The Apple Watch: Worth the wait?

BUT IS IT ANY GOOD?: After almost two years of speculation, Apple's first smartwatch, simply called Apple Watch, is finally a reality.

After almost two years of speculation, Apple's first smartwatch, simply called Apple Watch, is finally a reality. And as expected from any device that was developed under the watchful eyes of Jony Ive, it's as stylish as it is potentially useful. 

But good looks alone do not guarantee a device is going to be any good, so how does it stack up to the competition? 

In the time that it has taken Apple to put the finishing touches on its first wearable technology device, Samsung alone has already launched six different smartwatches, and the first intelligent timepieces that use Google's new Android Wear operating system are also on sale. 

However, to date, no smartwatch that needs to pair with a smartphone in order to work can offer the breadth of features that the Apple Watch has managed to pack in. 

It can track motion, health, fitness and well-being, monitor heart-rate, can be used to make phone calls and send single touch messages, as a replacement for a physical wallet when paying for goods, as an iPhone camera remote control and as a standalone MP3 player. But all of the features have been carefully and intelligently integrated in a way that makes the device as simple to use as an iPhone.  

There are also intelligent touches like a digital crown wheel that can be pushed or turned to navigate the watch face and interface with apps without obscuring it with your fingers and which Apple is hailing as its most revolutionary navigation tool since the click-wheel on the iPod. 

But perhaps most importantly, the company has avoided taking the ‘one-size-fits-all" approach. The watch is available in three different styles, or ‘collections' — Watch; Watch Sport; and Watch Edition — and in two different watch face sizes. 

Watch comes with a polished or space black finish stainless steel case and a choice of six different straps ranging from stainless steel bracelets to leather bands. 

Watch Sport swaps stainless steel for lighter aluminium and a tougher display for those that want to make the most of its activity-tracking capabilities. 

Meanwhile the Edition collection is for those that want glamour. The smartwatch is plated in 18-karat gold and owners will be able to choose from six styles each with their own specially designed band. 

Which is why when Apple's CEO, Tim Cook, revealed the Apple Watch in front of a 2,000-strong crowd at the Flint Centre on Tuesday, he underlined the personal. 

"Apple introduced the world to several category-defining products, the Mac, iPod, iPhone and iPad," said Cook. "And once again Apple is poised to captivate the world with a revolutionary product that can enrich people's lives. It's the most personal product we've ever made." 

The Apple Watch is set to go on sale, initially in the US only, in early 2015 and will cost US$349 (RM1,116). It is compatible with the iPhone 5, 5C, 5S and the iPhone 6. — AFP/Relaxnews 2014