Apple entered into an entirely new product category yesterday. It was expected that Apple was going to announce a wearable at the Special Event, and it was confirmed the moment Tim said “One More Thing”. My favorite part of the event was when Tim played the Apple Watch Introduction video for attendees and went to the back of the stage, and he came back after the video with a nice shiny watch on his left hand.
What I believe is Watches reflect personalities, so they should not only have a solid and classic build quality but should also look good. Apple’s Watch matches my expectations to some extent. Design-wise, the Apple Watch looks fine, but not great. I wanted the watch to be circular so it feels more like a real watch, but it doesn’t look that bad in rectangular shape.
Apple Watch will sport Retina display with higher pixel density so as to make text easy to read. Apple Watch will be available in three editions: Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport and Apple Watch Edition. It will come in two sizes: 38mm and 42mm to fit wrist of every size. There will be lots of straps to choose from, including stainless steel straps and leather straps of different designs.
The thing that I liked the most in the Apple Watch is the crown. The crown can be used for different purposes, but is basically made for zooming and scrolling functionalities so you won’t have to touch the screen every time.
Apple Watch will have GPS, Accelerometer and a custom Heart-Rate sensor. In Connectivity, Apple Watch will have NFC, Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi. The Watch can be charged wirelessly through inductive charging. Users will just have to attach the connector on the back of the Watch.
Functionality
Apple Watch is an Apple product, so it’s not wrong to expect top-notch functionality. And with what Kevin Lynch showed us at the event, I think they nailed it. Apple made everything simple and easily accessible which is how it should be on a device with small display. Users will be able to choose from different watch faces and they will also be able to fully customize the faces.
The home screen will show all the apps in a nice arrangement. The way the arrangement of apps is done will help users navigate to their favorite apps quickly. Apple also made a custom typeface specially for Apple Watch to maximise legibility. The amazing thing is, users will be able to pay through Apple Pay using their Apple Watch too.
Using Apple Watch, users will be able to send and receive messages, receive calls, check mail and of course, check time. Apple Watch has built-in speaker so users will be able to attend the calls directly on their Apple Watch and they can also transfer the calls to their iPhone if they want. The Watch will also have a new way of communication, which Apple is calling Digital Touch. Using Digital Touch, users will be able to communicate with other Apple Watches using Taps, Sketches, Heartbeat and Walkie-Talkie.
There are apps for Workout and Activity to track daily activities. Apple Watch will sync with iPhone so users will be able to check all the statistics in the Health app on their iPhone. Using Workouts app, users will be able to set goals and track their statistics.
Apart from all the basic functionalities, Apple Watch will also support apps from 3rd-party developers. So users can extend the functionalities of their Apple Watch by installing 3rd-party apps. It would be great if Apple will make a dedicated App Store for Apple Watch apps.
We don’t know much about Apple Watch yet, as Apple haven’t discussed in the keynote about the platform on which it runs and the specifications it sports. But it is likely that Apple Watch runs on a lighter version of iOS.
Availability
The Apple Watch will be available in early 2015 and its price will start from $349.
http://youtu.be/ktujsc4ZUTo