Apple Releases WatchKit for Developers
Consumers gleefully anticipate the release of the Apple Watch. Luckily, with Apple’s release of the Apple WatchKit, developers have the opportunity to modify already successful iPhone apps so they are ready when the watch debuts.
The Apple Watch
With the Apple Watch release date approaching (“Coming in early 2015”), developers must make apps ready for it. Apple describes the watch as “Our most personal device yet.” Aiming to make technology more accessible to people, Apple promotes the device as a way to access the things people check most often, for example:
- Weather
- Stock quotes
- Appointment calendars
Developers have an opportunity to use the apple watch sdk to get a jump on creating apps for the watch, making use of its unique features. What makes Apple’s watch so unique is its positioning on the user’s wrist, making accessing and dismissing items less intrusive or distracting to others. The watch offers ways of obtaining information in entirely new ways, and most app developers relish the chance to start in on creating software for the device, since it gives them the opportunity to stretch their creative “muscles.”
Apple Watch SDK Possibilities
Apps for the watch are all about speed, since most users will see the information, make a decision, and act upon it within the space of seconds. Creating apps for it involves dealing with both the WatchKit extension that runs on an iPhone and specific user interfaces installed on the Apple Watch itself. Apple’s Watchkit enables development and extension of existing iPhone apps in three ways:
- Apps in which users interface with the device via the Apple Watch’s innovative controls
- Notifications enabling users to respond to incoming alerts on their watch; examples provided by Apple include turning off lights after leaving the home, obtaining flight information at the airport, and accessing commuter transit information
- Glances providing users with data on topics they care most about, such as breaking news, game scores, and alarm systems. Glances provide quick, easily accessed data with minimal user input
Using the iOS sdk with Watchkit
Luckily, Apple Watch apps don’t need entirely new programming. Members of the iOS Developer Program can access the iOS 8.2 SDK beta including WatchKit, which includes programming guides, interface guidelines, and templates. Through use of Apple Watchkit, developers now have the opportunity to augment and increase their apps’ potential by having them ready to load by the Apple Watch release date.
SOURCES:
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2014/11/18Developers-Start-Designing-Apps-for-Apple-Watch.html.
http://www.developer-tech.com/news/2014/nov/26/what-apple-watchkit-brings-party/.
