Apple

Apple Watch Series 2 Nike+ edition is coming October 28

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 14, 2016

A special edition of the Apple Watch Series 2 that Apple has created in partnership with Nike, will be going on sale two weeks from today, on Friday, October 28, according to an updated Apple Watch Nike+ webpage first spotted by French blog WatchGeneration. It's what I wanted to hear as I'm in the market for the Nike+ edition of the new watch.

Apple has said that the $369 Apple Watch Series 2 Nike+ will have the same design, price and hardware features as the regular edition of the smartwatch, with the exception of special fluoroelastomer bands (available in a choice of four colors) that have perforations to reduce weight and improve ventilation.

Tim Cook: augmented reality is ‘profound,’ will take time to get right

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

Apple CEO Tim Cook once again sings the praises of augmented reality in a new interview with BuzzFeed News. Cook tells the outlet that his team is "high on AR in the long run" and he believes the technology can be "huge."

His latest comments echo those from previous interviews, including one from August with The Washington Post. He said at that time that Apple is very bullish on AR and is doing a lot of things with the tech behind the curtain.

SIM-free iPhone 7 now available in Apple’s online store

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

Heads up to those of you who have been waiting for SIM-free iPhone 7 and 7 Plus models to come available. You can now buy the unlocked handsets on Apple's website, starting at $650 and $770, respectively.

While you could previously buy the iPhone 7 at full retail, it had to be tied to a carrier. These new models, as the name suggests, come without a SIM card, meaning they can be active with any carrier at a later time.

Apple hires COO and engineers from iPhone graphics provider Imagination Technologies

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 19, 2018

Combing through multiple LinkedIn profiles, MacRumors has discovered that Imagination Technologies COO John Metcalfe left the company in June along with a bunch of engineers and is now listed as a Senior Director at Apple, where he started in July. Imagination GPUs are found in Apple's in-house designed mobile chips for iOS devices.

Chrome 54 for Mac is out, replaces old Flash-based YouTube embeds with HTML5 player

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 26, 2023

Google stopped using Adobe Flash for YouTube's desktop video player back in January 2016, replacing it with an HTML5 counterpart that doesn't require any special browser plug-in to function.

Last evening saw the release of Chrome 54 for Mac, Windows and Linux which continues on Google's mission to ditch Flash in favor of HTML5: the new version replaces old Flash-based YouTube embeds on websites with HTML5.

You can now stream Facebook videos to your TV while browsing your News Feed

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 13, 2016

Facebook today announced that users of its mobile app for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch can take advantage of some newly expanded options that let them stream any native video from Facebook to their television through devices like the Apple TV or Google's Chromecast HDMI dongle.

Wait, haven't we always had the ability to stream any video from an iOS device to the Apple TV or an AirPlay-enabled device via Apple's AirPlay feature?

Yes, but this is different in that you can watch Facebook videos on the big screen while browsing the News Feed on the device you're streaming at the same time.

Confirmed: Apple held talks with Sonder on using e-ink for a dynamic Magic Keyboard

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 13, 2016

An exciting story yesterday, based on a sketchy Reddit report, alleged Apple could use dynamic keyboard technology from Australian startup Sonder, part of Foxconn’s International Holding’s Incubator program. It would presumably permit the Cupertino company to engineer a keyboard with a tiny e-ink display on each key so that the layout could change depending on the app being used.

British newspaper The Guardian confirmed that discussions between members of Apple’s boss Tim Cook and representatives from Sonder Keyboard indeed took place.

New Apple patent would use heart rate data to identify Apple Watch owner

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 13, 2016

Currently, you can protect your Apple Watch with a passcode or set it to automatically unlock itself whenever you unlock your iPhone. But if a newly published patent application from the Cupertino firm is anything to go by, the wearable device may soon be able to seamlessly identify the owner with its built-in heart rate sensor.

As published by the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO), the invention titled “User identification system based on plethysmography” proposes using a pulse oximeter to intelligently identify biometric characteristics of a user's vasculature.

Periscope update brings camera and sharing improvements & more

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 13, 2016

Periscope, Twitter's live video-streaming app, has been refreshed in the App Store this morning with a few new features related to in-app camera, sharing and more. For starters, you'll notice improved tap-to-focus while broadcasting live video, plus you can now follow a broadcaster from the viewers list with one tap. There are also improvements to Persicope's VIP Program and more.

Apple posts new ad showcasing revamped Apple Music service

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

Apple late Wednesday night posted a new commercial to its YouTube channel titled "Explore the All-New Apple Music." The ad showcases the company's revamped streaming music service, spotlighting several of its features.

It works essentially as an overview of the iOS 10 Music app, demonstrating how you can build your own personal music library based on custom recommendations and new content discovered via Apple's Beats 1 Radio station.

Next-gen Magic Keyboard reportedly in the works with e-ink display on every single key

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 12, 2016

According to a post by an anonymous user named “Foxconninsider” that surfaced Wednesday morning on Reddit, Apple is allegedly working with a startup called Sonder on a next-generation Magic Keyboard that's supposedly outfitted with an individual e-ink display on every single key.

Having e-ink-enhanced keys would let the graphics on each individual key change depending on the app currently in use. To me, that sounds a lot like an OLED strip that the rumor-mill believes will be debuting on the next MacBook Pro.

Pandora refreshes its brand identity ahead of on-demand music streaming service launch

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 12, 2016

Whether you listen to ad-supported Pandora or Pandora Plus, an improved version of its $5 per month Pandora One offering, you'll be enjoying Pandora's new logo and brand identity which the company unveiled in a blog post today. As Pandora Plus is now available to everyone, Pandora has decided to celebrate that milestone by unveiling “a new brand to enhance your Pandora experience and help bring your music to life.