Head to the Apple website and there’s no sign of a party.
At their keynote event to launch new products last week, there was no mention of a celebration of ten years since the Apple Watch was introduced.
But here we are, with the 10th-generation Apple Watch, known as Series 10 – and it’s something to celebrate.
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Smartwatches existed before the Apple Watch, but as always, Apple just does it differently and, for the most part, better.
It’s hard to argue.
It wasn’t too long before Apple was claiming the title of the best-selling watch brand in the world – yes, watch brand, not smartwatch.
But this is Apple, a company that does not look backwards.
Other than to acknowledge the passing of their legendary founder Steve Jobs each year on October 5, Apple does not have a museum of their older products, they rarely show an older product next to a new one, they are all eyes focused forward, into the future.
For me, though, the new Apple Watch Series 10 is a celebration of a decade of the Apple Watch, and a sign of just how far we have come.
The original Apple Watch came in 38mm and 42mm sizes.
Today, the Series 10 comes in 42mm or 46mm sizes.
The screen took up 740 square millimetres of space on the larger model, today that’s 1220 sq mm.
Back then, you could get some heart rate notifications.
Today you can do an ECG, check your blood oxygen levels and the watch can call triple zero if it detects you have a fall or car crash.
Hopefully, soon Apple will get TGA approval for its new sleep apnea detection features too, but let’s not even worry about that, because without it this is still one heck of a smartwatch.
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The Apple Watch Series 10 is ever so much lighter, but it’s bigger and thinner than the previous generation.
Making something this small even thinner is an achievement within itself.
A new speaker housing helps with this, but also allows the watch to now play music out loud if you so desire.
No Apple Watch has a bigger display, even the big-brother Apple Watch Ultra doesn’t match this, plus the wider angle OLED viewing they say is up to 40 per cent brighter – I can’t say I truly noticed that in my testing.
One thing I did notice was faster charging.
Incremental, but in a world where we’re thinking about wearing this 24/7, we really need to find those “moments” to charge it.
Honestly, I didn’t notice too much about using the Apple Watch that was different, or better.
But that’s the life of a reviewer who’s only ever using “last year’s” model.
If you’re coming from an Apple Watch Series 5, 6 or 7, then this is it.
This is the one you’ve been waiting for.
Wipe the old one, set it up for one of your kids and embrace the big, big size of the Apple Watch Series 10.
What’s fascinating to me is the simple things that impress.
For example, the low power Always On display which allows you to glance down at your Apple Watch now refreshes every second instead of every minute.
Why does that matter? A ticking second hand is why.
On an analogue watch, you glance down and see that thin red hand, tick, tick, tick.
On an Apple Watch you raise your wrist and see the second hand gently glide around the clock face.
In Always On mode, you see no second hand. Until now!
On compatible watch faces that second hand will tick, tick, tick to the next second before your eyes, without even raising your hand.
Apple already set the benchmark for smartwatches and the whole interface, this just maintains it, and maybe lifts it one step up.
At the same time, Apple did not choose to update any features of the premium Apple Watch Ultra product, despite Samsung entering the “ultra” watch market this year.
Instead, they added a new black titanium colour, and a new titanium Milanese loop band with a parachute clasp – and it’s stunning.
These new Apple Watches go on sale this Friday, and for anyone with an iPhone, it’s hard to argue this isn’t the perfect smartwatch.
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