Apple has issued new guidelines to its developers as per which it is now mandatory for all Apple Watch apps to be able to run natively on the smartwatch starting June 1st. Further, developers are also required to submit new apps that have been built using watchOS 2 SDK or later.
This would usher in a marked change in the way Apple Watch apps perform at the moment which requires tethering with an iPhone for data connection. That is set to change now that the apps are required to have the ability to connect to the internet using Wi-Fi on its own.
Apple though has further clarified that this only applies to new apps and that existing apps are not required to be made watchOS 2 compliant as of now.
Initially, Apple Watch apps required an active connection with an iPhone for carrying out even the simplest of tasks. All app used to run on the iPhone itself before the process got depicted on the Watch. This made for a more cumbersome process as the to-and-fro transfer of data proved to be a lengthy and often buggy process. This also impacted the performance of the Apple Watch as well
All of that changed with the watchOS 2 that allowed developers to build apps that ran right on the Apple Watch itself. While this lessened the added burden that the smartwatch initially posed on the iPhone, this also allowed the apps to have access to several of the Apple Watch’s hardware component such as its mic and so on.
Meanwhile, Apple also has its WWDC 2016 event lined up on June 13 which should shed further light on the company’s future software initiatives. That could include a new version of watchOS 3 along with iOS 10 and OS X 10.12. Apple is also likely to launch a new iteration of its smartwatch this fall though this is something that is based entirely on rumors and speculation. Further, the smartwatch, if indeed launched could be more of a design refresh than a hardware overhaul inside out.
Also, it was just a few weeks backs, March 21 to be precise that Apple had introduced new colorful bands for its smartwatch besides also revising the price to make it more appealing to prospective buyers. Though Apple never revealed exact sales figures, analysts believe it’s close to 12 million of the smartwatch that were sold in its debut year.
However, initial buyers have often complained all that the Watch does can be accomplished on the iPhone itself. That’s not all as the Watch is also underperformed with the processor often throttled to save on battery power. Also while on battery, that, in turn, has proved to be another bugbear as it requires to be charged at the end of each day.
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