The First Official Look at the Apple Watch, Including New Features, Apps and Details
The much-anticipated smartwatch is expected to begin shipping on April 24.
By Emily Price •
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We learned a little more about Apple's upcoming Apple Watch today. At an event in San Francisco, the company showed off its timepiece, revealing a few more details about its upcoming release as well as pricing.
Versions of the watch are meticulously made out of aluminum, stainless steel or 14k gold. The Apple Watch Sport will be made out of aluminum, and starts at $349 for the 38-millimeter version. The Apple Watch Collection uses the steel and is priced between $549 and $1,049, and the Apple Watch Edition is made of the 14k gold, and is priced at $10,000.
Pre-orders for all three start April 10th and the watch will be available on April 24.
Related: How to Rent the Apple Watch Before Buying It
One big concern over the past few weeks has been the Apple Watch's battery life, a worry Apple put to bed during today's event. According to CEO Tim Cook, the watch has "all-day battery life," and should last 18 hours on a typical day.
Here's a look at some of the device's other features:
Apps
In iOS 8.2 for the iPhone, there will be a new Apple Watch app where you can browse and buy apps as well as set up notifications. iOS 8.2 is available starting today.
Apple launched WatchKit in November, and since then a lot of apps have been made for the timepiece. There are apps to give you your flight information when you're at the airport, and a barcode within the app can be used as a boarding pass at the airport.
Other apps shown off include WeChat, Instagram, SPG hotels, Alarm.com and Uber. The Uber app shows you your driver's ETA, name and license plate number. Like the Uber app on your phone, it will let you know when your car arrives. The SPG hotel app can be used to unlock your room door. You can even check in to your hotel room on the watch, so you can bypass the front desk entirely. The alarm.com app allows you to see a live video feed from your home's security camera and lock and open doors.
We also saw a number of watch faces for the Apple Watch at Monday's event, and learned more about them. In addition to the built-in faces, you'll be able to add things like a stopwatch or the date. A "Glances" feature" will allow you to quickly see your heart rate, and next meeting.
Related: Apple to Suppliers: Make Us 5 Million Watches
Communication
The Apple Watch connects to your phone over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. A built-in speaker and microphone allow you to answer phone calls and you can read full emails on the device. A sketch feature will allow you to do things like draw on the watch, and then have your drawing play back on a friend's watch just as you drew it. You can also send your heart beat to that special someone if that sort of thing excites you.
A sports app allows you to keep track of your favorite teams, and social networking apps can help you stay on top of Facebook and Twitter posts.
Movement
Just like your FitBit, the Apple Watch monitors how much you move each day. It can remind you if you've been sitting a little too long, and on Mondays you'll get a report on how much you moved the week before. It can make suggestions about what your movement goals should be for the week. The watch's Workout app works for things like the stair stepper or elliptical at the gym, and will track your workout.
Related: For Advertisers, Apple Watch Could Be a Double-Edged Sword
