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Bowers & Wilkins debuts Zeppelin Wireless, adding Bluetooth and power to iconic Apple speaker
Bowers & Wilkins, maker of the iconic Zeppelin speaker and its AirPlay sequel Zeppelin Air, today announced an upgraded model with even more horsepower and features: Zeppelin Wireless ($700). The original $600 Zeppelin redefined “high-end iPod speakers” at a time when Bose and Klipsch had established a $300 to $400 price ceiling, successfully upping the ante in both sound quality and industrial design.
Zeppelin Wireless retains B&W’s classic elongated football shape and five-speaker concept, but now relies entirely on wireless streaming for audio, boasting Bluetooth aptX, AirPlay, and Spotify Connect support. Backed by 150 Watts of amplifier power, a new twice-as-powerful digital signal processor upsamples all inputs to 24-bit/192kHz resolution, promising to deliver greater accuracy, lower noise, and enhanced dynamic range through an audiophile-quality DAC. The speakers and enclosure have been upgraded, as well…
On the speaker side, Zeppelin Wireless now features an upgraded 6″ subwoofer similar to the company’s high-end model A7, but with “an ultra long-throw voice coil” and reduced vibration to deliver deep, accurate bass even at high volume levels. B&W also includes two 25mm double-dome tweeters and fixed suspension transducer (FST) midrange drivers, all housed within a newly reinforced, vibration-free cabinet made with fiberglass ribs and a 50% thicker front fascia than the earlier Zeppelins.
Removed from this model is the Zeppelin’s and Zeppelin Air’s iPod/iPhone dock, leaving Zeppelin Wireless with a purely black fabric front apart from a small B&W logo on the plastic base. Controls have been simplified, and now consist of three buttons nestled on the top surface.
Zeppelin Wireless is available online today, and will hit retail stores on October 15. The AirPlay and dock-based Zeppelin Air is available as a factory-recertified model for $400, while the boxier A7 still sells for $800.
Filed under: iOS Devices, Mac Tagged: AirPlay speaker, B&W, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Speaker, Bowers & Wilkins, speaker, Spotify, Zeppelin, Zeppelin Wireless
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Apple’s Jony Ive talks memories of Steve Jobs at Vanity Fair Summit
As expected, Apple’s Chief Design Officer Jony Ive today took the stage at Vanity Fair’s New Establishment Summit at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. Ive shared the stage with famed director, writer, and producer J.J. Abrams. During his time on stage, the Apple executive spent a decent amount of time discussing the life of the late Steve Jobs, who passed away four years ago this week.
Regarding the time when Jobs passed away, Ive remarked that he “was faced with this wall of grief.” Perhaps as a slight jab at recent films that have portrayed Jobs in a negative light, Ive also noted that he remembers the characteristics of the former Apple CEO that were “essentially him,” not the harsher nature with which he is often associated. Ive remarked that he does not remember Jobs the way he “is being frequently and popularly portrayed at the moment.”
Ive also noted of Jobs’s drive to make something perfect. “Steve Jobs never worked with a feeling of entitlement,” he explained. Jobs’s goal in reality was “heartwarmingly simple,” Ive said:
“What’s remained is almost unremarkable, but what’s remained is his very simple focus on trying to make something beautiful and great. And it really was simple. There wasn’t a grand plan of winning, or a very complicated agenda. That simplicity seemed almost childlike in its purity. And it’s true.”
Furthermore, Ive noted of Jobs’s love for the product design portion of development, explaining that during the design phase, Jobs was happier than he had ever been before:
I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone so happy, as I saw him—this very simple kind of joy—when he would realize, “This is actually working out. This could be great.” It was just the simplicity of that.
Aside from talking about Steve Jobs, Ive noted of a couple of other design philosophies he believes in. “The best ideas come from the tentative suggestion,” Ive explained. “We’re capable of discerning far more than we are capable of articulating.”
I was talking to a friend of Steve’s and a friend of mine earlier in the week, on the day that marked the fourth anniversary of his death. What struck me, four years ago, is that I was faced with this wall of grief. A lot of messy—a whole series of multiple feelings. In thinking of him then, there was this incredible complexity of all his attributes. What has been very surprising, is that over the four years that have passed, so much of that noise, and so many of his attributes, they’ve ended up essentially receding. And what’s left is . . . just him.
Quite honestly, what’s remained, I never would have predicted four years ago. What’s remained is almost unremarkable, but what’s remained is his very simple focus on trying to make something beautiful and great. And it really was simple. There wasn’t a grand plan of winning, or a very complicated agenda. That simplicity seemed almost childlike in its purity. And it’s true.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone so happy, as I saw him—this very simple kind of joy—when he would realize, “This is actually working out. This could be great.” It was just the simplicity of that.
That stands in such contrast, obviously, to how he’s being frequently and popularly portrayed at the moment. The lack of agenda.
He certainly had a sense of a civic responsibility to make something good, as a way of somehow making a contribution to humanity, and to culture.
Filed under: AAPL Company Tagged: interview, Jony Ive, Steve Jobs
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October 07, 2015 at 08:35PM
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Adobe teases 12 future features for its apps including Monument Mode, Project Faces, more
At its 2015 MAX program, Adobe showed off 12 new projects that are part of its “Sneaks” program. Essentially, Sneaks are ideas and features that the company is working on behind the scenes that could eventually make their way into Creative Cloud products. Adobe notes that the deciding factor in whether or not these features make it into products is whether or not users “make some noise” for these previews…
First off is a new feature called Monument Mode. This feature uses a new algorithm to distinguish moving objects from fixed ones and allows the user to click on the moving objects to remove them for good. A video demo of this feature can be seen below:
Project Dollhouse is a new feature Adobe is developing that makes it incredibly easy to add more perspective to drawings. Simply take a picture of an object and Project Dollhouse will allow for the image to be traced with lines and transformed into a drawing with perspective.
Next is Project Faces, a way to easily and quickly create custom fonts. The feature allows users to customize every aspect of the font including the curvature, the serifs, and other qualities. The demo was performed on an iPad and can be seen below:
Other demoed features include 3D Portraits, a feature that makes it easier to turn photographs into usable and printable 3D Images, and Louper, a feature that “rethinks image searching” and makes it faster and more efficient to find what a user is looking for. DeepFont is a feature in the Sneaks program that is a smart font recognition system.
Project Maestro is a potential feature that makes it easier to getting started in motion graphics. The feature allows users to use “simple and natural” touch to build movement right on tablets. Live Data Grids aims to replace the “Lorem ipsum” text that has graced projects for eternity with new, live, real data and examples. Audio Retargeting is a feature that makes it easier to make audio soundtracks match the tempo and rhythm to the scene and mood of the film. Finally, Extract Shading aims to allow designers to extract shading from one image and use it in another.
Adobe says that videos of all of these potential features will be uploaded over the coming days.
Filed under: Tech Industry Tagged: Adobe, iPad, preview, sneaks, video
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Happy Hour Podcast 035 | iPhone 6s and 6s Plus opinions and reviews
Apple’s plans to release a new 21.5 4K iMac have been revealed and Microsoft has launched its attack against the iPad Pro and MacBook Pro. Along with that we get into our thoughts about Apple’s iPhone 6s and 6s Plus in somewhat of a review discussion after using the devices for almost a couple of weeks. Big thanks to Bushel for sponsoring this week’s episode. To find out what awesome cloud-based mobile device management can do for you, check out http://ift.tt/1j95I0c.
New episodes of Happy Hour are available every Wednesday. As mentioned, you can download this podcast via iTunes or plug in our RSS feed link into your favorite podcasting app. Send an email to listenermail@9to5mac.com (or click here) and your question/comment may be featured in an upcoming episode of Happy Hour.
Note: iTunes (web interface and app) may still be propagating the new episode which could take up to 24 hours. Subscribing to the podcast feed will guarantee the latest episode is downloaded.
Hosts:
Here’s what we discussed in this episode:
- iPhone 6s vs iPhone 6s Plus: Dual unboxing + impressions [Video]
- iPhone 6s Plus: Living with Live Photos
- Microsoft challenges Apple w/ Surface Pro 4 iPad Pro competitor, Surface Book laptop aimed at MacBook Pro, more
- Apple planning to launch new 4K 21.5-inch iMac next week, iPad Pro in early November
If you missed our 34th episode last week, you can subscribe and find every episode or start off from the previous episode here.
Remember: Subscribe on iTunes to catch all of the episodes as they go live and send in your questions/comments to listenermail@9to5mac.com.
Filed under: Happy Hour Tagged: Happy Hour, iPhone 6s, iphone 6s plus, Podcast
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Amazon reportedly interested in developing live TV service, approached CBS & NBCUniversal
Amazon is reportedly interested in building a live TV service of sorts as Bloomberg reports the company has approached NBCUniversal and CBS to gauge an interest in providing content.
The report didn’t expand on exactly what type of live TV service Amazon might be interested in, but a live component would add to Amazon’s existing on-demand video services that it offers across devices through web and mobile apps. Bloomberg points out that “Amazon’s recent agreement to acquire Elemental Technologies gives the company a platform to deliver live TV over the Web,” but beyond that we don’t know exactly what the company has planned.
The news comes just before Apple is set to launch its revamped TV experience with its fourth-generation Apple TV hardware this month. In addition to beefier internals for the new hardware, Apple is for the first time opening up the device’s app ecosystem with an iOS-like App Store that all developers can submit apps to. The new hardware, however, will launch without Apple’s much rumored TV streaming subscription service that we detailed earlier this year. That service is reportedly delayed into sometime next year.
It’s unclear if Amazon’s TV plans might be related to its decision earlier this month to stop selling Apple TV and Google’s Chromecast. Amazon cited lack of support for Amazon’s Prime Video service in that decision. Amazon has the opportunity to build an app for the new Apple TV and support Chromecast through its mobile apps, but will it take that route as it looks into expanding its TV service to compete with upcoming competitors from Apple and others?
Filed under: Apps Tagged: Amazon, AppleTV, CBS, Chromecast, Live TV, NBCUniversal, Prime Video
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Synology shows off Apple Watch apps, its first router & new hardware for upcoming DSM 6.0 OS
Today Synology is announcing a number of updates to its popular network-attached storage products including its first Apple Watch app, a new version of its DiskStation Manager web-based operating system, and new hardware including the company’s first router product.
I first got turned on to Synology NAS products a couple years back when I reviewed the company’s release of its DiskStation Manager (DSM) version 5 software, and I’ve been a diehard user ever since. My review walked through how I used the company’s hardware and software to build my own cloud services and stopped relying on Apple, Google and others for storing and accessing my files, photos, videos, audio, backups and more. iOS apps let you access and stream all of your content stored in DiskStation to all of your devices like iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV.
Today marks the release of version 6.0 (beta) of DiskStation Manager, but also some big news for iOS users with the announcement of the company’s first Apple Watch app for accessing your files from your smartwatch. As demoed in the video below, the company is planning updates to its DS note and DS audio iOS apps to make accessing your notes and audio files stored on DiskStations available on Apple Watch.
On Apple Watch, DS note will let users take notes using voice input and view notes already stored in the app, while the DS audio app will act as a remote for the iOS app by allowing control of playlists and playback from your wrist.
As for other changes to the DSM operating system with version 6, home users will find a redesigned Video Station, while business users will find a redesigned MailPlus app, a new SpreadSheet app, and improvements to content search, Note station, and more.
And lastly, for new hardware, Synology is announcing its first router product, the Synology Router RT1900ac with a companion iOS app called DS Router and the DS716+ NAS Server with 4K Video Transcoding, both arriving early 2016 in the US and Canada (this month in select other countries).
Filed under: Apple Watch, Apps Tagged: Apple watch, diskstation, DS audio, DS note, DS716+ NAS Server, NAS, Operating system, Synology, Synology Router RT1900ac, version 6.0 beta
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Fantastical 2.5 adds Split View & Slide Over, 3D Touch, watchOS 2 app + complication, more
Fantastical 2.5 is out now with new multitasking features for iOS 9 on iPad, a 3D Touch app icon on iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, a native Apple Watch app on watchOS 2 with its own watch face complication, and much more. Both the iPad and iPhone plus Apple Watch updates are available for free for current Fantastical 2 customers. The new versions come just two weeks after Split View in Fantastical hit the Mac with OS X El Capitan. See the new features in action below:
Fantastical 2.5 for iPad is a big deal for Air 2, mini 4, and soon Pro owners with full support for Split View on iOS 9. This lets you share your iPad screen with Fantastical and other supported apps in both landscape and portrait orientation. Fantastical adapts to each size with an optimized layout, shifting between an iPhone-like column version to a nearly full width complete version and every step in between.
Fantastical is rather information dense on the iPad, so it’s impressive to see the app shift into special versions when sharing the screen with other Split View apps. Older iPads will still appreciate Slide Over support in Fantastical 2.5, which lets you pull Fantastical atop the full-screen app you’re in for fast referencing and quick uses.
Other iOS 9 improvements for Fantastical 2.5 for iPad include iOS 9 keyboard shortcuts accessed by holding the Command key on Bluetooth keyboards, an improved week view design, a ‘tap and hold’ shortcut for opening addresses in Maps, and several fixes.
Over on the 6s and 6s Plus, Fantastical 2.5 for iPhone has been updated to support 3D Touch from the Home screen (top image). Deep pressing the Fantastical icon will reveal either three or four options. New Event for composing either a calendar or reminder entry, Show Reminders for viewing either your items or lists based on your organization preferences, Search for looking up an entry, and optionally a shortcut to your currently scheduled event based on the time.
Fantastical 2.5 for iPhone offers an improved design for week view in landscape plus the same ‘tap and hold’ location lookup shortcut for Maps as seen on iPad and other iOS 9 improvements.
Included for free in the iPhone update is a watchOS 2 version of Fantastical 2.5 for Apple Watch. The new native version of the calendar and Reminders app is snappier to navigate, quicker to launch, and includes a pleasant tap and tone for alerts now. Force Touch within the app to reveal a newly added ‘Go to…’ option for drilling into a specific date by using the Digital Crown. And from the watch face, Fantastical is now an option for replacing the stock calendar complication.
Fantastical’s watch face complication works best for me personally in larger widget spots like the center of the Modular face or below on the Utility face. Other slots are limited and don’t allow for much context or content. Where color is supported, Fantastical’s complication makes uses of calendar colors you’ve set to denote which label is applied like Work or Home depending on what you have set up.
Because Fantastical features full support for the same iCloud-based Reminders that you can use it the Reminders app, this complication also delivers on bringing Reminders to the watch face. This is especially useful as Apple hasn’t tried to bring Reminders to Apple Watch beyond alerts sent from the iPhone. I use Reminders as frequently as I schedule calendar appointments so having a single complication that presents both is great. watchOS 2’s new Time Travel feature for viewing past and upcoming status changes by scrolling the Digital Crown is also supported.
And finally, there’s the pleasantness of Fantastical’s complication when you have no more upcoming appointments or Reminders. Rather than borrowing the stock calendar’s NO MORE EVENTS label from Utility, Fantastical offers up a friendly “Enjoy your day!” message. What’s not to love there?
Fantastical 2.5 for iPad is a free update for Fantastical 2 users and $9.99 for new customers. Fantastical 2.5 for iPhone and Apple Watch is also a free update for Fantastical 2 users and $4.99 for new customers. Both are recommended if you need a better way to create and sort through calendar and reminder entries.
Filed under: Apps, iOS Tagged: 3D Touch, Apple watch, calendar, complication, Fantastical, iOS 9, slide over, Split View, watchos 2, widget
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Apple releases OS X 10.11.1 beta 3 to developers and public testers
Less than a week after the release of OS X 10.11.1 beta 2, Apple has followed up with a new release that was pushed out to both developers and public beta testers at once. The 10.11.1 update will introduce bug fixes and a new collection of emoji icons.
Yesterday Apple seeded a new beta of iOS 9.1 to public testers and developers. Like the OS X update, that software will also include the new emoji set and many bug fixes. It also adds a few new features. A tvOS beta accompanied that release.
Filed under: Mac Tagged: 10.11.1, beta, el capitan, OS X
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Beats unveils first Lightning-equipped Pill+ Bluetooth speaker since Apple’s acquisition
Since being acquired by Apple for $3 billion just over a year ago, we haven’t seen much in terms of new hardware from the speaker company aside from new colored headphones and a wireless version of the Solo 2’s. Beats’ most expensive speaker, the Pill XL, was actually recalled and taken off the market after a fire risk when charging was discovered. But as we get in to the holiday season, Beats is finally ready to show off its first totally new piece of hardware created since joining Apple. A step up from the Pill 2.0 but still smaller and more portable than the discontinued Pill XL, the new Beats Pill+ features a new design and comes equipped with a Lightning port for charging, a first for Beats products.
Priced at $230 (Pill 2.0 is $199 and Pill XL was $299), the new Pill+ will ship starting in November to Apple Stores and other retailers that sell Beats products. In announcing the new portable speaker, Beats gave The Verge an early hands-on look at the new Pill+:
Available in either black or white to start, Beats’ new Pill+ speaker is the first Bluetooth speaker to feature Apple’s Lightning port for charging — just like our iPhones and iPads — paired next to line-in for wired playback and a regular USB port for charging your other devices. Notice also the Apple Inc. stamp on the backside. Pill+ is said to playback audio for up to 12 hours on a single charge.
As Engadget notes, a new Beats iOS (and Android) app will accompany the brand new Pill+ when it ships next month. Following the lead of other Bluetooth speaker makers, this companion app will let you control volume, manage paired Pill+ speakers for stereo playback, and even let you connect multiple devices and manage playlists for a DJ-like experience.
No solid release date yet beyond sometime next month, but Pill+ will be available for $229 when it launches just in time for the holidays. Update: More details are up on beatsbydre.com including 3-hour charging, Beats Pill+ app info, and a way to sign up to be notified when Pill+ is available.
Filed under: AAPL Company Tagged: Beats, Pill
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Apple, Google & Microsoft called out on “pretend” overseas tax arrangements by Citizens for Tax Justice
Lobbying group Citizens for Tax Justice has called out Apple, Google and Microsoft and others for what it described as “accounting tricks” in which companies “pretend” to be based overseas for tax purposes. The claims were made in a report entitled Offshore Shell Games 2015.
Many multinational corporations use accounting tricks to pretend for tax purposes that a substantial portion of their profits are generated in offshore tax havens, countries with minimal or no taxes where a company’s presence may be as little as a mailbox. Multinational corporations’ use of tax havens allows them to avoid an estimated $90 billion in federal income taxes each year.
The group said that Apple has paid “a miniscule 2.3 percent tax rate on its offshore profits,” many of which have been entered into Apple’s books in Ireland. CTJ says that if Apple paid U.S. tax rates on those profits, it would owe $59.2 billion.
The controversy over the legitimacy of Apple’s overseas tax arrangements is not, of course, anything new …
A 2013 Senate hearing into Apple’s tax arrangements proceeded uneventfully, while an analysis by Adam Smith Institute Fellow Tim Worstall in Forbes last year explained how Apple is able to pay such a low tax rate on sales within the UK.
What Apple Ireland does, says Worstall, is to buy a licence from Apple in Cupertino, allowing it to manufacture and sell iPhones in the UK. Apple Ireland buys all the components, pays the manufacturing costs and ships the phones to the UK to be sold both through Apple Stores and third-party resellers, aka the carriers.
Because Apple Ireland charges close to retail prices for the phones it sells to UK outlets, most of the profits are made in Ireland, and those profits are taxed at the rates allegedly agreed with the Irish government: around two percent. While the morality of this may be debatable, it is, says Worstall, perfectly legal.
Google and Microsoft both employ similar tactics.
Two academic experts told Ars Technica that these arrangements are perfectly legal, and are unlikely to change anytime soon.
“There is, of course, an alternative,” said Omri Marian, a professor at the University of California, “to change the law so Apple actually pays taxes on this income. In [the] current Congressional environment, this will happen immediately after hell freezes over.”
Samuel Brunson, a professor at Loyola University Chicago, put it more succinctly. “Individual taxpayers don’t have a strong incentive to lobby for change,” he said. “Meanwhile, Apple has a $59.2 billion incentive to lobby for the law not to be changed.”
Apple’s own position is that it pays all the taxes it is required to, as Tim Cook stated in 2013:
I can tell you unequivocally Apple does not funnel its domestic profits overseas. We don’t do that. We pay taxes on all the products we sell in the U.S., and we pay every dollar that we owe.
Apple currently holds around $180 billion in cash overseas.
Photo: Stephen Lam/Reuters
Filed under: AAPL Company Tagged: AAPL, Apple Inc, Multinational corporation, overseas tax, Tax, tax arrangements, United Kingdom
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Review: X-Doria Lux, Nomad Strap bring genuine leather Apple Watch bands down to reasonable levels
At some point, a high price alone can dull your interest in something that’s otherwise desirable. Many people feel this way about Apple’s leather Apple Watch bands, which start at a jacket-like price of $149, jump to $249, then hit even crazier prices (effectively $600 and up) for versions co-developed with Hermès. Leather isn’t rare or magical, and a wristband only uses inches of it, so it’s hard to justify spending a lot of cash for something so simple.
Third-party developers agree, as evidenced by X-Doria’s Lux ($50) and Nomad’s Strap ($120-$150). Lux is an alternative to Apple’s Classic Buckle at 1/3 the price, and Strap resembles the Apple Watch Hermès Single Tour at around 1/4 the price — actually less, since you don’t need to buy a steel Apple Watch just to get it. While they’re obviously not identical to Apple’s versions, X-Doria’s and Nomad’s designs are far more affordable, giving you a luxurious look and feel on any budget…
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Nomad Strap
Nomad has been making a name for itself as an Apple Watch accessory specialist, having released the beautiful metal Stand (review) and portable battery Pod (review) as upscale charging accessories. Strap is the company’s first leather Apple Watch add-on, and like its older cousins, it screams “high-quality.” Shipped in a handsome presentation box and noticeably thicker than any of the leather straps I’ve previously tested, it is designed to be softened and worn in over several days of use, developing a unique patina in the process. Nomad’s web site depicts it as it will be after a week or month on your wrist; my photos here show it fresh out of the box. (I’ll add another shot after it develops a patina.)
I’ve never particularly coveted leather watch straps until the Apple Watch came out, but the quality differences between the Italian leather Strap and low-end “genuine leather” alternatives are pronounced. Strap’s contrast stitching, reinforced eyes, and option to choose between silver or space black steel hardware are just a few details that make it look and feel leagues better than the cheap, easily damaged leather bands that are popping up online. With a suede-like outer texture and a more conventional pebbled leather inner texture, it looks like it was assembled by a careful craftsman rather than stamped out by a machine. On your wrist, it feels reassuringly solid and secure in a way that few other Apple Watch bands do — something that you’ll be happy wearing for years, rather than weeks or months.
Is Strap perfect? No. The steel Pre-V buckle is a little angular for my tastes, and nit pickers may note that the third-party lugs aren’t quite as perfect as Apple’s — a detail I only noticed when inspecting the Apple Watch off-angle, not when wearing it normally. Strap is also available solely in a 42mm size, and a single leather color that Nomad calls “unadulterated leather,” comparable in color to Hermès’ Fauve. But Strap is otherwise so impressive that it’s easy to recommend to anyone who appreciates quality leather goods. The $120 pre-order price applies until November 15, after which the price will jump to $150, closer to Apple band territory but still far below the Hermès Single Tour this Strap resembles. At either price, this is a very good value given the high quality of the design and materials.
| Manufacturer: Nomad |
Prices: $120-$150 |
Compatibility: Apple Watch |
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X-Doria Lux
The best way I can describe X-Doria’s Lux ($50) is to call it a “straightforward but very nice leather band.” It’s sold in both 38mm and 42mm sizes, with pebbled black or brown leather (shown) for each size, and white croc (38mm only) or black croc (42mm only) options for people who prefer more aggressive textures. All of the hardware is chromed, a nice complement to the stainless steel Apple Watch that also works with the Apple Watch Sport.
Even though Lux looks different (with a coarser pebbled texture) and feels different (thanks to thicker leather) than Incipio’s $60 Premium Leather Band, X-Doria’s design feels just as “premium” as Incipio’s. I found the band’s tongue to be right-sized for my wrist and handsomely secured, with a lighter interior that doesn’t feel like it will irritate skin over time — an issue with cheaper leather Apple Watch bands I’ve tested. And I actively enjoyed wearing Lux; it’s comfortable, easy to put on, and looks really nice.
The only oddity is that the Lux review sample I received had a substantially different buckle than X-Doria’s photos, which depict an oval-shaped closure identical to Apple’s Classic Buckle. My Lux sample has the more common-looking D-shaped closure shown above. It’s unclear which version (or versions) X-Doria is actually shipping, but if you’re expecting the band to be identical to Apple’s, you may be surprised. This is the only question mark in an otherwise great entry-level leather band option.
| Manufacturer: X-Doria |
Price: $50 |
Compatibility: Apple Watch |
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More From This Author
Check out more of my reviews, editorials, and How-To guides for 9to5Mac here! I’ve covered a lot of different topics of interest to Mac, iPad, iPhone, iPod, Apple TV, and Apple Watch users.
Filed under: Apple Watch Tagged: Apple watch, lux, Nomad, Strap, X-Doria
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9to5Toys Lunch Break: 256GB Retina MacBook Pro $1,280, Bose around-ear headphones $100, AirPrint Printer $35, more
Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.
Today’s can’t miss deals:
13″ Retina MacBook Pro (newest) 2.7GHz/8GB/256GB: $1,280 shipped (Reg. $1,499)
13″ Retina MacBook Pro (newest) 2.7GHz/8GB/128GB: $1,080 shipped (Reg. $1,299)
Over-Ear Headphones: Bose SoundTrue $100 (Reg. $120), Sennheiser HD202 $15 (Reg. $25), more
JayBird BlueBuds X Sport Bluetooth Sweat Proof Headphones $90 shipped (Reg. $130), more
HP AirPrint Wireless All-in-One Printers: InkJet $35 (Reg. $60), LaserJet $304 (Reg. $400+)
Amazon Student Days: Fire TV (4K model) $60, free $5 credit w/ Gift Card purchase, SanDisk 64GB Wi-Fi Flash Drive $45, more
Giveaway: Trinity Delta aluminum earbuds feature a unique design and top-notch sound ($135 value), 20% discount
More new gear from today:
Amazon Gold Box – 50% or more off Halloween Costumes: Darth Vader $17, Thor $30, Supergirl $12, more
- Games/Apps: Tales from the Borderlands goes free on iOS for the first time, Madden NFL 16 $43
- Daily Deals: Seagate 1TB Portable HDD $50, SJ-Series Gyro remote controlled Helicopter $14, more
- Pre-order Microsoft’s latest gadgets right now: Surface Pro 4, Surface Book, Band 2
Media: Battlestar Galactica Complete Series $89 (Orig. $300), Epic Series $19, more wp.me/p1xTlR-I6I http://t.co/5N8MMEYTxx
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9to5Toys (@9to5toys) October 07, 2015
More deals still alive:
USB Power Deals: KMASHI 15,000mAh USB $14 (Reg. $20), Aukey 2A Wall Charger $8 (Reg. $16), more
- Tweetbot for Mac drops to $10 (Reg. $13)
- Philips hue Lux LED Starter Kit $60 shipped, 750-Lumen 9W LED Light Bulb $15
- Bluetooth Speakers w/ Prime Shipping: OontZ Splashproof $25 (Reg. $35), Aukey $13 (Reg. $20)
- Xbox One Gears of War bundle + 40″ HDTV $470 w/ .EDU, more
- Beyerdynamic A200p Portable DAC Headphone Amp $160 shipped (Reg. $200)
- Pebble Steel Smartwatch for iOS/Android in black or sliver $100 shipped (Orig. $230)
- Add Bluetooth/mic to any Aux speaker or headphones for $10 Prime shipped
- TiVO Roamio OTA HD DVR w/ Lifetime service for a one-time $300 fee
- VIZIO 49-inch 120Hz M-Series LED Smart 4K Ultra HDTV: $580 shipped (Reg. $720)
- Logitech Harmony Touch 15-Device Universal Remote: $100 shipped (Reg. $140)
- The Executive for iOS goes free for the first time as IGN’s Game of the Month ($5 value)
- Get a no-contract iPhone 6s from Boost Mobile for just $450 shipped (Orig. $649)
- Media: Blu-ray & DVDs from $3 –Taken 2, RoboCop & others, Jurassic World pre-order, more
- TP-LINK DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem $50, TP-LINK AC Gigabit Router $40, more
- GoPro HERO4 Session Action Camera: $249 shipped (Reg. $299)
- M-Audio Vocal Recording Bundle: USB Condenser mic w/ stand, more $79 shipped (Reg. $100)
- Garmin nüvi 6-inch GPS w/ Bluetooth (Refurb) $140 shipped (Orig. $270)
- Lenmar MAVEN iPhone 6 MFi 3,000mAh Battery Case $29 shipped (Orig. $100), more
- App Store Gorgeous Games for $1 Sale: Tengami, Superbrothers, KAMI, Icebreaker, Out There, more
- App Store Free App of the Week: Combo Quest RPG goes free for the first time ($1 value)
- UE ROLL 360 Bluetooth Speaker (all colors): $90 shipped (Reg. $100)
- Jawbone BIG JAMBOX Bluetooth Speaker (dented box) $120 shipped (Reg. $180)
- Freebies: My Sketch iOS app + Carl’s Jr. BOGO breakfast sandwich + eBooks + More!
- Freebies: Kindle Edition Kids books + Google Play music sampler + Monument Valley for Android + More!
- Kindle First Books for Oct: Infinity Lost, The Mentor, The Concealed, This Is the Night, more
- Learn to hack a Raspberry Pi: $115 (Orig. $804, CA Tax Only)
- First Generation Lytro 16GB Digital Camera $80 (Orig. $199)
32-inch TCL HDTV with built-in Roku: $180 shipped from Amazon http://ift.tt/1L4KbNv http://t.co/ikwXoIP2Tf
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9to5Toys (@9to5toys) October 05, 2015
New products & more:
Logitech’s new Harmony Home Hub Extender lets the pizza man in with your remote
Roku’s new streaming media player supports 4K and finds your remote control for you
- Review: Rock Band 4 makes an old favorite come alive
- The new Dr. Who LEGO set looks just like TARDIS time machine
- Mattel’s retro-rebooted $30 VR View-Master is now available for iOS and Android
- Robo Wunderkind uses iOS connectivity and LEGO-like blocks to teach coding
- The Sondors eBike is loaded with features and surprisingly affordable
- EA’s new free-to-play Need for Speed No Limits is now available on iOS and Android
- These Bluetooth earbuds use your iPhone’s Lightning port to charge
- BRO Ball combines Bluetooth audio and pigskin for the ultimate tailgate companion
Filed under: Tips and Tricks Tagged: 13-inch, 9to5Toys, Amazon Prime, Amazon Student, Amazon Student Days, apple deals, AppleCare, coupon codes, Daily Deals, eBay Daily Deals, free apps, free shipping, Freebies, gaming, giveaways, headphones, iOS deals, Lunch Break, MacBook deals, New Toy of the Day, Retina MacBook Pro
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Twelve South’s new BookArc for MacBook sports chamfered edges, fits all current MacBooks
Twelve South’s family of BookArc stands for MacBooks are perhaps its best-known products, having debuted alongside the company back in 2009. Today, BookArc received a substantial redesign in the form of BookArc for MacBook ($50), which now is sized to properly support every current-generation MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro from 11.6″ to 15″. Interchangeable silicone inserts promise that the new BookArc “will be the perfect home for your current (and future) MacBook for years to come.”
The new BookArc is made from bead-blasted silver aluminum that matches the looks of most MacBooks, with a polished chamfered edge mimicking the design cue Apple introduced in iPhones, iPads, and iPods. While the “arc” shape remains the same as before, cradling the bottom of your MacBook, the cable pass-throughs have been shrunk and flattened. BookArc for MacBook is available now, and we’ll add hands-on impressions shortly.
Filed under: Mac Tagged: BookArc, dock, MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Twelve South
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Steve Jobs movie director declares Apple has ‘terrifying power’
Director Danny Boyle with the cast of Steve Jobs
Despite the film being based on Walter Isaacson’s authorized Steve Jobs biography, the upcoming Aaron Sorkin-written biopic telling the story of the late Apple co-founder isn’t being totally welcomed by Tim Cook and company. As we’ve seen play out over the last few weeks, the Apple CEO called recent movies including Sorkin’s that depict Jobs in a not entirely positive light as “opportunistic”. A counter punch then apology from Sorkin followed.
The film’s director Danny Boyle isn’t softening his words, however, calling Apple a company with “tremendous, terrifying power” in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter promoting the film. Boyle believes artists should keep corporations like Apple in check, so to speak:
“These companies are so powerful now that governments are running scared,” Boyle says. “They have such influence around the world, they’ve replaced petrochemical companies, pharmaceutical companies, they’re bigger than all of them put together and they have tremendous, terrifying power and it’s important that artists and writers are not cowed by them and if that means they’re accused of being opportunistic then so be it.”
He adds: “It’s important that we put these people in the spotlight for the reasons of their own business reasons or visionary reasons and we need to keep an eye on them.”
Aside from Boyle describing his view on the responsibility entertainers have to keep giant companies accountable, Sorkin talks about some of the backstory behind the film’s production including the shift from Sony to Universal:
“Danny wanted to shoot in San Francisco, but shooting in San Francisco added $8 million to the budget, and the movie was only supposed to cost about $25-30 million,” he tells THR. “The studio was saying, ‘No you can’t shoot in San Francisco. So Scott Rudin said, ‘Give me the movie back for a week, let me shop it around for a week, you have to let us do that.’ And Amy Pascal said ‘I’ll give it to you for a week’. Less than 24 hours later Universal had taken it and at the same time Amy was saying ‘I’ve made a big mistake you can do it in San Francisco.”
But Sorkin says by this time there was “so much bad blood between Scott and Amy” that it stayed with Universal.
You can read the full interview on THR. Steve Jobs hits select theaters on Friday followed by a full release on October 23rd.
Filed under: AAPL Company, General Tagged: Aaron Sorkin, Danny Boyle, Steve Jobs
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The Secret to Authentic Leadership in Projects
The Secret to Authentic Leadership in Projects
By Susanne Madsen
Authenticity is a fundamental building block in project leadership. Leadership doesn’t come from emulating others or from blindly following a set of rules. It comes from a deeply personal approach which is rooted in who you are as a person. Being authentic is about truly knowing yourself […]
from Project Management Articles – PM Hut http://ift.tt/1VDotdQ
via pmhut.com
Samsung sees first profit growth in two years – but thanks to Apple chips, not to phone sales
Samsung has today forecast a reversal of its seven-quarter decline in profits, suggesting an impressive year-on-year hike of almost 80%. But while the company itself hasn’t released any details on where the profit is coming from, analysts cited by the WSJ and elsewhere put it down to strong growth in sales of chips and displays – not phone sales.
This suggests that Samsung is making its money by helping other manufacturers sell their phones – with Apple’s record-breaking iPhone 6s sales doubtless playing a significant role. Apple split its A9 chip orders between Samsung and TSMC.
While the mobile-phone business isn’t likely to see a significant rebound as growth in global demand for smartphones cool amid saturated markets, Samsung’s earnings are being powered by strong growth in its chip business due to tight supply and firm pricing, analysts say. Samsung’s chip unit likely accounted for about half of the company’s profit in the third quarter, analysts said, while strong sales of displays to Chinese smartphone makers also contributed to its bottom line.
Samsung is estimating that its Q3 profits rose to 7.3 trillion Korean won ($6.3B), its first year-on-year growth since the same quarter in 2013.
Filed under: AAPL Company Tagged: a9, Apple Inc, iPhone 6s, Samsung
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Sculley says Steve Jobs movie is “extraordinary entertainment” but depicts only one aspect of the man
Former Apple CEO John Sculley has told the WSJ that the Sorkin/Boyle movie Steve Jobs is “extraordinary entertainment” but depicts only one side of Jobs’ personality.
It’s extraordinary entertainment, [but] was really taking one aspect of Steve Jobs’s personality.
Part of his personality was he was a passionate perfectionist, but there were so many other parts […] The young Steve Jobs that I knew had a great sense of humor. He was on many occasions, when we were together, very warm. He cared a lot about the people he worked with and he was a good person. So, I think those aren’t the aspects that are focused on in this movie …
Echoing comments made by Steve Wozniak, Andy Hertzfeld and others, Sculley says that the film takes a lot of liberties with the facts.
While the movie depicts two subsequent encounters between Jobs and Sculley after Jobs left Apple, in reality, there was only one. Sculley declines to reveal what Jobs said at that meeting, but he says of the film’s depiction, “There was a lot of creative license taken.”
The WSJ recently reported that Steve’s widow Laurene Powell Jobs repeatedly tried to block production of the movie. Apple, too, has been making efforts to persuade staff that there was more to Steve than is depicted in the Sorkin/Boyle biopic. Tim Cook emailed staff inviting them to ask those who knew Jobs to ask about what he was really like, and the company shared with employees some out-takes which show a relaxed and joking Jobs in the run-up to the launch of the iPhone.
The movie begins its general release on Friday on both east and west coasts, gradually rolling out nationwide between then and 23rd October.
Filed under: AAPL Company Tagged: Aaron Sorkin, Andy Hertzfeld, Apple Inc, Danny Boyle, John Sculley, Steve Jobs, Steve Jobs biopic, Steve Jobs movie, Steve Wozniak
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