[Update] Apple unveils Apple Watch, with flexible sapphire display

Apple's got something up its sleeve: a smartwatch, with a flexible display and a new input method.

The Apple Watch uses a new input method called the Digital Crown, which lets you scroll, zoom, and navigate without obscuring the screen with those disgusting meat claws you call hands.

It's basically a click wheel, but sticking out from the side of the watch. It's slightly old school, in a charming way.

The wrist accessory has a flexible display, laminated to a single crystal of sapphire which sounds a bit bloody futuristic, doesn't it. It's a touchscreen, and the display also senses force as a secondary touch type.

The watch will vibrate lightly on your wrist, to let you know when you've got an incoming message or other notification.

And it can vibrate in different parts of the watch, so you can know whether to go left or right when walking, without even looking at your watch (or phone).

The Apple Watch has lots of health and fitness features. Like the sensors that detect your pulse rate, the stop watch clock face, and the Nike app.

But it can also show information like calendar events and messages (which you can replay to with clever context-sensitive stock phrases or dictation), and obviously shows the time with loads of different watch faces.

It also shows photos and maps, can work as a viewfinder for your iPhone camera, and can run all kinds of third party apps. We'll look forward to seeing the first Apple Watch games.

The device comes in lots of different varieties, with different watch faces (including black, silver, and gold) and straps (like a chunky green plastic one, and a metal chain).

And it has a fancy magnetic charging doodad. It sounds like you're going to need to charge it once a day.

The Apple Watch works with iPhone 5, 5C, and 5S, and the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. It requires an iPhone to work, of course. It's coming in early 2015, and starts at a staggering $349.