking features. Some of these features include counting steps, distance, calories, pulse rate, sleep, and heart rate.

Let’s just say that a smartwatch can monitor any metric you desire to keep tabs on these days. Oh, and did I forget to mention that most of them are waterproof, unlike your pedometers or smartphones!

A much-needed Personal Assistant (PA)
One analyst at Forrester Research once described a smartwatch as “someone who knows more about your needs than you.”

Let’s just say that a smartwatch is what you need when you’re looking for a digital tool to tend to your most basic needs.

I know all that may sound like what a sales rep would say to you. So let me get more specific with the details. 

The Apple Series smartwatches, for instance, could deliver different vibrations to your wrist to tell you if you should turn right or left when following directions. Instead of constantly looking at the map on your smartphone, you can follow an invisible guide that tells you what direction to turn to next.

See your digital media notifications
Unless if we would be lying to ourselves, our smartphones cannot always follow us everywhere. We could be working on something that requires our full attention, we could be somewhere where phones are not allowed, or one could be too busy to use phones. 

But I’ve never heard of a gathering that forbids a watch! This is where your top-dollar smartwatch comes in. It can keep you up to speed with everything that’s happening in your digital/social media world. Depending on whether you’d love to catch up with social media gist and even interact with your friends, or give a direction to a team member that needs your attention urgently on Trello, you can always trust your smartwatch to come through for you.

And of course, for people who buy followers on social media or have a long list of colleagues/bosses to respond to at work, the last thing you want to do is leave messages pending.

Your tracking buddy
Regardless of how remembering you are, there are times when you just can’t figure where you left your phone or keys. And for everyone, there is nothing as frustrating as these times. 

Thankfully, that’s one of the basic things a smartwatch can do for you.

Most of them have a “Find Phone” or ‘Find Device” feature, which allows them to help you connect your phone, keys, or any other device with your smartwatch. So whenever this device goes missing, you can ring them through your watch.

Reply messages and answer calls
Just as you have it for social media and workplace messages, your smartwatch can also help you out in instances where you cannot take calls or reply to texts. Perhaps because of where you are or what you’re doing, you need to put your phone on silent. Don’t worry; your smartwatch can always notify you when a call, voicemail, or text comes through. 

Furthermore, if the call/message is from an urgent sender, you can receive the calls or reply to the text, thanks to the voice support systems on most smartwatches.

They stay up longer
Finally, you can think of the smartwatch as a backup to your phone. Thanks to their stronger battery levels and longer battery lives, they tend to stay up for longer periods than most smartphones.

So, let’s say you’re going on a long trip and your phone goes off and you cannot recharge the battery immediately, you can still keep up with your digital life using your smartwatch.

Guess what? Some smartwatches can stay up for as long as 10 days on a single full charge.