The Apple Beat: What you need to know about Apple Watch

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Apple’s next revolutionary product is its Apple Watch and while this wearable isn’t slated to come to market until around Spring 2015, here’s everything we know about it.

I had the opportunity of seeing the Apple Watch up close during its launch last September. Not only did I get to see various versions of the Apple Watch in action, I got to wear one for around 10 minutes as various aspects of design and functionality were demonstrated to me. Here are my impressions and below is a round up of all the information I’ve learned so far.

Apple Watch is Apple’s most personal device yet

More than just a smart watch or wearable, the Apple Watch is a product and ecosystem  all unto itself. Since it is the only Apple product that users are expected to wear and take with them wherever they go, Apple’s invested a lot of effort in making this truly personal and easy to use.

The first device that has been designed to be worn, Apple approached Apple Watch with an idea that it should fit various users and not vice versa.

To do this, they created two sizes, a smaller 38mm and larger 42mm version. Both of these can be in either the left or right hand which already makes them more versatile and accommodating than 99 per cent of existing smart watches in the market today.

Apple Watch will be sold at Apple Retail Stores and possibly online as well but since this is such a personal product, we can expect that Apple will sell the device through other outlets such as premium fashion stores. The company did show off Apple Watch during Fashion Week in Paris this year, a good sign that they're looking to sell it like jewellery and not just like a gadget.

The personal aspect of Apple Watch extends to the various materials which, give  Apple Watch various properties and also put it in various price points ranging from the somewhat affordable to the ultra luxe.

Apple Watch will be made available in lightweight Silver  or Space Grey Aluminum, shiny Space Black or Silver Stainless Steel and for those who want the most luxurious version, an 18-karat yellow gold or rose gold versions. 

Apple Watch will be made available in three collections. Apple Watch (stainless steel with a sapphire crystal), Apple Watch Sport (Anodized aluminum with strengthened glass) and Apple Watch Edition which has the 18-karat gold and sapphire crystal.

Aside from possibly thousands of watch faces for any type of user, Apple is also making available a large selection of straps that vary in material, colour, treatment and even invented a clever way to change straps sans tools. Apple Watch is expected to have a starting price of US $349.00.

Apple Watch will need to be charged daily, it will use a MagSafe magnetic inductive charging stand for convenient charging and synching.

The amount of research and design that has gone into every aspect and accessory of Apple Watch is simply staggering and is only made possible by a company with Apple’s talent and resources.

Apple Watch is a watch first

Apple Watch takes the watch part of its name seriously so it tells time accurately. It may not have a complicated Swiss movement (that space has been filled by a small computer) but Apple Watch will check against the definitive global time standard trusted by GPS satellites. It will also automatically adjust for DST and can adjust once you travel through different time zones.

Unlike other square smartphones or the occasional round models, the Apple Watch is designed in a squircle, which gives it the dimensions of a square watch but with rounded corners, this means less chance of getting it snagged.

There will also be various ways to interact with Apple Watch, there’s a sensitive touch enabled display which is part enough to know the difference between a tap and a deep press, this touch screen also has a range of contextually specific  controls.

The Digital Crown, the big interface innovation for Apple Watch, manages the interface and serves as the best way to navigate various apps and functions.

Apple Watch is a computing platform

 

Not just an adjunct to the iPhone, Apple Watch will have its own Watch OS a derivative of the iOS mobile operating system which supports third party applications. The Apple Watch developer kit was recently opened up and developers have time between now and Spring 2015 to create apps and add ons on launch day 

This is great news for anyone wanting to develop unique features to their apps as well as develop new apps altogether. This is great news for anyone buying an Apple Watch early on since they won’t only have the full range of Apple’s apps, they will have various other apps to choose from.

Apple Watch is a communicator

 

Many smart watches aren’t great for communicating. Some allow you to send voice messages back but this takes time and feels somewhat clumsy. Apple Watch has been designed as a communications device from the get go.  

The people you deal with the most are accessible via a contacts feature that is easily accessible through the button under the digital crown. Simply tap their faces and you can send a message make a call or communicate using Apple Watch features. These include the ability to send sketches, using the built-in speaker and mic to make a phone call or use it as a walkie talkie.

More than this, you virtually ‘tap’ your friends using the tactic engine and even send an accurate representation of your heartbeat.

Apple Watch is an iPod

 

Apple Watch will come with its own storage, likely 4GB or even 8GB and this can be used to store music. The Apple Watch also has Bluetooth which makes it possible to stream music wirelessly from the watch to a pair of wireless headphones, this is great for runners or people  exercising who don’t want to carry their phones with them. 

Apple Watch is a payments platform

 

In countries that support it, Apple Watch will be able to use Apple Pay and the built-in NFC chip to make mobile payments. This is an extension of the iPhone’s functionality so it should be pretty seamless and easy. I also expect third party apps to make buying or paying for items on the watch much easier moving forward.

Apple Watch is a health tracker

 

Last but not the least, the HealthKit and built-in accelerometer, heart tracker and intensity sensor can make the Apple Watch an advanced health tracking device not just for sporty types but for users with serious medical conditions that may need to be monitored remotely.

The range of health tracking functionalities and options that Apple Watch brings is quite comprehensive and includes goals, reminders to keep moving, an achievements  feature that makes it fun to accomplish personal goals and detailed measurements depending on the type of activity which is where many health trackers fall short.