Swiss Watchmakers Rebuff Apple's Partnership and Hiring Advances
Posted: 28 Mar 2014 08:24 AM PDT
Apple allegedly is trying to tap Swiss watchmakers for their technical and metallurgy expertise as the company works to brings its rumored iWatch to the market, reports the Financial Times . Though Apple is reaching out to several companies, most are not willing to work with the Cupertino company. Swatch chief executive officer Nick Hayek confirmed the watchmaker has talked to several companies about their wearable products, but he is not interested in forging a partnership with any group.
We have been in discussions – not ever initiated by us – with practically all players in smart wearables up until today," Swatch chief executive Nick Hayek told the Financial Times. "However, we see no reason why we should enter into any partnership agreement."
Hayek says his reluctance to work with Apple and similar companies comes from his desire to protect Swatch's advancements in ergonomic design, longevity and battery life, but he also has been critical of the iWatch, proclaiming publicly the smartwatch won't be "the next revolution" for Apple. 
Jean-Claude Biver, president of Watches and Jewelry at LVMH, claims Apple unsuccessfully tried to poach employees from his Hublot brand as well as from other manufacturers who make precision parts for these luxury watches.
"Apple has contacted some of my employees – I saw the emails personally," Mr Biver told a Swiss publication, claiming that all those who had been contacted refused the iPhone maker's advances.
Apple allegedly may launch the iWatch later this year as it prepares to expand its lineup of mobile devices to the wrist. The iWatch possibly may have a fitness focus with biosensorsthat enable users to track vital health statistics like heart rate, blood pressure and more. It is believed the band could share this data with Apple's Healthbook app, a health and fitness title expected to debut alongside iOS 8. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
• Drawings of Alleged 4.7-Inch and 5.7-Inch iPhone 6c Models Surface [Updated]
• Philips Expanding 'Hue' LED Lighting Line with White Bulbs, Tap-Powered Switch
• Macworld 2014: Avegant Shows Off 'Glyph' Mobile Personal Theater
• Macworld 2014: BearExtender Shows Off iOS Compatible Edge Wi-Fi Extender [Updated]
• Western Digital Announces Thunderbolt-Powered My Passport Pro RAID Drive
• Work at Apple's Arizona Sapphire Plant Continuing, Possible Expansion in Works
• More Options for 128 GB Mac Pro RAM Upgrades Now Available
• Drobo Announces New 4-Bay Gen3 with USB 3.0, Enhanced Time Machine Support
 
iWatch concept from Hungarian freelance designer Gábor Balogh
Apple to Open First Turkish Retail Store in Istanbul on April 5
Posted: 28 Mar 2014 06:55 AM PDT
Apple is ready to open its first retail store next week in Turkey, with a grand opening gala that may feature Apple CEO Tim Cook and Turkish President Abdullah Gül. Located in Istanbul's Zorlu Center Shopping Center, the retail store will open at 10:00 AM on Saturday, April 5, 2014, reports Elma Dergisi. 
The Turkish store occupies approximately 20,000 square feet in the heart of Istanbul's popular, multi-use shopping center. The Zorlu Center store is thought to feature a cubic glass ceiling, glass sides and in-store services such as a dedicated "Family Room" floor and dual Genius Bars, reports 9to5Mac . The structure is currently hidden behind barricades until its official debut.
This Zorlu Center store is the first of several retail stores planned for Turkey as Apple makes inroads into this new market. Apple also met with Turkish government officials to equip Turkish school children with 10.6 million tablets in a new education initiative to bring cutting-edge technology into schools.
Though negotiations appeared to be favorable for Apple, this bid eventually was awarded to Turkish company Telpa, which is providing tablets from General Mobile, a Turkish-owned company operating out of the United States. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
• Drawings of Alleged 4.7-Inch and 5.7-Inch iPhone 6c Models Surface [Updated]
• Philips Expanding 'Hue' LED Lighting Line with White Bulbs, Tap-Powered Switch
• Macworld 2014: Avegant Shows Off 'Glyph' Mobile Personal Theater
• Macworld 2014: BearExtender Shows Off iOS Compatible Edge Wi-Fi Extender [Updated]
• Western Digital Announces Thunderbolt-Powered My Passport Pro RAID Drive
• Work at Apple's Arizona Sapphire Plant Continuing, Possible Expansion in Works
• More Options for 128 GB Mac Pro RAM Upgrades Now Available
• Drobo Announces New 4-Bay Gen3 with USB 3.0, Enhanced Time Machine Support
 
|
Roku CEO Calls Apple TV a 'Money Loser', Says Product is 'Essentially' an Accessory for iPad
Posted: 28 Mar 2014 02:09 AM PDT
Speaking at the inaugural Code/Media event held by technology website Re/code (via CNET), Roku CEO and founder Anthony Wood called the Apple TV "a money loser" for Apple, likening the product to an accessory for the iPad and questioning why Apple would want to sell more units of the device. Wood's remarks come as Apple is said to be preparing a new version of the Apple TV that will integrate with Comcast's network to enable a streaming TV service for users.
"Apple TV is essentially an accessory for the iPad. They lose money, which is unusual for Apple," he said Thursday, speaking at the Recode conference here. "If you're losing money, why would you want to sell more?"
 Wood also commented on Amazon's upcoming set-top box debuting next month, as well as overall competition in the set-top media box market:
"Every year about this time, the Amazon box comes up that they're about to launch. And the new Apple TV is about to launch … We've been competing with Apple TV for six years now, and every year, we've grown," Wood told Kafka. "We're in the TV platform business. Our goal is to be the operating system for TV."
The CEO also went on to tell the crowd that sales of the Roku doubled after Apple dropped the price of the Apple TV from $249 to $99 two years ago. Wood's comments are notable given that the Apple TV reportedly generated $1 billion last year, which was revealed by Apple CEO Tim Cook during the company's 2014 shareholder's meeting. Roku refreshed its set-top box line with three new models joining its flagship Roku 3 last September, and also introduced a $50 HDMI streaming-stick to compete directly with Google's Chromecast and the Apple TV. Despite the Apple TV's growing popularity, however, a report last August from Parks Associates indicated that the Roku has proven to be more popular than Apple's set top box, as 14% of U.S. broadband households were said to be using streaming media boxes. Apple is expected to launch a new Apple TV sometime in the near future, with some rumors pointed to a refined set-top box that may include gaming and cable box-like capabilities in addition to the aforementioned streaming TV integration. A report from The Information also added details to the forthcoming device, claiming that it will feature a dramatically overhauled interface, which will blend TV listings with apps and video from the web, with Apple asking iOS game developers to make their titles compatible with its new product so that users can play games on their TV using iOS devices as controllers. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
• Philips Expanding 'Hue' LED Lighting Line with White Bulbs, Tap-Powered Switch
• Macworld 2014: Avegant Shows Off 'Glyph' Mobile Personal Theater
• Macworld 2014: BearExtender Shows Off iOS Compatible Edge Wi-Fi Extender [Updated]
• Western Digital Announces Thunderbolt-Powered My Passport Pro RAID Drive
• Work at Apple's Arizona Sapphire Plant Continuing, Possible Expansion in Works
• More Options for 128 GB Mac Pro RAM Upgrades Now Available
• Drobo Announces New 4-Bay Gen3 with USB 3.0, Enhanced Time Machine Support
• Inside the Room Where Apple Developed the Original iPhone Software
 
|
Microsoft Paying Apple 30-Percent Cut on In-App Office 365 Subscription Purchases
Posted: 27 Mar 2014 03:14 PM PDT
Microsoft is paying a 30-percent cut to Apple on Office 365 subscription purchases made within the Office for iPad apps released today, in line with Apple's in-app purchase requirements required of other brands reports Re/code . This was previously a sticking point between the two companies, and was rumored to be a large part of why Microsoft wouldn't release Office on the iPad. However, Microsoft's new CEO, Satya Nadella, is apparently more willing to work within Apple's requirements than ousted CEO Steve Ballmer. Year-long Office 365 subscriptions are available for in-app purchase for $100, with the subscription good for downloading Office on up to five tablets and five computers, Mac or PC computers, and Android, Windows or iOS tablets. 
Indeed, Microsoft does offer Office 365 subscriptions within the just-released Word for iPad and the other Office apps and, yes, it is paying the 30 percent cut, Apple confirmed to Re/code. Microsoft declined to comment on the matter.
Apple has taken a hard line with all manner of publishers that want to sell things, even subscriptions that go well beyond the iPad content — if anything is sold in the app, they have to use Apple's method and hand over 30 percent.
Apple CEO Tim Cook tweeted to welcome Office for iPad to the App Store, with Nadella tweeting back that Microsoft was "excited to bring the magic of Office to iPad customers". During Nadella's press conference today, he said the company was looking to "empower people to be more productive" and to "do more across all devices". Microsoft Office for iPad is a free download from the App Store, with Office 365 Home Premium available for $10/month or $100/year good for five tablets and five computers, with an Office 365 Personal subscription good for one computer and one tablet coming later this year for $7/month or $70/year. There are also separate business options available as well, with billing based on total seats. - Microsoft Word for iPad [Direct Link]
- Microsoft Excel for iPad [Direct Link]
- Microsoft PowerPoint for iPad [Direct Link] Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
• Macworld 2014: Avegant Shows Off 'Glyph' Mobile Personal Theater
• Macworld 2014: BearExtender Shows Off iOS Compatible Edge Wi-Fi Extender [Updated]
• Western Digital Announces Thunderbolt-Powered My Passport Pro RAID Drive
• Work at Apple's Arizona Sapphire Plant Continuing, Possible Expansion in Works
• More Options for 128 GB Mac Pro RAM Upgrades Now Available
• Drobo Announces New 4-Bay Gen3 with USB 3.0, Enhanced Time Machine Support
• Inside the Room Where Apple Developed the Original iPhone Software
• 'BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea Episode 2' Expansion Pack Hits Mac and PC Simultaneously
 
|
iPhone 6 Reportedly Launching 'As Early As September' in 4.7- and 5.5-Inch Sizes
Posted: 27 Mar 2014 10:25 AM PDT
Apple's iPhone 6 is expected to launch "as early as September", according to a new report from Japanese business newspaper Nikkei. The paper claims that the device is "expected" to be called the iPhone 6 and is "likely" to be offered in 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch display sizes, in line with circulating rumors.
Manufacturers have apparently begun making such components as fingerprint sensors and chips for liquid-crystal drivers.
Mass production of LCD panels will start as early as the April-June quarter at Sharp's Kameyama factory, Japan Display's Mobara plant, and at other facilities, according to sources. LG Electronics will supply panels as well. The new handset's display resolution is expected to be significantly higher than that of current models.
 Earlier this week, UBS analyst Steve Milunovich claimed that the 4.7-inch version might be the only model to launch later this year, with a timeframe for the larger 5.5-inch version unclear. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
• Western Digital Announces Thunderbolt-Powered My Passport Pro RAID Drive
• Work at Apple's Arizona Sapphire Plant Continuing, Possible Expansion in Works
• More Options for 128 GB Mac Pro RAM Upgrades Now Available
• Drobo Announces New 4-Bay Gen3 with USB 3.0, Enhanced Time Machine Support
• Inside the Room Where Apple Developed the Original iPhone Software
• 'BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea Episode 2' Expansion Pack Hits Mac and PC Simultaneously
• Apple Updates 'iTunes Movie Trailers' App With Full Critic Reviews, Favorites Notifications
• iPhone 6 Concept Imagines iPod Nano-Like Design
 
|
Microsoft Launching Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for iPad Today
Posted: 27 Mar 2014 10:18 AM PDT
In his first major public event as Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella today headlined a media event to introduce Office for iPad, in line with earlier rumors. Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for iPad are now live in the App Store as of 11:00 AM Pacific Time. 
Word for iPad All three apps will be free downloads and will include viewing and presenting capabilities free of charge. Users wishing to edit or create documents with the apps will need an Office 365 subscription, which is priced at $9.99/month or $99.99/year for a Home Premium package allowing access from multiple computers and mobile devices.
Starting Thursday, Office 365 subscribers can simply add an iPad as one of their chosen devices included in their subscription benefits, and can create and edit documents with Word for iPad, PowerPoint for iPad and Excel for iPad. These apps are available as free downloads from the App Store, enabling people to read and present documents, spreadsheets and presentations. Office for iPad brings full file fidelity across Office on PC, Mac, tablet and phone, and along with cloud storage from OneDrive or OneDrive for Business your files are up to date, wherever you need them on whatever device you want to use.
 Microsoft acknowledged soon after the introduction of the original iPad back in 2010 that it was looking at the possibility of bringing its Office suite to the tablet, and by early 2012 a reported prototype shown by The Daily. Microsoft's plans remained in flux, however, with the company reportedly reluctant to embrace the iPad as it sought to push forward with its own Windows tablet initiative with Surface. With Nadella now running Microsoft, the company has finally committed to releasing Office for iPad, although some argue that it is too late given that an entire generation of users have already moved on to embrace other mobile-friendly productivity solutions. Update 10:50 AM: The event is over and Microsoft has published its press release. The press conference is also available for on-demand replay, while the company has published a blog post covering the release. Re/code also has a review and video overview of the new suite: Update 11:00 AM: All three apps are now available for download from the App Store: - Microsoft Word for iPad [Direct Link]
- Microsoft Excel for iPad [Direct Link]
- Microsoft PowerPoint for iPad [Direct Link] Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
• Western Digital Announces Thunderbolt-Powered My Passport Pro RAID Drive
• Work at Apple's Arizona Sapphire Plant Continuing, Possible Expansion in Works
• More Options for 128 GB Mac Pro RAM Upgrades Now Available
• Drobo Announces New 4-Bay Gen3 with USB 3.0, Enhanced Time Machine Support
• Inside the Room Where Apple Developed the Original iPhone Software
• 'BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea Episode 2' Expansion Pack Hits Mac and PC Simultaneously
• Apple Updates 'iTunes Movie Trailers' App With Full Critic Reviews, Favorites Notifications
• iPhone 6 Concept Imagines iPod Nano-Like Design
 
|
Amazon's Apple TV Competitor Expected to Debut at April 2 Media Event
Posted: 27 Mar 2014 09:38 AM PDT
Following rumors of a March launch, it looks like April 2 will be the day Amazon introduces its Apple TV competitor, as Re/code notes that the company has sent out invitations to a "video business" media event for that date. The invitations feature a photo of a couch and popcorn, strongly suggesting that the event will indeed involve the rumored streaming video device, and Re/code's sources indicate that this will indeed be the topic for the event. 
The e-commerce giant has invited reporters to gather for an "update for our video business" in New York next Wednesday, April 2.
The popcorn and couch in the image give you a pretty good idea of what to expect, as does our previous reporting, which explained that Amazon has been preparing a Web-to-TV gadget for many months.
A recent report from TechCrunch indicated that Amazon's device is expected to be a dongle similar to Google's Chromecast, which plugs directly into an HDMI port on the back of the user's television and then connects to either a USB port or outlet for power. Amazon's launch comes as Apple users continue to await the introduction of a revamped Apple TV. Rumblings had suggested Apple was considering a launch late last year, but nothing materialized. Newer rumors have suggested that Apple might make a March or April announcement ahead of a launch later in the year, but there have been no specific signs of an imminent event from Apple. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
• Western Digital Announces Thunderbolt-Powered My Passport Pro RAID Drive
• Work at Apple's Arizona Sapphire Plant Continuing, Possible Expansion in Works
• More Options for 128 GB Mac Pro RAM Upgrades Now Available
• Drobo Announces New 4-Bay Gen3 with USB 3.0, Enhanced Time Machine Support
• Inside the Room Where Apple Developed the Original iPhone Software
• 'BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea Episode 2' Expansion Pack Hits Mac and PC Simultaneously
• Apple Updates 'iTunes Movie Trailers' App With Full Critic Reviews, Favorites Notifications
• iPhone 6 Concept Imagines iPod Nano-Like Design
 
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment