It’s been quite a good time over the past year with my Apple Watch.
A year ago today, I purchased my 40mm Apple Watch Series 5. This was an upgrade my previous watch, which was a 38mm Apple Watch Series 1 that I acquired on Christmas Day 2016.
This was purchased right after I got both my 2020 stimulus check and tax refund. Obviously I made sure to save the majority of the money because we as a country were in the midst of new and ongoing pandemic, but given all the trouble it had been so far, I thought it would be a good idea to treat myself.
If anything, I was contributing to the economy.
The reason that I have always had an Apple Watch is just to have everything I could want and need right on my wrist. To think about the fact that we have this technology is incredible.
So, what I use it for is getting text messages, but also notifications regarding the weather from CARROT Weather and whether or not it will rain/snow that, precipitation alerts, severe weather watch and warning alerts, Fantastical calendar notifications and Day One Journal reminders. Oh, and for answering a phone call on occasion too.
Thanks for the notification from @CARROT_app about the snow I’m supposed to get tomorrow. Supposed to get 6-8 inches in my area tomorrow. I do not know what I would do without this weather app. #CARROT #Weather #AppleWatch pic.twitter.com/dpG9GmwIK3
— David Becker (@iBeckTech) January 25, 2021
Got my first @dayoneapp notification on my  Watch tonight, which I set up yesterday. Looks pretty cool, especially from this type of shot. #DayOne #Journaling #AppleWatch pic.twitter.com/rA0fo6o0Ut
— David Becker (@iBeckTech) February 19, 2021
When it comes to doing just that, the Apple Watch Series 5 does a great job with it.
An issue I had with my previous watch was with its battery life. Granted, it was a Series 1 that had gone through its fair share of software updates, making it more and more obsolete, and that I did not always have a charger around in its later years to keep it going, therefore, not having as many notifications come through to save on said battery life.
Other features I have been able to use on my Apple Watch Series 5 are apps like Chirp and Deliveries, which are apps that I did have on my Series 1 that I eventually had to quit using simply due to them not working on it. The Series 5 has given me functionality with those apps again.
Hopefully my  Watch is right today in the fact that I’ll be getting my @Apple logo coffee mug and notepad that I bought about a couple weeks ago. It wasn’t delivered last week because of the blizzard that came through my area, but hopefully I’ll get it today! #AppleWatch #Apple pic.twitter.com/CK68lV0Z9i
— David Becker (@iBeckTech) January 18, 2021
Some you might be asking or wondering what feature I use the most on my Apple Watch. Is it fitness? Is it for answering calls and text messages? Do I use Apple Maps on it often?
My answer for this is going to be Apple Pay.
You have no idea how easy and convenient it is for me to just flick my wrist out and have a card reader read my payment method; Apple Pay.
I have used it at the grocery store, using it through drive-thru windows and while getting my weekly pizza at Little Caesar’s. It’s just that simplistic.
There have been days where I have taken it out of its normal brown/khaki watchband and have it paired with my third-party blue Milanese loop band. It’s a good fit for it and I’m glad that Apple makes it so 38mm watchbands still work on the 40mm Apple Watches.
According to @dayoneapp, two years ago today, I got myself a new blue  Watch band (that I am ironically wearing today) and got myself some canned @MountainDew Baja Blast. Oh, simpler times those were”¦ #DayOne #BajaBlast #AppleWatch pic.twitter.com/QF6yq8q9PT
— David Becker (@iBeckTech) March 10, 2021
Now, do I have any plans for the immediate future with my Apple Watch Series 5?
All I can say is I have just signed up for Apple Fitness+ within the last few days, so I’m hoping to see what that whole experience will be like for both using the Apple Watch and what the exercises will be like.
Overall, to this day, I am still happy that I made this purchase of the 40mm Apple Watch Series 5. It’s a product that gets plenty of usage each and every day and is a product that I plan to have for at least a couple more years before upgrade time comes again.
Do you have an Apple Watch Series 5 or above? What are your thoughts on it? Do you use Apple Pay on it? Let us know on Twitter at @appleosophy.
