The Clock Is Ticking Toward The Apple Watch Release
By Edward Cardenas
SOUTHFIELD (CBS Detroit) - Apple revealed the features and functions of its new Apple Watch during a media event Monday in San Francisco.
The stylish smartwatch more closely resembles traditional watches than some of the other wearable technologies on the market, and comes with a number of interactive and customizable features from workout reminders to making and receiving phone calls.
"Apple Watch begins a new chapter in the way we relate to technology and we think our customers are going to love it," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, said in a release. "We can't wait for people to start wearing Apple Watch to easily access information that matters, to interact with the world, and to live a better day by being more aware of their daily activity than ever before."
Cook stated that the Apple Watch will be available for pre-order, and previews in store, starting April 10. The smartwatches will begin shipping and be available for purchase on April 24 in the United States and eight other countries around the world.
Apple Watch comes in two different sizes, 38 mm and 42 mm, and three models: Apple Watch Sport, Apple Watch and Apple Watch Edition. Prices for the Apple Watch range from $349 for the Apple Watch Sport to $17,000 for an 18-karat gold Apple Watch Edition.
The Apple Watch Sport features an aluminum case in silver and space gray, a Retina display and a Sport Band in five colors. The Apple Watch collection has a polished stainless steel and space black stainless steel cases with a Retina display and a choice of three different leather straps, a stainless steel link bracelet and Milanese loop, and a black or white Sport Band. The top-end Apple Watch Edition features a custom rose or yellow 18-karat gold alloys, a Retina display and "uniquely designed" straps and bands with 18-karat gold clasps, buckles or pins.
Cook addressed the question of the device's battery life, stating that it has up to an 18-hour battery life and can be recharged using an magnetic charger.
The watch itself can utilize apps including car-on-demand service Uber, checking into American Airlines flight, receive updates from MLB.com and various health and fitness sensors, metrics workout reminders.
Other features of the watch include "Taptic Engine" alerts which provides a gentle tap for notification alerts; "Digital Touch" to communicate between Apple Watches and send messages and read emails.
As a timepiece, Apple Watch keeps time to within 50 milliseconds of UTC - the universal time standard - and offers personalized watch faces from traditional watch arms to an animated Mickey Mouse. The face can also be configured to include additional information such as time zones and upcoming meetings.
Cook also use the event to unveil additional product enhancements including:
- HBO Now will debut on Apple TV in April. The price of Apple TV will also be cut to $69.
- Apple has released ResearchKit for medical and health researches to gather data from iPhone users. Apps have been developed to collect information, and share it with researchers with the consent of users, for asthma, breast cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and Parkinson's disease.
- An updated 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display with the new Force Touch trackpad, fifth generation Intel Core processors and Intel Iris Graphics 6100, two times faster flash and longer battery life. Additionally, Apple also updated the 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air with fifth generation Intel Core processors, Intel HD Graphics 6000, and Thunderbolt 2. It is now available in Apple stores.
- Apple also unveiled a new 12-inch MacBook with a 12-inch Retina display; full-size keyboard; new Force Touch trackpad; a compact USB-C port for data transfer, video out and charging in a single connector and a new battery design for all-day battery life. The new laptop is also the thinnest MacBook ever at 13.1 mm at its thickest point and lighter at two pounds. It will also come in three aluminum finishes—gold, silver and space gray - when it is available in stores on April 10.