After weeks of predictions and leaks, the Apple Watch is finally here and officially announced with a price of $349 and a release time frame of early next year.
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The Apple Watch is a new smartwatch from Apple that requires an iPhone to function, though Apple has included support for devices as old as the iPhone 5. Coming in two different sizes, three different models, six interchangeable straps and a huge variety of watch faces, the Apple Watch emphasizes customization, both in appearance and functionality.
The three varieties of Apple Watch are the standard stainless steel model, an aluminum Apple Watch Sport and the gold Apple Watch Edition. For strap choices, wearers can choose from a sweat-resistant sport band, a leather band made for comfort, two more leather bands designed in classic watch styles and two classic stainless steel options. Each of these straps can be easily snapped in and out of the Apple Watch body if you want to switch up your style day-to-day.
Apple also advertised the customizable nature of the watch face. Not only can users select from a whole range of pre-programmed watch face designs, but they can also customize the information that's readily available right from the watch face. The available watch faces run the gamut from traditional analog styles to a mode that tracks the sun's path across the sky.
Today's Apple Watch presentation included a breakdown of the reimagined user interface created for this new family of Apple devices. Touch controls make an expected return, but they're supplemented by the addition of what Apple calls the "digital crown." Taking the place of where traditional watches might have a winding or time-setting wheel, the digital crown is a wheel that users can spin up and down to zoom in and out of apps or scroll through a list. A button right beneath the digital crown sends users back to the home screen from an app or to the clock from the home screen.
The Apple Watch includes a haptic feedback system that allows users to receive subtle notifications on their wrists. After a notification, the wearer can simply raise his or her wrist to receive the message. The device registers the action and displays the relevant information. This haptic feedback is also used in the Maps app for directions. Different haptic signals are sent when the wearer needs to turn left or right, allowing the wearer to get silent directions without needing to look down.
As is true with most smartwatches on the market now, the Apple Watch is also equipped with comprehensive biometric sensors and allows users to better plan their workouts via two new apps: the Fitness app and the Workout app.
The Apple Watch will include a whole collection of new apps and functions made specifically for the wearable. New messaging options include quick text responses that parse incoming messages and suggest responses to the wearer (responses can also be dictated into the watch) and a new sketch messaging system where users can draw doodles that are sent to other Apple Watch wearers.
The watch is confirmed to include Siri functionality. Little, however, was said about the watch's specs. Information like the device's memory and storage will likely be revealed closer to the device's release in 2015.
