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Apple offers peek at Apple watch capabilities

We may not know exactly when the Apple (AAPL) Watch will go on sale, or how much most models will cost, but the tech giant this week made it a bit clearer how useful the gadget could be.

Apple on Wednesday released a huge set of software guidelines and tools for making apps for its new device.

The company told developers they could make a couple kinds of actions occur on the watch, mostly notifications appearing from a linked iPhone, much like the many Android-based smartwatches. But the guidelines also went a step further, showing developers how they could build full-blown apps, like a game or music player.

But there was one important catch: The actual processing power for this first generation of apps has to come from a linked iPhone. Only the user interface would appear on the watch. Such an app wouldn’t work at all if the owner didn’t also have their iPhone close at hand. Apple said “starting later next year” developers would be able to create “fully native” apps for the watch.

It sounds like a smart trade-off. Putting all the computing action on the phone should prevent app developers from doing anything that will overtax the Apple watch processor or deplete the battery too quickly. But it also allows developers to get a head start on designing unique and useful watch apps now, instead of forcing them to wait another year.

Apple is also trying to make developers keep it simple. If you’ve tried any of the Android smartwatches, the apps can get a little confusing, with clicks and taps and swipes. Apple told developers that their apps should stick to a single style of navigation, either a hierarchy that users click deeper into or a series of pages that users swipe through.

The reception has been positive from developers, and that’s key. Having the newest cool apps appear first on the iPhone and iPad has been one Apple’s biggest advantages.

Among smaller developers, David Smith wrote that he was surprised and excited by Apple’s decision to allow third-party apps right away. “Apple took a clever approach to handling the extremely constrained power environment of the Watch (at least initially),” he wrote.

Another iPhone and iPad developer, Ray Wenderlich, said the split approach was surprising but looked to be relatively straightforward to use. "As far as your code is concerned, all those outlets are connected locally even though they’re on a completely separate device,” he wrote. “Cool stuff!”

Big companies including Walt Disney’s (DIS) ESPN, Facebook’s (FB) Instagram and American Airlines (AAL) all announced they were working on apps for the much-hyped Apple Watch.

We still don’t know any more clearly exactly when the watches will arrive in stores. Based on various Apple statements, most analysts expect the watches in the spring. And the price of models beyond the entry-level $350 version remain a mystery. But if developers create enough cool, new apps, customers will surely be willing to open their wallets.

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