4 Things to Know Before Developing an Apple Watch App
With Apple Watch sales estimated to hit 20 million units in its first year of release, Apple’s new wearable could be a chance for you to hit the big time. Everyone using the device will be looking for quality apps to download.
But before you dive right into the world of Apple Watch development, you as a Product Owner need to decide if that’s the best idea for your business. In order to figure out if Apple Watch development is a smart move, there’s a lot that you need to know.
At Apple’s ‘Spring Forward’ event on March 9th, the company released lots of information about their new product. So, to help you decide whether or not to build Apple Watch apps (and what those apps could be) we’ve put together this guide.
1. The Apple Watch Has a Short Battery Life
As the device is incredibly small, no one really expected the Apple Watch to have a powerful battery behind it. Apple has now confirmed this with CEO Tim Cook saying that the device will have an average usage of up to 18 hours, with their website saying that the device will last just three hours of phone calls or six hours of music play before the battery dies.
While everyone would prefer to have a higher battery life, as a Product Owner you and your team just need to work around this. You should revise and refine your app ideas based on this knowledge.
For example, as the Apple Watch may require two or even three charges a day, users will use the device more sparingly. They will look for apps that help their work flow and make them more productive instead of apps that will help them waste time as these will just drain the battery.
Power intensive apps and games are ruled out then, but if you make your apps more efficient, you’ll be rewarded.
2. The Apple Watch Will Be Expensive
Even if you’ve been living under a rock, it’s been hard to miss the headlines of the $17,000 Apple Watch. Yes, the $17,000 ‘Edition’ version of Apple’s gadget will be gold-plated with a sapphire screen. That’s an extreme pricing example but the Sport and Watch editions of the Apple Watch will retail for $349 and $549 (respectively) which isn’t cheap either.
The price directly reflects Apple’s marketing strategy with the device. While their iPhones appeal to everyone, with the Apple Watch they’re trying to appeal to business professionals and fashionistas; people with more money to spend.
What this means for you, as a Product Owner trying to make smart business decisions for your team, is that you can charge a premium for your apps. You and your team should be thinking about the sort of apps that can have a great monetization strategy and what sort of services and features you can offer for a good profit margin.
3. The Apple Watch Is Dependent On the iPhone
There was never any doubt that the Apple Watch would work with the iPhone, was there? Apple loves to make their products work with one another and their new wearable was no different.
As it turns out, the Apple Watch relies on the iPhone for a lot of things. For example, the Apple Watch has no cell data or Wi-Fi connection of its own and so if someone’s iPhone dies they’ll be unable to get updates for apps like Twitter or Facebook or send emails or other messages.
There are some nifty features that don’t need the iPhone though, including the heart-rate sensor, Apple Pay and a Bluetooth connection. However, the fact that the Apple Watch needs the smartphone just to connect to the Internet may be a dealbreaker. Either that, or Apple’s WatchKit technology may encourage you to create apps specifically designed to work with both devices.
4. The Apple Watch Screen is Force Sensitive
It may be small in the larger scheme of things, but it’s pretty cool that the Apple Watch’s touchscreen is force sensitive. Apple originally debuted ‘Force Touch’ in September when the Apple Watch was first announced. They explained that the screen knows the difference between a light touch and a hard press.
On paper, Force Touch may sound like a gimmick but Apple says that it can “trigger instant access to a range of contextually specific controls”. As a Product Owner this means that you and your team can think of new ways for your users to interact with your apps.
Maybe a light touch will bring up a settings menu and a hard touch will close a page altogether. Apple’s calling Force Touch “the most significant new sensing capability since Multi‑Touch” and with so many possibilities on offer here, they might just be right.
Interested in developing an app for the Apple Watch? Our development team at EL Passion can help you create one.
