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Apple unveiled a new Watch on Tuesday that can make calls and access the internet without an iPhone nearby, freeing the device from a limitation that had given some potential buyers pause.<\/p>\n
The new version, called Apple Watch Series 3,\u00a0will use an existing iPhone phone number when making calls, Apple said.<\/p>\n
It supports the LTE high-speed mobile wireless data standard so users can stream music and check digital maps on their wrist.<\/p>\n
Previous Apple Watches needed to be tethered wirelessly to an iPhone.<\/p>\n
The LTE Watch starts at $399 and will be available Sept. 22. It has a new processor that is 70% faster than last year\u2019s chip, Apple executive Jeff Williams said at the product\u2019s introduction.<\/p>\n
Apple shares rose 1.1% to $163.30 after the company discussed the Watch.<\/p>\n
Apple chief executive officer Tim Cook unveiled the Apple Watch in September 2014, banking on the product being the company\u2019s next big category.<\/p>\n
So far, though, it\u2019s mostly been an accessory to the iPhone.<\/p>\n
The company\u2019s Other Products unit, which includes the Watch, represented 6% of Apple\u2019s sales in its most recent quarter.<\/p>\n
However, the new LTE models may spur new sales as some consumers were turned off by the previous model\u2019s inability to free the Watch from their iPhones.<\/p>\n
Apple initially marketed the Watch as a luxury item, but it has focused more on health and fitness recently. That\u2019s even as established luxury watch makers release smartwatches that cost thousands of dollars.<\/p>\n
Cook said on Tuesday that the Apple Watch is now the largest watch brand by revenue, overtaking Rolex, and touted new health uses.<\/p>\n
Cook said\u00a0recently that the Watch was the best-selling smartwatch “by a very wide margin,” while noting sales of the device grew more than 50% in the third quarter.<\/p>\n
In the larger wearables category, which includes cheaper fitness bands, Apple ranks third behind Xiaomi and Fitbit, according to research firm Strategy Analytics.<\/p>\n
Bloomberg News reported in August that the new Apple Watch would include an option for connecting to LTE networks.<\/p>\n
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