Apple Watch: Top 10 exciting features
We count down the most interesting features in Apple's first wearable
Apple has arrived in the wearables market. Tim Cook unveiled the Apple Watch earlier this week in what marked a major moment for the company, as it enters a new product category for the first time since it unveiled the iPad in 2010.
The Apple Watch won't be available until some point in 2015, but already there is plenty to get excited about, so V3 has listed 10 of the most interesting aspects and features of the Apple Watch.
Are you convinced by the Apple Watch? Let us know in the comments box below.
10. Monitoring movement
Apple was keen to point out how the Apple Watch will be geared towards fitness, particularly as it has a dedicated sport model. To make Apple Watch appeal to fitness fanatics, Apple has put four sensors in the back of the smartwatch.
These infrared and visible LEDs and photosensors can read heartbeats and measure fitness providing biometric data that can then be fed back to related apps.
Two new apps harness this data - Activity and Workout - which track different levels of activity, including the number of steps taken throughout the day and the number of calories burned. However, for the Apple Watch to do this it needs to be used in conjunction with an iPhone 5 or later iPhone models.
Apple Watch: Top 10 exciting features
We count down the most interesting features in Apple's first wearable
9. iOS 8 variant designed for wearables Apple software's intuitive user interfaces have been a constant selling point, driving buyers to its iPhone and iPad devices.
Looking to keep this up Apple has gone all out designing the operating system for its initial run of wearables, creating what it claims is the first truly smart smartwatch operating system (OS).
Apple has tweaked the OS to display apps - such as photo and mapping applications - in a honeycomb pattern designed to fit them all onto a small screen, as opposed to the regular grid interface seen on iPhones and iPads.
The new UI is radically different to those of other smartwatches, such as Samsung's Tizen and Google Android Wear, which both use card and window-focused interfaces, so it could prove a key selling point to those previously unconvinced by wearables.
8. Support for older iPhones
Apple has opened the Apple Watch to as many users as possible by making it compatible with its older iPhone 5S, 5C and 5 models, rather than only the newest iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus phones.
This will ensure millions more tempted by the Watch can pick one up without having to splash out for a new phone, which should help Apple boost sales and drive awareness of the device.
For a company often criticised for outdating its devices in order to force users to upgrade, its support for the older phones - especially the two-year-old iPhone 5 - is a notable inclusion.
Of course, iPhone 4S and 4 users are left behind, but given that these devices are three and fours years old, this is perhaps not surprising, especially as the iPhone 4 will not receive the iOS 8 update.
7. Lots of designs and styles
In the past Apple gave you one iPhone to buy and, aside from colour and storage, that was your lot. Now, Apple is increasingly expanding its offering with, for example the multi-coloured 5C and now the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
With the Apple Watch the firm has gone even further, with three different models and two different sizes. The models are named: Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport and Apple Watch Edition, with the design modified to reflect the type of device.
There are also numerous watch strap types, styles and colours. This should help those who do plump for an Apple Watch pick something that best reflects their desire to promote their personality. V3 is not sure how Apple will market this but if it contains the outburst, "Dr Flamenco!" or "Mr Mojito?" we'll be happy.
Apple Watch: Top 10 exciting features
We count down the most interesting features in Apple's first wearable
6. Siri inclusion
Siri has been around for several years now, so most people are fairly comfortable talking to their phone and then waiting a few second for a digitised voice to tell them the time, weather forecast or open a web page.
As such given the small form factor that Apple Watch offers, the inclusion of Siri as a primary way in which you interact with the device is not surprising. If it works as well as Apple claims, this should make it possible to use Siri for most functions on the device.
However, we'd better get used to seeing people talking into their wrists, which could give the impression everyone is a spy. This could help spies blend in as well. Everyone's a winner.
5. NFC payment capability
Apple made a big deal about its digital wallet, Apple Pay, which will rely upon near-field communication (NFC) to facilitate contactless payments in participating US stores.
Much like the brace of iPhone 6 models, the Apple Watch also features an NFC antenna, meaning wearers can make contactless payments with their smartwatch without needing to fish out an iPhone 6 from their pockets or handbags.
To ease concerns that thieves might snatch a smartwatch and go on a contactless spending spree, the Apple Watch has been deigned to lock once it is removed from the wearer's wrist.
The jury is still out on whether the Apple Watch will lead to a lot of wrist waving over contactless payment terminals, as trendy early adopters try to pay for their skinny lattes.
Apple Watch: Top 10 exciting features
We count down the most interesting features in Apple's first wearable
4. Taptic Engine
One of the more unusual features inside the Apple Watch is the Taptic Engine, which the firm claims gives the smart watch a "more human touch".
This linear actuator is found underneath the hood of the iWatch, allowing the device to provide haptic feedback. This means, whenever you receive a notification on the device - be it a Facebook notification or a reminder to do some exercise - you'll feel a small vibration.
Perhaps one of its most interesting uses is in Apple Maps, giving users different buzzes when they need to turn left or right. This feature also allows Apple Watch wearers to communicate to each other by tapping the screen to send a vibration or drawing messages, as pictured.
3. Wireless charging
Much like Motorola's Moto 360, the Apple Watch boasts support for wireless charging, meaning it shouldn't be too much of a chore to recharge.
Apple's debut smartwatch will use a wireless MagSafe-style wireless charger. This inductive charger will magnetically snap to the back of the iWatch, in a similar way to Apple's MacBook laptop chargers, creating an electrical current that charges the wearable.
There is no official word as to how frequently the Apple Watch will require charging, but reports are claiming that its battery will last one day.
Apple Watch: Top 10 exciting features
We count down the most interesting features in Apple's first wearable
2. Sapphire screen
While consumers may might be miffed that the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus don't feature sapphire screens as rumours had suggested, the Apple Watch does come coated in the "unbreakable" material.
Sapphire glass is a synthetic material, and in terms of ruggedness, it is second to only diamond. With Apple's Watch featuring the material, on both 1.3in and 1.5in models, the wearable should be extremely difficult to scratch, and means wearers likely won't end up with a shattered display to match their iPhone.
Sapphire also offers crystal-clear transparency, making it ideal for use in display screens. However, in addition to the screen, the Apple Watch will also feature lenses made of sapphire on its rear, making the watch's fitness sensors more durable and accurate.
1. Crowning achievement
Probably the most interesting physical feature of the Apple Watch is its digital crown. Taking inspiration from the analogue era of horology, Apple reworked a traditional watch crown for its smartwatch.
Normally used for setting and winding analogue watches, the crown of the Apple Watch translates rotary motion into digital data, allowing the wearer to control the smartwatch without relying solely on the touchscreen.
In practice, this simplifies the process of zooming into apps, such as maps, without relying on fiddly inputs such as ‘pinch to zoom'. Given the size of a smartwatch's screen, having a form of input that doesn't obscure the display makes a lot of sense, and it is understandable why Apple is championing the digital crown.
With the digital crown, Apple has found a form of user input that, as yet, no other smartwatch maker has aped or improved upon.