Apple Watch Set for March Debut, Companion App Reveals New Features
Apple’s (AAPL) much-praised Watch is on course to ship at the end of March, according to 9to5Mac’s product development sources who say the vendor is in the final stages of software tweaks on the new wearable platform.
Earlier projections, based on an internal memo penned by retail chief Angela Ahrendts, pegged the debut date vaguely as in the “spring,” sometime after the Chinese New Year, which begins in about a month on February 19. Apple officially has only said the wearable will ship early in 2015.
Word of a possible launch date isn’t all 9to5Mac has uncovered, reporting leaked screenshots of a so-called iOS “Companion” app for the Watch to manage the device’s apps and its interaction with the iPhone. The special Watch app, which installs on an iPhone, will handle app downloads onto the wearable device and manage its settings, particularly for functions that eat up battery life, 9to5Mac reported.
The Companion app will enable users to perform tasks such as repositioning icons on the Watch, personalize the Watch face, set up default replies and deploy security features. Here’s a 9to5Mac rundown of the Watch’s features accessible through the Companion app. Right now, the Companion app isn’t accessible yet through Apple’s latest iOS 8.2 beta but is slated either to be pre-loaded onto the updated iOS by March or will be available through the Apple Store, the report said.
Apple reportedly also has been busy recruiting retail staffers sporting experience in fashion or luxury to sell the Watch, perhaps an indication it plans to prominently showcase its Watch device in stores or, as previously reported, staffing certain locations with specialists to advise customers on product selection. The vendor is said to already be crafting its retail strategy for the Watch with a plan that includes training staffers to help customers try on the Watch in various sizes and bands.
Ahrendts reportedly believes that selling the Watch at retail will strengthen Apple’s customer relationships and the overall consumer buying experience.
The latest word on Watch staff training is Apple is developing a rigorous testing program to ensure its store employees are knowledgeable on all aspects of the device. 9to5Mac reported that at least one rep from many U.S. Apple Stores will head either to company headquarters in Cupertino, CA or to Austin, TX for train-the-trainer sessions running from February 9 – 16.
Once fully trained, those store reps, in turn, will train other employees in their stores.
Companion app and staff training aside, Apple still may have considerable work to do to impress the difficult-to-wow fashion world that its new Watch not only is hip and cool but also elegant.
