The Apple Watch is Finally Here!
And we’ve been calling it the wrong thing for…oh, approximately 18 months. Yes, the iWatch never was and never shall be. Meet the Apple Watch.
The version pictured above is one of many. Not only did Apple design the hottest ticket in smart watches, it designed three distinct versions of it, each with further customizable options. It also decided to further up the personalization ante by offering each of the editions in two sizes: 38mm and 42mm. The photo above is of the “Apple Edition” – no Limited or Special necessary, just Apple Edition. Each of the six(!) versions of the Edition watch feature a specially crafted “18-karat gold that [Apple] metallurgists have developed to be up to twice as hard as standard gold.” The option above shows the “Modern” band, an Aniline dyed leather in “rose grey” with a rose gold modern clasp.
But there are so many case options! The gold is special, and lovely, but the Stainless, silver aluminum, and the Space gray and black variants of each lend every rendition of the Apple Watch a distinct look. Apple categorized them – along with coordinating strap combinations – into a curated smaller selection because clearly it is easy to be overcome with giddiness when picturing this bad boy on your wrist.
According to designer Jony Ive, “The “heart” of the watch is a custom-designed chip that is “essentially miniaturizing an entire computer system on a single chip. The back crystal has a “unique charging solution.”
Of course, you can go rogue and customize your own look completely by combining colors & bands that are all interchangeable.
We’re salivating. So many options! And yes, they’re all aesthetically pleasing. But what makes an Apple Watch worth it (starting at $349 a pop)? It turns out, as a surprise to no one, a whole lot.
In his keynote and unveiling of the iPhone 6 and 6 plus today, Apple CEO Tim Cook said “Because you wear it, we invented new intimate ways to connect and communicate directly from your wrist and it works seamlessly with iPhone. And it’s also a comprehensive health and fitness device.”
So, like all Apple products it integrates with your other Apple and Mac family members, especially your phone. Like the Ringly, the Apple watch extends your ability to communicate from beyond being tethered to your phone. The watch can notify its wearer of texts, calls, calendar reminders and more with a vibration notification so subtle that the person sitting next to you shouldn’t be able to hear it. It will also allow you to take photos, and send pre-composed texts (In a meeting, call you later, etc. etc.)
You’ll also have access to all the apps on your phone, including a map function that allows you to search for nearby businesses and then navigate seamlessly while your watch notifies you when it’s time to turn left or right. The built in accelerometer and gyroscope allow the Apple Watch to work with a variety of fitness apps, and you can also use it to monitor heartbeat. You can also send your heartbeat to a contact and they’ll feel your pulse on their wrists. Adorable for those in long distance relationships, and perfect for those in “friendly” competition over who had the harder workout.
What should have been a very cool partnership with the Mayo Clinic, HealthKit, is not being promoted as widely. The app would gather vital stats like blood pressure and aforementioned heart rate to share with medical providers. Apple’s atrocious iCloud hacks have cast major doubt over whether HealthKit would be safe and private enough to use. While Apple insists that health info wouldn’t be stored in iCloud, certain parties are still wary. But a very cool concept nonetheless.
Maybe the most exciting feature – again, once you get over the glaring security flaws of The Cloud – is Apple Pay. This would allow you to pay with your phone anywhere your credit card is accepted. The watch would take over for your phone, making payment even easier. According to Fashionista, Sephora has already announced they plan to accept Apple Pay by the holiday season.
The watch itself won’t be here in time for you to unwrap in December, but apple isn’t worried. They expect an early 2015 release and plan to take their time to make everything perfect – it seems like they’re off to a great start.
