Apple Watch

For years, there have been rumors Apple was going to enter the wearables market, a field already dominated by FitBit, Pebble and Jawbone. Coinciding with the announcement of their iPhone 6 and iOS 8 Operating System, the Apple Watch is setting consumers up for the next frontier in smartphone technology.

There are three models available to purchase: Watch, Watch Sport and Watch Edition, with each model available in 42mm for men and 38mm for women, in addition to six strap options that are interchangeable. A rounded square screen makes up the front face of the watch, with a spinning digital crown and button on the side to navigate through your apps. The water-resistant device has no lightning or data ports, as a wireless protocol will handle your sync and charging needs.

The Apple Watch is set to feature 315MB of RAM and 4GB of storage, with higher-end models expanding to 8GB. Not much is known about the operating system yet; it will most likely use a modified version of iOS. Like much of Apple’s digital ecosystem, the Watch will interact with a user’s iPhone, integrating messages and calendar, fully supporting Siri voice control and utilizing the new Apple Pay service.

The Apple Healthkit will also be heavily featured on the watch, thanks to a suite of sensors that can monitor your heart rate and track your workout activity. It will even detect when a user has lifted his hand to see the watch and turn on accordingly. Though fitness trackers like FitBit and Jawbone have matured over the past few years, the Apple Watch is a serious contender by packaging an entire lifestyle experience into their wearable. Visit Apple’s website to learn more about their upcoming product, set to release early 2015.