The original Apple Watch was released in the United States and eight other countries exactly ten years ago today. The first Apple Watch was previewed in September 2014, hitting store shelves and arriving to customers on April 24, 2015.
“Apple Watch begins a new chapter in the way we relate to technology and we think our customers are going to love it,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO in the press release that announced the arrival of the device. “We can’t wait for people to start wearing Apple Watch to easily access information that matters, to interact with the world, and to live a better day by being more aware of their daily activity than ever before.”
The original Apple Watch was available in two different sizes, 38 mm and 42 mm. It was available in three models, the Apple Watch Sport ($349 and $399 in the U.S.), the Apple Watch ($549 and $1,099 in the U.S.); and last but not least the Apple Watch Edition, which started at $10,000 (US). (It was “crafted” from rose or yellow 18-karat gold alloys.)
The Apple Watch has always offered personalized watch faces, including analog faces and a Modular face that offers several “complications,” displaying easy-to-digest bits of information.
“Conceived, designed and developed as a singular product, Apple Watch merges hardware and software like never before,” said Jony Ive, Apple’s senior vice president of Design at the time said, also in the release press release. “In Apple Watch, we’ve created three beautifully curated collections with a software architecture that together enable unparalleled personalization in a wearable device.”
The most impressive features of the Apple Watch have proven to be the health and safety features that have been added to the wearable over the years, features that have saved lives.
The original Apple Watch included a heart rate monitor and accelerometer, which allowed the Watch to track the wearer’s phusical activity, displaying three rings, measuring active calories burned, activity, and how often the wearer stood up. The Apple Watch uses that format to this day.
Over the years, Apple has added several more life saving features, including the ability to perform an ECG, detect a fall, crash detection, Emergency SOS, and perhaps the most important feature for sleepless wives everywhere, the ability to detect their husbands’ sleep apnea.
There have been several instances where the Apple Watch has helped save lives, alerting wearers to heart issues, and even cancer. By providing early detection, the Apple Watch has proven to be a life saving device. We can expect to see m0re life saving features added in the future, such as non-invasive blood glucose monitoring and measuring blood pressure.
Accident victims have also benefited from the Apple Watch’s safety features over the years. In addition to fall detection, the Watch’s crash detection and Emergency SOS features have saved lives, notifying emergency personnel when the wearer could not. Recently, Apple sahres how the Apple Watch helped rescue a New South Wales man when he was swept out to sea in Australia.
I’ve worn an Apple Watch since it first debuted, and I rely on it now more than ever to monitor my health issues as I grow older, and to also remind me of appointments and such, as I become more forgetful.
Happy 10th Birthday Apple Watch!
