We are just two days away now from the new release of the iPhone 14 series and the Apple Watch Series 8. While it is not clear yet what will be different, there have been enough leaks that we have some ideas. Here is the latest one and it could be something that would pull some runners to the Apple Watch.
New Apple Watch Series 8 Pro Feature – Could it Be Enough?
There are reported to be 3 new kinds of Apple Watches – the actual Apple Watch Series 8, a new SE version, and a new and expensive Apple Watch Series 8 Pro that is supposed to cater more towards athletes.
I have used and tested almost every version of the Apple Watch models and always come back to Garmin after. Why? Well, it is a few reasons (and actually, the list grows as Garmin continues to innovate with their watches) but a couple of them have been things like battery life (Apple stinks at this), data metrics available in the stock app (Apple is slowly improving on this) and, a big one for many, a touchscreen interface with limited button/dial functions.
See, when we runners are out on the roads or the trails (which could be a market Apple wants to go after – but they have a loooooonng way to go with battery life to handle this!), we sometimes need to have access to the controls. Touchscreens are far from ideal when running – I mean like, really, really bad! Also, when it is raining or you are sweating, touchscreens become a bit more finicky. Lastly, winter time with gloves can be a challenge as well.
Right Now… The Garmin Epix 2 Beats the Apple Watch in Almost Every Way
This is one of the key reasons that many runners I know and that read the blog have avoided the Apple Watch. Having to rely chiefly on the touchscreen is a real pain. I love the way Garmin is implementing touchscreen! I currently own the Garmin Epix 2 and it is everything I have ever wanted in a Garmin! Not only does it have a fantastic AMOLED display (which works great for high resolution maps and zooming!), but it also has tremendous battery life (15 days on my current settings with runs every day) and a boatload of metrics I can load up on its 47mm display. Not to mention it is also quite rugged while maintaining a somewhat classy look as well.
But, the New Apple Watch Series 8 Pro COULD Gain An Additional Button!
From leaker on Weibo
But, it looks like the Apple Watch Series 8 Pro could finally get another button! Granted, these are coming from leaks on cases for the watch and punch outs on those cases (which, by the way, I find cases to be quite curious for a watch that will likely be aimed to be more “rugged” but we will see). It is about time that Apple has a version of the watch that has at least one more button onboard for us runners that want that a more tactile interface.
If the new Apple Watch Series 8 Pro has an additional button, would this be something that would make you more interested in going with the Apple Watch over something like Garmin or Coros?
