To wear it is to love it.

Receive and respond to notifications in an instant. Track your daily activity. Control your music using only your voice. Pay for groceries just like that. With Apple Watch, important information and essential features are always just a raise of the wrist away.

The Apple Watch is a smartwatch developed by Apple Inc. It incorporates fitness tracking and health-oriented capabilities as well as integration with iOS and other Apple products and services. The device is available in four variants: Apple Watch Sport, Apple Watch, Apple Watch Hermès, and Apple Watch Edition. The Watch is distinguished by different combinations of cases and first or third party interchangeable bands. Apple Watch relies on a wirelessly connected iPhone to perform many of its default functions such as calling and texting. It is compatible with the iPhone 5 or later models running iOS 8.2 or later, through the use of Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Announced by Tim Cook on September 9, 2014, the device was available for pre-order on April 10 and began shipping on April 24, 2015. The Apple Watch quickly became the best-selling wearable device, with the shipment of 4.2 million smartwatches in the second quarter of 2015, according to analyst firm Canalys. The goal of the Apple Watch was to free people from their phones. Kevin Lynch (computing) was brought on to make wearable technology for the wrist. He said, “People are carrying their phones with them and looking at the screen so much.” “People want that level of engagement. But how do we provide it in a way that’s a little more human, a little more in the moment when you’re with somebody?”The Apple Watch works by connecting via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to the phone and then it accesses all of the apps already downloaded to the mobile device. The creation of the Apple Watch was held very much under wraps and was relatively unknown until a Wired (website) article was published, which can be found online.

Unveiling and release

Rumors surrounded an Apple-developed wearable back as far as 2011, which conceptualized the device as a variation of the iPod that would curve around the user's wrist, and feature Siri integration. On February 10, 2013, both The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple was beginning to develop an iOS-based smartwatch with a curved display. On February 12, 2013, Bloomberg reported that Apple's smartwatch project was "beyond the experimentation phase in its development", and had a team of at least 100 designers were working on the project. Further reports in March 2013 indicated that Apple planned to release the device by the end of the year. In July 2013, Financial Times reported that Apple had begun hiring more employees to work on the smartwatch, and that it was targeting a possible retail release in late 2014.

In April 2014, Apple CEO Tim Cook told The Wall Street Journal that the company was planning to launch new product categories that year, but did not reveal any specifics. In June 2014, Reuters reported that production was expected to begin in July for a release in October.

Apple Watch was first unveiled after a classic and famous "We do have 'one more thing'..." slide, which heard enormous applause, on September 9, 2014 during a press event which also saw the introduction of the iPhone 6. After the reveal video, the auditorium erupted with applause while Tim Cook rolled back his sleeve, revealing an Apple Watch on his wrist. Speaking about the device, Apple CEO Tim Cook explained that Apple Watch was "a precise timepiece, a new intimate way to communicate from your wrist, and a comprehensive health and fitness device."

In comparison to other Apple products and competing smartwatches, marketing of Apple Watch focused more on advertising the device as a fashion accessory; a 12-page advertising spread for Apple Watch in an issue of Vogue focused primarily on the different body and band styles available, and downplayed the technological aspects of it. Apple has also, in particular, focused upon its health and fitness-oriented features, competing against dedicated activity trackers.

Release

Pre-orders for Apple Watch began on April 10, 2015, with an official release on April 24.

On launch, Apple Watch was not available at Apple Store; beginning on April 10, 2015, customers could receive appointments for demonstrations and fitting, but the device was not in-stock for walk-in purchase, and had to be reserved and ordered online (however, sales representatives are able to assist in the process). CNET felt that this distribution model was designed to prevent Apple Store locations from having long line-ups due to high demand. Selected Apple Watch models were available in-store at certain luxury boutiques and authorized Apple resellers in limited quantities. On June 4, 2015, Apple announced that it did plan to stock Apple Watch models at its retail locations. On August 24, 2015 during an earnings call, Best Buy announced that it would begin stocking Apple Watch at its retail stores by the end of September. Both T-Mobile US and Sprint also announced plans to offer Apple Watch through its retail stores.

On September 9, 2015, in Apple's Special Event, Apple launched a new collection of Apple Watch in a collaboration with Hermès. This new collection of Apple Watch is named as Apple Watch Hermès, comes in stainless steel body with finely crafted leather bands in distinctive styles from Hermès, including the Single Tour, Double Tour and Cuff models. Apple Watch Hermès is available only in selected retail stores of Apple and Hermès. They also announced the watchOS 2 release date as well

The device was not branded as "iWatch" (which would put it in line with its other product lines) due to trademark conflicts in certain territories; in the United States, the iWatch trademark is owned by OMG Electronics—who was crowdfunding a device under the same name, and is owned in the European Union by Irish firm Probendi. In July 2015, Probendi sued Apple Inc. for trademark infringement, arguing that through keyword advertising on the Google search engine, it caused advertising for the Apple Watch to appear on search results pages when users searched for the trademarked term "iWatch".

Apple Watch finally goes on sale in India on Nov. 6. The device also has launched in Chile, the Philippines, and South Africa. Apple Watch will be available in Indonesia on Nov. 27.

Specifications

Design

The Apple Watch comes in four collections and features two case sizes: 38 mm (1.5 in) and 42 mm (1.7 in) spread across 38 individual models in three "collections". The case of the watch includes a mechanism to enable the straps to be interchangeable. For input, the watch includes a "digital crown", which can be turned to scroll or zoom and pressed to return to the home screen, and a touchscreen that features Force Touch technology, which makes it pressure-sensitive and capable of distinguishing between a tap and a press. The watch also has a side button which can be used to display a list of contacts, or access Apple Pay. Apple rates the device's battery for 18 hours of mixed usage. Apple Watch is charged by means of inductive charging, using a cable similar to the MagSafe cable from Apple's MacBook family of laptops. If the watch's battery depletes to less than 10 percent, the watch will enter a "power reserve" mode, which allows the user to continue to read the time for an additional 72 hours. The watch then reverts to its original mode when recharged.

Apple does not explicitly market Apple Watch as being waterproof, stating that it can withstand splashes of water (such as rain and hand washing), but does not recommend submersion (IPX7). However, external testing by The Iconfactory and others revealed that Apple Watch can function when submerged in various conditions (such as swimming), although its touchscreen experiences "erratic" behavior when submerged. Additionally, usage in water may void its warranty, constituting "damage caused by [use] outside Apple’s published guidelines", and apps taking advantage of this may not be allowed per App Store policies which forbid the publishing of apps that encourage users to use devices in ways that may damage them.

Hardware

The Apple Watch uses the S1 system-on-chip. It uses a linear actuator called the "Taptic Engine" to provide haptic feedback when an alert or a notification is received, and is used for other purposes by certain apps. The watch is equipped with a built-in heart rate sensor, which uses both infrared and visible-light LEDs and photodiodes. All versions of the Apple Watch have 8 GB of storage, which allows the user to store up to 2 GB of music and 75 MB of photos. When the Apple Watch is paired with an iPhone, all music on that iPhone is also available from the Apple Watch.

Software

Apple Watch runs watchOS, which is based around a home screen with circular app icons. The OS can be navigated using the touchscreen or the crown on the side of the watch. Apple Watch must be paired with an iPhone 5 or later running iOS 8.2 or later; this version of iOS introduced the Apple Watch app, which is used to advertise Apple Watch, pair one with an iPhone, and customize settings and loaded apps.

It is capable of receiving notifications, messages, and phone calls via a paired iPhone. "Glances" allow users to swipe between pages containing widget-like displays of information. WatchOS also supports Handoff to send content from Apple Watch to an iOS or OS X device, and act as an viewfinder for an iPhone camera, Siri is also available for voice commands, although it is not capable of responding with voice prompts. Apple Watch also supports Apple Pay, and enables its use with older iPhone models that do not contain near-field communication (NFC) support.

Apple Watch's default apps are designed to interact with their iOS counterparts, such as e-mail, phone, Calendar, Messages, Maps, Music, Photos, Reminders, Remote (which can control iTunes and Apple TV), Stocks, and Wallet. Via the Fitness app, a user can track their physical activity and send data back to the iPhone for use in its Health app and other HealthKit-enabled software. WatchOS supports third-party applications; a WatchKit app runs in the background on the iPhone as an application extension while a set of native user interface resources are installed on Apple Watch. Thus, WatchOS apps must be bundled within their respective iOS app, and are synced to the watch either manually, or automatically upon installation of the phone app.

WatchOS 1.0.1 featured performance improvements and support for additional emoji and languages, and was released on May 29, 2015. At WWDC 2015, Tim Cook announced WatchOS 2.0; described by CNET as a "significant revamp", it will include a new software development kit that allows more direct access to the device's hardware, new watch faces, the ability to reply to e-mail, and other features. WatchOS 2.0 was set to be released on September 16, 2015, but was delayed due to a bug fix taking longer than expected; it was instead released on September 21, 2015.

Models

Apple Watch models are divided into four "collections"; Apple Watch Sport, Apple Watch, Apple Watch Hermès and Apple Watch Edition. They are differentiated by the materials each use; Sport features aluminum, Apple Watch and Apple Watch Hermès uses stainless steel, and Apple Watch Edition uses 18-karat gold. Each model has versions with 38 and 42 mm bodies; the 42 mm models have a slightly larger screen and battery. Each model has various color and band options.

Apple Watch Hermès is the newest collection of Apple Watch, available in Single Tour, Double Tour and Cuff models, with Hermès brand engraved stainless steel. The Single Tour with the 38 mm stainless steel case comes in fauve Barenia leather, noir box leather and capucine Swift leather, while the Single Tour with 42 mm stainless steel case comes in fauve Barenia leather and noir box leather. The Double Tour pairs with the 38 mm stainless steel case and is available in fauve Barenia leather and bleu jean, capucine and etain Swift leather. The Cuff pairs with the 42 mm stainless steel case and is available in fauve Barenia leather only.

Reception

Following the announcement, initial impressions from technology and watch industry observers were varied; the watch was praised by some for its "design, potential capabilities and eventual usefulness", while others offered criticism of these same aspects. Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen said he "can't wait" to try it, and Steve Jobs' biographer Walter Isaacson described it as "extremely cool" and an example of future technology that is "much more embedded into our lives". However, Evan Dashevsky of PC Magazine said it offered nothing new in terms of functionality compared to the Moto 360, except the customizable vibration notifications. In November 2014, Apple Watch was listed by Time as one of the 25 Best Inventions of 2014.

One of the apps pre-announced as part of the launch, Belle Gibson's Whole Pantry, was withdrawn prior to launch following accusations against its creator of fraud and faking cancer diagnosis.

Initial reviews for the device have been generally positive with some caveats. Reviewers praised the watch's potential ability to integrate into everyday life and the overall design of the product, but noted issues of speed and price. Many reviewers described the watch as functional and convenient, while also noting failure to offer as much potential functionality as preceding smartphones. Farhad Manjoo of The New York Times mentioned the device's steep learning curve, stating it took him "three long, often confusing and frustrating days" to become accustomed to it. Some reviewers also compared it to competing products, such as Android Wear devices, and claimed "The Smartwatch Finally Makes Sense". Reviewers had mixed opinions on battery life though, with Geoffrey Fowler of The Wall Street Journal saying "the battery lives up to its all-day billing, but sometimes just barely," and others compared it to the Samsung Gear 2, which "strolls through three days of moderate usage." Tim Bradshaw of the Financial Times used several applications over a period of days. He concluded that there is no "killer application" so far besides telling the time, which is the basic function of a wristwatch anyhow.

When using the Apple watch, some users have issues using the heart monitoring feature due to permanent change of the skin, such as tattoos. To monitor the heartbeat, the watch flashes green light at the skin and records the amount of green light the blood absorbs. However, due to disfigurement of the skin, the monitoring feature cannot record the absorption readings correctly and may provide inaccurate results.

Consumers are also complaining that the logo and text on the back of the Apple Watch Sport model, primarily the space gray version, are scratching off.

Sales

Financial analysts offered early sales estimates from a few million to as many as 34.7 million in the first year. Time‍ '​s Tim Bajarin summarized the breadth of reactions, writing that "there is not enough information yet to determine how this product will fare when it finally reaches the market next year"^.

Due to inadequate materials, the Apple Watch was delayed in shipping from their pre-order release date of April 10, 2015. As a result, only 22 percent of the pre-ordered Apple Watches were shipped out in the US during the weekend after the release date. It is estimated Apple received almost one million Apple Watch pre-orders in the US during the initial six hours of the pre-order period on April 10, 2015, after which it sold out and further orders would start shipping in June.

Apple Watch OS 2 has finally been unveiled finally bringing with it the new upgrades we've been looking forward to checking out.

Annoyingly, many of the new Watch OS 2-enabled apps aren't available yet, but we'll be bringing you updates to this review as they land.

The iPhone 5-and-up-compatible smartwatch comes in 38 flavors, with different case materials, colors, sizes and interchangeable Apple Watch bands. None are inexpensive.

They start at $349 (£299, AU$499), and peak at an exorbitant $17,000 (£13,500, AU$24,000), meaning it's for impatient early adopters and boutique store regulars. Apple's vague sales numbers hint at just that.

Apple's Watch OS 2 opens up its Engine, Digital Crown, microphone and even more to developers, meaning we've got a whole host of incoming apps that are set to supercharge the watch experience.

The Apple Watch update also features Wi-Fi connectivity, new watch faces with different customizable options, better Siri capabilities, email replies and even Transit directions courtesy of iOS 9.

Is it worth that tough-to-swallow Apple Watch price? Well, beaming apps like Messages, Mail and every iPhone notification to an always-on-hand gadget is certainly a convenience.

I no longer retrieve my seemingly always-hiding iPhone 6 every time someone texts me, yet I can ping it whenever I really can't find it, usually because it's buried beneath the couch cushions. It has the easiest to use Find My iPhone app yet.

Apple is supposed to be building on this novel idea with a proposed Find My Watch feature, which is the reserve of this handy retrieval system, and an Android Wear-like "smart leashing" detector to deploy a light tap on the wrist when the wearer wanders too far from his or her phone.

Similar conveniences are carried over to the thousands of apps. Checking into a flight thanks to a wrist-mounted QR code sure beats scrambling for my phone or paper boarding pass while moving my bags up in the security line step-by-step.

Those steps, it turns out, are being counted in the Apple Watch's fitness app. It's not the most comprehensive fitness tracker, but it enables me to keep tabs on metrics like my steps walked, calories burned and heart rate. Surprise: I need to move more when I'm writing reviews.

But not having to fetch my phone for each and every vibration in my pocket is very much a luxury rather than a necessity, and not one every iPhone user needs – at least for the current asking price.

Why buy an Apple Watch?

Apple Watch is often oversimplified as an iPhone on your wrist, and almost everyone I have demoed it to has accidentally referred to it as "your phone" – even I slipped up once.

It's not an unreasonable comparison. The square-shaped smartwatch is like a mini iPhone; it enables me to read emails, summon Siri and make and receive phone calls from my wrist.

The size is just right too. While many Android Wear watches look and feel chunky to most, the 42mm Apple Watch fits my wrist much more unobtrusively.

An even smaller 38mm size is also available, although most people should for opt for the bigger of the two. It offers better battery life and more useable touchscreen space (but does come at a higher cost).

What feels strange about writing this review is that there's no point in really comparing it to Android Wear at all. Nobody chooses a smartwatch first and then decides on which phone to go with it; no, if you're reading this review you're probably either doing it on the iPhone or with one close to hand, wondering if it adds enough convenience to make it worth the extra cost.

But do I need this Watch? On the one hand it's been great for changing my behavior, as too many times I've instinctively run to my phone, charging in another room, because it's ringing or because the default SMS chime has turned me into one of Pavlov's dogs.

How many times have I missed an important call or text? Just as important, how many times have I rushed to the phone and it was an unimportant telemarketing call or a friend replying with a text that simply says "OK" to something I said three hours ago?

These missed connections and potential disappointments are less insufferable thanks to the Apple Watch, and the ability to either pick up or dismiss these alerts in a tenth of a second.

Custom watch faces, like we've seen from Android Wear watches, are here (although only those that Apple makes, as it's sadly not permitting third parties to do the same thing), as well as new exclusive technology like the pressure-sensitive Force Touch touchscreen.

There are also a large number of Apple Watch apps already, including the easy-to-use Apple Pay in the US and the frequently used Uber car hailing service, equivalents of which have been slow to launch on Android Wear.

What's missing?

There are plenty iPhone features that aren't carried over to the wrist. Apple Watch is not a fully-fledged iPhone replacement.

It makes calls, but it can't add new contacts. It listens to dictated texts and sends them as an audio message or transcription, but it doesn't have any sort of edit function.

It tracks basic fitness goals, but not it's GPS-enabled, doesn't track sleep and while third party apps no longer need the iPhone close by since the Watch OS 2 launch, there's not a lot out there which can make use of this yet. Likewise, it can name songs through the Shazam app, but it listens with the iPhone microphone, not its own.

Having to carry a phone still is a weird disappointment to a lot of people who are missing the point ofc current smartwatches. "Wait, I still need my phone?" is the response I've heard from baffled people.

Of course you do. The Watch isn't big enough for watching YouTube videos on its tiny display size and trying to comment on Facebook posts while pecking away on a teeny keyboard would be terrible.

Who would want to don a giant watch capable of such specs or a large enough battery to run that? You still need an iPhone with you at all times, but you'll use it less than before.

The bigger questions: can is do enough to be worth its price, and is it fashionable enough to wear everyday, by geek chic and non geeks alike?

Apple’s 2012 profit crushed the combined profits of Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Yahoo, Amazon and Ebay

There’s a lot of Apple hate going on in the comments section of our website (sometimes justified, sometimes not as much), but if there’s one thing fanboys, Android enthusiasts and neutral tech lovers can’t deny is Cupertino’s ability of turning everything it touches into gold.

We’ve grown accustomed to hearing about Apple’s record profits or groundbreaking sales numbers, not to mention the insane margins other companies can’t even dream of. Take the latest financial report, for Q4 FY2012 (the period between July 1 and September 30).

Despite falling short of estimates, the iPhone makers raked in an outrageous $8.2 billion in net profits on $36 billion revenue. And that was with the iPhone 5 released days before the end of the fiscal quarter or unreleased in many countries.

If we put those results into perspective, we get an even more impressive picture of Apple’s financial state. That is of a company who just wrapped up its fiscal year with a record profit of $41.7 billion on $156.5 billion revenue.

Taking matters even further and comparing the numbers with the “competition”, Statista compiled a very interesting (and, why not admit it, fun) chart. That shows not only that Apple is the most profitable company around, but also how far ahead of everyone else it is.

Apple is followed in the charts by the Facebook – Yahoo – Amazon – Microsoft – Google – Ebay conglomerate. Wait, what? That’s not a real thing. No, it isn’t, but, believe it or not, those six big-time companies only managed to draw in $34.4 billion in profit in the past four fiscal quarters combined.

Even further down the ranks we see basically the entire PC industry being ridiculed by Apple big-time. Dell, Intel, Asus, Acer, IBM, HP and Lenovo altogether didn’t even make half as much money as Tim Cook’s tech giant, bringing in a combined $19.4 billion in the last year.

Things are even worse in the smartphone universe, where Samsung, Nokia, HTC and RIM raked in $12.8 billion during the same time, which is less than a third of Apple’s profit. Disappointing? We’ll say, although we find ourselves obliged to mention a couple of things here.

First off, Samsung is itself on an unprecedented financial roll, breaking sales and profit records after records in 2012. Secondly and most importantly, while Nokia, RIM and HTC have all been major players in the past, the emphasis is now on the “past” aspect. All three companies are in desperate seeking of their former glory with no realistic perspectives of that happening anytime soon (or ever, for that matter).

What I’m trying to say basically is that it’s not exactly fair to put Samsung, a very profitable company lately, in the same category as Nokia, RIM and HTC, who’ve all lost big money in the last year. That’s not to say I’m trying to diminish Apple’s merits in any way. After all, even if Sammy was being compared by itself with the Cupertino-based company, it would still heavily lose the profits battle.

Back to Apple, we have nothing more to say but respect and well done. Admitting the obvious is the right thing to do, no matter our personal preferences or opinions. Right, guys?