iWatched The Unveiling Of The ‘Apple Watch’ – $349

A QUICK FIRST LOOK AT ‘APPLE WATCH’

At precisely 10am this morning I tuned my Apple TV device to Cupertino, CA to watch (no pun intended) what surely was the biggest announcements Apple has made in several years. The highlight was the introduction of Apple’s very first wearable device – the Apple Watch – not the iWatch as most people thought. No matter, this watch I believe is going to be just as big as the iPod and iPhone. At $349 this is the watch that just might redefine watches – I’d love one!!

The new Apple Watch will be available early next year starting at $349

Apple's first wearable gadget beams messages, Facebook updates, simplified apps and Siri to our wrists, eliminating the all-too-common need to take out our devices to constantly check notifications. Promising that the Apple Watch will "redefine what people expect from a watch," Apple showcased a wide variety of functions for its upcoming wearable device on Tuesday, including built-in fitness tracking, support for secure Apple Pay wireless transactions, and even a unique MagSafe-style inductive charging cable.

The Apple Watch also features:

• A wireless charger that clips to the back of the Watch magnetically.
• A sapphire crystal display, the same extremely hard material used for the iPhone's camera.
• A "digital crown" on the side of the watch to scroll through items, zoom, and return to the home screen.
• A wide range of bands and finishes, including an 18-karat gold edition.
• A heart-rate sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope and the ability to send vibrations to your friends by touching your Apple Watch.
• Turn-by-turn directions that lets users know which direction to go by vibrating in a certain way.
• The accuracy of the watch is no more than 50 milliseconds off at any time.
• It also comes with a “TAPTIC engine” that provides tactile feedback with the apps and functions of the watch
• the watch senses when you’re wearing it, and turns on the display
• There are IR lights and sapphire lenses on the back of the watch for heart rate

The Apple Watch still relies on the iPhone to operate, which means it can't be used on its own, much like smartwatches from competitors like Samsung and LG. The watch, which will go on sale "early next year" for $349, requires an iPhone 5 or higher. Like the iPhones, Apple Watch comes with voice-activated assistant Siri, which can be accessed by holding down the digital crown to activate. It will also work with Apple Pay, which allows users to pay for items from a fast growing list of retailers.

The face is customizable to your own tastes and has a variety of wrist straps

Apple said it will sell three versions of the Apple Watch, including a sports model and an 18 carat gold model called the "Apple Watch Edition." The Apple Watch also comes in two sizes, one slightly smaller than the other. Apple's new watch requires an iPhone, but it will work with the iPhone 5, 5C and 5S in addition to the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. It will start at $349 and will be available in early 2015.

I’ll be looking more closely at the new Apple Watch as reports come in and talk more about it in Wednesday’s post. Oh yeah – Apple also introduced 2 new iPhones today the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6+ that both look pretty good with their much larger screens, better cameras and a whole host of other features. More on the iPhones tomorrow as well.

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