As of late 2023, the Apple Watch Series 9 will represent the ninth major iteration of Apple’s hugely popular smartwatch product. During the launch of the Apple Watch Series 9 (aBlogtoWatch debut), Apple revealed (again) that it is now the world’s largest in wristwatch production. While this news is still a bit of a shock for many watch industry incumbents, it bodes well for those who love watches. It bodes very well for the watch industry as a whole that one of the most important technology companies in the world is actively focusing on modern watches. This means that the watch category is relevant enough that there will continue to be a strong enthusiast (including traditional watches) side to the industry. Nearly a decade after the Apple Watch was launched, that’s exactly what has happened. While the Apple Watch is undoubtedly a modern object, the commitment to design and individuality of traditional wristwatches is something I have always admired and acknowledged.
On my wrist is the 45mm long version (large size) of the entry-level Apple Watch Series 9. It has an aluminum case, and this model has a “midnight” blue anodized finish. Apple also offers the Series 9 in other anodized aluminum hues, as well as a rather expensive steel version with a sapphire crystal on the screen. A future review that will likely feature is my take on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 (debuted on aBlogtoWatch). It’s the largest Apple Watch yet, and sports a titanium case. I’ve been wearing the Apple Watch Ultra (reviewed on aBlogtoWatch) ever since it was released last year, and I’m totally hooked. The larger size and more purposeful case have won over the enthusiast inside me, and it has become the Apple Watch of choice for many since its release. The Apple Watch remains at its core in its original shape, looking like a sleek little iPhone on your wrist. Apple calls the standard Apple Watch family “Series,” and the “Ultra” has the same designation.
After wearing the larger Apple Watch Ultra, it’s interesting to put the 45mm Apple Watch back on and see how the Series 9 feels much smaller in comparison. Visually, the Apple Watch Series 9 is very similar to the Series 8, with most of the changes being in the internal hardware, software, and, according to Apple, the sustainability of the manufacturing methods. Apple now claims that the Apple Watch is manufactured using carbon-neutral processes, which means that ultimately (and presumably carbon offsetting) consumers can feel that Apple is embracing a higher standard of corporate responsibility when it comes to its industrial footprint on the planet. The Apple Watch Series 9 itself uses Apple’s newer, faster S9 SiP processor chipset, and the screen is brighter than before, but with the same level of battery life.
One of the more interesting new features is the new date entry gesture. I think this is a marriage of software and hardware. Until recently, you could interact with your Apple Watch by a) touching the screen, b) interacting with the case pushers or digital crown, or c) talking to it. Now, there’s an additional option with a specific gesture that involves tapping the thumb and index finger of the hand wearing the Apple Watch. This gesture more or less amounts to an “OK” command, but it points in an interesting new direction where the Apple Watch can listen to the finer details of our bodies. For a long time, the Apple Watch (and the iPhone, too) has been able to listen to so much more data from our bodies than software engineers really knew what to do with. Now, we’re seeing some of the interesting possibilities based on the incredibly sensitive sensors and hardware that are literally touching our body all the time when we’re wearing a product like the Apple Watch.
2023 may not be a year of dramatic change for the Apple Watch, but the company isn’t stopping when it comes to continually adding new features to the world’s most popular watch. Many of these features are very practical, which is a good thing, because it shows that Apple wants to continue developing the Apple Watch as a tool, not just a money-making device. I say this because for a while, new features on the iPhone seemed to be focused on giving people more and more ways to use the device for entertainment. I understand that people spend a lot of time watching movies and playing games on their smartphones, but I don’t get excited about it. The main reason is that I think most people agree that we have enough distractions and that what we need is a better tool, not a better toy. At its core, the Apple Watch is a tool, and Apple continues to consistently improve that part of the product every year.
That being said, we know that consumers are rarely excited about buying just a tool. In fact, people are more likely to buy a tool that looks fun and not use it than a boring looking tool that they might actually use. When Apple first introduced the Apple Watch, they made a prescient statement that the Apple Watch was the most personal product they had ever made. That first meant that Apple had to differentiate the look and feel of the Apple Watch so that consumers didn’t all feel like they were wearing the same thing. These days, that also means that the Apple Watch has to be intellectually engaging to wear and to operate. Ironically, part of that has to do with fun. I know I said that the Apple Watch shouldn’t be considered a toy, but there’s something to be said about making necessary tasks fun. This leads me to talk about my favorite new Apple Watch watch face, simply called Snoopy.
Essentially, this new animated watch face series features Snoopy and Woodstock from the Peanuts universe. This follows on from the trend of watch faces featuring famous cartoon characters that Apple has done before with various Disney characters, including Apple’s own animated avatar figures. Snoopy is also a popular character on several traditional watches, from the highly coveted limited edition luxury Omega Speedmaster to the more modest analog watches produced by Timex. Now Apple is in the game too, and you can never argue that their designers aren’t paying keen attention to what’s important to traditional watch lovers. I’m sure there are traditional watch lovers included on the Apple Watch design team.
What makes the Snoopy watch face on the Apple Watch a little different is how dynamic it is. At a basic level, there are a few things you can tweak, like the background color and the look of the watch face. However, you can’t add any “complications” to the watch face other than the time it displays. This is because the Snoopy watch face requires all the visual space for the many animations it offers. This reminds me of when, in my first review of the Apple Watch, I talked about the types of animated watch faces I wanted Apple to make available on the Apple Watch. I said that I wanted the platform to have some really interesting animated watch faces that could potentially look different every time you look at the face. I said that the high-resolution screen combined with powerful software and hardware allows for a very wide range of animated watch faces that can keep the user interested in a way that a static watch face never could. It’s been nine years since the Apple Watch was launched, and in my opinion, Apple has been very conservative when it comes to watch faces. Sure, some are more original than others, but for the most part, Apple seems to prefer creating animated versions of their watch faces. The watch faces look like they’re attached to a traditional watch face (for the most part). While this is great for many users, the futurist in me longs for more original approaches to watch faces that incorporate complex animations and scenes to make the otherwise mundane task of glancing at a watch face to see the time or other mundane data more glamorous and enjoyable.
The purpose of the Snoopy dial is to make you smile every time you look at your wrist. I don’t know how many animations there are, but depending on the orientation of the hands and the time of day, the Snoopy watch face will display different animations of Snoopy and Woodstock. These animations interact lightly with the hands and hour markers, making them feel integrated into the display and not just background decoration. I think the results are fantastic. I’m having a lot of fun using the Snoopy dial instead of the modular watch faces I normally use, as they’re designed to show as much information as possible. Now I want more dials like this.
Apple does not charge for additional watch faces, and may not do so in the future. In 2014, Apple hinted that it might or might not open up watch faces to third-party developers. At this time, Apple does not charge for watch faces, nor does it allow third parties to create them (though third parties can create complications that can be inserted into many of the official Apple Watch faces). Instead, with each new operating system, Apple provides a handful of new watch faces that are added to a now fairly long list of options. Of course, that list is only a fraction of the downloadable watch faces on competing devices such as Garmin, and on smartwatches that use the Google Wear OS operating system. Perhaps for good reason, Apple has been pretty conservative with watch faces, and it took them nearly a decade to do what I (and probably others) realized was a good idea when the Apple Watch first came out. So, while the Snoopy watch face and the animation and personality that comes with it are great, it may be a while before we see more of these. This is disappointing for consumers who want to see more animated Apple Watch faces featuring their favorite characters, but better late than never, and it’s great to see Snoopy-like faces coming to the Apple Watch Series 9 and other Apple Watches that have been upgraded to the latest Apple Watch OS operating system.
For mainstream use (if you have an iPhone), the Apple Watch is still the best smartwatch. The Apple Watch has so many features, many of which are so good, that competitors tend to only be able to compete with Apple on price and other aspects. Of course, if you are a professional user, an athlete, etc., there may be better products on the market. That being said, it is easy to see that over 90% of users are satisfied with at least one version of the Apple Watch. The company continues to make its smartwatches more personal by adding new colors and materials to its straps. The straps are a sub-universe of products in themselves. The watch is fitted with the new Apple Watch Nike Sport Band, which is sprinkled with small pieces of recycled material. This adds a set of accent colors to the base layer, making these new Nike Sport Bands one of the most fashionable sport straps for the Apple Watch to date. Those who move from solid color straps to straps with more organic or speckled textures will find that the latter are often more visually interesting.
The top end of the spectrum for the Series 9 steel and Ultra 2 versions of the Apple Watch is around $800 USD (before you buy any additional premium straps/bracelets that can cost hundreds of dollars each). These aluminum models are much more affordable in comparison, with this 45mm long model starting at $429 USD, making it a relative bargain. Learn more about the Apple Watch here.
