Didn’t Zuckerberg want to merge all the messaging apps together? Don’t really know how that goes, i wonder if they just don’t put as much resource in WhatsApp now and wait for the merge.

https://9to5mac.com/2019/01/30/facebook-combine-messenger-instagram-whatsapp/

Reset means rebooting the phone? I only do that when I update OS or I encounter an issue that forced me to reboot.

Yes, you are right. It has a high chance that the inventory is fresh especially for very popular Apple products. However, I’m sure there are items that are not as popular that will sit in the store shelves for months or longer before people buy them.

When you buy it from Apple Store or other retailers, there is no guarantee how long they have been sitting there in the box anyways. I won’t have any concern if it’s idle in a box for few months. Probably will start to worried if it’s sitting there for years. And as a PSA, please don’t let tech items sit for years, Apple Watch is a tech item and not jewelry. :-)

Series 8 and series 9 share lots of features together. The notable advantages of S9 are the following:

• double tap feature (series 8 supports something like double tap, but reports are that it’s not as accurate)
• faster processor
• better screen (brighter in general and can dim more in dark places)
• on device siri
• precision finding (if you have iphone 15)

You should be the judge to see if these features are worth it. I think if you already have S8, it’s not worth it to upgrade to S9. However, if I’m getting a new watch today, I’ll most likely just get the S9. I tend to keep my electronic items a bit longer, so usually get the latest and greatest when I upgrade.

Apple TV (the hardware box) can install apps for streaming services, including Apple TV+ (the service), Amazon video, Netflix… etc and games.

The Apple TV app in your samsung tv will only allow you to watch Apple TV+ content.

I haven’t used the more recent Samsung TV interfaces, but so far I prefer Apple TV’s interface comparing to all “smart TVs” I’ve used.

I switch to wear one of my mechanical watches for formal events or when I’m meeting other watch enthusiasts. Honestly, outside of watch enthusiasts, probably no one will notice what watch you are wearing.

Do you need fast charging, always on display, bigger screen, ECG, double tap… etc? If you do, you should get series 9.

If you just need the basic features or don’t want to pay as much, you should take a look at SE features to see if it will satisfy your need.

At the end of the day, majority of the use cases will be okay with either the series 9 or ultra. It ultimately depends on your need. You should pick the ultra if you want the better battery life, action button or the bigger and rugged design. You should pick series 9 if you prefer the smaller and sleeker design.

I myself would love to have the ultra’s battery life, but I don’t like the look and feel of the ultra (too big and just prefer the size of the regular series better), so I would pick series 9 if those are my 2 choices. However, I don’t really do any long workouts or disappear from civilization for extended period, so an “all-day” battery of the regular series is fine for me.

Not a guarantee, but I believe the new series 8’s that are still in boxes would come with watch os 9 as they are boxed even before watch os 10 is released. Can’t imagine how the watch will update itself when sitting in the box.

Also, if the battery health of your watch is below 80%, you can either pay Apple for a battery change or use Apple care for it (if you have apple care). They will give you a refurb watch with new battery. Also not a guarantee, but the watch they give you may come with watch os 9.

Unless you have a specific need for stainless steel Apple watches (e.g. sapphire glass, better aesthetic), I would recommend to get the latest generation of tech products that you are willing to pay.

Paying for better material on a regular watch makes sense to me as I’ll keep my watches for a very long time, may even pass to the next generation(s). However, I’m fully aware I’m going to upgrade my Apple Watches (or tech products in general) every few years, I just don’t find the added cost to be justified.

Series 7 is the sweet spot (I’m using it currently). If you already have the series 7 and didn’t value the incremental value of series 8 and 9, I see no reason to upgrade at the moment. You also ruled out Ultra for the size so won’t go there as well.

Apple has been doing the incremental changes, so their products seems very similar to the previous generation, but would be more worth upgrading if you keep the product past a few years. Why not just wait a little bit and see if series 10 has a feature plus the incremental upgrades in between that you like that may make upgrade worth it?

I for one loves the majority of the new changes of watch os 10. I know it’s very subjective though, so not going to argue about it.

If you want good integration with iphone, Apple watch is definitely top of the list. The other smart watches or fitness bands have their advantages, but mostly not related to the integration with iphones.

I say wait it out to see if future Apple watches will suit you better. I’m not the type of person that cling onto an old OS, but if you really really don’t like watch os 10, maybe get a series 8 that comes with watch os 9?

I’m a mechanical watch enthusiast and have a modest collection, but I’ve been mainly wearing my Apple watch after I got my first one. Love getting notifications and using Apple Pay with the Apple Watch. Now I only wear mechanical watches when I’m attending a more formal event or I know I’m going to meet other watch enthusiasts.

The notification is designed to only appear in the “active” device. So if you’re using your phone, the notification appears there. If your phone is locked, the notification goes to the watch. I find the mac notification a bit weird in this aspect, but the ones between iphone and apple watch will work as you describe.

More info here: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204791

Not OP, but it really depends on your lifestyle. I need to be connected most of the time because of my job and in case of family emergencies.

Before wearing an Apple Watch, I’ll need to take out my phone to look at the notification and determine if it’s important. By doing so, I may unlock the phone and do something else as well.

But with the apple watch, I’ll glance at my wrist for the notification and see if it’s important. If it’s not important, I’ll dismiss the notification and continue with whatever I’m doing. I’ll only take out my phone to respond if it’s truly important or require immediate attention.

Just this aspect makes me still be available for the important stuff but can put down/away my phone more often.

Apple Watch is not luxury, if I want luxury I’ll be rocking my mechanical watches instead (which I do when I go to a more formal event/gathering).

That said, I use my Apple Watch for Apple Pay and as a filter for notifications to see if I need to respond immediately. Just these 2 features have already improved my life. The added bonus is the passive health tracking features that encourages me to move more.

The main benefit of AOD for me is when I need to glance at the time during meetings. I don’t want to do the whole turning my wrist thing to “wake up” the display.

This is a “feature” that I always have with my mechanical watches and something that’s essential to my workflow.

When there is a notification, I can use my apple watch to separate out notifications that I need to immediately respond (e.g. important message/call from work or family) vs ones I can take care of later without taking out my phone. Before having the apple watch, I have to take out my phone every time when there is a notification.

I also use Apple pay with the watch all the time without taking out my phone.

Both of these use cases works with non-cellular version as well. Of course you’ll need your phone nearby or have wifi so you can receive messages, but it doesn’t require you to have a cellular watch or have the cellular plan on the watch.

One time I had issue with getting mail notification on my watch, I have to go to the watch app on iphone > Mail > Accounts and login to my email accounts. Some of them shows “Sign in required” for some reason. After that the mail notification works perfectly on my watch.

Not sure if it’s the same as your issue though.

More info about the double tap feature on series 9: https://support.apple.com/guide/watch/use-double-tap-to-perform-common-actions-apdabb7b275c/watchos