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TechApple

The first 24 Apple Watch apps

By
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
By
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
March 27, 2015, 8:19 AM ET
Apple Unveils iPhone 6
CUPERTINO, CA - SEPTEMBER 09: An attendee inspects the new Apple Watch during an Apple special event at the Flint Center for the Performing Arts on September 9, 2014 in Cupertino, California. Apple unveiled the Apple Watch wearable tech and two new iPhones, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)Photograph by Justin Sullivan — Getty Images

449150819968Pre-orders for the Apple Watch don’t begin for another two weeks and sales don’t begin for four, but the App Store team has already approved two dozen third-party apps for the new device.

The list below, scraped from the App Store by 9to5Mac’s Zac Hall, was presumably curated by Apple with a purpose. Initial impressions are critical for a device whose utility is still an open question.

These apps — and any others approved before April 10 — are the ones staffers will be showing customers in Apple Store test-drives. They will shape the initial impressions in the first wave of Apple Watch reviews. They will also get a huge leg up — a first-mover advantage — on the competition.

It’s an interesting list. All 24 are updates of existing iOS apps. Some are there to show off functions — as hotel keys, credit cards, airline boarding passes. Others target narrow interests — cricket, baseball, fantasy football. Some — like WeChat and AliPay — are pitched to the Asian market. Some, like SkyGuide, are probably there because they’re just so cool.

Two notable omissions: Google and Facebook.

  • Air Canada: Gate, boarding time and boarding pass
  • AliPay: China’s Apple Pay (300 million users)
  • Babbel: Learn languages by talking to your watch
  • Dark Sky: Everybody’s favorite weather app
  • ECB Cricket: Up-to-date cricket scores
  • Evernote: Note-taking on steroids
  • Expedia: A travel agent on your wrist
  • Kitchen Stories: Weekly recipes and how-to videos
  • Line: Free chat, voice, video calls (600 million users)
  • MLB.com At Bat: Pitch-by-pitch live baseball
  • Procreate Pocket: Sketch on your wrist, AirDrop to iPad
  • Qantas Airways: Gate, boarding time, boarding pass
  • Redfin: Shop for a home in 8 hot real estate markets
  • Runtastic Six Pack: Spring is here; start working those abs
  • Sky Guide: Hold it to the sky and it will name the stars
  • Starwood Hotels: Check in, open room without passing reception
  • The New York Times: All the news that’s fit to print
  • Target: Shopping and identity theft made easier
  • Things: To-do list manager
  • TransitApp: Real-time bus and subway info in 75 cities
  • The Wall Street Journal: The crown jewel of Rupert Murdoch’s empire
  • Twitter: The world in 140 characters (500 million users)
  • WeChat: China’s favorite chat app (438 million users)
  • Yahoo Tourney Pick’Em: Fantasy football, baseball, basketball, hockey

.

Most of the images in Apple’s TV ad, below, were generated by home-grown apps.

https://youtu.be/1Ql0Z8Il73s

Follow Philip Elmer-DeWitt on Twitter at @philiped. Read his Apple (AAPL) coverage at fortune.com/ped or subscribe via his RSS feed.

About the Author
By Philip Elmer-DeWitt
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