Apple Watch Series 1

watchOS 3.1.1 released with latest Unicode 9.0 emoji, changeable skin tones, bug fixes & more

Happy updates day, everyone! Apple is today unleashing a barrage of updates for its software platforms, starting with a feature-packed iOS 10.2 release and tvOS 10.1 with support for Single Sign-On, Apple’s new “TV” app and more. Also available today: watchOS 3.1.1, a minor release with bug fixes, performance improvements and support for more than a hundred new Unicode 9.0 emoji which are also available in iOS 10.2 and via the upcoming macOS 10.12.2 software update.

Apple releases beta 4 of iOS 10.2, watchOS 3.1.1 & macOS Sierra 10.12.2 to developers

Apple on Cyber Monday seeded new beta downloads to its registered developers who are enrolled in the Apple Developer Program. If you’re a developer, iOS 10.2 beta 4 (build 14C82), watchOS 3.1.1 beta 4 (build 14S879) and macOS Sierra 10.12.2 beta 4 (build 16C53a) are now readily available as standalone downloads through the company’s portal for developers or as over-the-air downloads on devices with a prior beta and an appropriate configuration profile.

Nike+ Run Club gains new features ahead of tomorrow’s launch of Apple Watch Nike+

The Apple Watch Nike+ is arriving tomorrow in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy and a number of other countries. The Series 2 comes with exclusive Nike-branded bands, watch faces and complications, plus the Nike+ Run Club app is built-in. Ahead of tomorrow’s launch, Nike+ Run Club for iOS was refreshed this morning with new features on the Apple Watch Series 2.

More people are interested in buying AirPods than Apple Watch Series 2

According to a new survey of more than a thousand customers in the United States, conducted by Bank of America Merrill Lynch and cited in today’s BusinessInsider article, a whopping twelve percent of respondents are interested in buying Apple’s $159 wireless AirPods earbuds when they go on sale next month, resulting in an incremental $3 billion in revenue.

In fact, more respondents said they planned to purchase the AirPods than the new Apple Watch Series 2 (eight percent).

Bloomberg: Apple Watch to gain new sleep tracking and fitness apps & more

In an effort to advance its HealthKit framework, Apple has reportedly been developing a pair of new apps for the Apple Watch.

One will help users track and analyze their sleep and the other will their track fitness levels by measuring the time taken for the heart rate to fall from its peak to resting level, Bloomberg reports.

The company has hired “scores of healthcare experts” to develop improved electronic health record software and help turn the Apple Watch into a tool that diagnoses disease.

How to unlock your Mac with your Apple Watch

With Auto Unlock, a new Continuity feature from Apple, logging into your Mac is as easy as wearing an authenticated Apple Watch on your wrist—no password typing required whatsoever.

For added security, Auto Unlock uses Bluetooth proximity information to determine when the watch you’re wearing and your Mac are at an arm’s length.

In this step-by-step tutorial, we’re going to take you through the process of setting up and using Auto Unlock on your Mac.

65+ new Apple Watch features in watchOS 3

watchOS 3 released alongside iOS 10 with a bunch of new features, core technologies and user interface enhancements. With watchOS 3, navigating your watch is now intuitive, as it should have been from the onset. A new Dock feature lets you access your frequently used apps with a press of the Side button and they load way faster, even on the original watch.

Apps can also take advantage of Background App Refresh technology to stay up to date, Messages now supports stickers, enhanced Digital Touch features and even fullscreen and bubble effects, like in iOS 10, plus tons more.

How to re-enable Apple Watch screenshots in watchOS 3

Like most Apple devices, the Apple Watch has from the onset included the ability to take a screenshot by simultaneously pressing the Side button and the Digital Crown. In watchOS 3, this feature is disabled by default, for a good reason: the shortcut clashes with a new feature where you press both buttons to pause or resume a workout in progress. Thankfully, there’s now a new switch to toggle screenshot taking.

Apple Watch Series 2 is a bit thicker and heavier than the original Apple Watch

Although they look just about the same on the outside, the new Apple Watch Series 2 is built just a little bit thicker and heavier than the Apple Watch Series 1 and the original Apple Watch.

The findings might be a deal-breaker for some people who already thought the original Apple Watch was too thick to begin with. After all, many were hoping Apple would thin out the footprint of the next-generation Apple Watch, rather than make it thicker.

Apple Watch Series 2 tech specs

The Apple Watch Series 2, which was announced at yesterday’s keynote, is Apple’s answer to improving on what was already one of the best-selling smartwatches on the market today.

In this piece, we’ll recap all the technical specifications of the new Apple Watch lineup.

Poll: Will you buy the Apple Watch Series 2?

Apple unveiled the Apple Watch Series 2 at yesterday’s keynote event alongside the iPhone 7 lineup with improvements to speed and capability, and also bumped up the specs of the original Apple Watch all while re-branding it the Apple Watch Series 1.

But is the second-generation Apple Watch everything you were hoping for? Let us know in this poll whether or not you’ll be ordering one.