Apple Watch Will Be Available in Apple Retail Stores Starting in June

During a recent visit to China, Tim Cook met with employees at Apple’s China headquarters and confirmed that the company is aiming to have the Apple Watch in Apple retail stores by June in multiple countries around the world, including China. In the meeting, details of which were shared by 9to5Mac, Cook reportedly told employees that the Apple Watch launch “could not be going better,” and joked that he wished the company had more operational staff for a smoother launch.

Apple’s plan to start selling the watch in stores by the end of the month of May was first hinted at by Apple retail chief Angela Ahrendts, who said in an employee memo in April that the Apple Watch would be available exclusively online through May.

The Apple Watch’s launch was highly unusual for Apple, as it saw the company foregoing its traditional lines in favor of accepting orders entirely online. According to Ahrendts, orders were handled in that way to ensure customers had the best possible ordering experience without long in-store lines and wait times. Supply constraints were also a factor, with rumors suggesting Apple lost time due to faulty taptic engines produced by a supplier in China.

Ahrendts has promised that the Apple Watch ordering process is not representative of how all of the company’s product launches will be handled in the future. “We love our launches we do in stores,” she told employees. “Have absolutely no fear, this is a unique situation.”

Though the Apple Watch will continue to be available through Apple solely online until June, Apple has allowed some high-end fashion boutiques around the world to sell the Apple Watch to customers. In the United States, Maxfield in Los Angeles, California is the only retail location that has had the Apple Watch in stock, and customers continue to line up on a daily basis to attempt to get a device without needing to wait online.

Apple has been working hard to overcome supply issues and many Apple Watch orders have been shipping out ahead of their estimated delivery dates. Even the Apple Watches in shortest supply — the Link Bracelet, the Modern Buckle, and the Leather Loop — have begun shipping to consumers. It’s unlikely Apple will be entirely caught up on shipments by the time June rolls around, but for models that are more common, like the Sport, shipping estimates have been slowly improving, suggesting there will enough inventory to begin sales in stores in June.

Mophie Watch Dock Review: Charge Your Apple Watch on a Simple $60 Aluminum and Leather Stand [iOS Blog]

Alongside the start of pre-orders for the Apple Watch last month, Mophie announced the Watch Dock, a $60 aluminum stand for the Apple Watch with leather accents and hideaway cable storage. It took a bit longer than the original estimate of April 24 for the Watch Dock to launch, but it’s now shipping out to the first batch of pre-order customers and Mophie has provided us with one for testing purposes.

The Watch Dock is very straightforward, with the box containing only the stand and a quick start guide illustrating how to route your existing Apple Watch charging cable through the stand. A circular cutout at the top of the stand holds the inductive charger, with the cable being fed through a rubber-enclosed channel along the inside of the stand’s arm, disappearing into the base and out the back.

The cable management system offers a clean look for the stand and the design makes it easy to mount an Apple Watch with either a looped or a traditional band for charging. The angled design of the stand makes it ideal for placement on a nightstand or desk where an occasional glance might be necessary.
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Apple Releases First Apple Watch Software Update

Apple today released the first software update for the Apple Watch, upgrading it to Watch OS version 1.0.1. Released to the public on April 24, the Apple Watch initially shipped with version 1.0 of Watch OS, the operating system unique to the Apple Watch and deeply linked to iOS.

The new software can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to Settings –> General –> Software Update.

Apple has been steadily shipping Apple Watch devices out to customers, but supplies remain constrained and some versions of the Apple Watch have not yet shipped out. Customers receiving an Apple Watch shortly after today’s update will need to update the software on the device after taking it out of the box.

Gene Munster Faces the Prospect of No Apple Television Set [Mac Blog]

Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster today confirmed that the asset management firm no longer expects an Apple-branded television set to launch in the future. The news comes courtesy of Munster’s Company Note updates and follows yesterday’s confirmation, out of The Wall Street Journal, that Apple ditched plans for such a television set over a year ago.

Munster was well-known to tout beliefs that the Cupertino company would be launching an Apple television set in the near future, rumors that were reignited largely in part due to a direct quote from Steve Jobs in Walter Isaacson’s biography of the Apple CEO. The analyst began predicting a 2012-2013 launch year for the product in 2011, with the circulation of other news and rumors that year, and in the intervening years, helping to propel the alleged Apple-branded TV set forward.

The latest prediction came just last December, with Munster estimating the TV set would cost around $1500 with a launch sometime in 2016. Today, the Piper Jaffray analyst notes that while the news confirms Apple was at one point working on a television set, the firm was in fact wrong in its “constant expectation of the product.” Munster notes that the firm was also wrong about the reason for delay, and now cancellation, of the project, having less to do with basic content and more with the lack of specific untapped features in the crowded TV set market.

“We have been talking about an Apple television for the better part of the last decade. While it is a small consolation that the article affirms that Apple was actually working on a television during that period, in the end we were wrong in our constant expectation of the product. Originally we had expected that content was the reason for the delay; however, we misidentified the true reason for delay, which was a lack of perceived killer features as reported by the WSJ. We incorrectly assumed that a combination of Siri, FaceTime, a TV app store, and PrimeSense based motion control could be compelling enough as a unique feature set for the device.”

Piper Jaffray now aligns itself with most other parties following Apple, believing the company to announce a revamped Apple TV at WWDC in June, and “ultimately launch the new device in September or October.” In line with other rumors, the analyst believes the new Apple TV will incorporate Siri, HomeKit, and an App Store.

Munster ends today’s note commenting on another purported future product of Apple, predicting that as the company moves forward it’s less likely the television will be the center of the living room thanks to the increasing presence of virtual and augmented reality. “We believe that Apple is actively working on early virtual and augmented reality products,” Munster says. “Although we may be 5+ years away from seeing these products launched.”

Apple Raises Prices in Europe and Canada as U.S. Dollar Remains Strong

While the high-end 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K Display was discounted from $2,499 to $2,299 today, Apple has raised the prices on several other products in Europe as the U.S. dollar continues to remain strong against the euro and other international currencies. The increased prices have gone into effect in Germany, France, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Finland and multiple other countries in the European Union.

iMac prices increased by between €150 to €300 in Europe per configuration
All non-Retina 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMac models in affected countries are now between 150 to 300 euros more expensive starting today. The base configuration iMac, for example, increased from €1,099 to €1,249, while the high-end 27-inch iMac without Retina display rose from €1,799 to €2,099. Prices may vary slightly between countries due to applicable local taxes and tariffs.

Apple also increased the price of the Mac Pro by between 400 to 600 euros, with the base model going from €2,999 to €3,399 and the high-end configuration now priced at €4,599 up from €3,999. The base model Mac mini increased 50 euros to €569, while the mid-tier and top-tier configurations were bumped up 100 euros to cost €819 and €1,129 respectively. 12-inch MacBook, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air prices have not changed.

Mac Pro prices increased by between $200 to $400 in Canada per configuration
Meanwhile, the price of non-Retina 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMac models increased by $100 to $150 in Canada as conversion rates continue to fluctuate. Similarly, the Mac Pro now costs between $200 to $400 more in Canada depending on the configuration, and Mac mini prices rose by between $50 to $120. The prices of various Mac accessories, including the Magic Mouse and USB-C adapters, also rose in both Europe and Canada.

Apple last raised prices in Europe, Canada, Australia and other regions in early March.

Apple Introduces New iPhone Dock With Lightning Connector for $39

Apple today started selling a new Lightning connector dock compatible with the iPhone 5 or later and fifth-generation iPod touch.

The dock retails for $39 on the Apple Online Store in the United States, with an estimated shipping date of 1-3 business days as of writing.

Apple Pay Gains 35 More Participating Issuers in United States [iOS Blog]

Apple updated its Apple Pay participating issuers list today with 35 additional banks, credit unions and financial institutions supporting the contactless payment service in the United States. Apple Pay now has close to 300 participating issuers nationwide, and several hundred more plan to support the NFC-based mobile payment service in the future.

The full list of new Apple Pay participating issuers is reflected below, although it’s worth noting that some banks, credit unions and financial institutions listed may have already had support for the contactless payments service and are only now being reflected on Apple’s website.

The full list of new Apple Pay participating issuers:

• 1st Financial Federal Credit Union
• Affinity Bank
• Bank of Springfield
• Berkshire Bank
• Box Elder Credit Union
• C&F Bank
• Capitol Federal Savings
• Christian Community Credit Union
• Community First Credit Union of Florida
• Credit Union of Denver
• Denver Community Credit Union
• Education First Credit Union
• Educators Credit Union
• Financial Partners Credit Union
• First City Credit Union
• First Premier Bank
• Freedom Credit Union
• NASA Federal Credit Union
• Numerica Credit Union
• PremierOne Credit Union
• Purdue Federal Credit Union
• Rivermark Community Credit Union
• San Francisco Federal Credit Union
• Simmons First National Bank
• Summit Credit Union
• Synchrony Bank
• The Citizen Bank of Clovis
• UMe Federal Credit Union
• University Federal Credit Union
• Utah Power Credit Union
• Valor Credit Union
• Vermont Federal Credit Union
• WSECU
• WECU (Whatcom Educational Credit Union)

Apple Pay remains available in the United States only, although Apple is committed to an international rollout of the mobile payments service in additional countries such as Canada, China and the United Kingdom. Canada, a well-prepared candidate for Apple Pay, could be the first country to embrace the service outside of the United States as early as November.

Apple Releases New 15-Inch MacBook Pro With Force Touch and $1,999 27-Inch iMac With Retina Display

Following a rumor yesterday that Apple would release new updated versions of the 15-inch MacBook Pro and 27-inch iMac, today the company updated its storefront with new models of the computers.

The new 15-inch MacBook Pro gained all the expected updates similar to its 13-inch sibling: a Force Touch trackpad, faster flash storage, longer battery life, and better graphics. The MacBook comes in two configurations of 2.2GHz and 2.5GHz for $1,999 and $2,499, respectively.

The iMac line that received an update today was not in fact the non-Retina version but a new $1,999 configuration of the 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display. Both the 15-inch MacBook Pro and 27-inch iMac are available to purchase right now from Apple’s online store.