Here is what you need to know about the Apple Watch – no more, no less:
- Prices start at £299, with the mid-tier “Watch” version costing between £479 and £949 depending on the strap, and the high-end “Edition” will start at a mere £8,000...
- It is available in two sizes: 38mm and 42mm
- Faces and straps can be customised to suit the user’s personal taste
- Pre-orders open on 10 April and the device goes on sale on 24 April in the UK, US, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong and Japan
- Battery life is claimed to be 18 hours
- Users can make and receive calls, get emails and notifications, pay for goods or services using Apple Pay, talk to Siri and manage photos
- Health and fitness applications are a major selling point – and it can remind you to take screen breaks
- Watch apps from the likes of Twitter, Shazam, Uber and Instagram have been announced and a flood of others are expected in the coming days
You don’t fancy spending several hundred pounds on the Apple Watch? Here are some other smartwatches to consider:
- Sony Smartwatch 3 (£189). The closest rival to the Apple Watch Sport. A square-screened device running Android Wear software, with GPS built in, three-day battery life, and a waterproof design. Lacks a heart rate monitor.
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Motorola Moto 360 (£200). One of relatively few smartwatches with a round screen, this is the most attractive Android Wear device and has a heart rate monitor, but like the Apple Watch must be charged daily. Changeable straps.
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Pebble Time (£119). More than 67,000 people have so far pre-ordered this smartwatch on Kickstarter, with its week-long battery life its main selling point.
- Samsung Gear S (£270). The Gear S can be used as a standalone mobile phone for texting, calling and web browsing, although it needs a separate mobile contract. The Guardian only gave it two out of five stars.
- LG G Watch R (£200). Another round-screened Android Wear device, this is chunky but its battery lasts for two days, and it’s also waterproof.
And if you are more concerned with looking good than looking like Dick Tracy, there are plenty of fitness bands:
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Jawbone Up24 – boasts two weeks battery life, sleep tracking, vibration activity reminders, but no heart rate monitor.
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Misfit Shine/Flash – six months battery life and sleep tracking, general activity.
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Intel Basis Peak – constant heart rate monitoring, is waterproof and connects to an Android or iPhone.
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Garmin Forerunner 910 – triathlon watch with ability to record distance/speed and stroke while swimming, for instance.
- Adidas miCoach smartRun – “more like a personal coach on your wrist than a simple activity tracker”.
