Will Apple Watch prompt more interest in wearables?

Apple has previewed the wearable that other companies have been hoping will boost the wearable market: the Apple Watch. Called its "most personal device ever", it is the announcement that is receiving the most buzz at the moment, despite clear signs that fans are ready to buy the next iPhone.

Source: Apple.

The Apple Watch tells the time, but also features phone-like capabilities such as sending and receiving messages, answering calls to an associated iPhone, and tracking the wearer's heartbeat. “With Apple Watch, we’ve developed multiple technologies and an entirely new user interface specifically for a device that’s designed to be worn. It blurs the boundary between physical object and user interface,” said Jony Ive, Apple’s Senior VP of Design. 

While other smart watches typically rely on a touchscreen for navigation, Apple has introduced a hardware feature, the 'digital crown'. Positioned where the dial that winds watches would be, on the right,  the digital crown  enables wearers to scroll, zoom and navigate without obscuring the screen, if they are right handed and wearing the watch on their left wrist. The crown also serves as a 'home' button.

With typical attention to detail, Apple custom-designed its own electronics so that it would fit onto a single chip. Apple's Retina display on the Apple Watch supports Force Touch, a technology that senses the difference between a tap and a press, providing a new way navigate. The Taptic Engine and a built-in speaker together enable new alerts and notifications that the wearer can both hear and feel. Apple Watch also features Wi-Fi 802.11b/g and Bluetooth 4.0 to pair with the owner's iPhone.

The Apple Watch has an accelerometer, a built-in heart rate sensor, GPS and Wi-Fi from your iPhone plus software that is designed to replace fitness bands. The Activity app motivates wearers to be more active throughout the day, and a Workout app provides metrics for workout sessions. The Activity app measures three separate aspects of movement: calories burned, brisk activity and how often wearers stand up during the day. The Workout app provides goal-setting and pacing during popular session-based workouts such as running and cycling. The companion Fitness app on iPhone allows the activity history to be viewed in greater detail. The data allows the Apple Watch to suggest personal, realistic goals, reward fitness milestones.

The watch is meant to work within an Apple ecosystem of devices. Smart Replies and dictation let wearers respond quickly to messages, and Handoff starts a message on the Apple Watch and continues where the wearer left off on your iPhone. Apple Watch can pay for purchases with Apple Pay*, or control an Apple TV.

Apple has already introduced WatchKit to get Apple developers into the watch ecosystem. It is likely to bring about many more creative apps for the watch before they are seen in the Android world, if the mobile apps experience has been anything to go by. By the time the watch launches, the ecosystem for the watch should be quite well established. Initially, developers will be able to create WatchKit apps with actionable notifications and Glances that provide timely information. The ability to create fully native apps will only be available next year. 

Wearables manufacturers had been waiting for the Apple announcement on September 9 because the market isn't as active as it could be. Android-based smart watches have been out in the market for a while but have not really taken off, whereas fitness bands are slowly catching on - and even then, consumers are only buying just one band. 

Comments from fans included compliments for the look and feel, disappointment that the Apple Watch is largely tethered to an iPhone, rather than being standalone, and questions about battery life, which basically dictate whether a smart watch can be viably worn throughout the day as watches should be. There is no indication of the actual release date as yet, either. 

The Apple Watch's new features are a big leap forward for watch interfaces, but the screen real estate is naturally limited, which makes it less easy to use than a phone or a tablet. Ultimately, any wearable has to offer enough features that make life easier for a wearer to want to use it over ordinary watches and existing fitness bands. With Apple Pay on the Apple Watch, Apple may have a winner (at least in the US, where Apple Pay will be supported). The question is whether it is the only winner in the wearables game.

Apple Watch will be available in early 2015 starting at US$349 in the US. The smart watch comes in three distinct collections—Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport and Apple Watch Edition—available in two different sizes, 38 mm and 42 mm. The enclosures are made from custom alloys of polished or space black stainless steel, space gray or silver anodised aluminum and 18-karat rose or yellow gold. Apple also has a full range of watch straps, including the high-performance elastomer Sport Band; the Milanese Loop in a flexible magnetic stainless steel mesh; and the Leather Loop in quilted leather that conceals magnets for quick fastening and adjustment. The Apple Watch is compatible with iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus running the latest version of iOS 8.

*Apple Pay is only available in the US. It makes use of an existing iTunes account to add charges to credit cards - no credit card information need exchange hands at the merchant.