Apple has finally revealed its Watch in minute detail and announced how long it will last on a single charge.
Since
its unveiling in September the Watch has been shrouded in mystery, with
Apple's boss Tim Cook teasing features at every available opportunity.
But
now everything - including its 'all-day' battery life has been
announced - although the CEO added that with typical use this is more
likely to be 18 hours. What 'typical' use entails remains unknown.
Prices
for the Sport model start at $349 in the US and £299 in the UK, while
the stainless steel Watch starts at $549 (£479) and the Edition costs
from a staggering $10,000 (£8,000). The most expensive model in the US
will cost $17,000.
Apple has revealed more details about
its Watch - and finally announced how long it will last on a single
charge. Although Apple's boss Tim Cook (shown) said the Watch has an
'all-day' battery life, he added that with typical use this is more
likely to be 18 hours. What 'typical' use entail remains unknown
Mr
Cook said at the event at Yerba Buena Centre in California: 'This is the
most personal device we have ever created. It’s not just with you, it’s
on you.'
Apple initially announced its Watch in September at its iPhone 6 and 6 Plus launch event in California.
It
comes in three models: the Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport and Apple
Watch Edition, and all models are sold in either 1.4-inch (38mm) or
1.7-inch (42mm) versions.
'We
make products that enhance people’s lives - and the Apple Watch takes
that to a new level,' continued Mr Cook at tonight's event.
'It even reminds you if you’ve been sitting too long and it can set you a new movement target each week.'
The
Watch app is available from iOS 8.2 today, and Mr Cook added: 'We think
Apple Watch will become integral to your day - so we have given it all
day battery life.
'During a typical day, you can use it for 18 hours - more than enough for anyone I think.'
The
Apple Watch is made of stainless steel and prices range between $549
and $1048 for the 1.4-inch model and $599 and $1099 for the larger
1.7-inch version.
Watch Sport is made of 7000 Series Silver Aluminum and ranges from $349 to $399.
The premium Edition has a similar build to the Apple Watch but comes in 18-Karat Rose Gold and Yellow Gold.
Prices start at $10,000.
In the UK, the Sport starts at £299, the standard Watch starts at £479 and the Edition model will cost £8,000.
All of the watches can be pre-ordered from 10 April and goes on sale on 24 April.
It will be available in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, the UK and the US.
Interchangeable
straps include fluoroelastomer (rubber), leather, and stainless steel
and this will mean both left-handed and right-handed people can use the
Watch by fitting the strap so the digital crown is on the opposite
side.
Apple has been trialling the watch with Christy Turlington Burns, who used it to run a half marathon in Kilimanjaro.
Apple's Watch is available in three
models: the Watch, Watch Sport and Watch Edition (shown) and all models
will be sold in 1.4-inch (38mm) or 1.7-inch (42mm) versions. Apple Watch
is made of stainless steel, Sport is made of Aluminum and the premium
Edition comes in 18-Karat Rose Gold and Yellow Gold
The Watch faces are customisable. Apple boss Tim Cook is shown with the Mickey Mouse face
‘It’s motivation, not just for training but for everyday things,’ she said during a video at tonight's conference.
The Watch was also demoed by vice president Kevin Lynch.
‘Using the watch is about brief interactions, just a few seconds at a time,' hesaid.
From
the stage he showed off the WeChat messaging app, and apps from
Instagram, Twitter, American Airlines, Uber, Shazam and others.
| Apple Watch | Huawei Watch | Moto 360 | LG Gwatch R | Samsung Gear S | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen shape | Retangular | Circular | Circular | Circular | Rectangular |
| Operating system | iOS | Android Wear | Android Wear | Android Wear | Tizen |
| Controls | 1.4-inch and 1.7-inch touchscreen and digital crown | 1.4 inch touchscreen and crown | 1.56 inch touchscreen and crown | 1.3 inch touchscreen and crown | 2 inch touchscreen |
| Storage | Not confirmed | 4GB and 512 of RAM | 4GB | 4GB and 512 MB of RAM | 4 GB, 512 MB RAM |
| Battery life | All-day' - although 18 hours with typical use | Not confirmed | 12 hours | Not confirmed | Two days |
| Price | From $349 (£299) to $10,000 (£8,000) | Not confirmed | $250 | $ 332 (£220) | $199 (£270) |
| Availablity | Preorders open 10 April. Goes on sale 24 April | Later this year | Available now in the US | Available now | Available now |
The Watch ranges between $549 and
$1048 for the 1.4-inch model and $599 and $1099 for the larger 1.7-inch
version. Watch Sport is made of 7000 Series Silver Aluminum and ranges
from $349 to $399. The premium Edition starts at $10,000. All of the
watches can be pre-ordered from 10 April and go on sale on 24 April
All of these apps are available from a dedicated section on the App Store that also comes with 'how to' videos.
Before the event, reports from the Wall Street Journal claimed
Apple was eyeing up a platinum version in a bid to market it as a
high-end fashion item but these rumours were not confirmed.
Instead, the $10,000 price tag related to the gold Edition model.
This
may sound pricey but by comparison Tag Heuer's Monaco Men's Watch costs
$72,000 (£47,600) and the Rolex GMT-Master II Mens Automatic Watch
costs $373,720 (£247,100).
EVERYTHING WE KNOW ABOUT THE APPLE WATCH
The Apple Watch is available in three models: the Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport (pictured) and Apple Watch Edition
Models: The Apple Watch will be available in three models: the Apple Watch, Watch Sport and Watch Edition.
All models will be sold in either 1.4-inch (38mm) or 1.7-inch (42mm) versions depending on which colour the owner chooses.
Apple Watch is made of stainless steel with a sapphire crystal Retina display and ceramic back.
Apple Watch Sport is made of 7000 Series Silver Aluminum with Ion-X Glass on a Retina display and composite back.
Apple Watch Edition has a similar build to the Apple Watch but comes in 18-Karat Rose Gold and Yellow Gold.
Interchangeable straps include fluoroelastomer (rubber), leather, and stainless steel.
Prices: Apple
Watch is made of stainless steel and prices range between $549 and
$1048 for the 1.4-inch model and $599 and $1099 for the larger 1.7-inch
version.
Watch Sport is made of 7000 Series Silver Aluminum and ranges from $349 to $399.
The premium Edition has a similar build to the Apple Watch but comes in 18-Karat Rose Gold and Yellow Gold.
Prices start at $10,000.
All of the watches can be pre-ordered from 10 April and goes on sale on 24 April.
In the UK, Sport starts at £299, the standard Watch starts at £479 and the Edition model will cost £8,000.
Gestures: Following last year's unveiling, Apple admitted the Watch is unlike any device it has ever made.
It
said it has 'reinvented all-new ways to select navigate and input that
are suited to a smaller device worn on the wrist'. The Watch is also
said to be able to sense force adding 'a new dimension to the user
interface'.
Force
Touch uses electrodes around the flexible display to distinguish
between a light tap and a deep press, and trigger instant access to a
range of contextually specific controls - such as an action menu in
Messages, or a mode that lets you select different watch faces.
The Sport model is pictured left, the
Watch is pictured centre and the Edition is pictured right. All of the
watches can be pre-ordered from 10 April and will be available in stores
from this date
Digital Crown: On mechanical watches, the crown has historically been used to set the time and date and to wind the mainspring.
Apple has adapted this and its 'digital' crown can be used to magnify content on the small display.
Rotating
the digital crown replaces the typical pinching motion used on iPhones
and iPads and allows wearers to zoom and scroll without obstructing the
screen.
Pressing the crown will also return wearers to the home screen.
Watch OS:
Apple has taken the iOS software on its phones and tablets and tweaked
it to better suit the watch's power, display size and functions. It has
also invented a new typeface to make the screen easier to read.
On mechanical watches the crown has
historically been used to set the time and date and to wind the
mainspring. Apple has adapted this and its 'digital' crown (pictured)
can be used to magnify content on the display. Rotating the crown
replaces allows wearers to zoom and scroll without obstructing the
screen
Sapphire display: Apple
Watches have a laminated Retina display made from a 'single crystal of
sapphire.' While on the Sport collection the screen has the added
protection of Ion-X glass.
Glances: The
Glances feature shows info users would like to see, similar to Google
Now, and is accessed by swiping the screen up from the bottom.
For
instance, wearers can glimpse the weather forecast, check out what’s
next on their calendar, or find their location on a map.
They can then swipe through different Glances, or tap on one to go directly to its corresponding app for more details.
Music can also be controlled on an iPhone through the Apple Watch.
On the back of the Watch's case is a
sensor (pictured) that uses infrared and visible-light LEDs and
photodiodes to detect the wearer's heart rate
Vibration and notifications: The Watch has a built-in is a 'taptic engine' that responds to a subtle vibrations users feel on their wrist for notifications.
Any notification that appears on the connected phone will appear on the Watch.
This is made from a linear actuator, or motor, inside the Apple Watch that produces haptic feedback.
The wearer can then respond to these messages directly or swipe down to see the Notification Centre.
This
haptic feedback could also be used with Apple Maps, for example, to
help people navigate. It will produced gentle vibrations to signal when
to turn left or right.
The
Watch additionally understands questions in messages and offers
pre-selected answers, and messages can be dictated to the iPhone.
And this taptic engine means people can get someone's attention with a gentle tap or send their heartbeat remotely.
There is no keyboard on the Watch, and messages can only be sent through dictation, or emoji.
Siri is also built into the Apple Watch.
Heart rate sensor: On
the back of the Watch's case, a ceramic cover with sapphire lenses sits
above a sensor that uses infrared and visible-light LEDs and
photodiodes to detect the wearer's heart rate.
Apple
Watch uses this sensor, along with an accelerometer and the GPS and
Wi‑Fi in a connected iPhone, to measure physical movement such as steps,
distance and calories.
Inductive charging: The Watch uses Apple's MagSafe technology with inductive charging.
This
means it can be charged wirelessly by placing a connector near the back
of the watch where magnets cause it to snap into place automatically.
MagSafe is the name of the connector Apple uses with its MacBook range.
Battery life: Mr Cook was vague about the battery life of the Apple Watch when it was announced.
He confirmed last month that it will last a full day after initially saying it will need to be charged overnight.
The Apple Watch Edition is something
unique and special, said Cook. There will be limited quantities, it is
priced from $10,000 (£8,000). Not only is the watch bezel solid gold
(pictured) the buckle amd fastening is too
The Apple Watch app is available from
the App Store and can be downloaded today as part of the upgrade to iOS
8.2 (pictured). This will be used to link the Apple Watch with a
wearer's phone
Ernest
Doku, technology expert at uSwitch.com said: 'Apple claims this is the
most advanced timepiece ever created but some of the features seem like
the tech giant was scraping the barrel for unnecessary unique selling
points.
'Digital Touch is essentially a personalised emoticons app with slightly classier graphics, for example.
'But
gimmicks aside, this really is a elegant and luxurious gadget, while
also being extremely useful for health and fitness fans, who it’s
heavily targeted at.
The Watch was also demoed by vice
president Kevin Lynch (pictured). ‘Using the watch is about brief
interactions, just a few seconds at a time,' said Mr Lynch.He showed off
WeChat messaging app, and apps from Instagram, Twitter, American
Airlines, Uber, Shazam and others
'Apple
offers several versions of the same gadget in different metals, and a
plethora of faces and straps, but that level of customisation is easily
replicated by competitors.
'Pricing will dictate how fast Apple Watches fly off the shelves.
'Although
it’s an aspirational brand, a starting price of £299 and rising into
the thousands of pounds for a solid gold Edition means it’s hardly cheap
and - given this is a first of its kind - we don’t yet know if it’ll
deliver on its promises.
'Apple’s
first foray into wearables will be heavily scrutinised but, if there’s
one thing Apple is great at, it’s convincing us to buy another luxury
gadget we never realised how much we needed.'
Apple
showcased what a 'day in the life' with Apple Watch may look like,
including voice recognition to send a text (left), hail a cab with Uber,
take a call and receive health and exercise tips (right) to promote
exercise
The watch
seeks to make travelling easier. Apple Watch will pull a boarding pass
from Passbook when a user is near the airport so they can access it on
their watch (pictured left). The SPG app on Apple Watch lets a wearer
check into their hotel and unlock their room (shown right)
In a 'day
in the life with the Apple Watch' scenario, the watch can be used to buy
lunch at places like Whole Foods (pictured left) using Apple Pay. A
live demo also showed a speaker requesting a ride on Uber with Apple
Watch (shown right)
'Apple
is the only technology brand that has the potential to move from tech
brand to luxury brand. This is unprecedented,' Jan Dawson, chief
technology analyst for Jackdaw Research, added.
'I
think this is Apple flexing its muscles, moving into a space that it
potentially has all to itself. The question is: how big is that market?
Is Apple eating into the market or making it bigger?
'I think they will make it grow.'
Mr
Cook also explained more details about how customers will use the
buttons on the side of the device, how its sensors work, and more
details about Apple Pay on the Watch.
Mr Lynch additionally demonstated how
the watch can be used to control smart home devices. In his example, he
used a camera in his home to see his garage door and then used the Watch
to open it
Despite Mr Cook's claims about battery
life, it is not clear what 'typical' use entails. The phone will charge
using a magnetic charger that snaps onto the back of the watch
There are new ways to communicate
using the Watch, too. Pressing the side button brings up the wearer's
friends, for example. People can send sketches to friends and link their
watches. Digital Touch additionally lets people send a tap or even thei
heartbeat (pictured) to other people wearing Apple Watch
APPLE PAY ON THE APPLE WATCH
At the event Mr Cook announced Apple Pay is now available on Coca Cola vending machines (shown)
Apple's Watch works in a similar way to its iPhone 6 and 6 Plus when it comes to making payments through Apple Pay.
To
pay with Apple Watch, wearers will double‑click the side button before
holding the face of the Watch near the contactless reader.
Apple Watch also acts as credit card.
A gentle pulse and tone confirms that the payment information has been sent.
Apple Watch doesn't have TouchID but uses a skin sensor to keep it secure.
A
wearer enters a security code and the Watch can then be used to make
Apple Pay purchases all the while it detects the wearer's skin.
Once removed the feature is disabled.
At the event Mr Cook also announced Apple Pay is now available on Coca Cola vending machines.
Apple Pay is now accepted at nearly 700,000 locations.
Apple's Watch works in a similar way to its iPhone 6 and 6 Plus when it comes to making payments through Apple Pay.
To
pay with Apple Watch, wearers will double‑click the side button before
holding the face of the Watch near the contactless reader. Apple Watch
also acts as credit card.
A gentle pulse and tone confirms that the payment information has been sent.
On
the back of the Watch's case, a ceramic cover with sapphire lenses sits
above a sensor that uses infrared and visible-light LEDs and
photodiodes to detect the wearer's heart rate.
Apple
Watch uses this sensor, along with an accelerometer and the GPS and
Wi‑Fi in a connected iPhone, to measure physical movement such as steps,
distance and calories.
The Apple Watch collection features stainless steel cases in two finishes - traditional and space black
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