Apple has finally unveiled a new product in the form of highly anticipated- The Apple Watch. It’s Here and it’s Beautiful(as if there was ever any doubt about that).
The new Apple Watch is simply called Watch and was met by a standing ovation at the Apple event today.
The Apple Watch comes with a square screen and comes in 38mm and 42mm cases. There will be an 18 karat gold version and more affordable stainless steel and aluminum versions also. The steel version will be called Watch Sport and the gold one will be called Watch Edition.
All the versions will have changeable wristbands, ceramic backs and sapphire screens. Six different bands will be available at launch.
The Apple Watch has been designed to be accurate to within 50 milliseconds and can be customised to suit your style and taste.
The screen will not be always-on, it activates when you lift your wrist. The Glances feature lets you can swipe through pages of information on the touchscreen.
Siri will of course work with the Apple Watch. The watch won’t have you typing in answers, it will recognize questions from incoming messages and offer appropriate responses. Or you could use Siri for voice dictation. Also, you can communicate with emoji.
The touch-screen is force-sensitive and you can add custom gestures (with swipes and presses).
The Watch includes a unique user interface which Apple has specifically designed for their new Watch wearable and is navigated by a “Digital Crown” on the right side of the watch that allows user to interact with the device’s apps and return to the home screen with ease. Also, you can use the digital crown to interact with the watch, including zooming in on the maps application.
The Apple Watch has a strong focus on Fitness. Feature include Infrared and visible-light LEDs, along with photosensors, that can detect your pulse rate to help provide users with a comprehensive picture of their daily activity. The Watch acts as both a heart-rate monitor and a pedometer, tying into the Health app in iOS 8 to keep all your stats in the same place.
Tim Cook Apple’s CEO and describes the new wearable interface as a : “versatile tool that answers the fundamental challenge of how to magnify content on a small display.”
Jony Ive explains: “The display also senses force, quite literally adding a new dimension to the user interface.”
“Dictate a message, check your calendar, find the nearest coffee shop, and more. Siri is at your service. Apple Watch has Siri. Press and hold the Digital Crown to activate. You always have complete control of what information reaches your Apple Watch. Send preset phrases, smart responses based on your conversation, audio messages, your location — even interactive emojis.”
By pressing the side button under the “Digital Crown” on the right you can bring up Friends, a section that allows you to see the people and friends you stay in touch with most. The Friends application on the Apple Watch, allows you to make a call, send a message, or connect friends and family with ease.
The Apple Watch will be charged with a Magsafe wireless adapter. A magnet will guide the charger to just the right place.
Also, the Apple Watch works with Apple Pay which is the Apple’s new Mobile payment System
A Big Heads up: you’ll need an iPhone 5 or above and be ready to shell $350 if you want one of these when they become available “early next year.”