Apple Watch Series 4 is the most accessible watch to date – TechCrunch

Whenever I think about the impact Apple Watch has occupied my life, I still think of Matthew Panzarino's article published before the launch of the device in 2015. In this one, Panzarino explains how to use Apple Watch to save time; As a "satellite" on your iPhone, the watch can transmit messages discreetly without you having to disengage moments to watch your phone.

For three years that I wear an Apple Watch, I found that it was true. Like any other nowadays, my iPhone is the most important computer device of my life, but the addition of the watch has somewhat dampened the reflex to check my phone so often. In addition, the appearance of Apple Watch has made me a regular watches, whether the analog or digital. I stayed without a car for several years, but I relied on my cell phone to give me the time.

To take up Panzarino's thesis that Apple Watch saves you time, from my point of view disabled, Apple's smartwatch allows you to receive notifications, among other things, in a more accessible way. Apple Watch, which suffers from multiple disabilities, not only encourages prosocial behavior, but also the attractive nature of the device, which eliminates the friction of taking my phone out of my pocket a thousand times an hour. For people with certain physical motor delays, the seemingly banal act of the same get your phone can be quite an adventure. Apple Watch on my wrist eliminates this work because all my iMessages and VIP emails are there.

The fourth-generation Apple Watch, the "Series 4," is the best and most accessible Apple Watch to date. The initial value proposition for accessibility, which reduces physical wear, remains. However, the main features of Series 4 – the larger screen, the digital crown, and haptically activated fall detection – all have enormous implications for accessibility. When testing on a Series 4 model, an evaluation unit provided by Apple, I found that it was comfortable to wear and use. This new version has made staying connected more efficient and accessible than ever.

Big screen, small space

If there was only one banner in this year's Apple Watch, this would undoubtedly be the biggest screen. I've been testing series 4 for a few weeks and what i've tweeted early That's right: for accessibility, the larger screen of the 4 Series is today what Retina meant by iPhone 4 eight years ago. That is, it is a highly significant development for the product; a step. If you have a visual impairment, it should be as exciting as having a 6.5 inch iPhone. Again, the adage that the bigger you are, the better it is, by the way, especially on a device as small as Apple Watch.

What makes the Series 4 widescreen so convincing in practice is its breadth. As with the iPhone XS Max, the big screen of the watch facilitates the visualization of the content. As I wrote last month, once I saw the biggest model possible after the Apple presentation, my heart realized that it was the size I wanted. The difference between my 42mm Series 3 and my 44mm Series 4 is striking. I never complained that my previous watches were small, but after using the 44 mm version for an extended period, the first one felt quite tiny by comparison. It's funny how much perception can change quickly and dramatically.

The larger display of Series 4 affects more than text. Its larger canvas allows for larger icons and touch targets for UI controls. The keyboard for entering your code and the answer buttons for iMessages are two outstanding examples. watchOS 5 has been updated so that the buttons have even more definition. They are more pill shaped to fit the curves of the new display; the Cancel / Pause buttons on the Timer application are a good illustration of this. This makes typing easier, but it also gives them a visual boost that makes them easier to identify as action buttons.

This is an area in which watchOS excels on iOS because the relatively small display of Apple Watch requires a more explicit design language. In other words, when iOS heavily relies on buttons that look like ordinary text, watchOS is at the polar end of the spectrum. A good rule of thumb for accessible design is that it is generally preferable for designers to look for concrete with iconography, etc., rather than being abstract and abstract because it is fashionable and "cool" ( the idea of ​​a visually impaired person can better distinguish something that looks like a button as opposed to something that is technically a button but looks like text).

Apple has of course corrected a lot in the five years since the redesign of iOS 7; I hope that the refinement for iOS 13 has been corrected and that Ina Fried, of Axios, announced for the first time this year earlier this year that it had been postponed until 2019 .

Among the improvements in Series 4, the biggest screen is by far my favorite. Apple Watch is still not a device with which you do not want to interact for more than a minute, but the larger display allows additional comfort of a few milliseconds. As a visually impaired person, this little bit of extra time is nice because I can gather more important information. the bigger screen alleviates my worries about excessive eye strain.

Infographics and Infographics Modular Faces

As I wrote in the previous section, the wider screen of the 4 series has allowed Apple to redefine watchOS so that it looks perfect, given the larger space. Apple also operates the giant screens of the series 4 by creating two new dials exclusive to the new material: Infographics and Infograph Modular. (There are others that are cool – Breathing, Fire and Water, Liquid Metal and Steam – all of which are available on older Apple watches that run under watchOS 5.)

It is not difficult to understand why Apple chose to present Infograph in its marketing images for Series 4; he (and Infograph Modular) has a fantastic look with all the bright colors and bold fonts of San Francisco. From an accessibility perspective, though, my experience is that Infograph Modular is much more visually accessible than Infographics. Although I appreciate the beauty of the latter (and its lot of complications), the functional disadvantages boil down to two things: the contrast and the reading of time.

Regarding the contrast, it is disappointing that you can not change the dial to another color but in white and black. White is better here, but it is difficult to read the minute and second gauges because they are in a paler gray-black shade. If you choose the black dial, the contrast is worse because it blends into the black background of the watch's OLED display. You can changes the color of the minute and second markers, but unless they are bright yellow or green, readability is compromised.

Which brings us to Infograph's major problem: it's really difficult to read the time. This is related to the contrast problem – there are no numbers, and the hands have a low contrast, so you have to memorize the clock to see the exact time. Marco Arment articulates the problem well, and I can attest that the problem only worsens if you have a visual impairment like me. It's a shame because the graphics are beautiful and useful overall, but you have to know how to read the time. It makes no sense to add a complication of digital time to what is actually an analog watch dial. Maybe Apple will add more customization options for Infograph in the future.

Infograph Modular, which I personally prefer, is not as aesthetic as the Infograph, but it is much better functionally. Because it is a digital face, the weather is propitious, and the colorful complications on a black background are a triumph of high contrast. It's a lot easier for my eyes and face than I recommend to anyone who is interested in trying the new dials of the 4 Series watches.

Finally, a note on the information density of these new faces. Infographics in particular, it is plausible that all complications, all their colors, pose a problem for some people with visual impairment. This is because there is a lot of "clutter" on the screen and it can be difficult for some to determine, for example, the current temperature. Likewise, all colors may look like a rainbow rainbow for some who may have trouble distinguishing colors. It would be nice if Apple added an option for monochrome complications with new faces.

In my use, neither have been problems for me. I quite like the way the colors increase the contrast, especially on Infograph Modular.

Haptics at the crown

Given Apple's efforts in recent years to integrate its Taptic Engine technology – introduced for the first time with the original watch – into its product lines, it makes perfect sense for Digital Crown to have it now. Haptics makes it better.

Before launching Apple Watch three years ago, I had written an article in which I explained why the importance of haptic feedback (or "Force Touch", as it was then invented Apple) is important for accessibility. What I wrote then is just as relevant: adding haptic feedback improves the user experience, especially for people with disabilities. The key factor is sensory input – as a user, you no longer simply look at a list. In my use, the fact that I am scrolling through a list on the watch in addition to seeing it move makes it more accessible.

The bimodal sensory experience is useful in that the secondary signal (ticks) is another marker of my handling of the device and something is happening. If I rely solely on my poor eyesight, I may lose certain movements or animations. The haptic feedback therefore acts as a "backup", so to speak. Likewise, I prefer that my iPhone rings and vibrates whenever a call comes in because I am suffering from a congenital hearing loss (because of my parents' deafness) and that I may miss some calls important loved ones or whoever it is. So, the fact that my phone also vibrates during the ring is another signal that someone is trying to reach me and I should probably answer.

When unveiling the watch, Tim Cook insisted that Digital Crown was as innovative and revolutionary as it was the mouse for the Mac in 1984 and the multitactile for the iPhone in 2007. I will not not discuss his assertion here. but I will say that the crown of the 4-series is the best version of the "dial", as Cook describes it to this day. It's because of haptic feedback. It gives the crown even more precision and tactility, making it a must-have navigation tool.

Consider fall detection

Jeff Williams, Apple's chief operating officer, announced the new Series 4 fall detection feature. knew it was going to be a big problem. It's something you hope to never use, as Williams said on stage, but the fact that it exists is revealing for several reasons, the most important of which is accessibility.

I have a longstanding concept of accessibility, which is not limited to people with a medically recognized disability. Accessibility can mean many different things, ranging from mundane things, like placing the paper towel dispenser on the kitchen counter, to more critical items like creating spaces for disabled parking and wheelchair ramps for the general public. Accessibility is also applicable to older people who, in the case of fall detection, could benefit immensely from such functionality.

Rather than relying on a dedicated security device, a person interested in remote viewing by Apple Watch and posing a risk of falling could turn to the Series 4 and decide that the fall detection function is worth it alone. This is exactly what happened to my girlfriend's mother. She is epileptic and has a high risk of catastrophic falls. After seeing Ellen DeGeneres talk about the device during a recent episode of her show, she was seduced by the Series 4 only for the detection of falls. She had already considered a vital button, but after learning how falls detection works, she decided that Apple Watch would be the best choice. At the time of writing these lines, she had her Apple Watch for a week and could confirm that the new software was working as advertised.

Personally, my cerebral palsy sometimes makes me unstable and may fall. Fortunately, I did not need to test the fall detection myself, but I trust the reports of the mother of my girlfriend and Joanna Stern of the Wall Street Journal, which has obtained the approval of a professional stunt woman.

Problematic packaging

The Apple Watch Series 4 is great, but there is a problem. The one that has nothing to do with the product itself. How Apple chose to pack Apple Watch Series 4 is bad.

The unboxing experience of Series 4 is a regression of all previous models, in my opinion. It's Apple's decision to pack everything "by the piece" – the Watch case comes in a cute pouch that's reminiscent of the iPod socks, while the band is in its own box . Not to mention the AC adapter and the loading washer are in their own compartment. I understand the operational logistics of changing the packaging in this way, but for accessibility, it's inefficient. In many ways, it's chaotic. There are two reasons for this.

First, the discrete approach adds a lot in terms of cognitive load. Although this is certainly not a big deal for me, unpacking my exam unit was shocking at first. Everything seemed disjointed until I considered the logic behind doing it that way. But if I manage to put everything in place as it was a headache, many people with certain cognitive delays could have real difficulties. They would first need to determine or everything is in the box before determining How put it all together; it can be frustrating for many. Conversely, the advantage of the all-in-one approach from Series's past (where case and band formed a single entity) meant that much less mental processing was required to unpack the product. In addition to understanding how the group works, the old configuration was essentially a "take-it-alone" solution.

Second, the packaging of Series 4 is more complex than previously, literally. Instead of mounting the Watch, you must now attach the band to the Watch so you can wear it. I recognize the built-in lesson of tape fixation and removal, but it may also be inaccessible. If you have a visual and / or motor impairment, you can spend several minutes assembling your watch to match it to your iPhone. This time can be physically and emotionally challenging, which aggravates the overall experience. Again, the design of Apple's previous packaging has alleviated much of this potential stress, while Series 4 exacerbates it.

I have long admired the packaging of Apple products for its elegance and simplicity. That's why the alarm bells went off when I unpacked a few Series 4 models now. As I said, this year's design is definitely regressive and I hope that Apple will revisit its old methods of the 5-series. In fact, they could afford to take notes of Microsoft, which has gone to great lengths to make its packaging as accessible as possible.

The bottom line

After three years, I can say with confidence that I could live without my Apple Watch. But I can also say with confidence that I would not want to. Apple Watch has improved my life, and that does not take into account how it made me aware of my overall health.

My problems with the packaging and the face of the infographics, the 4 series is an exceptional update. The big screen is worth the price of admission, even that of my series 3, aged one year. The digital detection of crowns and haptic falls is the icing on the cake. I think the arrival of the series 4 is a pivotal moment for the product. It's the best and most accessible Apple Watch Apple has ever created.