Tag: apple

WatchAware Previews How Third-Party Apps Would Look on the Apple Watch

Apple Watch, the device which will mark the entry of the Cupertino-based giant in the wearable space, is scheduled to release few days from now. There have been certain disclosures about the Watch that points to the fact that this might just be the smartest wearable in the market. Now, more revelations are unfolding that have gotten us excited about getting our hands on Apple’s first smartwatch.

A site WatchAware has been developed that gives a demo of some of the many features of the new Watch. The website is built by the AppAdvice team that is dedicated to providing the media coverage of Apple Watch. WatchAware depicts some videos that inform us about the inclusion of selected third-party apps on the iWatch. Presently, the site includes 27 previews of applications like Run 5k, Todoist, Deliveries and Infinitweet.

.@_DavidSmith previews an interactive version of @FeedWrangler for Apple Watch: http://t.co/kRdyW1Trqb pic.twitter.com/yMW1cjURZe

— WatchAware (@WatchAware) March 3, 2015

These previews give users a fair idea of how the things are going to work and how Apple is trying to catch up with the present wearable market. The website includes a little description to give clues about its functionality. The features have been embedded on the Apple Watch prototype to showcase how the things would look like on the stainless piece. The touch seems as fluid and smooth as the iPhone screen; one can easily scroll up and down to view the content.

Beautiful jogging coach app 5K Run shares an interactive version of their Apple Watch app: http://t.co/kRdyW1Trqb pic.twitter.com/v5Ug9d6yL8

— WatchAware (@WatchAware) March 3, 2015

The WatchAware is a fresh initiative and an interesting platform that will help developers display their app inventions. It is learnt that the team will add more interactive previews about the apps coming on the Watch. The new proposal gives new developers a chance to exhibit to the world about the functionality of the upcoming apps.

March 4, 2015
Apple Watch Will Have the Power to Replace Your Car Keys, Says Tim Cook

Just when we thought that we knew everything important about Apple’s much-awaited Watch, there was another significant disclosure by the company. The CEO of the organization, Tim Cook, took to the stage to enlighten the audience about the magnitude of the Apple Watch and informed that it has the power to replace your car keys.

Cook further stated in an interview given to The Telegraph that the Watch is designed in a way to replace car keys, so as to get rid of the clumsy, large fobs used for vehicles. Commenting on the battery of the wrist gadget, Tim elaborated its battery will go on for a full day and the charging time will be lesser than that of the iPhone.

Bearing another primary feature of the iPhone, the Watch will embed the company’s digital wallet service Apple Pay, which hoped to replace credit cards. This is not the first time Apple has dived into the automobile segment. Last March, it showcased CarPlay that lets drivers perform essential features like browse contacts, make calls and more without leaving the steering wheel.

Well, hearing all this, we are much more excited about the official launch than ever. The company has scheduled a special event for 9th March where the Watch will be finally unveiled.

February 28, 2015
Facebook Gets Socially Responsible, Allows Users to Define Their Gender

Gender rights and equality issues is one of the major conversational topics today. There has been more interest than ever to give equal representations to all members of society. Facebook has been one of the most prominent tech companies that has tried to engage on this issue. The company last year unveiled a huge list of new sexual identities for users to choose from but now the company has gone further. It now allows users to specify it for themselves.

The new feature lets user define their gender and select how they choose to be referred to on Facebook.

Facebook had unveiled another feature where users could select from options like cisgender, transgender or intersex. But some users found the move not inclusive enough. So now the social media superpower has gone ahead to let the users themselves choose how they want to be addressed by the service. Users can select how they define their gender and can select from options like her/him/them, as to how they want to be referred to as on Facebook. It will also let users select who they want to share their gender information with through privacy settings.

Suicide prevention features from Facebook.

Facebook’s use of its platform for socially responsible causes doesn’t end here, the company also unveiled a new suicide prevention feature. This is an applaudable move because we are getting limited to social networking for human interaction, and this will help troubled individuals to get support from concerned friends. The feature lets users report to Facebook if they see troubling content that would define suicidal thoughts in an individual. Facebook’s professionals will go through the reports and decide on providing help to the individual. Facebook has worked with various agencies who specialize in suicide prevention to come up with this new feature.

Apple’s new all inclusive emoji’s.

Another Silicon Valley powerhouse, Apple announced new emoji’s in order to address diversity issues. The makers of iPhone have unveiled new emoji line up that will represent people of all races. This feature is added in the iOS 8.3 beta and will probably arrive later this year.

It’s encouraging to see the tech industry standing up for the values of equality. Social media and messaging apps are the most important communication tools and it’s good to see them have more utility than just telling us what our random high school acquaintance had for lunch.

February 27, 2015
It’s Official, Apple to Launch its Watch on 9th March

The when and where questions about the Apple Watch have finally come to an end. Last night Apple announced that its much-anticipated smartwatch Apple Watch will launch in an event on March 9 titled as ‘Spring Forward’. The Cupertino-based firm has started sending out media invites for the show to be held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.

Well, we have a basic idea of how the Apple Watch functions, but there will be much more that the company would have kept undercover for the big day. As already stated, the Watch will cost $350 in the US for the aluminum Sport model and will start shipping in April. The prices of the Watch for other countries are expected to be announced on 9^th March. The other two superior variants of the Apple Watch are bound to be priced significantly higher. One of the two is a mid-level stainless-steel Watch and the other is a 18-karat-gold edition.

The Watch by Apple is fixed for the event, but the firm may throw other big surprises along with it. Rumours have been whirling about the 12-inch MacBook Air that is sleek, stylish and in line with other previous generation MacBooks. It is speculated to feature a Retina display with a refurbished design. Another notable rumour is that Apple is working on a larger 12.9-inch iPad Plus. Many more devices like Apple TV box and more may follow the Apple Watch.

It’s just a matter of a few days before Apple raises the curtains to reveal its newest offering for the year 2015.

February 27, 2015
Apple to Pay $532.9 Million For Patent Infringement

Electronics giant, Apple has found itself on the losing end today after a court found that its iTunes software infringed the patent of a Texas-based company. Apple has been asked by the court to pay Smartflash LLC a massive sum of $532.9 million.

The US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas found that Apple’s iTunes software violated three patents owned by Smartflash. The actual compensation demanded by Smartflash was $852 million. It claimed that it was entitled to the percentage of sales of all the devices such as Macs, iPad and iPhones that were used to access iTunes.

A visibly bitter Apple team said that it did not respect Smartflash’s inventions, as the patents were invalid and weren’t infringed. It had claimed that the patents were at most worth $4.5 million adding that Smartflash demands were excessive and unsupportable.

The court found Apple guilty of infringing 3 patents of Smartflash and using them in iTunes.

Smartflash is not a device maker; it licenses the patents issued to it between 2008 and 2012. It has also sued Samsung, Google and Amazon for patent infringement. The jury found that Apple didn’t just infringe the patents; it did so willfully.

iTunes is one of the central softwares in the Apple ecosystem. It is not just a music player but is also a major e-commerce player as users can download content through it.

The case might be important in terms of patent reforms. The American system of patents allows developers and creators to gain patents on slightest dissimilarities with other products. This leads to a vast numbers of patent hoarders, whose sole business model is based on the licensing income.

February 25, 2015
Life of Jobs: The Man Who Designed the Future

Today marks the 60th birth anniversary of Steve Jobs, the founder of the revolutionary technology institution, Apple. Steve Jobs is a cultural icon and is credited with giving a second life to Apple and establishing it as Silicon Valley’s royalty. He died on October 5, 2011, aged 56, but left a lasting legacy.

Steve did not just change the world of computers but led the way in changing the way we watch movies, stream music and consume content on various devices. He is also credited for giving the world some of the best-designed consumer electronics. We look into some of the greatest achievements of this phenomenal individual.

It’s a Mac Mac World

When you talk about the history of personal computing, Apple comes out as one of the major pioneers of the revolution. Their desktop computers that employed a graphical user interface and a mouse were instrumental in creating more engaging interaction with the digital machines. Steve had also founded NeXT computers that boasted technologically advanced features. In fact, Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web on a NeXT computer at CERN. Apple’s computers are considered the most sought after machinery by creative as well as corporate consumers.

iPhone to Rule Them All

There are many claimants for the spot of the first smartphone maker. Companies like HTC, Nokia, Microsoft had been in the field of portable computing, but Apple will be considered the standard bearer for the smartphone revolution. With the iPhone, Jobs sold to the world the idea of a key-less, touch-based device that would be at the core of the new age economy. The app market for smart devices also mushroomed all over the world. The recently launched 6th generation iPhone handsets were a major success in the market and gave the company their most profitable quarter ever. iPhone’s features inspired Google’s Android ecosystem which brought smartphone access to a larger population.

Music On-The-Go

“One more thing” is one of the most identifiable catchphrases from Steve Jobs. The iconic three words were spoken before the launch of a game-changing device, the Apple iPod. The portable music player revolutionized the world of music; it set the tone for a plethora of handheld music players, a concept later absorbed into smartphones.

Stream The World

Apple’s iTunes service also led to a major shift in the manner in which people consumed video and music content. Through the iTunes store, subscribers could buy music, music videos, television shows, audiobooks, podcasts, movies, and more. We now have services like Netflix, Hulu, Spotify and others who have risen to become the major forces in the streaming business and used by people worldwide.

Animated Story

In 1986, Steve purchased Pixar Animation Studios from George Lucas. The studio rose to prominence with the release of Toy Story in 1995. It also released several box office hits such as Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, WALL-E, andUp. Pixar was purchased by Disney in 2006.

Apple Computers Company was founded in 1976. It was named in remembrance of a happy summer Jobs had spent picking apples. Apple recently launched the new generation of its iPhone line of devices and with that it had its best quarter earnings ever. Steve had been defined by many as “the master evangelist of the digital age” and a “futurist.” Hopefully, he would have appreciated the path Apple is treading on right now.

February 24, 2015
Apple’s Upcoming 12-inch MacBook Air May Feature Touch ID Fingerprint Scanner

The highly anticipated next generation MacBook Air is said to boast a 12-inch display along with Intel Broadwell chipsets, but its other specs are still behind the veil. A Taiwanese website Apple.club.tw has made an announcement that the Cupertino-based giant will embed the future MacBooks and desktops with Touch ID fingerprint scanner. This includes the rumoured 12-inch MacBook Air as well.

According to the source, Apple will infuse the Touch ID in the trackpad of the purposed 12-inch laptop and next-gen MacBook Pro. As for desktops, the fingerprint scanner is likely to be implanted in the Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad.

The website also stated that the next sleek and thin MacBook Air may come in three colour variants – silver, space grey, and gold. The colours may remind you of the last released iPhones and iPads.

Meanwhile, it should be noted that these are just rumours, and the company hasn’t come forward with any statement confirming these reports. If the speculations turn out to be true, then it may give a push to the company’s payment system, Apple Pay. The users will be allowed to make safe online purchases using Apple Pay. The mobile payment, as for now, is limited to the two top-end handsets, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. In future, it will be compatible with iPhone 5 series when paired with Apple Watch.

The reported 12-inch MacBook is said to be thinner than its predecessor and will come with a Retina display. It is expected to launch this year by the end of the second quarter.

February 18, 2015
Apple Might Step in the VR Headset Space With an iPhone Centric Device

Virtual reality is the newest trend in the market that every firm wants to foster. Samsung and Facebook are already making headlines with their offerings in virtual reality space. Now, Apple is attempting to jump into the battleground to make a space way for itself in this budding market.

Today, the Cupertino based tech giant has been granted a patent titled ‘Head-Mounted Display Apparatus for Retaining a Portable Electronic Device with Display.’ The patent describes a Samsung’s Gear VR-like portable electronic device, which will be powered by the high definition screen of the iPhones. The patent was first filed back in September 2008 and the company is now awarded the same after five years.

According to images registered with the patents, the iPhone will be placed within the headset frame, and its screen will act as the primary display for viewing the virtual reality content. The pictures also depict a remote that could be used to control the content on screen.

Electronic headset concept is not new as Samsung and Google have gone far ahead in VR headset game. Samsung Gear VR is a commendable product which is compatible with Galaxy Note 4 and the new Galaxy A7 for now. The company is also exploring the virtual reality space with Project Beyond, which is a 360-degree camera for recording VR content.

Meanwhile, besides a VR headset, the patents speak of one more feature called picture-in-picture (PIP). This tool will aid users in keeping an eye on the real world when the headset is on. A total of 41 patents have been granted to Apple on Tuesday, which came to light today. These patents are related to optics, design and accessories. So, users can expect a pinch of new innovation with Apple’s VR headset.

February 18, 2015
IDC : Xiaomi Takes Samsung’s Top Spot as China’s Biggest Smartphone Vendor in 2014

Samsung was leading the race of the biggest smartphone vendor race in China. But it was before Xiaomi stepped into the battle ground. The five-year-old Chinese smartphone producer has now dethroned Samsung from the top spot and has become the leader of China’s smartphone market, as per a report by research firm IDC.

According to the firm, Xiaomi showed a splendid 150 percent year-on-year unit growth in the fourth quarter of 2014, which was followed by Apple at 99.7 percent. Samsung was at the fifth place with a declined smartphone shipment numbers at -49.9 percent after Huawei and Lenovo.

The news in not at all astonishing as IDC and Strategy Analytics dubbed Xiaomi as the biggest smartphone vendor of China in the third quarter last year in August. They also confirmed that Xiaomi is the third-largest smartphone vendor in the world.

A total of 420.7 million smartphones were shipped to China in 2014. The IDC’s analysts say that Xiaomi has gained success due to the flash sale strategy and low prices.

Samsung is going through a rough patch since the past few months. After losing the world’s leading smartphone vendor position from Apple, its situation became more critical after Indian-grown Micromax snatched another accolade from the South Korean electronics producer. Samsung continues to launch more phones with low specs and high prices, which are failing dramatically to impress the potential customers.

February 17, 2015
Apple Might Be Working on an Electric Car

Electric cars seem to be the future of the way we commute, no wonder it has become a prime area of interest for Silicon Valley giants ranging from Google to NASA. According to several sources, we can add Apple to the list.

A new report suggests that Apple is prepping its own electric car. The report further states that the Cupertino-based giant has a team of up to 1,000 employees working on a secret project codenamed ‘Titan’. Anonymous sources also suggest the possibility of a car that resembles a minivan.

The report also claims that Apple has appointed executive and former Ford engineer Steve Zadesky as the head the project.

Though the journal also mentions that this could be just an R&D effort, and Apple may not complete the project. So, launching the vehicle in the market is still years way.

Meanwhile, a report from Financial Times claims that Apple has also been hiring automotive experts to work on this secret project. A LinkedIn search also suggests that atleast 46 former employees of Tesla are now working for Apple.

February 14, 2015
Apple Reveals New Tech Which Will Further Bolster iPhone’s Camera Quality

Apple is filing for a new patent, in an attempt to further bolster the performance of its image quality. The patent has been filed for a technology called “Mirror Tilt Actuation”, that allows users to take high quality pictures even if they aren’t holding their handset steady.

Apple believes this new technology will be a further improvement over the existing OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) technology that the company used in its iPhone 6 Plus for the first time.

So, how would this work?

According to Apple Insider, the camera would include a ‘folded optics arrangement,’ in which light would enter the lens and mirror assembly through a first lens. The light would then be redirected with a mirror at a right angle, where it would be sent to the remaining movable lens elements. To compensate for a user’s hand movement and any jitters in picture taking, Apple’s camera would include an actuator for tilting the mirror according to movement of the iPhone.

Put simply, Apple wants to pull-off a mechanism in the camera that will sync the camera’s mirror with the movement of your hands to make sure the picture quality is maintained even if your hand is shaky.

February 13, 2015
Apple to Power New Headquarter With Solar Power Worth $850 Million

Apple’s new massive headquarters have been in news ever since the first design plans were unveiled. The spaceship like circular building looks spectacular and futuristic, apt for a company known for its superior designs. The new building would also be friendly to the environment as the company is investing $850 Million to power the building through solar energy.

Apple would be establishing a solar farm in an area spanning 2900 acres. It will be built by American photovoltaic manufacturer, First Solar. The building is expected to be fully constructed by next year.

A 25 year contract has been signed between the two companies. This is the biggest commercial power deal for the solar industry. Going completely solar is a great step on the part of Apple as data centers and corporate offices draw massive amount of power which in turn leads to pollution. Apple’s initiative might encourage other companies to rely on green power for their operations.

Environment activists Greenpeace appreciated Apple’s initiative and said:

[quote text_size=”small” author=”Greenpeace”]

Apple still has work to do to reduce its environmental footprint, but other Fortune 500 CEOs, other Fortune 500 companies would be well served to make a study of Tim Cook, whose actions show that he intends to take Apple full-speed ahead toward renewable energy with the urgency that our climate crisis demands.

[/quote]

Apple has a market valuation of more than $700 Billion and its appreciable that the company is investing in future oriented fields. It would also be great if the company brings out some mind blowing gadgetry that it has been known for.

February 11, 2015
Apple Tests Faster Photos App for OS X to Replace iPhoto

Last year, Apple announced that it would discontinue its consumer photo library, iPhoto, and Aperture, the professional photo editing suite. The company has finally made up its mind. Recently, the firm released a developer version of the iPhoto successor app called Photos for OS X and soon it will be followed by a public Photos beta. The update will be absolutely free and will release for Mac users by spring this year.

The new app is expected to have a cleaner design and a file management system that is more convinent. As per the previous declaration by Apple, the new Photos app will be linked to iCloud, which is Apple’s photo backup.

As per The Verge, the new Photos app is just like iPhoto, so users would not have any problem navigating the app. Photos for OS X has four main tabs – Photos, Shared, Albums, and Projects. It contains all your photos in chronological format. Shared holds images from the shared photo streams, and an activity feed for likes and comments on those streams. Albums simply carries albums created by users and Projects stores slideshows. It’s a storefront for products with printed photos like cards, books, calendars, and so on.

Not just this, Phtotos for OS X can perform many other functions. The Albums section can segregate different kinds of images, e.g. panoramas, slo-mo videos, and time lapses. The app is said to be really fast, no matter how many pictures you stuff in it.

The central feature is its amazing syncronization capabiliy. If someone clicks on a picture from the iCloud-connected iPhone, it will automatically appear on the Photos app on Mac. Overall, the new app sounds quite promising and with this big step, the app should be able to gain some attention.

February 6, 2015
Apple Watch to be Used by Major US Hospitals for Health Report

Smartwatches are built with an aim to use technology to make lives easier for its users. Many manufacturers have now launched smartwatches to keep up with the wearable technology race, but it seems like Apple is working hard to remain at the top of this game. A new report states that Apple’s healthcare gadget is the top choice of major US hospital doctors to monitor patients.

According to a survey conducted by Reuters, top hospitals prefer Apple’s smartwatch rather than the wrist-worn gadgets by Samsung and Google. The hospitals are in talks to start a program of Apple’s HealthKit service that will assist doctors read the recorded health information like blood pressure, weight or heart rate, so that the chronic conditions can be detected.

The Apple Heathkit gathers data such as glucose measurement tools, tracking apps to measure food intake and exercise and Wi-Fi connected scales. The forthcoming watch, set to release in April, is expected to come with some features that would allow doctors to view the heath records of a person just by sending it through the watch.

The Chief Clinical Transformation Officer Dr. Richard Milani clarified the use of Apple Watch saying, “If we had more data, like daily weights, we could give the patient a call before they need to be hospitalized.” An industry advisor John Halamka spoke about the use of Apple Watch commenting, “Can I interface to every possible device that every patient uses? No. But Apple can.”

The health technology is growing at a rapid speed and there are chances that Apple will invest more by 2018 in technology including apps, wearables, virtual care and remote monitoring.

February 6, 2015
Apple’s New Beats Music Streaming Service is Reportedly Coming to Android

Some six months back, Apple bought the popular audio equipment brand Beats and at that time it wasn’t clear how and where the company going to use it. But now, Apple has started revamping the popular Beats Music streaming service and according to a report, the company will launch the new paid streaming service on the Android platform.

The recent service is entirely designed by Apple and infuses Beat technology and music content under the hood. Based on cloud streaming, the yet unnamed service is centered around the user’s music library. A new search feature is embedded within the app that helps locate songs in the iTunes/Beats catalog. Along with that users will be able to stream music and add songs to their personal library from the catalog itself.

Not only this, but also it is thinking of integrating Beats Music’s Playlist, Activities, and other features to let users access an already prepared music library. There is also news that the company will update Beats’ social networking feature so that people can follow other users and artists.

The service, expected to be priced $7.99 per month, will compete with the already popular apps like Spotify and Rdio, which cost $9.99 per month each.

A Beats Music app is already available for download on the Google Play Store, but it is not the tweaked version. The company has no plans to develop a new app for Microsoft’s platform.

The new service will mark Apple’s first-time effort to build an in-house Android application. It’s not astonishing, and the company could have focused on Android-based apps as Android audience is far widespread than the iOS.

There is no notification about when and on which platform (iOS or Android) it is going to release, but rumours have surfaced that it will release in March this year. There is a possibility that the new Beats Music app may release alongside Apple watch, but these are mere speculations as of now.

February 5, 2015