News Apple Procduct Update : Buyer's Guide - Discounts On iPad Air 2, MacBook Air, Apple Accessories, And More

If you've been waiting to buy an iPad Air 2, this may be the week to do it. Best Buy has cut prices on many models by $50 to $100. Prices aren't the lowest we've seen, but they're close, especially on higher-capacity models.
Best Buy is also having a sale on some of its MacBook Air models, dropping the prices by $100. With the deal, the prices are the lowest we've seen on the 11-inch MacBook Air models since they were released. Best Buy is also now selling the Apple Watch, but there are no discounts to be had on the device.
Apple's Back to School promotion is still going on, and as of this week, it's expanded to the online store as well. Apple is offering a free pair of Beats Solo2 headphones with the purchase of a Mac.

iPad Air 2 :

Best Buy is discounting its selection of iPad Air 2 models this week, dropping prices from $75 to $100. The biggest discount is on the 128GB Cellular iPad Air 2 in Gold and Space Gray, available for $729.99, the lowest price we've seen on that particular model.


The 16GB Wi-Fi only model is available for $449, the 64GB Wi-Fi model is available for $524.99, and the 128GB Wi-Fi model is available for $599.99, $100 off.

B&H Photo is offering a discount on some of its iPad Air 2 models, dropping prices by $30 to $75. The biggest discount is on the site's 64GB Cellular iPad Air 2 models, which are available for $654.99. The discount is available on all colors, including Silver, Gold, and Space Gray.

Other B&H iPads are discounted by $30 to $50 and prices vary by model. The 16GB entry-level Wi-Fi model, for example, is priced at $469, while the 64GB Wi-Fi model is $569.

iPad Air :

Best Buy, Amazon, and B&H Photo have discounts on a bit of remaining stock of now-discontinued higher-capacity iPad Air models, as listed below.

- iPad Air Cellular Space Gray 64GB (AT&T) - $539.99
- iPad Air Cellular Silver 128GB (Verizon) - $663.99

iPad mini 3 :

B&H Photo is offering some discounts on various iPad mini 3 models, dropping the price by up to $100. The 16GB WiFi + Cellular iPad mini 3 in silver is available for $429, the lowest price we've seen, and the 128GB version is available for $639. The 128GB WiFi only iPad mini 3 in Silver is priced at $499, a $100 discount.


Discounts for each model and color vary, but most models are being offered at a lower price than you'll find at the Apple Store, and buying from B&H, you won't have to pay sales tax unless you're in New York.

iPad mini 2 :

Best Buy, B&H Photo, and Amazon have remaining stock of now-discontinued higher-capacity iPad mini 2 models, which are a good deal if you're looking for an iPad mini. Compared to the iPad mini 3, the iPad mini 2 only lacks Touch ID.

- iPad mini Cellular Silver 128GB (AT&T) - $549.99
- iPad mini Cellular Space Gray 128GB (AT&T) - $538.99
- iPad mini Cellular Silver 128GB (Verizon) - $528.98
- iPad mini Cellular Space Gray 128GB (Verizon) - $534.99 (Lowest Price Ever)
- iPad mini Cellular Space Gray 64GB (Verizon) - $429

iMac :

- 2013 21.5-inch 2.7GHz/8GB/1TB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $1,199.99, $100 off
- 2013 21.5-inch 2.9GHz/8GB/1TB (Best Buy) (Adorama) (B&H Photo) (MacMall) - $1,399, $100 off
- 2013 27-inch 3.2GHz/8GB/1TB (Best Buy) (Amazon) (B&H Photo) - $1,679.99, $120 off
- 2013 27-inch 3.4GHz/8GB/1TB (Adorama) - $1,794.99, $204 off
- 2014 27-inch 3.5GHz/8GB/1TB Retina iMac (Adorama) (B&H Photo) (MacMall) - $2,199.99, $100 off
- 2015 3.3GHz/8GB/1TB Retina iMac (Amazon) (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $1,899.99, $100 off

Mac mini :

- 1.4GHz/4GB/500GB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $464.99, $34 off
- 2.6GHz/8GB/1TB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $664, $35 off
- 2.8GHz/8GB/1TB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) (MacMall) - $938, $60 off

MacBook Air :

- 2015 11-inch 1.6GHz/4GB/128GB (Best Buy) (B&H Photo) - 799.99, $100 off (Lowest Price Ever)
- 2015 11-inch 1.6GHz/4GB/256GB (Best Buy) - $999, $100 off (Lowest Price Ever)
- 2015 13-inch 1.6GHz/4GB/128GB (Best Buy) (B&H Photo) - $899, $100 off
- 2015 13-inch 1.6GHz/4GB/256GB (Best Buy) (B&H PHoto) - $1,099, $100 off
- 2014 11-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/256GB (Adorama) - $798, $300 off (Lowest Price Ever)
- 2014 13-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/128GB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $879, $120 off
- 2014 13-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/256GB (Adorama) - $999, $200 off

Retina MacBook Pro :

- 2015 13-inch 2.7GHz/8GB/128GB (Best Buy) (B&H Photo) - $1,199, $100 off
- 2015 13-inch 2.7GHz/8GB/256GB (Best Buy) (B&H Photo) - $1,399, $100 off
- 2015 13-inch 2.9GHz/8GB/512GB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) (MacMall) - $1,699.99 $100 off
- 2015 15-inch 2.2GHz/16GB/256GB (Adorama) - $1,815, $180 off
- 2015 15-inch 2.5GHz/16GB/512GB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $2,349, $150 off
- 2014 13-inch 2.6GHz/8GB/256GB (Adorama) - $1,229, $259 off
- 2014 13-inch 2.8GHz/8GB/512GB (B&H Photo) - $1,449 $350 off
- 2014 15-inch 2.5GHz/16GB/512GB (B&H Photo) - $1,999 $500 off

Apps :

There are also quite a few iOS 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.

Endless runner Canabalt is available for $0.99, down from $2.99. Puzzle game Hundreds is available for $1.99, down from $4.99. DJ app GrooveMaker 2 is available for free, down from $9.99.

Shoot 'em up game Crazy Tanks is available for $0.99, down from $1.99. Infinity Blade II is available for $2.99, down from $6.99. Infinity Blade is available for $2.99, down from $5.99.

Photography app Matter was named Apple's App of the Week, so it will be free to download until next Thursday when a new app is picked.

Apple Accessories :

PayPal Digital Gifts is offering a $50 iTunes eGift Card for $40 on eBay. DailySteals is selling an Apple Earpods and Lightning Cable bundle for $12, down from the regular price of $38. Groupon has a 4-pack of Griffin Lightning cables for $24.99, down from the regular price of $69.99.


The LifeProof Nuud Waterproof Case for the iPhone 5 is available for $44.99 from Groupon, down from $89.99. The LifeProof Nuud case for the iPad mini is available from LivingSocial for $49.99, down from $119.99.


Groupon has the Waloo crocodile print Apple Watch band for $24.99, down from $49.99. The site is also selling the iPM Leather Strap with Magnetic Closure for the Apple Watch for $54.99, down from $129.99. The Waloo Bamboo Charging Dock for iPhone and Apple Watch is available for $24.99 from Groupon, down from $49.99.


The Titan Heavy Duty Lightning cable by FuseChicken is available from StackSocial for $24.99, down from $35. Groupon has a Nylon Incase Sleeve for the MacBook Pro for $24.99, down from $60. Best Buy has the Jawbone UP3 for $149.99, a $30 discount off the regular price.


Best Buy has the Harman Kardon Onyx Bluetooth Speaker available at a $200 discount, dropping the price to $199.99. Best Buy is also selling select Beats Solo2 Wireless headphones for $229.99, a discount of $70.


Best Buy has the Belkin WeMo LED Lighting Starter Set for $49.99, down from $99.99, and the Logitech Type+ case for the iPad Air 2 is available for $69.99, a discount of $30 off the normal price.


MacMall is still offering MacRumors readers 20 percent off AppleCare for iPad with the purchase of any iPad or iPad Air 2, using the coupon code MWBCJMACRUMORS.

Groupon's also hosting an Apple Event, discounting a huge range of additional Apple accessories ranging from the Apple TV, iPads, and iPhones to cases and keyboards.

MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors.

Posted by Unknown Saturday, August 08, 2015

News Google Glass Update : New Google Glass For Businesses Will Reportedly Attach To Other Eyewear

The next edition of Google Glass will target enterprises and feature an attachable design, a news report suggests, shedding new light on rumors that have been circulating over the past several months.

The device will feature a curved, rectangular form factor much the way the first, consumer-focused Glass edition did, according to an article in the Wall Street Journal. It will differ from that version, however, in that it will reportedly feature a button-and-hinge system rather than a fixed frame, making it attachable to different kinds of eyewear.

Google aims to have the device in use by this fall at companies in healthcare, manufacturing and energy, and is already distributing it to software developers creating applications for that purpose, the WSJ reported on Thursday, citing anonymous sources familiar with the situation.

A new consumer version is also in the works, but it reportedly won’t appear for at least a year.

Google didn’t immediately respond to a request to comment for this story.

The original $1,500 Google Glass version is widely considered to have been released before it was ready for consumer use, and it encountered a strong backlash over privacy concerns.

Expected in the new, enterprise version are a faster Intel processor and improved wireless connectivity. An external battery pack connects magnetically to the device, the latest news suggests, promising better battery life than what was offered by its predecessor.

Finally, a longer and thinner prism display is adjustable both vertically and horizontally, the WSJ said, offering improved flexibility.

“The new Google Glass story sounds much better the second time around,” said wireless and telecom analyst Jeff Kagan.

Consumers will probably become more comfortable with such technology eventually, but “it will take a while before the average person gets to that point,” Kagan added. In the meantime, “taking Glass to certain industries to start sounds like a much better idea.”

Posted by Unknown Friday, July 31, 2015

News Gaming Gadget Review: Inno3D GeForce GTX 980 Ti iChill X3 Ultra

Something kind of weird is happening in the graphics world. The high-profile and eagerly anticipated launch of AMD's Radeon R9 Fury X has unwittingly sparked a surge in sales for Nvidia's rival GeForce GTX 980 Ti. Our conversations with retail partners suggest that keeping GTX 980 Ti on the shelves is proving to be a challenge, as said cards are now being snapped up by all those gamers who were, until recently, sat on the fence.

Buoyed by such news, and heartened by the fact that there are currently no custom R9 Fury X cards, Nvidia's partners are doubling down in their efforts to flood the market with an eclectic array of air- and liquid-cooled GTX 980 Ti solutions. Inno3D has both bases covered with five variants to choose from, and we have the mid-range iChill X3 Ultra in for review today.

Priced at around £575 - that's £50 more than the GTX 980 Ti entry point - this, clearly, isn't one for the faint of heart. Inno3D's unusual, almost Goth-like aesthetic design is very much an acquired taste, and you could either love the shroud's intricacy, or it may even give you nightmares.

It's a scary-looking beast, and it definitely doesn't shy away. Measuring 300mm in length and occupying the best part of three expansion slots, the iChill X3 Ultra is one of the meatiest GTX 980 Tis we've seen and tips the scales at 1.2kg. You could argue you're getting more card for your money, and if a compact form factor isn't a priority, you'll like the fact that Inno3D has made good use of the card's dimensions.

There's a full-size backplate, for starters, which shields the PCB and gives the card an extra feel of rigidity. The way in which the backplate extends well beyond the PCB reveals that the card is bigger than it needs to be, though the extra room does allow for three 90mm fans to be squeezed into the gigantic cooler.

Described as a modular design that's "easy to install, easy to clean," the iChill X3's metal cover can be detached using an Allen key, providing simple access to the three removable fans and a 118-fin aluminium heatsink interspersed with five heatpipes of varying widths. The removable parts are a handy way of keeping the card free of dust in the long run, though do be careful during the disassembly as the shroud does feel fragile and plasticky in parts.

A side-on-view gives you a better idea of the iChill X3 Ultra's girth. Such bravado hints at a good dollop of factory overclocking and Inno3D duly obliges by notching-up base and boost frequencies from 1,000MHz and 1,076MHz to a much tastier 1,152MHz and 1,241MHz, respectively. That's on par with Gigabyte's G1 Gaming, but Inno3D goes a step further by elevating memory from a reference 7,012MHz to an effective 7,200MHz. A nice touch, as overclocked memory is something of a rarity on custom GTX 980 Tis.

Inno3D has made all the right tweaks and, just as importantly, knows better than to mess with what already works. Power continues to be sourced by 6+8-pin connectors, two SLI fingers allow for multi-GPU configurations and Nvidia's usual display outputs - dual-link DVI, HDMI 2.0 and a trio of DisplayPort 1.2 - are ever present.

The iChill X3 Ultra's overall aesthetic has divided the crowd here at HEXUS HQ, though one element we all agree on is the black I/O panel - it's a neat little addition that fits in well with most PC enclosures.

Knowing that it lacks the brand power to go toe-to-toe with the likes of Asus, EVGA, Gigabyte and MSI, Inno3D is relying on a balanced mix of price and factory overclock. The iChill X3 Ultra should be one of the fastest GTX 980 Tis available at the £575 price point - if not the fastest - so let's see if the benchmarks stack up.

Nvidia's partners were all holding their breath a few short weeks ago, but with AMD's Radeon R9 Fury X failing to beat GTX 980 Ti into submission, they can all now rest easy and flex their muscles with a revitalised retail push.

It's almost an unfair battle with a myriad of custom GTX 980 Tis going up against the single-flavoured Radeon, however such choice does provide would-be buyers with a challenge: if you've decided GTX 980 Ti is the right GPU for you, which card should you buy?

EVGA's well-rounded Superclocked+ ACX 2.0+ is a firm favourite around these here parts, and is followed closely by Gigabyte's G1 Gaming, but it's good to see a lesser-known brand throwing its hat into the ring and Inno3D has done exactly that with the GTX 980 Ti iChill X3 Ultra.

Built to look formidable, overclocked on core and memory, yet able to remain whisper quiet, Inno3D's £575 solution is full of promise and should be on your list of GTX 980 Tis to consider

Posted by Unknown Thursday, July 09, 2015

News Tech Gadget Update : GoPro Shrinks The Camera Again: Hero4 Session Review

GoPro Inc., the popular maker of tiny video cameras, is making them even tinier.


How tiny? The new GoPro Hero4 Session is the size of an ice cube, about half that of previous GoPros. It can fit into the spokes of a bike, hang onto the end of a fishing pole or turn a toddler into a documentary filmmaker.

The Session goes on sale July 12, and GoPro gave me one to try over the past week. It isn’t the best-quality camera GoPro has ever made, but it’s so small and simple, I’m likely to keep using it.

Just brace for the sticker shock: $400. That’s the same price as an Apple Watch, not to mention last year’s Hero4 Silver, which has a touch screen and better picture quality.

With the Session, GoPro is going for its iPod Shuffle moment. In 2005, Apple upended its own booming music player business with the Shuffle, an iPod small enough to wear on a necklace. Its main selling point was what it lacked: no screen, no removable battery and no complex controls.

The Session is the first new design in nearly a decade for GoPro, which has an astounding 70% of the U.S. video-camera market, according to NPD. Like the Shuffle, the Session sheds features to slim down and broaden its appeal. It has no screen to view pictures, no extra buttons to change modes, no way to swap its two-hour battery.

But the refinements in the new design are, for the most part, worth the sacrifices. They go a ways toward addressing my longstanding complaint that GoPros require too much futzing.

The Session still takes full-HD video, but is pool-party ready without the waterproof housing its predecessors required. The Session’s lens is covered by a clear shield, and the USB ports for charging and swapping out memory cards are pressure sealed (safe to an undersea depth of 10 meters). The microphone drains like a human ear when you take it out of the water, so you can go from the pool to the picnic table in seconds.

The Session also cuts GoPro’s number of buttons from three to two—really just one big one you use regularly. Tap the shutter button once to power it up and start recording video, or hold it down for still shots. (A tiny digital readout next to the button gives you confirmation that it’s working.) Press the shutter again to stop recording and turn it off. This is a significant speed improvement over older GoPros and competing action cams from companies like Sony.

A few aspects of the new design did aggravate me. The 1.5-inch, 2.6-ounce cube is cute, but when all sides are equal, how can you tell which way is up? The Session can sense its orientation, and will flip its video in 180-degree increments. But it can’t rotate 90 degrees. I held it wrong initially, and took video you have to watch with your head tilted like a confused puppy.

The session holds enough power to shoot about two hours of HD video, and doesn’t waste any juice when it isn’t shooting. But the sealed battery means you must be conscientious about charging it. That takes about 90 minutes.

The big question, of course, is why you’d need a GoPro at all when you already have a smartphone. The answer is that you’re willing to stick them in places you’d never put your phone or regular camera.

I had no problem handing the Session over to a 2-year-old who, transfixed by its cute shape and blinking red light, produced incredible footage of his afternoon. Seen from the Session’s wide-angle lens, the tyke looked like a giant stomping around toy trains.

I also stuck it on the bottom of a skateboard, on a puppy and in a cocktail glass. GoPro Chief Executive Nick Woodman says he’s fond of holding it in between his teeth to document playing with his children.

Compared with other GoPros, the Session’s ruggedized, compact design made it easier to think of it as camera I can just keep in my bag. If you’ve got a pool in the backyard, it’s a no-brainer.

The Session’s design has plenty of appeal, but if you’re fussy about your cinematography, it isn’t the right choice. The image sensor GoPro put into the Session is fine, but not as good as the Hero4 Silver and Black, which can take higher-resolution shots and pick up more light in dark scenes.

The Session also requires you to be OK with filming without a screen to frame your shot. You get over this limitation when you realize the super-wide-angle lens does a remarkable job capturing whatever’s interesting. You can also use the Session’s second, smaller button to connect it to your phone via Wi-Fi to preview, download shots or change modes.

GoPro has long encouraged perspective creativity by selling an array of mounts, all of which are compatible with the Session when you clip on its included plastic frame. It has also introduced a few new ones, like a $60 glove called the Strap. GoPro has even announced plans for its own quadcopter drones and 360-degree virtual-reality rigs.

Now that the Session plots a new design direction for its cameras, GoPro’s biggest problem is that it doesn’t have an answer to what to do with all that footage. Sure, the camera comes with an editing program; it’s a bit buggy, but who even has the inclination to edit their videos anymore?

The Session ought to be smart enough to upload all your footage to the cloud as soon as you get home and plug it in, for storing and sharing those moments. Mr. Woodman says his company is working on such a cloud service. That GoPro can charge $400 for the Session without it is a testament to its quality design and powerful marketing, but it is sorely needed now.

GoPro’s marketing has always been about extreme athletes. Like Nike, I suspect the message is aspirational for most customers. Its actual base looks increasingly more like extreme parents. For them, the Session is the best camera on the market for documenting the rough and tumble of family life.

Posted by Unknown Monday, July 06, 2015

News Microsoft Gadgets Update : Mass Effect Franchise Creator Will Oversee Microsoft's HoloLens Game Development

HoloLens may not solely focus on gaming, but Microsoft appears to have big plans for games on the augmented reality glasses, and today it's named the man who will oversee those plans.

As revealed in a post on Microsoft's official Xbox Wire website, Casey Hudson has been named the creative director of Microsoft Studios, where he'll oversee development on games for HoloLens and Xbox, among "other awesome projects." Hudson is best known as the creator of the Mass Effect franchise at Electronic Arts subsidiary BioWare, a company he left in August to "take on a new set of challenges."

 
In a brief interview on the Xbox Wire post, Hudson said his "primary focus will be the creative direction of HoloLens Experiences," though he added that he "will be involved in driving a creative focus for Xbox and Windows gaming."

Hudson, who spent 15 years at EA and BioWare, said he was able to try and early prototype of HoloLens prior to its announcement, though he didn't give any indication of what kind of gaming experiences users can expect with the glasses. The veteran game designer said he will "influence the full-spectrum experience on HoloLens, from hardware to OS, to applications and games," however.

Microsoft hasn't set a release date for HoloLens, though the company has said it will launch sometime "in the Windows 10 timeframe." Windows 10 for computers and large tablets is expected to launch in the summer – possibly at the end of July – followed by a smartphone and small tablet version later in the year. A HoloLens release would likely follow that, possibly in late 2015 or early 2016.

Posted by Unknown Tuesday, May 19, 2015

News Gadgets Update : Radio - Do You Remember The Radio?

Take a good look around you and I bet you won’t find a spot for a radio. With apps on Smartphones, do we really have a place for these long forgotten devices? Like Queen sang soulfully “Radio Ga Ga”, you go ahead and refresh your memory with this romanticized version called the Philips Echo Radio Concept.

Gallery: 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by Unknown Saturday, May 16, 2015

News Smart Technology Update : Color Cube Your Way For Apple SmartPhones

Colors surround us. As a creative, you obsess over color everyday but struggle when trying to match or use an exact color in your projects. Now you can finally ditch those heavy swatch books and speed up your creativity with Cube, a sleek and innovative color capturing tool that pairs with your smart devices.


A portable color sensor, Cube lets you capture the color of anything while on the go, even your skin!

Once you’ve captured a color, the Cube Companion App on smartphones let’s you record, tag and match your colors to thousands of in-built color libraries. You can even hook Cube up to Adobe Photoshop with the Cube Link desktop app and instantly match to PANTONE – how convenient is that!

Cube packs a bunch of smart functions (look them up here), including Bluetooth technology to allow you to seamlessly transfer your real-world color inspiration over to your desktop and smartphone.

Built by creatives for creatives, Cube brings a number of advantages to the creative workflow:

• Link to Photoshop and instantly use real-world colors
• Match color to paint brands, right there in the app
• Correctly color-grade your photographs with real surface color readings
• Easy spot checks to ensure color consistency
• Capture fashion design inspirations for colorful textiles
• Create digital color assets that pop when printed

How does it do all that? With rocket science… almost!

Housed inside the Cube is a sphere that contains a light source and a color sensor. A controlled sequence of light is shone through an aperture onto the surface, before being redirected back into the sphere toward the color sensor, capturing accurate color from any surface.

Besides being an extension for creative minds, Cube’s open ColorAPI makes it easy for developers and makers to build amazing color applications. Cube can output colors in the RGB, CMYK, HEX, LAB, and LRV color spaces, with support for multiple color profiles as well.

 

To sum up, Cube is here to stay as the on-the-go creative companion that captures colors at your whim!

Designer: Swatchmate [ Buy it Here ]

Posted by Unknown Saturday, May 16, 2015

News Tech Gadget Update : Check Out the World’s First Pain Relieving Wearable

Not every wearable is about sleep tracking or counting steps. Among the many wearables showed at CES 2015, a useful one was called Quell. It is a drug-free service that helps in relieving chronic pain. The technology used for this device has been developed by Neurometrix, a company from Harvard Medical School which specialises in Neurotechnology.

This device consists of a strap that is worn around the affected part of the body, with its electrode touching the skin. When activated, it stimulates the nerves, in turn sending a message to the brain to release endogenous opioids- the body’s natural defence against pain. This brings relief within 15 minutes.

The main advantage of this device is that it is portable and can be carried along almost anywhere. The correct stimulation has to be attuned the first time, and Quell then automatically selects the same each time. iOS already has a supporting app and Android one is on its way.

The only shortcoming would be the user will have to keep on buying the electrodes periodically. Normally, this would cost $250 (approx Rs. 15,773), but pre-ordering would cost $199 (Rs. 12,555). Details about its mass availability is still uncertain, though the device is currently up for pre-order on Indiegogo. The device has already reached $250,000 in pledges.

Posted by Unknown Saturday, March 14, 2015

News Apple Watches Update : Apple Expels More Wearables From Store To Make Room For Apple Watch Next Month

Although no one can decide whether the Apple AAPL +2.07% Watch will be a huge success or failure at this point, it looks like Apple wants to give its device the best chance of succeeding in its stores.

In a report from Re/code, Apple has stopped selling the Jawbone Up and Nike+ FuelBand. An attempt to find the two fitness trackers on the West Coast as well as in New York came up short for the tech news site.  And the Mio heart-rate tracker is now only in Apple’s online store.

I have reached out to Apple and will update this post if I hear back.

At Apple’s “Spring Forward” media event on Monday, CEO Tim Cook went into some detail around the company’s retail strategy. The Apple Watch will go up in its stores on April 10 where customers can preorder one. They’ll be viewable in special glass cases–similar to a jewelry case. Apple will also start selling the watch in high-end retail shops like Selfridges in London and Galeries Lafayette in Paris.

Over the past year, Apple has been slowly ramping down the number of wearables it offers in its stores. Soon after the Apple Watch was first announced, Apple took down Fitbit’s activity trackers from its stores.

Jawbone’s clip-on pedometer can still be found in stores, but that’s not going to compete for the limited space on your wrist.

Removing competing wearables from the Apple Store may not mean much for these wearable companies in terms of unit sales. Mio CEO and founder Liz Dickinson told Re/code that her company did not sell a large volume through Apple Stores, though it did help with the prestige factor.

Many are expecting the Apple Watch to completely remake the nascent wearables industry and bring it more into the mainstream. Strategy Analytics expects Apple to ship 15 million of its watches in 2015, giving Apple a 55 percent share of smartwatch shipments out of the 28 million smartwatches expected to ship in 2015. Meanwhile, Forrester Research estimates that Apple will sell 10 million watches this year.

Fitbit has been going more towards the smartwatch side of wearables with the recently introduced Fitbit Surge, which has a screen for getting notifications from your phone. The Surge has constant heart-rate monitoring and an advertised battery life of seven days–compared with only 18 hours for the Apple Watch. Fitbit, which currently has the largest market share of fitness trackers, is not worried about Apple.

“General purpose smartwatches have been struggling to find a good use case for people. If anyone’s going to figure them out, I’m guessing it will be Apple,” Fitbit CEO and cofounder James Park told me at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in January. “But I still feel like the price point is pretty high for most consumers. I think being limited to iOS ecosystem is also going to constrain that. Given those things and size and form factor of the Apple Watch, there’s clearly an opportunity for coexistence. It’s not one or the other. People have a lot of different preferences. It’s good to have a lot of options for the consumer out there.”

Posted by Unknown Friday, March 13, 2015

News Apple Watch Update : Invest In $17,000 Apple Watch? Face Reality, Some Advise Buyers

1. Apple Watches, being dependent on processors, are likely to be susceptible to obsolescence — unlike a mechanical Rolex that’s handed down for generations.

2. The Apple Watch will be available in April 2015. Prices begin at $349. Pictured here, the 18-karat rose gold case with white sport band. For more info: www.apple.com/watch

3. Cook wears a demonstration Apple Watch on his own wrist at a September 2014 event at Flint Center in Cupertino.

4. Apple CEO Tim Cook (center) speaks with model Christy Turlington Burns (right) at the Apple Watch demonstration area during the event at Yerba Buena Center unveiling Apple’s newest attempt to create a consumer sensation.

Thinking about spending $10,000 or more for the top-shelf edition of the new Apple Watch? Enjoy an aesthetic the company describes as “timeless and thoroughly modern,” but don’t count on passing it down to your kid.

Apple’s most expensive timepiece — named the Apple Watch Edition — features an 18-karat gold case and a display protected by polished sapphire crystal. Retailing for as much as $17,000 when it hits stores in April, that version aims at the same customers as Rolex and other luxury watchmakers.

While costly mechanical watches have a history of holding, and sometimes gaining, value, today’s smart watches are likely to lose it because obsolescence is written into digital technology. When the Apple II debuted in 1977, it was a marvel of modern computing. Today, it goes for $50 on eBay — less than many typewriters.

For buyers of Apple’s most expensive watches, what will happen when, presumably, the Apple Watch II hits shelves, or furthermore, if iPhones — which the smart watches largely depend on — go out of vogue?

Bound for recycling?
“It’s something you’re going to wear and use, and the new one’s going to come out and you’re going to recycle it out,” speculated Jacek Kozubek, a partner at H.Q. Milton, a watch dealership in the Mission. (His store doesn’t sell any digital watches.)

Though often seen as an indulgence for those who can afford it, Rolexes — highly valued in a collectors’ market — are more likely to hold their value than an Apple Watch in the same price range, Kozubek said.

In an extreme example, Kozubek said, “There’s pieces that we have bought that sold in 1968 for $400, and then we sold that watch for like $120,000.”

Wearing well

In a sense, mechanical watch technology has already been optimized: High-end watches are filled with tiny, highly engineered gears perfected over the centuries that keep them ticking for a long time. Kozubek said he recently bought a watch that is still remarkably accurate, considering it hadn’t been serviced since 1958.

“There’s this soul in pieces like that,” Kozubek said. “It’s something that was meant to be used and given to the next generation, as opposed to a lot of things that are designed now. There’s an obsolescence that’s engineered into” the smart watch.

Smart watches, on the other hand, are still new, and their underlying technology is still evolving. Unlike typewriters, landlines and mechanical wristwatches, computers, smartphones and smart watches are powered by processors. And processors get better and faster every couple of years, making anything that isn’t of the current generation feel comparatively ancient.

“Try to sell your first-generation iPhone — there’s nothing cool about it,” Kozubek said.

When technology doesn’t become obsolete fast enough, that can also be an issue for high-profile tech companies. Take the iPad, whose sales may have declined partially because early versions of the product simply work fine today, and consumers haven’t felt a need to replace them.

Apple isn’t the only high-end brand to take a mechanical product digital.

Leica’s example

In 2006, the high-end German camera manufacturer Leica released its first digital camera, aimed at replacing its iconic film camera. The digital M8 hit stores priced around $4,800. Now, a used M8 — with fewer megapixels than some phones — can be found online at less than half that price.

“The M8 is a pretty dated camera,” said Richard Wilson, the camera sales department manager at Adolph Gasser Photography in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood. When it comes to the older digital models, “People want to buy Leica mostly because of the little red dot on there, because it comes with a certain prestige,” he said.

Leica’s film cameras, on the other hand, have retained more value on the used market — even as the film photography industry has shrunk.

Most Apple Watch buyers won’t go for the costliest versions — meaning they likely won’t object to replacing the wearable in a few years when the next new thing comes out. Considering that the watch starts at $350, they might treat it just like they do a phone.

The question is whether the opulent Apple Watch Edition also winds up shoved in the back of the drawer, beside the old iPhones.

Posted by Unknown Friday, March 13, 2015

News Apple Watch Update : Apple Watch Launch: Ten Apps Worth Keeping An Eye On

There's a different type of app in town and this time it's competing for time on your wrist.

While Apple prepares to put the finishing touches on the Apple Watch, which goes on sale April 24, a number of software developers have begun detailing what their Apple Watch apps will do and what they will look like.

While software developers say it won't be easy to come up with a "killer app" for Apple's Watch, a number have given it a red hot go.

 

In terms of Australian-made apps, Fairfax Media has been able to confirm Procreate Pocket, Airtasker and Invoice2go will be releasing their apps on Apple's smartwatch. It's expected supermarket chain Woolworths will also unveil one designed for the Watch soon, as well as a number of Australian news outlets.

Below we list our top ten apps to keep an eye on.

Instagram

Using the photo-sharing Instagram app you'll be able to browse your feed, "like" your favorite photos, and leave emoji comments. Notifications will also be sent directly to your wrist.

Uber

Just like on their phone app, Uber's Apple Watch app identifies your location and gives you an ETA for pick-up. Once your driver confirms they are coming, you get a real-time update of where they are and information about your driver and their car.

Facebook

It's not designed to let you see everything your friends post, but Facebook's app will allow you to see pertinent notifications such as when you're tagged in a photo or have a new friend request.

Airtasker

Australian-made Airtasker, which provides a marketplace enabling users to outsource everyday tasks, will also have an Apple Watch app. Users will be able to call each other through it as well as see the tasks they need to complete and their deadlines.

Procreate Pocket app

Procreate's Apple smartwatch app turns your watch into a remote tool and colour palette for painting on your iPhone; It converts your entire iPhone screen into a canvas and moves the tool to switch between brush, eraser or effects onto the watch.

eBay

Being outbid on an eBay item without have a chance to make a bid before the auction ends is always unpleasant. That's where eBay for Apple Watch comes in, helping you stay on top of the auctions you're watching. It can send outbid notices and other notifications directly to you, so you can react immediately.

Guardian

Like the New York Times and CNN, the Guardian is among a number of news organisations thinking about how they can deliver news to our wrists. Sports scores, photos of the day and breaking news will be among what the Guardian shows on the Apple Watch.

Evernote

The Watch version of note-taking app Evernote will allow users to dictate quick notes using the watch's microphone, as well as view recent notes and set reminders. If you're in a certain location that a previous note was tied to, it can also bring that up for you in an instant.

Twitter

Twitter is probably one of the few apps that will work perfectly with the Apple Watch, given each tweet's 140 character limit. With a gentle vibration you can be notified when new tweets are posted, and retweet or favorite them from the watch. Tweets can also be composed using your voice.

Shazam

Shazam for Apple Watch prompts your iPhone to listen to what song is playing in order to identify it. Once the iPhone recognises it, the Apple Watch displays the name of the song, the artist, and the lyrics on its screen.

Posted by Unknown Thursday, March 12, 2015

News Gadgets Update : Moto Maker Goes Live, Lets You Customise The Moto 360 Smartwatch

Just a day after Apple launched its highly anticipated Watch, Motorola has unveiled the Moto Maker design studio that allows users to create custom versions of the Moto 360 smartwatch.

Moto Maker allows users to choose from different coloured watch cases, wristbands (leather and metal) and watch faces. Overall, it lets users choose from three case finishes, nine bands and 11 watch faces. However, these come at an extra charge ranging from $30 to $50, which would also mean paying higher than the $250 price tag that the Moto 360 carries.

The official Motorola blog states, “Choose from three case finishes: dark metal, light metal or champagne gold. Then pick one of nine bands, including leather, metal, and our new mono-link design, a modern take on the classic metal band style. Complete your design by choosing one of 11 watch faces. Once you get your watch, it’s easy to swap watch faces from our collection or through Google Play.”

The Motorola Moto 360 is available on Flipkart. It sports an circular backlit display with a diameter of 1.56 inches and comes with a 320 x 290 resolution that uses a pixel density of 205ppi. It also gets a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 3 and is powered by the TI OMAP 3 processor coupled with 512MB RAM. It also gets 4GB internal memory for saving music and photos. For tracking activities, it is fitted with a pedometer and optical heart rate monitor (PPG). The IP67-certified Moto 360 is water-resistant and also supports wireless charging.

Posted by Unknown Wednesday, March 11, 2015