Apple Watch

Early this year, we posted the first screenshots and details of an early version of the Apple Watch Companion application for the iPhone. Now that the application is bundled into iOS 8.2, developer Hamza Sood has activated the Apple Watch Settings portion and has shared a view of screenshots. As can be seen in the full gallery below, the interface is dark black, like the Activity app for fitness revealed yesterday, and includes all of the functionality we detailed earlier. Some interesting new settings, however, were revealed today, such as one for assigning a left or right wrist to the Watch, Handoff support, Haptic Strength, and volume levels. The Apple Watch will be released on April 24th, with pre-orders beginning on April 10th.

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Developer Hamza Sood has done some digging inside the public iOS 8.2 build that was distributed to users on Monday. Although the Apple Watch is included by default as stock app (undeletable, whether you like it or not), the OS also includes an Activity app. Although it was previously known that the app existed, Apple has not shared details about what features the app has or even how you installed onto your phone.

Sood claims that the Activity app automatically appears on your Home Screen, once an Apple Watch is paired to the iPhone. After setup of the Activity features on the Watch itself, the app unlocks.

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From 9to5Google: 

The Apple Watch was once again shown off at Apple’s “Spring Forward” event on Monday, and many have been left wondering how the device compares to the Android Wear devices currently on the market. Technology has surely evolved a bit since the G Watch was announced, but how much have things changed?

There are several differences between the two platforms, but one that has now been brought to light is the device’s physical dimensions. Looking at Apple’s renders and images makes the device look big, but comparing its actual dimensions to Android Wear devices does the opposite. It’s tiny compared to most of what’s available today.

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In the run up to the Spring Forward event, many people were expecting to see a lengthy exposition of the Apple Watch, to clarify confusion and offer a clean explanation as to how this product plays an essential role in people’s lives. What transpired was not that, at all. Apple’s event was a grab-bag procession of various product announcements, from Mac to Apple TV, concluding with a review of Watch features alongside pricing and availability details.

It did not help consolidate the vision for the Watch. Apple’s messaging for this product is almost the same as it was back in September. The company has not succinctly provided a reason for the Watch’s existence.

That’s not to say it doesn’t have one. I think the Watch is a great product with a good sales trajectory ahead of it, especially the $349 Sport models. The marketing aspects are lacking, so far. The Watch does not have clearly defined themes. Apple’s attempts at promoting three ‘tentpole’ use cases have, in my view, been conveyed poorly.

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Happy Hour is back and this week we’re discussing all of Apple’s latest announcements. The Spring Forward event brought along a few new Apple Watch details, slight MacBook Pro/Air updates, and the anticipated 12-inch MacBook with Retina Display. In this episode, we’re breaking down the announcements and serving up all of the need-to-know information about Apple’s latest and greatest for 2015. The Happy Hour podcast is available for download on iTunes and through our dedicated RSS feed…

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Click here to subscribe on iTunes or listen to the episode embedded above.

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Apple’s SVP of Design Jony Ive and ‘part-time’ employee Marc Newson will open Condé Naste’s ‘International Luxury Conference’ in April. The pair will be interviewed by Vogue’s international media editor Suzy Menkes. The set topic is the ’21st century definition of luxury and their collaborative work to date’.

The conference will run from April 22nd to 23rd, just before the Apple Watch is released to the general public. No doubt the Watch will be a key talking point at the conference, with both Ive and Newson playing crucial roles in its development. Although Newson was only confirmed to be working for Apple in September, it has transpired that he has been contributing to the Watch project for years.

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The latest from KGI Research’s Ming-Chi Kuo, one analyst with quite a solid track record on Apple forecasts, predicts Apple will likely release an Apple Watch with new casing materials by the fourth quarter of this year. KGI expects Apple will introduce 1-3 new versions of Apple Watch featuring casing materials other than the aluminium, stainless steel, and 18k gold options its launching next month. From the report:
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The Apple Watch is not a cheap purchase, and with only 60% of our readers planning to buy one, it’s clear that many of you are not yet convinced you see a role for it. (I have to say I was even less convinced after checking out the size on my wrist in the Apple Store app–even the 42mm model looks tiny.)

My own plan, as a smartwatch skeptic, is to check that Apple’s 14-day return policy applies to the watch before buying one to try out for a week, fully expecting to return it. But if you don’t want to lay out that kind of cash even temporarily, a startup called Lumoid is offering Apple Watch rentals starting at $45 a week … 
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Apple is preparing a new Reserve and Pickup system at its retail stores that will roll out in time for the Watch launch on April 24th, according to sources. The Reserve and Pickup system for the Apple Watch will differ from the existing Personal Pickup system for other products, which allows customers to fully purchase items online before picking them up at Apple retail locations. The new system will allow potential Watch customers to reserve a desired case and band combination online, then try the specific Watch in-store before completing the purchase.
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Apple Watch Space Black Stainless Steel, 38mm & 42mm

When the Apple Watch becomes available for pre-order on April 10th next month, customers will have to decide between two different sizes: 38mm and 42mm. Deciding between the two sizes may be difficult if you want to buy one before they begin shipping on April 24th, so the Watch will go on display at Apple Stores two weeks ahead of its launch.

You might not be able to visit a crowded Apple Store just to make that decision, and Apple (mostly) has that covered too. Buried inside the Apple Store app for iPhone is an actual size comparison for each case size. The mockup shows the casing of the Apple Watch with the home screen icons displayed, and you can tap to toggle between the smaller and larger cases.
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Although many people expected that Apple’s Spring Forward event would mostly focus on the Apple Watch, more than half of the event — notably, the first part — covered other topics. Collectively, there were so many interesting developments that their individual significance was somewhat lost, particularly given that long-awaited Watch pricing news wrapped up the event.

That’s why I wanted to reconsider what Spring Forward revealed about some of Apple’s non-Watch products. Some of the announcements signal that big changes are ahead for Apple’s Mac, iPad, and Apple TV product lines, as well as Apple itself. Read on for my thoughts, and add yours to the comments section below…

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Apple will have its own straps and bands available for Apple Watch when it launches next month, but companies are already planning third-party options…
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Swiss watchmakers are once again weighing in on how Apple Watch might impact the Swiss watch industry after Apple yesterday revealed pricing and availability for its three Watch collections. By confirming that its 18k gold models will range from $10,000-$17,000, Apple signaled that it isn’t content to sell into the $350 – $1,000 market where the aluminum Sport and stainless steel Watch models sit; it’s also aiming at the premium luxury watch market. However, it’s the lower end of Apple’s collection that Swiss watchmakers are really worried about.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Swatch co-inventor Elmar Mock says he thinks “Apple will succeed quickly” and predicted that an Ice Age is coming for Swiss watchmakers selling into the $500-$1,000 market. “Anything in the price range of 500 francs to 1,000 francs [US$500-$1,000] is really in danger,” said Mock, speaking from Biel, Switzerland. “I do expect an Ice Age coming toward us.” Mock appears to agree with a reported quote from Apple’s Jonathan Ive that “Switzerland is in trouble,” and differs from current Swatch CEO Nick Hayek, who is aggressively targeting the Apple Watch with Swatch-branded smartwatches…

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In our report last week, we reported that internal models of the Apple Watch included 8 GB of storage. We have now confirmed with the company that the shipping units do indeed ship with an 8 GB storage capacity. However, there are some important limitations.

As a user, you are only allowed to use a subsection of that total space for certain types of data. As confirmed with Apple, users are only allowed to store up to 2 GB of music on the Watch and up to 75 MB of photos for the Photos app. Note that all three collections — Sport, Watch and Edition — feature the same 8 GB memory capacity.

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