Apple Expects Apple Watch Demand to Exceed Supply at Launch
Apple issued a reminder on Thursday that Apple Watch pre-orders and try-on appointments begin April 10, with retail chief Angela Ahrendts claiming that the company believes “tremendous interest” in the Apple Watch will result in demand exceeding supply for the wrist-worn device at launch.
““We are excited to welcome customers tomorrow and introduce them to Apple Watch, our most personal device yet. Based on the tremendous interest from people visiting our stores, as well as the number of customers who have gone to the Apple Online Store to mark their favorite Apple Watch ahead of availability, we expect that strong customer demand will exceed our supply at launch,” said Angela Ahrendts, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail and Online Stores. “To provide the best experience and selection to as many customers as we can, we will be taking orders for Apple Watch exclusively online during the initial launch period.”
Apple Watch launches April 24 in the United States and other first wave launch countries.
Apple Pay Now Accepted By T-Mobile, GameStop, NBA Teams and More
Apple Pay is now accepted by ten additional stores and partners in the United States, including T-Mobile retail stores, GameStop and a trio of NBA franchises in the Golden State Warriors, Orlando Magic and Phoenix Suns. The mobile payments service, compatible with iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, and soon Apple Watch, can now be used at 68 participating stores throughout the country as Apple continues to add new partners.
The full list of newly added participating stores and partners:
Apple Pay is a NFC-based mobile payments service that debuted on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus last October, enabling customers to make contactless payments by holding their smartphone up to a payments terminal at participating vendors. The service is secured by Touch ID and will also be compatible with the iPhone 5 or later when paired with an Apple Watch, which is available for pre-order April 10 and goes on sale April 24.
Apple Acquired Keyboard Startup ‘Dryft’ in 2014
Over the last few weeks, several previously unknown Apple acquisitions have surfaced. In March, Bloomberg shared news of the company’s purchase of data analytics firm Acunu, and earlier this week, TechCrunch reported that Apple had acquired search technology startup Ottocat in 2013.
TechCrunch has now shared news of another acquisition that happened in 2014 — the purchase of Dryft, a startup that specialized in creating keyboard apps. Dryft chief technology officer Randy Marsden, who also co-founded Swype, is listed as an “iOS Keyboard Manager” that joined Apple in September of 2014, suggesting the acquisition may have occurred around that date.
Dryft’s technology was a keyboard that appeared only on the screen when a user placed a finger on the display, and as described by TechCrunch, it’s “essentially a keyboard for tablets that tracks your fingers’ movements,” meaning it appears wherever your fingers are placed on the screen.
It is not clear if Apple plans to incorporate this specific technology into iOS or if it made the purchase of Dryft to acquire the company’s employees to work on other keyboard features. As of iOS 8, Apple’s operating system supports keyboards created by third-party developers, but the company has continued work on its own keyboard. iOS 8 brought keyboard improvements like QuickType, which offers word predictions to speed up typing.
Apple confirmed the acquisition to TechCrunch with its standard purchase statement: “Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans.”
iOS 8.3 Enables WiFi Calling for Sprint, EE Subscribers [iOS Blog]
Today’s iOS 8.3 update expands iOS 8’s WiFi calling feature to two new carriers: Sprint in the United States and EE in the United Kingdom.
WiFi calling is a feature that was first introduced in iOS 8, letting users make phone calls using WiFi instead of a cellular network when connected to a WiFi network. T-Mobile has thus far been one of the only carriers to support Wi-Fi calling in the United States, until today.
Following the iOS 8.3 update, Sprint users can toggle on Wi-Fi calling in the “Phone” section of the Settings app, which will let them make calls over Wi-Fi when a Wi-Fi network is available. Wi-Fi calling can be useful when cellular signal is low, and calls also have improved sound over Wi-Fi.
According to Sprint’s website, users will need to install the iOS 8.3 update and download Carrier Version 19.1. Sprint says the carrier update can be triggered by going to Settings –> General –> About after installing iOS 8.3, but the company’s announcement suggests it may take a few days to roll out to everyone.
Enabling Wi-Fi calling is a similar process for EE subscribers in the United Kingdom. According to Engadget, EE users will need to update to iOS 8.3 and then enable WiFi calling in the Settings app, after which the feature will be activated in a few hours. EE’s limiting the number of iPhones able to register for WiFi calling to 100,000 per day, so there may be a waiting period for some users.
WiFi calling is available for iPhone 5c, 5s, 6, and 6 Plus users with Sprint and EE service.
Disney, Apple Arguing Over Channels to be Included in New Streaming Television Service
Disney is one of the partners Apple is working with on its upcoming streaming television service, and according to a new report from The Street, Disney and Apple are disagreeing over how many Disney-owned channels will be available in Apple’s television content bundle.
Disney is pushing Apple to include most of its channel offerings, while Apple wants to offer fewer channels in an effort to keep prices lower. Disney’s channels include ESPN and Disney Channel, along with several spinoffs channels like Disney Junior, Disney XD, ESPN2, ESPN Classic, and more. Disney also owns ABC channels that Apple feels are essential, like ABC Family, so Apple may be forced to agree to offer more Disney channels to ensure negotiations go smoothly.
Disney is said to be asking for “the strongest deal it can get,” according to one of The Street‘s sources, to avoid upsetting other cable providers and endangering existing revenue streams.
Disney likely would insist that Apple offer all of its channels to as many subscribers as possible. Many cable operators have “most favored nation” clauses in their contracts with Disney that could require ESPN to be carried as widely as possible. If Apple enabled its subscribers to pick and choose which channels to take, other cable channels could use that clause to cut back on lesser watched Disney channels.
Disney CEO Bob Iger sits on Apple’s board of directors and was a longtime friend of former Apple CEO Steve Jobs, and the two companies have worked together several times over the years. Disney was the first company to partner with Apple to offer content like television shows through iTunes in 2005. Despite the disagreement over the number of Disney channels to be included in Apple’s television service, The Street suggests that Disney is likely to remain one of Apple’s content partners.
Apple is planning to announce its streaming television service and its content partners at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June, ahead of a fall launch. Rumors have suggested the service will include approximately 25 channels and will be offered at a price between $30 and $40.
Apple’s television service announcement may also be accompanied by the launch of a new Apple TV set top box, which is said to be in the works. The set-top box is rumored to include a full App Store, Siri integration, an A8 processor, and a dramatic increase in internal storage.
Apple Launches Comprehensive New Siri Website With Categories, Example Requests
Apple today launched a newly updated Siri website, which gives a comprehensive look at the voice assistant built into the company’s iOS devices. The site opens with a quick overview of what Siri can do, and then provides users with a list of categories featuring Siri’s different abilities: At a Glance, Staying in Touch, Getting Organized, Sports, Entertainment, Out and About, Getting Answers, and Tips and Tricks.
Talk to Siri as you would to a friend and it can help you get things done — like sending messages, placing calls, or making dinner reservations. You can ask Siri to show you the Orion constellation or to flip a coin. Siri works hands-free, so you can ask it to show you the best route home and what your ETA is while driving. And it’s connected to the world, working with Wikipedia, Yelp, Rotten Tomatoes, Shazam, and other online services to get you even more answers. The more you use Siri, the more you’ll realize how great it is. And just how much it can do for you.
Each category offers a look at the different commands that Siri can work with. “At a Glance” gives a quick rundown of a random assortment of questions that can be asked, like “When is the sunset in Paris?” and “What movies are playing today?” while other categories offer a more specific selection of available commands.
“Getting Organized,” for example,” includes commands specific to apps like Calendar and Reminders, such as “What does the rest of my day look like?” and “Remember to pick up dry cleaning next Friday.” “Entertainment” includes commands like “Show me the trailer for Boyhood” and “Buy the latest season of Homeland.”
Each of the pages offers a look at features many iOS users might not have known Siri was capable of, and they’re organized in a compelling grid-like view that’s easy to read and outfitted with pictures for visual appeal.
Apple previously had a site that offered information on Siri, but it was just a single page that offered more of an overview of what Siri can do rather than something more specific that drilled down into actual commands. The new Siri site offers a much deeper look at Siri’s abilities.
Today’s Siri website revamp follows the release of iOS 8.3 that added new Siri languages and the ability to make voice calls over the speakerphone using Siri. Apple has also added new Siri features to several additional countries, making local search, directions, and more available in countries like Brazil, Denmark, India, Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, Sweden, Thailand, and Turkey.
Siri Features, CarPlay Support Expanded to Additional Countries [iOS Blog]
Apple today updated its iOS 8 Feature Availability page to note that support for Siri certain features and CarPlay has been expanded to new countries.
CarPlay functionality is now accessible in Brazil, China, India, Thailand, and Turkey, in addition to Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Different countries have gained new Siri features like Sports scores, Twitter integration, and Shazam, as listed below:
Sports – India, New Zealand
Twitter integration – Brazil, Denmark, India, Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey
Facebook integration – Brazil, Denmark, India, Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey
Local Search – Brazil, Denmark, India, Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey
Directions – Brazil, Denmark, India, Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey
Shazam – Brazil, Denmark, India, Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey
Today’s iOS 8.3 update also brought additional changes to CarPlay and Siri, adding wireless CarPlay support to alleviate the need for a Lightning cable with some CarPlay installations, and new Siri languages.
Apple Releases OS X Yosemite 10.10.3 With Photos for OS X App, Emoji Updates
As expected, Apple today released OS X Yosemite 10.10.3, the first significant feature-rich update the operating system has received. OS X 10.10.3 was first seeded to developers in February, and was provided to public beta testers in March.
The OS X 10.10.3 update can be downloaded through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store. OS X Yosemite Recovery Update 1.0 is also available to improve the reliability of Yosemite Recovery when restoring from a time machine backup.
The OS X Yosemite 10.10.3 update
includes the new Photos app and improves the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac.
The update also includes the following improvements:
– Adds over 300 new Emoji characters
– Adds Spotlight suggestions to Look up
– Prevents Safari from saving website favicon URLs used in Private Browsing
– Improves stability and security in Safari
– Improves WiFi performance and connectivity in various usage scenarios
– Improves compatibility with captive Wi-Fi network environments
– Fixes an issue that may cause Bluetooth devices to disconnect
– Improves screen sharing reliability
Earlier Yosemite releases, including OS X 10.10.1 and 10.10.2, brought mostly under-the-hood bug fixes and reliability improvements to the operating system, but OS X 10.10.3 includes major new features, like the Photos for OS X app.
Designed to be a replacement for Aperture and iPhoto, Photos for OS X was first announced during the 2014 Worldwide Developers Conference, where Apple promised it would see an “early 2015″ release. The Photos for OS X app takes on Yosemite-style design elements, with an emphasis on flatness and translucency, and it integrates with both iCloud Photo Library and the Photos for iOS app.
Reviews of the Photos for OS X app have suggested that while it’s a suitable replacement for iPhoto, with speed improvements and better tools than were found in iPhoto, it lacks many power features that professional users have become accustomed to in its current incarnation, like plug-ins, a loupe, brushable adjustments, and custom metadata fields.
Along with the new Photos for OS X app, OS X 10.10.3 brings a new emoji picker that consolidates emoji into a single scrollable page with clear labels, new diversified emoji and emoji skin tone modifiers, additional flag emoji and updated emoji for the iPhone, iMac, and Apple Watch.
There’s also support for Google 2-step verification when setting up accounts in System Preferences, doing away with the need for app specific passwords, and there are Force Touch APIs for developers, which will let them incorporate Force Touch gestures into their apps.
Apple Watch Fulfills Promise of All-Day Battery Life in Early Reviews
Apple lifted the embargo for large websites to publish their Apple Watch reviews this morning, providing us with detailed insight about various functions of the device. Battery life in particular has been one area of interest for several prospective Apple Watch buyers, and most early reviews found the Apple Watch to fulfill its promise of all-day battery life on a single charge.
Well-known tech journalist Joanna Stern of The Wall Street Journal offers one of the better looks at the Apple Watch’s battery life in her video of using the device in day-to-day life. The video keeps track of how much battery life the Apple Watch uses while Stern goes about her daily routine in New York, with the device fully charged at 7:30 AM and having five percent remaining at just past midnight.
Apple confirmed last month that the Apple Watch will have up to 18 hours of battery life with mixed usage, and last up to 72 hours in Power Reserve mode. Early reviews find the Apple Watch generally on par with, or falling slightly short of, those numbers based on articles published by Daring Fireball, The Verge, The Wall Street Journal, Techpinions and Re/code. We’ve compiled those findings in the roundup below.
John Gruber, Daring Fireball:
“After more than a week of daily use, Apple Watch has more than alleviated any concerns I had about getting through a day on a single charge. I noted the remaining charge when I went to bed each night. It was usually still in the 30s or 40s. Once it was still over 50 percent charged. Once, it was down to 27. And one day — last Thursday — it was all the way down to 5 percent. But that day was an exception — I used the watch for an extraordinary amount of testing, nothing at all resembling typical usage. I’m surprised the watch had any remaining charge at all that day. I never once charged the watch other than while I slept.”
Nilay Patel, The Verge:
“By the end of each day, I was hyper-aware of how low the Apple Watch battery had gotten. After one particularly heavy day of use, I hit 10 percent battery at 7pm, triggering a wave of anxiety. But most days were actually fine. Apple had a big challenge getting a tiny computer like this to last a day, and it succeeded — even if that success seemingly comes at the expense of performance.”
Geoffrey Fowler, The Wall Street Journal:
“The battery lives up to its all-day billing, but sometimes just barely. It’s often nearly drained at bedtime, especially if I’ve used the watch for exercise. There’s a power-reserve mode that can make it last a few hours longer, but then it only shows the time.”
Ben Bajarin, Techpinions:
“From my experience with battery life, Apple appears to have undersold it. The Apple Watch easily lasted a day, even a long day of heavy use. My Apple Watch battery never got below 20% and only once even got close to that. The day it did was a long day when I took it off the charger at 5:45am and used it frequently, including tracking my activity during a two hour tennis match, and I didn’t plug it back in until 10:30pm.
With my average usage, I tried to see how long I could go and several times over the week got nearly two days of battery life. This will obviously vary by person, but the fact Apple Watch users will not have to worry about battery life over the course of the day no matter how heavy it is used is important for the experience.”
Lauren Goode, Re/code:
“Apple has promised that the battery will last 18 hours per charge with normal use. It hasn’t yet died on me during the day, or even late at night. My iPhone actually conked out before the Watch did; this happened to Bonnie, too.
One day this past week, I woke up at 5:15 am, exercised for an hour using the Watch, ran Maps during my commute, made phones calls and received notifications throughout the whole day, and by 11:00 pm the Watch was just hitting its Power Reserve point.”
Apple Watch goes on sale April 24, with pre-orders and try-ons beginning April 10.
Apple Watch Fulfills Promise of All-Day Battery Life in Early Reviews
Apple lifted the embargo for large websites to publish their Apple Watch reviews this morning, providing us with detailed insight about various functions of the device. Battery life in particular has been one area of interest for several prospective Apple Watch buyers, and most early reviews found the Apple Watch to fulfill its promise of all-day battery life on a single charge.
Well-known tech journalist Joanna Stern of The Wall Street Journal offers one of the better looks at the Apple Watch’s battery life in her video of using the device in day-to-day life. The video keeps track of how much battery life the Apple Watch uses while Stern goes about her daily routine in New York, with the device fully charged at 7:30 AM and having five percent remaining at just past midnight.
Apple confirmed last month that the Apple Watch will have up to 18 hours of battery life with mixed usage, and last up to 72 hours in Power Reserve mode. Early reviews find the Apple Watch generally on par with, or falling slightly short of, those numbers based on articles published by Daring Fireball, The Verge, The Wall Street Journal, Techpinions and Re/code. We’ve compiled those findings in the roundup below.
John Gruber, Daring Fireball:
“After more than a week of daily use, Apple Watch has more than alleviated any concerns I had about getting through a day on a single charge. I noted the remaining charge when I went to bed each night. It was usually still in the 30s or 40s. Once it was still over 50 percent charged. Once, it was down to 27. And one day — last Thursday — it was all the way down to 5 percent. But that day was an exception — I used the watch for an extraordinary amount of testing, nothing at all resembling typical usage. I’m surprised the watch had any remaining charge at all that day. I never once charged the watch other than while I slept.”
Nilay Patel, The Verge:
“By the end of each day, I was hyper-aware of how low the Apple Watch battery had gotten. After one particularly heavy day of use, I hit 10 percent battery at 7pm, triggering a wave of anxiety. But most days were actually fine. Apple had a big challenge getting a tiny computer like this to last a day, and it succeeded — even if that success seemingly comes at the expense of performance.”
Geoffrey Fowler, The Wall Street Journal:
“The battery lives up to its all-day billing, but sometimes just barely. It’s often nearly drained at bedtime, especially if I’ve used the watch for exercise. There’s a power-reserve mode that can make it last a few hours longer, but then it only shows the time.”
Ben Bajarin, Techpinions:
“From my experience with battery life, Apple appears to have undersold it. The Apple Watch easily lasted a day, even a long day of heavy use. My Apple Watch battery never got below 20% and only once even got close to that. The day it did was a long day when I took it off the charger at 5:45am and used it frequently, including tracking my activity during a two hour tennis match, and I didn’t plug it back in until 10:30pm.
With my average usage, I tried to see how long I could go and several times over the week got nearly two days of battery life. This will obviously vary by person, but the fact Apple Watch users will not have to worry about battery life over the course of the day no matter how heavy it is used is important for the experience.”
Lauren Goode, Re/code:
“Apple has promised that the battery will last 18 hours per charge with normal use. It hasn’t yet died on me during the day, or even late at night. My iPhone actually conked out before the Watch did; this happened to Bonnie, too.
One day this past week, I woke up at 5:15 am, exercised for an hour using the Watch, ran Maps during my commute, made phones calls and received notifications throughout the whole day, and by 11:00 pm the Watch was just hitting its Power Reserve point.”
Apple Watch goes on sale April 24, with pre-orders and try-ons beginning April 10.
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