Hello! I hear from friends from time to time with questions about which Apple products I use or recommend and why. Since I’m about to update two of them, I figured I’d explain why I decided to jump and where. No offense taken if you honestly don’t care.
APPLE WATCH
I bought the first generation of Apple Watch after having used Fitbits and have never looked back. I’ve replaced them when new features made it worthwhile, trading the oldest one in for a credit. For example, I added the Apple Watch 4 when Apple added the fall detection feature that (once set up) notified the people you selected that you might need help. I believe it’s a major safety feature that’s far more useful for older folks than those monitors that hang around your neck, particularly for those already used to charging devices at night.
Right now I have an Apple Watch 5 and an Apple SE (at $249 and full-featured, the best choice for most people) but I’m being nudged to act while both watches work and have a trade-in value. I like having two Apple Watches as I wear one 24-hours a day and just swap them off the charger when one tells me it’s about out of juice.
Apple has recently changed its pricing for replacing batteries. An Apple Watch doesn’t break but eventually the battery fails to hold a charge that lasts a full day. A replacement battery was $79 which struck me as a reasonable maintenance cost for a watch costing $300 or $400. Now a battery replacement is $99.
My Apple Watch 5 has told me that it needs servicing (on your Watch go to Settings, Battery, Battery Health) but is still worth $90 as a trade-in (determined by going to store.apple.com and putting together an order with a hypothetical trade-in). Note that the need for a battery replacement doesn’t ding you on trade-in value but failure to replace it once it fails means a non-working device which IS worth less. This gives you a window of opportunity to trade it in.
The new Apple Watch 9 is $400 and includes new capabilities that I could have waited on. But it makes no sense to pay $99 to replace the battery on the 5 for a device that is worth $90 now and probably less soon (if the battery dies). So I’m going to swap out the 5 for the 9 and keep the SE which is in fine shape.
Final note on a specialized Apple Watch, the Ultra 2. It’s twice the price, is huge and kind of clunky-looking. But I have a friend who scuba dives and has killed two regular Apple Watches: one with salt water exposure and another with fresh water. For them, the Ultra makes sense. If you’re thinking about one, I’m told that the orange band shows up best when diving deep.
APPLE iPHONE
On to iPhones. Unlike some huge Apple fans, I don’t upgrade my iPhone every year or even every other year. I have an iPhone 13 Mini which is a size I love. I had a 12 iPhone Mini for a brief time before moving up one year when Apple stopped offering smaller models. The iPhone Mini replaced a 7 Plus.
Apple iPhones and iOS are terrific and hold their values amazingly well but one of the reasons Apple stock is taking a hit is that new models these days differ primarily in camera features or power improvements that aren’t sales drivers for most people. If I were buying a new one, and wasn’t a photographer, I would carefully compare the iPhone 14 and 15 models based on what matters most to you which can certainly include cosmetic features. The titanium phones are beautifully light but I say buy what appeals.
Apple’s software works well and consistently among your iPhone, your laptop or desktop, and your iPad. Apple acts quickly to solve glitches and fight attacks and hacks. There’s a reason that the vast majority of users are on a single software version — the latest. Further, Apple keeps your data more private than any other tech company. Finally, they maintain their value for trade-in purchases.
APPLE DESKTOP OR LAPTOP
Speaking of lifetimes, my primary machine is an Apple iMAc with a 20.5″ monitor desktop, 16GM RAM, and 512GB storage. It was considered well-tricked out when I bought it in 2017. I run a Windows partition using Parallels software in order to run the PC version of Quicken. (And no, I don’t want a separate PC to do that even tho I’ve considered it).
This desktop was a successor to a 13″ Apple laptop. I wanted a larger screen. I almost immediately regretted not having a portable device but this machine has served me well for my personal use.
When Apple recently announced that its extremely well-reviewed MacBook Air would be offered in a larger size, I was tempted but my desktop has pushed me over the edge. It doesn’t qualify for an upgrade to Apple’s newest MacOS (Sonoma) altho Apple will follow its standard practice of offering security updates for another year or two. Because the Parallels/Windows/Quicken trio are updated regularly, I expect that soon the combination will not work well if I’m unable to update the MacOS surrounding it.
So I have a new 15″ MacBook Air in midnight (much better processor, same RAM and storage) arriving November 15-17. I can explain why to anyone having an interest but the bottom line is that I have no need for the power of an M3 chip and this particular laptop has received nothing but raves for every feature. I’m also incredibly tickled that, for the first time in my long life (we’re talking decades of of buying computers), I will be spending less than $2,000 for my main machine even with plenty of power and space.
HOW TO PURCHASE APPLECARE TO GET EXTENDED COVERAGE
In the process of buying it, I discovered an oddity that’s worth noting. The Apple Card that’s easily obtainable on your iPhone in the Apple Wallet gives you a 3% rebate on purchases of Apple merchandise. You can use it to pay for Apple computers, iPhones, tablets on an interest-free installment plan. HOWEVER, if you do so, you need to pay for your (essential) AppleCare coverage for a fixed term, e.g., $229 for three years. Then that insurance is kaput.
Here’s the trick. Go ahead and buy your device on installments but do NOT add AppleCare until you’ve received your device. At that time, you can buy AppleCare by the year and coverage continues so long as you pay. That way of extending coverage is something you want to do. It’s the only insurance on objects that I buy and is worth every penny. Do not forget to get that coverage. It pays for itself.
I’M NOT A BIG iPAD USER
I do have a 2020 iPad Air (in green) that I barely use. I have many friends who love iPads but it’s not my baby. I took speed typing between 7th and 8th grade and the keyboard is my tool. Added Apple’s Smart Keyboard but then I wound up with something like a crippled, too-small laptop. I use it if I need a screen after a guest using my living room has gone to bed. Generally tho, I’d rather just use my iPhone instead. An iPad is great if you access the internet, work on artwork and/or watch videos/games on it but this was my second time trying an iPad and will be my last.
MUST-BUY: APPLE ONE FAMILY
If you’ve read this far, you probably use Apple services even if you’re not exclusively Apple (you may well use Spotify). Here’s my pitch for a service product: the Apple One Family Premium for $37.95. Here’s what makes Apple One so rare. A group up to six people need not be in the same household or even related. One person pays $37.95 which covers all six people. Here’s a comparison of that amount to the cost of the individual services:
Each of them — under their own Apple IDs — receives Apple Music, Apple TV+, the extra content in Apple News, Apple Arcade (games), Apple Fitness with its excellent workouts, and 2 terabytes of storage for the six of you. If you and your family/friends already use Apple Music or Apple TV+, or pay for extra storage, $37.95 is a deal.
- iCloud+2TB$9.99/mo.per month
- TV+$9.99/mo.per month
- Music$16.99/mo.per month
- Arcade$6.99/mo.per month
- Fitness+$9.99/mo.per month
- News+$12.99/mo.per month
Not $66.94/mo.per month — $37.95/mo.
Members of that group may, but are not required to, share their locations (determined by their iPhone). Moreover a number of apps (weather, added streaming channels, nighttime viewing) give the entire “family” access if one person purchases a lifetime or premium service from an app.
My personal belief is that someone who watches TV and listens to music would be well-served to find five other people. If they take you out to dinner once a year, they will have paid their share. NOTE: Plans including less storage and not including Apple Fitness or Apple News+ are $19.95 or $25.95 a month for those same six people. That’s less for all six of you than the monthly cost for one person of Apple TV+ and Apple Music. As I said — in a nutshell — this is a brainless YES.
Abycats' Thoughts 