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Well, it finally happened. The tech world has been buzzing about Apple’s wearable computer. It turns out that it is less of a health and fitness device and more of an iPhone companion. There are so many features with this new smart watch that Apple couldn’t even talk about everything. We’ve got a rundown of what we know so far.
Apple is calling the watch their most personal device yet. When it was finally unveiled. CEO Tim Cook beamed. He even brought back former CEO Steve Job’s “One more thing” catchphrase. During the liveblog, The Verge’s Nilay Patel said “This is the moment where Tim Cook completely took over Apple and stepped into his own legacy.”
The Apple Watch is an iPhone compatible accessory that allows you to access many of the features that your smartphone does, but without having to pull it out of your pocket or purse. You can read and respond to text messages, get notifications from social networking sites, access your photos, contacts, and even talk to someone like you would on a phone.
It is also a precision timepiece that syncs to the universal time standard with nanosecond accuracy. The watch faces are interchangeable and customizable. You won’t just get a clock with a date and the weather. You can select different elements on different faces for a fully customizable time-reading experience.
The Apple Watch features a “Digital Crown,” which acts as a control mechanism for the user interface. Twist the dial to scroll up or down and zoom in or out. Push the crown to go back to the home screen.
The iPhone accessory also features “Digital Touch,” which is a way to have watch-to-watch communications with someone. Tap the screen to get someone’s attention. Then, use the sketchpad to draw something you can send directly to them. Finally tell someone how you feel by sending your heartbeat. The Apple Watch has a linear actuator called a “Taptic Engine” that uses audio feedback speakers to “listen to” your heartbeat.
Instead of plugging in the Apple Watch to charge it, you can juice it up wirelessly using the MagSafe style inductive charger. It is completely sealed and has no exposed contacts. All you have to do is hold the connector near the back of the watch and the magnets will snap into place.
There are six different styles of watchband across three different categories of watch designs. All three categories of design include two different sizes, 38mm and 42mm.
The basic “Apple Watch” features a polished stainless steal black casing with a sapphire crystal display. The three watchband styles include the leather band, link bracelet, and Milanese loop.
The Apple Watch Sport features an anodized aluminum case in silver with an Ion-X glass display. The watchband is made from fluoroelastomer and comes in five different colors.
The Apple Watch Edition is the luxury timepiece and features an 18-karat gold case that has been specially crafted to be twice as hard as standard gold. The display is made from sapphire crystal. The selected watchbands come in either leather or fluroelastomer.
The Apple Watch comes with a huge amount of software features that will take a long time to explore. A short rundown of the main features is listed below.
Communication
Messages
Phone
Mail
Digital Touch
Activity App
Move
Exercise
Stand
Workout App
Goals
Reminders
Achievements
Apple Pay
Digital Wallet
Passbook
Productivity
Calendar
Maps
Stopwatch
Timer
Alarm
World Clock
Stocks
Weather
Utility
Music
Apple TV remote
iTunes remote
iPhone camera remote
Photos
Siri
Settings
The Apple Watch will work with third-party developers using the WatchKit software development kit. With it, developers can create “Glances” for features in their app. For example, you could see the latest RSS feed from Feedly. It works similar to Control Center on the iPhone and iPad.
Developers can also use Actionable Notification, which allows notifications to be sent to the watch. Additionally, the user could respond to the notification right from the watch. For example, you could see who sent you a Direct Message in Twitter and then respond to the message.
The Apple Watch will work with iOS 8’s “Handoff” feature. Start reading an email on your Watch and finish reading it on your Mac. It will also come with Siri, so you can look up movie show times, find out when your next meeting is, or get directions to the nearest gas station.
The Apple Watch will be compatible with the iPhone 5, 5s, and 5c, as well as the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.
It will be available in early 2015 starting at $349. According to Cook, “It will redefine what people expect from a watch.”
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