Apple Watch breaks cover: the new category

The Apple Watch is real: after months of endless leaks and speculations about an 'iWatch', Apple unveiled the new Apple Watch to a crowd of tech and fashion journalists. The Apple Watch is a tech gadget, but it’s not one just for the geeks - it has the stylish and fashionable looks that will appeal to ordinary people. Under the hood, though, it’s vastly different that any other classic watch.

Here's what Apple chief executive Tim Cook had to say about this gadget: "An entirely new product. We believe this product will redefine what people expect from its category."

"It's also a comprehensive health and fitness device."

With no further ado, here's what it's about:

• It has got a flexible, rectangular display (no round option)


• Comes in two sizes


• A "Digital Crown" jog dial on the side will allow you to cycle through menus


• Brand new tailor-made user interface


• With Siri


• Infrared and visible-light LEDs, along with photosensors, detect your pulse rate

Now, this is really interesting: the Apple Watch will have a touchscreen that can also sense force, so it knows how hard you touch it and reacts differently. However, a lot of the navigation will happen via the new Digital Crown: press it and you go to the main menu (or rather watchface), an iPhone-like simple touch that will take a lot of the confusion away.

What else can you do on the Apple Watch? The simple answer is: a lot. You have plentiful watchfaces that are customizable, you have contacts that you can text with customizable emoji and with gestures (but there is no on-screen keyboard), there's even a photos app with your latest pictures (and you zoom in and out using the crown). Next, you've got maps with navigation, so you can find your way around just by using the timepiece.

There are almost limitless capabilities since Apple is opening up access to the Watch with an SDK it calls 'WatchKit'. Some developers have already made use of it, and the major apps from services like Facebook and Twitter will come built right in the watch. Others have also jumped in: you have American Airlines, for instance, City Mapper, BMW, and many more.