Today at a news-packed event at San Francisco’s Moscone Center, Apple nailed down the main details of its forthcoming wearable, the Apple Watch. The event boasted plenty of huge moments, including the high end Apple Watch Edition’s $17,000 price tag and the advent of a new gold 12-inch MacBook.
Sandwiched between some of the tech specs and release details, we were treated to a live preview of a handful of apps that might just make a believer out of smartwatch skeptics. Here are some of the highlights.
1) Instagram
Apple
We’re not exactly sure if peering into a teensy screen strapped to your own body can provide a satisfying Instagram experience, but the app looks thoughtfully designed. You can browse your feed, view comments, and distribute tiny virtual hearts as you see fit, just like the real thing!
2) Home security
Apple
Apple
Apple
Smart home types will be happy to know they can lock, monitor, and even surveil their homes via a video feed. Like any good technological jump, it’s equal parts cool and terrifying.
3) Texting
Apple
If you plan to continue to eschew Apple Watch’s gimmicky heartbeat sharing and doodling apps, there’s still the option to communicate like a normal human. Yes, the Apple Watch will support text messaging notifications and a little pre-loaded list of common responses that can be sent off with a click. Lazy sexting has never been so easy.
4) Unlock a hotel room
Apple
Apple
Considering the fact that our normal hotel keys fail 60 percent of the time, it’s hard to imagine this one working out at all that smoothly, but it’s still neat. At certain partner hotels, the Apple Watch can unlock your hotel room door just by waving it near the NFC sensor, no key or front desk help necessary. What could go wrong?
5) Check in for a flight
Apple
Apple
Apple
We’d like to believe that Apple’s vision for the Apple Watch could let us breeze through airport security, but we’ll have to see this one in action. Few airlines are known for their tech-friendliness, but maybe Apple will make a believer out of the TSA. Anything could happen.
6) Call an Uber
Apple
If you can afford a $17,000 gold Apple Watch Edition, you’ve probably got a fleet of private jets, so this one might not be for you. If you’re more the run-of-the-mill rich type who’s public transportation-averse, you can call an Uber right from your wrist. We just wish they baked in a panic button.
Photo via Apple | Remix by Max Fleishman