Just moments ago, Apple CEO and human mortal Tim Cook demonstrated his company’s first wearable computer, the Apple Watch, receiving a standing ovation from an echo chamber of bloggers and fanboys in Cupertino.
First, Senior VP Phil Schiller showed off two new iPhones, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. One’s big, but wait till you see the other one, which is even bigger.
The screen on the iPhone 6 is 4.7-inches, for the iPhone 6 Plus, 5.5-inches. A new barometer knows when you're walking up stairs with your iPhone 6, which starts at $199, or your iPhone 6 Plus, which starts at $299. The phones ship September 19th, with iOS 8 free to download on the 17th.
Then, hot off denying an iCloud security breach, Cook proposed that Apple become your mobile payment method of choice with Apple Pay (operating over NFC). I already threw out my wallet and credit cards.
But one more thing, added a gleeful Cook: as predicted, the world welcomed an Apple Watch. It’s available in three collections: Apple Watch, Apple Watch Edition, and Apple Watch Sport, all of which require the iPhone 5 or 6 for pairing.
To scroll and select on the small rectangular device, you can touch the watch’s dial, called a digital crown, as if setting the time on a dumb watch. Or, you can touch the watch face, which even senses force and gives haptic feedback (a little buzz). Apple Watch also runs Apple Pay.
Apple Watch is loaded with health fitness tracking capabilities, making you feel intermittently motivated and terrible about yourself. It even knows when you’re sitting too long. It doesn't sport a wireless charger as predicted, but the watch has a magsafe connector that connects without alignment.
Apple Watch will cost $349 and won’t be on wrists until next year.
Seven years ago, Steve Jobs (reference obligatory) introduced the first iPhone in a combination lecture/sales pitch/magic trick that provides the template for today’s presentation. Nobody live tweeted it, though, and since those days we've grown wearier of gadget hype and Apple Store lines.
But who knows what could happen with “the most personal” device from Apple: Twitter reactions in my feed were mostly positive.
Oh and U2 played at the end of the keynote, and are releasing a new album for free on iTunes.
[Photo via apple.com]
Got a tip for The Bold Italic? Email tips@thebolditalic.com.