A look back at first Apple Watch — How Apple entered the wearable space

• 2024 marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch
• The first Apple watch was announced on September 9, 2014
• Apple has sold over 100 million Apple Watches since its release

Apple is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch this year. Announced in 2014 and launched in 2015, the Apple Watch marked the brand's entry into wearable technology. Since its launch, the Apple Watch has gone through various changes and upgrades internally. Eventually, Apple expanded the Apple Watch portfolio with the SE and the Ultra. But in this article, we are looking back at the drawing board, at the first Apple Watch. After all, this is where it all began.

Gizmo: Apple Watch’s conceptualisation and launch

Apple began developing the first Apple Watch around 2011, shortly after the launch of the iPhone 4S. The project, codenamed "Gizmo," involved a small, secret team led by Jony Ive, focused on creating a wearable device with health, communication, and user interface innovations like the Digital Crown and Force Touch. By 2013, the watch had entered advanced stages, with significant R&D dedicated to battery life, display quality, and seamless iPhone integration. Finally, Apple launched the first Apple Watch on September 9, 2014, and released it on April 24, 2015, marking its entry into the wearable tech market.

First Apple Watch - specifications and pricing

The first Apple Watch was announced alongside the iPhone 6 and the Apple Pay announcement. As it turns out, the iPhone 6 is the most successful iPhone to date, and Apple Pay is a premium service standing strong in the market. Clearly 2014 was a good year for Apple. Apple Watch was the show-stopper that year, and had some fairly good specs.

Models and sizes

- The first Apple Watch came in 38mm and 42mm, catering to different wrist sizes.

- It was available in three main collections: **Apple Watch Sport** (aluminum case), **Apple Watch** (stainless steel case), and **Apple Watch Edition** (18-karat gold case).

Design and display

- The display was made of on-X glass for the Sport model and sapphire crystal for the stainless steel and Edition models.

- It featured a Retina display with Force Touch technology, allowing the screen to detect different levels of pressure for various functions.

Digital crown

- The Apple Watch introduced the Digital Crown, a physical dial on the side of the watch used for scrolling, zooming, and navigation without obstructing the display.

WatchOS

-The first Apple Watch ran on watchOS 1, Apple's operating system designed specifically for its wearable devices.

- WatchOS included features like the Activity Rings, Heart Rate Monitor, and the ability to receive notifications and calls.

Processor and lerformance

- It was powered by the Apple S1 chip, a custom-designed system-in-package (SiP) that integrated many components onto a single board.

- The device had 512 MB of RAM and 8 GB of internal storage, with 2 GB allocated for music storage.

Health and fitness features

- The watch had sensors for heart rate monitoring and could track steps, distance, and calories burned.

- It included an accelerometer, gyroscope, and optical heart sensor, and it could sync with the iPhone's GPS for more accurate tracking.

Connectivity

- The first Apple Watch required an **iPhone 5 or later** to function, relying heavily on the iPhone for most of its processing and data tasks.

- It used Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi for connectivity.

Battery life

- Apple estimated that the watch would have a battery life of about 18 hours, which it called "all-day battery life.”

- Charging was done via a MagSafe-based inductive charging** system that was magnetically attached to the back of the watch.

Pricing:

Available in multiple variants at launch, the first Apple Watch was offered in three prices.

Apple Watch Sports Band	$349
Apple Watch (stainless steel)	$549
Apple Watch Edition	$17000

However, this year will mark Apple Watch’s 10th anniversary and we are ready to see the long-awaited changes on this product.