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Screenshots of First Apple Watch Apps

Developer Steven Troughton-Smith has created a tool to fetch screenshots of Apple Watch apps from the still-unavailable App Store for Apple Watch. Today, he tweeted some of the most interesting discoveries and updated apps.

I’ve refrained from posting about every single Apple Watch app announcement on MacStories before having an actual Watch, but I’ve been keeping an eye on lots of them. These screenshots confirm some of my first impressions:

  • Most big-name companies have made Apple Watch apps. Whether they’ll be any useful remains to be seen.
  • Developers are making games for Apple Watch. As we discussed on Virtual, I don’t think this is a good idea for traditional game experiences. See: Craig’s tweet.
  • Most Apple Watch apps have edge-to-edge designs in screenshots. This is the right way to do it – the bezel of the Watch is a natural black margin.
  • You can see an underlying UI consistency due to WatchKit limitations and guidelines, but some developers have managed to nicely differentiate their apps through icons and colors (such as Yahoo Weather and Twitterrific).
  • Some apps seems to be made just to prove a point. Why replicate an iPhone experience instead of adopting new metaphors and interactions for the wrist? Testing apps on the Watch Simulator is different than holding up your arm to interact with the Watch.

I’m going to save any further judgement for a real Watch I can use with apps1 – whenever that will be.

See also: WatchAware’s database of approved Watch apps, with over 2140 apps as of today.

  1. What’s the point of having articles about the “best apps for Apple Watch” today when only select reviewers, celebrities, and Apple employees have tried the Watch and apps? It’s just a disservice to the reader. ↩︎

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Federico is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of MacStories, where he writes about Apple with a focus on apps, developers, iPad, and iOS productivity. He founded MacStories in April 2009 and has been writing about Apple since. Federico is also the co-host of AppStories, a weekly podcast exploring the world of apps, Unwind, a fun exploration of media and more, and NPC: Next Portable Console, a show about portable gaming and the handheld revolution.

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