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# How Apple’s Watch Stacks Up

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<!-- video src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/XVOGHdfS.m3u8" -->
## Video: How Apple’s Watch Stacks Up

[Watch (HLS stream): How Apple’s Watch Stacks Up](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/XVOGHdfS.m3u8) (1:52)

![How Apple’s Watch Stacks Up](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/XVOGHdfS/poster.jpg?width=720)

_Published 2014-09-10. Apple’s entry into the wearables market has its own set of perks and drawbacks — and deals with the same issues that plague the rest of the smartwatch industry._


---

Jul 27, 2023 5:13 PM UTC

---

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---


## Transcript

Apple's new watch is finally announced, riding a wave of hype and buzz that only Apple products can generate. And while it's still too early to answer for sure, the question becomes how does it stack up to the competition. Apple's a later entrant in the smartwatch race behind models from LG and Motorola. And as is typical for Apple, it's new watch carries a premium price tag, starting at $ 349. But to be fair that gets you a very smart watch. Each one uses curved retina displays and some are decked out in sapphire faces and 18 carat gold. But it's not just how you look doing things, it's what you can do that sets you apart.

And it appears Apple will be dealing with the same trends as the rest of the Smartwatch industry. For a lot of people phones are the timekeeping device of choice these days. And while modern Smartwatches do a lot more than just tell time, they don't do much that a phone doesn't already do. In short, ZDNet says, Smart Watches have, more or less, extended Smart Phone apps and notifications to the wrist, albeit with some wrist- specific input methods and interfaces. Apple has made a case for health tracking services which will use the watch's infra- red sensors to track heart rates. And it's linked to the phone GPS to track distance and speed during exercise.

Oh, and, the iWatch requires an iPhone model 5C or later to connect with to run all these features. Apple also didn't make any mention of its battery life, which is generating its own set of worried headlines. The company could have time to keep working on it, though. Apple's watch isn't expected on the market until 2015. And it's not going anywhere until it's done dealing with the FCC. At the bottom of its watch site Apple says it's still waiting on authorization before it can start selling its watches.

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