Much more than a shrunken iPhone device, the Apple Watch has the potential to be Apple's most personal product ever. The tech company offered fans a ton of reasons to adopt the first generation of its smart watches during its official debut Tuesday.
After Apple CEO Tim Cook's introduction of the Apple Watch received a standing ovation, Johnny Ive, Apple's senior VP of design, delivered a dissection of the smart watch's features and their real-world implications.
"We've created a range of products so personal, you don't put them on your desk or in your pocket -- you wear them on your wrist," says Ive. "We conceived, designed and developed Apple Watch as a completely singular product. You can't determine the boundary between the physical object and the software."
But, not to be too picky, users must have an iPhone if they want to enjoy all the robust nature of Watch, as CEO Tim Cook quietly mentioned toward the end of the Watch presentation.
Here are three reasons to just jump on Watch:
Apple HealthKit Looms
The Watch was clearly designed, though still it's a bit mysterious, to work with Apple's impending HealthKit platform. Using the four infrared and visible light sensors and the accelerometer and gyrometer in its belly, the Watch will likely feed data into HealthKit, providing users a way to track everything from steps taken to blood pressure readings to sugar levels.
On the fitness side, a wearer can track their custom fitness goals and they'll be rewarded with digital achievements that mark milestones in the individuals' health programs. So in that regard it's a smart buy for the ultimate fitness buff who will jump onto the HealthKit platform once it arrives.
Digital Wallet in Two Easy Places
During his introduction of Apple Pay, Cook said merchants in the U.S. process $12 billion worth in transactions every day. Apple played a video of a woman fumbling with her credit card at a register and a clerk who had a congruent amount of luck with the magnetized plastic, then showed the Apple way of checking out.
The "Apple way" of purchasing goods and services consists of a Touch ID verification and a wave of the iPhone 6. Later in Apple's media event, Ives revealed that the Apple Watch will feature near-field communications and will also let wearers check out the "Apple way." So in case you lose your iPhone on your way into the supermarket, you can use the Watch to buy those groceries.
Wrist-Worn Convenience of iPhone features
Just as is the case with its Android adversaries, the Apple Watch will allow its wearer to spend less time staring at their smartphones. Apple's take on smart watches features voice calling, Bluetooth controls and a local version of the company's acclaimed Siri voice assistant.
The Apple Watch "digital crown" is one clearly one of the device's hallmarks and it makes it simple and intuitive to navigate around the small screen. The crown, traditionally used to wind watches, is used to scroll through the Apple Watch's menus, set its zoom level and to return to its home screen.
While Apple hasn't committed to a release day for the Apple Watch, the company says the smart watch will be available sometime in early 2015 with a starting price of $349.
