Police say Apple Watch is a mobile phone
The new Apple Watch threatens to create a grey area for traffic law amid uncertainty over whether it is a mobile phone or a bluetooth device.
South Australian police say the smartwatch, which goes on sale in Australia today, will be treated as a mobile phone and should not be used by drivers in a vehicle that is moving or stationary.
But a prominent solicitor has argued the watch is a bluetooth accessory and storage device - and therefore legal - that could not independently be used for phone calls, and to send and receive text messages and emails.
The Apple Watch was still considered a mobile phone under rule 300 of the Australian Road Rules
The Apple Watch, above, will be available in 20 models ranging in price from $799 to $1629 and will be "just as intuitive as using your iPhone or working on a Mac", according to its website.
However, some of its features - including making and receiving calls, and sending and receiving text messages and emails - will work only when an iPhone is switched on and is paired via bluetooth or a shared Wi-Fi network.
Traffic Support Branch acting officer-in-charge Inspector Steve Kameniar said the Apple Watch was still considered a mobile phone under rule 300 of the Australian Road Rules.
The rule states that a motorist can use a mobile phone while driving via bluetooth, a headset or earphones without touching, holding or resting the phone on their body.
It further states that it is an offence to create, send or look at a text, video message or email on a mobile phone.
Police remind motorists that driving is a complex task requiring drivers to use and co-ordinate a number of skills
Insp Kameniar said the watch, therefore, should not be used in a vehicle that is moving or stationary.
"Police remind motorists that driving is a complex task requiring drivers to use and co-ordinate a number of skills," he said.
Lawyer Michael Woods said he believed, at present, the Apple Watch was a bluetooth accessory that also functioned as a storage device.
Mr Woods said defining the watch as a mobile phone was conditional on whether the watch was able to independently make and receive calls and send and receive text messages. 'It makes a huge difference as to whether it is reading those from the phone," he said.
"If it is picking up information from your phone via bluetooth or wireless connection, my thought is that I doubt it would be a phone, but like a bluetooth device."
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