Apple today announced a March 9 special event, widely anticipated to mark the official public launch of the Apple Watch, at least in the U.S.
Spring into step
Eagle-eyed Apple Watch-watchers will note the event takes place one day after U.S. Daylight Saving Time begins on March 8, with the verbal clue:
“Spring Forward. Join us on March 9 at 10 a.m. PDT for our special event. Watch the live video and follow every moment on apple.com/live.”
The reference to a significant moment about time makes this a pretty definite hint the company intends on letting us know when its much-anticipated smartwatch ships, and perhaps provide a little insight into when it will hit international markets.
(An added hint, we already know that Apple employees "spring" out of their seats every hour because their smartwatch tells them to, because Apple CEO Tim Cook has revealed this).
We’ll also learn:
- More about any features Apple might have managed to avoid telling us so far;
- Get to see some of the many hundreds of exciting apps developers have been working on for the device;
- Learn just how much the top of the range “Editions” will cost.
- We may even gain a glimmer of insight into those Watch-native apps Apple promised us to expect later this year.
Anything else
I’m going to place a few bets on other things that may be revealed during the event, which takes place at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.
Apple Pay
Given recent chatter in Europe and Apple’s reticence in discussing it, I’m anticipating more news on Apple Pay for Europe and other territories. Last I heard, it was primed for launch in Canada. I see no reason the company would want to delay making this service available elsewhere. Those tiny percentages soon add up….
Enterprise iPad?
Will we hear more on the iPad? I’m not sure, but it may be good to hear a little more about Apple’s plans for the enterprise market, particularly as the world watches the Watch. Recent comments from Tim Cook make it pretty clear that the enterprise is Apple’s focal point for its iPad tablet sales in the near term, so it’s possible.