This Week's Sponsor:

Kolide

Ensures that if a device isn’t secure it can’t access your apps.  It’s Device Trust for Okta.

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. ↩︎

Join

Unlock More with Club MacStories

Founded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for over six years.

In that time, members have enjoyed nearly 400 weekly and monthly newsletters packed with more of your favorite MacStories writing as well as Club-only podcasts, eBooks, discounts on apps, icons, and services. Join today, and you’ll get everything new that we publish every week, plus access to our entire archive of back issues and downloadable perks.

The Club expanded in 2021 with Club MacStories+ and Club Premier. Club MacStories+ members enjoy even more exclusive stories, a vibrant Discord community, a rotating roster of app discounts, and more. And, with Club Premier, you get everything we offer at every Club level plus an extended, ad-free version of our podcast AppStories that is delivered early each week in high-bitrate audio.

Choose the Club plan that’s right for you:

  • Club MacStories: Weekly and monthly newsletters via email and the web that are brimming with app collections, tips, automation workflows, longform writing, a Club-only podcast, periodic giveaways, and more;
  • Club MacStories+: Everything that Club MacStories offers, plus exclusive content like Federico’s Automation Academy and John’s Macintosh Desktop Experience, a powerful web app for searching and exploring over 6 years of content and creating custom RSS feeds of Club content, an active Discord community, and a rotating collection of discounts, and more;
  • Club Premier: Everything in from our other plans and AppStories+, an extended version of our flagship podcast that’s delivered early, ad-free, and in high-bitrate audio.

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, and Unwind, a fun exploration of media and more.

He can also be found on his other podcasts on Relay FM: Connected and Remaster, two shows about Apple and videogames, respectively.

@viticci
@viticci
@viticci@macstories.net
viticci@macstories.net