Apple for the day

Alex Fitzpatrick has a Time article about the upcoming Apple Watch:

Apple is holding an event in San Francisco, California on Monday, 9 March 2015, at 10 am Pacific Time, which is likely to deliver new details about its upcoming Watch. While Apple first unveiled the Apple Watch late last year, it left plenty unsaid. Here are five questions we still have about the Apple Watch that should be answered during Monday’s event:
What does it do?We know the Apple Watch tells the time, syncs up with your iPhone, gives you directions, and more. But the Apple Watch was unveiled well before third-party developers had time to make new apps for it. With the Watch’s release date drawing nearer, more developers should be ready to show off apps that add new functionality to the Apple Watch, like the ability to pay for sandwiches for example.
How much will it cost?Apple says the entry-level Apple Watch Sport will start at $349. But we still don’t know anything about the cost of the other models, which could range from the somewhat affordable to the downright pricey (especially for the all-gold Apple Watch Edition). Expect Apple to put a clearer price tag on the Apple Watch come Monday.
When can we buy one?At first, Apple only said the Apple Watch would be available sometime in “early 2015”. In late January of 2015, Apple CEO Tim Cook narrowed that window down to “April”. But there still isn’t a firm release date for the Apple Watch; expect Apple to give us one on Monday, and then set your calendars accordingly.
How will we buy one?The Apple Watch comes in three base models (Sport, Regular, and Edition), two sizes (42mm and 38mm), six colors (from “stainless steel” to “eighteen-karat yellow gold”), and six different kinds of bands, some with different colors of their own. While you might not be able to mix and match to your heart’s consent, that’s still a boatload more options than you get with anything else that Apple sells.
All those customization options mean you might buy the Apple Watch differently than you buy an iPad or MacBook. Early rumors pointed to an in-store concierge experience, while Apple could produce some kind of interactive online tool to help you make the perfect Apple Watch.
How long will the battery last?Battery life could make or break the Apple Watch; if the watch can’t make it through an average work day, it could very well be a flop. Cook has already said he expects people will have to charge the Apple Watch every night, and Apple is reportedly working on a Power Reserve mode. But how will the battery hold up exactly? Apple might give us some better numbers on Monday, but it’ll take some real-world testing before we’re really sure how the Apple Watch does.

Rico says yes, yes, he knows it's not the iWatch, though it should be, but he no longer wears a watch, so he'll pass on this otherwise splendid piece of technology.

Slate has another article by Lily Hay Newman about the Watch:

Apple announced in September of 2014 that it was making a smartwatch. The company said that the watch would have a custom interface, a special navigation knob, and numerous band options. And now it’s all here, and ready to debut on 24 April 2015. (Preorders start 10 April.) But do you want to pay seventeen grand for it?
Okay, you don't have to pay that much, but that's the top price of the premium gold option, called the Apple Watch Edition. If you're looking for something on the scale of hundreds of dollars instead of thousands, the company is offering the Apple Watch Sport (starting at $349) and the flagship Apple Watch (starting at $549). All of these watches come in two sizes, 38 mm or 42 mm; have different case colors to choose from; and have swappable bands. Depending on the band you choose, the standard Apple Watch can easily reach $1,000.
Apple claims that the watches will have about eighteen hours of battery life, and they'll charge using a special MagSafe cable. As Apple previewed in September, users will navigate through the menus of the watch using a special knob that both physically turns and is touch-sensitive. In the demo, Apple's vice president of technology, Kevin Lynch, received a phone call on his watch, drew and sent a picture, streamed video, requested an Uber ride, replied to a text message, browsed Instagram, and remotely opened a garage door. The watch lets you know when you've been doing too much sitting, can track heart rate, and is also Apple Pay–enabled, so you can buy a smoothie when you're done with your jog. Or, you know, whatever.
It’s hard to think of the Apple Watch as a serious piece of technology, because Apple seems to be cultivating an image of the device as a sensational experiment. But that’s probably just to heighten its appeal. When something seems both risky and awesome, that’s when it’s cool enough to buy.

Rico says he'll pass, thank you, and keep using his iPhone as a timepiece...