Test drive the Apple Watch BEFORE it's released: Interactive online demo lets you virtually play with the wearable's features
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Apple fans should be able to get their hands on the Apple Watch in March, but if you can't wait that long, a firm has created an online demo.
The interactive watch is modelled on official images released by Apple, and lets people see how their messages, emails and homescreen will look and work.
The demo also shows how push notifications will appear, and lets users control music on the virtual watch.
The interactive watch (pictured) is modelled on official images released by Apple, and lets people see how their messages, emails and homescreen will look and work. Clicking the crown on the right of the watch brings up the homescreen, featuring a host of circular app icons
It was created by designers at Pipes, an app that lets people track news stories and trending topics.
Clicking the crown on the right of the digital watch brings up the homescreen, featuring a host of circular app icons.
Clicking the mouse and moving it to the left and right will swipe through pages on the watch's face.
And clicking an individual icon will open that particular app.
For example, clicking the iTunes icon opens a music player screen and lets users press play and pause, and change the volume.
On the left-hand side of the demo are options that let users see how push notifications will appear, as well as how Apple's Glances feature works.
Glances is a summary of the apps the user open the most, such as Facebook, the weather app, emails or maps.
The feature is similar to Google Now, and on the physical version of the watch, Glances will be accessible by swiping up from the bottom of the watch face.
In the demo, Glances shows the weather, news articles from Mashable, and Pipes' Top Stories menu.
It's a basic demonstration, but gives users an idea of how popular apps will appear on the watch's 1.5-inch display.
Clicking the mouse and moving it to the left and right will swipe through pages on the watch's face. And clicking an individual icon will open that particular app (Messages app pictured left). For example, clicking the iTunes icon opens a music player (right) and lets users press play and pause, and change the volume
The demo was created by designers at Pipes, an app that lets people track news stories and trending topics. It's a basic demo, but gives users an idea of how apps will appear on the watch's 1.5-inch display (pictured)
Earlier this week, reports said Apple is 'finishing up' work on the Apple Watch's software and it could go on sale in March.
Apple fan site 9to5mac said sources familiar with the product's development believe the device will ship in the US by the end of the first quarter of 2015.
Glances feature (picutred) shows info users would like to see, similar to Google Now, and is accessed by swiping up from the bottom of the screen
So far Apple has refused to reveal exactly when it will be released, although a statement made to Apple employees suggests the release will be in 'the spring.'
It has previously been claimed that suppliers were struggling to make enough screens and processors.
Now 9to5Mac's Mark Gurman said Apple Store employees are set to be trained in February.
'One or two representatives from many Apple Stores in the United States, depending on store and market size, will be sent to Apple offices in either Cupertino, California or Austin, Texas to learn first-hand about the Watch,' he claimed.
'These training programs will take place between 9 February and 16 February.'
The employees will then train the rest of their store's staff, it is believed.
Unveiled on 9 September at Apple's iPhone 6 launch event, the Apple Watch is the company's foray into wearables.
Samsung, LG, Sony, Motorola and Microsoft have already launched their own smartwatches, but Apple is expected to face unprecedented demand for its timepiece.
Quanta, which is building the watch, has upped its number of workers from 2,000 to 10,000 and is ultimately aiming for 20,000.
The initial round of shipments will be 3 to 5 million watches.
Apple anticipates a total of 24 million watches to be shipped during 2015.
During the announcement in September, Apple's chief executive Tim Cook didn't announce exactly when the watch would be available, but said it would go on sale 'early next year.'
A 'source close to Apple' told The Information in November that the firm 'would be lucky to ship [the watch] before Valentine's Day'.
Despite the range of impressive features unveiled by Mr Cook, there was something he failed to mention: battery life.
Apple's chief executive Tim Cook (pictured) unveiled the watch at a launch event in September. Earlier this week, reports said Apple is 'finishing up' work on the watch's software and it could go on sale in March
The telling omission suggests the watch's battery life will be the Achilles Heel of the device when it eventually does go on sale.
Apple is said to be unhappy with the watch's battery life, and the long lead time before the $349 (£216) product ships could mean the device will be more functional once it's released early next year.
Most existing smartwatches on the market, such as Pebble and MetaWatch, tend to last up to a week on a single charge.
The closest Cook came to talking about the battery life for the Watch was saying that users would 'charge it at night.'
During an interview in Bloomberg Business Week, Apple's senior vice president of operations Jeff WIlliams said: 'We want to make the best product in the world.
The watch has a completely new user interface (left), different from the iPhone, and the 'crown' on the Apple Watch is a dial called the 'digital crown' (right) presented by chief executive Tim Cook
The company's chief executive added the Apple Watch 'can be worn all day, for any occasion,' but hourly figures were notably absent. The long lead time before the $349 (£216) product ships could mean the device will be more functional once it's released early next year
'One of our competitors is on their fourth or fifth attempt, but nobody is wearing them.'
The company's chief executive added that the Apple Watch 'can be worn all day, for any occasion,' but hourly figures were notably absent.
A source said Apple is unhappy with the watch's battery life, according to Re/Code. Another source confirmed to the technology site that that the battery life 'is about a day now.'
A spokesperson for Apple declined to provide battery details to MailOnline and said they will be revealed closer to launch next year.
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