Sparky’s 2024 Apple Watch Buyer’s Guide

I’ve been wearing Apple Watches since day one, and the 2024 lineup is the most impressive yet. They make great holiday gifts, but here’s the thing: You don’t need to buy the most expensive model to get a great Apple Watch experience. Let’s break this down into plain English and figure out which watch belongs on your wrist.

The Three Flavors of Apple Watch

Series 10: The Sweet Spot

This is the Goldilocks watch — not too much, not too little, but just right for most users. This year it got a larger display, thinner and now it has sleep apnea detection as Apple continues to add more medical/health sensors.

What you get:

  • A solid Always-On display
  • ECG, blood oxygen, and sleep tracking sensors, but no blood oxygen level sensor because … lawsuits.
  • The new second-generation Ultra Wideband chip (improved Find My)
  • Aluminum or Titanium finishes

The sweet spot for: Most folks who want a great all-around Apple Watch without going overboard.

Ultra 2: The Beast

Remember when Apple used to run those “I’m a Mac” commercials? If they did that for Apple Watch, the Ultra 2 would be wearing hiking boots and a climbing harness. This thing is built like a tank, but a really smart, sophisticated tank.

The standout features:

  • Titanium case that can take a beating
  • A big, bright display (perfect for outdoors)
  • Multi-day battery life
  • The Action Button (I’ve mapped mine to start dictation, because I’m kind of a geek.)
  • The rugged design — Some people love it. Others don’t. (I’m in the first camp and still wearing my Apple Watch Ultra 1.)

The weird bit is that this watch is now over a year old. In some ways, the Apple Watch Series 10 is superior. It’s not clear yet but it may be that Apple only updates the Ultra model every few years only.

Perfect for: Outdoor enthusiasts, endurance athletes, and anyone who needs their watch to last more than a day. Also great if you just want the biggest, baddest Apple Watch out there.

SE (2nd Generation): The Smart Buy

Here’s the secret: the SE is probably all the Apple Watch most people need. It’s like getting 80% of the features for 50% of the price. No, you don’t get the fancy health sensors or Always-On display, but you do get a fantastic fitness tracker and notification machine.

What’s included:

  • All the core fitness tracking
  • Notifications and communications
  • GPS tracking
  • The same chip as the Series 8 (S8 SiP, plenty fast)

Ideal for: First-time Apple Watch buyers, kids, or anyone who wants to save some cash without sacrificing the core experience.

Here’s What I Think

After years of wearing various Apple Watches (and helping countless folks choose theirs), here’s my advice:

  1. If you’re not sure which one to get, buy the Series 10. It’s the safest bet and will make most people happy.
  2. If you’re hardcore about fitness or outdoors stuff, or if battery life is your main concern, spring for the Ultra 2.
  3. If you’re new to Apple Watch or watching your budget, the SE is a fantastic choice. Don’t let anyone shame you into thinking you need more.

The Bottom Line

You really can’t go wrong here. Even the “budget” SE is a more capable device than the original Apple Watch we all drooled over back in the day.

My recommendation? Don’t overthink it. The SE is great if you’re on a budget, the Series 10 is perfect if you want it all, and the Ultra 2 is there if you need something more robust.

Mac Power Users 774: Answering Common Tech Support Questions

It’s that time of year again: when relatives come to the family get-together armed with tech questions. On this episode of Mac Power Users, Stephen and I tackle some of the most common issues asked around the dinner table.

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

  • NetSuite: The leading integrated cloud business software suite.
  • Squarespace: Save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code MPU.

Is a Cellular MacBook Air With M4 Chip On the Horizon?

Chalk this one up to idle speculation, but the current rumor is that the iPhone SE releasing next spring will have an Apple cellular modem in it. Apple’s been working on building its own modem for years now and it seems like the project is finally going to bear fruit.

But there’s another rumor about the spring. Specifically, we’re supposed to receive the M4 MacBook Air about that same time. If Apple can put their modem in an iPhone SE, why not a MacBook Air as well?

I have no sources or basis for this speculation except for the probable overlap in time. Over the years, I’ve heard from so many MacBook road warriors who desperately want a cellular-enabled MacBook. Wouldn’t it be nice to finally see Apple make one?

The Yule Playlist

It’s that time of year again. If you haven’t already subscribed to my Yule Playlist, you should check it out. I’ve been curating it for over a decade, and it’s full of excellent holiday music, primarily in the jazz genre. Over the years, I’ve received messages from people using this playlist for their holiday parties, while decorating the tree, and otherwise being festive.

I hope you are among them.

Get Organized with DEVONthink (Sponsor)

official application icon for DEVONthink

I often hear from listeners and readers looking for a research solution in the Mac ecosystem. My favorite app for this, without a doubt, is DEVONthink. DEVONthink is the most professional document and information management application for the Mac. It’s the one place for storing all your documents, snippets, or bookmarks, and working with them.

The integrated AI engine assists you with filing and searching, while the extensive search language includes advanced Boolean operators.

DEVONthink features a flexible sync system that supports many cloud services — or lets you synchronize over your local network — with everything securely encrypted. This gives you the choice for whichever syncing works best for you!

It has Smart rules and flexible reminders that let you automate all parts of your workflow and delegate boring, repeating tasks. Let DEVONthink automatically organize your data with rules you define!

DEVONthink’s AppleScript dictionary is one of the best on the Mac. There’s no part of DEVONthink that can’t be automated. Extend DEVONthink’s functionality with your own commands by adding them to its Scripts menu. Even templates can have scripts inside and you can set up new documents with data from placeholders, or inserted using your own AppleScript code.

DEVONthink just continues to get better. In the latest update they improved PDF annotation, Evernote import, Markdown functionality, and added even more AppleScript and JavaScript automation.

I find DEVONthink’s combination of innovative features and automation support irresistible. Interested? MacSparky readers can get a 20% discount on DEVONthink.

About that Rumored Apple Command Center

Rumors are percolating about Apple creating a home command center for launch next year. According to Mark Gurman, it’s roughly a six-inch square iPad that you hang on the wall, allowing you to control your HomeKit devices and other helpful home command center-y type work.

I’m interested if they can get it right. This also reminds me of my wish for something like this in the form of an Apple TV app, displaying the date, calendar items, the weather, and the like.

Every year or two, I look for status board-style applications in the vein of the now-abandoned Panic app, and to the extent there are any, they never seem quite good enough. If this were to work, I expect Apple would need to create it. If, however, they’re selling a separate product, I think the likelihood of that status board app for my Apple TV becomes even less likely.