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Apple opens the floodgates to Watch-friendly apps
You may have noticed a few Apple Watch-friendly iOS apps trickle out, but brace yourself: you're about to face a torrent of them. Apple has opened up WatchKit app submissions to all developers (not just the handful of early partners from before), so anyone who has been toiling over wristwear-ready software in the past few months can finally put it on your iPhone. Given that the Apple Watch release is still three weeks away, this suggests that the App Store will be well-stocked on day one.
Apple expects you to use its Watch in 10-second bursts
Apple doesn't want you to spend a lot of time with Watch apps. Specifically, if you're looking at your Cupertino-device adorned wrist for more than 10 seconds, that isn't ideal according to Bloomberg's sources. In addition to quick bursts of info, Watch apps also use location services, among other features, to keep the amount of distractions to a minimum so your wrist won't constantly buzz. For instance, saving specific personal email alerts until you're home from work. From the sounds of it, that should serve a few different purposes: conserving battery life and keeping annoyance levels down. The former of course is a common complaint lobbed at most smartwatches thus far.
Video: Developing with WatchKit, featuring Curt Clifton of The Omni Group
Every day, the Apple Watch is one day closer to being released to the public. Developers are now finding ways to make their iOS apps Watch-friendlly as they begin to experiment with WatchKit, and at a recent Seattle Xcoders Meetup, developer Curt Clifton of The Omni Group spoke to the group about how to develop Watch apps. Anyone with an interest in Apple Watch development who hasn't already begun to play with WatchKit will enjoy Clifton's talk, which is just under 39 minutes long. Watch and learn! If you'd like the source code Clifton used for the demonstration, it's available on Github.
Apple Watch's new font isn't the first Apple font named San Francisco
Today Apple released WatchKit, the tools for developers to start building apps for the Apple Watch. Buried inside the kit is a brand new font called "San Francisco" specifically designed for use with the Apple Watch. Given the challenges of reading text on such a tiny screen Apple needed to ensure it came with a font that met the device's needs. In the release notes for developers the company describes the font thusly. The system font was designed specifically for legibility on Apple Watch. At large sizes, the font's slightly condensed letters are set tight to take up less horizontal space. But at small sizes, they are spaced more loosely and have bigger apertures in glyphs like 'a' and 'e' to make these easier to read at a glance. Punctuation is also proportionally larger when the font gets smaller. And as text size changes, Apple Watch dynamically switches between fonts to maintain clarity and legibility at all times. It appears the "San Francisco" font is going to be an important part of the Apple Watch experience. Of course it isn't the first Apple font to go by that name. No, there was another "San Francisco" which was one of the original bitmap typefaces for the Apple Macintosh. Designed by Susan Kare, the font allowed for users to mimic the effect of a ransom note, for any number of presumably reasonable "ransom note mimicking" reasons. H/T to The Next Web for originally noticing the similar font names.
Apple releases WatchKit SDK to developers
Apple today announced the release of WatchKit, a suite of tools to enable developers to start developing apps for the Apple Watch. WatchKit is available as part of the recently released iOS 8.2 beta SDK. Apple's press release reads in part: "Apple Watch is our most personal device ever, and WatchKit provides the incredible iOS developer community with the tools they need to create exciting new experiences right on your wrist," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "With the iOS 8.2 beta SDK, developers can now start using WatchKit to create breakthrough new apps, Glances and actionable notifications designed for the innovative Apple Watch interface and work with new technologies such as Force Touch, Digital Crown and Taptic Engine." Developers can create notifications that allow users to take action or respond right from their wrist such as turning the lights off after they've left the house, quickly accessing flight details at the airport, and rerouting their transit when a train or bus is late. Developers can incorporate Glances, which quickly show users information they care about most, such as the latest news and sports scores, alarm system status or the next step of a favorite recipe. WatchKit can be downloaded now via Apple's developer site.
Developers can now write apps for Apple Watch (updated)
Been jonesing to create your own Apple Watch software? It's time to get cracking. As promised, Apple has released WatchKit, the toolbox you need to develop apps for this next-gen wristwear. The utility (tied into the iOS 8.2 beta SDK) lets you take advantage of most of what the Apple Watch can do, including pressure-aware touch, notifications and glanceable info. You won't get to publish your apps until next year, but you can start experimenting today. Update: Not surprisingly, early adopters are learning new things about the Apple Watch through WatchKit. Steve Troughton-Smith, for example, has discovered that the two Apple Watch models use different screen resolutions; the 38mm version displays at 272 x 340, while the larger 42mm model uses 312 x 390. Also, a lot of the processing for these early apps happens on your iPhone; they're just projecting an interface to your wrist. You'll have to wait until sometime in 2015 for truly native titles.
Apple to roll out WatchKit for developers in November
Apple wants developers to start tinkering and creating apps for its new smartwatch ASAP. So, the company's launching WatchKit in November, a few months before the upcoming wearable starts shipping early next year. WatchKit, along with HomeKit and HealthKit, is part of the company's larger effort to open up its devices to third-party devs, allowing them to create new features for its lineup. This lets companies, like banks and hotels, among others, provide apps that customers can use the moment they unbox their new Apple gadgets.
Apple Watch will unlock your hotel room door, guide you home and more: the app roundup
You're at the Westin Grand in Berlin having a luxurious vacation. After finishing a delicious bowl of mushroom consommé -- chanterelles are in season, after all -- you stroll up the lavish center staircase toward your room. Having left wallets in the past, you simply hover your Apple Watch over the door. "Click!" And that's that. Magnetic plastic cards are so uncivilized. This is the future Apple imagines for you with its new Watch, and it's working with Starwood Hotels (the group that owns Westin, among others) to make that future a reality. And that's just one of several scenarios for Apple Watch that were introduced by Apple VP Kevin Lynch during a third-party app demo on stage in Cupertino, California.
Apple's WatchKit ensures third-party wearable support from day one
Apple has unveiled its long-rumored wearable, and with it a third-party tool chest called WatchKit. For starters, the initiative will help developers integrate compatible apps with the Watch's Glances screen, and do so from day one. It's also part of a larger mindset in Cupertino, including HomeKit and HealthKit, that allows more openness and a range of features when new devices launch. This means that companies like Twitter, American Airlines and Starwood Hotels can get in right from the start, with custom features for wearable-driven tasks. For example, guests can expect to unlock hotel rooms by waving the Apple Watch in front of the lock and BMW will let you check the charging status of your car. And starting next year, devs will be able to create native apps for the Apple Watch.
