While numbers are still relatively small, smartwatch shipments continue to pick up steam. Research firm Strategy Analytics today reported that global smartwatch shipments reached 4.2 million units in the first quarter of 2016. This is a sharp 223% increase from the from 1.3 million units shipped the same quarter a year ago but down sequentially (unsurprisingly) from the 8.1 million shipments in […]
Apple
New Apple Watch apps required to run natively starting June 1st
Apple yesterday informed developers that new Apple Watch apps will need to be built using the watchOS 2 SDK or later. Starting on June 1st, only apps meeting this requirement will be accepted on the App Store. The terse note to developers reads: Starting June 1, 2016, all new watchOS apps submitted to theApp Store must be native apps built with […]
Siri announces WWDC 2016 set for June 13th to June 17th
Apple’s digital personal assistant was the first to know exactly when WWDC 2016 would take place. Even before Apple made an announcement, Siri began telling people who asked that Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference would run from June 13th to June 17th this year. Apple followed up this clever little marketing stunt with a formal confirmation later in the day. Early today, asking Siri when WWDC […]
Fluent: 53% believe that Apple Watch is not a successful product
The Apple Watch, much like other wearables, continues to divide consumers. A recent survey by Fluent found that less than half of the 2,578 American adults polled agreed that “the Apple Watch is a successful product.” But when the advertising technology company narrowed its focus down to regular Apple product users, that number jumped to 62%. It jumped even higher to 77% when the question was […]
KGI Securities: No major design changes for Apple Watch until 2017
Following Drexel Hamilton analyst Brian White’s prediction that Apple would unveil a thinner Apple Watch as early as WWDC 2016, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has weighed in with his own predictions. In his latest note, Kuo predicts that physical changes will be slight with the focus instead being on upgraded internal components. Kuo’s prediction of “spec improvements with limited changes to form factor design” suggests […]
Thinner Apple Watch 2 to be unveiled at WWDC 2016?
Early rumours ahead of Apple’s “Let us loop you in” press event suggested that the company would unveil a new smartwatch at the event. Those rumours died down as we got closer to the event with new ones instead suggesting a launch in September along with the next-generation iPhone. Drexel Hamilton analyst Brian White this week issued a research note, suggesting that Apple may […]
Standalone Apple Watch Hermès bands to go on sale April 19th
Apple unveiled the Apple Watch Hermès in September 2015. It paired the stainless steel case Apple Watch with one of three Hermès leather band designs. Until today, you could only buy the band and watch as a set and you had limited colour choices. Starting April 19th, Apple will offer the Apple Watch Hermès bands in a range of new colours. Better yet, it […]
New Apple patents hint at modular smart bands for Apple Watch
A trio of new patents filed by Apple suggest that it could turn to accessories to offer new features and capabilities to the Apple Watch. The patents suggest that the smartwatch’s capabilities would be complemented by interchangeable smart straps or even user-customizeable modular smart bands assembled from individual links. This modular hardware ecosystem would allow Apple to offer a range of functions without having to […]