sciencetech-blog

The Apple Watch Sport is pictured

Models: The Apple Watch will be available in three models: the Apple Watch, Watch Sport and Watch Edition.

All models will be sold in either 1.4-inch (38mm) or 1.7-inch (42mm) versions depending on which colour the owner chooses.

Apple Watch is made of stainless steel with a sapphire crystal Retina display and ceramic back.

Apple Watch Sport is made of 7000 Series Silver Aluminum with Ion-X Glass on a Retina display and composite back. 

Apple Watch Edition has a similar build to the Apple Watch but comes in 18-Karat Rose Gold and Yellow Gold.

Interchangeable straps include fluoroelastomer (rubber), leather, and stainless steel.

Prices: Apple Watch is made of stainless steel and prices range between $549 and $1048 for the 1.4-inch model and $599 and $1099 for the larger 1.7-inch version. 

Watch Sport is made of 7000 Series Silver Aluminum and ranges from $349 to $399. 

The premium Edition has a similar build to the Apple Watch but comes in 18-Karat Rose Gold and Yellow Gold.

Prices start at $10,000.

All of the watches can be pre-ordered from 10 April and goes on sale on 24 April. 

In the UK, Sport starts at £299, the standard Watch starts at £479 and the Edition model will cost £8,000. 

Gestures: Following last year's unveiling, Apple admitted the Watch is unlike any device it has ever made.

It said it has 'reinvented all-new ways to select navigate and input that are suited to a smaller device worn on the wrist'. The Watch is also said to be able to sense force adding 'a new dimension to the user interface'. 

Force Touch uses electrodes around the flexible display to distinguish between a light tap and a deep press, and trigger instant access to a range of contextually specific controls - such as an action menu in Messages, or a mode that lets you select different watch faces. 

The Sport model is pictured left, the Watch is pictured centre and the Edition is pictured right. All of the watches can be pre-ordered from 10 April and will be available in stores from this date

Digital Crown: On mechanical watches, the crown has historically been used to set the time and date and to wind the mainspring. 

Apple has adapted this and its 'digital' crown can be used to magnify content on the small display.

Rotating the digital crown replaces the typical pinching motion used on iPhones and iPads and allows wearers to zoom and scroll without obstructing the screen. 

Pressing the crown will also return wearers to the home screen.

Watch OS: Apple has taken the iOS software on its phones and tablets and tweaked it to better suit the watch's power, display size and functions. It has also invented a new typeface to make the screen easier to read.

On mechanical watches the crown has historically been used to set the time and date and to wind the mainspring. Apple has adapted this and its 'digital' crown (pictured) can be used to magnify content on the display. Rotating the crown replaces allows wearers to zoom and scroll without obstructing the screen

Sapphire display: Apple Watches have a laminated Retina display made from a 'single crystal of sapphire.' While on the Sport collection the screen has the added protection of Ion-X glass.

Glances: The Glances feature shows info users would like to see, similar to Google Now, and is accessed by swiping the screen up from the bottom.

For instance, wearers can glimpse the weather forecast, check out what's next on their calendar, or find their location on a map. 

They can then swipe through different Glances, or tap on one to go directly to its corresponding app for more details.

Music can also be controlled on an iPhone through the Apple Watch.

On the back of the Watch's case is a sensor (pictured) that uses infrared and visible-light LEDs and photodiodes to detect the wearer's heart rate

Vibration and notifications: The Watch has a built-in is a 'taptic engine' that responds to a subtle vibrations users feel on their wrist for notifications.

Any notification that appears on the connected phone will appear on the Watch. 

This is made from a linear actuator, or motor, inside the Apple Watch that produces haptic feedback.  

The wearer can then respond to these messages directly or swipe down to see the Notification Centre.

This haptic feedback could also be used with Apple Maps, for example, to help people navigate. It will produced gentle vibrations to signal when to turn left or right.  

The Watch additionally understands questions in messages and offers pre-selected answers, and messages can be dictated to the iPhone.

And this taptic engine means people can get someone's attention with a gentle tap or send their heartbeat remotely.

There is no keyboard on the Watch, and messages can only be sent through dictation, or emoji.

Siri is also built into the Apple Watch.  

Heart rate sensor:  On the back of the Watch's case, a ceramic cover with sapphire lenses sits above a sensor that uses infrared and visible-light LEDs and photodiodes to detect the wearer's heart rate. 

Apple Watch uses this sensor, along with an accelerometer and the GPS and Wi‑Fi in a connected iPhone, to measure physical movement such as steps, distance and calories. 

Inductive charging: The Watch uses Apple's MagSafe technology with inductive charging. 

This means it can be charged wirelessly by placing a connector near the back of the watch where magnets cause it to snap into place automatically.

MagSafe is the name of the connector Apple uses with its MacBook range. 

Battery life: Mr Cook was vague about the battery life of the Apple Watch when it was announced.

He confirmed at the event in March that it will last 18 hours on a single charge.

Members of the media and Apple guests get a look at the new Apple Watch and new MacBook in the demo room after an Apple event in March. MailOnline's Mark Prigg describes the Watch as 'by far the best wearable device on the market'

Apple's Watch does what Google Glass and Pebble's smartwatch failed to do - create a beautiful, elegant device that works as a piece of jewellery, without even switching it on.

Surprisingly light, the Watch oozes quality and attention to detail in the design and build.

Apple has gone to great lengths to show off the specialist materials used in its construction - and it shows.

While in images it looks a little chunky, on the wrist it's a different story - the rounded curve means it fits comfortably on the wrist, and the range of bracelets means there's one for pretty much every taste (for the record, I used the leather strap with magnetic 'slap band').

Using the Watch can be slightly confusing at first. The combination of digital crown, button and touchscreen mean that for your first few tries, you'll probably press the wrong one.

However, after a few minutes it becomes second nature to navigate around, and the digital crown in particular is perfectly weighted, making scrolling through long lists such as music or your messages simple.

The touchscreen in particular is extremely accurate. I didn't notice a single press in the wrong place, even on the main screen which has dozens of icons.

However, there is undoubtedly an initial confusion factor Apple will have to overcome, and the experience of buying one in Apple's Stores will be key to its success, as the Watch simply isn't a device you can just pick up and understand instantly.

However, once you've learnt how to get around, the Watch is fluid, fast and the screen astonishingly bright.

We were able to try all of its features, and found even in the beta version we were using, the software is spot on - animations are smooth and fluid, with watch faces such as an opening rose really showing off the screen.

Overall, the Apple Watch is by far the best wearable device on the market. Sadly, this is no indicator of success as there's simply not much in the way of competition for the 'normal' consumer, despite Google's attempts with Android Wear.

However, will people want one? The selling point from my (admittedly short) time with the watch seems to be its timesaving potential. As a phone addict, I'm constantly checking for messages. Having that on my wrist, along with the ability to easily reply and to see responses, meant less time fiddling with my phone. 

As with the Apple iPhone when it was first introduced, one feels we are only seeing Apple's apps in detail.

When it ships on 24 April, developers around the world are expected to unleash a raft of apps - and much like the iPhone, these are what could really propel Apple Watch from being an elegant way to see your notifications to being a true new computing platform for Apple.

By Mark Prigg in Berlin