Launched in a number of variants and two sizes, including the gold model, Apple Watch will be available from next month in a number of countries. The schedule does not includ India.
The smartwatch will be available in two sizes (38 and 42 mm) and three variants: Apple Watch, Apple Watch Edition and Apple Watch Sport. The first two come with sapphire crystal to protect the screen from cracking, whereas the sports version has a strengthened Ion-X glass on the display.
Apple also sprung clean its MacBook Air with a newly designed, thinner, efficient notebook and a new MacBook Pro.
Apple's first smartwatch has some distinguishing hardware features, such as a digital crown that can be turned to scroll or zoom on the screen; one can press on this crown to return to the previous page.
The touchscreen itself has two-step touch-sensitivity that can understand the difference between a tap and press. It has a built-in mic and speaker using which one can complete a conversation as long as the iPhone is within the range.
Among the key features of Apple Watch are always-on Siri, tracking users' fitness, third-party app support and it receives phone calls as well as iMessages and SMSs. It can act as a walkie-talkie and operate the iPhone camera as well as Apple TV. Apple Watch uses an actuator called Taptic Engine to let the users know of notifications and alerts. All notifications can be received and photos seen on Apple Watch.
READ ALSO: 3 reasons Apple Watch will or won't succeed
The all-new Apple Watch is, however, compatible only with iPhone 5, 5S, 6 and 6 Plus and can be used to authenticate mobile payments via Apple Pay.
Apple has used an all-new microprocessor named S1 in Watch, which it calls an entire computer architecture on a single chip, and comes with MagSafe inductive charging, similar to what we have seen on Macbooks.
However, Apple was not able to integrate all the features it tested in the first iteration of its first Watch.The Cupertino giant was not able to integrate a number of features due to various reasons ranging from technical difficulties to regulatory hurdles. These features could be expected to be integrated in the future iterations of Apple Watch.
"Apple also experimented with ways to detect blood pressure or the amount of oxygen in the blood, but the results were inconsistent. Moreover, if Apple interpreted the numbers to provide health or behaviour advice, the company likely would have needed approval from the US Food and Drug Administration or other regulators," a report had quoted sources as saying.
As per the same sources, the features didn't perform consistently on all wrists, especially with hairy arms or dry skin, and the results were also dependent on how tightly the user wore the Watch. This made Apple choose a more conventional pulse-rate monitoring mechanism. Thus, Apple removed these features from the first-generation Apple Watch.
Apple is believed to have asked its contract manufacturer, Quanta Computers, to make 5-6 million Apple Watches in the first quarter. Supply-chain sources say that 50% of this output is set for the entry-level Apple Watch Sports, whereas 30% is for the mid-tier model with stainless-steel casing and sapphire crystal. In comparison, Apple had sold 3 million iPads within first 80 days when it was first launched in 2010.
Apple Watch marks the first new device category to be launched by Apple since it entered the tablet space with the first iPad in 2010. It is also the first new Apple product line to make its debut since Tim Cook took over the reins of the company after Steve Jobs stepped down.
By some estimates, the smartwatch (mainly the gold version) could contribute up to $5 billion per quarter to Apple's coffers. Another estimate had even suggested that Apple Watch could account for up to 30% of world's total gold consumption by 2020.
Apple also refreshed its MacBook Air with an all-metal unibody, 24% thinner and 2 pound weighing Mac with a refurbished, full-length keyboard and Retina display (2,304 x 1,440 pixels) in a 12-inch screen.
The fanless new MacBook Air is powered by Intel Core M processor and promises a day-long battery despite its thinner frame. It comes with an all- new trackpad with a tech called 'force click', using which one can simply force click on files in Finder to see a preview of its contents.
The latest MacBook has one port each for USB-C, Display, HDMI and VGA, a headphone jack and supports WiFi 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.0.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro too has been relaunched with it getting the new Force Touch trackpad, Retina display, faster Intel i5 and i7 processors, and faster flash memory and 10-hour battery life.
With the launch of ResearchKit, Apple also turned iPhones into devices for healthcare and medicare research. Apple's senior VP of operation Jeff Williams announced the medical ResearchKit will be backed by Open Source software framework for serious research into diseases like Parkinsosns, cancer and cardiovascular disorders. It has five apps to begin with. There are over 900 healthcare apps on Apple's App Store.
Apple also announced the launch of standalone streaming service along with HBO called HBO April which will have the latter's entire TV and movies catalogue available for as little as $14.99 a month. It also announced slashing the price of its streaming device Apple TV from $99 to $69. Apple has so far sold 25 million units.
Follow TOI Tech on Twitter >>> @toi_tech
And like us on Facebook >>> TOI_Tech
http://ift.tt/1BpyazE Air,Apple watch,Apple smartwatch,Apple MacBook
Stay updated on the go with Times of India News App. Click here to download it for your device.
No comments:
Post a Comment