Apple Watch: New Features, Prices Unveiled

Apple revealed the final mysterious details about its new Watch at an event on Monday.

It will be available for pre-order on April 10th, and will go on sale in stores on April 24th. The watch will come in three varieties, Apple Watch Sport, Apple Watch, and the opulent — and insanely expensive — Apple Watch Edition.

Each watch will also be available in two sizes with a 38mm model made for those who are small of wrist, and a 42mm model for folks with larger wrists. Most Android Wear watches are only available in a single size and have been criticized for being too large for those will thinner wrists.

During a stage demo for the Watch, Apple’s Kevin Lynch offered up a variety of use cases for the Apple Watch. He received a phone call, sent a picture he drew on the watch to his wife, and replied to a message from a friend using the Chinese app WeChat,a big shout out to Apple’s Chinese users.

There was more to offer than quick notifications and messages, though. At one point, Lynch showed how he could access the Alarm.com app from the Apple Watch to check to see if the doors to his house were locked. He was also able open his garage door, and stream video from a camera to see his daughter walk into his house.

In terms of fitness features, the Apple Watch will be able to measure your heart rate (something that was announced at the watch’s debut in Sept. 2014) as well as notify you when you’ve been sitting for too long and nudge you to walk around for a bit. (Both of these features are available on competing smartwatches and fitness trackers.)

Model Christy Turlington Burns also showed off how the watch has is helping her train for the upcoming Virgin Money London Marathon.

Instagrammers will also be able to use the Apple Watch to scroll through their friends’ feeds and like photos. Uber will also be available for the Apple Watch, allowing you to request a vehicle and see who your driver is.

Two of the Apple Watch’s killer features are its ability to use the Apple Pay mobile wallet app and use the watch as your room key at participating Starwood Hotels and Resorts.

To use Apple Pay with the Apple Watch, you simply double-tap a button on the watch’s side and hold the watch up to a payment terminal. You’ll then hear a quick tone and feel the watch vibrate when your payment is received.

As for using the watch as a room key, Apple’s Lynch explained that the timepiece will automatically detect when you are near your hotel and provide you with information including your check-in and check-out dates, and your room number. When you get to your room, you hold the watch up to your door and tap a button on the watch’s screen the lock will open.

Apple also tried to allay concerns regarding the Apple Watch’s battery, saying that the watch should last up to 18-hours on a single charge. That’s a bold claim, and likely depends on how much you use the watch, and for what. If you’re using it to check the news and sports scores all day, chances are it won’t last as long as Apple says.

So how much does the Apple Watch cost? Well, a 38mm version of the Apple Watch Sport, the least expensive of the bunch, costs $349, while the larger 42mm Sport costs $399. That watch features an aluminum body and rubber band.

Move up to the stainless steel Apple Watch, and you’ll pay $549 for a 38mm model and $599 for a 42mm model.

Here’s where it gets a little nutty. A 38mm version of the Apple Watch Edition with its rose gold case will costs you the princely sum of $10,000. Move up to the 38mm 18-karat gold Watch Edition, and you’ll pay $17,000. Yes, $17K for a smartwatch. There are also versions in between that cost $12,000 and $15,000.

Want to get the Apple Watch as soon as possible? You can pre-order it through Apple’s website starting on April 10th. Want to buy the watch in person? Then you’ll want to head to your local Apple Store on April 24th.

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