Swatch thinks it can’t compete with the Apple Watch, sticking to low-end smartwatches for now
Swatch seems to have acknowledged the difficulty of competing with the Apple Watch, announcing today that it would be focusing its smartwatch efforts on its low-cost plastic models before making a move into its more expensive brands. The WSJ notes that the Swatch Group owns Omega, Longines and Tissot.
Swatch Group AG on Thursday said it would focus its smartwatch technology on its plastic Swatch brand in response to devices launched by Apple Inc. and others before considering installing it in its pricier brands […]
The Swatch Bellamy, a version of its eponymous plastic Swatch watch that uses near-field communication technology, sells for €80 ($88) to €100.
This is hardly a smartwatch at all, comprising a dumb watch with an NFC payment chip embedded beneath the dial. The company plans to make further low-end smartwatch launches in the U.S., Brazil and Switzerland.
“We are not talking about competing with Apple,” said the colorful Mr. Hayek, who was dressed in a plaid shirt and scarf, occasionally donned a pair of Swatch sunglasses and puffed on a big cigar during the news conference. “They are consumer-electronics people and we don’t want to get into that sector.”
Swatch hasn’t exactly set out to make friends with Apple. It’s believed that the company’s trademarking of ‘iSwatch’ prevented Apple using iWatch as the name for the Apple Watch, and the company last year trademarked ‘One More Thing.’
Filed under: Apple Watch Tagged: Apple watch, Near Field Communication, NFC, One More Thing, Swatch
Apple’s software SVP says quitting multitasking apps not necessary, won’t offer improved battery life
Somehow, it has become a part of mainstream culture for iPhone and iPad users to quit all their apps in multitasking as some kind of regular tech maintenance ritual to improve battery life or speed up the hardware. An understanding of how iOS multitasking works however, shows that this is completely unnecessary to close every app in the multitasking view frequently. A 9to5Mac reader decided to ask Tim Cook for an official stance on whether he quits all his apps and if it’s necessary. Although Cook didn’t answer, Apple iOS chief Craig Federighi did with an unambiguous answer ‘no and no’ …
Filed under: AAPL Company, iOS, iOS Devices Tagged: App Store, apple email, Apps, battery life, craig federighi, iOS, iOS 9, iPhone, multitasking, quit, quit all your apps, swipe up, Tim Cook
Apple updates Radio tab with live Beats 1 show details and artwork in iOS Music app
Apple has rolled out a nice enhancement to the Radio tab in the Music app, further promoting Beats 1 as a live always-on service. As pictured above, rather than displaying the same static image of the Beats 1 logo with a Listen Now subtitle, the Radio tab now updates along with the live schedule … displaying live show titles, host names, description and artwork for the current show. This change allows users to quickly find out what’s on right now and could convert more people into actively listening to the free Beats 1 radio station.
The Radio tab content is largely controlled by server-side data, so Apple has been able to apply this change without an iOS system update; it is appearing on devices running the public iOS 9.2.1 and beta iOS 9.3 seeds.
Filed under: AAPL Company, Apple Music, iOS, iOS Devices, Tech Industry Tagged: Apple Music, Beats, Beats 1, free live, iOS, radio station
Sonos seemingly plans to compete with Siri/HomeKit as it announces layoffs to refocus on smart home control
In a blog post long on words but short on specifics, wireless speaker firm Sonos has announced that it will be increasingly focusing on support for streaming music services – but also moving into voice control. CEO John Macfarlane says that in the immediate term, the company will need to layoff employees as part of its refocusing plans.
Macfarlane hints at a possible collaboration with Amazon, using Alexa, the company’s competitor to Siri.
We’re fans of what Amazon has done with Alexa and the Echo product line. Voice recognition isn’t new; today it’s nearly ubiquitous with Siri, OK Google, and Cortana. But the Echo found a sweet spot in the home and will impact how we navigate music, weather, and many, many other things as developers bring new ideas and more content to the Alexa platform …
Filed under: Apple Music Tagged: alexa, Amazon, Cortana, Siri, Sonos, Sonos PLAY 5
Twitter adds support for web links to Moments
Twitter announced in a blog post today that it’s adding a new capability to its Moments feature on iOS and Android. While Twitter Moments originally supported content like photos, videos, Vines, and polls, publishers can now added add links to Moments to continue telling their story on their own website.
Eddy Cue talks Apple’s battle with the FBI, says goal is always to protect citizens
As Apple’s battle with the FBI drags on, the company’s senior vice president of software and services Eddy Cue has sat down with Univision to discuss the case. In the interview, Cue echoes much of what his colleagues have said before regarding the case, including that it should be decided in Congress and several other points.
Filed under: AAPL Company Tagged: Apple, Eddy Cue, FBI, legal
Poll: Will you upgrade to the iPhone 7 if the design is largely the same as the 6s?
While we’re still a ways off from the announcement and subsequent release of the iPhone 7, early rumors have suggested that the device will largely feature the same design as the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s. This goes against Apple’s general habit of refreshing the design of its flagships every other year, so we’re curious: Would you upgrade to the iPhone 7 if the design was largely the same as the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s?
Filed under: iOS Devices, Opinion Tagged: Apple, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 plus, poll
Chrome 49 comes to iOS as Google Drive updated w/ folder color support, more
In addition to releasing the first developer preview of Android N earlier today, Google this evening has rolled out updates to a pair of its iOS apps. Both Google Drive and Chrome for iOS have been updated with a few new features.
Filed under: iOS Tagged: Chrome, Google, Google Chrome, Google Drive
Here are all the new features that Android N borrowed from iOS 9 [Gallery]
Google surprised everyone earlier today with the very first preview release of Android N — the next operating system update for Android devices — which anyone savvy enough with the right hardware can try out now for free even before Google’s upcoming I/O developer conference. Included in the first preview version of Android N are many new features that catch Google’s mobile OS up with Apple’s iOS 9 like split-screen apps and picture-in-picture mode. Like Apple, Google’s even launching a public beta program for consumers soon. Check out the full details at 9to5Google and see how each feature compares between Android N and iOS 9 below:
Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: Android N, Apple, Google, iOS 9
Happy Hour Podcast 057 | Apple gets social, Macs for ransom, and iOS 10 wishlists
This week Apple joined Twitter. Yep. Along with that, Zac and Benjamin discuss OS X’s first ransomware, and later on we’ll go over our iOS 10 wishlist and talk about what Apple needs to make the next version better than ever. The Happy Hour podcast is available for download on iTunes and through our dedicated RSS feed. Big thanks to Harry’s this episode.
Filed under: Happy Hour Tagged: Apple, Happy Hour, iOS, iOS 10, Mac, OS X, Podcast, ransomware, Twitter