Apple aims Monday at its first new product category since 2010, with its smartwatch that could catalyze the market for wearable technology with a strong emphasis on health and fitness.

Apple Watch is expected to be the star at a media event being held at the same San Francisco theater where the California tech giant introduced the iPad.

Apple's chief executive Tim Cook has revealed little about the sophisticated wrist wear, but has said that he "can't live without it."

The company announced its plans for Apple Watch last year to much fanfare and has said it would begin shipping in April. It will mark Apple's first new product type since the iPad in 2010.

Apple enter a market that already has a number of players, ranging from South Korean giants Samsung and LG, to Japan's Sony and startups such as Pebble.

Motorola, acquired by Chinese giant Lenovo last year, also produces a smartwatch, and China's Huawei introduced its version at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this month.

But analysts expect Apple to lift the market by integrating the watch with the iPhone and its software ecosystem, and its range of apps and sensors for health and fitness.

"How Apple creates a cohesive value proposition integrating hardware with software and services is as always the key," said Nick Spencer at ABI Research.

"The three main areas of wellness data and services, Apple Pay, along with creating an intelligent and differentiated relationship between the watch and the smartphone must be the foundations of the Apple Watch proposition."

Apple has indicated that the entry price would be $349 in the United States, and that two different sizes would be available in three collections, including the "Apple Watch Edition," featuring 18-karat gold cases in yellow or rose, sapphire crystal and finely crafted bands and closures.

The watch is also expected to include map software that guides people to destinations with gentle "taps" on the wrist.

Fitness apps on the Apple Watch and its rivals could spell trouble for makers of fitness bands from companies like Jawbone, Fitbit and Nike.

- The right balance -

Jan Dawson at Jackdaw Research said Apple must find the right balance for the new device -- giving people alerts and notifications when they need them without overwhelming them.

"One of the criticisms of some of the other watches out there is that notifications are something of an all-or-nothing phenomenon: either you get utterly bombarded with notifications or you get none, but its been tough to get granular control," Dawson says in a blog post.

"So it becomes all the more important that Apple get this right on the Watch. The ability to manage notifications and other activity on the Watch so that you only get notified for the things you really care about is a key value proposition."

Apple reportedly had to scale back health tracking features on the watch after some sensors didn't rise to the challenge.

Research firm Strategy Analytics predicts Apple will set fire to the market from the outset, projecting sales of 15.4 million units worldwide in 2015, to give Apple a 55 percent market share.

More conservative, ABI Research expects Apple to ship 13.77 million units, just under 50 percent of the market.

But Spencer said Apple needs to meet consumer needs for battery life, and offer the right mix of services and apps.

Roger Kay, analyst at Endpoint Technologies Associates, said Apple's loyal consumer base will deliver a certain number of sales but won't guarantee widespread adoption.

Kay said Apple needs to find a way to integrate the watch into a new kind of intuitive computing which is only now emerging.

"No one knows yet whether the wearables category is going to make it," Kay said.

"One thing that could help, though, is a rich set of tactile effects that only wearables -- which, by definition, lie close to the body -- can deliver. "

Apple Watch to include array of features to connect
San Francisco (AFP) March 9, 2015 - Apple launched an assault on the fledgling wearable tech market Monday, unveiling a high-end smartwatch that offers new ways to stay connected and to track health and fitness.

The Apple Watch will be available in several major markets around the world from April 24, at a starting price of $349.

"Apple Watch begins a new chapter in the way we relate to technology," said chief executive Tim Cook, who spoke at a San Francisco media event.

Cook said "the most personal device we have ever created" can display a variety of faces ranging from a classic watch face to an animated Mickey Mouse.

Connecting wirelessly to a user's iPhone, the watch is designed as a wrist device for messaging, calls and a variety of health apps.

An Apple statement described it as "an intimate and immediate communication device and a groundbreaking health and fitness companion."

Apple enters a market that already has a number of players, ranging from South Korean giants Samsung and LG, to Japan's Sony and startups such as Pebble.

But analysts expect Apple to lift the market by integrating the watch with the iPhone and its software ecosystem, and its range of apps and sensors for health and fitness.

"Competing smartwatch makers have to be breathing a sigh of relief; yet, Apple will outsell all the rest of them combined in 2015," said Forrester analyst James McQuivey.

"But in so doing, Apple will bring very valuable attention to the market, essentially releasing a rising tide that will float all their boats."

For communication, Apple Watch offers a range of apps and can be used as a sort of wrist-radio from the Dick Tracy comics.

"With the built in speaker and microphone you can receive calls on your watch. I have been wanting to do this since I was five years old," Cook said.

- Pay from the wrist -

The watch is integrated with Apple Pay's mobile wallet and can be used to view pictures, monitor news and connect to social media.

The watch can use other apps ranging from Uber ride-sharing to music to home automation.

"Now it's on your wrist, not in your pocket or your pocketbook," Cook said.

"I think you're going to be surprised at what developers can do when you unleash that community."

Apple demonstrated using the watch to listen to music, with lyrics displayed on the watch face.

The company also demonstrated an app to open a garage door from afar to let in a family member who is locked out.

But one of the keys will be the health and fitness applications.

The watch has an accelerometer, a heart rate sensor and sensors for "a comprehensive picture of your all-day activity and workouts."

It will prompt a user to get up and walk if sedentary too long.

- All-day battery -

Cook boated that the device will have "all-day battery life" -- or some 18 hours.

Entry price will be $349 in the United States, with costs up to $1,049 for extra features. A solid gold limited edition will be priced from $10,000.

Initially, it will be available in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Britain and the United States. Pre-orders will be taken from April 10.

Moor Insights and Strategy founder Patrick Moorhead, who attended the event, said "the secret weapon here is the ability to message each other by tapping on the watch, I think people, particularly kids, are going to go nuts over that.

"Apple has a big chance of success, and what that is going to do is set the bar for the experience that the entire smartwatch," he added.

Jan Dawson at Jackdaw Research said he expects Apple to sell around 20 million of the devices in 2015, and that this will "catalyze the overall smartwatch market and help other vendors even as Apple comes to enjoy levels of market share it hasn't had since the iPod."

Research firm Strategy Analytics predicts Apple will sell 15.4 million units worldwide in 2015, to give Apple a 55 percent market share.

At the event, Apple also unveiled a new Macbook laptop computer than weighs less than one kilo (two pounds).

"We challenged ourselves to re-invent the notebook (computer), and we did it," Cook said.

The new MacBook starting at $1,299 is 13.1 mm at its thickest point, and its features include all-day battery life; a high-resolution 12-inch edge-to-edge screen, and greatly-enhanced keyboard and trackpad.