At Home with Tech

I didn’t plan on buying a new Apple Watch. But fate had a different directive. Here’s how you might want to better integrate the inevitable into your home-tech upgrade planning.

Last summer, my old iPhone drowned. It was the result of my little kayaking adventure mishap. (With a spectacular demonstration of clumsiness, I slipped on a submerged rock and fell into knee-deep water as I was getting out of my kayak.) My iPhone was only submerged for a moment, but it was enough.

I later rushed it to the Apple Store as my iPhone struggled to boot up, but it was too late. They called it as my iPhone lay on the cold table, surrounded by Apple Geniuses. One reviewed the diagnostic. It was hopeless. R.I.P. my dear iPhone.

Don’t Wait for the Tragic Last Day
I’ve thought a bit about that day since then. And I’ve come to realize that human error may not have been entirely to blame for this tech tragedy. My almost five-year-old iPhone XS Max had been acting a bit glitchy.

Earlier in the summer, it had exhibited charging anomalies. When I plugged it in, the screen complained about moisture in the charging port. (Yes, it had been raining earlier.) Of course, I was concerned that it wouldn’t charge for hours at a time. So, I took it to the Apple Store. My iPhone received a clean slate.

Fast forward a couple months. My iPhone was dead.

Coincidence? Not necessarily. But in hindsight, perhaps my five-year-old device was simply getting old and beginning to reach its natural end.

Tech doesn’t last forever.

Maybe waiting for the very end is always going to end in some tragic way.

The Logic Board in my Apple Watch Series 4
Let me tell you a different story. It’s about my old Apple Watch Series 4 that’s also five years old. Guess what? It had also been acting glitchy.

It was inexplicably crashing every so often and rebooting. And then its battery suddenly couldn’t power it through even one day. (I knew Apple Watch batteries don’t last forever, but this was a sudden change.)

So, I recently took it to the Apple Store. And the Apple Genius attempted to do a diagnostic. That process required my own iPhone (now a mighty iPhone 15 Pro Max) to do the health check with its linked companion.

My aging Apple Watch wouldn’t cooperate, and even though it was still successfully paired to my iPhone, it wouldn’t let my iPhone do the diagnostic.

Is that bad? Yeah, it’s bad.

The Apple Genius shook his head, looked at me and said my Apple Watch would have to be sent out for repair, and that cost could range from $99 for a new battery to over $200. And then he said the dreaded ‘L’ word.

“It’s probably a logic board problem.”

Logic board?! My Apple Watch was long past its Apple Care days. The likely cost to repair this old piece of tech would simply not be worth it.

So, I called it. Goodbye dear Apple Watch.

One piece of good news: I received $70 to trade in my failing Apple Watch for a new Apple Watch Series 9.

Five Years is Enough
No, this wasn’t as traumatic an experience as my iPhone story. Of course, I knew that I might need to buy a new Apple Watch. I was prepared for that likelihood.

I got five years out of my Apple Watch. That’s a good run… I think.

You have to remember that newer software will inevitably slow down old hardware. And eventually, you won’t be able to even update the software on an Apple Watch. And who really wants to go through that? Even if you’re a glutton for that kind of punishment, the hardware can/will also fail eventually.

Gone are the days when you can maintain your grandparent’s watch forever. Certainly not with an Apple Watch.

Plan for the Inevitable
Yes, wearing an Apple Watch is a relatively expensive way to know what time it is. (Of course, Apple Watches do much more than that. And obviously, I enjoyed my first Apple Watch enough to get another one.)

We all know what the Apple ecosystem costs. No surprises there. This is more about better understanding recommended replacement cycles.

Give Yourself Enough Time for a Smooth Transition
If there’s a lesson learned from my past year of Apple upgrades (I also recently bought a Mac Studio to replace my old iMac), it’s not to squeeze every last day out of your tech to get the most value from your original spend.

Three years? Four? Maybe five years? After that, I think you’re asking for trouble. And when the early signs of obsolescence show up, don’t dismiss them as minor inconvenience.

Sure, you can always choose to upgrade much faster to get the latest and greatest. And I think that’s fine if you feel a compelling reason to do that.

But if you’re happy with what you’ve got, just remember the status quo can’t last forever.

It’s always best to upgrade your tech while you still have the choice. Emergency technology purchases can really make anyone nauseous.

The Silver Lining
Happily, this time, upgrading to my new Apple Watch was a smooth experience that I was prepared for.

And of course, the silver lining when you’re forced to upgrade is that you get all the benefits of your newer tech.

Welcome home, Apple Watch Series 9!