Why I Bought a Knock Off Apple Watch and Love It!
OK, I admit it. I am kind of an Apple fan boy. For a decade and a half, my purchases for most of the technology that I have the most contact with have been Apple products. Every single day, I use multiple products and operating systems under the Apple flagship.
The First Look Astray
All of this has sort of changed in the last few months. My first dalliance away from Apple was when I broke the yoke and bought, dare I say it, knock off Air Pods. Instead of hundreds of dollars, I spent less than $40 and bought a brand I’d never heard of from Amazon. I lose headphones left and right, so I couldn’t see risking the expense of official Air Pods, only to lose them weeks later. But, something happened. The user experience of these black bluetooth “ear pods” was just as magical as I expected Air Pods to be. They were trivial to set up, sounded great, supported Siri and worked just fine in my lifestyle. They weren’t disappointing. They weren’t frustrating and they weren’t expensive. Something inside of me began to doubt. Quietly and deep inside, at first, but doubt nonetheless.
The Battery That Broke The Spell
Then came that Saturday morning when I got ready to go hiking with my wife. I picked up my Apple Watch (bought on launch day, 1st Gen) and the screen came off in my hand. I gulped. I…
