Bag yourself an Apple Watch for just $49 at Best Buy

 

If you're in the market for an Apple Watch but you've been put off by the price, Best Buy might just have a deal that will tempt you to part with your cash. How low would the price have to be to convince you? How does $49 sound?
 
There is, of course, something of a catch. It's certainly not the case that anyone who wants an Apple Watch could walk into Best Buy, hand over 49 notes and walk about with an Apple Wearable; there's a little more to it than that.
 
Best Buy is offering $250 off Apple Watches -- all models -- for anyone who buys an iPhone 6S or iPhone 6S Plus at the same time. The offer is available in-store and online; 'just' need to "buy or lease and activate an iPhone with 2-year contract, lease or monthly installment plan for Verizon Wireless, AT&T or Sprint".
 
You're not limited to buying the most basic Apple Watch, as the discount is available on all versions -- but $49 is by far the most attractive jumping on point.
 
With new Apple Watches due to launch later in the year, retailers such as Best Buy will be doing what they can to clear out remaining stocks of current generation devices. If you're not bothered about having the latest and greatest, this is one of the best deals we've seen.
 
If you fancy the idea of taking advantage of the Apple Watch offer, head over to the Best Buy website.
  
~ Mark Wilson

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Apple Pay Less Secure Than EMV

A Tampa, Fla.-based dispute mitigation company, eConsumerServices, is warning consumers of a false sense of security associated with the mobile payment system Apple Pay. The company asserted that EMV or “chip and pin” are the most secure payment methods out there, not Apple Pay.
 
“Apple Pay is vulnerable to fraud due to the fact that someone could steal a credit card, enter it into a phone and then use the phone without any identification to purchase Apple merchandise,” Grant Cardone, CEO of eConsumerServices, said. “Think thousands of dollars worth of merchandise stolen at the blink of an eye. When the cardholder goes to dispute the fraudulent activity, Apple loses the most.”
 
Apple Pay is a mobile payment and digital wallet service that lets users make payments using iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, Apple Watch-compatible devices (iPhone 5 and later models), iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3. Apple Pay does not require Apple-specific contactless payment terminals and works with Visa's PayWave, MasterCard's PayPass and American Express' ExpressPay terminals.
 
With Apple Pay technology, consumers can hold their phones near card readers to enable transactions using near field communication chips embedded in compatible Apple devices. By using Apple’s Touch ID sensor, consumers are no longer required to enter a PIN to verify their identity.
 
When a consumer sets up Apple Pay, the financial institution associated with his or her payment card must verify that the card is compatible with Apple Pay. With each Apple Pay transaction, Apple generates the equivalent of a new credit card number, and the merchant never sees the consumer's information.
 
“Until there is a database validating every single cardholder's fingerprint and digital identity, EMV will outpace Apple Pay in terms of security,” Cardone said. “With EMV, buying patterns and spending habits are analyzed in a split second in order to detect suspicious activity.”
 
Consumers do have recourse if a fraudulent purchase is made using their Apple Pay account – they may file a chargeback.
 
“Chargebacks can be a double edged sword,” Cardone explained, however. “Although filing a chargeback looks like a quick and effective solution to the problem of a fraudulent charge, it could ultimately harm the consumer in the long run.”
 
One industry analyst suggested that as many as 6% of Apple Pay transactions were completed using stolen credit card numbers.
 
“The credit card data is not stolen from Apple Pay; credit card data stolen from other channels is loaded into unauthorized Apple devices for these fraudulent transactions,” Amit Sethi, principal consultant at the Dulles, Va.-based security firm Cigital, said. “The problem generally lies with some banks that do not adequately verify who is loading a credit card into Apple Pay. Apple Pay does provide attackers with another mechanism with which they can use stolen credit card data – which is what we’re seeing with the 6% of Apple Pay transactions made with stolen credit cards.”
 
~ Roy Urrico

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How to watch Apple's WWDC 2015 keynote live on any device including Windows, Linux and Android

 

Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference kicks off today, Monday 8 June, in San Francisco, with the big keynote speech scheduled for 10am PST/6pm BST.
 
As WWDC is for software developers, Apple doesn’t usually reveal major new hardware -- typically it’s just updated versions of existing products. You can certainly expect news on iOS 9 and OS X 10.11, as well as Apple Watch.
 
We’re also expecting Apple to launch a music streaming service, and to announce Apple Pay in the UK, and possibly other countries. The new Apple TV was expected to make an appearance (after all its shape is visible in the image above), but rumors say this is no longer the case.
 
We’ll know for certain what Apple will be announcing once the big keynote speech begins and you can watch it live online.
 
As always, Apple likes to preach to the faithful, so there are the usual restrictions in place. Live streaming the keynote requires Safari 6.0.5 or later on OS X v10.8.5 or later; Safari on iOS 6.0 or later. Streaming via Apple TV requires second- or third-generation Apple TV with software 6.2 or later. Assuming you have what's required, you can watch the keynote live here.
 
There’s also an official WWDC app available. This lets you stream videos from current and previous WWDC sessions, start watching on one iOS device, and pick up where you left off on another, browse times, locations, and descriptions for sessions, labs, and special events, and keep up with the latest news, get important notifications, and see daily photos.
 
If you have a Windows or Linux PC or an Android device you can still watch the event, but you’ll need VLC Media Player installed. Assuming you do, open it, and click on "Media" at the top left. Go to "Open Network Stream" and paste in the network URL of the live Apple event which is:
 
http://p.events-delivery.apple.com.edgesuite.net/15pijbnaefvpoijbaefvpihb06/m3u8/atv_mvp.m3u8
 
This link won’t go live until the event begins.
 
Feel free to share your comments about what Apple is showing off in the comments below.
 
~ Wayne Williams

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Thieves can easily reset a stolen Apple Watch

Unlike an iPhone or iPad, the Apple Watch doesn't have any security mechanisms to prevent a thief from wiping the device and resetting it to factory condition.

Hold on to your Apple Watch, because if you lose it, you may never see it again.
  

  

With the introduction of iOS 7, Apple rolled out a new feature called Activation Lock to iPhones, iPads and iPod touch devices that prevented a thief or malicious person (or a prankster) from wiping your device and resetting it back to factory condition.

This one feature has been very effective in reducing iPhone and iPad thefts since most people won't want to buy an iPhone or iPad that's locked and clearly belongs to someone else. It has also made recovering a lost iOS device much easier since it also prevents anyone from disabling the Find My iPhone feature without knowing the user's iCloud password.

However, it turns out that the Apple Watch has no such protection mechanism, making it easy for anyone to wipe it and return it to factory condition, and then pass it off to an unsuspecting third-party.

Here's a video showing just how quick and easy this is to pull off.

 
 
It took Apple six years to bring Activation Lock to the iPhone. Let's hope it doesn't take that long to make it available to Apple Watch owners, because without it, Apple's latest product could become a big target for the bad guys. 

~ Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

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Apple thinks Apple Watch customers are completely stupid

 

Today Apple started taking orders for Apple Watch, and the world is agog. It's online only this time around, so there are no amusing articles about nutters camping outside Apple stores for six months living on noodles and coffee just to be first through the door -- people are, in many cases, buying blind. We've already baulked at the price of the Apple Watch Edition, but today Apple released details of its AppleCare+ extended warranties and, my god, do they make for interesting reading.
 
There has already been much said about the pricing of the various Apple Watch models -- not least the Apple Watch Edition -- and Apple is sure to make quite a markup on the precious metal version. Not content with raking in the cash through its sales of wrist-bound hardware, Apple is trying to squeeze every last possible cent from its customers. If something goes wrong with your Apple Watch, even if you are covered by the extended warranty, it's going to cost you a pretty penny to get things fixed. If you were foolish (er... lucky) enough to invest in the Edition, the costs are absolutely astronomical.
 
AppleCare+ for the Apple Watch Sport will set you back $49 for a year. Quite reasonable. The warranty covers not just the Watch, but also the battery, and the magnetic charging cable and power adapter. Lovely! But that's not the end of the story. Should you be unfortunate enough to need to send back your Apple Watch Sport for repair, you'll need to pay a $69 service fee plus tax. Part of the point of buying a warranty is to gain peace of mind against accidental damage -- dropping your device, smashing the screen, and so on -- but the warranty only includes provision for two incidents. After this you'll have to pay for out of warranty repair, or stump up another AppleCare+ fee.
 
If you've opted for the middle of the road Apple Watch, you'll have to pay a little more: AppleCare+ (for the same hardware, remember, albeit a different chassis) will cost you $69 and any repairs incur a $79 plus tax fee. The policy has all of the same features and caveats as the policy for the Apple Watch Sport, but there's a slight premium to pay.
 
But then things get really silly.
 
Anyone who has parted with up to $17,000 for an Apple Watch Edition has already paid through the nose. But Apple's not going to cut any slack when it comes to extended warranties. AppleCare+ for the Apple Watch Edition is $1,500 - regardless of the version you have opted for. Admittedly, this does buy two years' of extended coverage, but here's the killer: if you send back your Apple Watch Edition for repair, there is a $1,000 plus tax service fee. And again, you're only buying coverage for up to two incidents of accidental damage, despite the fact the warranty is for twice as long.
 
Let's just put this into context. If you manage to smash the screen of your gold Apple Watch Edition or cause some form of internal damage, you'll have to pay $921 (taking tax out of the equation for now) more to get it fixed than if you have precisely the same problem with an Apple Watch Sport. If the thing dies for some reason, it will cost you the thick end of $1,000 to get a replacement for your Apple Watch Edition, compared to $69 for an Apple Watch Sport. Apple has given itself a license to print money. Nice work if you can get it.
 
Of course, the warranty covers other things. You might, somehow, manage to completely crush your gold Edition. Perhaps you decided to wear it to work for your job as a house builder and dropped a brick on it, or it got run over by a backhoe. Then you get a good deal. You've paid your $1,500 and for just $1,000 plus tax more, you can bag yourself a replacement -- obviously a lot cheaper than buying afresh. But what sort of markup is being made on a gold Apple Watch Edition?
 
If you were wondering what the cost of out-of-warranty repairs is, MacRumors has the answer: $229 for Sport, $329 for Watch and $2,800 for Edition. Do you risk it, or hand over the cash?
 
Photo credit: komar_off / Shutterstock
 
~ Mark Wilson

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Slow apps, low battery life limit appeal of Apple Watch: reviewers

Apple CEO Tim Cook introduces the Apple Watch during an Apple event in San Francisco, California March 9, 2015.

Reuters/Robert Galbraith

(Reuters) - Apple Inc's (AAPL.O) "beautiful" and "stylish" smartwatch could make life easier for people on the move, reviewers say, but the gadget gets poor marks for battery life and slow-loading apps.
 
The watch, the first new product to be launched by Apple under Chief Executive Tim Cook, will hit stores on April 24.
 
"For now, the Apple Watch is for pioneers," the Wall Street Journal's Geoffrey Fowler wrote. "I won't pay the $1,000 it would cost for the model I tested, only to see a significant improvement roll in before too long."
 
Reviews published on Wednesday made much of the device's relatively poor battery life - up to 18 hours, according to Apple - and said its apps will need upgrades to load more quickly.
 
"There's virtually nothing I can't do faster or better with access to a laptop or a phone except perhaps check the time," said Nilay Patel, who reviewed the watch for theverge.com.
 
Loading an app required the watch to pull tremendous amounts of data from iPhones, Patel said, adding that Apple had told him upcoming software updates would address performance issues.
 
"The maps app, surely the answer to wandering pedestrians' dreams, is so slow it makes me want to pull out my paper Rand McNally," the Journal's Fowler said.
 
Re/Code's Lauren Goode said the watch's battery life was not nearly as long-lasting as some other wearable devices. CNET's Scott Stein said the battery's recharge time was slow.
 
Paired with an iPhone, the watch allows users to check email, listen to music and make phone calls. It also tracks their health - for instance by monitoring heartbeats.
 
But the software is "initially complex" and not suited to tech novices - unusual for an Apple device, said Farhad Manjoo, who reviewed the watch for the New York Times.
 
Apple is among several companies, including Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS) and Sony Corp (6758.T), that hope to jumpstart a market for wearable devices.
 
The Apple Watch Sport will start at $349, while the high-end "Edition" will be priced from $10,000.
 
"...If you can tolerate single-day battery life, half-baked apps and inevitable obsolescence, you can now wear the future on your wrist," Fowler said.
 
Analysts at Societe Generale said they expected Apple to sell 8 million watches in 2015, contributing about 1.7 percent or $4 billion to Apple's total sales.
 
Apple shares, which were flat on Wednesday, have risen about 24 percent since Apple Watch was announced on Sept. 9.              
 
~ Devika Krishna Kumar and Subrat Patnaik

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Apple Pay adoption sits at just six percent among iPhone 6 / 6 Plus owners, report claims

 

For years, experts argued that mobile payment systems wouldn’t really take off until Apple got involved. That finally happened late last year with Apple Pay, the company’s NFC-powered mobile payments platform. Early indications suggested the Cupertino-based company’s service was off to a solid start but a new report is painting a slightly different picture.
 
The report, titled “Apple Pay By The Numbers: Adoption And Behavior“ from InfoScout and PYMNTS.com, claims that just six percent of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus owners actively use Apple Pay while nine percent have at least tried it. Those figures are up from five percent and four percent in November, respectively.
 
Among those that had tried Apple Pay but weren’t consistent users, nearly a third (32 percent) said they simply forgot it was an option.
 
What this means is that there is a huge number of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users that have never tried Apple’s mobile payments solution. If true, it would appear as though Apple is also struggling with a major industry hurdle: awareness.
 

 

InfoScout co-founder and CEO Jared Schrieber said the company needs to be dead-focused on making sure there is a trigger that compels users to use Apple Pay instead of just whipping out the ole credit or debit card. Something is simply lacking in the habit-forming action at checkout, he added.
 
Elsewhere, 31 percent of respondents said they were unsure if a particular merchant accepted Apple Pay while another 20 percent said they simply prefer to pay for transactions using another method. Of those that regularly use the service, 79 percent said it was more convenient than other forms of payment with 77 percent noting it was faster, 73 percent claiming Apple Pay is easier to use than others methods and 70 percent believing it is more secure.
 
If awareness is indeed the issue, it still has a shot at success once Apple Watch arrives. Simplifying the process even further by eliminating the iPhone from the transaction could very well do that. But first, Apple has to prove there’s a demand for its smartwatch which could be its biggest hurdle yet.
 
~ Shawn Knight

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Apple launches an ultra-thin MacBook and a glorious love-it-or-hate-it smartwatch

Few things are as polarizing as a brand-new Apple product category, and the new Apple Watch is no different.  

 

Besides perhaps politics, almost nothing can get comment threads and Twitter feeds rolling like a new product announcement from Apple. Those who love it are derided as fanboys, while those who don't care for whatever it is are simply haters.
 
The iPod, iPhone and iPad -- they all had their skeptics who complained about the price, features, and battery life. And, as it goes, the Apple Watch is getting the same treatment.
 
Many of the core features (timekeeping, person-to-person communication, fitness) have been known for half a year, but availability and pricing were only disclosed yesterday.
 
To start, the Apple Watch is very competitive on price at the entry level. Available in two sizes, the Sport version is $350 for the 38mm and $400 for the 40mm, with a fluoroelastomer (basically fancy rubber) band in one of several colors.
 
Unlike most of Apple's products, spending more money doesn't get you a faster processor, more memory, or better tech specs. Instead, spending more money is for appearances only. The most expensive Apple Watch costs $17,000 but doesn't have any more technical functionality than the base model.
 
Instead, it's all about fashion. The full list of watches, available on Apple's website, comprises some 38 different SKUs.
 
Pricing varies, with cost rising to $550 and $600 for the stainless steel models that include an ultra-durable sapphire crystal, plus additional charges for fancier watch bands. Solid 18K gold versions start at $10,000 and rise quickly from there. Many have criticized Apple for these prices, but they are very competitive with other solid gold timepieces. Truthfully, if one doesn't already own several watches in this price bracket, they aren't really the target audience.
 
During the media event, Apple also demonstrated a number of apps that are in development for the Watch, including one from American Airlines that shows flight status information and another from Starwood that allows wearers to check in to hotel rooms and even open their hotel room door from the Watch.
 
Some business-focused apps have already been announced, including one from SalesForce. It has Passbook support so wearers can, for instance, store a flight boarding pass on their Watch and even display QR codes to get through TSA checkpoints.
 
Many more apps, including ones from Instagram, MLB At Bat, OpenTable, Twitter and more will be available on the Apple Watch, with many more coming in the near future, I'm sure. It's likely that the app ecosystem will continue to grow, and we'll see apps for the Watch that couldn't even be imagined right now. I'm looking forward to it.
 
Aside from the Apple Watch, company executives also introduced a new, ultra-thin, ultra-light MacBook. I get asked by a lot of people which Apple notebook they should buy. For the past several years, I've recommended the 13" MacBook Air as the right computer for 90% of users -- especially the type of user who needs to ask which computer they should buy. If you need the high-end, top-of-the-line machine, you usually know it.
 
However, I won't be recommending the 13" Air anymore. The new MacBook is perfect. Weighing just two pounds, 13.1mm thick, 10 hours of battery life, and sporting a reportedly gorgeous 12" Retina display, this is the machine for almost everyone.
 
Yes, it's not the fastest thing on the planet (but it's fast enough), and the screen isn't the largest (but large enough) -- and some users will complain about the fact that Apple has removed all the USB and HDMI ports in their quest to make it as thin as possible. All these are valid concerns, but really, most folks would rather have a thinner, lighter machine with a couple of optional accessories. You can always add a dongle to connect an external hard drive (Apple sells one), but you can't easily make a computer lighter. Apple made the right choices here.
 
Available for $1300 with 256 GB of speedy flash storage ($1600 buys you a faster processor and 512 GB of storage), the new MacBook is the ideal laptop for just about everyone. It's available in silver, space gray, and gold, and will begin shipping April 10, 2015.
 
What did you think of Apple's new products? Let us know your thoughts in the discussion thread below.
 
~ Jordan Golson

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Watch Apple's 'Spring Forward' event live on any device including Windows and Android

Whether you think the Apple Watch will revolutionize wearables, or be a rare misstep for Apple, we’re about to find out as the tech giant is all set to launch its latest new product at a 'Spring Forward' event which is being hosted today at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco.
 
While the Apple Watch will be the center of attention, it’s possible that Apple will have a few other products to show off too including maybe a Retina MacBook Air and Beats Music Service.
 
The event starts at 10am PST, which is 1pm EDT and 5pm GMT (thanks to the change in Daylight Savings Time in the US). There will be a live stream, but as always with Apple, there are some restrictions.
 
Apple likes to preach to the faithful, so live streaming the event requires Safari 5.1.10 or later on OS X v10.6.8 or later; Safari on iOS 6.0 or later. Streaming via Apple TV requires second- or third-generation Apple TV with software 6.2 or later. Assuming you have what's required, you can watch the event live here.
 
If you have a Windows PC or an Android device you can still watch the event, but you’ll need VLC Media Player installed. Assuming you do, open it, and click on "Media" at the top left. Go to "Open Network Stream" and paste in the network URL of the live Apple event which is:
 
http://p.events-delivery.apple.com.edgesuite.net/14pounqefvoiubefvpiub10/m3u8/atv_mvp.m3u8
 
You should also be able to paste this address straight into Chrome or Firefox on Windows too, assuming you have VLC Media Player installed. It should be detected as a live stream and start playing. Naturally, all this will only work once the stream is live, so if you get an error, try again nearer the broadcast time.
 
Tune in once the event starts and feel free to share your comments about what Apple is showing off in the comments below. Will you be buying an Apple Watch?
 
~ Wayne Williams

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Apple to hold event on March 9, as Watch launch nears

An Apple logo is seen during Black Friday in San Francisco, California November 29, 2013.

Credit: Reuters/Stephen Lam

 

(Reuters) - Apple Inc (AAPL.O) sent out invitations for a media event in San Francisco on March 9, about one month before the much-anticipated launch of the new Apple Watch.  
 
The world's largest technology company did not specify what the event will be about in the invitation which reads simply "Spring Forward," a word play on the resetting of watches for daylight saving time. 
 
Chief Executive Tim Cook said last month that the company plans to launch the smartwatch in April. The watch, which will let consumers check their email, pay for goods at retail stores and monitor personal health information, represents Apple's first major new product introduction since the 2010 launch of the iPad. 
 
Shares of Apple were up 88 cents at $129.67 on Thursday.   
 
~ Alexei Oreskovic

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Advertisers to get a glimpse of Apple Watch promise, challenge

The new Apple Watch is pictured during an Apple event at the Flint Center for the Performing Arts in Cupertino, California, September 9, 2014.

Credit: Reuters/Stephen Lam

 

(Reuters) - Apple’s forthcoming smartwatch poses a conundrum for advertisers: How to tap the enticing possibilities of the tiny gadget without overwhelming consumers with messages.
 
At this week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, mobile-marketing firm TapSense plans to release an Apple Watch ad-buying service. The service will provide a first glimpse of how businesses can serve up ads on the watch, even though the gadget will not be available until later this year. 
 
At issue: the same qualities that render the watch exciting to Madison Avenue, such as the ability to detect customers approaching a store and to zap an ad directly to their wrists, also risk alienating those customers. 
 
Apple declined to comment on the use of its watch by advertisers, and will not attend CES officially. But many companies that make devices and services based around Apple products will be there, including several that are working with WatchKit, a software-development tool Apple released in November that allows developers to build watch-tailored applications. 
 
Using that tool, developers are devising Apple Watch ad formats including interactive wallpapers on the watch dial with brand logos and personalized clock faces, said TapSense's chief executive Ash Kumar. His product helps developers insert ads, bought and sold instantaneously, in those apps. 
 
The watch’s main screen allows the display of several tiny icons, including for email, weather, time, and potentially a few favorite service and retail apps. 
 
Businesses could use those apps to notify customers of special deals, but only within already-opened apps, Kumar said. Otherwise, the vendor risks annoying consumers by introducing an ad that is out of sync with whatever they are doing.
 
If a consumer is using a transit app on the watch to monitor delays, for example, an advertiser could insert a marketing offer that would light up on the watch face for a ride-sharing service or a deal at a coffee shop nearby, Kumar said.
 
SMARTWATCH SPAM BOX?
  
But moderation is key. Push notifications and banner ads on smartphones can be turn-offs. Some marketers advise avoiding showing ads to users who typically click out of them or delivering the same ad too many times to any one user.
 
"If it feels like your smartwatch is turning into a spam box, you will take it off," said Padden Guy Murphy, who heads business development and public policy at car-sharing service Getaround. 
 
The startup is exploring using Apple Watch's location-based features to target new customers. Apple has not added global positioning on the Apple Watch, but apps can track location as the device is tethered to a smartphone. 
 
If a consumer shows interest in an ad, such as raising the wrist for a better look, WatchKit allows for notifications that expand and take up more room on the screen. Conversely, a disinterested consumer could tap an "X" mark to exit the ad, TapSense's Kumar said. 
 
Communicating through buzzing or vibrations is currently only available on Apple's own apps on its wearable device. 


 
FORCE PUSH
 
     Whether Apple scores a hit with its upcoming Apple Watch and creates a new mass-market category remains unclear. Venture capitalist Fred Wilson caused a stir last week by predicting the watch “will not be the home run product that iPod, iPhone, and iPad have been.”
 
But advertisers see potential. They particularly like a watch feature that Apple calls "Force Push" that activates when a user taps the screen with extra pressure, opening up a menu with up to four actions. They envision coupons that when tapped can show directions to a store, for example.
 
Ad executives hope that the watch can overcome challenges that have prevented location-based ads from succeeding on mobile phones. Unlike on phones, says Jeff Malmad, North American mobile director at media agency Mindshare, users will not need to dig into a bag or pocket to see the ad. They will be right on a user’s wrist, in sight at all times. 
 
But to keep them effective, he says, consumers will need to opt for them, much as many consumers opt to receive email messages from various retailers.                
 
~ Malathi Nayak

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Jony Ive says Apple doesn't aim to make money, hits out at those who copy designs

 

Apple's Senior Vice President of Design, Jony Ive, used an interview at London's Design Museum to lash out at design copycats. He touched on many topics, including suggesting that design schools rely too heavily on computers, the "theft" of Apple designs, and explaining why the design of Apple's own products is formulaic.
 
In conversation with Deyan Sudjic, director of the Design Museum, Ive also said that Apple does not exist to make money. This will come as news to most people -- including, perhaps, Apple itself -- particularly as the company is currently the most valuable brand in the world. He insists that integrity is at the very heart of Apple, and that any money that may come rolling in is merely "a consequence".
 
The Design Museum is celebrating its 25th anniversary, and Ive is one of the most renowned designers in the world -- he's the sexy, accessible face of the design world. The suggestion that "our goal at Apple isn't to make money" will be hard for many to accept. Of course the company does make money, but for Ive this is just a happy side-effect of what it does:

Our goal is to desperately try to make the best products we can. We're not naive. We trust that if we're successful and we make good products, that people will like them. And we trust that if people like them, they'll buy them. Operationally we are effective and we know what we're doing and so we will make money. It's a consequence.

There's no denying that Apple's and Ive's designs have influenced the direction in which many products have turned in terms of looks. But he's not happy at being influential in this way, and he's far from happy about companies who copy ideas:

It's not copying, it's theft. They stole our time, time we could have had with our families. I actually feel quite strongly about it. It's funny – I was talking to somebody and they said do you think when somebody copies what you do it's flattering? No.

Ive spoke a little about the birth of the Apple Watch, explaining that there are inevitable limitations to small devices strapped to an arm:

The wrist is an amazing place to put technology. You're only going to use it a certain way – you're obviously not going to write a dissertation! But it's very good to see who just texted you, or if you're walking and use it just to see was that left or right. So the watch – just like for telling the time – is very good for these quick in and out things.

He also emphasizes the fact that Apple is about an ecosystem, not just individual products:

One of the biggest challenges that we found was that we wouldn't all be sitting here wearing the same thing. I don't think we want to wear the same thing. Which is why we developed this system not a single product. It's a flexible system, so hopefully it will be appealing, but there's still a very singular idea. We're not just throwing a whole bunch of ideas against the wall to see which one sticks… like some people!

We also learn that the design team is made up of "17 or 18 people" and is unlikely to expand much more. Ive says that "it's wrong to make something different for the sake of being different" so it's safe to assume that there are not going to be any major surprises in terms of the look of new Apple products in the near future.
 
The (almost) full transcript of what Ive had to say can be found on the Dezeen website.
 
Photo credit: corund / Shutterstock
 
~ Mark Wilson

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Apple Watch's Achilles' heel is short battery life

 
One of the main reasons why smartwatches are a tough sell today is battery life. Consumers expect them to work for a very long period of time on a single charge when, in reality, they only last for a day or two. It is no surprise then that, coupled with other issues related to the user experience, most people could not care less about them.
 
Not even the long-awaited Apple Watch looks like it will be able to match our expectations. When Tim Cook unveiled the device last month he left out details regarding battery life, which we took as a sign that we should not get our hopes up. A statement that Apple's CEO just made at the WSJ.D conference confirms our concerns.
 
Speaking of Apple Watch and how "profound" of an impact it could have in consumers' lives, Cook expects that users "will end up charging it daily" because they "are going to use it so much". He may have chosen his words carefully there, but the takeaway is that we should not expect Apple Watch to last longer than other smartwatches on the market, like Motorola's Moto 360, at least not in the current iteration, which will ship next year.
 
Truth is, there is only so much that can be done to improve battery life in a form factor that is this small. Apple Watch cannot pack a big battery, as it would be bulky and consumers might not want a smartwatch that is too thick or too big -- as it might look out-of-place. Apple may also be lacking the technology that ushers significant battery life savings -- given time, more efficient hardware will be manufactured.
 
But, for an expensive smartwatch such as Apple Watch -- it starts at $349 -- offering similar battery life to devices costing roughly half as much could be viewed as its Achilles' heel. It does not seem to add any killer features for the extra money, other than the benefits that come with being part of the all-in Apple lifestyle -- which may mean nothing to those not ready to follow the same path.
 
~ Mihaita Bamburic

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Apple unveils watch, larger iPhones in a bid to retake innovation crown

Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks during an Apple event announcing the iPhone 6 and the Apple Watch at the Flint Center in Cupertino, California, September 9, 2014.

Credit: Reuters/Stephen Lam

 

(Reuters) - Apple Inc unveiled a watch, two larger iPhones and a mobile payments service on Tuesday as Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook seeks to revive the technology company's reputation as a wellspring of innovation.
 
The first new product to be developed and introduced under Cook's reign is a wearable device tethered to the iPhone that will combine health and fitness tracking with communications. It will price at $349 and go on sale in early 2015.
 
Ben Wood, a top mobile phone industry analyst with CCS Insight based in the UK, said Apple's smartwatch devices will propel a so-far lackluster product category into consumer consciousness.
 
"For Apple’s competitors it will turn a tough category into a nightmare,” Wood said.
 
Indeed, rival watch and wearable device makers are keeping a wary eye on Apple, which up-ended the music industry and drove once-dominant phone makers like Blackberry to the brink of extinction, and whose iPad helped shrink personal computer sales for a time before they recently recovered.
 
Apple has an enviable track record when it comes to mobile hardware, though it tends not to be the first to introduce a new-fangled product category. Rival electronics giants such as Sony Corp, Samsung, LG Electronics Inc and Qualcomm Inc have already launched smartwatches, albeit without much success.
 
The price tag on the new "Apple Watch" is loftier than some expected, coming in at $50 more than the cheapest version of the iPhone 6 with a contract.
 
Bernstein Research analyst Toni Sacconaghi had estimated on Tuesday before the event that if Apple were to sell 30 million watches at $250 each, it would add about $7.5 billion to its revenue.
 
Apple's new watches will be available in three distinct collections, including a sport edition and an upscale line coated in 18-karat gold. Whether the devices can win over fashion-conscious consumers may prove key to mainstream appeal. Initial impressions from critics who glimpsed the watch were positive.
 
"Compared to what's out there, it feels like it's very slender. I like the level of elegance and the three different lines, which include sport and luxury," said Angela Tafoya, at fashion blog Refinery29.
 
The pressure was on for the world's largest tech company to wow at its "special event" in Cupertino. The prospect of the new watch attracted a broader swathe of attendees than usual, with celebrities, fashion industry editors and even healthcare executives rounding out the mostly tech-industry crowd.
 
Shares of the company closed nearly unchanged. Apple's stock tends to rise in the run-up to a major product launch, and come under selling pressure afterward.
 
BUY WITH BIGGER PHONES
 
In a rare move for the company, Apple had planned on livecasting its entire event online, with a simultaneous translation in Chinese. But the livestream went down about a half-hour in, prompting many users to take to Twitter to express their frustrations.
 
Also on Tuesday, the company took the wraps off a larger, 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus. They will support more than 200 telecoms carriers worldwide, including all three in China - a key growth market for the company. 
 
It also introduced a new mobile payments service dubbed "Apple Pay." Each phone will come equipped with its new payments service, which launches in the United States next month and allows users to pay for items in stores with their phones instead of physically presenting their credit or debit cards.
 
Launch partners include Walt Disney Co, McDonald's and Whole Foods. The move gives Apple access to a trove of data on how consumers shop in brick and mortar stores, where more than 90 percent of U.S. retail sales are still conducted. 
 
Barclays Capital said in a Sept. 5 note that the mobile payments feature would give Apple "one of the largest sets of consumer transaction data in the U.S."
 
Each new iPhone will come with a "secure element" chip and a near-field communications, or NFC, antenna.
 
Ben Milne, CEO of internet payment network Dwolla, said Apple had created a smooth user experience with Apple Pay, but wanted to hear a lot more about how Apple will tackle the aging payments infrastructure.
 
"The old architecture that payments is driven on is not up to snuff for the future they want to build," Milne said.
 
He added that Apple Pay will get some level of mass adoption based on the number of iPhones out there, but Apple will have to tackle the high costs of payment processing to make its new feature more widespread.                   
 
~ Christina Farr, Alexei Oreskovic and Deepa Seetharaman

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