Category: Geeks r Us
My experience with the apple watch as a blind person
I, being an apple fan boy, was one of the one’s who was up at 3 in the morning when the apple store app refreshed. I knew the operating system would be buggy. I knew that not many major developers would struggle updating applications to support it. But it was a first generation product, and I wanted to see it for myself. I will tell you the truth, it is not quite what I expected. It is the first apple product that doesn’t scream, hey, use me all the time. Its just something that is there to look nice, but serves a role in my life when that moment comes along. The watch is designed for light wait interaction. Answering a quick text message on the go when you can’t stop to take your phone out of your pocket, checking a tweet someone mentioned you in, ordering a ride from uber and checking the status of your ride, paying for things, and even controlling music playback of devices near by. Its nice to be walking around the house cleaning, and being able to switch songs without going downstairs or having to keep my phone in my pocket. Another thing I noticed about having the watch with me, is that not only am I detached from my phone a lot mor, but the phone lasts longer on a single charge. On a tipical day without the watch, I would come home from work with about 40 percent left in my 5s. during a tipical day with the watch, I will come home with about 70 or 80 percent left on my phone, and 60 to 70 percent left in the watch. Not only does it help me with quick interactions, it helps me keep tract of how active I am during the day. It counts my setps like the iPhone does, but it also tells me how many callaries I have burned, how far I have walked, and if I have been sitting too long, it will tell me to get up off my ass and move. That is important at my job where I spend most of my day in front of a computer. It really keeps my energy up, and its fun to try and get mor steps in by the end of the day than my gf who counts hers with a fit bit.
Now I will move on to the voice over experience. The accessability team at apple has done a good job with voice over in a generation one product. While it could use a bit of stability and speed improvements, navigating with taps and swipes, scrolling with the screen and the crown, and navigating built in and third party apps work well. I am not going to lie though, I find myself using my eyes to navigate the home screen because if its different layout, and I have heard of some voice over users having a hard time getting used to it, but I am pleased. In closing, the watch is a nitch product. Its not for everyone, and I respect your choise not to buy one. But for those who are thinking about buying one, or to those who already have one, its amazing. Not something I couldn’t live without, but something that sure does make things easier.
Thanks for this.
I thought that you could only use the watch with an iPhone 6 or 6plus?
Can you use GPS with the watch?
And are you saying you still need the phone nearby, in order to make the watch work?
What is Siri like on the watch and how do you activate it, also can the watch work with a Mac or not?
Hi, I'm deaf-blind and wondering what the taptics feel like? Also, can you set an alarm, where the watch will vibrate to wake you up, at present?
Thanks.
Yes thanks for this.
I'm definitely getting one; I was trying to hold out til the second gen but I might not wait now. Lol
Thanks for the positive feedback and questions guys. I enjoy writing stuff like this. Now, let’s see if I can answer all of your questions in order
The apple watch works with the iPhone 5, 5c, 5s, 6, and 6 plus. The cool thing about using it with my 5s is that the apple watch has apple pay. So even though I don’t have a 6 or 6 plus, I can still use it.
You can use GPS with the watch. It piggy back’s off your phones data connection though, as the watch only has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and NFC chips in it.
The watch can do some things without your phone’s data connection. If you choose in the apple watch app on the phone a play list from your music, you can have that play list uploaded to the watch, and you can listen to it through blue tooth headphones. I use this when I am working out, so I can leave my phone behind
In short, anything that does not require a data connection, you can use with the watch by itself. Also, when you’re at home and the watch connects to your Wi-Fi, you can leave your phone somewhere, and walk around your house with just the watch.
Siri is similar to its iOS counterpart. It normally doesn’t talk, but when voice over is on, it will audio read anything Siri puts up on the screen. Because the watch is designed for lighter wait interaction, Siri can’t do everything it can on the phone, but for messaging, email, posting tweets, things like that, it works amazingly
I have paired my watch with iTunes on my mac using home sharing and I can control music playback on it. Comes in handy when I am cleaning and I don’t have to walk up to my mac to change the song.
The taptic feedback engine is so much different than a simple motor used in most smart phones. It uses a linear actuator, and so in conjunction with the speaker, can immolate many different sensations. When I get a message, it actually feels like someone is tapping me on the wrist. When sending a heartbeat, it actually feels like one, it’s kind of creepy. If the alert is not important, the tap is small, but if it’s something like an alarm, timer, or phone call, you really feel it. And yes, it works with alarms too.
Thanks for this post, very informative.
I want one now. H= much do they run?
They are quite expensive. I think the cheapeast is $350 or so, though I may be wrong. It is a product I am not interested in acquiring for the moment, but I am interested in people's experiences and hope to hear more as time passes. Pun intended LOL.
While I have heard a lot of enthusiastic responses about the watch, I've also heard some not very good ones. I know of two people personally who have bought the watch, and both have returned it for one different reason or another. This is pretty much an alpha product in my opinion. So those of you who are on the fence about getting an apple watch, I say to you that if you don't want to be a tester for the product and its operating system, that you consider waiting for the second or third generation when they've taken the feedback of the people who have used it now, and put it into their later devices. It might take three-four years, but in my own personal opinion, I think it will be well worth the wait.
Yeah I know one person who has returned it too. Personally it works well for me. I especially like the activity app. I haven't had any problems with calls on it either.
It's not something I'm interested in buying, but I like reading about others' experiences. So thanks for posting.
All interesting points. Thanks for sharing your experiences. My biggest fear is that I'd end up getting in the shower and thus dumping $350 right down the drain. lol The different alert vibrations sound useful though.
I'll be going to the apple store for a demo on the weekend.
They give you 14 days to return it.
You could probably get 30 if you asked, due to accessibility issues.
the watch is semi water proof. I have washed dishes with it, washed my hands with it, and walked around in pretty heavy rain with it, so I am pretty sure as long as you realized at some point during your shower and took it off you would be fine. I just wouldn't swim with it or anything. playing the blindy card to get around a return policy is pretty... never mind, that is my opinion. we should have the same return policy as anyone else. it doesn't take 30 days to see if a device is accessible.
No, but if you can get it, why not? Smile.
I do agree with you liquid.
I'm going to an apple store to demo one tomorrow; No garantees I won't walk out with one. Lol
Well, I didn't walk out with one but I did order one. damn. :(
does it have haptech feedback when you type each letter, so if your like me and cant hear the clicks when you type letters, you'll know you typed something
you can't type on the watch. that would not work very well. think about trying to type on a screen that isn't even big enough to do three finger gestures on.
no, i mean when you type on the phone does the watch give you feedback to know you typed letters on the phones screen
While not answering your prev question directly john but further to Chris's latest comments, I am led to believe that while we can't type on to the watch, we are able to unlock our watch after it's been switched on via a passcode. This is done by VO users by swiping to the number and double tapping.
Chris, what watch and band did you get? Just curious.
no, it does not give you feedback when typing on the phone. Also, as far as unlocking goes, I have an option inable3d so that if I have to take off my watch, rather than taking all that time to enter in my pass code, I can just use touch I D on my phone to unlock my watch. I got the stainless steal 42mm apple watch with the melanees loop and blue sport band. I was thinking about the link, but for 449 dollars, it was not wirth it to me even though I like the look of it.
Yes I also got the sports watch 42 mm; I got that metal band with the really tight links; forget what it's called. :)
How do you like it so far being you are the second one to get one?
Haven't received my order yet Wayne, but will let you know when I do. ;)
Okey dokey. I'd love to hear from more of you that actually have them.
I guess if I could figure out what it do for me, I'd grab one, but for me, it just be a waste of money.
I don't wear a watch at all, and usually, when I do, I end up putting it in the water, smashing it on something I'm working on, and other bad things.
It spend more time in the box, then on me, so. Lol