Today at its special event, Apple announced its long-rumored wearable: the Apple Watch. Tim Cook announced that the new device would be extremely customizable, allowing people to choose a watch that best fits their personality.
The Watch will have six different watch straps, which are easily interchangeable, from materials from refined leather to sport bands. However, the Watch will require iPhone to work.
The Apple Watch has a flexible sapphire display covering new input technologies that can determine the difference between a tap and a press, allowing for brand new range of contextually specific controls. Additionally, the Apple Watch comes with a brand new user interface, different from what iOS is traditionally like. There’s also a control mechanism called the Digital Crown, which allows users to zoom and scroll through user interface elements in an easier way than simply using gestures.
Additionally, there’s a second physical button next to the Digital Crown that allows users to communicate with their friends, sharing things like interactive emojis, text messages, drawings and even a user’s heart beat, which is drawn from user using the device’s sensors.
Inside the device, there’s a new Taptic Engine that allows users to hear and feel the design of the user interface. A new custom designed chip, the S1 processor, integrates many subsystems into one singular module. The back of the phone has a zirconia back with four sapphire lenses that can detect pulse rate. There is also a gyroscope and accelerometer, which helps the Apple Watch provide a comprehensive picture of daily activity.
The back of the phone is also the home of Apple’s charging solution, which uses a MagSafe with inductive charging. The user, however, will not have to worry about exposed contacts or aligning the charger properly.
The Apple Watch will also have third party apps on it, with the user choosing to either extend notifications from iPhone to Apple Watch or install apps straight onto the device. Possibilities include Twitter, which will let you tweet from Apple Watch, and a Starwood Hotels app, which will allow users to use their Apple Watch to open their hotel rooms by waving their hand in front of the door.
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