Despite my inability to navigate the seas via sailing or surfing, I find myself captivated by the novel Tides feature on the latest Apple Watch.
After finishing high school, I found myself captivated by Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey and Maturin series, a collection of Napoleonic-era sailing novels. O'Brian's ability to transport readers to a specific time and place was unmatched in historical epics from the last century. The series sparked a fascination with ship-based life, an exotic mixture of adventure and the raw beauty of sea travel. The Apple Watch Ultra 2, along with watchOS 11's Tides app, brought back that longing for the waves in an unexpected yet organic way.
Remember the acclaimed 2003 historical drama, Master and Commander? Based on these novels, the movie revolves around Captain Jack Aubrey, a portly and gregarious sailor who has dedicated his life to the Royal Navy. Aubrey's obsession with punctuality is borderline fanatical. He frequently exclaims, "No moment to be lost," to anyone within earshot. His fixation on tidal patterns, however, is a mystery to his friend, Dr. Stephen Maturin, who lives life at a more leisurely pace, often finding himself late to meet-ups.
This tale serves as a metaphor for my mixed feelings towards the Tides app on my Apple Watch Ultra 2. I don't yearn to set sail, as the mere thought of being on a ship triggers seasickness, even with the slightest rocking. However, the steamy shores of Rockaways or Jones Beach still manage to stir those wistful desires for the open sea. The power of the rip tide sweeps my feet under, and I let my mind wander to the sensation of standing on a slippery deck as gleaming sails billow overhead.
The Tides app on the Apple Watch is both basic and functional. It allows users to check the expected tide times and current water levels throughout the day. For more detailed information, such as swell and weather, the user can simply tap into the relevant section. The app can automatically locate a nearby beach using GPS, although users have the option to manually select a different location if they'd prefer.
I've dabbled with other popular tide-tracking apps but have consistently found them overly complex or too focused on data that doesn't cater to my needs. Some apps fail to connect to local tide data, instead delivering information for beaches thousands of miles away. In contrast, the Tides app breaks no such promises, providing accurate and relevant information. Even when exploring new features like sleep apnea tracking or fitness data with the Vitals app, the Tides app remains a refreshing highlight.
Among the small enhancements to the Apple Watch ecosystem, the Tides app is undoubtedly my favorite. The introduction of the Vitals app offers insight into your health data, while sleep apnea tracking just received FDA approval. For dedicated Android users, however, Samsung's Galaxy Watch Ultra already offers similar features, some of which I've used and found highly effective.
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 receives other minor UI improvements: Activity Rings can now be interacted with using widget stacks, and the customizable action button is now more user-friendly. To change the button's function, simply hold it down for a few seconds, and it's yours to program.
Despite the minorness of the Apple Watch Series 10 updates and the simplicity of the Tides app, the relatability of such improvements cannot be ignored. As someone bombarded with an endless supply of shiny new products and apps, it's often the smallest, most personal features that resonate the most.
I'm a specific type of person, a fact not many will share in common with me. My interest in tidal patterns isn't exactly conventional, but it's a shared passion with the characters of O'Brian's stories. Time and tide may wait for no man, but I'll savor each cryptic waltz with the ocean's rhythm.
In the future, I'm excited to see how the wearables technology within the Apple ecosystem evolves, particularly with regard to the Tides app. The app's current focus on basic tidal information could expand to include more detailed marine life patterns or even predictions for optimal fishing times.
Given my admiration for the timeliness and punctuality depicted in Patrick O'Brian's novels, I find it amusing how the Tides app on my Apple Watch Ultra 2 has been integrated into my daily routine. It's as if Captain Aubrey and Dr. Maturin are guiding me through the tides of modern life.
The technology industry is continuously developing new health-focused features for smartwatches. Given the FDA's recent approval of sleep apnea tracking, I look forward to incorporating this feature into my Apple Watch Ultra 2 and seeing how it compares to Samsung's offering.
Wearable technology has the potential to create a seamless ecosystem of widgets, allowing users to tailor their devices to their specific interests. As a sailor with an affinity for tidal patterns, a weather widget connected to my Tides app would provide me with an even more immersive experience.
