Apple Watch: Everything You Need to Know Ahead of the Release
— -- The Apple Watch has sparked a frenzy but it won't come with the same long lines of people who camped outside Apple stores to wait for new iPhones. If you want to purchase Apple's first wearable or want to check one out in person, you better plan ahead.
Ahead of the April 24 Apple Watch launch, here's what you need to know about Apple's "most personal" device yet -- including what you need to do to get one on your wrist.
How to Order
Pre-orders for the wearable, which comes in 20 different models ranging from $349 to $17,000, will begin at 12:01 a.m. PT this Friday, with the first customers getting them on April 24.
Those who aren't completely sold on the idea yet or don't know which watch they want can schedule a try-on appointment beginning Friday at an Apple Store, according to the company's website.
Compatibility
The Apple Watch is compatible with the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 5, iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S.
Styles
The watch comes in three models: the Apple Watch Sport, Apple Watch and the high-end Apple Watch Edition. Each packs as much as 18 hours of battery life, ensuring the device can stay helpful to its user day and night.
Each model differs in price. The Apple Watch Sport, which is made of aluminum, starts at $349. The Apple Watch starts at $549 for the smaller version and goes as high as $1,049 depending on the watch band. The larger version starts at $599.
The Apple Watch Edition will begin at $10,000 and will be available in limited quantities, making it the ultimate techie status symbol.
What Makes It Different
While other wearables focus on a touch screen, Apple is making navigation on the watch head easier by letting users move the digital crown to toggle between apps.
The wrist is "a very interesting place" because users can glance at it while "you can't glance at a lot of other places on your body," Apple CEO Tim Cook told ABC News' David Muir in an exclusive interview after the watch was announced last year.
"You can measure a lot of things from there and you can just get, honestly, a tidbit today of what all it can do," Cook said. "But I think it's huge."
Apple recently released a series of videos on its website giving guided tours of how the watch fares in different experiences, including everything from using Siri to Apple Pay.
Rent a Watch
If you're still intrigued but not entirely sold: Lumoid, a start-up that lets people rent gadgets before buying them, is offering users the chance to rent an Apple Watch Sport for $45, with $25 of the fee going to the gadget if they decide to purchase. A regular Apple Watch can be rented for $55 with $35 going toward the purchase price.
