The battle of the wearables is officially on as Apple announces its own smartwatch called simply as the Apple Watch.
The watch has a square screen that is protected by laminated sapphire, which is the same material used in luxury watches. Apple will be offering the watch in two sizes – one in a 38mm case and a larger 42mm version. Moreover, the Apple Watch will be offered in three collections namely: the Watch Sport, the Watch Edition and of course the base model.
The Watch Sport of course will be targeted towards the sporty consumers with rubbery sport bands in different color options while the Watch Edition will be meant for high-end consumers with an 18k gold case. The watch will also feature a special mechanism that should allow consumers to easily swap bands.
There are two ways to navigate the device. On one hand there’s the typical touchscreen that is also force sensitive thanks to a special sensor that allows the device to differentiate between swipes and presses. On the other hand, there’s this thing called a digital crown, which is basically a knob that you twist to zoom in and out of the interface, or press in order to go back to the homescreen.
At the back of the watch is an array of sensors including LED and infrared sensors that monitor the user’s activities. The watch will be charged using a Magsafe wireless charger that snaps onto the back of the device using magnets.
The Apple Watch will also work with the Cupertino company’s new mobile payment system – Apple Pay. Furthermore, the wearable will have its own SDK called WatchKit that will allow developers to build apps for it. The watch will be available by 2015 and will cost $350.
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