We suspect that the New York Times jumped the gun this morning by publishing a full-on review of the Apple Watch, [UPDATE: other outlets have been publishing reviews today, too] even though Apple won't even start taking orders for it until Friday. On balance, though, we don't think Apple will complain too much. Tech columnist Farhad Manjoo pretty much ratified Apple's aims … [Read more...]
Diamond-Encrusted Apple Watches, In Case $17,000 Is Too Little To Spend
Much as we'd like to, it seems impossible to write about anything this week that isn't related to the Apple Watch, so we offer this: You may know that there is actually a business of gold-plating iPhones. (Android phones too, but that's not what we're talking about right now.) One would think that a $17,000 18k gold Apple Watch would be the top of the market, but one would … [Read more...]
The Apple Watch App Watch
The flood of updates to iPhone apps to make them compatible with the Apple Watch has started. The first wave came late last week, and included the expected suspects: Evernote, Uber, Twitter, Expedia, American Airlines, Starwood, and others. (You can expect that the first wave of reviews will focus on those apps.) And today, Apple opened the gates to all comers, inviting all … [Read more...]
Why the Apple Watch Sales Process is Overwrought and Won’t Last
9to5Mac continues to have deep coverage of exactly how Apple plans to sell the Watch, treading the fine line between selling a few-size-fits-all product like an iMac or iPhone to something that's more customized and personal. We do wonder, though, if all this fuss is a short-term thing. Think about it: an iPhone 6 comes in two styles (regular and Plus), three colors, three … [Read more...]
Apple Watch Watch Moves Ahead to March 9
Apple has sent out invitations to a media event on Monday, March 9, in San Francisco. This is the first business day after Mobile World Congress and the first business day after Daylight Savings Time goes into effect for 2015. The latter is significant because the invitation is titled "Spring Forward," which the blogosphere has decided means there will be some Apple Watch … [Read more...]
Swatch to Sell Smartwatch Within Three Months, Says Bloomberg
Remember when Swatch Group CEO Nick Hayek said smartwatches would never catch on? He's changed his tune, and now tells Bloomberg that he'll be selling a smartwatch, complete with an NFC chip for payments, within the next three months. Why the turnaround? Because Hayek did not get to be the boss of the world's biggest watch company by being stupid. It's clear that people want … [Read more...]
Pebble Teases a Pivot
Pebble CEO Eric Migicovsky gave an exclusive interview to The Verge, in which he said that his company has sold 1,000,000 watches, and that 2015 will bring new products and a new software platform. Pebble's in a pretty difficult spot. It more or less pioneered the notification device use case for wearables, and but saw Google wield its sharp elbows in the market with Android … [Read more...]
Apple Watch Gets April Ship Date
In an analysts' conference call after his company's earnings announcement, Apple CEO Tim Cook dropped the news that the Apple Watch will ship in April, which he called "right on schedule." (It wouldn't do for a watch to be late, now would it?) The Watch, of course, was announced September 6 with more fanfare than a U2 tour. Rumor has had it at one point or another that the … [Read more...]
Report: Apple Watch Battery Life Is Not Terrific
The frequently accurate site 9to5Mac is reporting that the forthcoming Apple Watch will be powerful but its battery will be hard-pressed to last a day. Estimates like this are tough, because it's not at all obvious how people will actually use the watch. Apple, the report says, is wringing 2.5 hours out of the watch in heavy application use, and about 3 hours if the watch … [Read more...]
Smartwatch Pricing Tier Emerges As Withings Sets $450 Price for Activé Watch
It looks like smartwatches that put a premium on appearance are settling around a pricing neighborhood: $400 to $500. Withings has started taking pre-orders for its Activé watch -- an attractive timepiece that subtly measures your progress to a daily movement goal -- and pegged the price at $450. That's the same neighborhood as the Michael Bastian / HP watch, and in the low … [Read more...]