Apple Watch announced, device to be available for pre-order on April 10th, will be in stores come April 24th

And now, the big kahuna.

On Monday, Apple announced the Apple Watch, which will become available for pre-order on April 10.

The wearable device ranges from US$249 with a smaller 38mm watch band and goes for US$399 with a 42mm watch band. The Sport model features a stainless steel alloy that’s apparently 80 percent harder than normal stainless steel, leaps up to US$549 for the 38mm model with Apple’s most pedestrian wrist band, and tops out at US$1,049 for 38mm versions with high-end fashion bracelets—like the Space Black Stainless Steel Link version.

For those of you who are made of money, an 18K gold version starts at just US$10,000. This can go up to US$17,000 with a Yellow Gold model with a Bright Red Modern Buckle

You’ll only be able to buy the Edition models at select retail stores.

The Apple Watch will arrive in Apple retail locations on April 10th and begin shipping on April 24th.

Apple verified that you can conduct voice calls directly via the Watch’s microphone and speaker, a feature that’s been hinted at, but was never demonstrated until today. The device also displays your heart’s beats-per-minute, something what has become commonplace in the wearable device universe.

Where charging is concerned, a magnetic charger makes charging easy and Apple promises 18 hours of battery life “across a typical day.”

As demonstrated back in September, Apple CEO Tim Cook showed off the Apple Watch’s Glances, Apple Pay, Siri and Digital Touch features. Cook also demonstrated a Shazam app which identified ambient music, an American Airlines app that displayed a barcode boarding pass, and an Alarm.com app controlling a garage door.

Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

Via Macworld