SAN FRANCISCO — The value of a wristwatch is typically defined by its materials, design, features and brand. For the new Apple Watch, all those factors will apply, but so will something else: apps.
Apple
on Monday held a media event to explain how its long-awaited Apple
Watch works and how much it costs. Just as important, it also
demonstrated what the watch was capable of doing with apps made by other
companies.
If the watch is going to succeed,
those other companies will have a lot to do with it because few devices
— not even those made by Apple — will sell well without the help of a
whole lot of app developers.
“All of Apple’s
devices really come alive with third-party apps, and it’ll be the same
with the watch,” said Jan Dawson, an independent technology analyst for
Jackdaw Research.
When Apple released the iPhone
in 2007, it was essentially a blank slate. When the App Store opened a
year later, the device became much more than a fancy phone.
Just by downloading an app, the iPhone
could become a musical instrument, a medical device, a TV remote and
gaming device. It became the ultimate Swiss army knife of gadgets.
For
the Apple Watch to be remotely as successful, Apple will have to find a
way to take that world of apps to the wrist. But a watch presents
unique challenges with its tiny screen. And the way app developers make
money from it will be different than with other Apple products.
Unlike the iPhone or iPad,
the Apple Watch is not a stand-alone product. It relies on an iPhone to
fully operate, partly because the brains of watch apps will live on the
iPhone. So users will have to install watch apps on the iPhone as well.
The economics of that combination are tricky.
Developers working on watch apps have to make an iPhone app first and
expand it to include support for the watch. And it remains unclear
whether they can double-dip. Apple has not said whether developers can
charge for the iPhone app, then charge again for the watch extension.
Still, companies are trying, even though some are worried the watch’s tiny screen can limit features or — even worse — ads.
Christian
Gaiser, chief executive of Retale, said his company found a path to
using a watch app to complement its smartphone app. Retale’s iPhone app
displays weekly deals for retailers like Walmart and Target.
Retale
users who see something they want to buy in the iPhone app can push the
nearest location of the retailer to the watch app, which will map out
turn-by-turn directions on the watch screen. Retale collects fees from
retailers whenever customers engage with their ads, so the watch app is
meant to increase usage of the smartphone app, Mr. Gaiser said.
At its event, Apple also demonstrated an app
from Uber, the ride-sharing service, to summon a car. The watch app
shows where the driver is on a map, and from there, the user can place a
phone call to the driver.
Apple also showed
an app developed by Starwood Hotels. Starwood’s iPhone app can be used
to book a hotel room. The watch app sends a notification to the watch
wearer when he or she is near the hotel. When the guest arrives at the
hotel, the watch app shows the room number, and after that the watch can
unlock the user’s room door just with a hand wave over the lock.
“The
end goal is to build loyalty with our most valuable guests,” said Chris
Holdren, who led development of the Starwood watch app. “It continues
to deepen the relationship we have with them.”
Unlike past Apple products, the Apple Watch has a
complex pricing structure. Because a smartwatch is both device and
fashion accessory, Apple designed the watch to be highly customizable to
suit the tastes of various users, from fitness buffs to collectors of
luxury watches.
Apple
will offer three models, each with a casing made of a different
material: Watch Sport, a version with an aluminum case; Watch, which has
a stainless steel case; and Watch Edition, which has a case made of
18-karat gold.
Each model comes in two case
sizes — 1.5 inches and 1.65 inches. And for each watch, customers will
be able to choose from a variety of interchangeable bands in different
colors and materials.
The cheapest model is
the Apple Watch Sport, the one tailored to athletes, which starts at
$350. The larger Apple Watch Sport costs $400.
The
next step up is the Apple Watch, with a more fashionable stainless
steel case. The smaller version of this watch costs $550 to $1,040, and
the larger one costs $600 to $1,100. The price range for both depends on
the band.
The golden Apple Watch Edition is a sure sign
that Apple has entered the luxury market. Pricing for this high-end
version starts at $10,000.
Preorders start
April 10, and the watches will go on sale on April 24. They will first
be available in a select number of countries, including the United
States, Australia, China and Japan.
At the event, Apple also stressed some of the signature features of the device.
The
company has highlighted the crown as its latest signature innovation
for controlling a device, similar to the mouse for the personal
computer, the click wheel on the iPod and the touch screen for the
iPhone. On the Apple Watch, the crown can be twisted to zoom in or out
of the screen or to scroll through a web page.
You can take and even make phone calls, as long as your iPhone is nearby.
“I have been wanting to do this since I was 5 years old,” said Timothy D. Cook, Apple’s chief executive.
The
watch includes a heart rate sensor and a sensor for tracking movement
to complement fitness applications. It has a chip that helps it make
wireless payments.
The
watch also includes Digital Touch, an application that enables a new
method of communication between watch users. Watch wearers can scribble
sketches on the watch screen and send them to one another, or even send
their heartbeats.
Apple also added to the
watch a so-called taptic engine, which taps users on the wrist with a
tactile sensation when they receive alerts, messages or notifications.
Apple said the watch’s battery would last 18 hours.
Apple
also announced a new MacBook laptop with a 12-inch high-resolution
“retina” display. It weighs two pounds and measures 13.1 millimeters at
its thickest point. It also includes a new port called USB-C. It is a
versatile port that can be used for charging, plugging in a video
monitor, or hooking up a USB accessory like a keyboard.
The MacBook’s starting price is $1,300 and it begins shipping April 10.
Apple on Monday also released upgrades for some of its other notebooks, including the MacBook Air.
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