Apple Watch makes its US magazine cover debut ahead of April launch

Apple Watch health fitness white blue

In line with Apple’s promise of a functional yet fashionable device, its forthcoming Watch has already graced the cover of Vogue China. And now, as reported by AppleInsider, the wrist-worn gizmo has just made its magazine cover debut over in the United States.

Featured in the March issue of ‘Self’ magazine, the Apple Watch Sport and its stock Activity app can be seen prominently shown on the wrist of supermodel and Victoria’s Secret Angel Candice Swanepoel as Apple appears to have extended device advertising to fitness enthusiasts in a need of a comprehensive activity tracking accessory.

By becoming the first model to be featured wearing the device on a cover of a sports-minded women’s magazine, Swanepoel is now officially in a fashion-oriented advertising campaign for the Apple Watch.

“I’m an athlete. I use every single muscle, especially my core and arms, when I pose,” she told Self. “It’s so important for me to feel strong,” Swanepoel added explaining why Apple’s device was an ideal accessory for her cover shoot.

Here’s the Self cover.

Apple Watch Sport Self magazine Candice Swanepoel

Pictured below: Vogue China’s November 2014 issue cover.

That’s Chinese model Liu Wen wearing the 18-karat yellow gold Edition Apple Watch, which features a red Modern Buckle Band.

In an interview with The Business of Fashion, Vogue China editor-in-chief Angelica Cheung said she was “impressed by their thoughts and passion for the project” after meeting with Apple CEO Tim Cook and design chief Jony Ive ahead of the device’s September 9 unveiling.

Apple Watch Vogue China cover Liu Wen

“Chinese people are actually very digitally minded and we embrace new technology and digital products more easily than perhaps people elsewhere,” she said.

”We are an ancient country but at the same time a very young country when it comes to fashion and new products. We love to embrace everything that is new, modern and positive,” Cheung added. “All these convince us that the intersection of fashion and technology is a natural progression, not something alien.”

More photographs of Wen wearing the Watch can be found on a spread inside the magazine, as shown below. Apple seems to be taking a variety of approaches, not only in Watch advertising but retailing as well.

In addition to dedicated Watch sections that will be reportedly built inside its own brick-and-mortar stores, the firm appears to be building a dedicated Watch booth at the Galeries Lafayette, a high-end department store in Paris.

And back in September 2014, the device made its first public appearance at Colette boutique’s gallery on Rue Saint-Honoré in Paris.

Apple Watch Vogue China cover Liu Wen spread

The highly anticipated gizmo taps its built-in accelerometer and gyroscope, as well as an iPhone’s Wi-Fi and GPS, to track a user’s movement and provide a comprehensive outlook of his or her daily activity.

Not only does it measure when you’re running, biking or working out, but also the ways you move like walking the dog, taking the stairs, standing up and more.

All this data is then collated inside the Activity app to give you a simple graphic of your daily activity divided across three sections: Move, Exercise and Stand.

Apple Watch activity app

One blogger apparently learned that the Watch can track activity for four hours before its battery is depleted. Apple hasn’t yet specified the Watch’s battery performance other than vaguely stating that users will need to charge the device overnight.

Announced last year, the device is arriving in April with a starting price of $349.

It’s compatible with any iPhone from the iPhone 5 onward and uses a built-in Companion application to communicate with your smartphone.

Source: Self via AppleInsider