Apple Watch With Custom Red Sport Band, Folding UK Plug Spotted in New Photos

British cyclist and former professional rugby player Will Carling has shared a pair of new photos on Twitter that appear to reveal two unreleased Apple products. The first photo shows a stainless steel Apple Watch with what looks like a custom red sport band, while the second photo provides a side-by-side look at an Apple charger with a unique folding plug design for use in the United Kingdom.

Carling claims that Apple design chief Jony Ive provided him with the folding charger, which could be the official charger for the Apple Watch in the United Kingdom, and it is likely that is who gifted him the Apple Watch with a custom red sport band as well. Ive grew up in England and is known to be a rugby fan, and Carling was the former captain of England’s national rugby team from 1988 to 1996.

It is possible that the photo is actually of an Apple Watch with the similar looking pink sport band, although the lighting in the shot gives the band more of a red appearance and Carling mentions that he prefers “the red band” on Twitter. Apple has given a custom watch to at least one other iconic figure, with designer Karl Lagerfeld spotted wearing an Apple Watch with gold link bracelet earlier this week.

It is possible that Apple may eventually release a (PRODUCT)RED version of the Apple Watch by offering this custom red sport band for sale. Apple gives a portion of sales generated from (PRODUCT)RED merchandise to the Global Fund to fight AIDS in Africa, raising over $70 million towards the initiative to date. Apple’s current (PRODUCT)RED lineup includes iPods, iPhone 6 and 6 Plus cases, and iPad Smart Cases and Covers.

CarPlay Now Available in Denmark, Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia and Sweden [iOS Blog]

Apple today updated its iOS 8 Feature Availability page to note that CarPlay can now be used in five additional countries: Denmark, Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, and Sweden. With the addition of these five countries, CarPlay is now available in a total of 25 countries around the world.

Apple’s been expanding CarPlay support to additional countries rapidly in the month of April. On April 8, CarPlay support was added to Brazil, China, India, Thailand, and Turkey.

Due to the wide range of partners Apple has to work with and varying methods of implementing support, CarPlay has been slow to get off the ground. CarPlay continues to be primarily available through aftermarket in-dash systems from companies like Pioneer and Alpine, but several car manufacturers have pledged to release vehicles with support for CarPlay in 2015.

Former iOS Chief Scott Forstall Serving as Snapchat Advisor [Mac Blog]

After being forced out of Apple in 2012 following a major Maps debacle and clashes with other execs, former Apple Senior Vice President of iOS Software Scott
Forstall has kept a low profile, largely staying out of the public eye.

He hasn’t taken on a major role at any company, but in late 2013, news surfaced suggesting he had been spending his time advising startups and becoming involved in philanthropical causes. As of today, news has leaked about one of the startups Scott Forstall is involved in — Snapchat.

A leaked email from the late 2014 Sony Pictures hack discovered by TechCrunch suggests that Scott Forstall has been serving as an advisor to popular ephemeral photo sharing app Snapchat, earning himself .11% of the company’s stock. Forstall’s shares in the company vest over the course of 24 months and could be worth approximately $16.5 million at Snapchat’s current $15 billion valuation.

When TechCrunch questioned Snapchat about its relationship with Scott Forstall, the company did not deny that he was an advisor, stating “we have a number of advisors, but we don’t comment on the specifics of their relationship with the company.”

Scott Forstall first fell in league with Apple in 1992, when he took on a job at Steve Jobs’ company, NeXT. When NeXT was acquired by Apple in 1997, Forstall stayed on, working on the Macintosh user design team. He was promoted several times and in 2005, he began working on iOS. Forstall has been largely credited with the skeuomorphic design present in the early years of the operating system, an aesthetic that eventually led to disagreements with other executives at the company following Steve Jobs’ death.

Steve Dowling’s Role as Apple PR Chief Now Permanent [Mac Blog]

Longtime Apple public relations veteran Steve Dowling was today added to Apple’s executive page, marking his official promotion to Vice President of Communications.

The role has been open since Katie Cotton retired in 2014, but Steve Dowling has been serving as the interim head of public relations for several months now. His position was initially temporary as Apple searched for other high-profile external candidates, but it appears Apple could not find a suitable person to fill the role.

Following Katie Cotton’s departure from Apple, Tim Cook was reportedly searching for a “friendlier” PR chief with a “more approachable face” to take over, to continue on with Apple’s trend of being more open under Tim Cook’s leadership.

Dowling has worked for Apple for twelve years and before taking over Cotton’s former role, he served as the senior director of corporate public relations at the company. Before that he worked at CNBC’s Washington Bureau for eight years.

Yelp Releases Apple Watch App With Nearby Location Listings, Reviews [iOS Blog]

Apple Maps partner Yelp has today announced an update to its iOS app that will bring the service to Apple Watch. The announcement comes in the midst of more and more companies announcing their Apple Watch apps as the April 24 launch races forward.

The Yelp app for Apple Watch serves up nearby restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and new businesses along with their star rating, review count, business category, price range, distance from your exact position, and hours of operation. We’ve stylishly packed in millions of local reviews with petite precision so you have vast insider knowledge right at your fingertips. Now that’s what we call a micro machine!

The app allows users to search for places of interest in addition to receiving recommendations nearby businesses and restaurants. It also comes with Handoff support, allowing users to jump from the Apple Watch to their iPhone to make a phone call, write a review, add photos or video, or check in for potential rewards. The Apple Watch app is live today.

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

Apple Stores to Offer ‘Apple Watch Basics’ Workshops Beginning April 24

Starting on April 24, it appears that Apple will be offering “Apple Watch Basics” workshops in some of its retail stores around the world, helping customers who begin receiving their watches on that day to learn how to use them.

The classes are not yet listed on the company’s website, but in the “Stores” section of the Apple Store app, the workshops are listed as an available option on April 24 for some retail stores both in the United States and other countries. Workshops take place at 1.5 hour intervals all day long in most locations and are also available on Saturday and Sunday. It appears that some locations may be offering extended hours to allow more time for hosting workshops.

Customers who are interested in attending one of these workshops to learn more about the Apple Watch can schedule an appointment beginning today in a store where the appointments are listed. Not all stores are showing the workshops that will be available on April 24, however.

Some stores are showing additional Apple Watch classes beyond the introductory basics class, with a “Stay in Touch with Apple Watch” class also available in select locations.

Due to constrained supplies, there will be a limited number of customers who will be receiving their Apple Watches on April 24, but users who have pre-ordered and do not yet have their devices can also attend to learn more about the device. Given the few customers who will have watches in-hand on April 24, Apple recently ceased emphasizing the date on its website, replacing all “available 4.24.15″ launch wording with “the Watch is coming.”

Pre-orders for the Apple Watch began on April 10 at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time and began selling out within mere minutes. Within six hours, all Apple Watches were sold out and no models offered the initial 4/24 to 5/8 shipping estimate. Apple Watch orders placed today will not ship until June and beyond.

(Thanks, Caleb!)

Reminder: Apple Watch Pre-Orders Have Standard 14-Day Return Policy [iOS Blog]

While the wait continues for Apple Watch pre-orders to be processed and prepared for shipment, it is worth a reminder that the wrist-worn device has the same standard 14-day return policy as other Apple products such as the iPhone, iPad and Mac. Apple Watch Edition models can only be returned if they are determined to be in original condition after passing inspection at an offsite Apple facility.

The 14-day return policy applies to the date that the customer receives the Apple Watch, meaning that those who pre-ordered the device can rest assured that they will have a full two weeks to test the smartwatch before having to return it. Apple Watch pre-orders made online can be shipped back to Apple or brought to an Apple Store in the same country of purchase for a refund in the original form of tender.

A growing number of users have turned to the MacRumors forums to discuss about their Apple Watch pre-orders, with the conversation divided into three threads based on shipping estimates of 4/24—5/8, 4-6 weeks or June. Given that Apple Watch supply appears to be limited, it remains unknown how many customers will have their pre-order fulfilled by launch day on April 24. Choose your thread and share what you think.

Forum Discussion Threads

1. 4/24—5/8 Delivery Estimate Discussion
2. 4-6 Weeks (May 13—27) Delivery Estimate Discussion
3. June Delivery Estimate Discussion

Apple Watch pre-orders began on April 10 at 12:01 AM Pacific in the United States, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan and United Kingdom, and completely sold out in less than six hours on the U.S. storefront. While some early customers received a shipping estimate of 4/24—5/8 for certain Apple Watch models, many others were given a delivery estimate of 4-6 weeks or June.

Apple Watch Accessibility Features: VoiceOver, Mono Audio, Grayscale, Taptic Engine and More [iOS Blog]

Apple has outlined the Apple Watch’s built-in accessibility features for vision and hearing on its website, with four of the primary assisitive technologies being VoiceOver, font adjustment, mono audio and the Taptic Engine. The accessibility features can be accessed using the Apple Watch directly or through the Settings app on a paired iPhone.

For the visually impaired, the Apple Watch features VoiceOver, a gesture-based tool that uses the device’s built-in speaker to communicate what is appearing on the screen. VoiceOver is compatible with built-in apps and available in 14 supported languages. Apple Watch users can also activate Larger Dynamic Type to adjust the size of the font or choose Bold Text to make the text heavier.

Apple outlines six other assistive technologies for the visually impaired: zoom, grayscale, extra large watch face, reduce transparency, on/off labels and reduce motion. Zoom is controlled using the Digital Crown on the side of the Apple Watch, while the other accessibility features must be enabled through settings.

Apple Watch also supports mono audio for people that are deaf or have hearing loss in one ear, enabling users to play both audio channels in both ears and adjust the balance for greater volume in either ear. Apple Watch also features the Taptic Engine for haptic feedback, giving your wrist a gentle tap every time a notification comes in.

Apple Watch Brings Your TV’s Remote Control to Your Wrist [iOS Blog]

While the Apple Watch is marketed as “the most advanced timepiece ever created, a revolutionary new way to connect with others, and a comprehensive health and fitness companion,” the wrist-worn device has a number of other use cases that should prove convenient for many day-to-day tasks. The apps and accessories below, for example, will turn the Apple Watch into a remote control for controlling a TV from your wrist.

SamMote for Apple Watch

SamMote was recently updated to allow Apple Watch users to control supported Samsung TVs using their wrist. The third-party app, created by developer Eric Degrange and noted by A-Watch.fr, is compatible with most Samsung Smart TVs manufactured between 2011 and 2014 (Series D through Series H models). SamMote is free on the App Store [Direct Link] and also supports iPhone and iPad, so it is worth testing the remote control app works with your own Samsung television.

Roomie Remote for Apple Watch

Roomie Remote is a Wi-Fi-based universal remote app for home theater and automation that controls thousands of devices like TVs, cable and satellite boxes, receivers, Blu-ray players, lights and thermostats. The app also allows you to control Apple TV. iPhone and iPad versions of the app have been available since February 2012, and earlier this week the app was updated with Apple Watch support as well. Roomie Remote works with a wide variety of devices, but is $9.99 on the App Store [Direct Link] and may require additional in-app purchases depending on what devices you want to control.

Peel Pronto for Apple Watch

Peel Pronto is a 360-degree infrared remote receiver and blaster that will enable Apple Watch users to control their TV using the smartwatch. The cylindrical-like accessory was created through a partnership between Philips and Peel and can be placed anywhere in your living room to control TVs, set-top boxes, DVD and Blu-ray players, and more. Peel Pronto will also be compatible with iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPad Air 2 and other iOS devices that support low-energy Bluetooth.

The device must be paired with the Peel Smart Remote & TV Guide app on the App Store [Direct Link] and gets approximately one year of battery life. Pronto is listed for $49.99 at Best Buy and is also available at NewEgg in the United States, and Staples in Canada. Included in the box is 1 IR extension cable and 4 AA alkaline batteries.