The Inquirer

Apple Watch 5 comes with an always-on display and, er, a compass

No wonder Jony Ive has left

The Apple Watch Series 5 isn't flush with innovation
The Apple Watch Series 5 isn't flush with innovation
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APPLE HAS REVEALED the Apple Watch Series 5, a smartwatch that comes with an always-on display, and - wait for it - a frickin' compass for all you wannabe Bear Grylls types.

Oh, you're still here. Er, well that's pretty much it. After Apple got a load of tedious smile-at-the-sun types to harp on about how the Apple Watch saved their lives, an Apple bloke - we forgot his name because he had so little to really say - revealed the new Apple Watch.

It looks the same as all the other watches Cupertino has cranked out, though it comes with a wider range of colours including two titanium models, a Ceramic White model that looks pretty decent, and new models from Nike and Hermes; both have new straps and watch finish options, with the Nike models including Nike watch faces.

The always-on display could be a boon to some people who don't like it when there Apple Watch turns off the screen when the smartwatch isn't raised up.

Before you scream 'u mad Apple?', the folks at Cupertino have made sure the Apple Watch Series 5 will last a 'whole day', which Apple reckons is 18 hours not 24, by having a variable refresh rate that goes from as high as 60Hz to a mere 1Hz. There have been other tweaks, such as a new display driver to ensure the Apple Watch Series 5 doesn't glug down electrical juice.

So there's that, and of course, a built-in compass, which Apple for some reason never had in the Apple Watch series despite the iPhone having had a compass for ages.

There have also been a few tweaks to the health, safety and Maps apps, though they aren't much to show about in our humble opinion.  

The Apple Watch Series 5 is available for pre-order now for $399, £399 in Blighty, for the GPS version, and $499£/499, for the cellular models. They will be released on 20 September.

If you're left distinctly unimpressed, we don't blame you. But one neat thing is the Apple Watch Series 3 will now come at the cheaper starting price of $199, that's from £199 in the UK, which is a decent price. 

Nike models cost £399 and Hermes versions start from £1,249 for those of you with more money than sense. 

While we're on the subject of buying stuff, Apple revelled Apple Retail, its own shopping service which allows Apple Watch buyers to mix and match strap and case colours; holy customisation, Cook-man.  

We suspect the Apple Watch Series 5 means it could soon be game over for the Apple Watch Series 4 model, though that hasn't been confirmed yet. µ

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