Apple Watch Series 6 and SE: All you need to know [episode 45]

The Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE were just announced. Here are the most important things you need to know about these new smartwatches…

Okay… So Shannon and I spend a nice chunk of time jauntily jibber jabbering about non-Apple Watch things as well. To this, I say thank goodness.

Big feature #1: Blood oxygen monitoring

The new Apple Watch Series 6 has a blood oxygen monitor. I already own a watch that has one of these, the Garmin Forerunner 245. I explain why they’re useful in the podcast. Give it a listen, my friend. In short, most people likely will never, ever use the blood oxygen monitor in the new Apple Watch. But, I could be wrong.

Big feature #2: New, faster S6 processor

The new Apple Watch has an updated S6 processor, which is supposed to be 20% faster. Faster is always a good and welcome thing. The new Series 6 gets the same 18 hours of battery life as the old and now discontinued Series 5. Apparently it can recharge faster, too, completing a full charge in just an hour and a half.

Big feature #3: Always-on display is 2.5 times brighter

The always-on display will be brighter. It is a bit dim on the Series 5, but it was never a problem. Now it will be 2.5x brighter. Okay. If you go to a bonfire party in 2021 wearing the Series 6, you will be noticed.

Big feature #4: It has an Altimeter ✈️

Apple Watch Series 6 has an always-on altimeter that provides elevation information in real time. It’s supposed to be accurate down to 12-inches (30.5 cm), which is pretty cool.

Big feature #5: Red and blue aluminum cases!

The aluminum Apple Watch has been available in gray, silver, gold, and rose gold so far, but now it’s available in blue or red! I know this is the last big feature in this list, but it’s the most important, by far.

Apple also released the Apple Watch SE. It’s an interesting product because it’s kind of like the Series 4, but not as good in some ways, but better in others. It’s not as good because it cannot do ECG heart scans, but it’s better in that it has the always-on altimeter.

Also new from Apple today: iPad Air, iPad 8th generation, Fitness+, and Apple One bundles. All of this stuff is covered in the podcast, but here’s a bit of detail about the Apple One bundles, which is Apple’s version of the Amazon Prime bundle:

Apple One bundles

Individual = $15/mo for 50GB, Music, Arcade, TV+

Family = $20 for same but 200GB for 5 people

Premier = $30 for same but 2TB and News+ and Fitness+ for 5 people

Call me a naysayer, but I’m not into any of these options. For example, the “Premier” option is $348 a year. For $60 a year I back up 12 terabytes of data with a service called Back Blaze. $348 a year for 2 terabytes? No thanks!

But… Thank you for checking out this post and for listing to the Mallercast podcast! We’ll be back with a sparkly, fresh new episode in October. See you then!!!