10 Apple Watch Apps For Business, Productivity
Salesforce, Microsoft, and Evernote are three of many companies developing Apple Watch apps focused on productivity and collaboration.
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It has been a busy couple of weeks for Apple, which is currently handling preorders for its Apple Watch. More than one million orders have been placed so far, many of which won't ship until June or July.
Customers have their choice of three Watch models, two sizes, and a variety of bands. Most opted for the least expensive Sport model, which starts at $349, but a sizable chunk splurged on the next-level Watch. The pricey Edition model will run for up to $17,000.
Even though there is a clear consumer demand for a product like Apple Watch, reviews have so far been mild. The Watch won points for its hardware and features, but users have found fault in its battery life, and third-party apps; they've also found various bugs.
[Apple Watch: Apps Booming, Display Toughness Questioned]
In typical Apple fashion, the company has created one good-looking accessory in the Apple Watch. It's attractive, customizable, and will no doubt be on shopping lists for tech-savvy fashionistas everywhere.
However, even loyal Apple fans will only pay so much for appearance. Ultimately, the appeal of the Watch lies not in how it looks, but how it works. In that respect, the Watch is already at a disadvantage because it requires an iPhone to perform the majority of its functions.
Plenty of developers have been at work to create apps for the Watch, which will start shipping this week. About 70% of these people are developing with Apple's new Swift programming language. So far, Apple has given its approval to about 4,000 third-party apps that include Instagram, Twitter, and Uber.
While most of those apps have likely been developed with consumers in mind, there are quite a few that could prove useful in the enterprise. Read on to learn more about the business-focused apps coming soon to a wrist near you. Would you use any of these in your day-to-day productivity? We'd like to hear your thoughts.
A productivity app already in use by more than 750,000 people on iOS, Slack enables employees to communicate and share content with their colleagues. The new Apple Watch app will allow wearers to read and reply to direct messages through the Watch interface by dictating a comment or choosing a preselected response. They can also manage their unread notifications via Watch.
In its first show of support for Apple Watch, Microsoft has updated its OneDrive app to support functionality on Apple's wearable. The OneDrive for Apple Watch app will allow users to flick through photo albums and view and delete pictures from their Watch face. No, the tiny face isn't the best for viewing photos, but this move speaks to the larger trend of Microsoft demonstrating commitment to supporting its rivals.
Salesforce is releasing a range of capabilities for Apple Watch so that users can get a snapshot of their business analytics on the go. Its Analytics Cloud for Apple Watch provides relevant and timely data in dashboards, graphs or Handoff so that users can switch between their Watch and iPhone. Voice Search allows them to view dashboards, find information or dig up specific reports.
Salesforce1 for Apple Watch provides notifications to users for updates like major goal achievements, deal closings, and case escalations. These posts can also be synced with employees. The Salesforce Wear Developer Pack is already available to those who want to develop custom apps native to Apple Watch.
In another show of support for Apple Watch, Microsoft has updated its PowerPoint for iOS app so that Watch users can remotely manage iPhone PowerPoint presentations from their wrists. With PowerPoint Remote for Apple Watch, presenters can navigate between slides, view the current slide, see how much time has passed, and keep track of the number of total slides.
Microsoft hasn't developed PowerPoint Watch controls for PCs or Macs as part of this update, but we could be seeing those in the future.
The latest version of project management app Trello has been updated to feature Apple Watch compatibility. Trello's system revolves around cards that act as mini Post-It notes that you can drag and drop into projects or lists stored on iPhone.
While iPhone will continue to handle most of Trello's functionality, the Apple Watch app can be used to add tasks, view due date alerts and changes, access cards that were recently viewed on iPhone, or respond to comments from fellow project collaborators.
For employees who are paid by the hour, Invoice2Go helps keep more accurate records of time logged and payments earned. The app leverages geofencing technology and sends a prompt to start logging time when it arrives on a job site. It also enables users to change their times, send invoices, and receive a notification when they are paid.
Thousands already use HipChat for business communication. Its Apple Watch app has been designed to bring notifications to users and facilitate easy responses. When Watch wearers receive a message, they have a choice of four quick-touch responses: thumbs up, thumbs down, "OK" or "?". If the emoji replies aren't sufficient, they can also send a voice message in response.
The CommitTo3 Apple Watch app, designed to boost collaboration, lets users create groups of colleagues, friends or family members who collectively commit to completing the three most important tasks of the day. Participants can send gentle reminders to team members throughout the day, check their progress, cross off projects as they are completed, and stay up-to-date with group progress.
The BetterWorks app for Apple Watch is designed to keep busy employees up-to-date on progress. "The app will make it easy to get a quick snapshot of where current goals stand, add short check-ins and cheer on coworkers achieving their goals," writes cofounder and CEO Kris Duggan on the BetterWorks blog.
Evernote for Apple Watch allows users to dictate notes, view recent content, perform searches, set reminders and check tasks off your to-do list. The wearable version of Evernote is designed to complement its iPhone app; for example, if you start reading a note on Apple Watch, you should be able to seamlessly continue reading on iPhone.
Evernote for Apple Watch allows users to dictate notes, view recent content, perform searches, set reminders and check tasks off your to-do list. The wearable version of Evernote is designed to complement its iPhone app; for example, if you start reading a note on Apple Watch, you should be able to seamlessly continue reading on iPhone.
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