Why Are We Okay With Watches That "Die" After Four Years?

The Disposable Wristwatch

I was scrolling through reddit the other day and ran into a massive rant on r/Rants that honestly hit way too close to home. The title was something like, “Apple, you’ve just abandoned millions of Apple Watch users.” It had hundreds of comments, and it got me thinking about my own wrist.

I have an older Apple Watch—I think it’s a series 6 or 7, I honestly lose track and lately, it’s felt less like a piece of high-tech jewelry and more like a ticking time bomb.

Here is the thing that bugs me. When you buy a normal watch, even a cheap ₹2,000 to ₹3,000 one from a local mall, you expect it to last for ten, twenty, or maybe even fifty years if you change the cell now and then. But with smartwatches, we have somehow been brainwashed into thinking it’s totally normal to throw a ₹40,000 to ₹80,000 device in the trash after less than five years.

First, they cut off the software updates. Then you update your iPhone, and suddenly your watch starts glitching, notifications drop, and the battery dies by 2:00 PM because the old software can’t keep up.

But Apple just took this to a whole new level of ridiculous. They announced watchOS 27, and they are quietly killing off support for the Series 6, 7, 8, and even the Series 9! But the absolute craziest, most insulting part? The original Apple Watch Ultra the massive, rugged, premium watch that people paid eight hundred dollars for is also on the chopping block.

Eight. Hundred. Bucks. And four years later, Apple decides it’s a paperweight.

The tech defenders always whine, “But it’s a tiny computer! The old chips can’t handle the new AI features!” I don’t care! I don’t need AI on my wrist. I need it to tell the time, show my texts, and track my steps. Why kill off basic compatibility just because the hardware can’t run your latest marketing gimmicks?

It’s even worse because Apple spends half their keynotes bragging about the environment and carbon footprints. Here’s a thought: the greenest product is the one people already own. Forcing people onto an upgrade treadmill every few years creates massive amounts of e-waste, no matter how much recycled aluminum you use.

I’m done. I’m wearing my current one until the screen literally falls off, and after that, I might just go back to a dumb watch that actually lasts.