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Apple gears up for smartwatch launch with new ‘guided tour’ demo videos

apple adds new watch videos for guided tours
Shortly after announcing detailed pre-order information for its much anticipated smartwatch, Apple on Friday rolled out four ‘guided tour’ videos geared toward explaining why you might want to once again put a watch on your wrist.

With the smartwatch still a relatively new concept for many consumers, the Cupertino company will be hoping the short presentations clarify the Apple Watch’s features and functionality, and in doing so persuade a few more people to part with upwards of $350 for the device.

The first video, at 4:45 the longest of the four, offers an overview of Apple’s very first wearable, with the chirpy narrator sounding off about some of its “amazing new interactions and technologies that make Apple Watch super-easy to use when you’re on the move.”

The company is clearly keen to press home the idea that its watch is ideal for “brief interactions,” rather than anything particularly intensive. “It lets you quickly do things you’re used to doing on your phone, but in a more convenient, less obtrusive, way,” the narrator explains.

The video also points out how the watch can do things your phone can’t, like give you a discreet tap when you receive a notification, or send a friend or loved one a digital representation of your heartbeat, though we’re not exactly sure why you’d want to do this, other than to confirm to them that you’re still alive.

The opening video certainly does a good job of covering the basics, and is well worth a look if you’re at all curious about the Apple Watch but still don’t know much about what it can do.

The other three videos, each of which runs no longer than two minutes, offer more in-depth information on how to manage messages using the Apple Watch, how to personalize it by changing the watch faces, and how to use Digital Touch, the feature that “lets you communicate with the people you care about” by sending sketches, tap patterns, and the aforementioned heartbeat.

Seven more videos – currently listed as “coming soon” – cover even more of the watch’s functionality, including Maps, Siri, Activity, and how to use it to buy stuff via Apple Pay.

You can check out all the available videos right here.

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
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