Recode: Apple to offer free music with its upcoming streaming service

It’s no secret that Apple plans on revealing a new streaming music service — thanks to its Beats Music acquisition — some time this year, supposedly at its annual developer conference in June. What has so far been a secret, however, is whether or not that service will be free or paid. While it’s been widely reported that Apple plans on charging $8 a month for a subscription, it now appears that the folks in Cupertino could be planning on integrating a free option or two as well. According to ReCode‘s industry sources, those options include a free trial period of one to three months, a SoundCloud-type service where artists could upload free tunes for non-subscribers, and a new version of iTunes Radio that would feature human-curated playlists similar to, of course, Beats Music.

Yet, ReCode also reports that Apple doesn’t plan on going up against other unlimited free streaming services such as Spotify and Pandora. Apparently the company thinks that ad-supported free streaming won’t make enough money, plus it’ll prevent users from ponying up for the paid version. At the same time, Apple has been under investigation by the FTC for supposedly striking up exclusive streaming deals with artists and labels — this, the FTC posits, could be seen as an unfair advantage due to Apple’s dominance in music downloads thanks to iTunes. Tidal, on the other hand, can get away with exclusives due to its relatively small size. So it still remains to be seen what exactly Apple plans to offer with its streaming service, be it free or paid. Fortunately we only have a month or so to find out.

Filed under: Apple

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Source: Re/Code

Olloclip Debuts iPhone 6 and 6 Plus ‘OlloCase’ Compatible With Lens Accessory Line [iOS Blog]

At CES, popular iPhone lens manufacturer Olloclip showed MacRumors an upcoming iPhone case designed to work with its line of lenses, and at the time, we were highly impressed with the design. As of this week, Olloclip is now accepting pre-orders for the case, called the OlloCase, which we were able to get our hands on ahead of release.

Those of you familiar with Olloclip’s line of lenses know that they’re not able to work with iPhone cases due to the way that they fit tightly over the iPhone’s camera, so until now, iPhone photography enthusiasts had to choose between using an Olloclip lens and having a case to protect their iPhone from drops and scratches. That’s no longer the case, as the new OlloCase is compatible with the company’s latest iPhone 6 and 6 Plus lens systems.

Olloclip’s previous venture into case creation for the iPhone 5 and 5s resulted in a thick plastic case that was overly bulky, but for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, Olloclip has designed an entirely new case that’s impressively svelte. Available in clear and smoke black, the case is made from a thin textured plastic that lets the design of the iPhone shine through.

The sides of the case are constructed from rubber (gray for the clear case and black for the darker case) to protect the iPhone from drops. The rubber extends just a bit past the phone’s display to keep the glass free from scratches when it’s placed face down on a surface. There’s full access to ports and there is a deep camera cutout that accommodates the Olloclip lenses. The lens accessory slides right over the top of the case and cleverly replaces the lens insert that shipped with the original Olloclip accessories for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.

Olloclip’s OlloCase has a simple design that works well on the iPhone even when a lens accessory isn’t attached to the phone, and it makes it easy to slip on a lens when a picture-taking opportunity arises. Adding and removing a lens with the case on is as easy as it is without a case. Compared to the company’s previous lens-compatible cases, the new OlloCase is a significant improvement and worth a purchase for Olloclip owners who want to be able to use their lens systems with a case.

The OlloCase for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus can be pre-ordered from the Olloclip website for $29.99. Orders will begin shipping out in June.

How to Add and Organize Glances on Apple Watch [iOS Blog]

The Glances feature of Apple Watch allows you to see an overview of content from specific apps. It is a great way to get a quick update on the day’s content without having to open an app, either on your iPhone or on Apple Watch.

For those interested in learning the basics of the Glances feature, today we are going to show you how to add, remove, and organize Glances on Apple Watch so you can customize your content for a more personalized experience.

Viewing Glances

1. Press the Digital Crown to navigate to the watch face on Apple Watch if necessary.
2. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen.
3. Swipe left or right to view all of your Glances.

There are several default Glances that will be immediately available on your Apple Watch right out of the box. These include a Control Center for pinging the iPhone and controlling features like Airplane Mode/Do Not Disturb, a battery Glance that offers up current battery life plus an option for Power Reserve mode, and Glances for Weather, Calendar events, current heart rate, activity level, world clock, and stocks.

You can’t interact with Glances (there are no special Force Press options here) but tapping on many of the Glances with accompanying apps will open up the app. For example, tapping the Weather Glance will open up the full Weather app. You can add additional Glances through third-party apps and control which Glances are displayed and in which order, as outlined below.
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Buyer’s Guide: Deals on iPad Air 2, MacBook Air, Apple Accessories, and More [Mac Blog]

As we head into the second week of May, deals on Macs and Apple accessories continue to be good. It’s an excellent time to buy a newer MacBook Air or Retina MacBook Pro, or pick up an older 2014 model at a cheap price.

There are some limited deals on iPads this week, and we’ve also rounded up plenty of Mother’s Day discounts on products and a list of apps that can be purchased on the cheap.

iPad Air 2

Target is offering a free $75 Target gift card with the purchase of any iPad Air 2 model through 5/9. Prices start at $499 for the entry-level 16GB Wi-Fi only iPad Air 2.

T-Mobile is offering $100 off its selection of iPads in honor of Mother’s Day. Any iPad purchased on an Equipment Installment Plan will have its monthly payments reduced by $5.50 as long as the device is used on a qualifying plan (1GB or higher) for 24 months.

B&H Photo is offering a small discount on all of its iPad Air 2 models, dropping prices by $30 to $50. With the discount, the 16GB WiFi only iPad Air 2 is priced at $459 and the 64GB model is priced at $569.

MacMall is also offering some discounts on iPad Air 2 models, dropping the prices by $30 to $50. With the discount, the 16GB entry-level Wi-Fi only iPad Air 2 is priced at $459, while the Wi-Fi-only 64GB iPad Air 2 is available for $539.

iPad Air

Both Best Buy and B&H Photo have deep discounts on some remaining stock of now-discontinued higher-capacity iPad Air models, as listed below.

– iPad Air Wi-Fi Space Gray 128GB – $549
– iPad Air Cellular Space Gray 128GB (AT&T) – $499
– iPad Air Cellular Silver 64GB (AT&T) – $429
– iPad Air Cellular Space Gray 64GB (AT&T) – $449
– iPad Air Cellular Silver 64GB (Verizon) – $566.99
– iPad Air Cellular Space Gray 64GB (Verizon) – $449
– iPad Air Cellular Silver 128GB (Verizon) – $649
– iPad Air Cellular Space Gray 128GB (Verizon) – $679

iPad mini 3

Target is offering a free $50 Target gift card with the purchase of any iPad mini 3 through 5/9. Prices for the iPad mini 3 start at $399 for the 16GB Wi-Fi model.

B&H Photo is offering some modest discounts on various iPad mini 3 models, dropping the price by up to $60. The 64GB Cellular iPad mini 3 in gold is priced at $549, while the 16GB Cellular gold version is priced at $469. The Wi-Fi only 128GB iPad mini 3 in Silver is $529, while the 64GB version is priced at $439.

Discounts for each model and and color vary, but most models are being offered at a lower price than you’ll find at the Apple Store, and buying from B&H, you won’t have to pay sales tax unless you’re in New York.

iPad mini 2

Best Buy, B&H Photo, and Amazon have remaining stock of now-discontinued higher-capacity iPad mini 2 models, which are a good deal if you’re looking for an iPad mini. Compared to the iPad mini 3, the iPad mini 2 only lacks Touch ID.

– iPad mini Cellular Silver 128GB (AT&T) – $440
– iPad mini Cellular Space Gray 128GB (AT&T) – $449
– iPad mini Cellular Space Gray 64GB (AT&T) – $399.99
– iPad mini Cellular Silver 128GB (Verizon) – $479
– iPad mini Cellular Space Gray 128GB (Verizon) – $534.99
– iPad mini Cellular Space Gray 64GB (Verizon) – $409.99

iMac

– 21.5-inch 2.7GHz/8GB/1TB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) – $1,189, $110 off
– 21.5-inch 2.9GHz/8GB/1TB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) – $1,389, $120 off
– 27-inch 3.2GHz/8GB/1TB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) – $1,689, $110 off
– 27-inch 3.4GHz/8GB/1TB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) – $1,794.99, $204 off
– 27-inch 3.5Ghz/8GB/1TB Retina iMac (Adorama) (Amazon) – $2,329.99, $170 off

Mac mini

– 1.4GHz/4GB/500GB (Amazon) (Adorama) (B&H Photo) – $464.99, $34 off
– 2.6GHz/8GB/1TB (MacMall) – $663.99, $35 off
– 2.8GHz/8GB/1TB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) – $938, $60 off

MacBook Air

– 2015 11-inch 1.6GHz/4GB/128GB (B&H Photo) – $819, $80 off
– 2015 11-inch 1.6GHz/4GB/256GB (Best Buy) (Amazon) (B&H Photo) (Adorama) – $1044.99, $50 off
– 2015 13-inch 1.6GHz/4GB/128GB (Amazon) (B&H Photo) (Adorama) – $949.99, $50 off
– 2015 13-inch 1.6GHz/4GB/256GB (Best Buy) (Amazon) (B&H Photo)- $1,139.99, $60 off
– 2014 11-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/128GB (Adorama) – $719.99, $180 off
– 2014 11-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/256GB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) – $899, $200 off
– 2014 13-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/128GB (B&H Photo) – $819, $180 off
– 2014 13-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/256GB (B&H Photo) – $999, $200 off

Retina MacBook Pro

– 2015 13-inch 2.7Ghz/8GB/128GB (Amazon) (Adorama) (B&H Photo) – $1,234.99, $64 off
– 2015 13-inch 2.7GHz/8GB/256GB (Best Buy) (B&H Photo) (MacMall) – $1,424.99, $74 off
– 2015 13-inch 2.9GHz/8GB/512GB (Best Buy) (B&H Photo) – $1709.99, $90 off
– 2014 15-inch 2.2GHz/16GB/256GB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) (MacMall) – $1,799, $200 off
– 2014 15-inch 2.5GHz/16GB/512GB (Adorama) (MacMall) – $2,249, $250 off
– 2014 13-inch 2.6GHz/8GB/128GB (B&H Photo) – $1,079, $220 off
– 2014 13-inch 2.6GHz/8GB/256GB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) – $1,249, $239 off
– 2014 13-inch 2.8GHz/8GB/512GB (B&H Photo) – $1,529 $270 off

Apps

There are quite a few apps that are on sale at discounted prices or available for free for a limited time. We’ll highlight a few here, but make sure to check out our sister site AppShopper for a complete list.

Goat Simulator is available for $1.99, down from $4.99. Peek Calendar is available for free, down from $2.99. 2-bit Cowboy is available for free, down from $0.99. Infinity Blade III is available for $2.99, down from $6.99. Final Fantasy VI is available for $7.99, down from $15.99.

Pixelmator for iPad is available for $4.99, down from $9.99. Monument Valley is available for $0.99, down from $3.99. Over is available for free, down from $1.99.

Toca Nature was named Apple’s App of the Week, so it will be free to download until next Thursday when a new app is picked.

Apple Accessories

In celebration of Mother’s Day, Vaja is offering 10 percent off all of its premium leather device cases. Just enter promo code MAMA when checking out. TwelveSouth is offering 12 percent off site wide with the promo code LOVEMOM though May 10. Speck is offering 30 percent off select floral cases for Mother’s Day.

Case-Mate is offering 35 percent off site wide with the promo code MOM2015 through midnight on 5/10. Groupon is hosting a sweepstakes for two Apple Watches this week, with entries being accepted until 11:59 PM PT on 5/10.

StackSocial is offering 10% off the new Griffin WatchStand Apple Watch Charging Dock. Best Buy has the Fitbit Flex activity tracker available at a $20 discount. LivingSocial has two Apple Lightning cables available for $12.99, regularly $38, and Woot has Apple EarPods for $12.99.

Target is offering a free $10 Target gift card with the purchase of a $249 32GB iPod touch through 5/9. Target’s also offering a free $10 Target gift card with the purchase of a $100 iTunes e-gift card.

Groupon has the Kensington Transparent Back case for the iPad mini for $7.99, down from $19.99. Groupon also has Star Wars iPhone cases for the iPhone 4/4s/5/5s for $7.99, regularly $19.99 to $39.99.

Groupon is selling a single set of Apple EarPods for $12.99 or a set of two for $24.99, a decent discount off the regular price of $29. Groupon has the Apple Bluetooth keyboard for $63.99, down from $79. Groupon has the OtterBox Defender Case and Holster for the iPhone 6 available for $29.99, down from $59.95, and it’s offering the Apple iPad mini Smart Cover for $19.99, down from $39.

StackSocial is offering the Satechi Aluminum 4-port USB Clamp Hub for $19.99, down from $29.99. Beats by Dre Solo HD Drenched headphones are available from Target for $99.99, down from $169.99. Best Buy is offering up to 20 percent off its selection of Beats headphones.

Groupon’s still running a big Apple event and selling a range of Apple products and accessories at discounted prices, including the LifeProof Fre case for the iPad Air, Apple EarPods, Speck MacBook cases, MagSafe chargers, Mophie battery cases, and more.

MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors.

The Quest for Quality: Five of the Most Useful Apple Watch Apps

While Apple CEO Tim Cook recently confirmed that there are over 3,500 apps available for the Apple Watch, many reviewers and early adopters have complained that many fail to provide useful functionality on the wrist. Despite strict approval guidelines, the App Store for Apple Watch is cluttered with basic or poorly designed apps for the wrist-worn device, likely due in significant part to the apps having been developed before the Apple Watch was available.

To help users discover some high quality watch-based experiences, MacRumors reached out to its forum community and skimmed through the App Store to handpick five Apple Watch apps that we’ve found particularly useful. Some of the useful Apple Watch apps worth mentioning include Workflow, Philips Hue, Things, Calcbot and Clear.

Workflow

Workflow is an automation tool that enables you to drag and drop any combination of actions to create custom workflows for completing various tasks. You can, for example, use the app to get directions to nearby coffee shops within a preset radius directly on your Apple Watch. Workflows are created using a paired iPhone and automatically appear on the Apple Watch for one-tap use.

Workflow features over 200 actions, including those for Contacts, Calendar, Maps, Music, Photos, Camera, Reminders, Safari, AirDrop, Twitter, Facebook, Dropbox, Evernote and iCloud Documents. The app, created by DeskConnect co-founders Ari Weinstein, Ben Feldman and Conrad Kramer, is currently $2.99 on the App Store for iPhone and Apple Watch as part of a limited time 40% off sale.

Philips Hue

Philips Hue for Apple Watch displays up to 10 different lighting configurations for Hue lights that can be activated by pressing a circular button — there’s one button per screen, and you swipe between them. One minor inconvenience is that Hue has no Glance, so you have to actually open the app to turn on your lights, although it’s a simple issue that could easily be addressed in a future update.

You choose your desired scenes in the Hue for iPhone app in settings, where available scenes to choose from are listed under Widget & Apple Watch. Scenes you pick will be available on the Apple Watch and in Notification Center on iPhone if you have the widget turned on. The scenes will be the same in both places — you can’t pick different ones for the iOS widget and for the Apple Watch.

If you don’t have a Hue Tap, quick selecting scenes on the Apple Watch is easily the fastest way to control your lights since the device is right on your wrist. With 10 scenes, there are a lot of options for controlling lighting all over the house. You can get more scenes by creating them on the iPhone or downloading them from the Meet Hue website.

Philips Hue for Apple Watch is free on the App Store.

Things

Things is one of several to-do apps available for the Apple Watch, displaying a list of day-to-day tasks and long-term goals on your wrist that can be assigned to categories, marked as completed or added to larger projects related to, for example, planning a vacation, preparing for a presentation or filing taxes.

To-dos can be added directly from the Apple Watch using Siri dictation, and categorized under Inbox or Today with a single tap. Things for Apple Watch can also provide notifications to remind you about scheduled to-dos for a specified date so that you don’t forget, and all tasks automatically sync to a paired iPhone.

Things for Apple Watch is $9.99 on the App Store.

Calcbot

Calcbot by Tapbots makes up for the lack of a stock calculator app on the Apple Watch, enabling you to perform basic calculations and conversions, calculate tips and split bills right on your wrist. The regular calculator mode features a basic numeric keypad, and a firm press using Force Touch brings up a menu with add, subtract, multiply and divide options.

The conversion mode brings up a similar looking number pad with options to convert US dollars to euros, pounds to kilograms, miles to kilometers and Fahrenheit to Celsius using Force Touch. Calcbot Pro, $2.29, enables users to customize the four conversion options using the Calcbot app for iPhone, with over 500 units across 22 different categories to choose from.

Perhaps the most useful functionality of Calcbot for Apple Watch is the tip calculator, which allows you to enter the total cost of your bill, calculate a 10% to 30% tip and divide the amount between up to 10 people if necessary. Apple Pay and Calcbot combined make the Apple Watch a more convenient option than fumbling with your iPhone and wallet when the check comes.

Calcbot for Apple Watch is free on the App Store.

Clear

The Apple Watch’s small screen size is ideal for displaying bite-sized information, making Clear a perfect match for the wrist-worn device. Clear for Apple Watch brings tasks, reminders and to-do lists to your wrist, featuring a Glance that shows you how many items are on your list and displays upcoming reminders. Adding new tasks can be done using Siri dictation.

Tapping on the Glance brings you to the full Clear app, where you can view all of your lists on the Apple Watch. If you create your own list, such as a grocery list or task list, you can check off items directly on the watch. If you press firmly on a list using Force Touch, you can sort the list, add new tasks or mark all tasks completed.

Clear for Apple Watch is $4.99 on the App Store.

These are by no means the only useful Apple Watch apps available so far, and we encourage readers to share some of their other favorites in the discussion thread associated with this post. It is clear, however, that many developers have struggled to find the right balance and user experience for the new platform.

With the Apple Watch now available and users and developers able to figure out the best way for apps on the wrist to fit into their daily lives, there will no doubt be improvements to the user experience and we’ll continue to watch for interesting and novel apps making their way to the Apple Watch.

Apple to Push Paid Streaming Music Service With Free Trials and SoundCloud-Like Sharing

Ahead of the rumored debut of Apple’s upcoming streaming music service, Re/code has shared several details on the initiative, sourced from industry insiders. As we’ve learned previously, Apple will charge $9.99 per month for the service and will not offer a freemium streaming tier as other music services like Spotify do, but the company is aiming to introduce ways to let people listen to some content for free.

First and foremost, Apple hopes to offer listeners a free trial period, which lasts between one and three months, letting them sample the music service for an extended period of time before opting for a full subscription. The length of the trial will depend on what Apple is able to negotiate with music companies.

Apple is also working on a feature that may let artists and music creators upload samples of songs that could be listened to without subscribing to the service. Re/code‘s sources are describing this as “something akin to SoundCloud.” SoundCloud is a music sharing platform that lets users upload and share originally-created music, and a similar feature within Apple’s new music service would give indie artists an easy way to share music while providing listeners with free content.

The third way Apple plans to potentially get music to listeners for free is through a revamp of iTunes Radio. We’ve heard hints of this previously, but the new version of iTunes Radio may feature stations that are curated by humans rather than computers, with different content available in different locales. New Apple hire BBC Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe and other recently hired radio staff may spearhead this initiative.

Re/code‘s report also shares some details on the streaming music negotiations that have already landed Apple in a bit of hot water with various regulatory bodies, including the FTC and the Department of Justice in the United States and the European Commission. Apple has been attempting to convince music labels that ad-supported free streaming music does not generate enough revenue.

But as we have previously reported, Apple doesn’t intend to provide free, unlimited on-demand streaming, as competitors Spotify and YouTube do. In private meetings with label executives and other music industry figures, Apple has been arguing that free streaming won’t generate enough money for the industry via advertising, and doesn’t give enough people incentive to pay for subscriptions.

Apple is still working to complete deals ahead of the launch of the streaming service, but it is said to be on track for a WWDC debut. According to a report earlier this week, the streaming service will be introduced during the Worldwide Developers Conference in June and released later in the month alongside the public launch of iOS 8.4.

Apple’s streaming music service is built on its existing Beats music service, and will continue to focus on curated content. To draw in additional customers and to distinguish itself from competing services, Apple is planning to offer a range of exclusive content. There are also plans to rebrand and revamp the music service, deeply integrating it into iTunes and the newly revamped Music app introduced in iOS 8.4.

MacRumors Giveaway: Win an AyeGear Jacket That Holds All Your Tech Gadgets [iOS Blog]

For this week’s giveaway, we’ve teamed up with AyeGear to give two lucky winners a chance to win an item of clothing capable of holding tons of gear. AyeGear makes jackets, travel vests, hoodies, and t-shirts with an abundance of pockets that can hold the iPhone, iPad, accessories, and more.

AyeGear’s J25 Jacket, for example, is so named because it has 25 separate pockets inside that can hold everything from an iPad or a MacBook to an iPhone and a passport. The sleeves can also be removed, so it can be worn as a vest.

The H13 Hoodie looks like a standard fleece hoodie, but it’s got 13 pockets inside to hold an iPad, iPhone, credit cards, and a water bottle. It’s also got touch pockets so you can access your devices without even removing them from the sweatshirt. AyeGear sells several similar products with a range of pockets, offering two vests, a t-shirt, two hoodies, and two types of jackets.

We are giving away one article of clothing to two separate winners. Each winner will be able to choose from a jacket, hoodie, vest, or t-shirt, in any size or color, which will be shipped to their doorstep.

To enter to win, use the Rafflecopter widget below. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube Channel, following us on Twitter, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page. Due to the intricacies of international law regarding giveaways, this giveaway is open only to U.S. residents who are 18 years of age or older.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The giveaway will run from today, Friday, May 8 at 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time through Friday May 15 at 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time. Winners will be chosen randomly on May 15 and will be contacted through email. A response to our email is required within 48 hours or the winner will forfeit the prize and we will pick a new winner.

Apple Removes eBay From Featured Apple Watch Apps Website [iOS Blog]

Apple has quietly removed the eBay app from the list of featured Apple Watch apps on its website in the United States, exactly two weeks after the launch of the Apple Watch. While eBay was the only app listed on Apple’s page that has yet to be updated with Apple Watch support, it’s unclear whether the removal is simply to avoid confusion by limiting mentions to apps that are available or if issues have arisen recently that will significantly delay eBay’s Apple Watch support.

All other apps listed on the featured Apple Watch apps page are already available on the App Store, so Apple possibly removed eBay temporarily to avoid misleading customers. eBay remains a featured Apple Watch app on Apple’s regional website for Canada in what is likely an oversight that should be addressed shortly.

“The world’s largest marketplace is now closer and more convenient than ever,” the app description read on Apple’s website, before the featured listing was removed today. “eBay for Apple Watch helps you stay on top of the auctions you’re watching. It can send outbid notices and other notifications directly to you, so you can react immediately.”

A few months ago, Apple removed award-winning healthy eating app The Whole Pantry from the App Store and its featured Apple Watch apps page amid allegations that its creator Belle Gibson faked having cancer to benefit her cause, accusations that later proved to be true. Gibson also failed to donate thousands of dollars collected during fundraisers to charities.

MacRumors has reached out to eBay for comment.

ResearchKit App Drawing Return Visits at Rates Rivaling Games and Social Media Apps [iOS Blog]

LifeMap Solutions, co-creators of the ResearchKit Asthma Health app [Direct Link], yesterday published a blog post detailing the success of the first few weeks of the app’s lifespan and how it has engaged its users in return visits as much as some social media and gaming apps on iOS.

In the official ResearchKit blog post, LifeMap Solutions details the preliminary findings of the Asthma Health app, which aims to attain greater insight into the disease and subsequently attempt to help users become more educated on the issues at hand.

The developers were initially worried about the tricky e-consent process every user must go through when first launching the app, with secondary concerns wondering if users would find the experience as “sticky” and addictive as other apps they use daily. Asthma Health’s usage data showcased not only willingness to give e-consent, but a high engagement rate in returning to the app throughout the week.

But the gamble paid off. Based on preliminary data for the Asthma Health app, over half of our users not only complete the e-consent process, they also come back the very next day to use the app. This is a very high rate of return for any app, let alone a health-related app.

Excitingly, results have shown that users are as engaged (or more!) with Asthma Health as they are with games and social networks. Our working theory is that Asthma Health users are motivated by the goal of supporting research that helps the entire patient community. We plan to test this theory more extensively in the near future.

LifeMap Solutions discovered that the research-based app showcased data very similar to everyday social media apps, with users responding especially high to push notifications reminding them to revisit the app.

The developers also saw particularly high involvement in the app on Mondays, corresponding to a weekly push notification automated to hit early each week. As the developers said, even though overall engagement decreases, “The spikes in app usage are consistent with the type of behavior we see in mobile apps more broadly: users respond dramatically to regular reminders.”

Asthma Health’s engagement rate over the course of its first few weeks.
Apple first announced ResearchKit at its “Spring Forward” media event on March 9, the Asthma Health app one of four experiences to launch supporting the platform. The mobile open source framework allowed for thousands to sign up for those initial four launch apps, far more than any location-based study could ever have hoped for.

With the official release of the full ResearchKit suite earlier in April, now even more developers can capture the features of the iPhone’s sensors such as the accelerometer, gyroscope, microphone and GPS to create medical research experiences and conduct studies like LifeMap Solutions and its partner Mount Sinai have done with Asthma Health.

Nintendo’s First Smartphone Game Due This Year, 5 Planned by March 2017

In Nintendo’s financial results briefing posted today, which relays the company’s past fiscal year ending in March 2015 and looks ahead to the future, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata provided a few more details regarding the company’s future release plans with mobile gaming partner DeNA.

Essentially, the first game in the lineup will launch “by the end of this calendar year,” with the current long-term plan to release five games in total by the end of the company’s next fiscal year ending in March of 2017, just under two years away. Iwata promises that while that estimation for a release schedule seems low, the company hopes to retain its well-known degree of polish and customer satisfaction when transitioning to mobile, and taking a quality over quantity approach is its way of doing that.

You may think it is a small number, but when we aim to make each title a hit, and because we want to thoroughly operate every one of them for a significant amount of time after their releases, this is not a small number at all and should demonstrate our serious commitment to the smart device business.

During the briefing, Iwata also went further into detail regarding the actual strategy for creating games on a mobile device, such as an iPhone and iPad. While the initial announcement of the deal with DeNA had fans excited, Nintendo was quick to specify that the experiences provided on mobile wouldn’t simply be ports of existing franchises and would be more tailored for a smaller, bite-sized experience.
Although that dashed most fan hopes for full-fledged Pokemon, The Legend of Zelda, and Animal Crossing experiences on the iPhone, it does provide hope that the sometimes fumbling company is at least aware of what makes mobile games work in the first place.

As we confirmed on March 17, all of our IP can be considered for a smart device game. On the other hand, since the game business on smart devices is already severely competitive, even with highly popular IP, the odds of success are quite low if consumers cannot appreciate the quality of a game.

Also, if we were simply to port software that already has a track record on a dedicated game system, it would not match the play styles of smart devices, and the appropriate business models are different between the two, so we would not anticipate a great result. If we did not aim to achieve a significant result, it would be meaningless for us to do it at all. Accordingly, we are going to carefully select appropriate IP and titles for our smart device deployment.

Iwata last mentions the company’s hope to “expand this business,” in regards to the mobile games, to global markets so more and more fans will have a chance to experience Nintendo games on mobile. “We are aiming to make this one of the pillars of Nintendo’s revenue structure,” Iwata said.

Since the deal with DeNA, the company has begun slowly relinquishing its stranglehold over its precious characters and IPs, after first being burned by various motion picture and CD-i partnerships in the past. Most recently, this week Nintendo announced a partnership with Universal to include the former company’s popular characters as various attractions and locations in a theme park expansion of the latter’s well-established park experiences.