What you notice immediately though is the new, 1,000-nits bright display on the Watch Series 2.
It makes content projected on the Watch screen visible even in sunlight, and it's more than twice as bright as the 450-nits display on the Series 1 Watch. The display is so bright that I have it turned down to the lowest setting most of the time.
The Watch Series 2 focuses on sports and exercise; while I'd hesitate to buy a Nike+ themed Watch with their eyeball-searing strap colours and design even if you do get a special watch face, the new scratch-resistant ceramic casing would be great.
Except you only get a dollar change from two grand for the 38mm Watch Series 2 with a ceramic case, and the 42mm one costs $2,079. The most affordable Watch Series 2 starts at $649 for an aluminium case device; more rugged stainless steel case Watches start at $979.
The Watch Series 2 is not cheap in other words, especially since you need an iPhone as a companion device to use it.
If you want to use the Watch Series 2 for sports and outdoors, it's worth noting that the stainless steel and ceramic case variants gets the new sapphire crystal screen that's less scratch-prone than the IonX glass on the aluminium case models, and the Series 1.
The Watch Series 2 is not cheap in other words, especially since you need an iPhone as a companion device to use it.
It doesn't look like New Zealand will get the Hermés edition Watch Series 2, with leather straps and watch faces designed by the French fashion house. That's not a huge loss in my opinion, as they're expensive and indifferent looking and you can't take them for a swim anyway. You can buy them in Australia if you feel like dropping at least A$1,779 on one, or A$2,349 on the ugly double-strap variant.
New watchOS 3 makes a big difference
It's not just the new hardware, but the software that drives the Watch that makes it nicer overall. Apple's watchOS 3 operating system (the Watch is a little computer for your wrist after all) has a much more sensible layout of apps and functions than earlier variants, making them easier to find and use.
The watchOS update turned the button into way to switch between apps and features, which now are stored in memory so that they start up quickly. This applies to the first generation of Watch as well, and it's well worth your while to update it.
Updating the Watch would be much faster if there was a way to force the wearable to stay on Wi-Fi while connecting to your iPhone, rather than using the much slower Bluetooth protocol. The only way I've found so far is to turn off Bluetooth on your iPhone: if you see a small, green cloud icon on your Watch screen rather than the square device one, you're connecting with Wi-Fi and not Bluetooth.
One feature that I was looking forward to trying out is using the Watch to unlock your Mac. That is, no need to type in a username and password to log onto your computer; the only thing you do is to authenticate yourself with a PIN on the Watch once, and then it'll automatically unlock the Mac within three metres distance of the computer.
The new 2FA feature also provides a notification with a map showing the approximate location of the device that's used to sign on with.
This works, and it's a neat feature, but be warned that it can be a bear to set up if you're security conscious and have two-step verification that asks for an additional code, sent via a text or other message to your smartphone or iPad.
If you do, you have to switch to two-factor authentication (2FA) to use the Watch unlock for Macs. Yes, the two may sound like the same thing and they are, kind of, but they're different features.
Setting up 2FA meant turning off two-step verification, Apple's first version of, uh, 2FA.
That set in motion a painful process that involved changing my Apple ID password, setting up three security questions, entering passcodes on devices and adding a trusted phone number.
It's easy to get lost in the process, and I'm surprised it passed Apple's normally strict quality control. The convoluted process explains why the support page is so long and detailed though.
The new 2FA feature also provides a notification with a map showing the approximate location of the device that's used to sign on with.
This is only moderately useful as it uses the registered business location of the public internet protocol (IP) address that your internet provider assigned your device to map where the sign-on happened. If you're in Auckland, but your ISP's business address is in Wellington, guess where 2FA thinks the login happened?
Next challenge for Apple: longer battery life
The more powerful processor, brighter screen and GPS don't seem to have made a dent in the battery life for the Watch. You still get around 18 hours' worth of use, or roundabout the same as with the first version of the Watch.
This is annoyingly little, and while I admit that the Watch has won me over and I charge it religiously every day (and haven't replaced the battery in my old wristwatch yet), I wish it'd last longer. Once a week charging would be on the top of my list of improvements for the Watch Series 2.
For now though, if you want an Apple Watch, spend the extra money and get the Series 2 instead of the cheaper Series 1. You'll be happier with the new model.
