MacRumors Giveaway: Win an Aluminum Monitor Stand With 4 USB Ports From Satechi [Mac Blog]

For this week’s giveaway, we’ve partnered up with Satechi to give MacRumors readers a chance to win one of the company’s $70 Aluminum Monitor Stands.

Designed to match the iMac and other Macs in Apple’s computer lineup, the stand has a clean aluminum design with four USB 3.0 ports built in to manage cables. The stand raises the monitor up by four inches to reduce eye and neck strain.

First unveiled this January at CES, the monitor stand is 11 inches wide in the front, 9.5 inches wide in the back, and 8.75 inches long, so it can accommodate most monitors and laptops. It supports up to 200 pounds.

To enter to win, use the Rafflecopter widget below. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube Channel, following us on Twitter, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page. Due to the intricacies of international law regarding giveaways, this giveaway is open only to U.S. residents who are 18 years of age or older.

a Rafflecopter giveawayThe giveaway will run from today, Friday, April 3 at 10:30 a.m. Pacific Time through Friday April 10 at 10:30 a.m. Pacific Time. Winners will be chosen randomly on April 10 and will be contacted through email. A response to our email is required within 48 hours or the winner will forfeit the prize and we will pick a new winner.

Buyer’s Guide: Discounts on Retina iMac, MacBook Air, Older MacBook Pro, and Apple Accessories [Mac Blog]

Despite the approach of the Easter holiday, there aren’t too many deals available this week. We’ve had good prices on the iPad for the last few weeks, but most sales have ended, so if you’re planning to buy one of Apple’s newest tablets, you might want to hold off for a week or two until prices drop a bit further.

That said, there are some good discounts on the Retina iMac and other iMacs, and 2014 MacBook Air and Retina MacBook Pro models continue to be available at low prices.

We’ve also got a lot of apps on sale this week, and there are a few Apple-related accessories available on the cheap, including Beats headphones.

iPad Air 2

Best Buy continues to offer the lowest prices we’ve seen on a few select iPad Air 2 models. The 16GB Cellular iPad Air 2 in silver is available for $499.99, $130 off its regular price. The 64GB Cellular iPad Air 2 in silver is available for $599.99, $130 off. The 128GB Cellular iPad Air 2 in silver is priced at $699.99, also a $130 discount.

B&H Photo is offering a small discount on all of its iPad Air 2 models, dropping prices by $30 to $50. With the discount, the 16GB WiFi only iPad Air 2 is priced at $459 and the 64GB model is priced at $569.

iPad Air

Best Buy is also discounting cellular versions of its iPad Air stock, dropping the price on the 16GB Verizon Space Gray model to $379.99 and the price of the 32GB Verizon Space Gray model to $429.99, two of the lowest prices we’ve seen on those tablets.

Both Best Buy and B&H Photo have deep discounts on some remaining stock of now-discontinued higher-capacity iPad Air models, as listed below.

– iPad Air Wi-Fi 128GB Space Gray – $549
– iPad Air Cellular Space Gray 128GB (AT&T) – $579
– iPad Air Cellular Space Gray 64GB (AT&T) – $449
– iPad Air Cellular Silver 64GB (Verizon) – $566.99
– iPad Air Cellular Silver 128GB (Verizon) – $579
– iPad Air Cellular Space Gray 128GB (Verizon) – $559

iPad mini 2

Amazon has a few iPad mini 2 models available at discounted prices. The 16GB Cellular Verizon iPad mini 2 in Silver is available for $339. The 16GB Cellular Verizon iPad mini 2 in Space Gray is available for $335. The 32GB Cellular Verizon iPad mini 2 in Space Gray is available for $399.99.

Best Buy and Amazon also have remaining stock of now-discontinued higher-capacity iPad mini 2 models, which are a good deal if you’re looking for an iPad mini. Compared to the iPad mini 3, the iPad mini 2 only lacks Touch ID.

– iPad mini Cellular Silver 128GB (AT&T) – $450
– iPad mini Cellular Space Gray 128GB (AT&T) – $400
– iPad mini Cellular Space Gray 64GB (AT&T) – $399.99
– iPad mini Cellular Silver 128GB (Verizon) – $439.97
– iPad mini Cellular Space Gray 128GB (Verizon) – $534.99
– iPad mini Cellular Silver 64GB (Verizon) – $396.99
– iPad mini Cellular Space Gray 64GB (Verizon) – $398.99

iPad mini 3

Best Buy has discounts on a single iPad mini 3, the 128GB Cellular iPad model in gold. The price is $579.99, a discount of $150.

iMac

– 21.5-inch `1.4GHz/8GB/500GB (Best Buy) – $999.99, $100 off
– 21.5-inch 2.7GHz/8GB/1TB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) – $1,189, $110 off
– 21.5-inch 2.9GHz/8GB/1TB (Best Buy) – $1,379, $130 off
– 27-inch 3.2GHz/8GB/1TB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) – $1,689, $110 off
– 27-inch 3.4GHz/8GB/1TB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) – $1,794, $205 off
– 27-inch 3.5Ghz/8GB/1TB Retina iMac (Best Buy) – $2,349, $250 off

Mac mini

– 1.4GHz/4GB/500GB (Amazon) (Adorama) (B&H Photo) – $464.99, $34 off
– 2.6GHz/8GB/1TB (Amazon) (B&H Photo) – $649.99, $49 off
– 2.8GHz/8GB/1TB (MacMall) – $934.99, $64 off

MacBook Air

– 2015 11-inch 1.6GHz/4GB/128GB – (B&H Photo) (Adorama) $829, $70 off
– 2015 13-inch 1.6GHz/4GB/128GB (B&H Photo) (Adorama) – $949.99, $50 off
– 2014 11-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/128GB (Amazon) (B&H Photo) – $729, $170 off
– 2014 11-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/256GB (Amazon) (B&H Photo) – $899, $200 off
– 2014 13-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/128GB (Amazon) (B&H Photo) – $799, $200 off
– 2014 13-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/256GB (Best Buy) – $899, $300 off

Retina MacBook Pro

– 2014 15-inch 2.2GHz/16GB/256GB (Best Buy) (B&H Photo) (MacMall) – $1,799, $200 off
– 2014 15-inch 2.5GHz/16GB/512GB (B&H Photo) –$2,249, $250 off
– 2014 13-inch 2.6GHz/8GB/128GB (B&H Photo) – $1,129, $170 off
– 2014 13-inch 2.6GHz/8GB/256GB (B&H Photo) – $1,249, $239 off
– 2014 13-inch 2.8GHz/8GB/512GB (Amazon) – $1,550, $249 off

Apps

There are quite a few apps that are on sale at discounted prices or available for free for a limited time. We’ll highlight a few here, but make sure to check out our sister site AppShopper for a complete list.

iOS board game San Juan is available for $0.99, down from $4.99. Valiant Hearts: The Great War is available for free, down from $4.99. Orbitum is available for free, down from $1.99. Blek is available for $0.99, down from $1.99.

Apple is running an “Amazing Photo + Video” promotion in the Mac and iOS App Stores this week, and more than 30 popular apps are available at 50 percent off.

Puzzle game Back to Bed was named Apple’s app of the week this week, and it will be available to download for free for the next six days.

Apple Accessories

Fluxmob is offering $10 off the Bolt battery/charger and throwing in a free Arc lightning cable through 4/5. Target is offering a $10 gift card with the purchase of an Apple TV.

Groupon is selling the Griffin USB Power Duo wall and car charger pack for $9.99, down from $29.95. Groupon is selling the Scosche BoltBOX Retractable Lightning cable for $12.99, down from $24.99. The Sony Portable Bluetooth Speaker with Lightning Dock is available for $139 from Groupon, $10 cheaper than Amazon’s price and more than $100 off the original price.

Best Buy is offering up to 20 percent off all Beats headphones.

MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors.

What to Expect at Your Apple Watch Try-On Appointment [iOS Blog]

Starting April 10, potential customers will be able to try on the Apple Watch in Apple retail stores with help from trained staff members. If you like what you see, you will be able to pre-order your device right then and we have a walkthrough of the various ways to place pre-orders for the Apple Watch. MacRumors has obtained a copy of some internal training documents for Apple Watch try-on appointments and we also have some more detailed insight on what you can expect when you visit an Apple Store beginning April 10.

Before we talk about what to expect at your try-on appointment, it’s important to note that you do not need to attend a try-on session in order to pre-order an Apple Watch. If you so choose, you can order one online as soon as they are available for purchase, or walk into an Apple retail store and tell a staff member what you want to pre-order without having to try it on first. Pre-orders made in store and online will ship to your home. In-store purchases will be available through reservations following the Apple Watch’s April 24 launch date.

There are two ways to try on the Apple Watch. You can make an appointment or you can walk into an Apple Store without an appointment and hope the employees can fit you in for a try-on session. It’s likely demand for try-on appointments will be high in the days after April 10, so we recommend making an appointment before heading off to your local Apple Store.

Before Your Appointment

Based on the training document, when you make your appointment to try on Apple Watch, you will specify a line (aluminum, steel, or gold) that you want to try on, although you will be able to try models from multiple lines at your appointment. If you have already saved your favorite models to the Apple retail store app or Apple online store on your iOS device, this information will be used to help guide your appointment. We do not have specific steps for the actual appointment making process, but it will likely be similar to making a Genius Bar appointment.

When you arrive at an Apple Retail Store location, if you made an appointment, you will check in with an employee and head over to the “Red Zone” to wait for your try-on appointment to begin. If you’re walking in without an appointment, an employee will give you a specific time when an appointment will become available and you’ll get an SMS notification when it’s your turn to check in and try on the Apple Watch.

Around this time, you may notice (if you haven’t already) the display table, which will house different models of the Apple Watch under glass with special lighting. It gives you a chance to see several options before moving forward. There is also an Apple Watch Demo display, which should be mounted to the wall near the display table. It is designed to provide you with an interactive demonstration of the features of Apple Watch. It houses an Apple Watch that is mounted to an acrylic stand with a screen next to it. When you interact with the Apple Watch, the larger screen shows off the technology and development that goes into each feature.

Trying on the Apple Watch

When your specialist contacts you, he or she will ask a few questions about your watch needs and what you think is the most interesting aspect of the Apple Watch. Then, you will move over to the Try-On table where you will actually get to try on a variety of Apple Watches to see which one suits you the best. Each table has four to six stations with a drawer on each side, with each one holding 18 watches from the Sport and Apple Watch collection. If your store is not equipped with a Try-On table, you may be provided a Try-On case instead, which is a smaller case with 10 watches inside. The Try-On case is intended for mobility within a store and can be used anywhere.

Customers will be able to try out the features of Apple Watch and try on different models. The try-on models will include a haptic feedback demo loop so you can experience what it feels like.

You can also select accessories, like additional charging cables or different watch bands. However, you will not be able to swap bands on the try-on models to see how a custom combination might work for you.

You will have about 15 minutes to try on watches and make your selection. There is no limit to how many different models you are allowed to try on. However, specialists are directed to generally allow customers to compare only two watches from the drawer at a time in order to minimize confusion at the table.

Apple Watch Edition try-on appointments are slightly different, with customers treated as V.I.P.s. The training document notes that staff should provide a “no-waiting experience to Edition customers.” Whenever possible, Edition customers should be taken care of right away. If they have to wait, they are to be prioritized. Edition customers get much longer try-on appointments and can spend an hour or more with the Apple Watch from start to finish. You may not be able to try on the Edition watch as a walk-in customer, but Apple employees will make efforts to accommodate every person interested in the Edition Watch.

Regardless of whether you try on the Apple Watch Sport, stainless steel Apple Watch, or gold Apple Watch Edition, you will be able to pre-order the watch of your choice from the online Apple Store after your appointment with the help of the specialist who walked you through the try-on appointment.

Once Apple Watch Launches

Beginning April 24 when the Apple Watch officially goes on sale, customers who have reserved a model prior to their try-on appointment will be able to purchase their Apple Watch in the store and will be provided with Personal Setup assistance. Staff will help you unbox, fit, pair, and sync Apple Watch to your iPhone. You will also get a rundown of the device’s functions, choose a watch face, and set complications.

To begin, walk-in customers and even those with try-on appointments will not necessarily be able to immediately purchase inventory from the store. You will instead be directed to place an order online for home delivery or make a reservation for in-store pick up.

If a customer with a try-on appointment elects to make a product reservation and the store has stock available, there is a possibility the reservation could be fulfilled quickly, allowing the customer to purchase on the same day. Supplies are expected to be very tight in the early days, however, so expect to have to come back to pick up your order at a later date. Once the early order rush dies down and Apple’s supplies stabilize, it should become easier to obtain a watch on a walk-in or same-day basis.

To maximize your chances of getting the model you want at the earliest possible date, make your appointment starting April 10 to try on an Apple Watch and you will be able to check out the different models and decide which one is perfect for you before placing your pre-order.

How to Pre-Order the Apple Watch [iOS Blog]

Following several months of anticipation, the Apple Watch is almost in the hands of customers around the world. Apple will begin accepting Apple Watch pre-orders on Friday, April 10 ahead of an April 24 release date in the United States, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan and United Kingdom. The wrist-worn device should have wider international availability in the near future.

Apple Watch starts at $349 for the entry-level Sport model, while the stainless steel model ranges from $549 to $1,099 and the 18-karat gold edition starts at $10,000. The exact pricing for the Apple Watch will depend on which model, size and bands a customer chooses to purchase. To help with the buying process, we’ve prepared a guide on how to pre-order the Apple Watch in stores and online.

How to Pre-Order the Apple Watch

Buy Online and Ship to Home
Apple will begin accepting pre-orders for the Apple Watch on April 10 through the Apple Online Store and Apple Store app at 12:01 AM Pacific Time. Pre-orders will go live in all first wave launch countries at the same time:

• U.S., Canada: 12:01 a.m. (Pacific Time), 3:01 a.m. (Eastern Time)
• U.K.: 8:01 a.m.
• Germany: 9:01 a.m.
• France: 9:01 a.m.
• Australia: 5:01 p.m. AEST
• Hong Kong: 3:01 p.m.
• China: 3:01 p.m.
• Japan 3:01 p.m.

If you are looking to pre-order the Apple Watch without trying on the device, you can purchase the exact model you want from either storefront and the product will be shipped to your home or a specified address for free with delivery beginning on April 24. Apple Watch Edition customers also have the exclusive option of shipping the gold watch to a local Apple Store via courier for pickup.
Read more

Apple Announces Apple Watch Pre-Orders Will Kick Off at 12:01 AM PT on April 10

Apple today updated the Apple Watch page of its online store to note that online pre-orders for the Apple Watch will begin at 12:01 AM Pacific Time on Friday, April 10. Just after midnight on the West Coast is Apple’s typical time for pre-orders, and the company will likely take the store down beginning at 9PM to prepare for orders.

Apple will accept orders both through its website and through its Apple Store app on the iPhone. Placing an order through the app can often bypass some of the congestion that occurs when pre-orders first begin.

Pricing for the Apple Watch begins at $349 for the Apple Watch Sport, $549 for the stainless steel Apple Watch, and $10,000 for the gold Apple Watch Edition. Pre-orders will ship out to customers beginning on April 24, which is the device’s official launch date.

AppleCare+ for Apple Watch Pricing: $59 for Sport, $79 for Steel, $999 for Gold

We’ve known that AppleCare+ will be available for the Apple Watch since Apple’s March 9 media event, but pricing for the extended support has thus far remained a mystery. A source has now provided some purported pricing information with MacRumors that may shed some light on the cost, suggesting AppleCare+ for each version of the watch will be priced differently.

According to the claimed internal Apple screenshots, AppleCare+ for the entry-level aluminum Apple Watch Sport will be priced at $59, while AppleCare+ for the middle-tier stainless steel Apple Watch with Sport Band will be priced at $79. AppleCare+ for a $15,000 gold Apple Watch Edition will be significantly more expensive at $999. It is unclear from the information we have received whether band choice will affect AppleCare+ pricing, as band prices vary significantly.

While we can’t verify the legitimacy of these claimed screenshots, other sources at Apple have indicated they are hearing unconfirmed word of similar pricing and 9to5Mac is reporting the same.

Without AppleCare+, purchases of the Apple Watch Sport and the stainless steel Apple Watch will be covered by a limited one-year warranty for hardware repairs and 90 days of complimentary support. Edition Watch purchases will include a two-year warranty and complimentary support.

With the purchase of AppleCare+, the warranty for aluminum Apple Watch Sport and stainless steel Apple Watch models will be extended to two years from the date of purchase, plus accidental damage will be covered. Apple Watch Edition coverage will be extended to three years with AppleCare+. Employees have not received word on how much accidental damage repairs will cost, but for the iPhone, AppleCare+ is priced at $99 and accidental damage carries a $79 service fee for each incident, with a maximum of two covered incidents.

Apple Watch buyers will be able to purchase AppleCare+ as an add-on both online and in-store. With the iPhone, AppleCare+ can be purchased up to 60 days after an initial iPhone purchase, and it’s likely Apple will adopt a similar policy with the Apple Watch.

The Apple Watch will be available for pre-order beginning on April 10, which is the same day that in-store try-on appointments will begin. The device will officially launch in the first wave of nine markets on April 24.

Apple Watch Wins Red Dot ‘Best of the Best’ Design Award

Still three weeks away from being released to the public, the Apple Watch has received another design award for Apple ahead of launch, this time receiving the “Best of the Best” designation by the German Red Dot design awards (via aBlogtoWatch).

Previously winning the Gold Award, and being called “an icon”, at the International Forum Design awards earlier in March, the Red Dot award counts a second win for the wearable in the design category before its April 24 launch date.

The Apple Watch wasn’t alone in the smartwatch category, however, as the MB&F HM6 Space Pirate horological smartwatch also received the “Best of the Best” designation.

The Red Dot jury judged the Apple Watch, and all products in the category, on its functionality, durability, ergonomics, and even “symbolic and emotional content”, amongst other criteria. As aBlogtoWatch points out, there’s a drastic monetary difference between the two winning smartwatch devices this year, even when comparing the $17,000 Apple Watch Edition to the Space Pirate.

Red Dot design award jurors understandably fawned over what is still, by far, the best-looking smartwatch, even though it isn’t on the market yet. Given the limitations of technology, as well as the potential of what can come of connected smartwatches, I think it makes a lot of sense that the Red Dot award jury decided to not only recognize the Apple Watch, but consider it as a “Best of the Best” product.

It’s an interesting Best of the Best Red Dot watch design award this year, as, on the one hand, you have the $230,000 MB&F HM6 Space Pirate that is limited to just 50 pieces, and on the other hand, you have the mostly $1,000 and under Apple Watch that could easily have 50 million units on wrists before long.

The Product Design category of the Red Dot awards celebrates 31 total areas of design, including everything from living room furniture to vehicle accessories, with the “Watches” category getting introduced this year to compensate for the increasingly crowded smartwatch market.

The Product Design category specifically in 2015 had 4,928 entries with only 81 total products receiving the “Best of the Best” award recognition. A gala will be held this June 29 at the Aalto-Theater in Essen, Germany for all of the Best of the Best Red Dot award winners. The winners not only receive the Red Dot designation materials to use on product packaging and marketing, but will have their products displayed in the Red Dot Design Museum in Essen for up to a year.

Samsung Confirmed to Produce A9 Chips for Apple’s Next-Generation Devices

Samsung will provide Apple with A9 chips for its next-generation iPhone and other devices, reports Bloomberg, confirming a previous report in early February. Over the past couple of months there had been confusion and conflicting reports as to whether Samsung, Apple’s longtime supplier and rival, or Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) would produce the chips.

Samsung will start making Apple A9 processor chips at its Giheung plant in South Korea, the people said, asking not to be identified because the contract hasn’t been discussed publicly. Additional orders will go to Samsung’s partner Globalfoundries Inc., according to another person familiar with the arrangement.

In 2013, Apple signed a chip production deal with TSMC in hopes of diversifying its supply chain resources and reducing its reliance on Samsung amid the two companies ongoing legal disputes. Apple had been unable to fully break away from Samsung however, with the Korean company producing 20-nanometer A8 and A8X chips for iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in 2014, although TSMC had handled the bulk of the chip orders.

It appears that Samsung’s investment in manufacturing technologies won Apple over, with TSMC Chairman Morris Chang recently telling investors that the company would lose ground to Samsung in producing the most advanced chip technology possible in 2015, though he also noted the company would regain that advantage in 2016.

Samsung is reportedly producing the chips with its advanced 14-nanometer process, which has outpaced TSMC’s capabilities and results in smaller chips that consume less energy and provide more processing power. The Korean company is also said to be providing memory chips for Apple’s next-generation devices.

Thus far, little is known about what the next-generation iPhones or iPads could include other than new A9 chips, but new reports indicate Apple could be bringing its new Force Touch technology to the devices. Other rumors also suggest the A9 may make its way into the “iPad Pro”, which may debut in late 2015. It’s likely the 2015 versions of the iPad Air and iPad mini will be outfitted with versions of the A9 as well.

Apple Promotes Educational Apps on App Store for World Autism Awareness Day [iOS Blog]

On the eighth annual celebration of World Autism Awareness Day, Apple has launched a new section of its App Store focused on apps designed specifically for autistic individuals (via 9to5Mac).

The sixteen apps on display range in variety from helping users feel comfortable in their surroundings thanks to contextual environment mapping via an iPhone or iPad’s camera to a science-based kids’ show “that works to help kids navigate the social and emotional world.”

Most of the apps are between the normal free “Get” option to the $2.99 range, but a few break the $100 mark, thanks to their complexities and depth of features. Proloquo2Go [Direct Link], for example, provides users simple visual aid cards that, when tapped, construct grammatically correct sentences in one of over 35 different voices. The normally priced $219.99 app is now $109.99, a 50% discount thanks to today’s promotion.

Navigate to the App Store’s Education section to visit the apps within Apple’s newly introduced Autism Awareness Month promotion.

Kevin Lynch and Alan Dye Share Behind-the-Scenes Details on Designing Apple Watch

In a new interview with Wired, Apple vice president of technology Kevin Lynch and head of human interface design Alan Dye shed some light on the intricate origins of the Apple Watch, from its secretive beginnings to its legacy in a post-Steve Jobs Apple.

Leaving a job at Adobe, Lynch walked onto the Apple Watch project blind and found a team of Apple engineers working away with bare-bones prototypes that included everything from vague sketches to the inclusion of an old-school iPod click wheel.

The team created a new typeface, San Francisco, specifically for the Watch
Lynch was immediately tasked with spearheading the group in designing a wrist-worn device that would, as Wired points out, aim to be Apple’s fourth major game changer following the iPod, iPhone and iPad.

Apple decided to make a watch and only then set out to discover what it might be good for (besides, you know, displaying the time). “There was a sense that technology was going to move onto the body,” says Alan Dye, who runs Apple’s human interface group. “We felt like the natural place, the place that had historical relevance and significance, was the wrist.”

Following Jobs’ death in 2011, Jony Ive began envisioning what would eventually become the Apple Watch, and tasked Apple’s head of user interfaces, Alan Dye, to custom-fit iOS 7 – which the group was just working on – into a wrist-worn wearable. After months of experimenting, the team settled on the thesis that interactions with the device shouldn’t be long, arduous glances, but quick snapshots of information.

Our phones have become invasive. But what if you could engineer a reverse state of being? What if you could make a device that you wouldn’t—couldn’t—use for hours at a time? What if you could create a device that could filter out all the bullshit and instead only serve you truly important information? You could change modern life. And so after three-plus decades of building devices that grab and hold our attention—the longer the better—Apple has decided that the way forward is to fight back.

Apple, in large part, created our problem. And it thinks it can fix it with a square slab of metal and a Milanese loop strap.

The team created dozens of prototypes, including an iPhone rigged to a velco strap attached to a tester’s wrist, until landing on the design launching later this month. They optimized the software with features like Short Look and Long Look, getting the Watch to differentiate between saving a notification for later when a user puts his or her wrist back down quickly after buzzing, or displaying it immediately the longer the wrist is held up.

That buzzing, which Apple has dubbed the Taptic Engine, also required significant refinement, with the team researching synesthesia, using one sense to recognize another, to tweak the taptic feedback just right.

When they had the engine dialed in, they started experimenting with a Watch-specific synesthesia, translating specific digital experiences into taps and sounds. What does a tweet feel like? What about an important text? To answer these questions, designers and engineers sampled the sounds of everything from bell clappers and birds to lightsabers and then began to turn sounds into physical sensations.

There were weekly meetings where the software and interface teams would test out, say, the sound and feeling of receiving a phone call. Ive was the decider and was hard to please: Too metallic, he’d say. Not organic enough. Getting the sounds and taps to the point where he was happy with them took more than a year.

Dye points out that while the immense amount of variations on the Watch can be initially intimidating, that vast customization option was always the plan for the Apple Watch. “We didn’t want to have three variations, we wanted to have millions of variations,” Dye says. “Through hardware and software, we could do that.” He also maintains that thanks to the deep variety of options, the $349 Apple Watch Sport and $17,000 Apple Watch Edition are “very different products.”

The team created its fitness medals in the vein of Olympic medals to encourage continuous exercise.
Though some believe the odds are against Apple, Ben Bajarin, an analyst at Creative Strategies, believes the Cupertino company can, and will, pull it off. “Apple has the most profitable, high-spend customer base on the planet,” he says. “That’s essentially who watch companies are already trying to sell to: more affluent customers.”

But, as Wired points out, the company is equally concerned with the Watch’s cultural impact as its monetary one. Lynch describes visiting with his family and not feeling the obtrusive invasion of the outside world attempt to distract him with long glances at his iPhone. Though it’s still up in the air whether Apple will achieve all the goals it’s setting out to accomplish with the Apple Watch, Wired caps the interview by noting, “In all the time we’ve been talking, he’s never once looked at his phone.”

Check out the full Wired interview here.