Customers in Australia and other time-forward countries began receiving their Apple Watch orders earlier today, and the folks at iFixit have acquired a 38mm Sport Apple Watch, and have begun their customary teardown process.
After prying the display off, the team gained access to the battery—which at 205 mAh is tiny compared to the Moto360's 300 mAh battery—the new Digital Crown and Taptic Engine, and yes—the mysterious diagnostic port is still there.
Apple on Thursday posted its official Apple Watch User Guide to the web, offering information and instructions on all of the wearable's major features and functions. The move follows the rollout of the Apple Watch App Store, and the seeding of the first Watch firmware update, as Apple prepares for folks to start receiving their Watch orders tomorrow.
As it turns out, you will be available to buy the Apple Watch in stores on Friday—just not Apple's. The New York Times is reporting that select destination fashion boutiques around the world have their own stock, and will be offering the wearable for sale at the end of the week.
This isn't top secret information. Premium retailers such as Dover Street Market in Tokyo and London, Maxfield in Los Angeles, Colette in Paris and 10 Corso Como in Milan have all been openly advertising that the Apple Watch would be available “in-store" on Friday, April 24.
Apple confirmed this afternoon that the reports are true, Apple Watches are shipping ahead of schedule. A spokesperson for the company told BuzzFeed that "[Apple] is happy to be updating many customers today with the news that their Apple Watch will arrive sooner than expected."
Additionally, the spokesperson said Apple "is working to fill orders as quickly as possible based on the available supply and the order in which they were received," and explained the company is aware that many customers are still facing long lead times, and it appreciates their patience.
After years of rumors and speculation, Google is officially getting into the wireless business. The tech giant on Wednesday announced "Project Fi," an MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) set to shake up the wireless industry with plans starting at $20 per month.
Google has teamed up with Sprint and T-Mobile for the project, and it will piggyback on their networks. The service is designed to allow devices to dynamically switch between the carriers' networks and nearby Wi-Fi networks, depending on which offers better service.
Potentially good news today for folks looking at lengthy lead times on their Apple Watch pre-orders. Some customers with 4-6 week and June shipping estimates are reporting that Apple has charged them for their Watch purchases, and their order statuses have changed from 'Processing Items' to 'Preparing for Shipment.'
Given how crazy the Apple Watch launch has been thus far, it's possible that this doesn't mean anything—perhaps it's a system glitch or Apple's trying out a new processing strategy. But typically, these actions indicate that Apple is about to ship an order, and that has raised hopes that Watches will arrive earlier than expected.
Apple retail chief Angela Ahrendts sent out a video to Apple retail employees today, addressing concerns and questions regarding the Apple Watch and MacBook launches. In the video, posted by French site Mac4Ever, Ahrendts reiterates much of what was said in an internal memo that was sent out to employees last week.
Apple is working on integrating public transit information into its Maps app, according to a job listing spotted by AppleInsider on Tuesday. The company is hiring software engineers for its Maps division's Routing team, which it says is working on "one of the most anticipated features of Apple Maps."
The job listing calls for applicants with experience in developing high quality, robust software systems using C++ and Linux, excellent problem solving and analytical skills, and asks that they have "in-depth knowledge about public transit, both as a consumer of those services and the technical aspects."
Following a soft-launch earlier this year, EA on Tuesday released EA Sports UFC for both iOS and Android. The game promises to bring the intensity of MMA (mixed martial arts) to your fingertips like nothing you've ever seen before.
UFC offers everything you've come to expect from major EA franchise mobile releases. It has HD-quality visuals, intuitive touch controls for action-packed gameplay, and a laundry list of content and features to keep you playing for hours.
Apple on Tuesday began sending out emails to select iOS developers, giving them the chance to purchase a 42mm Apple Watch with a Blue Sport band that is guaranteed to arrive by April 28, 2015. Supplies are of course extremely limited, so Apple says that it is choosing the developers via a lottery system.
The move is part of an ongoing effort to help app developers test their WatchKit apps directly on Apple Watch, which can help them gather much better performance data than the Mac simulator. Prior to pre-orders, Apple was said to be inviting some developers to its Cupertino headquarters for such testing.
Long-time developer NimbleBit, responsible for several hit titles such as Tiny Tower and Pocket Planes, released a new game on Monday called 'Letterpad.' It's a word puzzler, and it's available for free for both the iPhone and iPad, as well as the Apple Watch.
The game tasks players with finding words related to the given topic, hidden within a group of 9 letters. So if the topic is 'Music,' you'll want to uncover words related to that such as radio or jam. Find all the words, and work your way through over 200 puzzles.
Apple on Monday began notifying pre-order customers that it is preparing their Apple Watch orders for shipment. Multiple members of the iDB team saw the status of their Watch orders change from 'Processing Items' to 'Preparing for Shipment' this afternoon.
Apple also began charging customer credit cards for their orders on Monday, something that it typically doesn't do for new products until they are ready to be shipped. Combined, these signs bode well for Apple's ability to get Watches out to customers this week.