Smart Watches are DUMB

We've had smartwatches for a while now offering to monitor your sleep, blood pressure, heart rate, fitness, and even detect if you fall. But, are these wrist-computers as clever as they claim to be, or are they hiding lackluster technology behind a four-digit price tag?

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For further reading, check out the sources for this video here:

Script: Jaz Papoloupodos
Editor: Kirsten Stanley
Project Manager: Lurana McClure Rodríguez
Host: Levi Hildebrand

[xiggywiggs]

fun fact, Apple is not the only company that makes phones, computers, tablets or smart watches.

[szuperrosszarcu]

My grandpa was in a car crash last year. He was unconscious, but his watch detected the collision, called emergency, and sent his emergency contacts to find out what had happened and the exact location. My brother was there in 15 minutes, even before the ambulance arrived. He told me which hospital they would take him to, and I went straight there. I don't know when we would have known about the crash hadn't he had his watch on because he couldn't speak coherently the whole day after the event.
Since then, I set his phone to automatically share all his health data with me, so if there are any changes in his heart rate or other health trends, I'm notified instantly. I'm glad we got him that watch

[theyhaventfedmesince]

"we're talking about four digits here"

Watch enthusiasts : "first time?"

[fruitpunk]

"your watch tracks you"

yeah, .. so does your phone 😂

[lordbulbasaur]

As an amateur runner, I can’t speak highly enough of the quality of analytics that smart watches offer. Wouldn’t have been able to conquer multiple marathons without it. Some of the critiques are valid, but others are just plain fear mongering.

[coltonliquin]

As a first responder my smart watch is invaluable. I can track times for medications, set timers, get directions from my wrist, track my sleep (or lack of), and watch my heart rate on fires

[athln]

I never understood the "notifications bad" argument. I literally have disabled all notifications on my devices, except for WhatsApp, three people on Discord, Mail (but only during working hours), and Reminders app. I don't have any social media app, I only have utility apps - that's it. Smartphone addiction is not caused by smartphones, but our inability to self control.

[porzickjmichael]

I had my first smartwatch since November last year and the reasons why i bought it are checking time, tracking my route and detecting things that my phone can't do such as barometer. A couple weeks ago i had a hike without cellular network. My watch reminded that there's a storm incoming, and it did rain 2 minutes later. That's the most impressive thing that my watch just did.

[sonny]

While I usually agree with you on these vids, I think you're off target on this one. As a senior citizen, I decided to take my health more seriously and started a modest walking workout. After some success, I progressed to 3 then 4 and more miles, adding a fitness tracker to monitor miles, steps, heartbeat, calories, goals, weight, sleep, and more. The fitness tracker was/is what kept me motivated. I am responsible to keep my record going. I'm tracking success and slips. It didn't work for you. It does work for many others. For me, 60 pounds gone. Blood pressure now normal. Off all diabetes meds. Dropped four waste sizes. Could this be done without fitness trackers? Sure. But, at least in my case, the tracker was a hard point measure of success,

[alxacm]

Gotta love how the majority of the comments are highlighting how smartwatches are useful and sometimes essential. I love mine and can no longer go back to not having one.

[ArturTheFOE]

This whole video felt like my mom talking about smartphones, or my grandma talking about computers,
I assume my great grandma said something like this about radio

[LunarStarFox]

I bought one for my job. I work as a nurse and I use a lot of apps on the watch to help me do my tasks while working as a nurse at night. Like having timers that a quite but vibrate on my wrist. I use and app to count how many time my patients is breathing and or their heart rate for a short period of time and automatically tell me if it is a normal rate for the specific age group of kid I’m taking care of. Plus I do you the notification/ texting functionality of the watch when I’m in an isolation room of a COVID patient. I can still communicate with my co-workers with out taking out my cellphone and exposing it to all the germs in the room. Plus it feels disrespectful to pull out my smart phone to do some of these things in front if patients and family.

That all being said- I don’t really wear my smart watch outside of working/ always forget to put it on for “fitness tracking”

[austinderbique]

I agree with nearly all of your videos, but this one is a bit polarizing to me. I use my garmin on a daily basis. It tracks my runs, bike rides, hikes, and essentially all other workouts. It helps me be more in tune with my body in terms of fatigue and recovery. Perhaps for people using their watch as a lifestyle watch, the benefits compared to just having your phone is rather limited. But for active people, these watches truly are useful.

[mahoslash]

I did notice Taiwan's public hospitals quickly adopted to the smart watches and were using it as part of their medical management systems.
A few months ago when my Dad was hospitalized twice, the two hospitals we went to both had doctors and hospital staffs all wearing Apple watches and all of them were perfectly impelmented into both of their hospital systems. (I was actually quite suprised how opened Taiwan's public hospitals are towards new tech.)
I wouldn't say it is useless and if it was impelmented for industry use, then I guess it can be something that's good for the society.

[Lalaafastroli]

garmin smartwatch for an outdoor enthusiast like me has probably been one of the biggest game changers in terms of technology i ever experienced. Im not even into technology and my garmin has been invaluable for long camps/mountain biking etc. recommend to anyone in the outdoors.

[thewlker]

I like future proof, it provides food for thought on a very manageable and interesting format. This time however i felt it very biased, like, generalizing the experience of mostly a single person, for a single brand of smartwatches, and calling the video "All" smartwatches are dumb and nobody needs them.
So, what about android? How about fitbit, garmin, pebble, amazfit? I don't know, this one wasn't thorough, really.

[Swimmerchild]

As an athlete, coach, parent, and working in an office where we have meeting I am happy with my watch. I can’t be pulling out my phone mid meeting or mid training but seeing what’s happening on my wrist and being able to accept meetings, send messages, and be able to communicate is something I can’t do without

[LovelyCaboose]

A lot of older people have them because of fall detection.
Most jobs don’t allow employees to be on their phones at all. Having a watch helps with still being able to be reached by family when your phones in your locker or bag.

[CludStrife]

I work as a photographer and run another business on the side, with a family with kids and dogs. When I’m photographing an important event, I really don’t want to be taking out my phone to check on notifications to know whether they are ones I can ignore or ones from my family or colleagues that needs my attention. Same for when I’m with my family, now I don’t need to have my phone next to me. I just need my watch and I can so much more easily ignore notifications that doesn’t require immediate attention, while still receiving ones that might matter (e.g. my own parents/colleagues). My quality of life is much improved with the watch, keeping my phone away. I pickup my phone way lesser due to the watch and it’s just helped me mentally so much. Now whenever I get a horde of newsletter, I now know them at a look at my wrist, it’s something I can ignore instead of checking them on my phone

[turnoverbros]

I get more reliable information from The Onion, I could name 7 things on my watch I can't imagine living without

1: Always have the time
2: Easy to start workout
3: Knowing my race stats in a race
4: Find my Phone
5: Viewing messages in class
6: Remote Alarms
7: Not needing phone to track run