It’s that time of year again and the latest and greatest Apple gadgets are now in the wild. Among these is the newest Apple Watch, the Series 5, now with the much requested “always-on” display and a number of new apps, watch faces and features.
However, beyond the new display feature (which is a big deal) and a newly added compass, the Series 5 is virtually indistinguishable in looks, capability, and performance from last year’s model. It is a solid update but in my opinion not quite enough to justify an upgrade if you already own a Series 4.
Thankfully, the same operating system (watchOS 6) that comes in the new Series 5 is available as a free install and is compatible with Apple Watch models as early as Series 1. This software update significantly enhances the feature set of previous generations and basically makes those watches like new again.
Here are a few of my favorite added capabilities and enhancements that you get with this OS update:
New Watch Faces!
Calculator
Voice Memos
Ambient Noise Level Detection
Enhanced Siri with the ability to view search results and web pages
Watch App Store
If you don’t already own an Apple Watch and have been waiting for the right time and right one to get, that time is now and the model is the new Series 5. It’s the most polished culmination of all that has come before it plus a little extra.
But, if you already own an Apple Watch, especially a Series 4, save the money, update to watchOS 6*, and turn “yesterday’s” model into “today’s” Apple Watch – for free.
A complete list of all the newly added watch features and descriptions can be found here at Apple.com.
*watchOS 6 installation requires an iPhone 6s or later running iOS 13 or later.