Tutorial: Basic Apple Watch app

[austinpreneur]

I've been delving into WatchKit development this past week and decided to put together a short tutorial on how to build a basic Watch app. The pre-release SDK is still pretty minimal functionality. It's always a good idea to start learning before the device is released to the public.

The tutorial walks you through the process of displaying a map and zooming to different locations with buttons.

Check out the tutorial on my blog.
http://trymakedo.blogspot.com/2014/11/apple-watch-app-install-xcode-6.html

Any feedback you want to offer is appreciated.


Thanks,
austinpreneur

 

[samiznaetekto]

I've been delving into WatchKit development this past week and decided to put together a short tutorial on how to build a basic Watch app. The pre-release SDK is still pretty minimal functionality. It's always a good idea to start learning before the device is released to the public.

The tutorial walks you through the process of displaying a map and zooming to different locations with buttons.

Check out the tutorial on my blog.
http://trymakedo.blogspot.com/2014/11/apple-watch-app-install-xcode-6.html

Any feedback you want to offer is appreciated.


Thanks,
austinpreneur

Curious what will happen when user goes to the bathroom or otherwise goes outside of BT range while leaving iPhone on the desk? How does wOS handle the app not being able to do its functions? Pop up an alert? Silently revert to Clock? Freeze the screen?

 

[Julien]

I've been delving into WatchKit development this past week and decided to put together a short tutorial on how to build a basic Watch app. The pre-release SDK is still pretty minimal functionality. It's always a good idea to start learning before the device is released to the public.

The tutorial walks you through the process of displaying a map and zooming to different locations with buttons.

Check out the tutorial on my blog.
http://trymakedo.blogspot.com/2014/11/apple-watch-app-install-xcode-6.html

Any feedback you want to offer is appreciated.


Thanks,
austinpreneur

Thanks for posting and at a quick glance a nicely laid out site. Will speed some time tomorrow looking it over and post additional feedback then.

 

[Julien]

Interesting layout of your blog site with a multitude of ways to view. I like the well laid out, spaced and simple way to digest info. However at first I did find all the views of the same info a little confusing. Had to go through be sure I wan't missing something. While choice is a great thing sometimes too much choice can run a little counterintuitive.

How often are you going to post to it? Also post here to inform of a new entry .

 

[bbeagle]

Curious what will happen when user goes to the bathroom or otherwise goes outside of BT range while leaving iPhone on the desk? How does wOS handle the app not being able to do its functions? Pop up an alert? Silently revert to Clock? Freeze the screen?

You love to beat a dead horse, don't you samiznaeteko?

the iPhone and Apple warch are meant to be paired. They work TOGETHER. An apple watch won't function without an iPhone in close vicinity, it's not some mystery - Apple has said this.

lets compare a PS4 and a Nintendo DS. The PS4 needs to be paired with a TV, and needs to be paired with a wall outlet for power. What a piece of junk the PS4 is! What if I bring the PS4 outside? Doesn't work! The DS works by itself, unpaired!

See what a dumb comparison that is? Stop trolling.

 

[Geniva]

You love to beat a dead horse, don't you samiznaeteko?

the iPhone and Apple warch are meant to be paired. They work TOGETHER. An apple watch won't function without an iPhone in close vicinity, it's not some mystery - Apple has said this.

lets compare a PS4 and a Nintendo DS. The PS4 needs to be paired with a TV, and needs to be paired with a wall outlet for power. What a piece of junk the PS4 is! What if I bring the PS4 outside? Doesn't work! The DS works by itself, unpaired!

See what a dumb comparison that is? Stop trolling.

It was a perfectly valid question. I'm curious as to what wOS does as well when goes out of range in the middle of doing something - will it drop a little notice and go back to the watch? Say that you need to get back in range?

A better comparison would be how Apple Maps and Google Maps handle a loss of internet connection - for example, they will continue to provide cached turn by turn directions on the phone if you lose internet access.

 

[Cashmonee]

Curious what will happen when user goes to the bathroom or otherwise goes outside of BT range while leaving iPhone on the desk? How does wOS handle the app not being able to do its functions? Pop up an alert? Silently revert to Clock? Freeze the screen?

It shouldn't go out of range. BT LE apparently has a range of 200 feet or more depending on how it is set up. I would imagine (or at least hope) that Apple has it set up so that it won't go out range in the house.

 

[samiznaetekto]

It shouldn't go out of range. BT LE apparently has a range of 200 feet or more depending on how it is set up. I would imagine (or at least hope) that Apple has it set up so that it won't go out range in the house.

The theoretical range for both classic and LE BT is ~100m - in 100% clear view, and with unrestricted power available for transmission, but in reality... Have you ever walked around your house while listening to music via BT?

 

[Cashmonee]

The theoretical range for both classic and LE BT is ~100m - in 100% clear view, and with unrestricted power available for transmission, but in reality... Have you ever walked around your house while listening to music via BT?

I don't claim to be well versed in Bluetooth spec, but I believe LE and Classic are both part of BT4.0, however separate specs. Also, I don't think most Bluetooth speakers are using 4.0, and if they are I would imagine it's not the LE spec. I think you are underestimating the range the watch will have.

Having said that, if you are right and the range is basically within a room, then I would agree that it would be a major flaw in the design of the watch at launch. Without stand-alone apps and no connection to the phone, the Watch does not seem terribly useful or compelling.

 

[Rogifan]

Gotta love all the assumptions people are making. And none of them have actually uses this device.

 

[samiznaetekto]

I guess we won't know the answer until Watch ships, because simulator can't simulate this situation.