Apple

Asus insults Apple users: you’re ‘out of your mind’ to buy Apple Watch Edition

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 5, 2017

I usually don't cover companies tweeting about other companies' products, but this particular tweet posted by the official Asus account may have gone too far in belittling Apple customers.

Commenting on the 18-karat gold Apple Watch Edition, which CEO Tim Cook revealed will start at $10,000 during Monday's “Spring Forward” media event, Asus basically called those looking to buy the device crazy.

“You are really out of your mind” if you buy a gold Apple Watch, reads infographic attached to Asus' tweet...

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Thousands of people already signing up for ResearchKit-powered medical studies

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 14, 2018

Less than 24 hours following Apple's announcement of ResearchKit, thousands of people have signed up for medical research programs through ResearchKit apps available in the App Store, Bloomberg noted Wednesday.

Stanford University researchers were reportedly “stunned when they awoke Tuesday to find that 11,000 people had signed up for a cardiovascular study” using ResearchKit.

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Apple issues an apology for iTunes/iCloud downtime, blames outage on internal DNS error

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 16, 2017

Chances are you've by now realized that Apple's content stores and other iCloud services are experiencing widespread downtime.

Earlier this morning, Twitter lit up with complaints from users around the world who reported being unable to download apps, music, movies, TV shows and books, as well as buy in-app content, with some even unable to sign in to online service like iCloud Mail.

In an official statement issued to CNBC, Apple's apologized for inconveniencing customers and said the multi-hour outage is caused by “an internal DNS error” at the firm. As you could imagine, they're scrambling to produce a fix.

UPDATE: following what became an eleven-hour long outage, the App Store and iTunes services are now back online.

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Apple lists 14 new merchants supporting Apple Pay, including Coke and Walt Disney

Jake Smith ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Apple has updated its list of merchants that support Apple Pay to include 14 new stores, most notably including Coca-Cola and Walt Disney World, as the Cupertino-based company works to grow its mobile payments service.

Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, highlighted that Coca-Cola Vending was adding Apple Pay support during the company's "Spring Forward" media event on Monday. Cook said the beverage-giant currently has 40,000 Apple Pay-compatible machines and plans to bring that number to 100,000 by the end of 2015.

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Twelve South unveils $50 HiRise charging stand for Apple Watch, arriving in May

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 1, 2017

Twelve South, a premium and Apple-exclusive accessory maker, on Wednesday announced a version of its HiRise charging stand for the Apple Watch, which is scheduled to hit store shelves on April 24.

The HiRise for the Apple Watch docks your smarwatch while accommodating all of the official bands from Apple. The stand will be launching in May, priced at fifty bucks a pop.

It will be offered in silver and black finishes. The company has yet to announce pre-orders for the accessory.

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App Store, Mac App Store iTunes/iBooks Store and other iCloud services experiencing outage

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 11, 2015

If you're unable to update your apps or buy books and music on Apple's content stores, you're not alone — there's trouble in iCloud. Apple's App Store, Mac App Store, iTunes Store and iBooks Store services have been experiencing widespread outage for straight six hours now.

At first, the company's iCloud Status Page would not acknowledge the downtime. Earlier this morning, the company refreshed the dashboard which now shows the App Store, Mac App Store, iTunes Store and iBooks Store as being unavailable “for all users”.

UPDATE: following what became an eleven-hour long outage, the App Store and iTunes services are now back online.

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Review: Nokia’s new HERE for iPhone mapping app gives Apple and Google a run for their money

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 17, 2015

After launching its HERE mapping service on iOS only to pull it in December 2013 over unfavorable reception (it was based on HTML5, had limited features and wasn't optimized for iOS), Nokia last September and again in December promised to deliver a mapping experience the iPhone deserves.

Today, the company has made good on that promise and released a sleek new navigation and mapping software for the iPhone with the features and the polished feel that you'd rightly expect from a mapping app.

Nokia HERE features a nicely done user interface that honors iOS aesthetics while delivering a set of advanced features like turn-by-turn directions, rich database of points of interest and perks which cannot be found in Apple Maps, Google Maps and many other competing products, such as offline navigation and maps.

I've had a few days to play with the app ahead of its launch, this is what I was able to glean from my hands-on time with HERE.

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WSJ: Next iPhone to get Force Touch, distinguishing between light and deep taps

Jake Smith ∙ March 10, 2015

The Wall Street Journal reports on Tuesday that Apple will include Force Touch technology on its next line of iPhones, being able to distinguish between a light tap and deep press, like on the upcoming MacBook, MacBook Pro, and Apple Watch.

Furthermore, the publication reports Apple may include a pink option of the next iPhone, believed to be called the "iPhone 6s", that will keep the same design of the current iPhone 6.

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Here’s how to tell which Apple Watch case size is for you

Jake Smith ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Following word on Apple Watch pricing on Monday, you may be asking yourself: Which Apple Watch case is best for me? Apple is offering two different size cases - 38mm and 42mm - and which case you choose could have an effect on comfort, price, and looks.

Luckily, Apple has updated its Apple Store iOS app with a sizing chart to help you make the decision. Using actual size images, it's as easy as placing your iPhone on your wrist to see which Watch looks, and works, the best.

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LaCie unveils first USB-C external hard drive for new MacBook

Jake Smith ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Following a bit of backlash that Apple has only chosen to include a USB-C port on the new MacBook, LaCie is working to appease customers with the first external hard drive and accessory for the new Apple creation. Unveiled on Tuesday, the Porsche Design Mobile Drive has been updated to perfectly suit the new Mac with USB-C.

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