Apple Watch's worldwide preview kicks off

New Apple Watches are seen on display in an Apple store in Sydney on April 10, 2015
New Apple Watches are seen on display in an Apple store in Sydney on April 10, 2015

Japanese tech fans got their first look Friday at the Apple Watch, with would-be early buyers queuing for a "trial fitting" in Tokyo's chic Omotesando area.

Apple says its first will connect wirelessly to a user's iPhone and will be the interface for messaging, calls and apps, especially ones geared toward health and fitness.

"I'm very keen to buy it," said Kazuki Miura, a 43-year-old technology writer, after slipping the device onto his wrist.

Apple began taking orders at its Tokyo store in the morning, and was set to start global online reservations at 0701 GMT. First deliveries will begin in nine countries on April 24.

Dozens of customers had waited outside the Apple store in Omotesando for several hours before being ushered down into the basement one-by-one for what Apple called their trial fitting.

Users can also send a real-time display of their heartbeat to another Apple Watch.

Miura's colleague Hisanori Kogure, 35, joked to him "I'll send you my pulse", to which Miura replied: "No, thank you."

IT worker Ahi To, 24, had dropped in at the Apple shop to see "the newest gadget" on his way to work and said he was taken by the possibility of wirelessly connecting it to an iPhone.

Prices will start at $349, with a limited-edition gold version costing $10,000.

A customer tests a new Apple Watch in Sydney on April 10, 2015
A customer tests a new Apple Watch in Sydney on April 10, 2015

Tech firms are betting heavily on wearables as the next frontier in consumer electronics, with offerings from Motorola and Samsung, amongst others, joining the fray.

Luxury Swiss watchmaker TAG Heuer announced last month it was joining forces with Google and Intel to develop a rival to the Apple Watch.

© 2015 AFP

Citation: Apple Watch's worldwide preview kicks off (2015, April 10) retrieved 16 April 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2015-04-apple-worldwide-preview.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

Explore further

TAG Heuer to partner with Google, Intel to create smartwatch (Update)

19 shares

Feedback to editors