Apple Watch keynote: date, price, notifications, Shazam App and music controller

Tim Cook tweeted that he was getting psyched backstage listening to “I Lived” by One Republic just five minutes before the keynote. Not exactly a “cool” choice but there you go…

The announcement was obviously geared heavily towards the Apple Watch launch and the company showed off a huge range of features including WhatsApp controls and the integration with home automation apps. Developers appear to have jumped at the chance of developing for the Watch's SDK and in that sense Apple may already be one step ahead of Android Wear.

Apple also touted the NFC capabilities of the Watch that will enable users to pay without ever having to take their phones out of their pockets. Here's to hoping Apple Pay will launch outside the US soon, there was no mention of that.

In regards to pricing, the base price for the Watch will be $349 for the Sports edition and go the way up to over $17,000 for the most expansive limited gold edition, which will only retail in selected stores.

Apple Watch will allow users to receive any notification they may be receiving on their phone right on their wrists, for example from social media apps or news notifications.

The ‘standard’ music control app looked simple and elegant, allowing for volume control right from your screen. 

Apple also showcased the Shazam app which will be available at launch and will start displaying the songs’ lyrics as soon as it is identified, in sync with the song. 

As far as battery life is concerned, Tim Cook stated that the watch would get 18 hours of battery life on a “normal day”. To understand what a “normal day” of use is we may have to wait until closer to the release date on April 24th as reviewers are certain to put the Watch through some pretty strenuous tests. 

Before the Apple Watch was unveiled the company also announced a deal with HBO in the USA to be the exclusive launch partner of HBO Now, and unveiled an incredibly thin new MacBook which has been completely re-engineered and features a 12” Retina display. The new MacBook will sit alongside the existing MacBook Air and MacBook Pro laptops - it is not yet clear as to which one it will eventually replace, perhaps both? 

All-in-all a packed event for Apple and one that shows that the company in spite of unimaginable profits is continuing to push the envelope both in terms of engineering and user experience. 

 

(Andrea Leonelli)