Apple Watch aka Gizmo Has Unannounced Power Reserve Mode

A new report reveals that Apple called the Apple Watch “The Gizmo,” internally. The report also reveals that Apple has integrated a Power Reserve mode on the Apple Watch.

The Apple Watch will be further detailed at the March 9 media event. Just in time for the Mobile World Congress, more details about the Apple Watch surfaced in an in-depth New York Times story. Talk about coincidence. The report is based on anonymous sources, but not being too paranoid, this reads like a controlled leak.

Yesterday, Apple launched a campaign highlighting the iPhone 6 camera, just to mess with the Samsung and HTC smartphone announcements at the MWC 2015. The New York Times report reiterates many things we already know about the Apple Watch, but reveals some new tidbits. For instance, Apple internally referred to the Apple Watch as “The Gizmo.”

A couple of weeks ago, we wrote a report about Apple calling the Apple Watch project “The Black Hole” because of the enormous amount on manpower that went into designing the Apple Watch. The most interesting revelation of the new Apple Watch report is that the Apple Watch features a low-power mode called Power Reserve Mode. Power Reserve is a mode that will run the watch on low power while displaying only the time. This is similar to a screen saver mode used on personal computers.

Low-power modes on smartwatches are not a novel idea. The Sony Smartwatch, for example, allows apps to run in low-power mode to extend the Sony SW 2 battery life. In low-power mode, the SmartWatch 2 app can run in the foreground while the backlight is off on the SmartWatch 2. In this mode, content is shown in grayscale. The app still reacts to interaction, and the screen is able to refresh its content. This is more advanced than what Apple is offering on the Apple Watch, but we still do not know what else Apple isn’t telling us.

The Apple Watch will go on sale in April. The Apple media event on March 9 will be streamed live online.