Well, this is the first time I've been disappointed by my Series 2.
I use the watch for three things:
- Notifications
- Setting the volume on my AirPods (the watch is the missing volume knob, if you didn't already know. Guess the AirPods Max made this super clear.)
- Running without a phone*
The Series 2 has GPS, which is nice. I hear people say that the Series 3 is when the watch really hit stride. Maybe. But the 2 is when 1st party fitness became usable. (And only first party. I've tried Nike+ and Runkeeper, and neither do as well with maps and reliability as using Apple's apps on the 2.)
Unfortunately that feeling of the Series 2 supporting first party fitness doesn't, ironically, carry over for Fitness+. Fitness+ requires at least a Series 3.
That's fine and reasonably fair, I guess, but I keep seeing descriptions of Fitness+ that say you just "need an Apple watch". Not true! You need a Series 3 or higher.
That admission was hard to find, literally buried in the small print of Apple's Fitness+ page.
That was less than impressive. I really thought I had a chance to play along. No dice.
I don't think it's worth the extra $150 (Series 3s have gone that low during the buying season, and are, what, $170 now? Used on Swappa are $100, though I'd be worried about battery health) to try Fitness+ out when there are so many other options that don't require it. Would've liked to try some spin classes though.
*Okay, nearing in on a fourth use for my watch: Using it as a heart monitor with Zwift. I'm just a few days into my free week, and it is fun. Right now I've just laid out $20 for a speed sensor that I was able to finagle onto my stationary bike (that I got to rehab after a sports injury surgery, so no extra cost there).
I'm trying not to talk myself into an $800 smart trainer that increases resistance on hills, etc. So far successful, but though I've won some battles, I'm afraid I'm going to lose the war.