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First Apple Watch apps already available in the App Store

Curious how a Target app will function on the Apple Watch? Apple is giving consumers a little preview with a host of apps released with Apple Watch support on Friday.

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Robert Galbraith/Reuters
Apple CEO Tim Cook stands in front of a screen displaying apps available for the Apple Watch at a presentation at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California in this October 16, 2014, file photo. Apple Inc has allowed some companies to test their apps on its yet-to-be-launched Apple Watch and adjust the tools to the watch's design.

The Apple Watch isn’t even available for pre-orders until April 10, but major apps are already advertising their compatibility with the upcoming tech.

Twitter, The New York Times, and Target are among the initial set of apps released with Apple Watch support in the iOS App Store Friday. Who else is hopping on the Apple Watch train, and why are they available so early?

Though its likely most iOS developers hope to get their software on the wrists of early Apple Watch adopters, Apple is only letting a select major apps through to the Apple Store ahead of release. Aside from the ones listed above, iPhone users can download apps such as Expedia, CNN, TransitApp, RedFin, MLB.com At Bat, Twitter, WeChat, and Wunderlist with Apple Watch support. Of course, there won’t be much of a difference on your iPhone with these apps at the moment, but if you do decide to add an Apple Watch to the mix, these apps are ready.

Apple already has a preview site running for Apple Watch apps, which shows how more than 40 apps will utilize the device.

For example, Target’s app will let you build and view a shopping list on the watch, as well as tell you where an item is located in a given store. The app from hotel group Starwood Hotels and Resorts will let users open their hotel room door using the Apple Watch, as well as manage their reservation. PayByPhone Parking lets you pay a meter from the app and will give users a notification 10 minutes before the meter expires. Salesforce, a business analytics company, will show off sales opportunities and other metrics.

It is likely Apple is letting these apps through so that reviewers who get an early look at the tech have something to test on the device. The early-release apps that have Apple Support show off a variety of uses for the smart watch that Apple has touted before: airlines for checking flight time, news for checking headlines, and social media for updates on the go.

Apple will start taking pre-orders for the Apple Watch on April 10, and will be available in Apple stores April 24. Initially, Apple will offer three versions: a sport watch, a standard watch, and a gold-plated $10,000 “Edition.” 

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