Apple watch
JONY IVE: You know it’s driven Apple from the beginning,this compulsion totake incredibly powerful technology and make itaccessible, relevant, and ultimately personal.We’ve designed a range of products so personal, you don’t put them on your deskor in your pocket—you wear them on your wrist. Weconceived, designed, and developed Apple Watch as a completely singular watch. You know you can’tdetermine a boundary between the physical object and the software.
We’re introducing an unparalleled level of technicalinnovation, combined with a design that connects with the wearer at an intimatelevel to both embrace individuality and inspire desire.
The watch senses that you’re raising your wrist. You see an organization ofapps that while new, is somehow familiar. Navigation is fluid and vital.Magnifying content on a small display is fundamentally important, so we’vedeveloped a whole new interface specific to the challenges associated with aproduct this small.
The digital crown isa remarkable input device. It fluidly zooms into apps. Itenables nimble, precise adjustment. And critically, you can use itwithout obstructing the display. It’s also the home button.
Apps are designed for light-weight interaction. Smart replies and dictation letyou respond quickly to messages. Glances let you swipe through informationefficiently. And pressing the button below the digital crown instantly showsyou friends you can contact in just seconds. And with digital touch, we’vedeveloped an entirely new way for you to connect intimately with others. Youcan get someone’s attention with a gentle tap. You can send a quick sketch. Oryou can even share something as personal as your own heartbeat.
These are subtle ways to communicate that technology often inhibits ratherthan enables.
These apps all take advantage of the flexible retina display. It’s beenlaminated to a machined and polished single crystal of sapphire. That’s thesecond hardest transparent material after diamond.
In addition to the digital crown, we’ve had to invent other input technologiesdesigned specifically for a product this small. So as well as sensing touch, the display also senses force—quiteliterally adding a new dimension to the user interface. Tiny electrodesaround the display recognize the difference between a tap and a press. This providesinstant access to a whole rounds of contextually specific controls.
For the first time, and with great intention, we’ve designed not only what yousee, but also what you hear and feel. We’ve developed a linearactuator to provide “taptic” feedback to complement yourinteractions. This “taptic engine” combined with the audio feedback from ourwater-resistant speaker creates a discreet and nuanced experienced.
At the heart of the watch is a custom-designed chip that integrates manysubsystems into one remarkably compact module, which is then completelyencapsulated to protect the electronics. It’s essentially miniaturizing acomputer system onto a single chip.
The zirconia back has four sapphire lenses. Infrared and visible light LEDs,along with photo sensors, detect your pulse rate. Using its gyroscope andaccelerometer and the GPS and Wififrom your iPhone, the Watch provides a comprehensive picture ofyour daily activity. This allows it to establish and set goals and rewardfitness milestones.
The back crystal also houses a uniquecharging solution that combines our MagSafe technology withinductive charging. Completely sealed, it requires no alignment or exposedcontacts.
Apple Watch is incredibly accurate. It uses multiple technologies, keeping timeto plus or minus 50 seconds.We have worked closely with horologicalexperts from around the world to help us understand thecultural and historical significance of time-keeping. And this has profoundlyinformed our design.
We know that wearing something all day, every day, becomes as much aboutpersonal preference and self-expression as functionality, so we’ve designed arange of watch faces. You can personalize both their appearance and theircapability.
Personalization extends way beyond the interface. We have designed sixdifferent straps and a mechanism that makes the straps easily interchangeablewith a refinement and precision that’s born of functionality.
The sport band, in a range of bold colors, is made from a tough, durable, sweatand chemical resistant high-performance elastima.
The leather loop comes in a soft, quilted leather that conceals magnets forfastening and adjustment. We’ve used traditional leather but in a new sportscontext that’s designed for optimum comfort.
The supple, hand-crafted leather modern buckle closes with a solid metal claspthat wraps symmetrically around the wrist.
The simple leather classic buckle references traditional watch vocabulary.
And the stainless steel link bracelet has a slim deployment clasp that’scontained within a 2.6 mm band.
The Milanese loop is crafted from a fluid, flexible, stainless-steel mesh witha magnetic closure that has an elegant simplicity and is infinitelyadjustable.
And of course we knew one size wouldn’t fit everyone, so we’ve also developed asmaller watch with matching smaller straps.
From different cases and straps, we’ve actually created three distinctcollections.
The first, Apple Watch, features a polished case made from a custom alloy ofstainless steel.
The sport collection has an ion-exchanged cover glass and a anodized aluminumcase that is 60 percent stronger than standard alloys, and yet it’s incrediblylight and durable.
Apple Watch Edition is made from 18-karat gold that our metallurgists havedeveloped to be up to twice as hard as standard gold.
Creating beautiful objects that are as simple and pure as they arefunctional—well, that’s always been our goal at Apple. We designed Apple Watchas a whole range of products enabling millions of unique designs, unparalleledpersonalization both in appearance and capability.
I think now, we’re at a compelling beginning designing technology to be worn—tobe truly personal.
