Apple exec: Native Watch app development kit is coming June 8

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, California — Apple will release the software development kit for creating native Apple Watch apps in a bit more than a week, at its WorldWide Developers’ Conference in San Francisco.

Apple’s senior vice president of operations, Jeff Williams, who oversees the Watch and has overall responsibility for manufacturing, logistics, the supply chain, and more, announced the new SDK here at the Code Conference today.

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Williams said that the company expects native apps to become available in the fall.

The native app SDK is important because it will let developers have access to all the sensors on the Watch, plus the digital crown, and probably will give them more access to the device’s microphone and speaker.

Until now, most Apple Watch apps have been ported from iOS apps.

“Customers love the Apple Watch, and more so than I ever thought,” Williams said. “A common refrain is that the Watch is liberating.”

Williams declined to share numbers on how many devices the company has shipped, stating that it was not yet material to the company’s overall revenues.

Outside analysts have estimated that the initial demand was strong, but has been much, much lower after the first day.

“The only number I’ll give you is that demand divided by supply is greater than one,” Williams said.