Live: Now unveiled at Apple Watch event
Everything you need to know leading up to Apple's Watch and MacBook event.
Apple is hosting an event in San Francisco revealing details on the Apple Watch. If you want to watch along, Apple is livestreaming the event on their site (access to Safari on Mac or iOS required). Here's what Cook has revealed so far:
1:35 p.m.: Apple's Phil Schiller takes the stage to talk MacBook, which
weighs 2 pounds and measures at 13.1 mm thickness, making it 24% thinner than the latest MacBook Air. The keyboard has been redesigned as well, says Schiller, The keyboard includes a butterfly mechanism underneath the keys that will make it "much more precise and accurate," he says.
1:33 p.m.: "We challenged ourselves to reinvent the notebook," says Cook before introducing the latest MacBook notebook computer. "Can you even see it?" Cook jokes. "I can't even feel it!"
1:30 p.m.: Cook moves next to the Mac. "This is the strongest Mac lineup we've ever had," says Cook. He notes for the last 10 years, Mac has outgrown the personal computer industry. Cook says MacBook sales have grown 20% year-over-year, compared to a 2% decline for the overall notebook business.
1:27 p.m.: ResearchKit will be open source, making it more accessible to a wider group of developers. It will be available next month, with the first five apps launching today.
1:22 p.m.: ResearchKit offers apps based on specific conditions, such as managing breast cancer, diabetes and asthma. Mount Sinai Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical College teamed up on an Asthma Health app, swabbing sections of the city for pathogens and mapping it to discover triggers in a specific area. Also noted: Apple will not be able to see any data transmitted through ResearchKit apps.
1:17 p.m.: Cook addresses HealthKit, Apple's suite of health apps for iOS 8, noting it will be used more in medical research. Among the challenges with medical research is seeking volunteers and seeking feedback from participants. Apple unveils ResearchKit, a framework aimed at medical research, allowing developers to create apps and use the iPhone as a powerful diagnostic tool.
1:15 p.m.: Cook says every major car brand will commit to offering CarPlay, the company's version of iOS built for vehicles. As for HomeKit, the suite of tools for smart homes, is expected to add more partners over the course of the year.
1:13 p.m.: Cook shifts to the iPhone, noting customer satisfaction for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, launched last fall, reached 99%. On Apple Pay, which also debuted last year with the new smartphones, Cook says more than 2,500 banks support the payments service, while the number of locations that accept Apple Pay has tripled to more than 700,000.
1:10 p.m.: Cook says 25 million Apple TV devices have been sold so far. Apple says they will lower the price of Apple TV to $69, from its original price of $99. "Apple TV will reinvent the way you watch television, and this is just the beginning," says Cook.
1:08 p.m.: HBO Now will launch in early April for $14.99 a month. The first month will be free to those who subscribe in April, timed to the arrival of the next season of Game of Thrones launching April 12.
1:07 p.m.: Cook introduces Richard Plepler, CEO of HBO to offer some "exciting news." Plepler joins the stage to unveil the company's standalone
streaming service, HBO Now. Apple will be exclusive partner at launch.
1:06 p.m.: Cook begins with Apple's set-top box, Apple TV. More specifically, he discusses HBO. "We love HBO," says Cook.
1:04 p.m.: Apple CEO Tim Cook joins the stage to start the show, detailing the company's newest store in China. "This is the way we love to see our stores," says Cook, showing images of hundreds of customers exploring Apple devices. Cook says Apple opened six stores in China in the last six weeks alone. Apple has 21 open in China, with hopes to open 40 by the middle of next year. Overall, more than 120 million customers visited Apple stores last quarter.
Update at 1:02 p.m. ET: Apple kicks things off with a video montage exploring an Apple store in China, a key market for Apple and several other tech companies. It's the usual scene: customers lining up to buy the iPhone. Lots of cheering, clapping, fun times.
ORIGINAL STORY
With Apple Watch expected to launch in the first half of this year, we'll likely learn more about the smartwatch's pricing and availability. And as with any other Apple event, multiple rumors have contributed to the buildup toward this reveal event.
Here's a look at what we know -- and don't -- leading up to the Apple Watch event:
THE BATTERY
This is by far the biggest question surrounding Apple Watch leading up to this event. Are we getting a smartwatch lasting several days like a Pebble or a 1-2 day cycle similar to smartphones? According to TechCrunch, battery life will go for at least a day, and will take two hours to charge. Also, in an effort to conserve juice, the watch will reportedly stop sending notifications when it hits 10% of battery life left.
Speaking of power conservation, The New York Times reports Apple Watch will offer a feature called "Power Reserve," where the watch runs on low energy and will only display the time.
USA TODAY's tech team discusses what they think we'll see during Apple's smartwatch event in San Francisco.
THE PRICE
We know the starting price of Apple Watch: $349. But that's for the introductory model. There's also a Sport edition and another limited edition that looks quite expensive.
Most interesting will be the price of the Edition model, which sports a gold body and sapphire display. Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster tells Cnet that model could start at $4,999.
THE FEATURES
Let's start with the features we know: the Digital Crown for zooming in and out on apps or pressing like a button. It also a heart-rate sensor, accelerometer and "haptic feedback," subtle vibrations that alert users to everything from a text message to a turn from GPS navigation. Monday's event should offer a deeper dive into available apps.
As for what's rumored, 9to5Mac has a comprehensive review of some features Apple could announce. Among them: Heart Rate Glance to let users view their heart rate any time, other "glances" including weather and calendar, and a companion app for iPhones that let users manage the Watch's apps and settings.
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