Apple unveiled their eagerly awaited Apple Watch last Autumn but we’ve had to wait until this week for the full details on the Apple wearable which will be available to buy as of next month. There will be a choice of Apple Watch models starting from £299 up to an eye-watering £13,500. Here’s the lowdown on what you can expect for your money.
The Apple Watch is looking to be a very exciting new addition to the Apple product range with some superb features which will make it a cross between a fitness wearable and smartwatch. The Apple Watch will work with any iPhone handset from the iPhone 5 and upwards – essentially you can use it to make or receive calls, emails, texts, to keep on top of social media notifications and appointments as well as using it to find directions, access information from Siri and to monitor your health and fitness. As long as your iPhone or iPad and Apple Watch are connected, you can do many of the things which you can do on your smartphone or tablet via your wrist.
There are 2 buttons on the side of the Apple Watch, the more prominent one is the ‘digital crown’ which is used for navigating through the menus or apps or alternatively you can just use the touchscreen on the watch face. The flatter of the two buttons is known as the ‘digital touch’ which is quick way of pulling up recent contacts and can also be used to send photos and your own sketches.
The Apple Watch has some fantastic fitness features so you can keep track of your daily activity levels, calories burned, distance travelled and how many minutes a day you’ve been most active. There’s also a heart rate tracker on the inside of the watch face. It comes with a Workout app which can also record the pace you’re moving at, the hours and minutes you spend exercising each day and it will do its best to motivate you to achieve your goals and set new targets.
The Apple Watch comes with a great choice of apps including the popular ones such as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Apple Maps. There’s an app from American Airlines which allows you to check-in and pull up your boarding pass on the Apple Watch screen for your flight and there are apps available from well-known hotel chains which enable you to unlock your hotel room using your wrist. Smart home apps are also being developed which control your home security and lighting as well as opening the door locks.
Charged using a special magnetic charger which attaches to the rear of the Apple Watch, the battery is expected to last for an average of 18 hours a day with a break to recharge it when you’re asleep.
Sounding good? You won’t have to wait too long to get your hands on one – the Apple Watch will be available to buy throughout the UK from 24th April.
