Together with the highly-anticipated iPhone 6, Apple's new wearable device (also known as the iWatch) will be officially announced on September 9. Many believe that while the iWatch will be introduced this year, buyers will not be able to buy one for themselves until 2015. The wait may be unbearable for those who are already set in purchasing the wearable device, but it sure does give developers some time to design apps for Apple's newest toy.
Which exactly is what is happening now. According to 9to5mac, Apple has provided a pre-release software development kit (SDK) to a few of its partner companies, presumably so that the developers of these companies can start working on apps to be used with the iWatch.
As of now, it is not clear yet whether the iWatch will have an app store of its own. It is also possible that a certain section of the iOS App Store might be reserved for apps that are iWatch-compatible.
Google's smartwatch platform Android Wear does it by rolling compatible features into standard apps that run the Android operating system. However, Android Wear wearables need a paired device, usually an Android phone, in order to function. As for the iWatch, we just do not know yet whether it can run on its own without a partner device (hopefully by tomorrow, we will.)
Apple has always had a knack for thinking ahead. It may have provided the SDK to its high-profile partners so that it could include some early demos of iWatch-compatible apps during its event tomorrow. One of the partners mentioned by 9to5mac is Facebook, which should give fans of the soon-to-be-launched device -- especially those that are active in social media -- another reason to be excited about.
As for those unmentioned in the report, we can only speculate. Apple recently hired a Nike Fuel Band designer so you can bet that it may have something to do with perhaps a Nike app that works with the iWatch. For all we know, Apple might have also tapped into health/fitness companies, or financial services firms (especially for mobile payment possibilities).
Nothing is certain for now. But the good news is that, we will not have long to wait. By tomorrow, everyone should have a clearer idea of what the iWatch can do, and how involved other companies are in realizing the wearable device's potential capabilities.
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