 If there's anything that could be said about the new Apple Watch Series 2 right off the bat, it's that this is probably what the first Apple Watch should have been. From the hardware components to the new software, the new Apple Watch Series 2 feels like both a legitimate fitness tracker and something that could be a useful platform for apps. And actually, that's how Apple has prioritized this new gadget. It has really focused on health and fitness, while the idea of Apple Watch being a computer on your wrist has really faded into the background. So your next inevitable question might be, should I buy the Apple Watch Series 2? Or if I invested in the first one, should I upgrade? That's all going to depend a lot on your personal use case, like whether you're looking for an exercise tracker or whether you just like the idea of having iMessage and Uber on your wrist. But I can tell you this much, as a fitness tracker, it feels like it has finally arrived. The Series 2 comes in three models. They all have the same internals, just different external materials. There's also a Nike branded version of the Sport Watch, which will have a built-in Nike running app. And of course, as with any Apple Watch, you're going to have to have an iPhone to use this thing. It looks almost identical to the first Apple Watch. The display is brighter. In fact, Apple says it's the brightest display it has ever made. And if you compare the two closely, you can tell that the Series 2 is just a tiny bit thicker because of its bigger battery. But let's talk about something more interesting, the speakers. They now include a mechanism that, wait for it, expels water. Because the Apple Watch Series 2 is water resistant, up to 50 meters. Now when you go into the workout options in the watch, you'll see that there's a pool swim option and an open water option. When you start one of those workout options, the watch automatically locks the touchscreen display. And then in order to exit the workout, you twist the digital crown on the side of the watch. And it actually makes this little noise, comes out of the speakers, and expels water. It is admittedly a strange and kind of brilliant way to get water out of a consumer electronic device. More important than the water resistance is the addition of GPS. Now if you go running or cycling or do anything outdoors with Apple Watch Series 2 and you don't have your phone with you, it will do location tracking through GPS. And then it will show you a map of your activity after the fact in the activity app on iPhone. I tested the GPS on this going on my normal running, cycling, and walking routes without my iPhone and it pretty much gave you the same exact distances that I would get if I was just using my smartphone or if I was using another GPS equipped running watch. A few things to know though, the watch doesn't tell you when it's searching for GPS like other GPS watches do. You just have to start an outdoor workout and assume that it's working. Also you're going to get 5 hours of continuous usage with GPS on Apple Watch 2. That's it. And finally, if you do happen to bring your iPhone with you when you're doing a workout outdoors, the watch is going to default to the iPhone for GPS rather than the watch for battery conservation. Otherwise the daily activity tracking and the exercise tracking are pretty much the exact same as they were on the first Apple Watch. The optical heart rate sensors are the exact same heart rate sensors. One cool new feature is now if you're doing an other workout using the workout app, you can later on identify it as something specific like yoga or strength training. Oh and the watch now has a breathe app that reminds you when to breathe, which is all part of this growing trend around mindfulness. Although to be honest, I didn't use it much this week. Maybe because I'm just not very chill. All of this data will be synced with the activity app on iPhone and the most important new feature there is social sharing, which honestly Apple is behind on and is a testament to the value of what other companies like Fitbit have been doing for years. You can set it up so that you get a ping when a friend finishes a workout, provided of course they are also wearing an Apple Watch and you can send them encouraging messages. So what about the non-fitness stuff? The everyday stuff? The do I really need a smart watch stuff? The first Apple Watch suffered from slow to load apps and required too many taps and swipes and interactions to get anything done. This one feels much easier to use. Part of this improvement is due to the new dual core processor on the watch, but a bigger part of it is the new software, WatchOS 3, which is actually available on all Apple Watches, not just the new one. Now when you swipe up from the bottom of the watch, you have a mini control center right there. You can change watch faces just by swiping from edge to edge and then if you press this physical side button, it brings you to an app dock, which is basically a shortcut to apps. The Apple Watch still isn't perfect though. I mean the display doesn't wake up every time I raise my wrist, which gets real annoying real fast. Also, even though the display is much brighter, it's still not super easy to see in direct sunlight. And then there's battery life. Bigger battery definitely needs better battery life on this than the last one. I mean now I can get through an entire day, use GPS for an hour, and by nine o'clock at night I still have around 20% left. But it's still a charge everyday kind of watch, which is one of my least favorite parts about it. So should you get an Apple Watch Series 2? Well if you already have an iPhone and you really want GPS and waterproofing and you have at least $369 to spend, then go for it. I mean serious athletes who are looking for things like a highly visible display and hours and hours of GPS tracking and a multi-sport mode need not apply. But I still think in general this is a big step up in terms of fitness tracking. Okay so health and fitness aside, the Apple Watch Series 2 has improved simply as a piece of wearable technology. I mean is this as essential as your smartphone? No and it may never be. It's also not a replacement for your smartphone. But if you're already buying into the Apple ecosystem and you feel like you need a smart watch, then Apple has improved upon this in a lot of the right places. I tested the new Apple Watch by going on my normal Pokemon Go routes, swimming in the bathtub, holding my breath until it told me to breathe and it was awesome.
 If there's anything that could be said about the new Apple Watch Series 2 right off the
 bat, it's that this is probably what the first Apple Watch should have been.
 From the hardware components to the new software, the new Apple Watch Series 2 feels like both
 a legitimate fitness tracker and something that could be a useful platform for apps.
 And actually, that's how Apple has prioritized this new gadget.
 It has really focused on health and fitness, while the idea of Apple Watch being a computer
 on your wrist has really faded into the background.
 So your next inevitable question might be, should I buy the Apple Watch Series 2?
 Or if I invested in the first one, should I upgrade?
 That's all going to depend a lot on your personal use case, like whether you're looking for
 an exercise tracker or whether you just like the idea of having iMessage and Uber on your
 wrist.
 But I can tell you this much, as a fitness tracker, it feels like it has finally arrived.
 The Series 2 comes in three models.
 They all have the same internals, just different external materials.
 There's also a Nike branded version of the Sport Watch, which will have a built-in Nike
 running app.
 And of course, as with any Apple Watch, you're going to have to have an iPhone to use this
 thing.
 It looks almost identical to the first Apple Watch.
 The display is brighter.
 In fact, Apple says it's the brightest display it has ever made.
 And if you compare the two closely, you can tell that the Series 2 is just a tiny bit
 thicker because of its bigger battery.
 But let's talk about something more interesting, the speakers.
 They now include a mechanism that, wait for it, expels water.
 Because the Apple Watch Series 2 is water resistant, up to 50 meters.
 Now when you go into the workout options in the watch, you'll see that there's a pool
 swim option and an open water option.
 When you start one of those workout options, the watch automatically locks the touchscreen
 display.
 And then in order to exit the workout, you twist the digital crown on the side of the
 watch.
 And it actually makes this little noise, comes out of the speakers, and expels water.
 It is admittedly a strange and kind of brilliant way to get water out of a consumer electronic
 device.
 More important than the water resistance is the addition of GPS.
 Now if you go running or cycling or do anything outdoors with Apple Watch Series 2 and you
 don't have your phone with you, it will do location tracking through GPS.
 And then it will show you a map of your activity after the fact in the activity app on iPhone.
 I tested the GPS on this going on my normal running, cycling, and walking routes without
 my iPhone and it pretty much gave you the same exact distances that I would get if I
 was just using my smartphone or if I was using another GPS equipped running watch.
 A few things to know though, the watch doesn't tell you when it's searching for GPS like
 other GPS watches do.
 You just have to start an outdoor workout and assume that it's working.
 Also you're going to get 5 hours of continuous usage with GPS on Apple Watch 2.
 That's it.
 And finally, if you do happen to bring your iPhone with you when you're doing a workout
 outdoors, the watch is going to default to the iPhone for GPS rather than the watch for
 battery conservation.
 Otherwise the daily activity tracking and the exercise tracking are pretty much the
 exact same as they were on the first Apple Watch.
 The optical heart rate sensors are the exact same heart rate sensors.
 One cool new feature is now if you're doing an other workout using the workout app, you
 can later on identify it as something specific like yoga or strength training.
 Oh and the watch now has a breathe app that reminds you when to breathe, which is all
 part of this growing trend around mindfulness.
 Although to be honest, I didn't use it much this week.
 Maybe because I'm just not very chill.
 All of this data will be synced with the activity app on iPhone and the most important new feature
 there is social sharing, which honestly Apple is behind on and is a testament to the value
 of what other companies like Fitbit have been doing for years.
 You can set it up so that you get a ping when a friend finishes a workout, provided of course
 they are also wearing an Apple Watch and you can send them encouraging messages.
 So what about the non-fitness stuff?
 The everyday stuff?
 The do I really need a smart watch stuff?
 The first Apple Watch suffered from slow to load apps and required too many taps and swipes
 and interactions to get anything done.
 This one feels much easier to use.
 Part of this improvement is due to the new dual core processor on the watch, but a bigger
 part of it is the new software, WatchOS 3, which is actually available on all Apple Watches,
 not just the new one.
 Now when you swipe up from the bottom of the watch, you have a mini control center right
 there.
 You can change watch faces just by swiping from edge to edge and then if you press this
 physical side button, it brings you to an app dock, which is basically a shortcut to
 apps.
 The Apple Watch still isn't perfect though.
 I mean the display doesn't wake up every time I raise my wrist, which gets real annoying
 real fast.
 Also, even though the display is much brighter, it's still not super easy to see in direct
 sunlight.
 And then there's battery life.
 Bigger battery definitely needs better battery life on this than the last one.
 I mean now I can get through an entire day, use GPS for an hour, and by nine o'clock at
 night I still have around 20% left.
 But it's still a charge everyday kind of watch, which is one of my least favorite parts about
 it.
 So should you get an Apple Watch Series 2?
 Well if you already have an iPhone and you really want GPS and waterproofing and you
 have at least $369 to spend, then go for it.
 I mean serious athletes who are looking for things like a highly visible display and hours
 and hours of GPS tracking and a multi-sport mode need not apply.
 But I still think in general this is a big step up in terms of fitness tracking.
 Okay so health and fitness aside, the Apple Watch Series 2 has improved simply as a piece
 of wearable technology.
 I mean is this as essential as your smartphone?
 No and it may never be.
 It's also not a replacement for your smartphone.
 But if you're already buying into the Apple ecosystem and you feel like you need a smart
 watch, then Apple has improved upon this in a lot of the right places.
 I tested the new Apple Watch by going on my normal Pokemon Go routes, swimming in the
 bathtub, holding my breath until it told me to breathe and it was awesome.