Apple Watch is coming in 2015.
Though it was unveiled recently , we will not be seeing it until early 2015. But based on what we DID see of the Apple Watch, here is our seven point take on it.
1. It looks pretty good
Well, there have been differing opinions about the whole look and design of the Watch and while there does seem to be a segment that claims that the watch is not drop dead gorgeous in best Apple tradition (my personal feeling), we did see plenty of people going into raptures over its design. Yes, there was the “we think Moto 360 rocks” segment of the audience too, but by and large, we think most people think that Apple has done a decent job with the watch. The blend of sapphire glass and metal topped off with those stunning straps is clearly going to have a following. And yes, we LOVE the fact that there is a version for the ladies – something other smartphone manufacturers missed altogether.
2. It is pretty expensive
Right, let’s get this off our chests – USD 349 for a watch is a fair amount of money, and a full USD 100 up and over what the likes of the Moto 360 and the Pebble Steel cost. Honestly, we are not really great fans of accessories that cost as much as a relatively high end device, and the Apple Watch so far falls right into that category. Yes, it costs much lesser than a new iPhone, but we can see people perking up and saying that you will be able to get a pretty decent Android or Windows Phone device for that kind of money. And before you ask, yes, we were expecting Apple to pull a rabbit out of its hat in this regard, just as it had surprised us with the pricing of the iPod classic and the iPad.
3. It has a stack of sensors and its own chip
It has a heart rate sensor, an accelerometer, has electrodes around the display that can distinguish between a touch and a press and its very own processor. Computer on your wrist? Somewhat, somewhat.
4. It does calls and messages
There seems to have been some confusion over this in some circles but it is pretty clear that the device has its own speaker and microphone. So yes, call handling does seem to be in there. And you can dictate messages to it and also send sketches and a whole lot more.
5. A very touchy-feely-talky interface
The whole interface is a mix of taps, touches, rotations, vibrations and merry chattering. Notifications make themselves felt through gentle vibrations; you can sketch on the screen; use the Digital Crown (the rotator thingy on the side of the watch) to zoom in and out, scroll and select objects. Use the button next to the Digital Crown to reach your closest friends and send messages with a simple tap or sketch. You can even send a tap on the wrist to a friend – uber cool! Finally, there is Siri for voice commands and the option to dictate stuff. Honestly, we are a bit worried about this, as accents and background sound can vary.
6. It has got the apps
Maps, photo albums, stop watches, music controller, alarm, a mobile wallet, a calendar, a fitness tracker – the Apple Watch is going to a treasure trove of apps, and their number is only going to increase. This could well be the feature that REALLY differentiates the Apple Watch from the others in the arena.
7. It is linked to the iPhone
We had been privately hoping that the Apple Watch would be a device that is independent of another, but judging from what we have seen so far, it depends on the iPhone for a lot of its functionalities – anything that needs GPS or Wi-Fi will need it to be paired with an iPhone. It would have been too much to expect it to work with Android devices, but we had sort of hoped for a super iPod on our wrist to be dreadfully honest.
Note: Its battery life is unknown
We have no official information about the battery life of the Apple Watch, however, judging by all the sensors on the device and its bright retina display, we have a feeling that heavy users might end up having to charge it on an almost daily basis. That said, it does have a very cool magnetic charger.
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