Apple Watch

Stay up-to-date on the latest Apple Watch news, and learn how to get the most out of your device with our comprehensive tutorials. From updates to features to troubleshooting tips, we’ve got you covered.

Apple wants some Watch apps ready in two weeks

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 30, 2015

According to sources who spoke to MacRumors on condition of anonymity, Apple told certain developers to have their Watch apps ready by mid-February.

Ostensibly, among them is one of biggest Apple Pay partners who was reportedly asked to prepare an iOS app with WatchKit support and have it ready to launch in the App Store by February 12.

The wrist-worn gizmo is arriving in April, Apple CEO told investors on an earnings call earlier this week. Conventional wisdom says testing third-party apps ahead of the launch is necessary to ensure key Watch apps work properly and, more importantly, don't create a major drain on the battery.

Another possibility: carefully-selected developers get a chance to show off their apps at a launch event, assuming there's any. In addition to furthering the Watch narrative, featuring third-party apps in live demos at another event would go a great length toward explaining what the Watch is really for and maybe turn us all into believers.

Sounds plausible?

eBay working on bidding app for Apple Watch

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 9, 2018

eBay may be developing an app for the Apple Watch which ties to its existing iPhone and iPad software, as per a job listing AppleInsider highlighted yesterday.

Originally posted to eBay's careers webpage in November, the ad was spotted recently on LinkedIn.

The ad states the bespoke Watch app is being developed by the company's New Technology Group, which employs over 200 engineers in product development in Portland.

An ideal candidate will “design and implement elegant solutions for the Apple Watch that will complement our core iOS eBay app,” reads the ad.

Apple announces Apple Watch shipping in April

Jake Smith ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Apple CEO Tim Cook just shed more light on the Apple Watch's launch this spring, announcing on the company's quarterly earnings call the Apple Watch will be shipping to customers in April.

Noted analyst pegs 12″ MacBook Air for Q1, reiterates March launch of Apple Watch

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

Pretty accurate KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has issued a brand new note to clients. In it, he confirmed an earlier report calling for a March release date of the Apple Watch (remember, Apple's retail boss mentioned a vague Spring release date).

In the note, a copy of which was obtained last evening by MacRumors, Kuo also claims that a rumored MacBook Air refresh with a twelve-inch Retina display and a radically redesigned chassis will go on sale during the first quarter of this year.

Apple hires another Burberry exec ahead of Apple Watch launch

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 14, 2018

After appointing former Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts its new Senior Vice President of Apple Retail, and having recently hired Burberry's social media executive Musa Tariq, Apple has now poached another high-profile executive from the British luxury fashion house.

As first discovered by Mark Gurman of 9to5Mac, Chester Chipperfield, the Vice President of Digital and Interactive Design at Burberry, has now joined the Cupertino firm.

New report sheds light on Apple Watch battery life

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

For its upcoming Watch, Apple is shooting for somewhere between 2.5 and 4 hours of active use and 19 hours of passive use, according to a new report from 9to5Mac. The site says sources with knowledge of the project have offered up new details regarding the wearable's battery life.

Battery life was one of the many things left out of the initial Apple Watch unveiling last September, but Tim Cook has since said that the device will need to be "charged every night." The vague explanation has left many users wondering how long the Watch will last in the real world.

Apple Watch gets its first game, a cute word puzzler from NimbleBit

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 23, 2015

In case you had any doubts — yes, some developers are busy writing their first games for the Apple Watch.

But first, let's get something straight: because Watch apps will initially run as extensions on your iPhone that stream image assets and UI back to your wrist, don't expect to see graphics-rich shooters playable on your wrist anytime soon.

With that off our back, puzzlers seem like a really good fit for a wrist-worn device like the Watch.

And sure enough, as reported by TouchArcade, a developer that goes by the name of NimbleBit is planning to release Letterpad, an upcoming word puzzler for the iPhone and iPad, with support for the Apple Watch.

Wanna see how it's going to look and feel like? Read on for the full reveal.

Head of TAG Heuer says he’ll wear an Apple Watch

Jake Smith ∙ January 20, 2015

Bloomberg has published an interview with Jean-Claude Biver, who is head of the Swiss time piece company TAG Heuer, discussing the state of the Swiss watch industry following the announcement of the Apple Watch and the impending flood of smartwatches. Surprisingly, Biver said he'll be among the customers who will be purchasing an Apple Watch.

FDA clarifies when health and fitness wearables should be considered medical devices

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 20, 2015

We know Apple's upcoming Watch, due in March, will double as a fitness and a health tracking device, but could it be classed as a regulated medical device?

According to the preliminary guidelines published Tuesday on the United States Food and Drug Administration's website, any wearable device which wants to be considered a medical device must prove that it can treat specific diseases or conditions, as first noted by AppleInsider.

If not, any such device should be considered a general wellness gadget, not a regulated medical device.

Poll: should the next iPhone implement Apple Watch’s Force Touch pressure sensing?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 14, 2018

If you believe recent reporting by Tech News Taiwan and UDN, Force Touch, one of the technologies behind the Apple Watch, could make its way into this year's refresh of the iPhone 6, likely to be referred to as an ‘iPhone 6s’.

To get you quickly up to speed on Force Touch, it's a handy feature that relies on a bunch of tiny electrodes around the Watch's display that recognize the difference between a tap and a press, thereby providing the user with quick access to contextually specific controls.

But would Force Touch make sense on the iPhone, do you think?

Check out the original 1995 Apple Watch!

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

Contrary to popular belief, the iPhone maker's upcoming Apple Watch is not the first wrist-worn watch the company has created.

Back in 1995, two years before Jobs was brought back to save the company he co-founded, Apple had used a custom-made wrist watch with anodized aluminum bezel and scratch-resistant glass as an incentive for users to upgrade to Mac OS System 7.5.

Instagram, Google Maps, Foursquare, Uber and other apps get conceptualized for Apple Watch

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 16, 2015

As noted by Fast Company, Digital agency Huge took it upon themselves to imagine what Apple Watch editions of popular apps would look like.

A batch of believable mockups envision apps like Fandango, Foursquare, Google Maps, Chase Bank and more running on the Watch. The authors also offered a few smart suggestions on how such applications might take advantage of the Watch's unique hardware and software features.