It’s finally here. The Apple answer for all your go-go-gadget watch desires—and it doesn’t disappoint. This new-age device goes way beyond the calculator watches of old. Through voice commands, finger touches and button pushes, the Apple watch offers access to all of your favorite smartphone features, such as calendars, phone calls, photos—and many, many more.
You are probably already familiar with how the watch will look. The case is reminiscent of the one that houses your iPhone 6, though the watch will work with iPhone 5s as well—and yes, you must have an iPhone for the watch to be functional.
It will come in one of three versions. On the lower end of the offerings, the Apple Sports watch pairs a performance-optimized rubber bracelet with a lightweight aluminum case and composite back.
The mid-level version, the Apple watch, can come with one of several different bracelets—steel mesh, steel link, rubber and leather—and a stainless steel case with ceramic back. Finally, the Apple Edition watch comes with an 18-karat gold or rose-gold case and rubber or leather buckle band. All versions come in two sizes—a 42 mm or 38 mm case.
Now about how it works: Through your phone, you have a world of options to choose from in how you set up your watch. For instance, what the watch shows on its face while at rest—time, upcoming calendar events, reminders—is just one of the few things that are customizable. Of course, the real magic begins when you lift your wrist, and the watch comes to life. Available apps bubble up to the surface of the watch display in the form of small circles. You can access the apps through touch sensor glass top—which is pressure-sensitive so it knows the difference between a hard, soft, short and long tap. The watch crown will also allow you to sort through menus or resize photos. And a single button on the side of the watch provides myriad of functions from accessing a recent contacts list to moving backward through a menu. Simply say, “Hey Siri,” and you can ask the Apple wizard to set an alarm, answer a question or remind you of something. On the back, a pressure sensor keeps track of your heartbeat, so all of those Apple health apps will come alive in a new way, allowing you to track fitness like never before (goodbye FitBug!)—it can track calories burned, steps and even let you know if you’ve been sitting for too long.
As for battery life? The Apple watch is said to last 18 hours, so you will have to charge it every night through a magnetic charger that attaches to the back of the phone.
So go ahead, strap one on and use it to check messages, take calls, idly browse Instagram or even set your home alarm and doorlocks — and enjoy the freedom of not having to dig your phone out of your pocket to do so. Ready to buy your own Apple watch? You can begin to preorder on April 10, and the watch will be available at the store on April 25.
Details
Starting Price: Sport $349 / Watch $549 Edition $10,000
OS: iOS Battery life: 18 hours
Resolution: Retina Display
Case Size:
38mmx33.3mmx10.5mm
42mmx35.9mmx10.5mm
Weight: Sport: 1.41 oz Watch 1.7 oz / Edition 1.9 oz
Processor: Apple S1
Water Resistance: 30 minutes, 3 feet
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0
Apple.com