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Apple Watch ready to start ticking

Jefferson Graham
USA TODAY
Apple Watch Edition

LOS ANGELES — Who's ready for an Apple Watch?

It's Apple's first foray into a new product category since 2010's iPad, and its debut in the growing wearables market.

The watch will be previewed Monday at a press event in San Francisco, starting at 1 p.m. ET. Apple CEO Tim Cook is expected to lead the presentation, as he usually does, followed by other Apple execs, and developers who will present apps they've created for the watch.

Apple will be live streaming the presentation. Use this link to get there. (Note: You'll probably need Apple's Safari browser to watch it.)

Journalists covering the event are looking for two pieces of news--what's the exact date in April the watch will be released, and how much will the step-up editions cost?

The watch, Cook's first new product category since becoming CEO in 2011, is poised to become Apple's most expensive product ever. While it starts at $350, few are expected to walk out of the stores paying less than $500 or $600, dressing it up with expensive step-up bands. The watch comes in three editions, with the top-of-the-line edition expected to garner anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000, easily dwarfing Apple's current most expensive product, a tricked out $4,000 Mac Pro computer.

Other questions: how's the battery life? How often will the watch need to be charged? And how many apps will be available for the watch?

The Apple Watch does much of what an iPhone can do — reveal news alerts, incoming texts and e-mails, mapping directions and health information. Do we need this on our wrists?

We went out and spoke with consumers this week, and if they're any indication, Apple has a tough sale.

"I wouldn't go out and buy one, but if someone gave it to me I'd wear one," says Jennifer Egilson, from British Columbia, Canada.

The watch goes on sale in April.

James McQuivey, an analyst with Forrester Research, says the wearable market has yet to produce any smash successes. The Pebble Watch has sold 1 million copies, and smartwatches from LG, Samsung and Motorola have sold just over 750,000. He predicts sales of at least 10 million for the watch in its first year.

"Right now the wearable industry isn't a full industry yet," he says. "Apple is about to give it a level of legitimacy that no one has done yet. This is a very big opportunity."

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