CUPERTINO — The clock is ticking for developers to come up with clever apps for the Apple Watch.
Apple announced Tuesday the debut of WatchKit, a set of tools for developers to design apps for the company’s long-awaited smartwatch, which is set for an early 2015 debut. Apple suggested developers could help users perform simple tasks with the watch, such as shutting off the lights, in addition to checking the status of a flight or the score of a game, citing apps from the likes of American Airlines and ESPN.
But the earliest Apple Watch apps will be extensions of apps for the iPhone, which the timepiece relies on for many key functions. Developers will be able to design stand-alone apps for the Apple Watch starting next year, Apple said.
Apple’s decision to give developers an early crack at WatchKit shows a recognition that apps will be critical to the commercial success of the timepiece, which starts at $349, said Carolina Milanesi, chief of research and head of U.S. business at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, a consumer research firm.
“Otherwise, it’s just a glorified watch,” she said.
When trying to drum up excitement about new gadgets among developers, tech companies sometimes grapple with a chicken-and-egg dilemma. They know they need a compelling array of apps to sell their gadgets, but developers can be reluctant to get to work until there are enough devices in circulation, Gartner Research analyst Van Baker said.
“Some will build apps early, betting enough watches will be sold,” he said. “Others will have a wait-and-see attitude.”
That seems to be the approach at Storehouse, a San Francisco-based company that makes a popular photo and video sharing app.
“We’re studying the WatchKit SDK (like many others) today and are discussing what might be interesting for Storehouse,” Storehouse CEO Mark Kawano wrote in an email. “Right now, we haven’t made any decisions on an app for it yet since it’s so new.”
In addition to apps for the watch, developers will be able to deliver “glances,” or quick bursts of relevant information like breaking news, and notifications that prompt users to perform simple tasks, such as adjusting a route on public transit, Apple said. Instagram is working on an app that will let users track their friends’ latest photos and fire off emojis in response.
“Apple Watch allows us to make the Instagram experience even more intimate and in the moment,” Kevin Systrom, co-founder and CEO of Instagram, said in a statement. Given the timepiece’s small face, analyst Bob O’Donnell of TECHnalysis Research predicted that consumers will be selective about the apps they install on their Apple Watches.
“I don’t think people will have hundreds of apps, like they do on their smartphones,” he said. “A few will be important.”
Though the market for the Apple Watch will be limited to those who have an iPhone 5 or later, some analysts are forecasting sizable sales. Analyst Neil Cybart, for one, predicted Tuesday on his blog, Above Avalon, that Apple will sell 20 million to 30 million watches during the product’s first year.
Contact Julia Love at 408-920-5536 or follow her at Twitter.com/byJuliaLove
