Apple’s next big iOS update could get a public beta test first

Worried that the next iOS update could repeat last year’s glitchy rollout of iOS 8? We imagine the folks in Cupertino feel the same way, and according to a report from 9to5Mac, they plan to avoid it by adding public beta tests to the mix. Specifically, the move will mirror its early test of OS X Yosemite, with iOS 8.3 getting a preview in mid-March, and then iOS 9 over the summer. Those willing to risk some stability to help out can sign up for the AppleSeed program here although that doesn’t assure inclusion — the test will reportedly be limited to 100,000 people.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, Apple

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Source: 9to5Mac, Recode

An In-Depth Look at Apple Watch Band Options and Potential Pricing

Daring Fireball‘s John Gruber today published a piece going in-depth on what he believes Apple’s upcoming Apple Watch wearable will sell for, how the various accessory bands will be sold at retail, and just how much the all-gold Apple Watch Edition could possibly cost.

Taking a step back from the tech industry, Gruber looked at the upper tier of the fashion accessory market and decided to revisit his early fall guess that the lowest price the Apple Watch Edition could sell for would be $5,000. He began asking “friends who might know” whether they thought that estimate was too high.

The answer has always been “No”. But the way I’ve been told “No” has given me the uneasy feeling that I’ve been asking the wrong question. I should have been asking if $5,000 is too low.

I now think Edition models will start around $10,000 — and, if my hunch is right about bands and bracelets, the upper range could go to $20,000. I was off by a factor of two, and my friend Vincent, I think, nailed it back on the day Apple Watch was introduced.

Due to Apple’s decision to remain silent on many details of Apple Watch pricing structure so far, Gruber, like many others, assumed the interchangable bands shown off at last September’s reveal event would be able to be purchased separately. Watch wearers could, in essence, dress up a Sport Edition with a Milanese Loop, or exchange a nice leather band of a higher-tier model with a Sport band. Gruber now notes, however, that this does not appear to be the case, with band options for each watch version being limited.

He points to a list of bands available for the mid-tier stainless steel Apple Watch model. As presented on Apple’s site, the list starts with the Sport band and ends with the higher-quality Space Black Stainless Steel with Link Bracelets. Besides differences between each band’s 38mm and 42mm sizes, Gruber argues this ordering is an indication of price from least to most expensive.

So I’m thinking the regular Apple Watch will come in at least five pricing tiers:

1. Entry: Sport Band, black or white.
2. Regular leather: Classic Buckle, you’ll get it in black and you’ll like it.
3. Milanese Loop.
4. Deluxe leather: Modern Buckle for 38mm models, Leather Loop for 42mm models. Each with a choice of three colors.
5. Link Bracelet.

You’ll pay a premium for color straps and advanced clasp mechanisms, and you’ll pay even more for the Link Bracelet.

He isn’t sure the same ordering rules will apply to the expensive Apple Watch Edition, however, with a small list of six variations, he thinks their placement on the website “almost certainly does not correspond to price.”

Gruber’s full piece is well worth a read, as it offers a thorough analysis of the various band options and how they will likely pair up with the various watch collections. With three different watch collections, two casing sizes, and a number of different bands that will likely vary substantially in price, the Apple Watch appears set to be available at a wide range of price points starting at the base price of $349 and quickly ramping up from there.

News and rumors about the Apple Watch and all of its editions have been building since Tim Cook announced the device’s launch window sometime in April. Most recently it was reported that Apple is allowing select third-party developers to visit the company’s Cupertino headquarters to help them put the finishing touches on their various Apple Watch apps before the big launch. It remains unclear, however, just how long Apple will wait to announce full details on pricing and availability.

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Mac Pro Buyer’s Guide: Which Model to Choose [Mac Blog]

Apple’s Mac Pro is quite an impressive machine. It doesn’t look like any other computer; it’s a work of art with its sleek, cylindrical body. It’s fast, fast, fast. And it’s expensive.

The Mac Pro isn’t for everybody, and not just because it’s Apple’s highest-priced computer. It is made to excel with a certain type of app: professional software that uses multiple processing cores, like software commonly used by videographers, photographers, animators, designers, scientists, and musicians. If that describes what you do on a daily basis, then you’ll benefit from a Mac Pro — you’ll make your money back in time saved.

This guide takes a look at the Mac Pro’s specifications, design, and performance. If you’re in the market for a Mac Pro and you’re not sure which model to buy, this guide will help you sort it all out.

Specifications

Apple offers two standard configurations. You can pick one of the standard configurations, but the Mac Pro is all about custom configurations. Think of the standard configurations as a starting point, and you can then customize your order to better suit your needs.

The $2999 Mac Pro:

• 3.7GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon E5 processor
• 12GB 1866MHz DDR3 ECC memory
• Dual 2GB AMD FirePro D300 graphics cards
• 256GB PCIe-based flash storage

The $3999 Mac Pro:

• 3.5GHz 6-Core Intel Xeon E5 processor
• 16GB 1866MHz DDR3 ECC memory
• Dual 3GB AMD FirePro D500 graphics cards
• 256GB PCIe-based flash storage

Apple offers the following upgrades for the Mac Pro:

• 3.0GHz 8-core processor or 2.7GHz 12-core processor ($500 to $3,500 extra)
• 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB of RAM ($100 to $1,300 extra)
• 512GB or 1TB of flash storage ($300 to $800 extra)
• Dual 6GB AMD FirePro D700 graphics cards ($1000 extra)

As you can see, building a fully-loaded top-of-the-line Mac Pro can get expensive. Based on the add-ons you choose, your Mac Pro could cost up to $9,599.
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Buyer’s Guide: Deals on iMac, iPad Air 2, iPad Mini 3, Apple Accessories, and More [Mac Blog]

Following Valentine’s Day, deals are a bit sparse, but there are still some discounts to be had on the iPad Air 2 and the iPad mini 3. Best Buy is also continuing to offer discounts on its stock of now-discontinued higher-capacity iPad Air and iPad mini 2 models, and several sites have cut the prices on the Retina MacBook Pro and the MacBook Air.

We’ve also got some discounts on Apple accessories, including an exclusive discount on iPad, iPhone, and MacBook skins from SkinIt for MacRumors readers.

iPad Air 2

B&H Photo is offering up to $60 off its entire stock of iPad Air 2 models, dropping the price of the entry-level 16GB Wi-Fi only iPad Air 2 to $464. Discounts vary based on model, but the lowest discount is $35 and the highest is $60 off the 128GB Wi-Fi only iPad Air 2.

iPad Air

Best Buy still has a few now-discontinued higher-capacity iPad Air models available at low prices.

– iPad Air Cellular Silver 64GB (AT&T) – $499.99
– iPad Air Cellular Silver 128GB (AT&T) – $599.99
– iPad Air Cellular Space Gray 128GB (AT&T) – $599.99
– iPad Air Cellular Silver 64GB (Verizon) – $566.99
– iPad Air Cellular Space Gray 64GB (Verizon) – $566.99

iPad mini 3

Best Buy is discounting its stock of 16GB iPad mini 3 models by $50, dropping the price on cellular versions to $479.99 and the price of Wi-Fi only versions to $349.99.

iPad mini 2

Best Buy still has a few now-discontinued higher-capacity iPad mini 2 models available at low prices.

– iPad mini 2 Cellular AT&T Silver 64GB – $399.99
– iPad mini 2 Cellular AT&T Space Gray 128GB – $499.99
– iPad mini 2 Cellular AT&T Silver 128GB – $499.99
– iPad mini 2 Cellular Verizon Silver 64GB – $424.99
– iPad mini 2 Cellular Verizon Space Gray 128GB – $566.99

iMac

– 21.5-inch 1.4Ghz/8GB/500GB (Best Buy) (B&H Photo) – $999, $100 off
– 21.5-inch 2.7GHz/8GB/1TB (Best Buy) (B&H Photo) – $1,179, $120 off
– 21.5-inch 2.9GHz/8GB/1TB (Adorama) – $1,389, $100 off
– 27-inch 3.2GHz/8GB/1TB (Adorama) – $1,689, $110 off
– 27-inch 3.4GHz/8GB/1TB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) – $1,794, $205 off
– 27-inch 3.5Ghz/8GB/1TB Retina iMac (Adorama) (B&H Photo) (MacMall) – $2,349, $150 off

MacBook Air

– 11-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/128GB (B&H Photo) (Adorama) – $819, $50 off
– 11-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/256GB (B&H Photo) (Adorama) – $999, $100 off
– 13-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/128GB (B&H Photo (Adorama) – $919, $80 off
– 13-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/256GB (B&H Photo) (Adorama) – $1,099, $100 off

Retina Macbook Pro

– 13-inch 2.6GHz/8GB/128GB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) – $1,189, $100 off
– 13-inch 2.6GHz/8GB/256GB (B&H Photo) (Adorama) – $1,399, $100 off
– 13-inch 2.8GHz/8GB/512GB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) – $1,599, $200 off
– 15-inch 2.2GHz/16GB/256GB (Best Buy) (Adorama) (B&H Photo) – $1,799.99, $200 off
– 15-inch 2.5GHz/16GB/512GB – (Best Buy) (Adorama) (B&H Photo) – $2,249.99, $200 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.

Calcbot, which just got an update, is currently available for free. Gunship X, normally $0.99, is free this week. Tactical game Frozen Synapse, normally priced at $9.99, is also free.

Duet Game is available for free this week as Apple’s App of the Week pick. It’s regularly priced at $2.99.

Apple Accessories

Groupon is selling a 3.3-foot Lightning cable for $14.99, down from its regular price of $19. The site also has the leather iPad Smart Cover for iPad 2, 3, and 4 for $12.99, down from $69. Woot is selling the Sony portable Bluetooth dock for $129.99, down from $249.

The JBL OnBeat Mini Speaker Dock for iPhone 5/5s/6/6 Plus and iPad is available for $39.99 from Groupon, an 80 percent discount off its regular price. Woot is selling the Mophie Juice Pack Helium cases for the iPhone 5/5s for $29.99, down from the regular price of $79.95. LivingSocial is selling the Speck CandyShell Grip case for iPad mini for $14.99, down from $44.95.

The Jawbone Big Jambox is available for $187.99 from Woot, down from its regular price of $299. The Ion iCade Arcade Bluetooth cabinet is available for $79.99 from Amazon, $55 off its regular price of $129.99.

SkinIt, a site that makes custom skins for a wide range of devices from the iPhone to the MacBook, is offering a special deal buy one get one 50 percent off deal for MacRumors readers. With the code MACRUMORS, you can get 50% off a second skin after purchasing one skin.

MacMall is offering discounts on several monitors. The 32-inch Acer B326HK 4K monitor is available for $879.99, $120 off. The ASUS Professional Graphics 27″ WQHD 2560 x 1440 LED-Backlit PLS Monitor is available for $439.97, $270 off. The Dell 27″ Ultra HD 4K Monitor is available for $579.99, $120 off.

MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors.

Introducing MacRumors Giveaways: Win a Nomad Lightning Cable

Today we’re debuting giveaways on MacRumors, a new feature that will see us partnering up with companies to give away products to our readers. You can expect to see giveaways from us on a regular basis throughout the year.

For our first giveaway, we’ve partnered up with Kero, a company that makes a few awesome accessories for iOS devices, like the Nomad Lightning Cable. The Nomad cable is a three-inch Apple-certified Lightning cable that comes equipped with a USB cap that attaches to a key ring or clip for portability.

If you’ve been a long-time MacRumors reader, you might recognize the Nomad, because we’ve covered it on a few occasions since it first originated on Kickstarter in 2012. There have been several iterations of the Nomad cable since then, and it now comes in three colors: white, blue, and gray.

We’re giving away 50 Nomad Lightning Cables. You can enter to win using the Rafflecopter widget below. You’ll need to enter an email address, which we’ll only use to contact you if you’ve won (your email address will never be provided to a third-party). Social media accounts are not required to enter the contest, but following us on Twitter or Facebook or subscribing to our newsletter can give you a chance for extra entries. You must be 18 or older to enter and located in the United States.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
The contest will run from today at 10:00AM until next Friday at 10:00 AM Pacific Time, at which point we will notify the winners, which will be chosen randomly. Winners will be able to pick a Nomad Cable in the color of their choosing, which will be shipped out for free.

Winners will need to respond to our email within 48 hours, or another winner may be chosen.

Apple to Launch Public Beta Testing Programs for iOS 8.3 and iOS 9

Following up on the public beta program used for OS X Yosemite that allowed non-developers to try out and offer feedback on the operating system before its release, Apple will be launching similar programs for iOS 8.3 next month and iOS 9 later this year, reports 9to5Mac.

…Apple intends to release the upcoming iOS 8.3 as a public beta via the company’s existing AppleSeed program in mid-March, according to the sources. This release will match the third iOS 8.3 beta for developers, which is planned for release the same week. Apple then expects to debut iOS 9 at its June Worldwide Developer Conference, with a public beta release during the summer, and final release in the fall.

iOS 8.2 is still in developer testing as Apple gears up for an April launch of the Apple Watch, but the company has also begun seeding iOS 8.3 to developers. The update includes a number of tweaks including support for wireless CarPlay, two-step verification on Google accounts, a new emoji picker, and Apple Pay through China UnionPay.

After a dramatic visual overhaul with iOS 7 in 2013 and a number of new features such as Continuity in iOS 8 last year, iOS 9 will reportedly focus on stability and optimization, although some new features are likely to be included.

Japan Display Looks to Partner With Apple on New $1.7 Billion iPhone Display Plant [iOS Blog]

Foreign display manufacturer Japan Display Inc. (JPI) is seeking to be Apple’s next go-to source for iPhone screens in the future, according to someone “familiar with the matter” (via The Wall Street Journal).

With the increase in profit overseas, especially following Apple’s attempt at a bigger presence in places like China over the past few months, the source reported that JPI is hoping Apple takes much of the cost for the proposed plant’s investment. As pointed out by Reuters, JPI is aiming for the plant to be operable by next year, and hopes Apple itself would pay much of the predicted 200 billion yen ($1.7 billion) cost of the project.

“We are reviewing various considerations to strengthen our business competitiveness, including new factories, but we haven’t made any decision yet,” Japan Display said in a statement Friday. Apple declined to comment.

The unnamed source continued to describe the plant’s possible location, stating that Ishikawa, in central Japan, is “most likely” the site for the manufacturing plant. JPI runs a plant southeast of Tokyo, in Mobara, “which makes 50,000 of the 1.5 by 1.85 metre sheets a month for iPhone 6 screens and other uses.” According to the source, the new plant would have a “greater capacity” than even JPI’s Mobara facility.

JPI, formed from the troubled display portions of Sony Corp, Toshiba Corp, and Hitachi Ltd, has already seen a resurgence of profit after two consecutive quarter losses thanks to increasing demand from Apple-related devices. Now it wants a bigger contract with the Cupertino-based company – and its record-breaking profits – to boost its own earnings even higher.

Apple Watch might target the fashion crowd in high-end Paris stores

How do you make a smartwatch appeal to the fashion set? By bringing it into their natural habitat: Ridiculously expensive retailers in fashion hubs. French news sites are reporting (via 9to5Mac) that Apple is setting up booths for the Apple Watch within high-end Paris stores like Galeries Lafayette (above) on the Champs Elysses. Don’t forget that Apple isn’t just targeting tech geeks with its smartwatch, it’s also aiming at the same deep-pocketed consumers that keep the Swiss watch industry alive. To compete with the likes of Rolex and Richemont (whose watch brands include Cartier and Piaget), it needs to be in the same stores. And while the Apple Watch will start at $350, its fancier steel and gold versions will push its price into territory that the company’s traditional devotees might have a tough time stomaching. Judging from the reports we’ve heard, the steel watch could go for more than $500, while the gold Apple Watch Edition could go for several thousand dollars.

9to5Mac is also hearing that Apple is considering plenty of other retail strategies: It could bring more Apple Watch kiosks into existing retailers, or it may even launch standalone stores for its smartwatch. That may seem a tad much at the moment, but if the Apple Watch takes off there may be a need for smaller stores that focus on it entirely, similar to Swatch’s retail approach.

[Photo credit: Bertrand Guay/AFP/Getty Images]

Filed under: Wearables, Mobile, Apple

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Via: 9to5Mac

Source: Mac4Ever