Apple Watch :: GeneXus at the Apple WatchKit Lab
Always in step with new developments and ready to adapt to new technologies available on the market, GeneXus has entered the field of wearables with a new app for Apple Watch.
Following the success achieved by the official soccer app for the Mexican market, which was listed in the ‘Featured Apps’ section of the Apple Store, GeneXus was invited, together with a select group of developers, to visit Apple's lab in order to adapt the application to Apple Watch.
Fabián Inthamoussu, GeneXus for iOS specialist and member of the GeneXus R+D team, traveled from Montevideo to London and shared his experience with us.
Fabián has been working at GeneXus for more than 10 years and has been in charge of everything related to the iOS generator since 2008. Needless to say, he was excited about this invitation and the opportunity to work with the Apple Watch. Above all, he wanted to visit Apple's facilities and obtain first-hand knowledge of their work methodology.
One of the requirements for participating was that the developer had to be accompanied by a designer, "which demonstrates that for Apple, appearance and usability carry the same weight as development," affirms Inthamoussu.
Fabián comments that, in addition to developing one of the first applications for Apple Watch, "this experience means a lot to GeneXus. Participating in the WatchKit Lab was a very constructive opportunity that provided us with more experience to apply this knowledge and incorporate it into future versions of the iOS generator. We were able to work and interact with their technology and hardware, in their facilities. Also, we could ask questions to Apple's engineers over a cup of coffee (we chose flavors from an iPad). In sum, our relationship with Apple has been strengthened."
In Fabián's opinion -his development experience started with Hackintosh-, the watch is very sleek and much lighter than he had expected. It features a polished design, a dynamic interface and great animations and notifications that are activated when you rotate your arm and raise your wrist.
It should be pointed out that these labs generally take place before a product is released -as it happened with the iPhone or the iPad- and developers are invited to create software for the new hardware. These developers create applications and come from companies that meet Apple's quality standards. This time, the lab took place in the cities of Sunnyvale, London, Sydney, Tokyo, Beijing and Hong Kong.
Fabián Inthamoussu, GeneXus for iOS specialist and member of the GeneXus R+D team, traveled from Montevideo to London and shared his experience with us.
Fabián has been working at GeneXus for more than 10 years and has been in charge of everything related to the iOS generator since 2008. Needless to say, he was excited about this invitation and the opportunity to work with the Apple Watch. Above all, he wanted to visit Apple's facilities and obtain first-hand knowledge of their work methodology.
One of the requirements for participating was that the developer had to be accompanied by a designer, "which demonstrates that for Apple, appearance and usability carry the same weight as development," affirms Inthamoussu.
Fabián comments that, in addition to developing one of the first applications for Apple Watch, "this experience means a lot to GeneXus. Participating in the WatchKit Lab was a very constructive opportunity that provided us with more experience to apply this knowledge and incorporate it into future versions of the iOS generator. We were able to work and interact with their technology and hardware, in their facilities. Also, we could ask questions to Apple's engineers over a cup of coffee (we chose flavors from an iPad). In sum, our relationship with Apple has been strengthened."
In Fabián's opinion -his development experience started with Hackintosh-, the watch is very sleek and much lighter than he had expected. It features a polished design, a dynamic interface and great animations and notifications that are activated when you rotate your arm and raise your wrist.
It should be pointed out that these labs generally take place before a product is released -as it happened with the iPhone or the iPad- and developers are invited to create software for the new hardware. These developers create applications and come from companies that meet Apple's quality standards. This time, the lab took place in the cities of Sunnyvale, London, Sydney, Tokyo, Beijing and Hong Kong.