About 20 ‘handpicked’ Apple Watch developers are visiting Apple labs each day to test apps

It’s April, which means it’s Apple Watch month. While the wearable doesn’t officially go on sale until April 24, many developers are working diligently to make sure their apps are ready to go well ahead of that date.
We’ve already seen plenty of apps updated with support for the Watch, but quite a few out there are still getting the finishing touches implemented. According to a new report from Financial Times, about 20 different “handpicked” Apple Watch developers are being invited to Apple’s labs in Sunnyvale, California, to test out their apps on an actual Apple Watch.
The report indicates that these developers have to not only sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), but also cover up the cameras on their iPhones, all in an effort to keep details about the labs themselves under wraps. More than that, the developers are constantly under the watchful eye of security guards while within the labs as well.

The report notes that developing apps for the Watch is a bit more difficult than for other devices, pointing out not only the smaller display size, but also the control interface with Force Touch and the Digital Crown. For the developers that get invited to Apple’s labs to test out their apps on an actual Watch, it’s a step up compared to the developers that are doing it all from the digital simulation within WatchKit to create their Watch apps.
However, Evernote’s Vice President of Mobile Products, Jamie Hull told the FT that developing a Watch app has taken “medium-sized effort.” Evernote was also considering different concepts on the smaller screen for quite some time, long before the official reveal of the Watch.
The Apple Watch will go on sale April 24, with pre-orders starting on Friday, April 10 at 12:01am PDT. Do you plan on picking one up?
[via Financial Times]

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