Apple publishes Apple Watch Guided Tours for Apple Pay, Activity and Workout [updated with video]

With Apple Pay, Activity and Workout videos now live, the Guided Tours section of Apple's dedicated Apple Watch mini-site is now complete. Today's additions join video demos of Messages, faces, Digital Touch, phone calls, Siri, Maps and Music.

Like past tours, Apple walks viewers through the setup process and explains the benefits of each feature. For Apple Pay, the narrator describes adding a credit card already linked with iTunes, as well as adding a new card through the Apple Watch iPhone app. Users can set up Watch for payments by simply entering a given card's security code, though in some cases banks may require two-step verification.

Double-clicking the side button brings up a user's default card, while swiping cycles through other options provisioned through the Apple Watch app on iPhone. After initial setup, users can pay at compatible point of sale terminals without taking out their iPhone.

Activity tracks three fitness goals visualized as three rings: standing once per hour, tracking personal calorie burn and accumulating brisk activity. Opening the app for the first time, users enter in a few personal information like sex, age, weight and normal activity level. This helps the app make accurate assessments for a more personalized experience.

Apple also announced upcoming availability for a standalone Activity app on iPhone that will sync progress from Watch, to be displayed as rings, graphs, metrics and more. The Activity video also runs through reminders, awards and data storage via the Health app.

Finally, Workout covers built in exercise regimens and tracking aided by Apple Watch's sensor suite or an external Bluetooth-enabled fitness device. Users can set workout goals based on calories or time, as well as distance goals for indoor/outdoor running and walking and cycling. Workout sessions can be tracked in real-time with either a ring visualization or numeric metrics such as distance traveled, calories burned and time.

More detailed metrics, as well as a workout history, can be viewed in the Apple Watch and Health apps on iPhone.

Apple Watch is set to ship out to preorder customers on Friday. Earlier today, a number of customers reported seeing preorders originally scheduled to arrive in May or June as being "prepared for shipment." Apple later confirmed that orders are shipping out earlier than expected.

Update: This article has been updated to reflect Apple announcement of the iPhone Activity app.