Apple Watches are seen on display during an Apple media event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, California on March 09, 2015. AFP PHOTO / JOSH EDELSON
By Terry Fredrickson
Apple chief Tim Cook likes Apple Watch, but so do some analysts.
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Apple Watch might surprise
Apple CEO Tim Cook during an Apple media event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, California on March 09, 2015.
San Francisco, AFP – Apple aims to have its smart watch on wrists in China, the US and beyond in April, and ignite its first new gadget category since the debut of the iPad.
The Apple Watch will be available in nine countries from April 24, at a starting price of $349. A limited edition gold Apple Watch will be available with a price topping $10,000.
"Apple Watch begins a new chapter in the way we relate to technology," said chief executive Tim Cook, who starred at an Apple Watch media event in San Francisco on Monday.
Connecting wirelessly to a user's iPhone, the watch is designed as a wrist device for messaging, calls and a cornucopia of apps, especially those geared toward health or fitness.
Users can send a real-time display of their heartbeat to another Apple Watch to "let someone know you are thinking about them."
Apple enters a market that has a number of players, ranging from South Korean giants Samsung and LG, to Japan's Sony and startups such as Pebble.
But analysts expect Apple to invigorate the market by integrating the watch with the iPhone and its mighty software ecosystem.
"Apple will outsell all the rest of them combined in 2015," said Forrester analyst James McQuivey.
"But in so doing, Apple will bring very valuable attention to the market, essentially releasing a rising tide that will float all their boats."
"With the built-in speaker and microphone, you can receive calls on your watch. I have been wanting to do this since I was five years old," Cook said.
The watch is integrated with Apple Pay's mobile wallet and can be used to view pictures, monitor news and connect to social media.
Apple said that the ranks of businesses accepting Apple Pay is booming, and that it recently sold its 700 millionth iPhone.
"Now it's on your wrist, not in your pocket or your pocketbook," Cook said.
Apple demonstrated using the watch to find out lyrics to songs being heard, remotely opening home doors and displaying barcodes that act as airline boarding passes.
But a key focus was health and fitness applications.
The watch has an accelerometer, a heart rate sensor and sensors for "a comprehensive picture of your all-day activity and workouts."
Apple Inc. is expected to unveil more details on the much anticipated Apple Watch, the tech giant's entry into the rapidly growing wearable technology segment. AFP PHOTO / STEPHEN LAM
It will prompt a user to get up and walk if sedentary too long.
Cook boasted that the device will have "all-day battery life" – or some 18 hours.
Initially, it will be available in Australia, Britain, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan and the United States. Pre-orders will be taken from April 10.
Moor Insights and Strategy founder Patrick Moorhead, who attended the event, said "the secret weapon here is the ability to message each other by tapping on the watch. I think people, particularly kids, are going to go nuts over that."
Jan Dawson at Jackdaw Research said he expects Apple to sell around 20 million of the devices this year.
Vocabulary
accelerometer: an instrument for measuring acceleration, the rate at which a vehicle/person/animal increases speed -
aim: to have as your purpose or goal - มีเป้าหมาย มีจุดมุ่งหมาย
analyst: a person whose job involves examining facts or materials in order to give an opinion on them - นักวิเคราะห์
anticipated: creating a feeling of excitement about something enjoyable that is going to happen soon - รอคอยอย่างคาดหวัง
application (app): a program designed to do a particular job; a piece of software - โปรแกรมใช้งาน, โปรแกรมคอมพิวเตอร์
attention: interest, especially interest that the public has in a person, event, situation etc - ความสนใจ
available: that you can get, use, find or buy - มีอยู่, หาได้
barcode: a pattern of thick and thin lines that is printed on things you buy. It contains information that a computer can read - บาร์โคด
boarding pass: a card that a passenger must have to be allowed to enter an aircraft or a ship - ใบขึ้นเครื่องบิน
booming: suddenly increasing in trade and economic activity - เฟื่องฟู
category: a group of people or things that have similar qualities - หมวดหมู่ ประเภท
chapter: era; a period of time in a person's life or in history - ยุค, สมัย
chief executive: the person with the highest rank in a company or an organisation - ผู้บริหารสูงสุด
combined: counted together - รวมกัน
comprehensive: complete and including everything that is necessary - ที่ครอบคลุม
cornucopia: something that is or contains a large supply of good things - ความอุดมสมบูรณ์
debut: performing for the first time - การเปิดตัว
demonstrate: to show something and explain how it works - สาธิต
details: small facts or pieces of information relating to a situation - รายละเอียด
device: a machine or piece of equipment that does a particular job - อุปกรณ์ เครื่องมือ เครื่องจักร
display: computer screen; the words, pictures, etc. shown on a computer screen - จอภาพของเครื่องคอมพิวเตอร์
display: to put something in a particular place so that people can see it easily - โชว์, แสดง
ecosystem: all the different activities, companies, systems etc that are involved in a particular area of business, especially new technology - ระบบนิเวศ
essentially: the true, important or basic nature of somebody/something - เป็นหลัก, โดยพื้นฐาน, ตามความเป็นจริง
event: a planned public or social occasion - งานสังคม
float: to cause to move slowly in the air or on water - ลอย
founder: a person who establishes an institution, business, or organisation - ผู้ก่อตั้ง
gadget: a small tool or piece of equipment that does something useful or impressive - อุปกรณ์ขนาดเล็ก, กลไกขนาดเล็ก
geared towards: made to work with..., made to solve a kind of problem ... -
go nuts: go crazy, i.e., to get very excited over something you like very much -
heartbeat: the movement or sound of the heart as it sends blood around the body - การเต้นของหัวใจ
ignite: to start a particular feeling in someone - ปลูกฝัง, ทำให้เกิดขึ้น
initially: at first - ในเบื้องต้น
integrate: to combine things of different types in one effective system - รวมเข้าด้วยกัน
invigorate: to make somebody feel healthy and full of energy - ทำให้กระปี้กระเปร่า, ทำให้มีชีวิตชีวา
key: very important - ที่สำคัญ
limited edition: when only a small amount of a special product is produced and offered for sale -
lyrics: the words of a song - เนื้อเพลง
media: radio, television, newspaper, the Internet, considered as a group - สื่อ
mobile: able to move or be moved around - ซึ่งเคลื่อนที่ได้ง่าย
monitor: keep track of - ตรวจ, ติดตาม, เฝ้าสังเกต
outsell: to sell more or to be sold in larger quantities than somebody/something - ขายมากกว่า
prompt: to cause someone to take action - กระตุ้น
range from: to include a variety of different things in addition to those mentioned - ขยายออก, แบ่งประเภท
ranks: all the people within a group, organization etc; a large group of people with something in common -
relate to: to be connected with something/somebody; to refer to something/somebody - เชื่อมโยงกับ
release: to allow someone or something to go free - ปล่อย
remotely: from a distance -
sedentary: spending a lot of time sitting down or not moving - ซึ่งนั่งเฉย, ซึ่งอยู่นิ่ง
segment: a part of something - ส่วน, ตอน
sensor: a device that can react to light, heat, pressure, etc. in order to make a machine, etc. do something or show something - อุปกรณ์ส่งสัญญาณที่ไวต่อแสงหรืออุณหภูมิ, ตัวเซ็นเซอร์
social media: the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue, e.g., Facebook, Twitter, etc. - เครือข่ายสังคมออนไลน์
startup: a company that is just beginning to operate - บริษัทใหม่
tap: to hit something gently, and often repeatedly, especially making short sharp noises - ตีเบาๆ, เคาะ, แตะเบาๆ,
tide: the regular rise and fall of the level of the sea (the tides) - ปรากฏการณ์น้ำขึ้นน้ำลง, กระแสน้ำขึ้นน้ำลง
unveil: to show or introduce a new plan, product, etc. to the public for the first time - เปิดเผย, ประกาศให้รู้ทั่วไป
valuable: very useful or important - มีความหมาย, สำคัญ, มีราคา
wallet: a small flat case that people keep money, bank cards, and small documents in and usually carry in their pocket or bag - กระเป๋าขนาดเล็กที่ทำจากหนังหรือพลาสติก
wireless: a system of sending and receiving signals without wires - ไร้สาย
wrist: the part of your body between your hand and your arm - ข้อมือ
