[NewsPoster]

Apple has quietly added standalone functionality to the list of Apple Watch features ahead of its impending launch. According to the dedicated Apple Watch section on the Apple website providing an overview of its capabilities, Apple Watch users will now be able to leave their iPhone behind when going for a run and will be able to use the Apple Watch itself for music playback. While the feature is not uncommon in some competing smartwatches, the pre-launch Apple Watch event held last year by Apple did not include any mention of standalone functionality, instead suggesting that iPhone was a mandatory requirement for the Apple Watch in all usage scenarios.

While the feature set revealed by Apple at is pre-launch for the Apple Watch was never thought to be complete with the formal launch of device still some several months away, the development is a crucial usability point that Apple needed to address if it is to maximize the appeal and usage scenarios for the device. Smartwatch sales at this juncture have been poor (Google and all of its Android Wear partners combined have only sold 720,000 smartwatches to date), despite predictions that the market for wearables is potentially worth tens of billions of dollars. Smartwatch makers have seemingly yet to convince potential consumers of the value offered by smartwatches in addition to the functionality already offered by smartphones -- a challenge to which even Apple is not immune.

Standalone music playback capability of the Apple Watch broadens the appeal of the device for joggers, in particular. In addition to standard smartphone functionality like notifications and the ability to make and take calls via the Apple Watch, Apple has invested considerable time and energy into developing a feature rich set of health-related functionality in the Apple Watch that goes well beyond its current competition. Joggers, in particular, are not likely to have been enamored with the thought of being forced to strap on their iPhone 6 or 6 Plus, in addition to wearing an Apple Watch on runs.

However, in leaving their iPhone behind on runs, it does appear that Apple Watch wearing joggers will lose at least some of the feature set of the Apple Watch/iPhone fitness tracking combination. Based on what Apple has revealed about the Apple Watch to date, it relies on the Wi-Fi and GPS of a paired iPhone to provide accurate tracking and location details during sporting activities. However, of the sensors that Apple says are included in the Apple Watch, the built-in accelerometer and custom heart-rate monitor will still function providing distance and exertion information.

Not clear at this stage, however, is how much storage for music the Apple Watch will offer users, or how indeed users will be able to listen to music located natively on its wrist wearable. It has been rumored that the Apple Watch will come with at least 8GB of internal storage, which if accurate, should provide sufficient room for Apple Watch apps/applets as well as room for one or more compressed music playlists. Apple may assist in this process by automatically compressing music files on the fly to help users maximize storage space, but at the expense of audio quality. It is possible music could be played over a paired set of Bluetooth headphones, or by connecting wired headphones through a rumored hidden port not yet discussed by Apple publicly.

Apple is holding a special event on March 9 at the Yerba Buena Center dubbed "Spring forward," where it is widely expected to reveal the full details about the Apple Watch including its official launch date, full feature set and pricing across the three model ranges. The Apple Watch is priced to start from $349 for the Apple Watch Sport variant, made from aluminum. Pricing details for the Apple Watch steel variants and the 18 karat gold and rose gold models remain unknown. Questions that Apple is also expected to finally answer include how water resistant the device is, as well as the specifics of the Apple Watch's battery life.

[iphonerulez]

The hate will go off the charts for this product from the Android Wear manufacturers. I'm sure they'll pay the news media plenty to critique the hell out of AppleWatch. I suppose it's to be expected. Why should consumers be allowed to buy an AppleWatch in the millions and not some cheap Android Wear device?

[coffeetime]

It's about time that it should be able to run solo. This is only generation 1 Apple Watch. As technology is becoming more advance and refine, generation 3 Apple Watch will have built-in phone call without relying on iPhone. Headset for the watch should be a simple "hook" and "dock", not "plugged".

[TheGreatButcher]

No GPS is a dealbreaker. I was looking for an Apple Watch to replace my Garmin, but it appears the exercise functionality won't be to that level yet. Hopefully they'll get it right in a future reviison.

[revco]

How do you listen to the music from the watch? Does it pair up with bluetooth headphones?

[Inkling]

Is the interface between Apple's watch and an iPhone open to other hardware developers? One of the watch's primary problems is the limited battery life. Someone could create a device some two or three times larger, with most of that space being taken up by a larger battery. Then people could pin it to to their shirt or slip in a pocket. It could run solo as this article discusses or it could link to an iPhone stored away in a briefcase. Not faced with draconian space constraints like Apple's watch, it might also be quite a bit cheaper.

[Inkling]

Watching Apple's video left me so impressed with what can be done, I should amend what I just posted. This third-party device could also be the size of a small clock and sit on a desk or be attached to a magnet and place in the kitchen. Set aside the idea that it has to be like a watch that has to be on a wrist and what this remote display and input device gets really interesting.

[Mike Wuerthele]

Originally Posted by revco 

How do you listen to the music from the watch? Does it pair up with bluetooth headphones?

Yes.

[Cleverboy]

Unfortunately, this feature was not ADDED. Tim Cook mentioned it back in September. Google "apple watch will play music" and click the Gizmodo article. See? So, more interesting is the idea of managing multiple Bluetooth profiles, which iOS already seems to be decent about. And whether Apple Watch can take advantage of Wifi access point location tracking like the iPhone introduced first with its location services and then later added full GPS support. It's all exciting and cool though. Just maybe not so new.

[unsean]

I can't speak for anyone else, but I swing my arms when I run, so unless we're talking about bluetooth headphones, there's no way I would use it (and I am glad to hear about the functionality without an phone, btw) while listening to music (as I understand it, there's low power bluetooth, but considering that we're talking about a watch, then I suspect even 'low power' might be too much)–I have an iPod shuffle that works perfect for that.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by unsean 

I can't speak for anyone else, but I swing my arms when I run, so unless we're talking about bluetooth headphones,

We are.

[djbeta]

definitely bluetooth... there's no headphone jack on this thing.

[Charles Martin]

Cleverboy: we were aware that Apple briefly mentioned that the Watch could store its own music. The whole of that mention was the half-a-sentence you quoted. However, its since become clearer that you don't have to have the iPhone nearby for that to work, and we've heard reports (not verified) on the amount of storage. So as part of an article about what the watch can do on its own, we thought we'd include that additional information.