Retail plans for Apple Watch said to focus on fitness, bands, and iPhones
Apple will reportedly have a few primary areas of focus when selling the Apple Watch to customers in their retail stores, including features of the Watch itself, as well as its benefits as a companion to your iPhone.
Apple will apparently focus on the health and fitness, communication, and timekeeping aspects of the Watch when selling to customers. They will also encourage perspective Watch buyers to upgrade their iPhone, or switch from another platform. Apple apparently has confidence that a lot of people want an Apple Watch, and will use a soft sell, according to 9to5Mac:
One of the more striking elements of Apple’s sales strategy is a stated confidence that “many customers have already decided that they want an Apple Watch.” Operating under this assumption, Apple employees have been told to ask customers a series of soft questions in order to make the sale, rather than making a hard sales pitch.
Apple will evidently use some of these question to determine which model, Watch, Sport, or Edition, that is most suited to a customer. Questions are said to include whether or not a customer needs a more casual or formal watch, or what type of band they prefer.
Bands are apparently an important part of how Apple will sell the Watch. At a town hall for retail employees apparently held last week SVP of Retail Angela Ahrendts is said to have stressed the importance of accessories, to the Apple Watch. She also reportedly detailed upcoming changes to the Apple Retail Stores.
Apple has internally discussed new retail store layouts and sales methods in light of the Apple Watch. The company has installed safes inside of Apple Stores to house the more expensive device, while it is also planning to set up new glass-covered Apple Watch display tables similar to those at the device’s unveiling. For the gold model, employees are expected to use a special iPhone app to unlock the table, enabling customers to try on the more expensive watch.
Apple’s upcoming “Spring Forward” event on March 9 is expected to be all about the Apple Watch. It’s likely that we’ll get a better look at some of their retail plans for the device then, possibly including changes coming to the stores.
We’ll be on hand at the Yerba Buena Center during the event with the latest on the Apple Watch.
Source: 9to5Mac
Latest ‘People Who Do’ video shows how Windows helps a young entrepreneur save the bees
Microsoft today has released another video as part of its “People Who Do” campaign — this time focusing on an ambitious young girl who uses Windows to run her own business.
New Game of Thrones, Batman and DC Comics-based mobile games in the works
Warner Bros. Interactive has at least five upcoming mobile games that are in development.
After revealing plans to launch a version of Mobile Kombat X for mobile devices sometime in April, the publisher has four other games in the works, all based on well known franchises. Here’s the list:
Batman: Arkham Underworld (Developed by Turbine)
- Rule Gotham City! Build your hideout, then recruit and train an army of henchmen to do your bidding. Command iconic super-villains from the Batman: Arkham universe, including the Riddler, Harley Quinn and Killer Croc, to become Gotham City’s next criminal kingpin. Sign up for beta at http://www.arkhamunderworld.com.
LEGO Batman: Beyond Gotham (Developed by TT Games)
- The Caped Crusader joins forces with the super heroes of the DC Comics universe in this premium game and blasts off to outer space to stop the evil Brainiac from destroying Earth. Now the greatest super heroes and the most cunning villains must unite and stop Brainiac before it’s too late.
DC Comics Legends (Developed by WB Games San Francisco)
- Gamers will grow their collection of legendary DC Comics super heroes and villains, customizing super teams with the right heroes for each encounter in this mobile RPG.
Game of Thrones (Developed by Turbine; Game title to be revealed at a later time)
- Conquer Westeros in an epic combat strategy game based on the hit television series from HBO. Prove the wit of your spies and the might of your forces on the battlefield as you extend your dominance across the seven Kingdoms. Join an alliance, rise to power, and then try to take the Iron Throne if you dare!
Release dates for these four games have yet to be announced.
Source: Warner Bros Interactive
CrackBerry Asks: What do you think of the BlackBerry Leap name?
Although the name slipped out a bit early giving everyone some time to form some opinions on it, it wasn’t 100% confirmed until BlackBerry officially announced it at Mobile World Congress. Now though, the BlackBerry Leap is here and as Ron Louks, President, Devices and Emerging Solutions noted, ‘the BlackBerry Leap was built specifically for mobile professionals who see their smartphone device as a powerful and durable productivity tool that also safeguards sensitive communications at all times.’
Escape Fast! is our Windows Phone myAppFree Deal of the Week
Escape Fast! is a Windows Phone game that has you getting shafted by your partner in crime after a bank robbery and have to fend for yourself in escaping the reach of the long arm of the law. The multi-level platformer game is full of narrow roadways, obstacles and cop cars ready to take you down.
Available for low-memory Windows Phones, Escape Fast! has been well received over on iOS and Android platforms. After playing Escape First! for a short while, the game should have similar success on the Windows Phone platform. Escape Fast! normally runs $1.49 in the Windows Phone Store but through the myAppFree campaign, you can pick up Escape Fast! free.
GDC 2015: Divide by Sheep is a quirky (and brutal) math puzzle game
Divide by Sheep is a wacky math puzzler from Tiny Build Games that starts off cute and ends up quite deadly. We got a chance to try an early build at the Game Developers Conference 2015. The objective of the game is to save sheep by getting them to the raft. However, only a certain amount of sheep can fit onto the raft.
Sometimes a level presents you with more sheep than you need so the game offers different ways to ‘sacrifice’ your fluffy friends. You can either do this by causing them to drown, sliced by lasers, or taken by the grim reaper himself.
Divide by Sheep somehow manages to make a dark game remarkably cute and equally fun. It’s slated to release sometime in May of this year with a premium price point which hasn’t yet been established. So keep an eye out for future information if this game is now on your anticipated games list because it is definitely on ours.
While Simon and I are here at GDC, you can expect more news from us and our sister sites, Android Central and Windows Central.
Sunset Overdrive’s ‘Dawn of the Rise of the Fallen Machines’ DLC lands on April 1
Insomniac Games has announced that the next DLC pack for the Xbox One exclusive Sunset Overdrive, titled “Dawn of the Rise of the Fallen Machines,” will land on April 1, bringing a new area, weapons, story missions, and more.
Microsoft reveals a ton of upcoming ID@Xbox games coming to the Xbox One
Microsoft unveiled a long list of upcoming ID@Xbox games today that will be released for the Xbox One console in the coming months. Many of those games are being demoed this week as part of the 2015 Game Developer Conference in San Francisco.
First look: What’s coming to Opera Mini for Windows Phone
Here at MWC 2015, Opera is showing a preview of an update coming soon to their Windows Phone app. It’s not finished yet, but we took a look at what they had so far. Watch our hands-on video to see it in action.
First Impressions of the Microsoft Lumia 532
Last week, Microsoft announced the launch of the Lumia 532 in India. Another budget device, the Lumia 532 fares well on the specifications sheet and costs less than Lumia 535, the other latest phone on the shelves right now.
The phone promises an uncompromised Windows Phone experience with an excellent Lumia design and always dependable build quality to compete in a crowded market of budget Android smartphones.







