History of Computers - Apple Watch
Created by Advait Prakash
Contents
Introduction
The Apple Watch was introduced along with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus (See also History of Computers - iPhone) in September of 2014 by Apple, and went on sale in April of 2015. The Apple Watch is a smartwatch that has many operations. It changed the wearable tech market and the way we think of technology today.
Overview
The Apple Watch is a wearable tech device that can receive notifications forwarded from an accompanying iPhone. The Apple watch can also make an receive call, text messages, and emails. The Apple Watch does not have a keyboard, so it is limited to pre-made responses and voice dictation. The Apple Watch has an NFC chip installed in it which supports Apple Pay. The fitness app measures the user's calories burned, total exercise minutes, and total hours in which the user stood for at least one minute. Many applications can also run on the Apple Watch such as United Airlines, Starbucks, CNN, NBA Gametime, the Weather Channel, etc. The initial operating system used on the Apple Watch is Watch OS. However, on September 9, 2015, Tim Cook revealed the Watch OS 2, which provides for the opportunity for applications on the Apple Watch to run natively on the watch and not have to rely on the iPhone. There are three types of Apple Watches: Apple Watch Sport, Apple Watch, and Apple Watch Edition. The Apple Watch used to come in the sizes 38mm and 42mm. The more recent Apple Watches come in two new sizes: 40mm and 44mm. There are many bands made by Apple with which the Apple Watch is compatible with. The cheapest band, the Sport band, comes in at $49, while the most expensive band, the Link bracelet, starts at $459.[1]
Apple Watch Sport
The Apple Watch Sport is the low end model in the Apple Watch family. The Apple Watch Sport starts at $349 for the 38mm version, and $399 for the 42mm version. A sport band comes with along with an Apple Watch Sport. The screen of the Apple Watch Sport is made of IonX glass, and the back is made up of aluminum and composite backing. [2]
Apple Watch
The Apple Watch is the mid-tier model in the Apple Watch family. The Apple Watch starts at $549 for the 38mm version and $599 for the 42 mm version. The Apple Watch is made up of stainless steel and ceramic backing, and has a screen made of sapphire glass.[3]
Apple Watch Edition
The Apple Watch Edition is the high end model in the Apple Watch family. The Apple Watch Edition starts at $10,000 for the 38mm version and $15,000 for the 42mm version. The Apple Watch Edition is covered in 18 karat gold which makes it much more expensive than both, the Apple Watch Sport and the Apple Watch. The Apple Watch Edition has a sapphire glass display.[4]
Significance
The Apple Watch is very significant to the development of the wearable tech industry. The Apple Watch is the first wearable tech device that actually allows the user to not only receive notifications, but to reply to them as well. While there are several wearable tech devices that have been on the market for a much longer time than the Apple Watch has, none of those devices has been able to reply to a text message or pick up a phone call right on the device without making the user to use there phone. The Apple Watch has also made a breakthrough in that is has a NFC chip installed in it so that it can use Apple Pay and other features as well such as pulling up a boarding pass on the watch to be scanned at an airport. After Watch OS 2 releases, the Apple Watch will be able to operate more independently from the iPhone, though it will still need the phone to be able to receive notifications. The Apple Watch has revolutionized the wearable tech industry and in doing so, has saved the average person lots of time by allowing him to do his iPhone's vital functions right from the comfort of his wrist.
