Apple Watch is expensive, but it 'can transform the healthcare sector'

Wearable will cost between £299 and £13,500, but may have life beyond pricey gadget

Apple finally revealed the release date and price points for its Apple Watch last night.

Costing £299 for the basic model with prices rising as high as £13,500, the watch will go on sale on 24 April 2015. Mid-range stainless steel versions will retail for between £479 and £949 in the UK. Various customisable design options and changeable magnetic straps will also be a mainstay of Apple's approach to marketing the wearable.

The device also includes a range of personal exercise and medical features, in much the same style as FitBit, which has already carved a niche as a personal health wearable. There is also an integrated "Taptic" feedback engine, which allows apps to gently vibrate the watch on the wrist to offer alerts and instructions - for example, whether to turn left or right when following mapping directions.

Like the iPhone and iPad before it, pressure now rests on the development community to begin bringing the watch to life with innovative apps - that is, if consumers are willing to meet the device's premium price.

Many commentators have voiced the opinion that Apple's device is far too expensive for a device that has so far revealed no pressing use case. Other watches from the likes of Sony and LG have seen limited success so far. However, there are some who feel the gadget's deeper features may be set to revolutionise the market.

Freddie McMahon, director research and innovation at big data firm Anomaly42, believes that the watch could make serious waves in the medical community.

"Apple is acutely aware that the answers to some of the world's most serious diseases will be found not by researchers alone - but by the data being emitted from the phones in our pockets and watches on our wrists," said McMahon.

"In the UK, the data that can be gathered in this way has the potential to lift a huge burden on the NHS, by injecting radical efficiency," he continued.

McMahon believes that "our politicians should have been watching Tim Cook on stage, but the potential of the technologies Apple is creating isn't even flickering on their radars.

"In the not too distant future, medical trials will be conducted in real-time on an unimaginable scale through apps, smartphones, wristwatches and other gadgets. Wearable technology will act as a nationwide triage," he stated.

Meanwhile, Frank Palermo, senior VP of global technical solutions at consulting and implementation firm Virtusa, believes the Apple Watch will succeed where Google Glass failed, as it offers what he calls a "complete platform" with its operating system, which is rumoured to be a version of iOS.

"The Apple Watch launch once again sets the experience bar for what users expect in connected wearable devices," said Palermo.

"The bottom line is that Apple delivers a complete platform rather than just discrete devices. Apple Watch will be launched into a ready-made thriving environment, unlike, for example, Google Glass."

His reasoning is that while Google Glass came with an "engineering, go-to market approach", and effectively launched in beta form, the Apple Watch will arrive into an existing ecosystem that will inspire engagement.

"[Google's idea] can work, but takes a lot more time to get into the mainstream consumer market. Google Glass was always a cool idea looking for a practical application," concluded Palermo.