For the past two-and-a-half years, my left wrist has been subjected to the buzzes and vibrations of Apple’s dedicated human tracker, the Apple Watch. How has it been? Do I still love it? Have I ever loved it? Can I imagine life without it? Does Apple dictate how I live my life? It’s time I tackle the tough questions.

I purchased the Apple Watch Series 1 when a gift card and Christmas money landed in my lap. The promos made it look cool, and all the executives at my office got one for “testing” which got me envisioning endless possibilities. At the time, however, I had only been considering a fitness tracker and had not given much thought to a smart watch. Yes, I could have saved myself some money and gone with a FitBit, but nah, I wanted to be one of the cool kids. Plus, I wanted something that looked like more of a traditional watch. Long-term, I was sure I could find worthwhile uses beyond activity tracking, so I took the plunge and purchased the most vanilla Series 1 model.

Buyer’s remorse set in immediately and was nearly overwhelming. I almost turned around and returned the watch before getting home. Funny enough, that is the story I share with my friends who have subsequently purchased an Apple Watch and felt the same buyer’s remorse pangs. I always finish my story, however, with, “I’m glad I kept it though. It’s hard to imagine not having one.” Yes, friends, join together so we can crowd-source our purchase validation.

Obviously, I kept the watch and continued to uncover more uses. The scope of available fitness tracking features kept me engrossed for at least the first six months. Beyond that, I was just comfortable stumbling upon other features. Notifications from a multitude of apps were pumped in from my phone, prompting interaction with the watch or my phone (as if I needed another reason to be on my phone). The watch kept my interests as priority as it reminded me to stand every hour, breathe, check this message, check that message, look at this breaking sports story, be one of the cool kids…

Have you ever done something over and over again and then one time wonder why? That is my current relationship with this device. I put my Apple Watch on every day and continue to rely on its buzzes to notify me of something important that actually isn’t. In fact, I often experience phantom haptic buzzes on my wrist, “Oh, what’s that, watch? Nothing? Okay, cool. Sure there wasn’t anything you needed to tell me? Something to distract me?” Yes, I imagine my watch buzzes. Beyond the constant awareness of the watch’s presence, I even purchased additional watch bands to accessorize, so I never had an excuse not to wear it. Traveling requires an additional charger which only accommodates the Apple Watch. To its credit, the watch still has a solid battery life to get through the day. Unfortunately, the watch is slow, and it always has been. It can interact with the iPhone on multiple levels, but it probably shouldn’t do more than one task at a time. Which functions and apps turn into snails varies from one WatchOS update to the next. Despite the inconveniences, I adjusted my behavior to keep the Apple Watch part of my life.

That’s where I’m at now, the Apple Watch is yet another device that has changed the way I live, and I’m concerned about living in its absence. I would love to wear a traditional watch again. There are so many timepiece options and designs that are just plain classy, but I cannot, for the life of me, break away from using the Apple Watch. If anything, going to a traditional watch would also allow me to explore other phones aside from the iPhone, but again, the draw of the Apple ecosystem is strong. If I give up the iPhone, the Apple Watch becomes worthless. If I give up the Apple Watch, then I’m not getting the most out of my iPhone (more a personal quirk than a legitimate concern).

What is the verdict on the Apple Watch? There has been buyer’s remorse, sluggish responsiveness, and lastly, a desire to separate from Apple’s grasp. Despite those negatives, I feel I have received adequate return on my purchase. The Series 1 is now old and missing the advanced features found in the Series 2 and 3, but I am not sold on purchasing a newer model. A new Apple Watch likely means at least another three years in the Apple ecosystem. Is that the new status quo? Does the purchase of the Apple Watch mean I will be wearing a similar device on my wrist until my last day? It may. I don’t know if I like having so many of my daily activities dictated by technology, especially tech that I’m wearing. Add the Apple Watch to the list of items we didn’t have five years ago that users would be uncomfortable leaving behind today.  It will stick around, and the technology continue to improve. The functional possibilities two, five, and ten years from now are exciting. That still requires adopting the device and being married to it which is not the greatest proposition. Simplicity in life during these times of rapid technological growth could be a welcome cleansing breath.