Tomorrow the Apple Watch pre-orders start arriving. And almost immediately those early adopters will be downloading specialized watch apps onto their wrist computers.
Just as Apple has a dedicated section for iPad-specific apps the App Store features an area now dedicated to Watch apps. The Wall Street Journal reports (via Ars Technica) that there are “more than 3,000 Watch apps” already available. However my check of the App Store through iTunes and the Apple Watch app, reflects just over a 100 apps that are currently visible and being showcased.
Some of those featured and “first out of the gate” include the New York Times, Twitter, Uber, SPG (hotels), MLB.com, Evernote, the WSJ, CNN, Target, Expedia, Flipboard, Citi, among others, as well as those above.
While it’s uncertain how many Watch pre-orders there were — some financial analysts estimated between one and two million — developers want to be ready in the event the Watch proves to be a big hit. There’s an advantage to being early.
There will be considerable learning from these early watch apps. What content should be displayed? How many notifications are too many? Should the Watch app be an extension of the iPhone app or a stand-alone, unique experience?
These things are all up for grabs and will need to be determined over time and with user feedback.
Even though these developers are eager to stake and early claim on users’ wrists it remains to be seen whether the Apple Watch and smartwatches in general gain mainstream adoption.
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