Apple ‘iTime’ patent details a modular smartwatch with sensors in the band

A new Apple patent for smartwatch designs and features is bound to fuel more speculation about an incoming “iWatch,” even though such claims often amount to nothing. Still, the patent is interesting on its own merits. One version shows a receptacle band that could accept an external “iTime” module as shown above — not unlike the iPod Nano watch craze from 2010. However, Apple’s band has built-in electronics like Bluetooth transceivers, along with accelerometers and GPS modules — sensors rumored to be built-in to Apple’s upcoming wearable. According to the document, that would enable smartphone or computer notifications that you could see, hear or feel. You’d also be able to dismiss notifications or perform other actions by shaking your wrist once or several times, according to another claim.

While all of this is interesting, it could be largely unrelated to any products planned by Apple, since it was filed in 2011 — and similar Apple patents have amount to nothing thus far. However, the issue date of today (July 22nd) is intriguing, since rumors are gathering steam over a smartwatch launch at Apple’s next event, possibly in September. Either way, we hope that wearables don’t become the next patent battlefield — only lawyers get excited by a prospect like that.

Filed under: Wearables, Apple

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Via: Apple Insider

Source: USPTO

Apple Outlines Smart Wristband with Phone Connectivity and Gesture Control in New Patent

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office today granted Apple a patent that describes a wrist-worn device containing sensors and wireless radios that allow it to communicate with other devices such as the iPhone, iPad or Mac (Via AppleInsider). It is a comprehensive patent that describes some of the core features of Apple’s rumored iWatch device.

Front view of a device similar to a sixth-generation iPod nano docked into wristband
The invention details a modular device, identified in the patent as the “iTime”, that features a wrist-worn, sensor-laden strap and potentially removable modules. The modules, such as a media player, can snap into a wristband, which contains add-ons like GPS and a Wi-Fi radio that increase the functionality of the device. The system is reminiscent of the sixth-generation iPod nano, which fits a wristband to become a wearable media player.

The invention pertains to an electronic wristwatch. According to one embodiment, an electronic wristband can provide additional electrical circuitry or devices that can be made available for use as or with an electronic device. In one embodiment, the electronic device can be a mobile electronic device that can be removably coupled to the electronic wristband which provides the additional circuitry or devices. Advantageously, the electronic device can utilize the additional electrical circuitry or devices provided within the electronic wristband to augment the capabilities of the electronic device. In another embodiment, the electronic device can be integrally formed with the electronic wristband which provides the additional circuitry or devices.

Side view showing wristband with docking connector (314)
Apple also describes a method of connecting the smartwatch to a mobile device that allows for the display of incoming calls, text messages and other alerts on the wrist-worn display. In another embodiment, the device can alert the user when it is out of range and thus at risk of being lost or stolen. The patent also contains provisions for movement-based controls of the wristwatch device.

Apple is rumored to be working on the iWatch, a smartwatch device that could debut later this year. Rumors suggests the wristband may include sensors to monitor activity levels, heart rate and other vital health functions. The device likely will share its data with iOS via the new Health app in iOS 8.

Hands-On With Apple’s New Tips App in iOS 8 Beta 4 [iOS Blog]

iOS 8 beta 4, released earlier today, included a new app called Tips, which is designed to offer iOS 8 users information about all of the new features in the operating system.

Tips was first hinted at during Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, shown briefly on a display that rounded up dozens of unmentioned iOS 8 features, but it was missing from the iOS 8 betas until today.

It was unclear what would be included in the Tips app, but it turns out Tips is a simple tutorial-style app that gives users a look at some of the various features in iOS 8, using text, images, and brief animations.

As detailed in the above video, the Tips app has the following sections: Quickly respond to a notification, Notify me when there’s a reply (in Mail), Hey Siri (on hands-free Siri operation), Send a spoken message (in Messages), Quickly manage your mail (using gestures), and Be in the shot (camera timer mode).

Tips has a simple interface that opens directly into the first tip, using swipe gestures to navigate through available content. There’s a menu button on the bottom of the screen that gives a list of all the available tips, and each tip can be shared via Message, Mail, Facebook, or Twitter using the app’s share sheet. There’s also a “Like” feature, which most likely gives Apple information on which tips are most popular.

While there are only six different tips available in the app right now, an ending page suggests that users “Check back for new tips every week,” indicating the app will be updated on a weekly basis. There’s also a link to Apple’s iOS 8 website, and the app will send notifications to users when new tips are available.

Tips probably won’t be a feature that’s useful for seasoned iOS users, but for users who aren’t familiar with the ins and outs of the operating system, the app will provide valuable information on accessing new features.

Tips is only available to registered developers who have iOS 8 beta 4 installed on their devices, but it will become available to all users this fall, when iOS 8 is released to the public.

Apple Launches New ‘The Notebook People Love’ MacBook Air Ad

Apple has launched a new television ad for the MacBook Air, showing off an array of customizable decals placed over the Apple symbol on the back of the notebook.

Decals shown include various sunglasses, hats, and headphones, along with nods to Breaking Bad, Peanuts, Ice Age, Snow White, Pac Man, Chi the Cat, The Simpsons, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Tasmanian Devil, Hello Kitty, Catwoman, and Mickey Mouse.

There are also cameras, record players, trees, faces, cityscapes, planets, scuba divers, 8-bit games, a variety of abstract designs and patterns, and more, plus a Beats logo. The new ad, first noticed by 9to5Mac has not yet been uploaded by Apple, so there is no official video as of yet.

The new spot ends with a side view of the MacBook Air and the tagline “The notebook people love.”

Apple’s MacBook Air, last refreshed in April of 2014, is known for its portability and ultrathin size, weighing in at 2.38 pounds for the 11-inch model and 2.96 pounds for the 13-inch model. The MacBook Air is also Apple’s most affordable notebook, with prices beginning at $899.

Apple Preparing Between 70 and 80 Million 4.7 and 5.5-Inch iPhone 6 Units to Meet High Consumer Demand

Apple is asking its suppliers to manufacture a massive number of 4.7 and 5.5-inch iPhones in anticipation of high consumer demand, reports The Wall Street Journal. The company is seeking between 70 and 80 million units combined of the 4.7 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 by December, its largest order to date and a major jump from last year, where it ordered between 50 and 60 million iPhone 5s and 5c models.

Its forecast for what is commonly called the iPhone 6 is significantly larger than the initial order last year of between 50 million and 60 million versions of the iPhone 5S and 5C–which had a display measuring 4-inches diagonally, these people said. Both of the coming models are expected to feature metal cases similar to the iPhone 5S and likely come in multiple colors, these people said.

With high iPhone 6 numbers, Apple is likely hoping to avoid the supply/demand crisis it saw last year with the iPhone 5s. After the iPhone 5s launched in September of 2013, Apple saw unexpectedly high demand for the flagship device, likely due to its new Touch ID fingerprint sensor. The phone was in short supply for much of 2013, and Tim Cook later admitted that Apple had expected a more balanced demand between the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5c.

4.7 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 mockups compared to iPhone 5s
Demand for the iPhone 6 will likely be extremely high, as it marks both a redesign and the introduction of a larger screen, a long-awaited feature that could cause a massive spike in upgrades from both iPhone upgraders and those switching from Android. According to analyst estimates, Apple could see a 15 to 20 percent jump in unit sales year over year.

Apple partners Foxconn and Pegatron are said to be hiring massive numbers of new employees to help assemble the iPhone 6, with main supplier Foxconn taking on an additional 100,000 employees and Pegatron adding 10,000.

The 4.7-inch iPhone 6 is expected to enter production in July, while production on the 5.5-inch version will begin in August or September. At this time, it remains unclear if the two iPhone 6 models will launch simultaneously, as rumors have suggested production issues may push back the launch of the 5.5-inch iPhone to late 2014 or early 2015.

In-cell display technology for the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 has been said to be causing significant problems and The Wall Street Journal suggests there may be additional complications if the larger device also uses a sapphire display. Apple is reportedly asking component makers to prepare enough parts for up to 120 million iPhone 6 models in order to compensate for high failure rates.

Intel Launches New Core i5, i7 Haswell Processors Possibly Slated for Retina MacBook Pro Refresh

Intel yesterday launched new Haswell processors designed for high-end notebooks, which could be slated for use in an upcoming refresh of the 13 and 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro models.

As detailed by CPU World, Intel has released three new Core i5 chips and three new Core i7 chips that are all successors to the chips currently used in the 13 and 15-inch Retina MacBook Pros. The new processors provide a modest 200 MHz speed boost over existing Haswell chips.

The Core i7-4770HQ chip at 2.2 GHz is a direct replacement for the Core i7-4750 used in the lower-end 2.0 GHz 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro, while the Core i7-4870HQ chip at 2.5 GHz is a direct replacement for the high-end 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro’s existing Core i7-4850 chip at 2.3 GHz. The Core i7-4980HQ chip at 2.8 GHz replaces the high-end build-to-order Core-i7 4960 processor at 2.6 GHz.

As for the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pros, the Core-i5 4278U, the Core i5-4308U, and the Core i7-4578U all offer the same 200 MHz jump over the existing Core i5-4258, Core i5-4288, and Core i7-4558 used in the three processors available for the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro, bringing the low-end up to 2.6 GHz, the mid tier to 2.8 GHz, and the high-end build-to-order option to 3.0 GHz.

Earlier this year, an Intel roadmap revealed direct Haswell successors for the MacBook Air and the iMac, but at the time, there did not appear to be any chips available for a 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro update. The chips in the roadmap designed for the MacBook Air were used in the April refresh as we expected, and the newly released chips are likely destined for an upcoming Retina MacBook Pro update.

As these chips only offer a small 200MHz boost over existing chips, the fall Retina MacBook Pro refresh that has been previously rumored is likely to be only a minor update. A major Retina MacBook Pro update is unlikely until Intel’s Broadwell chips are ready in 2015.

Last week, a rumor suggested redesigned 11 and 13-inch MacBook Air models were slated to enter production in August, but it is unclear what chips those machines might utilize as Intel has not yet released another set of Haswell chips suitable for a MacBook Air refresh.

Samsung Launches New ‘Screen Envy’ Anti-iPhone Ad

Over the past several weeks, Samsung has released three different ads pitting its Galaxy S5 and its Galaxy Tab S against Apple’s iPhone and iPad. Now the company is back today with a new anti-iPhone ad that highlights the Galaxy S5 as having the “screen your friends wish they had.”

The spot depicts an iPhone user sitting next to a Samsung user, with the two discussing the rumored larger screen of the upcoming iPhone 6. “iPhone might be getting a bigger screen,” the iPhone owner tells his S5-toting friend. “That hasn’t happened yet?” the friend replies as the two go on to compare their phones.

You know that thing you’ve been waiting on for like two years and how it’s supposed to be awesome and how it’s going to blow your mind? Well, it’s been here this whole time. But maybe you just like waiting.

Immediate gratification is an advertising tactic Samsung has used before, with its new ad harkening back to its well-known 2011 commercial series that depicted iPhone owners waiting in long lines for new iPhones while enviously eyeing Samsung devices. The ad also includes Samsung’s tagline “The Next Big Thing is Here,” which reportedly infuriated Apple in the past.

The company’s Galaxy S5, introduced in back in February, includes a 5.1-inch display, but Samsung devices have had larger-sized screens for several years running. Apple is planning to address growing consumer demand for bigger displays with the iPhone 6, introducing two new models with 4.7 and 5.5-inch screens. The 4.7-inch iPhone 6 is set to launch in September, while the larger 5.5-inch version may come somewhat later in 2014 or early 2015.

Netflix for Apple TV Gains ‘Up Next’ Feature for Automatic Episode Playback [Mac Blog]

Netflix for the Apple TV was updated today to add a new “Up Next” feature, which lets users automatically select the next episode of a television show for playback. While easy playback of the next episode in a series has been long available on the web and in the Netflix app for iOS devices, it’s been noticeably missing from the Apple TV.

Prior to today’s update, Apple TV users were forced to return to the main series menu to initiate the playback of the next episode of a television show, a task that required several extra button clicks. As of today, playing the next episode of a series requires only a single click on the remote as the “Play Next Episode” option pops up as soon as an episode ends.

“Play Next Episode” on the Apple TV is slightly different from the playback feature on iOS devices and on the web, which begin playing the next episode in a series automatically after a short countdown timer. The Apple TV still requires user interaction to play a new episode.

Netflix’s new Apple TV feature comes as the company announces its Q2 financial results, with a total 50.05 million subscribers, up from 37.56 million in Q2 2013. Netflix saw $1.34 billion in total revenue during the quarter, with net income of $71 million.