The Apple Watch will be announced Monday, but details have already leaked. Matthew Panzarino of TechCrunch and Mark Gurman of 9to5 Mac have spoken to numerous sources about the Watch, and here are the gems they’ve uncovered prior to Monday’s “Spring Forward” reveal:
The sources have noted how little they use their iPhone since they’ve started using the Watch. Apparently, the watch takes care of many tasks people usually handle on their phones. The time the watch saves a user figures to be a primary draw.
The display is sharp, allowing a user to read short articles directly from your wrist.
All interaction will come via swipes and voice dictation. There is no Keyboard.
The “Bottom Row” is replaced by the “Outer Ring”. The Apps are in a hexagonal layout.
Siri apparently works very well with the Watch
The Watch doesn’t send notifications unless it is locked onto the wrist. There are no notifications sent to the Watch unless it feels skin contact. It also stops sending notifications at 10% battery life.
With “mixed use”, the Watch can be worn all day. With heavier use, it should last five hours. It takes approximately 2 hours for a 0-100% charge.
Some of the Stock Apps that will come with the Watch: Activity, Battery Life, Calendar, Clock, Fitness Stats, Heart Rate, Maps. Music, Quick Settings, and Weather.
The iPhone Companion App will allow users to arrange the App icons how they desire as well as load music from their iPhones to the Watch.
The Watch is designed to be more than a glorified notification center. The unique functionality of the interface means App developers will be able to take advantage of the Watch for unique experiences.
We will see how much more is revealed on March 9th, but the general idea is that the Watch will ideally be a multi-functional companion to your watch with the capabilities to pilot your productivity by itself.