The Apple Watch Series 3 is really fast and when you pair that with LTE, and the Series 3 is by far the quickest and most reliable Apple Watch to date. Developer David Smith has been keeping track, by way of his Pedometer++ app, of Apple Watch Series 3 adoption since its debut last fall. Unsurprisingly, the device is doing really well.
Smith reports that Series 3 adoption has grown rapidly since it was unveiled, with 33% of his app’s users now using the Series 3 Apple Watch. In fact, it’s now become the most popular Apple Watch model by his numbers. Meanwhile, usage of the first-generation Apple Watch, has been steadily declining. This is good news, as someone who wore a first-gen until upgrading to the Series 3, the first-gen is so slow that I wouldn’t bother using it for anything outside of the Watch face.
On the flip side, and Smith agrees here, the Series 3 is the first Apple Watch that is genuinely “fast enough” for day-to-day use. It has no issues opening apps, switching watch faces, using Siri, or tracking a workout. And with LTE, it makes it the first Apple Watch that can truly be used without your iPhone.
As a developer, Smith notes that he hopes Apple will drop support for the first-gen entirely with watchOS 5, saying that developing for the first-generation Watch is annoyingly slow, and not worth the time. Fortunately, his research shows that usage of the first-gen is steadily declining, with less than 1/4 of users still using the first-generation Watch.
My personal hope is that this summer when we get watchOS 5 it will drop support for the Series 0 and free Apple to really push forward on what is possible for developers.
Many first-gen Apple Watch users seem to be waiting on a refreshed Series 4 or are planning to ditch their Apple Watch entirely. While the Apple Watch Series 0 is “fine” for most people, not many would describe it as a great experience. As the first-generation Watch hits its three year anniversary soon, users will be looking to upgrade, especially as batteries degrade and users start to see that their Watches can’t hold a full days charge.
Are you a Series 3 owner who has upgraded from the Series 0? What’s your experience? Let us know in the comments below!
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