When Apple begin woolgather up a smartwatch in 2011 , it did n’t know exactly why citizenry would require such a affair .

The actual trouble that the Apple Watch will attempt to resolve — save us from staring at our phones all the fourth dimension — was determined later in the growth cognitive process , according toan exclusive Wired storythat interview cardinal Apple force .

The story points out that Jony I ve , Apple ’s aged frailty president of design , first thought about a watch in October 2011 , after Steve Jobs die . He then accept the estimate to Alan Dye , headway of Apple ’s human port group , along with others in the company ’s designing studio , which at the sentence was designing iOS 7 .

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Marathon intention sessions eventually led to discourse about a smartwatch and what it might do , dovetailling with I ve ’s own grow obsession with horology . “ Along the agency , the Apple team set down upon the Watch ’s raison d’être , ” Wired ’s David Pierce writes . “ It come down to this : Your phone is ruining your life . ”

It ’s vital to mention this January 6 came long before Apple actually designed the Watch hardware . Apple ’s first working paradigm involved an iPhone strapped to the wrist joint by Velcro , with a usance spotter crown plugged into the bottom . It was on this blunt gadget that Apple embark on hashing out core concepts , like offering contextual car - response to substance that can be sent out in seconds . The Wired story also account that Apple considered a “ timeline ” that lay out notifications in chronological ordering , but ditched it fora layered systemof notice , “ glances ” and full - float apps .

The Apple Watchlaunches on April 24 , with pre - social club bulge April 10 .

Why this weigh : Apple was once famous for its secrecy , but the Wired bit shows how the post - Jobs Apple is much more undecided to pulling back the curtain as it hype its next expectant ware . The floor is an interesting and rare look at Apple ’s design approach path , and it shows that Apple products do n’t always begin with exercises pitch toward lick a particular problem .