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Apple Watch to be managed by a dedicated iPhone app, Watch apps are installed from the phone

Apple Pay iPhone 6 iPhone 6 Plus Apple Watch

As part of an extensive hands-on by Ariel Adams, the piece shines some light on how the Apple Watch is controlled and managed. At the media event, Apple showed a wide variety of watch apps … but did not mention how they get onto the watch itself.

Adams’ post says that users download Apple Watch apps through a central hub app on the iPhone. Rather than having an App Store UI on a tiny watch screen, users install content on the device from their phone. This is similar to how iPods are managed via the iTunes app on a Mac or PC.

Apple Watch users will install an Apple Watch app on their iPhone, which will be used to download apps onto the watch as well as likely manage Apple Watch settings. A user’s iPhone is also used to help with computational demands. Apple cleverly pushes a lot of processor needs to the phone in order to preserve Apple Watch battery life.

Apparently, the phone will also dedicate some of its processing power to handle complicated or computationally-intensive tasks. This means that the Apple Watch battery can be drained as little as possible. For instance, the iPhone may do the deep analysis of incoming health data sending only the results to the Watch, for display. Apple has vaguely suggested that the Apple Watch will have about one day of battery life.

Although it is unclear whether the Apple Watch management app will come from, it is likely to be included in one of the planned iOS 8.x updates. 9to5Mac reported yesterday that iOS 8.1, 8.2 and 8.3 are in development. iOS 8.1 is expected to bring Apple Pay amongst other changes, but it is very possible that either 8.2 or 8.3 will be required to operate the Apple Watch.

At some point, Apple will release an SDK for the Watch (called WatchKit) which will allow developers to create interactive notifications and ‘glances’ for the device. Support for truly native third-party apps has been announced, but the tools to make such apps will not be available until ‘later’ in 2015.

Apple has been mum on a lot of Apple Watch details, probably because they aren’t finalized. It is currently showing the product in France for Fashion Week, but the units still play demo videos rather than run the actual OS. Apple Watch is currently planned to be released early next year, starting at $350.

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Comments

  1. I did a podcast with this guy a couple days ago to talk about the Apple Watch.

    http://www.resolvepodcast.com/episodes/2014/9/30/apple-watch-the-21st-century-wristwatch

  2. PMZanetti - 9 years ago

    “9to5Mac reported yesterday that iOS 8.1, 8.2 and 8.3 are in development. iOS 8.1 is expected to bring Apple Pay amongst other changes, but it is very possible that either 8.2 or 8.3 will be required to operate the Apple Watch.”

    To be fair, yesterday’s article did not mention any of these speculations. I DID, in the comments. Yesterday’s article had some ludicrous theory about Apple moving to an OS X style naming convention.

  3. I really hope the AppleWatch App is either downloadable from the App Store OR if preinstalled, they finally allow users to easily delete Apple’s Stock Apps.
    I don’t use the Stocks app, or Podcasts (I listen on the Mac) and a few others, that could save some space on my iPhone.

    • Perhaps it will be something similar to the AirPort Utility app.

    • Even if they won’t let me remove the app for fear of breaking links – like opening a webpage in Safari from a third party-app – I’d like to be allow to hide them. They could make a spot in the settings app where one could re-enable display of the hidden apps. You wouldn’t gain any storage by hidding them, but at least everyone could get rid of their ‘useless’ or ‘do not use’ folders.

  4. iphone6splus - 9 years ago

    1 GB of RAM.

  5. ugh, it just gets worse and worse. :((

  6. herb02135go - 9 years ago

    Was the review thoroughly vetted by Apple? We’d hate for more media to lose their accreditation.

    Given the issues with bending and updates flailing and lack of security, I’d suggest holding off on buying this product.

  7. lkernan - 9 years ago

    I hope the app is called iTime…

  8. hada2013 - 9 years ago

    Hola corazones pues como andamos ???;):):)

  9. RaptorOO7 (@RaptorOO7) - 9 years ago

    So this will be the second time Apple has followed Samsung’s lead this year. First was offering a Note sized phone and now managing your smartwatch via the phone just like Samsung. They need to get with the program.

    • Steve Plew - 9 years ago

      That makes you so cool that you like Samsung. It must be a great victory for you when Apple does something Samsung already did. Congratulations to you! You are a winner!

    • herb02135go - 9 years ago

      Second if you are counting only products.

      If you are counting innovations, the new iPhone had at least 8 that my S5 has had for nearly a year.

      Apple likes to screw its sheep.

    • I believe Apple first came up with the idea based from their iPod nanos. Maybe… Samsung heard about it and released it first.

  10. giskardian - 9 years ago

    Flop.

    Smart Watches won’t take off until battery technology improves by an order of magnitude.

    • houstonche - 9 years ago

      I wouldn’t call it a flop, but I’d say apple would have taken the smart watch world by storm like it did with the iPhone if it was going to get superb battery life. Unfortunately I will likely not partake in this product either.

    • herb02135go - 9 years ago

      Market research shows there is not much of a consumer demand for this.
      Plus it’s not much of a health app more like a fitness tracker, which anyone who wants one already has.

  11. thoughtsofmymadlife - 9 years ago

    Is it supposed to have the ability to measure sleep stats too? I’ve seen no mention of this function, which the Samsung Gear2 has, and so do most of the other fitness trackers on the market. Also, 1 day of battery life seems pretty terrible – Hubby generally gets 3-4 days out of his Gear2.

    • thoughtsofmymadlife - 9 years ago

      For the record, I am not an android person – never owned one, never will, but I do feel Apple should be offering a product with similar functionality if it’s going to cost the same amount.

      • calisparkz - 9 years ago

        Costing way more probably

      • thoughtsofmymadlife - 9 years ago

        Even more reason to have minimum of the same functionality.

      • herb02135go - 9 years ago

        Yep, costing way more.

        Two reasons:
        – shiny shortage has driven up prices
        – fools and their money are soon parted. Usually after a new Apple product launch.

      • thoughtsofmymadlife - 9 years ago

        Good point. However, I won’t personally be parting with my cash unless it is significantly more useful than it currently looks like. I’ll stick with my boring analog watch and fitbit for now

  12. As usual an “elite” minority of techies believe that if something isn’t for them, it is not for anyone and therefore a MASSIVE (the hyperbole!) failure. Computers on your wrist only have so much space to house batteries. Cellular/GPS tech in this watch, along with all of the other things it does would KILL the battery. Also, your phone is always with you anyway. What is the big deal? People already wear mechanical watches and carry iPhones. Everyday.

    As far as the design…how people fail to acknowledge what a feat of engineering this is baffles me. Even if version 1.0 is not for you and doesn’t (yet) include features you want. The amount of care, detail, research, respect, and thought put into it is staggering. No other company would do this.

    Apple Watch is a first pass at a vision of future communication. Just like the iPad and iPhone before it, people fail to see the potential. Look at the 1st gen iPhone and now look at iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.

    • collectantic - 9 years ago

      I think you are totally right. So many stupid geaks don’t understand that apple is not making this watch for some men obsessed by having a cool gadget so big that everyone can see it and say OMG. Apple perfectly understood an extremely complex market which is the watch industry, with Swatch as leader. They understood how did Swatch succeeded in selling the same quartz movement to millions by offering personnal design option. Apple also understood that the future is absolutely not to make phone calls with a watch because you look stupid, but most of that because people give less and less calls and send more and more short messages, especially young people, who are the consummers of the future. More of that the apple watch is not only a health tracker, it is an apple pay device, which is the most important point of this watch, because when you’re on week-end or holiday and want to make a break, you can shut-down your phone and still pay with youre watch. More of that you can turn on lights into your house or change the music playing into youre house. This year Apple killed Samsung on mobile phones, the whole smart watch industry including amotorola, they killed also Paypal, and even Visa and Mastercard. But this is an extremely powerful strategy on middle and long term, as usually with ipod and iphone The whole industry including Samsung will just follow with stupid copies, making improvements that will not kill Apple but that Apple will then include in better ways because they have a long term vision, not stupid ideas like passport iphone or useless curved sides phones like the so funny and so ridiculous new Samsung. So yes the iphone 6 has some things the galaxy had already, yes the same for the watch, but these are details, because Samsung didn’t make Applepay and didn’t understand the watch market, because they have no global long term vision. Apple invent, then have time and wait, while Samsung and Co are just running and running to make copies and create useless innovations, then Apple include the view usefull of them and again create a new market and let the other to run after, I’m just laughing

  13. Jason Ames - 9 years ago

    My Pebble has been managed that way on my iPhone all along, it’s a slick way of handling it, including watch firmware updates. I couldn’t imagine installing watch apps from the watch with any ease.

    • houstonche - 9 years ago

      True but think of how narrow their market is becoming. Have to have an iPhone to use it. Have to have a newer iPhone to get the full functionality of it. Makes it difficult to justify dropping 350 on it.

Author

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Benjamin Mayo

Benjamin develops iOS apps professionally and covers Apple news and rumors for 9to5Mac. Listen to Benjamin, every week, on the Happy Hour podcast. Check out his personal blog. Message Benjamin over email or Twitter.