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5 things we want to learn at tonight's Apple Watch event

Price! Battery! Date! Games!

5 things we want to learn at tonight's Apple Watch event
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At 5PM this evening, Apple is expected to reveal all on the Apple Watch. We'll get all the details, the complete run of features, and the exact launch plans.

But there are five questions we want answered first. And we won't be happy unless we get firm facts on every last one.

How much will it cost? Cost

The Apple Watch comes in all manner of materials and finishes, from a plasticky sports band to a lavish gold timepiece. We know that the cheapest unit will be $349, but what about the others?

Apple pundit John Gruber reckons the Edition models - the 18-carat gold watch with the sapphire crystal display - could set you back thousands, if not tens of thousands, of dollars.

For those of us on a video game journalist's budget, we'd be happy just knowing what all the different versions and accessories will cost, and in different currencies.

When's it out? Date

The Apple Watch hits the US in April. And when Tim Cook visited Berlin's flagship Apple Store, he said Germany would get the watch in April too. Which likely means it's going to be in all of Europe next month.

But what day exactly? And will it be a simulatenous launch, or will the US get a head start? And what about Australia and Japan and China and The Democratic Republic of the Congo?

We need exact dates, Timmy. And we ain't leaving until we get them.

What sort of games will it play? Games

Yes yes yes, the potential of getting calendar alerts and tracking fitness and sharing your heartbeat with a loved one sound fabulous, but what I really want to know is, dude, can I play Call of Duty on this thing?

We need to know the processing power, the exact details of the digital crown input doodad, and other such info to get a better idea of the sort of games we'll get to play on our wrists.

Will it be fully-fledged games like Angry Birds, one-tap games like Flappy Bird, or something different? Something so radically new that it doesn't even involve birds? We hope to get a better idea of the Watch's gaming potential this evening.

How long does the battery last? Battery

We've heard a lot about the Apple Watch's battery life. It will last all day, say some sources. You'll get about five hours of use out it, say others. Who is right? Who is wrong? Where am I?

We've also heard that the watch will only take a couple hours to charge, and will only send notifications when its rubbed up against your arm to conserve power. So, here's hoping it's not too much of a nuisance.

But we want cold hard facts, including graphs, at the event. And, of course, the requisite chart that shows that the Apple Watch is at least eighteen million times better than Android Wear in this regard.

Can we use custom watch faces? Face

Look Apple, we know you're one of the most famous firms around when it comes to design. And you've got Jony Ive to handcraft a whole range of lavish watch faces for the Apple Watch.

But, have you seen this Goldeneye watch face for Android Wear? It's like I'm Pierce bloody Brosnan! Or the Pipboy display that mimics a Fallout 3 computer. Or the MGS codec that has Otacon tell you the time.

Come on Apple. I know it took a hundred years to get custom wallpapers on the iPhone. But hopefully it won't take so long before we can customise the look of our little wrist buddy.

Mark Brown
Mark Brown
Mark Brown is editor at large of Pocket Gamer