When Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)
unveils its anticipated iWatch on Tuesday, you can rest assured that
there will be an app for that. The tech giant is reportedly readying a
robust software marketplace for the wearable much like the one for its
iPhones, and Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ:FB) is among the companies that got early access to iWatch software, according to a report Monday from 9to5Mac.
The iWatch software is based on the iOS operating system
and will support a number of third-party apps, according to the report.
Apple is preparing an app store for
the wearable, but so far it's not
clear whether it will be entirely separate or a special section on the
main one.
The companies were under a strict non-disclosure agreement
but were given access in order to develop apps that Apple could
demonstrate at its much-anticipated iWatch unveiling on Tuesday. In the
past, Apple has distributed early software development kits (SDKs) to
third parties to have apps ready for such events.
The report confirmed an early 2015 release date for the
iWatch. Although Apple will announce the iWatch Tuesday with some
pricing and feature details, the wearable will not ship to consumers
until next year. This will give developers time to prepare more apps for
the iWatch and retailers time to ready their point-of-sale systems for
an expected wireless payment system
based on near field communication (NFC), which will be supported by
hardware in the iWatch and iPhone 6. Apple Stores rolled out a new
NFC-based system on Monday, reportedly in anticipation of the event
Tuesday.
Apple announced iOS 8, the latest version of its iPhone
software, in June alongside a new software framework called HealthKit
that aims to organize fitness data. HealthKit is expected to track
information from the iWatch's sensors, which reportedly include sensors
that detect heartbeats and motion and analyze sweat. GPS-based maps are
also expected to be a key component of the iWatch.
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