Apple announces Apple Watch (no longer iWatch)
After many years of expectant waiting Apple finally announced the long awaited Apple Watch (no, not the iWatch) at the Flint Centre in Cupertino today, alongside the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. It seems that Apple is now moving away from the familiar i branding and instead calling its latest innovations Apple. This was evident with the Apple Watch and the newly announced Apple Pay (not iPay). This may have to do with the difficulty of protecting i as a recognsizable brand. Nothing stops people releasing the iTable, iPrinter or iChocoloate.
Back to the Apple Watch. It is finally here and it was well worth the wait. Apple have definitely sprinkled some of their design magic over this baby. From the innovative interchangeable wrist bands through to the interface and Digital Crown, everything about the new Apple Watch shouts buy me.
Apple were keen to draw analogies between the new Digital Crown and their pioneering heritage of introducing the Mouse, multitouch on the iPhone and the Click Wheel on the iPod. With the Digital Crown you can scroll, zoom and navigate the watch interface without needing to use the touch screen.
The new Apple Watch has pretty much everything the rumour mill has hinted at and more. The back of the watch is kitted out with multiple infrared and photosensors that integrate with Health apps to provide holistic sport and health monitoring. Integrated into the back is also a Taptic engine that gently and silently ‘taps’ your wrist alerting you to multiple app based events such as receiving a phone call, a text message or alarm.
The beauty of the Apple Watch is that it will be as flexible as people’s imagination with its own dedicated Watch Kit Developer tools that will allow innovative and creative software developers to build Watch apps and expand on what it can do at launch, just as they have done with the iPhone and the App store.
As well as the extensive functionality, the Apple design team have obviously spent a lot of time thinking through the actual visual and sensual design of the Apple Watch. It is a thing of beauty and will be launched in a variety of versions ranging from Standard (stainless steel), Sport (lightweight aluminium) and Edition (gold, yellow and rose plated versions) and in two sizes, a 38mm and a 42mm size.
The Apple Watch will work with all phones from the Apple iPhone 5C and above.
Prices will start at $349 and expect to see it on the street in early 2015.
Find out more and drool over the new Apple Watch here: More on the Apple Watch