Former Adobe engineer Kevin Lynch took the stage to give an extensive demonstration of what the Apple Watch is capable of, which third-party developers will be able to help shape with a new software development kit known as WatchKit.
Lynch first demonstrated an official Twitter app displaying trending tweets or even the ability to create your own. Apple Watch includes the ability to act upon notifications, including airline flight information or even waving your wrist at a hotel room door to unlock it.
In addition to Twitter, American Airlines and Starwood Hotels have signed up as launch partners for Apple Watch. Others include City Mapper for transit directions, Major League Baseball for sports scores, Pinterest, BMW for finding your car, Honeywell for thermostat control, Lutron, Nike, and others.
“It’s amazing what you can do from your wrist,” Apple CEO Tim Cook remarked as he came back on stage to introduce additional health-centric features of Apple Watch, which the executive claims will motivate users to be more active.
Fitness and Workout are two apps which tap into the built-in accelerometer and custom heart rate monitor of Apple Watch, working in tandem with a connected iPhone’s GPS. A video demonstrated how Apple Watch health features can fit into nearly every exercise regimen, even for users who aren’t participating in dedicated workouts.
Apple Watch will be available in early 2015, starting at $349; an iPhone will be required for use, but the company has made the device backward compatible with the iPhone 5, iPhone 5C, and iPhone 5S.
Follow this article’s author, J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter
More: continued here