Apple has released details of its Apple Watch, a new MacBook, and an Apple TV partnership. Here’s all you need to know in about two minutes:
Apple Watch, featuring Mickey Mouse
The home screen can be customized, even with Mickey Mouse. Phone calls can be answered on the watch, and notifications received. Digital Touch lets users share Apple Watches things like finger drawings or their heartbeats in real-time. The watch will prompt users to move. It has a Workout app. Christy Turlington Burns will train for the London marathon wearing one. By talking to Siri directly on the watch, users can carry out searches and set reminders. Uber and Shazam have apps on the watch. There are apps to do things like open a garage door. The battery will last ‘all day’ – that’s 18 hours.
The watch comes in two sizes (38mm and 42mm), and the aluminum Apple Watch Sport will be available in silver and space grey (the straps come in multiple colors), and it starts at $349. The stainless steel Apple Watch has lots of different straps, including a link bracelet. It costs from $549 to $1049. The 18ct gold Apple Watch Edition starts at $10,000. Pre-orders are from April 10.
MacBook The new MacBook
There is a new MacBook; it’s even thinner than the old MacBook. It weighs 2lb (0.9kg) and at its thickest point is 13.1mm thin (24% thinner than the MacBook Air). It has a 12” Retina display with 2304×1440 pixels. It has one port, USB-C (that does power, USB, DisplayPort, HDMI, and VGA in one). It comes in silver, space grey, and gold. It starts at $1299 for a 1.1GHz dual-core with 8GB of memory. The MacBook Pro and MacBook Air still exist and also get updates.
Apple TV HBO Now
HBO is coming to Apple TV as HBO Now for $14.99 a month in the US. Game of Thrones will be on it. This was expected.
IPhone
Apple has now sold 700m. There’ll now be an Apple Watch app on it.
Apple Watch launch – live.
- HBO launches standalone streaming service as an Apple exclusive
- Apple releases new slimmer 12in MacBook
- Apple Watch: available April 24 for between $349 and $10,000
- Apple Watch apps: the lowdown
- Apple Watch: our readers predict the detail
- How the Apple Watch could create a $1tn company
- Apple Watch launch signals firm’s transformation into luxury goods brand
- Nine reasons only a tool would buy the Apple Watch