Mikey Campbell
In a pair of interviews with ABC News following Tuesday's big hardware debut, Apple CEO Tim Cook and SVP of Design Jony Ive discussed the trials and tribulations of designing the company's first wearable device.
Speaking with ABC News' David Muir, Cook said Apple Watch came about after the death of company cofounder Steve Jobs, meaning the wearable is the first product category to be developed under Cook's watch.
When asked what Jobs would think of the iPhone 6 and Apple Watch, Cook made it a point to mention the tech guru's influence is being felt even now, nearly three years after his passing.
"I think he would be smiling today," Cook said. "I think he would be so proud that he left a company that continued after him where he could clearly see his DNA at the foundation of it. You can see Steve written all over the products we did today."
Cook also handled questions related to Apple Watch security, a valid concern given the wearable will have access to sensitive information that, in some cases, could include payment information. Along with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, Apple Watch has NFC built in to conduct touch-less Apple Pay payments.
The Apple chief said the wearable is the most secure solution on the market, noting credit card information is translated into a Device Account Number that is used in conjunction with a dynamically generated security transaction code. Apple Pay technology was first discovered in an Apple patent filing from 2012.
A final question from Muir asked about Apple's "Made in America" initiative, to which Cook said parts, services and machinery from 22 states are being used in the production of Apple Watch and the latest iPhone product lines.
As for Ive, Apple's design chief said his team took years to get the Apple Watch right. One of the hardest issues to address was making a very personal device attractive to a wide swath of consumers.
"We've always tried to make products that people don't begrudgingly use, but that they want to use," Ive said. "I think that the bar for that is very high when it's something that you wear. And it's something that you're going to wear all day, every day."
Apple Watch is expected to go on sale in early 2015 at a starting price of $349.
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53 Comments
That is so much thicker than I was expecting. I hope for that size it has a decent battery life for a "smartwatch" with color display.
[quote name="SolipsismX" url="/t/182194/apple-watch-is-first-device-category-developed-under-tim-cook-took-years-to-complete#post_2593910"]That is so much thicker than I was expecting. I hope for that size it has a decent battery life for a "smartwatch" with color display.[/quote] Charles Arthur, technology writer for the Guardian tweeted that the watch looks bulky in photos but it's not. He also tweeted that people who have used the Moto Almost 360 say it is way bigger and clunkier. I wonder how much the average persons opinion will change once they see it in person and try it on.
That is so much thicker than I was expecting. I hope for that size it has a decent battery life for a "smartwatch" with color display.
I wonder if the watch will have annual incremental updates like all other products..
Apple Watch 2 - "Thinner Lighter Faster with Larger screen"
That is so much thicker than I was expecting. I hope for that size it has a decent battery life for a "smartwatch" with color display.
While thickness is relevant, I'd imagine that weight is a much larger factor. A few grams doesn't really make a huge difference for a iPhone, iPhablet, or iPad, but it certainly will for an iWatch.
[quote name="Rogifan" url="/t/182194/apple-watch-is-first-device-category-developed-under-tim-cook-took-years-to-complete#post_2593915"]I wonder how much the average persons opinion will change once they see it in person and try it on.[/quote] For Apple's sake I hope it's a lot, and Apple does have an excellent track record of getting people to change their first impressions after they use their products. I would be sold if I could have my Mac auto-unlock when I'm within [I]x[/I]-feet of it, my iPhone lock when the BT connection is too far, and notify me when that happens which could indicate I left it somewhere.