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Apple Watch Site Updated But Killer Feature is Still AWOL
The Apple Watch will get a release date in 2015. But ahead of that Apple has updated its branding page with lots of new information
Wearables. No one remembers asking for them and yet here they are, apparently poised to take over the world. 2014 saw the release of Android Wear, Samsung’s Tizen OS for wearables and a whole slew of wearable watches and devices from the likes of LG, Samsung and Motorola.
2014 was also the year Apple confirmed that it too was joining the wearables space, although not until 2015. Apple’s device is called the Apple Watch –– not the iWatch, as many expected –– and is now, ahead of its official release, being championed as THE device that will kick-start the “whole” wearables thing –– just as the iPad did for tablets way back when.
We know quite a bit about the Apple Watch already. There will be three of them to begin with; they’ll run a custom build of iOS based on Apple’s WatchKit SDK; they will require daily charging; and, at least to begin with, they will require an iPhone to function.
Apple Watch Features & UX
Apple’s updated Apple Watch website is now displaying quite a bit of new information, however, including the device’s user interface and examples of how Apple sees punters using the device. For instance, once you own an Apple Watch you’ll be able to customise the display with weather readings, daily activity and a stock market ticker to name but a few possible options. Apple calls these “complications”.
“Apple now includes animated demonstrations of Sketch,” reports Apple Insider, “the image-based messaging tool that allows users to send simple doodles to each other by drawing directly on the watch face. The site also shows off Tap, which serves as a silent form of communication based on haptic alerts, as well as a unique Heartbeat feature that uses Apple Watch’s onboard heart rate sensor to transfers readings as vibrations set to a pulsing heart illustration. Other animations include texting and phone call management.”
The new site also details how Apple Watch collects and collates activity data, as well as how it pairs up with an iPhone to share data with things like Health. The Apple Watch app uses standard-looking gauges and the like to relay information about calories consumed, steps taken, and how long you’ve been inactive for. Great. But hardly something to get majorly excited about.
What does seem to be missing from all this, however, is ONE killer feature. As far as I can tell, the Apple Watch doesn’t seem all that different from Android Wear and Tizen. Yes, they look nice and are kind of useful. But they’re hardly must-have devices when the vast majority of their features –– which are largely focused on health metrics –– can already be undertaken by your phone.
Apple Watch will be officially available in 2015.
Richard Goodwin
10:39, 27 Nov 2014