Some time ago we wrote an article essentially saying, “What’s the point of smart watches?  No one is going to buy them”.  The smart watch has indeed not set the world on fire.  It hasn’t even set a barbecue on fire.  However, it hasn’t stopped our old friend Apple having a crack at it.

Once Apple gets involved, things tend to change.  Everyone mocked their iPad but they shifted nearly 15million of them within the first nine months.  It is entirely possible they could do similar with their smart watch.  But what do we get?  How much will it cost?  Hold your metaphorical horses and we’ll tell you.

Open Doors

The Apple Watch will cost between £299 and £13,500 depending on what you choose.  In fact there’s a whopping (and rather confusing) 38 different models from which to choose; coming in a variety of metals such as aluminium, steel and gold-cased.  There will also be a variety of straps.  Whether or not you can get those upside down ones that nurses wear is yet to be confirmed.  What do you get for your dosh?

For a start you can do social media things such as Facebook and Instagram.  You can check the name of a song on Shazam.  You can make touchless payments with it.  You can unlock a compatible hotel room door instead of using a key card.  You can even open your garage door remotely.  These things all sound lovely (if you stay in posh hotels and actually have a garage).  “Can I make calls and send messages?” we hear you cry.  Well, yes and no is the answer.

Pair Up

The answer is yes if you have an iPhone 5 (or more recent) that it can pair up with.  The answer is no if you don’t.  The same goes for such useful fare as GPS tracking.  So they’re clearly aiming this device squarely at those who want to complete their Apple collection.  One more in the barrel, if you like.

Despite the odd reservation and the disappointment of previous manufacturers’ smart watches, the tech advisory firm, CCS Insight optimistically forecasts that Apple will flog 20million of these blighters by the end of 2015.  Would you want one?  Do you need one?  Will they sell?  The only thing we can do is report back at the end of 2015 and see what occurred.  So watch this space!

In order to view the original footage of the product’s launch, visit here: http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-31794823

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He knew it was an Apple watch when he found pips in his cogs