Let's face it, the Apple Watch has been a long time coming. It's been one of the longest rumored devices by Apple that I can remember, second to the iPhone. So what's all the fuss about with this new wearable by Apple.
The Apple Watch was September 9, 2014 with a "Spring 2015" release date, which some rumors of that being around Valentine's Day 2015 with a starting price point of $349. Apple Watch comes equipped with an Apple made S1 processor.
Looks and Variations
It will come in two sizes: 38mm and 42mm. There are also six varieties including: silver aluminum, space grey aluminum, stainless steel, space grey stainless steel, 18K yellow gold, and 18k rose gold. There are also six types of watch straps. There are technically three separate Apple Watches: Sport, Apple Watch, and Apple Watch Edition.
Technical Specs
There are still some unknowns at this point since the device is not yet available, but here's what we do know:
- Processor - Apple S1
- RAM - 512MB
- Storage Capacity - 4GB
- Battery Capacity - Unknown
- Battery Life - Unknown (Though it's been heard that a daily charge will be required.)
- Resolution - 38mm @ 340 x 272 px and 42mm @ 390 x 312 px
- Sapphire-Crystal Display
- Mag-Safe Charging
- Compatible with iPhone 5, 5c, 5s, 6, and 6+
Features
The Apple Watch comes equipped with a variation of iOS software that works closely with your iPhone. Here's a list of features from Apple's website:
- Messages
- Phone
- Sketch
- Walkie-Talkie
- Tap
- Heartbeat
- Fitness
- Apple Pay
- Calendar
- Maps
- Passbook
- Music
- Apple TV Remote
- Remote Camera
- Timer
- Stopwatch
- Alarms
- Stock
- Weather
- Photos
- Siri
- Glances
- Actionable Notifications
- Third-Party Webkit Apps (The SDK was released 11/17/14)
Thoughts
The truth is, Apple is entering a market that is already starting to crowd, with devices already available from Samsung, Microsoft, Asus, LG, Sony, and Motorola. These other smart watches are typically $250 or less while Apple's comes out on top of the heap, starting at $349. They have been in this situation before with the iPhone however and we all know how that played out.
There's a couple of concerns that I keep coming back to: battery life and water resistance. A daily charge for your phone is one thing since you don't actually wear it, but a watch on the other hand (no pun intended), is typically something you put on and forget it's there type of device. Also, if you're charging it overnight, it's kinda hard to do sleep metrics which I think Apple may have missed the boat on.
Then the issue of water resistance, it's likely that you'd have to take it off before baths, showers, and swimming. Again, the inconvenience is pretty high, you could be taking your watch on and off twice a day, potentially. In a first world problem sort of way, you should not need to be taking your watch off that frequently.
Will I buy one? The answer is yes, but that's probably the engineer in me wanting to get my hands on first article builds more than anything. What Apple did right for sure is playing the fashion side of it. A watch is supposed to look good, something Apple excels at and the competition seemed to not focus on as much (I'm looking at you Samsung). I have not seen one in person, yet, but from what I've seen it's a remarkable looking device.
The jury is still out there for me on the Apple Watch. On one hand, you have cutting edge technology, style, 3rd party apps, Apple Pay, and usability. On the other hand, you have a high entry point ($349 is up there), battery life, and possible lack of water resistance. I personally cannot wait to try one.
Stay posted for a full review when they come out.
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