Apple announced on Tuesday during its earning call that it will start commercial shipments of its highly-anticipated Apple Watch device in April. While the company will start shipments of its new gadget later than expected, its management believes that the new product will become popular both among end-users and among developers.
“Development of Apple Watch is right on schedule and we expect to begin shipping in April,” said Tim Cook, chief executive officer of Apple, during a conference call with investors and financial analysts. “Developers are hard at work on apps, notifications and information summaries that we call Glances, all designed specifically for the Watch’s user interface.”
Apple Watch is based on the S1 system-on-chip that sports application processor, memory and various interfaces. The device is able to run various applications specifically designed for it as well as work as a health and fitness tracker. Two versions of Apple Watch – smaller and bigger – will be available. The most affordable Apple Watch – the Watch Sport – will cost $349. Versions made of stainless steel will cost up to $1000, whereas golden Watch Edition will cost several thousands of dollars.
Apple seems to pin a lot of hopes on Watch. Unfortunately, the company officially does not reveal expectations concerning sales of the product. Independent analysts predict that Apple will sell millions of its smartwatch this year.
“My expectations are very high on [Apple Watch],” said Mr. Cook. “I am using it every day, and loving it, and I cannot live without it.”
According to Apple’s management, software developers are eager to design programs for the Apple Watch platform.
“I see we are making great progress on the developer side,” said the CEO of Apple. “We are seeing some incredible innovation coming out there.”
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KitGuru Says: While Apple is one of the world’s largest makers of consumer electronics, it should be noted that its first-generation gadgets from the company are traditionally not very successful. Moreover, sometimes their technological limitations are too significant. It remains to be seen whether the Apple Watch will become an immediate hit, or will share the destiny of the original iPhone and iPad.