SAN FRANCISCO — The basics of the Apple Watch have been known since September, but now, a few weeks before the watch’s arrival in stores, Apple has finally revealed how much it will cost.
The company on Monday held a media event here to remind people about the features of the Apple Watch and share more details about the product, including its cost. It also demonstrated what the watch was capable of doing with apps made by other companies.
“Apple Watch is the most personal device we have ever created,” said Timothy D. Cook, Apple’s chief executive. “It’s not just with you. It’s on you.”
The Apple Watch is a miniature computer worn around a person’s wrist, with a touch screen and a so-called digital crown for navigating the device. You can receive and respond to calls on the watch, but it requires an iPhone to fully operate.
“I have been wanting to do this since I was 5 years old,” Mr. Cook said.
Unlike past Apple products, the Apple Watch has a complex pricing structure. Because a smart watch is both gadget and fashion accessory, Apple designed its device to be highly customizable to suit the tastes of various consumers, from fitness buffs to collectors of luxury watches.
Apple will offer three models of Apple Watch, each with a casing made of a different material: Watch Sport, a version with an aluminum case; Watch, which has a stainless steel case; and Watch Edition, which has a case made of 18-karat gold.
Each model comes in two case sizes — 1.5 inches and 1.65 inches. And for each watch, customers will be able to choose from a variety of interchangeable bands in different colors and materials.
The cheapest model is the Apple Watch Sport, the one tailored to athletes, which starts at $349. The larger Apple Watch Sport costs $399.
The next step up is the Apple Watch, with a more fashionable stainless steel case. The smaller version of this watch costs $549 to $1,040, and the larger one costs $599 to $1,099. The price range for both depends on the band.
The Apple Watch Edition, which has a case made of 18-karat gold, is a sure sign that Apple has entered the luxury market. Pricing for the high-end version starts at $10,000.
Preorders for the various versions of the watch start April 10, and it will go on sale on April 24. It will first be available in a number of countries, including the United States, Australia, China and Japan.
At the event, Apple also stressed some of the signature features of the device.
Apple has highlighted the crown as its latest signature innovation for controlling a device, similar to the mouse pointer for the personal computer, the click wheel on the iPod and the touch screen for the iPhone. On the Apple Watch, the crown can be twisted to zoom in or out of the screen or to scroll through a web page.
The watch includes a heart rate sensor and a sensor for tracking movement to complement fitness applications. It has a chip that helps it make wireless payments.
The watch also includes Digital Touch, an application that enables a new method of communication between watch users. Watch wearers can scribble sketches on the watch screen and send them to one another, or even send their heartbeats.
Apple also added to the watch a so-called taptic engine, which “taps” users on the wrist with a tactile sensation when they receive alerts, messages or notifications.
Apple said the watch’s battery would last 18 hours. To help users prolong battery life, Apple designed a mode called Power Reserve, which runs the watch in low energy while only displaying the time. Power Reserve can be toggled on and off.
Apple demonstrated third-party apps working on the watch. An app developed by Starwood hotels sends a notification to watch wearers when they are near their hotels; the app can also unlock the user’s room door. The watch also supports the Uber app for summoning a car. The app shows wher the driver is on a map, and from there, the user can place a phone call to the driver.
Apple also announced a new MacBook laptop with a 12-inch high-resolution “retina” display. Philip Schiller, the company’s head of marketing, said the new MacBook was the thinnest and lightest laptop the company had ever made. It weighs two pounds and measures 13.1 millimeters at its thickest point.
The MacBook also includes a trackpad with sensors that can detect how hard a user is clicking. A hard click on the fast-forward button on a video, for example, will make the video run faster.
The new MacBook features a new battery design to provide all-day battery life, Mr. Schiller said.
The MacBook uses a new port called USB-C. It is a versatile port that can be used for charging, plugging in a video monitor, or hooking up a USB accessory like a keyboard. Like the latest iPhones, the new MacBook comes in silver, dark gray and gold. It starts at $1,300 and shipping begins April 10.
Apple on Monday also released upgrades for some of its other notebooks, including the MacBook Air. (www.chinainout.com)
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