Okay, so I admit that I am a bit of an Apple Geek and have been since 1996 when the company looked as if it was about to go bust. It’s not that often in life that I back the right horse!

Anyway, as with most Apple Geeks, I simply have to have everything they produce. Last summer, when I bought my Apple Watch, I have to admit that this was the first item I bought from Apple that, in spite of its elegance, about which I was not so convinced of its usefulness.

A year later, I have completely changed my mind, for the following five reasons:

Health

In the last year I have paid more attention to my health and done more sport than ever before. My Apple Watch challenges me to stand up and move around if I have been sitting down for too long. It reminds me to take time out to concentrate on my breathing and inner well-being. It gives me regular updates about my diet and calorie consumption and challenges me to do more exercise. Since wearing my Apple Watch, I have lost over 10 kilos in weight and am fitter than ever before.

The Apple watch pays for itself within two years

This may only apply to certainly countries, but I have just received 200,00€ in cash from my medical insurance company (AOK) as a result of living such a healthy lifestyle last year. In short, the Apple Watch records my sporting activities and automatically records them within the AOK app on my iPhone. To my amazement, this means that the watch will have paid for itself by the end of this year, and beyond that, I will make a net profit of 200,00€ per year! As well as being much healthier.

Private sphere

Ever get tired of constant interruptions from Telegram, What’s App, Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, Snapchat, Skype, Swarm, Slack, SMS and e-mails? Well, you can set these to pop up on your Apple Watch (or not) so that you can read them, filter them and even reply to them if you wish without the sender knowing whether or not you have even received them. Okay, you can do that on your phone with most apps too, but somehow the ongoing contact with the outside world is less intrusive on your watch than on your cell phone.  Maybe because you don’t have to take it out of your pocket? And filtering becomes more radical too.

Superb for sport

Whether you want to go for a jog or a serious workout in the gym, you don’t need to take your phone with you any more. Nor that uncomfortable sweaty strap thing that your phone sits in on your arm. With wireless earphones (I can recommend Wireless Beats by Dr Dre or of course Apple’s Airpods), you can listen to your music at the same time that the activity app tracks your pace, route, heartbeat and calories burned. So much easier.

Cool fashion

The Apple Watch is beautifully engineered and looks, well … classic, especially a combination such as stainless steel with a black leather strap. All in all, I’d say it’s a good purchase after all. Within a few months, as with so much of the best technology, you will wonder how you ever got along without out it. Even in this respect, the Apple Watch is slightly different because it is attached to your body: technology that is integrated with who you are and what you do. You’ll never walk alone again.