Apple today unveiled Apple Watch — its most personal device ever — featuring revolutionary new technologies and a pioneering user interface with a beautiful design that honors the rich tradition of precision watchmaking. Apple Watch introduces a specially designed and engineered Digital Crown that provides an innovative way to scroll, zoom and navigate. The Digital Crown is Apple’s most revolutionary navigation tool since the iPod Click Wheel and iPhone Multi-Touch. Apple Watch will enable you to communicate in new ways right from your wrist by sending and receiving messages, answering calls to your iPhone, and with Digital Touch, sending something as personal as your own heartbeat. Apple Watch also introduces comprehensive health and fitness apps that can help people lead healthier lives. Apple Watch is available in three distinct collections—Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport and Apple Watch Edition.
“Apple introduced the world to several category-defining products, the Mac, iPod, iPhone and iPad,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, in a statement. “And once again Apple is poised to captivate the world with a revolutionary product that can enrich people’s lives. It’s the most personal product we’ve ever made.”
“With Apple Watch, we’ve developed multiple technologies and an entirely new user interface specifically for a device that’s designed to be worn. It blurs the boundary between physical object and user interface,” said Jony Ive, Apple’s senior vice president of Design, in a statement. “We’ve created an entire range of products that enable unparalleled personalization.”
Apple Watch introduces a revolutionary design and iOS-based user interface created specifically for a smaller device. Apple Watch features the Digital Crown, an innovative way to scroll, zoom and navigate fluidly, without obstructing the display. The Digital Crown also serves as the Home button and a convenient way to access Siri®. The Retina® display on Apple Watch features Force Touch, a technology that senses the difference between a tap and a press, providing a new way to quickly and easily access controls within apps. Apple Watch introduces the Taptic Engine and a built-in speaker that together discreetly enable an entirely new vocabulary of alerts and notifications you can both hear and feel. Apple custom-designed its own S1 SiP (System in Package) to miniaturize an entire computer architecture onto a single chip. Apple Watch also features Wi-Fi 802.11b/g and Bluetooth 4.0 to pair seamlessly with your iPhone.
Apple Watch comes in three distinct collections — Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport and Apple Watch Edition — available in two different sizes, 38 mm and 42 mm. The beautifully designed and durable enclosures are crafted from custom alloys of polished or space black stainless steel, space gray or silver anodized aluminum and 18-karat rose or yellow gold. Apple also created an entire range of watch straps: the high-performance elastomer Sport Band; the Milanese Loop in a flexible magnetic stainless steel mesh; the Leather Loop in soft, quilted leather that conceals magnets for quick fastening and adjustment; the leather Modern Buckle, which closes with a solid metal clasp; the leather Classic Buckle; and the stainless steel Link Bracelet. Apple Watch comes with a unique charging system that combines Apple’s MagSafe® technology with inductive charging for a quick connection that snaps into place.
Apple Watch is an extremely accurate timepiece that’s also customizable for personal expression. Apple Watch comes with 11 watch faces ranging from traditional analog faces to new faces like the dynamic Timelapse face; the Astronomy face with its interactive, real-time 3D model of the earth, sun, moon and planets; and the Solar face, a contemporary sundial. Apple Watch can be personalized in appearance and capability with additional information such as upcoming events, moonphases or your activity level, enabling millions of possible configurations.
with Milanese Loop
Taking advantage of its location on your wrist, Apple Watch provides timely information that can be viewed at a glance. Smart Replies and dictation let you respond quickly to messages, and with Handoff, you can start a message on your Apple Watch and continue where you left off on your iPhone. Swipe up from the watch face for Glances that quickly show you information you care about, such as your current location, stocks or your next meeting. Pressing the side button brings up Friends, a view of your favorite people, so you can contact them quickly and easily. Digital Touch allows you to send a sketch, a gentle tap, an audio message through Walkie Talkie or even your own heartbeat. Apple Watch lets you interact quickly and conveniently with the world around you, so you can pay for coffee using Apple Pay,* board a plane with a Passbook boarding pass, control your Apple TV or get directions.
Apple Watch includes a groundbreaking Activity app designed to help motivate you to be more active throughout the day, and an all-new Workout app designed to provide the metrics you need during dedicated workout sessions. Apple Watch uses the accelerometer, a built-in heart rate sensor, GPS and Wi-Fi from your iPhone to provide a comprehensive picture of your daily activity. The Activity app measures three separate aspects of movement: calories burned, brisk activity and how often you stand up during the day. The Workout app provides goal-setting and pacing during popular session-based workouts, such as running and cycling. The companion Fitness app on iPhone collects your activity data so you can see your activity history in greater detail. Apple Watch uses this history to suggest personal, realistic goals, reward fitness milestones and keep you motivated.
Apple introduces WatchKit, providing new tools and APIs for developers to create unique experiences designed for the wrist. With Apple Watch, developers can create WatchKit apps with actionable notifications and Glances that provide timely information. Starting later next year, developers will be able to create fully native apps for Apple Watch.
Pricing & Availability
Apple Watch will be available in three collections. Apple Watch, with a polished or space black stainless steel case and a choice of straps; Apple Watch Sport, with a space gray or silver anodized aluminum case and Sport Band; and Apple Watch Edition, with an 18-karat rose or yellow gold case and a choice of straps exclusive to this collection. Apple Watch straps include the Sport Band in black, blue, green, pink and white; the Classic Buckle in black and midnight blue; the Leather Loop in bright blue, light brown and stone; the Modern Buckle in midnight blue, brown, soft pink, rose gray and bright red; the Milanese Loop in stainless steel; and the Link Bracelet in brushed stainless steel and polished space black. Apple Watch will be available in early 2015 starting at $349 (US). Apple Watch is compatible with iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus running the latest version of iOS 8.
See every Apple Watch here.
* Apple Pay is only available in the US.
Source: Apple Inc.
Related articles:
Apple mum on Apple Watch battery life – September 9, 2014
Apple Watch, the world’s first real smartwatch, will be a massive hit – September 9, 2014
The watch reinvented.
Ha! $349 unsubsidized and it doesn’t appeal to business customers because it doesn’t have a keyboard which makes it not a very good email machine.
Fortunately it does click when you connect the charger but it doesn’t have a kickstand.
Check out the WATCH GAY….
Comes with the iFist app.
Sh*t resistant.
Meh
I know you must have been anticipating more a “Gamesters Of Triskelion” style 360 degree readout iCollar that all the world will notice. A more stylish wrist smart phone will never appeal to the geektard set whose Borg-wear tastes are more in line with a Ghetto Blaster design approach.
I’m glad you got that out of the way!!! So you’re not going to get one until the 2nd edition??!
I’m not! Too bulky. Wait for second edition. Also, no mention of battery life. Disappointing! Will definitely buy the 5.5 iPhone plus.
Or until a modicum of sanity returns. The latter may be some time.
I was one of the biggest doubters that they would make a watch. I’m happy that I was so incredibly wrong and that they were able to create such wonderful time piece.
I think this watch will be good for people who already where one at least sometimes. One aspect of the iPhone I loved is it had all the info in it that a watch has, so there was no need to wear one.
I’m not sold on the watch even though its impressive. why? cause you have to also carry around with you an iPhone. if I already have an iPhone in my pocket, i’d rather just pull that out of my pocket. not sure it would be necessary to use a watch too
Yeah but the whole point is you just turn your wrist instead of trying to dig your watch out of your pocket and hitting a button. I see them as a fantastic augmenting pair. I thought I would never wear a watch again. This has changed my mind, especially for the health benefits. Developers will continue to make this irresistible and future models I hope include blood sugar readings – that one feature alone would sell many millions.
Same here. I stopped wearing a watch 10 years ago and never thought I would ever wear one again. Freedom of the wrist has been so great but I have to admit this apple watch is a killer. The health related features are a killer. So the ability to have something else than the time is a major plus. I was also doubting the interest of a watch but as some people mentioned it Apple once again is able to show the benefits of a real digital watch can bring to the table and when you see how the iPhone evolved in few years I can barely imagine what the apple watch will do in 5 years. Even my wife who is not into technology despite her MacBook Pro and iPhone 5S wants one. Kudos Apple.
Just imagine trying to sell a watch by saying its better than your old watch because you can pull it out of your pocket. Yes I rather doubt that the fob watch is going to replace the wrist watch any time soon.
Fact is this is laying down the parameters of being able eventually replace the cell phone altogether for many, its simply that doing so will take more than present technology allows at the moment, but you have to make your move sometime and to me they have hit that moment perfectly. This is a pretty good way down that road compared to what anyone else has got near to.
Dick Tracy here we come! 🙂
And you spyintheskyuk have seen farther down the development road than meh-firsters. Apple does this; every move they make is a preparation for a later move on the game board of the future—a map leading to a happy confluence of technology and human need.
I can’t tell you how many times I find myself needing my phone (in my pocket) while seat belted in my car driving in traffic. Much easier — and safer– to get to my wrist.
Many times I was trying to do the same thing trying to dig my phone out of my pocket which is highly distracting and frustrating when driving. Looking forward to the Watch. Apple gave plenty of compelling reasons to own one and those reasons will only increase with time – so to speak. 🙂
Again, meh. I can use my phone in my car while it is in my pocket now, with the Bluetooth integration that exists today.
If you’d rather just pull your iPhone out of your pocket, then it’s not for you. Nothing wrong with that.
Me? I absolutely HATE having to dig my iPhone out of my pocket at inopportune times. Especially when a text comes in, and I’m in the car. I’m not stupid enough to respond, and sometimes I’ll just ignore it, but often I know it’s something important. So I wait until I’m cruising on the freeway, then I start wiggling around, trying to get the phone out of my uncooperative pants while keeping my eyes on the road. A watch that displayed the message would be heaven in that case.
I also like the idea of a more full-featured remote for my iPhone for use when I’m cycling.
——RM
No Dick Tracy watch?
Here we go again. AAPL up 103.08 down 96.10 now up 98.23. I’m getting nauseous.
if the watch was a stand alone product and didn’t need an iPhone, this would be much bigger. it would be huge for kids. then again thankfully the watch works with iphone5 versions, cause lots of kids and others already have those. smart move by apple
If the watch didn’t interact with and take advantage of the iPhone, they wouldn’t sell as many)
I’m sure it can still tell time without the iPhone. 😉
how do you listen to music on an watch?
As the article states, “Apple Watch also features Wi-Fi 802.11b/g and Bluetooth 4.0 to pair seamlessly with your iPhone.”
so the teeny tiny speaker on the watch? I see no headphone input. Get real.
Did I say it did.
It’s a watch. Not a phone or a music player. However, it can control you iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, etc., thus your Headphones/speakers connected to them.
Hell, you can use your Watch as a view finder and take pics on you iPhone camera.
I don’t think he quite gets the logic, Really who wants to plug headphones into a watch. Lose the will to live at times.
You don’t listen to music on the Watch. You listen on the iPhone, which is required. The Apple Watch is an iPhone accessory. You can access music from the Watch, but you’re playing it through the iPhone.
And the watch has Bluetooth, so presumably any sounds it does make can be sent to a Bluetooth headset.
What was your brilliant vision? A headphone cord attached to your wrist? Do you have any idea how idiotic that would look? You’d snag it on everything as you moved around.
——RM
Your Apple Watch streams your music from your iPhone to your Beats wireless headphones.
that function already exists on iPhone. Redundancy, part deux.
…that is redundant nonsense, just listen via headphones on your iPhone to begin with.
seriously, unfortunately this has flop written all over it.
Consider it as a remote. The music will play on the phone.
then why not just use the phone to begin with? man, that’s dumb.
400 bucks for an effin’ remote? get real.
2001 – “400 bucks for an MP3 player? Get real!”
2007 – “400 bucks for a cellphone? Get real!”
2010 – “400 bucks for an oversized iPod touch? Get real!”
——RM
and everyone of those items were independent devices.
OK, here’s the point ->•
And here’s you
->You
It is not just a remote, but it can be one. It has many other uses, and a great deal more functionality, but the point of the remote function is so that one can more easily manipulate the features of their phone (such as music playback) without having to dig around in their pocket to do so. Now, maybe you don’t exercise and/or where 90’s cargo pants with HUGE pockets, but for the majority of the 1st (and even 2nd) world, this function will of no doubt be useful.
What is great, is that it is optional, so YOU needn’t buy one. What’s also great is that YOU saying it’s ‘dumb’ or a ‘flop’ does not automatically make it so.
“watch.”
How many millions does Apple have to sell before you would call it a success?
you “watch,” this will be an unmitigated failure.. occasionally eff’s up, hockey puck mouse, that ridiculous MacTV, the stupid, overpriced speaker…this is one of those times.
If it is NOT obvious what a hit this will be, well, I suppose YOU will have to wait and see. For the rest of us, it is REALLY OBVIOUS.
And you are comparing those Apple gadgets, which re-invented nothing, to the Apple Watch, which re-invents everything… Time will tell. And then you’ll know.
I was involved with one of the largest school boards in NA. One that bought iMac 3G’s that came with the ‘hockey puck (HP)’.
Interesting that virtually every other place I saw the same iMac 3G’s, no body complained. And no body replaced their HP’s either. Just like MOST computer buyers who seldom change their mouses that came with their original package.
whatever.
I don’t think this will be a failure. Too many comments here are focusing on the superficial aspects of the iWatch, and not on the implications of it, especially its potential as a health monitor. To an aging Baby Boomer generation, the ones with money to spend and worrying about their health, this has the potential to be a huge moneymaker for Apple. Especially if the Healthcare Organizations offer discounts or other coverage incentives to encourage purchases.
As well, despite other press comments about the iWatch being Tim Cook’s baby, it’s not. This was started during Steve Jobs’s long and losing fight with cancer. It has Steve’s imprint all over it. There will be some usability glitches when it first comes out, as it is version 1.0 after all – your comment about banging into things is a possibility – but nothing that Apple can’t fix. I hear echoes of the criticism and ridicule when the first iPhone came out. And almost noone has mentioned the similarity between the four-month lead time for its release, and to the six-month lead time for the first iPhone. Something is up, and we’ll just have to wait and see what it is.
“…This was started during Steve Jobs’s long and losing…”
not according to Timmy:
“this has flop written all over it”
Yes John C. Dvorak
you don’t listen to the music through your watch , your just controlling the iPhone from your wrist
You pair it with a wireless bluetooth headset
Apple says on their website that it will play music without connection to an iPhone. Internal storage and bluetooth headphones would be how. Perfect.
Great Keynote.
yeah, Tim did great job.
…unfortunately the tv live stream sucked bananas, constantly requiring restarting…also, I don’t need to listen to a Chinese translator during a product launch
The need for an iPhone kills this for any fitness use other than perhaps cycling. I’m not running with a (now larger) phone and a watch. Oddly, the female runners shown in the promo videos didn’t have a visible phone on them. Perhaps it’s only needed of you want the GPS feature, and not if you only want heart rate and time?
I agree. I’ve been trying to figure out if the watch can replace my iPod Nano. For running, I need/want a small standalone device with Bluetooth and a distance tracker. If I have to pack along an iPhone, then I can just wear the too bulky iPhone.
1) Does the watch have any onboard memory to store music?
2) Can I connect/pair bluetooth headphones directly to it?
3) Can the watch track my runs without the GPS from the phone? Similarly to the Nike running app?
If I need a phone for these functions, the Nano is a better solution today.
Have to admit that I was watching those scantily clad female runners wondering just where they were storing their iPhones. This seems to be the elephant in the room; Apple should have addressed it because it is a rather obvious question.
This question needs to be answered. It defeats the purpose if the iPhone is also needed. In addition, I run on a treadmill so how will it track the distance?
I took the afternoon off to watch this. I’m a GIANT fan. And I am a fan — I root for Apple, because technology makes my life better and no ones better at it than these folks; thus, no one makes my life better in the tech realm than Apple.
That said, I just kept thinking, “Damn, I do not want that on my wrist.”
It looks like a deck of cards bound to a wrist with duct tape. I thought the bottom button might actually inflate the thing into a raft for those training for Triathlon. The astronomy face was so appropriate for the demonstration because the thing probably has a gravitational field quite close to that of the Moon.
God, are you kidding me? Seriously? SERIOUSLY? I’m glad they used the same place as they did for the original Mac and the iMac because this was basically one of those bound to the human body with rubber, stainless or leather bands, you choose.
Sweet Mary, mother of God, it’s a pierced iPod classic. No way in hell I’m going through a day with that on my arm. Call me in 2020 when it doesn’t rival the diameter of my wrist in profile.
Crap, just crap. Seriously? Damn.
It may not appeal to you, but it is most certainly not ‘crap’. Samsung has the lock on the ‘crap’ market.
yeah, it’s very thick, upraised on your wrist…in practical use it would get banged around a lot it seems to me.
Have you been out of the watch market the last few years??? Watches the size of dinner plates are now the norm. My 15-year-old Swiss Army watch is the size of the small Apple Watch and is positively tiny compared to most new watches. Guessing the larger Watch is the size of my metal Casio GShock and not a big deal.
You must not keep up with watches very closely. I don’t think it looks to be any thicker than a Rolex Daytona, and there are some ridiculously thick watches out there that are very popular over the last several years. BTW, all of the watches I’m thinking about are north of $5K and, generally, do nothing but keep time.
Thats just plain weird. You clearly need a heart monitor or writing lessons.
It’s no bigger than the Citizen Eco-Drive Chrono I wear now. And regardless of whether it is too big for your wrist (you can always get the “woman’s” model), it certainly doesn’t look like a “deck of cards bound to a wrist with duct tape.”
I’ll give you that one. True enough.
As the article states, “Apple Watch also features Wi-Fi 802.11b/g and Bluetooth 4.0 to pair seamlessly with your iPhone.”
I wonder how much that 18 karat bad boy will be? And the different bands?
That gold watch will replace iPhone as most stolen device.
The gold option is stupid. I have several gold watches which will be valuable as watches for decades. An Apple watch will be valuable until the next model come out.
I love how all the fan concepts had watches that were paper thin as they didn’t have to design all the electronics that fit inside.
It won’t be that thin till at least Apple Watch 4. 😉
Did i miss something here?
Whats so exciting about iwatch over whats already out there?
Yojimbo007
Tuesday, September 9, 2014 – 3:32 pm · Reply
Did i miss something here?
Whats so exciting about iwatch over whats already out there?
First of all, there is no iWatch.
Secondly, there is NOTHING out there that matches the functionality, quality and selection of the AppleWatch.
My mistake. It isn’t AppleWatch!.
It’s Watch, i.e., Apple Watch.
0. Looks better than any Android Wear watch. (But not that much better)
1. Digital Crown is great – and Apple will be able to sue anyone who tries to copy it
But beyond that … not that different from other smart watches available, including but not limited to the Android Wear ones. So if it sells, it will be entirely due to brand loyalty. Which, of course, is not such a bad thing.
Apple Watch is required if you want to use Apple Pay and have an iPhone 5, 5S or 5C. One instance where you might want to have both.
Did anyone notice how much black space is shown on the corners of the home screen. Almost like the home screen was designed for a round screen.
Probably when they saw how much they’d need to shoehorn into the body they realized they’d need the extra space the corners would provide. The only thing that needs a square is pics, and seriously, who’s going to browse their photo library on their wristwatch? Like no one. But give it a few generations. This is a start. I guess that’s how it works.
Round screens? Hell how did we ever evolve enough to even make a dumb comment like that.
Is it waterproof or water resistant. I want to swim with it.
Yes same question.
I guess it must be since when you practice any activity you already sweat.
I’ve been wondering exactly the same thing for some time now as I surf all the time. Where I would be interested in this thing is when I’m out surfing I can first check the time, then when the wife is texting me when are you going to be home? Can you pick some stuff up from the store, I could just text her back while out in the water ‘yes dear, got it dear, will do dear’. But I don’t think that’s possible since you need your iphone. When that’s possible and it’s water proof then I’d be seriously interested.
I did notice that non of the athletes were swimmers.
Keep in mind that the watch uses the GPS in the iPhone, something most swimmers don’t keep in their pocket.
I wonder if Apple patented the functions of the crown. Even if they did, expect Samsung to cobble together something similar if not exactly the same.
Pretty easy answer in a slider, I would think, along the right edge. It’s not a spinning thing, so when you get to the edge you have to move your finger. So not as elegant or useful. But a solution.
Actually, I fully expect Samsung to come out with the same thing even if it is patented up the wazoo. What’s to stop them? They spend 4 years in court arguing that it’s obvious to turn a dial to change a function and all the while are raking in the cash.
Bet on it.
BUT SURELY after reading the hard-headed comments here, Samsung will be convinced the thing will NOT sell, and so will NOT bother copying it.
EITHER THAT or Samsung WILL copy it, make boatloads of money, and the commenters here somehow didn’t ‘get it.’
Not saying which scenario I favour
• Does it have a cam built in? The tip of the crown could get one in the future. Don’t forget the Face Time Cam on screen side 😛
I have recognized a cam app on its home screen, or is it just linked to the iphones cam app?
• Does it have mic and speaker to take calls without touching the iPhone?
• How long does the battery last?
• How much does it weigh?
• Apple Care protection Plan available?
Overall I must admit: GOOD JOB APPLE !
iPhone 6 is also a great Performer, something about the design of the rear I do not like, although the segmentation might be technically inevitable, it looks kind of cheap.
Simple a marvel of technology
years ago I posted that Apple should drop the ‘i’ name because so many have trademark it (Apple paid 60 million for ‘iPad’ to the trademark owner in China) instead just use ‘Apple’ like Apple Pad (Apple Mac, Apple Tv etc). It just ties the Apple brand together , many people – in Asia for example – do not even know that the iPhone maker also makes ‘MacBooks as the naming system is different.
Nobody can trademark ‘Apple Watch’ before Apple: solves ENDLESS hassles. The iPad was delayed for two years or something in china due to the iPad trademark issue, so losing millions beside the trademark payment of 60 million (60 m is more than Amazon makes in an average quarter).
It’s chubby like the Moto 360 but Apple is skilled at decreasing that over time. I’m psyched about Apple Pay on the watch because I won’t replace my phone until the iPhone 6s+.
I likely get the steel one with a steel mesh band to start and then collect the straps unless the leather or sport bands come in black.
My current sports watch case is already quite thick to protect the face so if the aWatch case is is that thick or less it is an instant buy. If it is heavier or WAY thicker I may wait tip it slims down.
There is a hands-on video on Appleinsider. http://appleinsider.com/articles/14/09/09/first-look-hands-on-with-the-all-new-apple-watch
It doesn’t look as thick as even I thought.
It doesn’t really matter what Apple does, the shithawks can’t wait to crap on it.
I guess the are so full of it, they really don’t have anything else to expel. Out of the mouths or the AHoles.