About a month before the Apple Watch is shipped for sale, the manufacturer is now reportedly getting rid of some of the fitness bands it had been selling in its stores as accessories for the iPhone and the development would be necessary since Apple now has its wearables that include the Watch Sport, which is focused on fitness.
Coming in three variants and at different sizes, the long awaited Apple Watch was finally unveiled alongside the latest MacBook and Apple TV, with plans to start selling later next month on April 24 as preorders for the device begin two weeks ahead on April 10, 2015.
Being that this is the first venture for Apple into the Smartwatch space, people have been expressing their reactions to the Apple Watch in relation to other smartwatches currently available and it seems that the wearable from Apple has disappointed many, but so has it impressed some.
To be available in three versions, including Apple Watch, Apple Watch Edition and Watch Sport, the Smartwatch from Apple is no different from others as it is designed to monitor the user’s heart rate and has been incorporated with health apps that will alert the user on the amount of calories burnt as well as tap the user’s wrist when they have sat too long.
With CEO Tim Cook saying the battery on the watch can last up to 18 hours – a bit lesser time than some of the Android smartwatches available – the stainless steel Apple Watch pricing will start at $549 going up to $1,100 depending on size and strap, while the Apple Watch Sport that is cheapest of the three expected to sell at $349 and $399 for the two variants available.
There is always a ludicrous figure whenever there is a gold version of a new device and the Apple Watch Edition has decided to deliver on the crazy, with a selling price starting at $10,000. Yes, that’s the cheapest in the Edition model, with the most expensive pricing at $17,000– Congratulations Apple! You take the award for the most outrageous price on a Smartwatch, but since is 18K gold, why not?
Packing Apps like Uber, Shazam and Alarm.com to aid in opening garage doors among other cool bits, the watches are slightly different from rivals as the apps are available on one grid unlike with others where one is needed to scroll down to view all of them. The Apple Watch has also put focus on health apps as its major features to allow for weight check, blood pressure and glucose level checks.
With Apple making an entry into the mobile payments space, the watch will allow users to make payments with Apple Pay at check outs where NFC is enabled by just waving their wrists as they would swipe using their phones.
According to reports, Apple now plans to ship 3 million units of the Apple Watch for its first batch, which is about half the number that was initially reported mid last month as 5 to 6 million. Price controversy and the large pool of negative views going around may have scared the manufacturer a bit, but then again surprise may be upon us when the 3 million sell out in weeks…Right? No? … oh well!
