If you ’re looking for a tracker that will motivate your child to work out , there are precious few option . One , really : The Fitbit Ace 3 . It make it this week for $ 80 and comes in a kid - favorable case with kid - friendly colors and kid - well-disposed watch faces .
My 9 - year - old son has used a Fitbit Ace 2 for the past yr and he loves it . It ’s water - insubordinate for swim and showers , basically indestructible with a silicon subject , just the good size for his wrist , gives him the stats he wants , and the battery life lasts for the entire shoal week . The Fitbit app even has easy - to - purpose privateness controls .
The Fitbit Ace 3 is the perfect seaworthiness gadget for kids .
The Fitbit Ace 3 is the perfect fitness device for kids.
Apple wants you to believe it sells a kid ’ look out too . Onthe new Apple for Kids financial support page , it directs you to the watchOS 7 Family Setup page so you could “ set up up an Apple Watch for a house member who does n’t have their own iPhone . ” That vocalise like a keen result , but there ’s a catch . Family Setup requires an Apple Watch Series 4 or afterward with cellular , the chinchy of which isthe Apple Watch SE , which is $ 329 at the Apple Store .
Apple Watch Series 3 (GPS + Cellular)
Not only is Apple ’s only wearable offerings for kids way too expensive , it ’s not even remotely suitable for a pre - teen . Even the “ humble ” 40 mm variation looks quite great on my son ’s radiocarpal joint . More importantly , it ’s simply too much smartwatch for his need . Apple may be sell the SE as an option for kids , but there ’s nothing about it that ’s made with Kyd in mind .
You do n’t require to calculate further than the design to see that the Apple Watch is n’t made for kids , but it ’s deep than that . plenteousness of fellowship make square smartwatches for kids , so it ’s not the form or even the size that ’s the biggest trouble . It ’s the utter lack of feature that make it something a nestling might desire .
There are some play sentinel faces in Toy Story and Mickey , but most of the clocks are gear toward grownup and none are as paying attention as the Ace ’s quicken interactional ones . There are n’t any minor - specific badge to bring in . And battery biography is n’t good enough to last through a full day and night .
The Fitbit Ace 3 is the perfect fitness device for kids.
The Apple Watch SE is n’t much of a kids app .
The Apple Watch ’s biggest vantage over the Fitbit Ace is memory access to the App Store , but even there , the Apple Watch has very little for kids . Sure , if you track down long enough you might discover an app or game your kid will like , but there is n’t a dedicated Kids section like on the iOS store and it ’s rarified to find a democratic kids app that has an Apple Watch constituent or companion app . Even Apple Arcade does n’t further Apple Watch development .
Ace in the hole
The Fitbit Ace is specifically design for kids . I know several of my son ’s schoolmate and booster who have one , and it ’s the everlasting equipment for school , play , sleep , and everything in between . It teach my son to be sound and active without pestering him , helps him hand his goals without tension , and is a fun lightweight fellow traveller for his Clarence Shepard Day Jr. .
Fitbit Ace 3
But he also has an iPad , so when the Apple Watch SE arrived , I asked him if he wanted to flip-flop . He was intrigued and tested my ticker for a Clarence Shepard Day Jr. and decided to wedge with the Ace . There were things he liked about the Apple Watch — the color screen , high - resolving graphics , even the Digital Crown — but the simplicity and focal point of the Ace won out .
I do n’t await Apple to ever make a stripe like the Ace . I do n’t even expect to ever see an Apple Watch that equal the Fitbit Ace in affordability . Apple ’s smartwatch strategy is working very well and it does n’t need to invest in get another model .
The Apple Watch SE could easy be retooled as a tyke ’ sentry .
But Apple could observe Fitbit ’s lead and make a kids edition of the SE . Much like Fitbit has repurposed the Inspire with kid feature article and a kid case , Apple could take the 38 mm Series 3 and make a killer kids watch that costs around $ 149 and offers a true contender to the Ace .
Apple does n’t postulate to really supply anything . The existing Series 3 body and display is fine , it just involve a novel purpose . Strip away things like Mail and Phone , let parent negociate the apps without needing a cellular connection , and make a few fun faces to gamify utilization . Call it the Apple Watch Kids Edition , pair it with a colorful band , and you ’ve got a vigil that kids will actually want .
Apple already fix kid versions of its other products — theiPod touchand9.7 - inch iPadare perfect for parents on a budget , andApple Arcadeis a great alternative for child of all ages — but the Apple Watch is n’t quite there yet . But with a few tweaks to the Series 3 , it could offer a free-enterprise option to kids who want an Ace .
I bed my kid would beg me for one .
The Apple Watch SE isn’t much of a kids app.
The Apple Watch SE could easily be retooled as a kids’ watch.
