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Do You Have To Charge The Apple Watch?

by Kim Lyons

Whether you're an iPhone and Android user, we've all been there: Searching a public place, like an airport, for any available outlet to give the dying device some juice. It's a sad fact of the smartphone life that the more we use them, the more often we have to charge the batteries. But with the Apple Watch, what's the deal? Will it charge with your iPhone, or separately? Will you have to buy yet another new charging cord? Well, Engadget reports that how to charge the Apple Watch is with an inductive charger (which is wireless, kind of like a magnet), with a magnetic attachment that clicks on to its back.

A look at the specs for the Apple Watch show if you're only using as a watch — that is, just to tell time — the battery will last for 48 hours (but come on; who is just using it as a watch?!). Normal expected use, combining music playback, checking apps, and the like will give an "all-day" battery life of about 18 hours. One big thing to note, however, according to TechCrunch, the battery in the Apple Watch will be replaceable. That's obviously a departure from the iPhone and newer Android models, where the built-in battery can't be removed.

Stephen Lam/Getty Images News/Getty Images

Judging from the photo of the back of the watch behind Tim Cook up there, the little magnet battery charger thing has a cord — so, not totally wireless, as the description suggests. The "What's in the Box" list of things that come with the Watch, shows that a magnetic charging cable and USB power adapter are included. I headed over to the "Accessories" section of Apple's website, which shows a cable with a little round end and a USB-connecting end that would go into a wall charger or a USB port. From this, it looks like you can charge it independently of your iPhone.

Keep looking for those wall outlets if you get an Apple Watch; it looks like it will have just as many power needs as its fellow Apple devices.

Images: Getty Images (1)