Apple

Discover announces bringing Apple Pay to cardholders this Fall

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 27, 2015

In a rather major announcement Monday, Discover, a notable Apple Pay holdout, said it will be joining the Apple Pay party this fall. The move will permit Discover cardmembers in the United States to make contactless payments in participating stores through Apple Pay using their iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch.

As a bonus, Discover cardholders will continue to receive current benefits when using Apple Pay. This marks the last of America's four major credit card networks joining Apple's mobile payments initiative.

In addition to paying in stores, “millions of cardmembers” can also use Apple Pay with their iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 when paying for goods and services within apps beginning this fall, said the company.

Is Apple Watch draining your iPhone’s battery too fast? This may help

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 27, 2015

Contrary to popular belief, the Apple Watch has a pretty remarkable battery, a notion driven home by even the toughest of critics and reviewers.

Now that first shipments have arrived into the hands of consumers, and people have spent a day or two with their device, reports are coming in that the wearable device is in some cases dramatically draining the battery of an iPhone it's paired to.

Our own Oliver Haslam has underscored the phenomenon in his hands-on with the Watch based on his first 24 hours with the device, as did others including former Engadget editor Ryan Block. What gives?

Apple partners with Red Cross for Nepal earthquake relief donations

Jake Smith ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Apple has setup a donation page to help aid those affected by the devastating Nepal earthquake that struck the nation on Saturday. Like with past disasters, Apple has partnered with the American Red Cross to handle donations, with 100 percent of the money going to the cause.

Apple Watch gets beat to hell for science [Video]

Jake Smith ∙ April 25, 2015

While many of you are probably holding on to your precious Apple Watch with care, CNET took it upon themselves to see what will ruin the wearable, so you don't have to. We're taken through several everyday scenarios of how the Apple Watch could get ruined in the kitchen. It actually holds up pretty well.

Chinese court says Apple isn’t guilty of Siri patent infringement, overturns previous ruling

Jake Smith ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

"Siri, how does it feel to be a winner?"

A Chinese appeals court has put an end to a three year patent battle over Apple's Siri voice recognition found on its iOS line. AFP reports that Apple has won an appeal in China over the patents, overturning an earlier decision that put Apple in the guilty chair.

Apple Watch battery retains up to 80% of its original capacity at 1,000 complete charge cycles

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 14, 2018

The battery inside the Apple Watch will retain up to eighty percent of its original capacity at a full one-thousand charge cycles before its capacity starts depleting further, as revealed on the Batteries section of Apple's website.

In terms of daily use, the battery of any Apple Watch model will last up to eighteen hours based on mixed usage, as per Apple's official data.

In addition, you'll get up to 72 hours on a single charge if you run the device in Power Reserve mode. Pitting the Apple Watch battery against that inside the iPad, iPhone and MacBook reveals quite a technological achievement for such a comparatively small package.

Apple Watch User Guide now available as a convenient download from the iBooks Store

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 24, 2015

The official Apple Watch User Guide is now available for download on the iBooks Store. Content-wise, the free electronic book is the same as the online version that Apple published yesterday on its website, it's just optimized for the iBooks app for the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Mac.

“Here’s everything you need to know about Apple Watch and the Apple Watch app on iPhone,” reads the blurb on the iBooks Store.

Apple posts 3 new Apple Watch ads: ‘Rise,’ ‘Up’ and ‘Us’

Cody Lee ∙ April 24, 2015

It's officially Apple Watch launch day, and Apple has already started celebrating by debuting 3 new advertisements for the wearable. On its YouTube channel, the company posted new videos entitled 'Rise,' 'Up' and 'Us,' respectively.

The ads are a major departure from the 'Reimagined' commercial Apple has been playing since March. Each one focuses on a tentpole feature—time, fitness and communication—and demonstrates them using real-world scenarios.

Apple offering online Personal Setup for new Apple Watch users

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Apple on Thursday night began emailing Apple Watch pre-order customers (whose orders have already shipped), informing them that their wearable would be arriving soon and that they can get help setting it up in "the comfort of their own home."

The online "Personal Setup" service is essentially a video session in which you get instructions on setting up your Watch and an overview of key features. As with in-store Personal Setups, online sessions require you to schedule an appointment.

Apple begins notifying developers who get an expedited Apple Watch

Jake Smith ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Apple has begun notifying developers who signed up for the Apple Watch Sport lottery on the Developer Center if they have been randomly selected to make the purchase. It allows many who pay the $100 iOS Developer Program fee to bypass the long waitlist of Apple Watch orders the public is facing and get the Watch earlier.

‘Offers Apple Watch App’ label added to App Store

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 23, 2015

In order to better distinguish between regular iPhone applications and those with added Apple Watch functionality, a new 'Offers Apple Watch App' label is now available in the App Store across the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices. It's also found when browsing Watch-compatible iOS apps in the App Store section of iTunes for Mac/Windows PCs.

When available, the label appears right below the app icon on individual app pages and in search results, making it easier to discover Apple Watch apps.

Twitter’s iOS app now showing apps on profile pages, new Highlights feature hits Android

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 23, 2015

The official Twitter application for the iPhone and iPad is now showing certain apps on profile pages, as noted by Twitter user 'ryan'. It's a silent refresh on Twitter's backend, meaning no update is necessary to your existing copy of Twitter for iOS. The web interface is unaffected by this nifty little change.

For the time being, it seems that mostly applications from major publications and brands are being highlighted, including ones by The New York Times and BuzzFeed, among others. In addition to branded news apps, other notable brands include Spotify and Twitter's own Periscope.