Quick Takes: Smartwatches to Have More Than Just 15 Minutes of Fame as GymKit Rollout Continues

In addition to our standalone articles covering the latest Apple news and rumors at MacRumors, this Quick Takes column provides a bite-sized recap of other headlines about Apple and its competitors on weekdays.

Tuesday, March 20

Highlights

1. IDC forecasts that smartwatch shipments will nearly double within four years: IDC believes smartwatches will account for almost two out of every five wearable devices shipped in 2022, with an estimated 84.1 million shipments that year, compared to an estimated 43.6 million units in 2018.

Commentary: Apple Watch is the world’s most popular smartwatch by a significant margin, having outsold all competing smartwatches combined in 2017, and there’s no sign that momentum will slow down.

2. Stack Overflow releases the results of its 2018 developer survey: The results, based on over 100,000 respondents from around the world, outline this year’s most loved, dreaded, and wanted technologies and platforms, how developers around the world code, learn, live, and work, and more.

Apple-related highlights:

• 26.7 percent of developers said macOS is their primary operating system for work, versus 49.9 percent for Windows
• iOS was the most loved mobile operating system for development, with 64.6 percent of respondents expressing interest in continuing to develop for the platform, versus 63.8 percent for Android
• Developers using Apple’s open source Swift programming language earned a median salary of $57,000 in the United States, versus a leading $74,000 for programming language F#

3. Introducing IBM Watson Services for Core ML: The service enables corporate developers to build iPhone and iPad apps that leverage IBM Watson models via Apple’s Core ML framework. Apple says these apps can quickly analyze images, accurately classify visual content, and easily train models.

Commentary: This service is an expansion of a four-year-old enterprise partnership between Apple and IBM that has led to over 100 new business apps tailored to industries such as healthcare, finance, and transportation.

Other Links

• Amazon surpasses Alphabet in market value: As of writing, Amazon has a market cap of around $765 billion, while Google parent company Alphabet stands at around $760 billion. Amazon is now the world’s second most valuable company behind Apple and its $890 billion.
• Dutch mobile bank bunq launches in Italy and Spain with Apple Pay support: Unfortunately, Apple Pay has yet to launch in the Netherlands itself. But, this seems like a small step forward.
• Technogym now has more than 5,000 GymKit-enabled pieces of equipment in hundreds of fitness clubs across the world: Apple plans to roll out GymKit to 80 percent of the fitness equipment market, allowing one-tap pairing with an Apple Watch for more accurate fitness data.

For more Apple news and rumors coverage, visit our Front Page, Mac Blog, and iOS Blog. Also visit our forums to join in the discussion.

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Apple Offers Discounts on BeatsX, Powerbeats3, and Beats Solo3 Wireless Headphones

Apple this week is offering a limited time discount on its lineup of Beats headphones in the United States, dropping the price of the BeatsX Earphones, the Powerbeats3 Wireless Earphones, and Beats Solo3 Wireless On-Ear Headphones.

Apple has offered these discounts several times in the past, and the lower prices are often available for a short period of time.

The BeatsX Earphones are available for $119.95, down from the regular price of $149.95. All colors are available at the reduced price.

Apple’s Powerbeats3 Wireless Earphones, designed for use with workouts, are available for $159.95, down from the regular price of $199.95. Apple offers both standard and Neighborhood Powerbeats3 collections, with both available at a discount.

The Beats Solo3 Wireless On-Ear Headphones are available for $239.95, down from the regular price of $299.95. Apple also offers these in standard and Neighborhood collections, with both discounted.

BeatsX, Powerbeats 3, and Beats Solo3 Wireless all include an Apple-designed W1 chip much like the AirPods, which means you can easily switch connectivity between different Mac and iOS devices.

All three accessories are also wireless and connect to your devices over Bluetooth, so they work with iPhones that do not have a headphone jack.

While Apple’s prices are an okay deal, these headphones and earphones are also often discounted by third-party retailers. B&H Photo, for example, has some Beats Solo3 Wireless models available for $219.99, a $60 discount that beats Apple’s discount. Not all colors are included, however.

Best Buy is offering the BeatsX for $99.99 this week, a price that also beats Apple’s discount.

For more deals and discounts on headphones and other accessories, make sure to check out our Deals Roundup.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors and may earn commissions on purchases made through links in this article.

Related Roundup: Apple Deals
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Google Maps for iOS Gains Restaurant Wait Times, Improved Transit Directions and More

Google Maps for iOS was today updated to version 4.47, introducing new and improved features.

When searching for a restaurant using Google Maps, you can now see wait times at more than a million restaurants around the world that will let you know just how long you can expect to wait before being seated.

Google says the update also introduces the ability to sort and search through reviews of a restaurant, store, or other business, so you can find specific information that you’re looking for, and it includes more robust transit directions.

The new transit directions feature in Google Maps is designed to let you know which transit entrance you need to go to, and it is available in New York, Hong Kong, Taipei, Paris, Los Angeles, Delhi, Moscow, Singapore, Madrid, Barcelona, Kiev, and Budapest.

Thanks for using Google Maps! This release brings bug fixes and awesome new features to help you discover new places and navigate to them:
– See average wait times at over a million restaurants worldwide.
– Search and sort through reviews of a place.
– Get transit directions that tell you exactly which entrance you need to go into. This feature is available now in New York, Hong Kong, Taipei, Paris, Los Angeles, Delhi, Moscow, Singapore, Madrid, Barcelona, Kiev, and Budapest, with more on the way!

Google Maps can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

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