As an Apple Watch user, after one week of usage you will find that its apps are quite underwhelming in nature. There are quite few that are more compelling than the iPhone counterparts and furthermore they are quite slow to load and establish link with the internet.
However, rumors suggest that the Apple Watch will get much better this fall when Apple permits the developers to release the native versions for this device. What this means is that in future, the applications will have power to load and operate using the Apple Watch, instead of needing a paired connection with an iPhone via Bluetooth.
The Apple Watch heavily relies on the iPhone for now and that has held back the user experience for the device. Once the iPhone shackles are removed, the Apple Watch will be much more powerful. Apple unveiled the Watch OS2 earlier this week and it is the first major software update for the Apple Watch.
The next generation operating system will face a number of major changes, for instance, new watch faces, a ‘Time Travel’ mode which allows you to visually go forward or backward in time. This allows you to notice things like past events or the weather forecast along with a ‘Nightstand’ mode which is needed for charging the watch while you are asleep.
According to App Store developers, the most important change is that the applications will now run directly on the Apple Watch and access features like Digital Crown and heart rate sensor. The Digital Crown is a small dial from Apple that is used to control some aspects of the Watch’s interface.
On 8th June, Apple Vice President Kevin Lynch unveiled the Watch OS 2 to a crowded room full of developers. According to Michel Facemire, a principal analyst at Forrester Research, it is a watershed moment for the Apple Watch and also the first step in becoming a ‘standalone platform’.
He told Business Insider that until this point, the Watch was only an extension of a nearby phone which allowed messages, the proxying of alerts and a few awkward applications. At the moment, the Apple Watch can connect to Wi-Fi networks without the need of being tethered to an iPhone.
As a result, apps like Citymapper would succeed in getting transit directions without needing the cellular connection of the iPhone. Apple is also permitting third party ‘complications’ on the watch display.