Apple Watch

Accessory maker Dodocase just announced this Dual Charging Dock Organizer that accommodates both an iPhone and Apple Watch for charging. It all fits into a book-like design that will also hold your cables and headphones and make for easier traveling.
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Up until now, Bluetooth wireless audio was purely optional for Apple’s devices: every iPad, iPhone, and iPod has shipped with a 3.5mm audio port to connect with wired earbuds and headphones. The Apple Watch is different: it’s Apple’s first fully wireless device, with no user-accessible ports to connect accessories, even though it can work as a standalone music player during workouts. The lack of a headphone port is actually a positive, since tethering your wrist to your head with a cable would look silly, and isn’t ergonomically ideal. Thankfully, Bluetooth headphones have come a long way over the past few years, shrinking from gangly and boxy earmuffs into earphones comfortable enough to exercise with.

Since one of the Apple Watch’s major selling points is fitness functionality, this quick guide to the best Apple Watch headphones and earphones focuses mostly on accessories that can work anywhere, rather than options you can’t wear while exercising. But I’ll include some larger options, too, just in case you’re picking a pair for non-athletic use, or to share with your iPad, iPhone, iPod, or Mac…

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Angela Ahrendts has told Apple Store staff that the Apple Watch is unlikely to be available for in-store purchases before June – but they should expect the usual ‘blockbuster launches’ in retail stores for future products.

In a memo to retail store staff, Apple’s retail head thanked staff for making the try-ons “unforgettable,” told them customer feedback had been “overwhelmingly positive” and that the online-only ordering period was likely to continue throughout May.

Many of you have been getting questions asking if we will have the watch available in stores on April 24 for walk-in purchases. As we announced last week, due to high global interest combined with our initial supply, we are only taking orders online right now. I’ll have more updates as we get closer to in-store availability, but we expect this to continue through the month of May.

Ahrendts said that the decision to do things this way had not been an easy one … 
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Even though the long-delayed Up3 isn’t shipping until later this month, Jawbone this evening has taken the wraps off of two new fitness trackers, the Up4 and the Up2. The latter is a replacement for the Up24 released in 2013, while the former is a new fitness tracker by the company. The Up4 most notably adds support for on-band wireless payments from American Express. Both watches pair with your iPhone over Bluetooth.

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The Apple Watch site as it appears now

Apple has made a small but notable change to the web page for its upcoming wearable device. The page previously featured the tagline “Available 4.24.15,” but that notice has now been replaced with “The Watch is coming.”

The change likely stems from the fact that many users have discovered they will be unable to actually get their devices on launch day due to shipping delays, low stock, or the inability to buy them at an Apple Retail Store on launch day.

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In a new report from KGI’s Ming-Chi Kuo, the usually accurate analyst estimates that global pre-orders for the Apple Watch will top 2.3 million units through May. A report earlier this week claimed that Apple Watch first day pre-orders were at almost 1 million units…

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Update: Apple just uploaded the four new guided tours to its YouTube channel, as well. They are embedded below.

Apple has now updated its Apple Watch Guided Tour page with four more videos, featuring Phone Calls, Siri interactions, Maps navigation and the Music app. Apple began this series earlier in the month.

The videos demonstrate different Apple Watch features, such as taking a phone call, asking Siri for directions, getting navigation turn-by-turn directions in Maps or controlling music playback in the Music app.

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If This Then That (IFTTT), the service that lets users automate tasks from a long list of other mobile apps and web services, is about to launch two apps for Apple Watch.

Do Button, its iOS app for controlling hardware and software connected to the service with a single tap, and Do Note, a notepad app that uses IFTTT to save and share to other services like Google Calendar, Evernote, and Twitter, will both be receiving updates for Apple Watch by tomorrow.
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Over the past fifteen years, I’ve seen certain commenters pick the same fight literally every time Apple releases another device: “are accessories really needed for _____?” Fill the blank in with “iPod,” “iPhone,” “iPad,” “Apple TV,” or “Apple Watch” and you’ll see how the answer has eventually turned out to be “yes” every time. Even though I’ve tested virtually every type of Apple accessory out there, I couldn’t help but shake my head when companies first announced cases for the Apple TV’s remote control. Crazy, right? But there were eventually behind-TV mounts, Bluetooth keyboards, and universal remote controls that became truly handy for even Apple’s least-accessorized device.

Now the Apple Watch is coming, and despite Apple’s focus on its purely aesthetic customizability — including welcoming third-party band makers to the party — the “is this necessary?” comments are appearing again. “Nothing like a faux carbon fiber decal on your watch to convey your sense of good taste,” said one commenter, who separately opined that “every protective product listed here is the modern day equivalent of plastic-covered furniture.” To be honest, I personally agree with the first sentiment, but I’m not the target market for stickers. And I can still remember some people describing iPhone cases as plastic-wrapped furniture, back before Apple started selling them, too. So who’s actually right here, a handful of anonymous commenters acting as arbiters of universal style, or consumers looking to have fun customizing their new toys to their personal tastes?…

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WWDC 2015 has been announced at last, but what can you expect to be unveiled this year? Apple has released iOS 8.4 beta to developers and it comes along with a compete revamp of a critical app. Along with that, we get into Apple Watch try-on appointments and our hands-on experience at the Apple Store. The Happy Hour podcast is available for download on iTunes and through our dedicated RSS feed…

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/200900596?secret_token=s-FiTOk” params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”150″ iframe=”true” /]

Click here to subscribe on iTunes or listen to the episode embedded above.

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Apple is taking a different approach to pre-orders and sales for Apple Watch, which has a lot to do with the product being Apple’s first fashion accessory. For that reason, many customers will actually want to try the Apple Watch on in person before making the purchase. To get a feel for the new try-on experience — Apple started letting customers schedule appointments to try-on the device in-stores on April 10 — the company is surveying customers afterwards to get feedback and see if they plan on purchasing the device.
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The Apple Watch user interface may grow to be second-nature in time, but almost everyone who has tried one – myself included – has found themselves somewhat bemused at first. Do you swipe the screen? Tap it or Force Touch it? Do you scroll with vertical swipes or using the digital crown? Do you single-press, double-press or press-and-hold the crown? And when do you use the contacts button (nope, it’s not just for contacts)?

Redditor macamacamac (I’m guessing he likes Macs) has put together a really handy visual guide showing exactly how you move between the different views … 
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Glide, the app that lets users send live video messages, today becomes the first to bring the feature to Apple Watch. With an update to Glide’s iOS app, users of Apple Watch will be able to receive live videos messages right on their wrist, although it’s a one-way experience for Apple Watch as the device doesn’t yet include a camera; your responses will be limited to text.
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According to the latest data from Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, interest in the Apple Watch among teens remains low. An October 2014 survey showed that only 16 percent of teenagers planned to purchase an Apple Watch, and now, a more recent survey shows that interest has dropped to 11 percent among the age group.

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Mophie today has revealed its own dock for the Apple Watch. The dock is made with a durable aluminum construction and features leather accents around the base. At the top of the stand is a hole for Apple’s magnetic charger for the Apple Watch. The stand is designed with the charging cable in mind, which Mophie says makes for a clean and clutter free appearance.

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The Apple Watch may not be available in Italy at launch, but Apple will be showcasing its new device at the upcoming Salone del Mobile in Milan on Friday. According to the design-centric magazine Wallpaper (via Tim Bradshaw), Apple is planning a one-day only preview and try-on event at the design exhibition on April 17th. The Apple Watch’s presence will mark Apple’s first time attending the design fair.

While Apple was noticeably absent from last month’s Baselworld luxury watch trade show, Apple’s Design VP Jony Ive expressed his excitement over the Apple Watch being featured during the upcoming design exhibition.

Says Jony Ive, Apple’s senior vice president of design: ‘Salone del Mobile has such a deep-rooted history of embracing excellence in design so I’m particularly excited to celebrate our newest and most personal product, alongside our friends and fellow designers, at this special event.’

Ive went on to describe the marriage of technology, craftsmanship, and utility that went in to the Apple Watch:

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Now that you’ve ordered an Apple Watch or two, you’ll want to start pre-ordering any accessories that you want to have by the time your watch arrives. Most of the products on this list of protective covers, cases, and bags are shipping around the same time as the Apple Watch — sometime between April 24th and June — but many can be preordered today for delivery in the coming weeks.
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Workflow for iOS was initially released back in December with a plethora of capabilities thanks to iOS 8. Now, the app has been updated to version 1.2 with support for Apple Watch. Workflow, similar to Automator on OS X, allows users to create more than 200 automated actions with a mix and match interface on the iPad and iPhone. With Apple Watch, users will be able to view and download workflows designed for Apple Watch instantly from their wrist.

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A big update is currently rolling out to users of the excellent 1Password application that includes support for the Apple Watch. According to the company’s blog post, the watch app will let you access important information like credit card numbers and one-time passwords (introduced in a recent update) directly from your wrist.

Without a proper keyboard or Touch ID scanner on the Apple Watch, how exactly you’ll unlock the miniaturized password manager has yet to be revealed, but it will likely rely on the iPhone’s security features to make sure that only authorized users have access to your data.

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