Apple Watch: Top 7 Features
While smartwatches are still in their infancy, Tim Cook says the Apple Watch was designed to redefine what people expect from the category. And this touchscreen device, which comes in large or small, might do just that. Here's what we know about the $349 Apple Watch so far.
1. It requires an iPhone to work, but it doesn't have to be an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus. The Watch will also work with the iPhone 5s, 5c and the iPhone 5. Also, it won't be available until early next year.
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2. It will support third-party apps. At the launch event, several companies, such as Facebook, Twitter, American Airlines, Nike, and BMW were mentioned, but Apple is releasing an API so that app makers can access all the features in the watch.
3. Recognizing that your fingers are too fat for using pinch to zoom on a watch face, the user interface is controlled through a dial called the digital crown. You can scroll up and down to select apps, and zoom in and out on maps, to name two examples. Pressing the crown returns you to the home screen. The apps on the home screen are completely customizable in orientation using touch and the digital crown.
4. The Apple Watch has a lot of sensors. For instance, a zirconium back houses four sapphire lenses that can detect your pulse via infrared and visible light. It features a gyrometer and accelerometer, plus it offers haptic feedback. That means when you raise your wrist, the display is activated. But it also means that it will work with the Health app on iOS 8, which will enable the watch to suggest activities and give you rewards for being active. If you're using the Watch for navigation, you'll get a buzz when it's time to turn.
5. It looks pretty slick. The Watch is available in two sizes (large and small), but for each there are three different lines. The base line has a stainless steel case; the Sport version is made of anodized aluminum, while the Watch Edition is made of hardened 18-karat gold. For each, Apple offers up six different straps that slide in and out of the main face. Two come in leather, two in stainless steel and two in a sweat-resistant plastic. The design even goes all the way down to the charger, which uses wireless inductive charging through a Magsafe-like connection.
6. If your friends have an Apple Watch, you can communicate from wrist to wrist using a feature called Digital Touch. Not only can you share simple drawings sketched on the Apple Watch's touchscreen, but you can also share your heartbeat, which will cause your friend's Apple Watch to buzz at the same rate as your heart.
7. Siri is built into the Apple Watch, so you can use it to look up directions, weather, and local movie times right from your wrist.
Those are just some of the features that will be available on the Apple Watch when it hits shelves early next year. At $349, it's $100 more expensive than other smartwatches such as the Pebble Steel, but we suspect consumers will pay the premium for Apple's new device.
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