. . . I now have two functioning Apple watches! -by Jane Everham
I have had my Apple phone for three years, and I love it. It has many useful features: it will track my steps, remind me to move, let me know when I get a text (I don’t actually love this one) and I can answer my iPhone and speak via my watch (weird, so I promptly run for my phone) and probably many, many more that I have yet to discover or experience. My favorite feature is what I call the “fall alert.” If I stumble or fall, my watch messages me, “It seems like you have fallen. Are you OK?” There is a button to push that assures them (someone somewhere) that I’m ok. One time I did fall quite hard and was shaken but not hurt and accidentally hit the button that said “Yes, I have fallen and need help. They asked, “Tell us about your injury and the help you need.” I quickly typed in, “I did fall, but I am not hurt and I am not alone,” and this ended the interaction. I’m not a spring chicken, and I live alone, so this feature is a great comfort to me.
So, the day my watch went black and stopped responding worried me. I could not get it to respond or light up. I figured the battery or the internal light had died, so I started with Google, then YouTube, then You Break It, We Fix it, and finally Best Buy. ALL agreed that I would need to send it in to Apple, for three weeks, at a cost of around $190-$200. Nix, I did not want to do that. Best Buy showed be a new Apple watch for $215. The decision was clear, and I had my “safety net” back.
Then on vacation in Mexico, I forgot to click the water drop icon that seals and waterproofs my watch and jumped into a swimming pool. Quickly my watch went dark again. OH NO, I had just killed my second Apple watch in two months! Thankfully my younger, more tech- savvy friend said, “Don’t worry. Just charge it when you get back to the room and it will be fine.” And it was. Which got me thinking.
Surely, I tried plugging my first dead phone into the charger, right? Surely, I mean, it’s right up there with, “Did you turn off the computer and turn it back on again?” advice that is computer-use 101. Surely, I did that, right? A lot of ‘surelys’ here so when I got home, before even unpacking, I pulled out my old watch and plugged it into the charger. It immediately came back to life! Color me mortified.
And so . . .
Jane worked for 34 years in the public schools in Cheyenne, Wyoming and Fort Collins. After retirement in 2011, she has spent her time volunteering with the Larimer League of Women Voters, Foothills Unitarian Church, and progressive politics. She loves to have lunch with friends, reads voraciously, and travels.
