Apple Watch

As I noted in yesterday’s review of the Nomad Stand for Apple Watch, I wasn’t initially certain that the Apple Watch needed a dock, but actually using a Watch changed my mind: just as the Apple Watch Edition’s custom charging cases hinted, it’s best to keep metal or metal-accented Watch bands from rubbing against nightstands during charging, and even Apple’s fluoroelastomer Sport Bands tend to flop around when the Watch’s charging puck is connected. My guide to the best Apple Watch stands and docks spotlights many potential solutions, some of which are a lot more compelling than others.

Mophie’s Watch Dock ($60) is completely different in looks from the Nomad Stand, but their identical price points reflect one critical area of overlap: class. Each has the materials and design necessary to look great with everything from Apple’s $1,100 black stainless steel Apple Watch to the entry-level $350 silver aluminum Apple Watch Sport. Unlike the wide Nomad Stand, Watch Dock goes for height, combining black leather with a mostly aluminum stand that has a compact footprint. Thanks to its clean lines and manageable size, Watch Dock could easily become the retail Apple Watch display stand of choice when more watch and jewelry stores start selling Apple timepieces…

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Now you can start playing 9to5Mac’s Happy Hour podcast from your Apple Watch

Watch OS 1.0 (and 1.0.1) decidedly omits certain iPhone apps like Podcasts and Reminders from the Apple Watch, leaving third-party apps to fill these spaces for users. Today a new version of Instacast for iPhone was released, adding an Apple Watch app with a Now Playing Glance, playback from notifications, and more as a free addition in the update.
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Slice Intelligence, which monitors purchase receipts in the email inboxes of a panel of two million online shoppers, has published a chart showing that the majority of Apple Watch orders were placed on the first day of pre-orders, and have since fallen to far smaller numbers than some analysts have predicted.

Quartz tech editor Dan Frommer notes that while the company’s data shows that almost 1.5 million U.S. orders were placed on day one (up from its initial estimate of one million), subsequent orders have typically been running at under 30,000 per day – compared to the 100,000 per day globally needed to meet some predictions … 
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Apple’s update to Watch OS 1.0.1 was intended to improve the performance of several fitness-related functions, but also appears to have introduced a bug. Instead of the Apple Watch recording your heart rate every ten minutes, many users – including myself – are seeing large gaps in the data.

My readings for yesterday afternoon and evening, shown above, contain four gaps of more than an hour. Two of these gaps span times when I was cycling, when the data would have been most relevant. Users in an Apple Support Communities thread (via EverythingCafe) are reporting the same thing … 
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Pebble has updated its Kickstarter page, advising that the first batch of Pebble Time smartwatches will begin shipping on 27th May, and that all orders placed through Kickstarter will ship by mid-June.

Great news: the first batch of Pebble Time shipments are scheduled to go out Wednesday, May 27. With things moving along at this rate, we expect all Pebble Time Rewards to be manufactured by the end of the month […] Every backer with a Pebble Time included in their selected reward tier should receive a tracking number from us by mid-June.

Despite raising $20M from the Kickstarter campaign, however, TechCrunch is reporting that the company is having trouble raising additional funding “in order to stay afloat” …

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I decided on the Apple Watch with stainless steel Milanese Loop band for a few reasons, but not before considering the benefits and drawbacks of Apple’s entire collection of straps and bands for Apple Watch. Budget will in many cases guide your decision, but going for the Milanese Loop was a no-brainer for me. There are a few downsides of the band compared to others, however.

Here are a few observations I’ve made after wearing it for the last couple weeks, including little talked about pros and cons you’ll want to consider before purchasing the Milanese Loop for yourself.
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Having originally planned to add a new transit directions feature to Maps last year, only to pull the feature before WWDC 2014, Apple now hopes to launch its Transit service with iOS 9, according to sources. Apple currently plans to debut bus, subway, and train route navigation as the central upgrade to the Maps app in iOS 9 at WWDC, using a user interface similar to the one intended for last fall’s launch, as depicted in the screenshots above…

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Before the Apple Watch was released, I wasn’t sure that it needed a dock or stand — the included charger would be enough, right? But after actually using the Watch, and noting that Apple included a dock with Edition models, I realized that these accessories had a functional purpose: they kept metal and metal-accented Apple Watch bands from rubbing against nightstands during charging. Some of the dock designs also looked really cool. When I compiled our guide to the best Apple Watch stands and docks, a few definitely looked like objects I’d want to keep on my nightstand, while others definitely did not.

From the first time I saw it, Nomad’s Stand for Apple Watch ($60) stood out as particularly compelling. I have a thing for futuristic accessories, though they rarely have the right combination of looks and pricing. Inexpensive ones too often look kitschy or geeky, while nicely designed ones tend to be unaffordable. Nomad has struck just the right balance, coming up with an elegant design at a reasonable price…

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Apple today updated its webpage for its enterprise app solutions to show that a few of the apps have been updated with Apple Watch support. Apple first launched the MobileFirst for iOS solutions last year through a partnership with IBM and most recently added 9 new apps in March bringing the total up to 22 across several industries.

The first three of Apple’s enterprise apps to receive Apple Watch support include: Hospital RN, Field Connect and Incident Aware.
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Apple’s in-store “magical” Apple Watch displays have brought about a variety of questions since they first appeared back on April 10th. Thanks to new documents from the Brazilian regulatory process, shared by BlogDoiPhone, we now know a bit more about how the Apple Watch display units are set up. The documents and accompanying images show how a special, proprietary band is connected to the Watch that incorporates a built-in Lightning cable and charges the device.

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New Brussels shopping complex<em> La Toison d’Or</em>

Apple is getting closer to taking its retail stores to a new market: Belgium. According to sources within Apple retail, Apple today sent out a memo announcing the new market. The note also was sent to gauge interest from employees who may be inclined to relocate to Belgium to assist with opening up the new location…

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<a href="http://9to5mac.com/2015/05/18/apple-watch-review-video/">Image via Zac Hall’s Apple Watch review</a>

Apple Stores will begin stocking Apple Watch bands later this week in “limited” quantities, according to a message sent to retail stores, with the majority of bands being the fluoroelastomer Sport Bands. According to the notice, this strap inventory will primarily be for customers who would like to swap the band that comes pre-bundled with their Apple Watch after their purchase. Secondary to this, these early band shipments for stores will be available as replacements for worn-out bands from the various store Apple Watch try-on stations…

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Apple’s plan to manage upcoming HomeKit-compatible accessories could revolve around a new iOS app called “Home,” according to sources familiar with the app. Introduced at last year’s Worldwide Developers Conference, HomeKit is an Apple initiative designed to encourage accessory makers to integrate “connected home” accessories such as Wi-Fi garage door openers, smart thermostats akin to Nest’s Learning Thermostat, and wireless door locks with iPhones and iPads. Using Siri or the Home app, users will be able to remotely control parts of their homes directly from iOS devices…

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Apple is currently planning to use the new system font developed for the Apple Watch to refresh the looks of iPads, iPhones, and Macs running iOS 9 “Monarch” and OS X 10.11 “Gala,” according to sources with knowledge of the preparations. Current plans call for the Apple-designed San Francisco font to replace Helvetica Neue, which came to iOS 7 in 2013 and OS X Yosemite just last year, beginning with a June debut at WWDC…

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Apple has slightly refreshed the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display, added a more affordable Retina 5K iMac, and an iPhone related surprise. Along with that, we have a new Watch OS update and sad news about Apple’s rumored TV plans. The Happy Hour podcast is available for download on iTunes and through our dedicated RSS feed…

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/206346797?secret_token=s-9cnUQ” params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”150″ iframe=”true” /]

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A new KGI research note predicts that production of the Apple Watch’s Taptic Engine component will begin to improve later this month, but slow demand has led to a downward revision of estimated shipments by 20-30%. The new estimate comes in at 5-6 million units shipped in the third quarter.

Combining that estimate with the data from last quarter has caused KGI to cut its annual shipment estimate in half. Where the general consensus previously predicted that Apple should ship 20-30 million smartwatches, the firm’s new number comes in at under 15 million.

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TLA Systems has brought is popular calculator app to the Apple Watch today through the latest version of PCalc for iPhone. The PCalc Apple Watch app features a fully functional calculator for quickly crunching numbers from your watch — 1985 Casio-style like the similar Calcbot app — and similarly features a clever tip calculator that makes splitting the bill a cinch. 
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The Apple Watch received its first official software update today, giving lucky early adopters their first opportunity to see how the Watch OS updating process works. Unlike the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, which can update themselves using iOS’s Software Update feature, the Apple Watch depends upon an iPhone to download the update from Apple’s servers and install it on the Watch. You’ll also need a Wi-Fi network, your Apple Watch charger, and at least 50% battery life in order to do the update.

Here are the full details…

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During his trip last week across China, Apple CEO Tim Cook held a meeting at Apple’s China headquarters with several employees in attendance, according to sources with knowledge of the briefing. Cook reportedly reiterated several recent China-focused announcements, including the new forest-focused environmental initiatives and improvements for education, but he also mentioned some new tidbits regarding the upcoming retail launch for the Apple Watch and the rollout of Apple Pay for China…

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Apple has released the first software update for Apple Watch today with the release of Watch OS 1.0.1. The update is available through the Apple Watch app on iPhone.
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Apple Pay on <a href="http://9to5mac.com/2015/05/18/apple-watch-review-video/" target="_blank">Apple Watch</a>

A number of additional banks and credit unions across the United States have now turned on support for Apple Pay including Synchrony Bank which backs Walmart and other retail credit cards, NASA Federal Credit Union, and many more. Earlier this month, Apple Pay went live for the popular mobile-based Simple Bank for the first time. You can find the full list of new and existing banks with support for Apple’s mobile payment service below:
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