The Apple Watch has a punctuality problem: apps are slow to load, which could defeat the whole point of having a gadget to deliver information at a glance.
To fix that, Apple will unveil new tools for the programmers writing applications for the device.
The upgrade will be one of the key highlights of the iPhone maker’s annual conference for 5,000-plus software developers in San Francisco next week.
While praising its design and other features, a majority of reviewers have criticised the time it takes for snippets of information to show up on the smartwatch’s screen.
Unlike a smartphone, where users might be accustomed to slow-to-load apps, the Apple Watch is competing with timepieces, which by definition and design have instantly accessible information.
Any performance issues could risk hurting sales of Apple's newest product category in five years. "I've seen it take up to 20, 30 seconds for something to happen, and that's not uncommon for me," Slaven Radic, chief executive officer of Tapstream Network, an application marketing software company, said of the delays.
The watch screen often turns off before apps get a chance to load, he said. There are already about 4,000 apps for the Apple Watch. There’s software that actually runs on the device, and then apps that run on a linked iPhone and are controlled via Bluetooth.
The software development kit that will be previewed next week will give engineers the ability to write programs on the watch and access to the device’s sensors, Jeff Williams, Apple’s senior vice president of operations, said last week at the Re/code conference.
Apple declined to comment further on plans for the worldwide developer conference.
- Bloomberg
