- Overall: Grade: A- (average score: 4.0, median score 4, last year: 4.0)
- Apple Watch: Grade: B (average score: 3.6, median score 4, last year: 3.8)
A degree of boredom has entered the Apple Watch world, with a fourth straight year of score decline. The overall Wearables score remained steady, largely indicating more positive feelings about the trajectory of the AirPods line.
John Moltz said, “The 3rd generation AirPods are a strong improvement over the previous model, which was already a great offering.”
Josh Centers said, “The third-generation AirPods are nice. Spatial Audio is great for movies. Apple Watch Series 7 was kind of a dud update. However, the watchOS ecosystem has grown enough now that I’m finding my watch more and more useful.”
Lex Friedman said, “Apple Watch battery life still needs to get better. And the new UI for composing text is a step forward and backward at the same time: Editing is easier, writing is harder.”
Joe Macirowski said, “My Series 4-6 immediately felt boxed in as much as a series 3. I didn’t expect that. Upgrades that make it hard to go back shouldn’t be written off as ‘minor.’”
Brian Mattucci said, “The reduced bezels and larger screen size of the new Apple Watch is welcomed, but the lack of new sensors or meaningful software features was disappointing. The Apple Watch feels pretty stable, but hopefully they can find ways to delight us in 2022. Also, I really love AirPods Max. I know they came out in mid-December 2020, but I’ve really enjoyed spending the year with them.”
Allison Sheridan said, “The Apple Watch Series 7 was panned as not having breakthrough features, but the increase in screen size was a huge increase in usability. Larger touch targets are also easier to read, and the improved brightness is truly dramatic. I used my Apple Watch Series 6 the other day and I was struck by how tiny it looked. All this while keeping the same watch bands.”
Marcus Mendes said, “The recent rumors about the AirPods Pro 2 only made me think how I’m still in awe of the AirPods Pro and they still feel like they came from the future.”
Shelly Brisbin said, “Easier-to-read text on the watch is always welcome, and frankly, it’s the reason to upgrade if you’ve gotten an Apple Watch since Series 4. But more than phones, even, watches shouldn’t be judged on their year-over-year upgrades. AirPods continue to gain innovative audio features, but the design of AirPods Pro means they aren’t a good fit for some ears. I’d like to see Apple find ways to offer custom-fit options.”
John Gruber said, “I bought a Series 5 Apple Watch two years ago and did not expect to upgrade to a Series 7. But, after reviewing it, I did — the bigger, brighter display (especially the brighter ‘always on’ mode) and longer battery life are meaningful improvements. My beef is with the entry level Series 3 still being sold. Given the improvements from Series 4 through 7, Series 3 feels downright ancient. I’m a big-time AirPods Pro fan, but I totally get that many people do not like the feeling of sealed earbuds. Even putting the price difference aside, there’s an important spot in the AirPods product lineup for non-sealed ‘regular’ earbuds. The third-generation AirPods are a great upgrade for that spot in the lineup.”
Michael Tsai said, “AirPods 3 are a winner, though squeezing is not as good as tapping was.”
Tom Bridge said, “In 2021, I changed jobs, and suddenly had to spend a lot more time on videoconferences. My podcasting headphones were deeply uncomfortable after a few hours of wear. I visited an Apple store for an iPhone repair and tried on a pair of AirPods Max. I swore audibly, and an Apple employee came to check on me to make sure I was okay. I was okay—they fit like a dream, they moved the right way, they didn’t pinch where the temples on my glasses met the ear cup, they sounded incredible. I was so mad that I was about to spend $549, but when you wear them 6-8 hours a day, every day, and they cause you no pain or confusion? That’s money well spent.”
Dave Hamilton said, “Apple’s addition of Spatial Audio took me by surprise. I didn’t think I’d care about that feature, and now it’s the feature of my AirPods (and AirPods Pro) that I think I like the best. The new AirPods are another feather in Apple’s cap here. I’ve long been a fan of the non-sealing AirPods as my favorite Bluetooth headset for phone calls, and the Gen3 AirPods deliver here and then some. Great product.”
Jean MacDonald said, “I was wearing my AirPods Pro so much for noise cancellation around my new apartment, I decided to get the AirPods Max so I could switch between them and give myself a break from wearing an in-ear device. The AirPods Max are phenomenal. Yes, they are expensive, but having happy ears is worth it.”
John Siracusa said, “The Apple Watch Series 7 surely is, as Apple is so fond of saying, ‘the best Apple Watch yet.’ But the Watch product line is in the same place the iMac was before 2021. It’s had the same (admittedly, iconic) basic industrial design for over six years. And unlike the pre-2021 the iMac, the Watch still has some ways to go before it’s as svelte its customers would like. The AirPods remain fantastic.”
Christina Warren said, “The Apple Watch update this year was boring but the Apple Watch is still the wearable to beat. As for AirPods, they have continued to take the world by storm and the AirPods 3s are the best yet. For 20 years now, white earbuds have been an enduring fashion statement and AirPods continue to be really strong.”
Casey Liss said, “I finally got myself a pair of AirPods Pro for the holidays and — who knew? — they’re excellent. I find the fit just fine with the default tips, and they sound SO MUCH better than classic AirPods. I wish there was an AirPods Pro update in 2021, but I’m pleased to see the new third-gen AirPods adopt much of the same physical design, as well as Atmos/spatial audio support.”
Steven Aquino said, “The bigger screen on Apple Watch Series 7 is probably my favorite Apple improvement of the year. Some may find it incremental, but it’s been a game-changer for me as someone with extremely low vision.”
Marco Arment said, “This was a relatively uninteresting year for the Apple Watch, but it’s already in a great place in most ways. I still wish for watchOS to offer some form of custom watch faces, even if it’s achieved with what’s effectively a nearly-full-screen complication with minimal system UI around it.”