Apple Watch to be available for pre-orders April 10

Source: Apple website. The Apple
Watch Edition can cost up to
US$17,000.

Apple has announced the availability dates for Apple Watch, which is not only a timepiece but also a communication device and a health and fitness companion. Apple Watch will be available on Friday, April 24 in Australia, Canada, mainland China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, the UK and the US. 

What it does

Apple Watch enables users to send messages, read email and answer calls to your iPhone from the wrist. With Digital Touch, Apple Watch allows users to communicate in all-new ways by sending a sketch, a tap or even the rhythm of the wearer's heartbeat. 

Apple Watch keeps time to within 50 milliseconds of UTC, the universal time standard*. It can be personalised with watch faces ranging from traditional analogue such as the Chronograph face, to the information-rich Modular face, or beautifully animated butterflies and jellyfish on the Motion face. Apple Watch goes beyond telling time with specialised functions on the watch face—known in watchmaking as complications—such as the sunrise/sunset, upcoming calendar events or daily activity level. Users can swipe up from the watch face for Glances that quickly show useful information, such as the weather forecast, the current location on a map or details of the music that is playing.

Designed to be worn throughout your day, Apple Watch delivers up to 18-hour all-day battery life** and comes with a charging solution that combines Apple’s MagSafe technology with inductive charging for a quick connection that snaps into place.

“Apple Watch begins a new chapter in the way we relate to technology and we think our customers are going to love it,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We can’t wait for people to start wearing Apple Watch to easily access information that matters, to interact with the world, and to live a better day by being more aware of their daily activity than ever before.”

How it looks

Apple Watch is available in two different sizes, 38 mm and 42 mm, and in three distinct collections—Apple Watch Sport, Apple Watch and Apple Watch Edition. Apple Watch Sport features a lightweight anodised aluminium case in silver and space gray with a Retina display protected by strengthened Ion-X glass and matching high-performance fluoroelastomer Sport Band in five colours. 

The Apple Watch collection features highly polished stainless steel and space black stainless steel cases with a Retina display protected by sapphire crystal. The Apple Watch collection comes with a choice of three different leather straps, a stainless steel link bracelet and Milanese loop, and a black or white Sport Band. 

Apple Watch Edition features cases specially crafted from custom rose or yellow 18-karat gold alloys developed to be twice as hard as standard gold, a Retina display protected by polished sapphire crystal and a choice of uniquely designed straps and bands with 18-karat gold clasps, buckles or pins. 

Apple Watch introduces the Digital Crown, which allows users to scroll, zoom and navigate without obstructing the display. The Retina display with Force Touch on Apple Watch senses the difference between a tap and a press, providing a new way to quickly and easily access relevant controls. The Taptic Engine alerts wearers with a gentle tap so they don’t miss important notifications. 

“Conceived, designed and developed as a singular product, Apple Watch merges hardware and software like never before,” said Jony Ive, Apple’s Senior VP of Design. “In Apple Watch, we’ve created three beautifully curated collections with a software architecture that together enable unparalleled personalisation in a wearable device.”

The standard apps

With an accelerometer, a built-in heart rate sensor, GPS and Wi-Fi from your iPhone, Apple Watch tracks different types of motion and provides a comprehensive picture of all-day activity and workouts. An Activity app provides a visual snapshot of daily activity with measurements of active calories burned, brisk activity and how often the wearer has stood up to take a break from sitting during the day. The Activity app on iPhone collects activity and workout data from Apple Watch and uses this history to suggest personalised activity goals and reward fitness milestones.

The third party apps

The Apple developer community has been creating all-new experiences specifically designed for Apple Watch. Popular third party apps such as Instagram, MLB.com At Bat, Nike+ Running, OpenTable, Shazam, Twitter, WeChat and more will be available on Apple Watch. The new Apple Watch app that comes with iOS 8.2 on iPhone lets you browse, buy and download apps from the Apple Watch App Store.

Starting today customers can explore Apple Watches at the Apple Online Store or through the Apple Store app for iPhone and iPad. Beginning April 10 in Australia, Canada, mainland China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, the UK and the US, Apple Watch will be available for preview, try-on by appointment at Apple’s retail stores, and available for pre-order through the Apple Online Store. 

On April 24, Apple Watch will be available online or by reservation in Apple’s retail stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers in mainland China and Japan. Customers who purchase online or in-store from Apple will be offered Personal Setup to customise and pair Apple Watch with their iPhone. Apple Watch will also be available to preview or try on at Isetan in Tokyo on April 10.

Apple Watch is available in three collections, Apple Watch Sport, priced at US$349 and US$399; Apple Watch, available from US$549 to US$1,099; and Apple Watch Edition, crafted from custom rose or yellow 18-karat gold alloys, with prices starting at US$10,000.

Apple Watch requires iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus running iOS 8.2 or later. iOS 8.2 is available for download as of March 9.

*Accuracy depends on regular syncing with iPhone.
**Battery life depends on device settings, usage and other factors. Actual results may vary.