The latest data from market research firm Strategy Analytics claims Android captured a record 87.5% share of the worldwide smartphone market in the third quarter, reflecting the period between late June and late September.
Strategy Analytics director Woody Oh on Android's continued dominance:
Android's leadership of the global smartphone market looks unassailable at the moment. Its low-cost services and user-friendly software remain attractive to hardware makers, operators and consumers worldwide. However, several challenges remain for Google. The Android platform is getting overcrowded with hundreds of manufacturers, few Android device vendors make profits, and Google's new Pixel range is attacking its own hardware partners that made Android popular in the first place.
While most of Android's gains can be attributed to the continued demise of BlackBerry and Windows smartphones, which are now practically non-existent on the market, iOS adoption remains at its lowest levels since mid 2014.
iOS recorded 12.1% market share in the quarter, down slightly from 13.6% in the year-ago quarter, allegedly due to a lackluster performance in China and Africa. That nearly mirrors the platform's 12.2% market share in Q3 2014.
iOS and Android together account for 99.6% market share in what has become a two-horse race over the past several years. Windows Phone is virtually dead, and BlackBerry recently said it is done designing its own smartphones.
Apple today seeded a second version of the initial macOS Sierra 10.12.2 beta, which comes two days after the macOS Sierra 10.12.2 beta was originally seeded to developers.
The build number of today's update is 16C32f, while the original 10.12.2 beta build number was 16C32e, indicating a small incremental update that does not count as a full second beta release.
Because the new beta is not showing up as an over-the-air download in the Mac App Store for developers who have already installed macOS Sierra 10.12.2, it likely only includes minor tweaks and will be provided only to developers who are downloading the beta for the first time.
macOS Sierra 10.12.2 includes the same new emoji and emoji updates that are present in the iOS 10.2 beta, introducing support for Unicode 9 emoji and new profession emoji. Some of the new emoji characters include selfie, face palm, crossed fingers, shark, owl, butterfly, bacon, avocado, and croissant.
Apple has also updated many existing emoji with new artwork, adding detail and making them look brighter and more realistic.
The 10.12.2 update also includes under-the-hood bug fixes and performance improvements to address issues discovered since the release of macOS Sierra 10.12.1.
Update: The macOS Sierra 10.12.2 update is now available as an over-the-air download for developers, but it is still labeled as "Beta 1."
Apple today shared a new television ad on its YouTube channel, designed to show off several key iPhone 7 and 7 Plus features, including the improved waterproofing and the device's speakers.
In the video, a man sets his iPhone to play dramatic music (La Virgen de la Macarena by Arturo Sandoval) while at the pool. He then proceeds to climb up to the high dive, jumping off as the music climaxes. The iPhone is splashed with water during the process, highlighting its water resistance.
The iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus are Apple's first iOS devices with superior waterproofing, offering IP67 water and dust resistance. The two iPhones can withstand being submerged in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes, and are resistant to splashes and accidental spills. Intentional water exposure is still not recommended, however, as Apple's warranty does not cover water damage.
As for the speakers, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus include one speaker at the bottom of the phone and one speaker at the top of the phone, introducing stereo sound in the iPhone for the first time. The speakers put out twice the volume of the single speaker in the iPhone 6s and have been designed to offer superior sound in both landscape and portrait mode.
Apple has thus far produced several ads showing off the iPhone 7, highlighting features like waterproofing, the camera and its ability to capture low-light images, and its longer battery life. The iPhone 7 has also been featured in an ad focusing on the Messages Screen Effects available in iOS 10.
Earlier this year, Apple posted an open casting call for its upcoming original TV show Planet of the Apps, an unscripted series about apps and the talented developers who make them. The show will serve as a "launch pad" and "accelerator" for up to 100 developers, who will receive mentorship from influencers and entrepreneurs such as Gary Vaynerchuk, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jessica Alba, and will.i.am.
Details surrounding the show are still vague, including when it will air in 2017 and how it will be distributed, but the basic premise draws similarities to Shark Tank. Developers will pitch their apps, and those who make it to the final round will meet with top-tier venture capitalists investing up to $10 million over the course of the season, and receive featured placement in the App Store at the end of the show.
Apple accepted applications to be on the show until late September, and we have since learned some of the details about the step-by-step process from a developer selected to be on the show.
The person, who wishes to remain anonymous due to their involvement, said the application process involved four stages:
• First Round: The developer submitted a standard online application on the Planet of the Apps website, including a one-minute video, basic information about the app, and screenshots. Shortly afterwards, he received a phone call from a casting director in Los Angeles, who notified him that he was selected to move on to the next round. The casting director asked him several questions about how he thought of the idea, and why he wanted to be on the show.
• Second Round: The developer was instructed to pitch his app by creating a longer 5-10 minute unedited video that would be professionally edited by the show's staff and then shown to the producers directly. His team was given two weeks to finish this video. The producers provided a checklist of topics to focus on in the video, including how the app works, what makes it unique, how much money desired, and how the money would be used.
In addition, the developers were required to mail in a lengthy application package about the app and an Audition Release granting Apple permission to edit or use the video in any way.
• Third Round: The developer was given one week to sign a lengthy contract covering all of the legal issues behind being on the show, such as accepting equity from investors or Apple. The contract package consisted of forms such as a Participant Agreement, Emergency Medical Release, and App Idea Information Form. The contract was accompanied by another short questionnaire about the app, including how many times it has been downloaded.
In addition, the developer was asked to inform the casting coordinators about his team's availability over the next few months. He said developers will be flown out to Los Angeles on three separate occasions, filming for three days upon each visit for a total of nine days of filming.
• Fourth Round: The developer was subjected to a background check. He said the show's coordinators made it clear that, even at this stage, some of the developers would be selected as standby and would not be guaranteed an appearance on the show. Nevertheless, the show's travel team reached out to the developer to begin the process of booking flights for his team in anticipation of them being accepted on the show.
Principal filming of Planet of the Apps will begin in Los Angeles later this year and may continue until early 2017. The developer who spoke to us believes the first episodes could air around March or April of next year.
Some second and third-generation Apple TV owners have started experiencing a mysterious bug over the last few days, which seems to have essentially disabled the device for a number of users. Affected Apple TV models are only able to display Computers, Music, and Settings, with no other channel options available.
Customers who are seeing the issue have had all of their menu options suddenly disappear, leaving them unable to watch Netflix, Hulu, and other Apple TV channels.
This seems to be a bug that's been around for awhile, but has become more prevalent over the last day or two. MacRumors has received several complaints via email, and there are threads outlining the problem both on our forums and on Reddit.
Restarting the Apple TV, resetting a router, and resetting the Apple TV don't seem to work. A region change offers a temporary solution, but ultimately, the channels disappear again for many users. Some users have partially fixed the issue by changing DNS settings, but this doesn't work for all users. A MacRumors reader describes the problem:
All I see is a computer and settings option. In the settings option I have access to everything except the main menu setting. There's absolutely nothing in there as an option. I've restarted my Apple TV as well as my AirPort Extreme. I've reset the Apple TV and I inserted all the info back in like my iCloud acct etc. it obviously is logging onto the Internet since I was able to connect my iCloud account. One other strange thing is that my iTunes won't recognize the Apple TV when I plug it in directly to my Mac mini via a USB cable. It just doesn't show up. What the heck happened? Apple do you have an explanation for this one?
Not all Apple TV users are affected by the issue, but it appears to be fairly widespread. Only the Apple TV 2 and 3 are impacted -- the fourth-generation Apple TV is functioning fine.
Apple's support staff told a Reddit user that a fix was in the works, and to expect a software update in the near future. A MacRumors reader received similar information, with Apple suggesting a fix would be pushed within the next few hours.
Microsoft today debuted its latest product, Microsoft Teams, which is a chat-based workspace designed for Office 365 users.
Designed to compete with chat platforms like Slack and HipChat, Microsoft Teams provides a chat interface that integrates with Office 365 apps and services and other third-party services like Zendesk, Asana, Hootsuite, and Intercom.
According to Microsoft, Teams is designed to provide a "modern conversation experience" in the workplace. It supports both persistent and threaded chats, along with public and private conversations. Skype integration allows teams to quickly initiate voice and video conferences, and each digital workspace can be highly customized with emoji, stickers, GIFs, extensions, open APIs, and more.
At Microsoft, we are deeply committed to the mission of helping people and organizations achieve more--and reinventing productivity for the cloud and mobile world is core to our ambition. We built Microsoft Teams because we see both tremendous opportunity and tremendous change in how people and teams get work done.
Teams are now more agile and organizational structures more flat to keep communications and information flowing. With Microsoft Teams, we aspire to create a more open, digital environment that makes work visible, integrated and accessible--across the team--so everyone can stay in the know.
Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, OneNote, Planner, Power BI, and Delve are built into Microsoft Teams, and it supports Microsoft's cross-application membership program, Office 365 Groups, so people can easily move from conversations to collaborating on documents.
Microsoft Teams is designed for Microsoft's enterprise customers, and it includes enterprise-level security with two-factor authentication, single sign on through Active Directory, and data encryption. Teams is available for Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and the web.
Ahead of Microsoft's announcement, competing chat platform Slack took out a full page ad in the New York Times welcoming Microsoft to the chat space, offering some "friendly advice," and signaling that it's worried about competition from Microsoft.
In the piece that ends with a warning that "Slack is here to stay," Slack says an open platform, love, and thoughtfulness and craftsmanship are essential to a successful communication product.
One final point: Slack is here to stay. We are where work happens for millions of people around the world.
So welcome, Microsoft, to the revolution. We're glad you're going to be helping us define this new product category. We admire many of your achievements and know you'll be a worthy competitor. We're sure you're going to come up with a couple of new ideas on your own too. And we'll be right there, ready.
A preview of Microsoft Teams is available in 181 countries and 18 languages starting today for Office 365 enterprise customers (Business Essentials, Business Premium, El, E3, and E5). It will officially launch early next year.
Available in black or silver, the Fermata is crafted from aluminum and is designed to house a set of on-ear or over-ear headphones such as Apple's Beats Solo2 and Solo3 wireless models. The headphones rest on a leather-covered hook, which is designed to make sure the headphones don't rub against anything.
The Fermata is more than just a simple stand -- it can also charge headphones. There's a reversible micro-USB connector built into the arm of the Fermata, which can be pulled out to connect to headphones that are charged via USB. When not in use, the charging cable tucks back into the back of the stand.
If you don't have wireless headphones, the Fermata can still serve as a standard stand, as there's an optional accessory that allows you to wind up a headphone cable to keep it out of the way when not in use.
An extra USB port is included at the base of the Fermata, which is able to charge an iPhone or iPad, so you're getting two devices charged from a single outlet. Extra cable is wound into the base of the stand, so there's no clutter of wires on your desk. The Fermata itself charges via a standard wall outlet with an included AC wall charger and a two-meter charging cable.
Twelve South's Fermata headphone charging stand is available for purchase in the United States and Japan starting today from the Twelve South website. It's priced at $79.99. An international version will be available in the future.
Wireless headphone company Bragi today announced an incoming update to its flagship Bluetooth device, The Dash, which will bring with it an all-new way for users to interact with Bragi's "Kinetic User Interface." Coming November 21, Bragi OS 2.2 will introduce users to a beta of "MyTap," which lets them control the headphones through tap-based gestures placed directly on their cheek and not on The Dash itself.
KUI will also bring about gestures like nodding to accept a phone call from a smartphone connected to The Dash, activating Siri with the tap of a cheek, and even various music playback controls. When it begins rolling out on November 21, KUI will only encompass voice assistant controls (for Siri and Google Now), and the other gestures will arrive in future firmware updates.
“The Dash was envisioned as a platform offering a lot of hardware capabilities, but not all of this hardware was used from the beginning. Over time, we can let the software grow and enable more features.” – David Dohmen, Sensorics & Data Science at Bragi
“You are way more accurate tapping your own cheek than an external device. That makes it easier to hit it during activities like cycling or running.” - David Dohmen, Sensorics & Data Science at Bragi
Other parts of the update include "Windshield," which Bragi says will improve listening quality and audio transparency in gusty conditions, improved voice quality during phone calls and heart rate measurements, and upgraded Bluetooth capabilities. Previously, OS 2.1 introduced new languages support, "Touch Lock," and integration with Apple HealthKit.
The Dash and The Headphone (Bragi's entry-level Bluetooth headset) have been compared to Apple's upcoming AirPods frequently, enough for Bragi to create a comparison chart between the three devices following Apple's announcement of the AirPods in September. The Dash's premium $299 price tag and high-end activity tracking features are more difficult to compare with the AirPods, which fall in line slightly more with The Headphone. However, only The Dash can receive Bragi's OS updates.
Apple is "not interested" in buying media company Time Warner currently, according to "people familiar with the thinking at the company" who spoke today with CNBC. Two weeks ago, AT&T announced its interest to purchase Time Warner for $85.4 billion, but as noted today, the regulatory process taken in such acquisitions "could last for months," and at any time another company could swoop in with a better offer. As of now, that won't be Apple.
The news comes from David Faber on CNBC's market coverage business show "Squawk on the Street:"
The question of course that has come back to focus on Apple. In fact Bewkes asked on the call were there any companies this year that showed interest in acquiring Time Warner. Mr. Bewkes' answer was let's focus on AT&T. What I can tell you about Apple guys, is right now, according to people familiar with its thinking, it's not interested. Apple is not interested in buying Time Warner at present. Now, these things go on for months and months, this regulatory review's going to take at least a year. The deal will not close. Certainly if you're in Apple, things could change. You watch the stock price as you see how things progress.
But anybody expecting an overbid from Apple at this point, certainly, it is not coming. Again, they are sort of not interested at this time. And it doesn't appear that there would be any other potential interest. Google certainly had been mentioned at one point or another. But right now, it's AT&T's, it will be AT&T's, and the question is do they get it through, what conditions do they agree to in order to get it through the regulators.
On the same day of AT&T's deal, it was reported that Apple was closely "monitoring" the workings between AT&T and Time Warner, especially due to its potential impact in regards to television deals that Apple could make with both companies. Back in January, an initial rumor suggested Apple was looking to buy Time Warner itself, most likely to bolster its rumored cord-cutting streaming TV service, but negotiations eventually stalled and the two companies ceased discussing a potential partnership.
Following the news coming out of AT&T's offer, last week investment banking firm Goldman Sachs reportedly began pushing Apple to put in a rival bid to beat AT&T's and acquire Time Warner for itself. Goldman Sachs was "left on the sidelines" as an advisor in AT&T's bid, but it's still unclear why the firm would heavily encourage Apple to enter an acquisition offer of its own.
Sources were reported as saying that Goldman Sachs was "freaking out trying to convince Apple to come in." A connection between the banking firm and Apple lies in the latter company's 2009 hiring of Goldman Sachs banker Adrian Perica, who now heads up Apple's mergers and acquisitions practices.
Networks like CNN, HBO, TBS, TNT, NBA TV, Cartoon Network, and Warner Bros. are all under Time Warner's umbrella, making it an enticing acquisition for multiple companies looking to bolster an existing, or upcoming, streaming package. Although AT&T appears to be the frontrunner, The Wall Street Journaloriginally reported that "a host of other contenders" were interested in Time Warner, including Google at one point.
Announced back at CES earlier this year, Netatmo today is officially launching its smart outdoor security camera, called "Presence," for $299.99. Using a "breakthrough deep-learning algorithm," the Presence security camera detects people, cars, and animals that appear outside the home, and reports all activity via notifications and recordings through the connected Netatmo Security app. [Direct Link]
The camera's smart learning algorithm allows it to decipher between objects, people, and animals, and subsequently send notifications that dynamically warn users of exactly what's appearing outside their home with the text: "Person seen," "Car seen," or "Animal seen." The company said this provides peace of mind for everything from everyday to vacation homes, and can alleviate worry for problems when users aren't home, such as warning when a delivery driver has dropped off a package.
Presence captures 1080p videos "under any light conditions" with an extensive 100 degree field of view and 65 foot detection range. The Wi-Fi connected camera is waterproof and can resist sun, ice, rain and wind.
"Presence marks a new step forward for consumer security cameras. Unlike existing surveillance systems that need human analysis, Presence understands what’s happening outside the house and operates without requiring a subscription. The camera instantly detects unusual situations and sends precise notifications to the users’ smartphone. Presence offers peace of mind to the users: it alerts them in real time if there’s a break-in, an intruder, or property damage", explains Fred Potter, Founder and CEO of Netatmo.
In terms of the camera's push notifications, Netatmo says they're "entirely customizable," so each person can decide whether they want to automatically record movement caught by the camera, only get notifications for people arriving, only record wandering animals, etc. With a feature called "Alert Zones," users can also designate Presence to warn them of activity in up to four specific places like a yard, property gate, garage door, or other areas. If users choose to begin recording video footage, Netatmo provides free video storage with the Presence.
There's also a time lapse feature so users can catch up on the last 24 hours of activity caught on the camera, through one picture taken each minute, so it's easy to discover and evaluate any potentially dangerous activity taking place outside a home. This includes nighttime activity, because the Presence has a powerful infra-red night vision mode, as well as an integrated smart floodlight "that can detect and scare off any unwanted visitors or light the way when it’s dark."
Additionally, Presence is compatible with IFTTT, a connected smart platform that allows users to connect hundreds of different services together in one place in order to string together smart "Recipes." According to Netatmo, this can result in a variety of useful commands to make life easier for Presence users.
They can then use simple "if this, then that" statements called Recipes to automate and control different aspects of their connected home. For example, an IFTTT user could say "if Presence detects a car in my driveway, then open my connected garage door." Other practical Recipes include, "If Presence detects an animal in the garden, then turn off the sprinkler," and "if Presence is disconnected from WiFi, send me a notification."
In terms of storage, Presence stores videos locally on an internal micro SD card, but users can also choose to transfer them to their Dropbox account or their personal FTP server. For those worrying about the addition of another subscription fee with Netatmo's outdoor camera, the company confirms that "storage is entirely free and does not incur any additional subscription or fee." The camera is also secured by end-to-end encryption when data is transmitted between it and the smartphone app.
Netatmo said that installation is easy because the Presence simply replaces an existing outdoor light. With iOS 10, the Netatmo Security app also supports rich notifications so users can catch glimpses of each recording of the camera without unlocking their phone. The company's notification range extends to apps on the Mac and Apple Watch, as well.
Anyone interested can pick up a Netatmo Presence beginning today from Apple, Amazon, and Home Depot for $299.99.
In a wide-ranging interview with The Independent, Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller said the company has received more online orders for the new MacBook Pro so far than any previous-generation MacBook Pro.
And we are proud to tell you that so far our online store has had more orders for the new MacBook Pro than any other pro notebook before. So there certainly are a lot of people as excited as we are about it.
Schiller said the early criticism and debate about the new MacBook Pro has been "a bit of a surprise" to him, but said "that's cool" and common for new Apple products. He attributed the response to a "passionate" customer base.
Are you surprised by how vocal the critics have been?
To be fair it has been a bit of a surprise to me. But then, it shouldn’t be. I have never seen a great new Apple product that didn’t have its share of early criticism and debate — and that’s cool. We took a bold risk, and of course with every step forward there is also some change to deal with. Our customers are so passionate, which is amazing.
We care about what they love and what they are worried about. And it's our job to help people through these changes. We know we made good decisions about what to build into the new MacBook Pro and that the result is the best notebook ever made, but it might not be right for everyone on day one. That’s okay, some people felt that way about the first iMac and that turned out pretty good.
Schiller went on to say the new MacBook Pro is "the best notebook ever made," but admitted it "might not be right for everyone on day one."
I hope everyone gets a chance to try it for themselves and see how great the MacBook Pro is. It is a really big step forward and an example of how much we continue to invest in the Mac. We love the Mac and are as committed to it, in both desktops and notebooks, as we ever have been.
Whereas some companies are blurring the lines between notebooks and tablets, Schiller said the basic L shape "makes perfect sense and won't go away."
You have a surface that you type down on with your hands, with a screen facing you vertically. That basic orientation, that L shape makes perfect sense and won’t go away. The team came up with this idea that you can create a multi-touch surface that’s coplanar with the keyboard and the trackpad but brings a whole new experience into it, one that’s more interactive, with multi-touch.
That response is part of Apple's belief that the Mac and iOS devices are "fundamentally two different products."
Here’s one example of how they should remain distinct: the Mac from the very first has had a menu bar fixed at the top. It’s core to the identity and the experience you get. But iOS doesn’t have a menu at the top. It never will. The thought of pointing at a menu at the top of an iPhone feels wrong.
If you made the Mac a touchscreen you’d have to figure out how to make it a good experience with your finger on a touchscreen. Trust me, we’ve looked at that — it’s a bad experience. It’s not as good or as intuitive as with a mouse and trackpad.
Also interesting: Schiller noted the new MacBook Pro still has a 3.5mm headphone jack because it is a "pro machine," but lacks an SD card reader because it's a "cumbersome" slot best left to adapters or wireless transfers.
Password manager LastPass today announced that all users are now able to sync their passwords across multiple devices for free, whereas previously the service's multi-device feature was locked behind its $1 per month subscription service. Now, users can gain access to their most secure sign-in information on a smartphone, tablet, desktop, or laptop using any of the company's free mobile and computer apps.
The new LastPass free plan works without any user input needed, so anyone who doesn't have the app downloaded can do so and begin using the service across all devices LastPass is available on. The $1 per month premium option is still available and includes exclusive features including family sharing with up to five users, no ads, priority tech support, 1GB of encrypted file storage, and more.
LastPass founder Joe Siegrist mentioned in a blog post that the company hopes the move makes it "easier for everyone to make good password habits," since it'll be much less of a hassle to create, store, and discover passwords.
From day one here at LastPass, we’ve been on a mission to help you simplify your online life, and make it a whole lot easier to achieve strong password security. By offering LastPass for free across all your devices, we’re making it that much easier for everyone to make good password habits the norm. Because when you have a password manager that goes everywhere you do, you have a strong foundation for securing and taking control of your identity.
Besides the main LastPass iOS [Direct Link] and macOS [Direct Link] apps, the company has made its password managing service available to download as extensions on Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Opera web browsers.
Adobe's MAX creativity and design conference is set to kick off this morning, and during the MAX event, Adobe plans to show off several upcoming software updates and new software experiences that are coming to its product lineup later this year.
All of Adobe's Creative Cloud apps are being updated with new features. Photoshop, for example, is gaining a new universal search bar with visual search options, stock templates, tighter integration of SVG elements, and better support for SVG color fonts, while Illustrator is gaining font, text, and glyph enhancements along with new alignment tools for creating pixel-based artwork.
Adobe Experience Design CC (XD), Adobe's tool for designing and prototyping, is gaining support for layers and symbols, along with the ability for users to comment on shared designs, making it easier to get feedback from clients. During the first half of 2017, XD will also support real-time sharing and collaboration features along with visual versioning to make it easier to keep track of changes.
After Effects features a new 3D rendering engine that can render 3D elements up to 20x faster, while Premiere Pro is gaining new virtual reality capabilities and optimized video publishing for social networks. The new software is able to auto detect virtual reality video, applying the proper settings. Character Animator is getting faster puppet creation and animation that better integrates with Photoshop and Illustrator. Team and Enterprise users will soon be able to co-edit video files in Premiere Pro, After Effects, and Prelude with updated workflows.
Mobile apps are also being updated. Photoshop brushes will be able to be used in Sketch, and both Sketch and Draw will gain layer blend modes. Comp, meanwhile, will gain auto mockups and the ability to copy/paste within and across documents.
Project Felix, being unveiled at MAX, is an upcoming tool that allows graphic designers to make high-quality photo-realistic images using 2D and 3D assets, even without experience using 3D software. Project Felix includes 3D models, materials, and lights sourced from Adobe Stock, and there are options do to things like adjust camera angles and lighting to make the perfect product shot.
Adobe Spark, available today as a free service, is designed to allow Adobe Creative Cloud users to create social graphics, web stories, and animated videos. Spark is available to everyone, but paid members will have exclusive features, including the ability to remove Adobe branding from projects.
Adobe is officially bringing its Adobe Stock Contributor site out of beta, allowing Adobe users to sell their photographs and design work to other Adobe users. Adobe Stock is gaining an improved image search feature and a new auto-keyword option that makes it easier to find what you're looking for.
Adobe is also announcing a new partnership with Reuters, incorporating Reuters video and photography of news, sports, and entertainment events, and it is introducing a new way to purchase fonts through the Adobe Typekit marketplace.
Adobe's Creative Cloud updates will be available to Creative Cloud subscribers before the end of the year. For more details on the upcoming features that will be available in Adobe's range of Creative Cloud apps, make sure to check out Adobe.com.
Glide recently announced a new Apple Watch band that includes both a 2MP front-facing camera, as well as an 8MP outward-facing one, with the ability to capture crisp images and HD videos "in a tap." Called the "CMRA," users simply have to tap a button built into the band to snap a photo or long-press to begin recording a video, and on one charge the CMRA can take "hundreds of photos," or about 30 minutes of video (via Re/code).
The sole button housed on the band also switches it between the two cameras with a double-tap. Any pictures or videos taken with the band are seamlessly integrated with Apple's stock Photos app, so it's easy to store, edit, and share moments captured on the CMRA. Glide says that the cameras on its band include tilt-balancing, lens correction, noise reduction, and pixel optimization features to provide enhanced shots on the fly. In terms of storage, the CMRA has 8GB of onboard flash memory.
The band's video conferencing feature uses Glide's iPhone and Apple Watch chat app to let users talk in real time, or send recorded video messages to one another. When the Apple Watch app launched last year, it set itself up as a companion to the iPhone app, notifying users of live Glides, missed messages, and let users watch videos right on their wrists. With CMRA, now users can begin recording those videos without needing to grab an iPhone.
For charging, pre-orders of the device will come with a custom dual-charging dock that charges both the Apple Watch and CMRA together, and the dock itself includes a battery pack so it can recharge the two devices twice during travel. Speaking with Re/code, Glide CEO Ari Roisman explained that the company is offering up pre-orders months in advance (CMRA is predicted to launch in Spring 2017) to test the waters and see how much interest the product gathers online.
As for why it is taking orders so early, Roisman offers up the standard answer for small companies looking to do hardware: It needs to know how many to build, and the best way to do that is to sell them publicly before the first units roll off the manufacturing lines.
“The camera is only valuable when it is out and ready to take a photo or video,” says Glide CEO Ari Roisman. “Our phones live in our pockets.”
For those interested, the CMRA can be pre-ordered from Glide's website at an early bird price of $149.00 in both 38mm and 42mm. The device is expected to sell at $249.00 once it launches, and the company will mark it down to $199.00 for later pre-orders.
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has released a new research report outlining why he believes Apple has shifted its focus from its original rumored car project in favor of augmented reality technology.
All of Apple’s past successes were related to human-machine interfaces, such as mouse for Mac, click wheel for iPod, and multi-touch for iPhone and iPad.
Assuming Apple successfully develops AR, we predict the firm will enjoy the following competitive advantages: (1) redefining existing key products and leading competitors by three to five years. For instance, this could happen for iPhone, iPad and Mac; (2) eliminating obstacles of Apple Watch and Apple TV by offering an innovative user experience; and (3) entering new business fields, such as autonomous driving system.
We expect Apple to generate preliminary results for AR in the next 1-2 years at the earliest and working with iPhone may be the first step.
Kuo thinks the AR market will increase significantly in 2018 and will replace VR to become the mainstream market focus as Apple enters the field. Kuo predicts the AR and VR markets combined will grow from $40-50 billion in 2018 to $150 billion in 2020, with the majority increase coming from AR.
Apple's increased interest in augmented reality is no secret. CEO Tim Cook has spoken about AR on a number of occasions over recent months, hinting that the company's approach to AR should encourage, not replace, human contact.
In July, Cook said Apple was "high on AR in the long run" and that the company continues "to invest a lot in [AR]." He said he believes augmented reality "can be huge," and in August, he called it a "core technology", while in September Cook said he believes that between VR and AR, the latter "is the larger of the two," because it allows people to "be very present," engaging with one another while having other visual things to see.
According to rumors, Apple has a research team working on augmented and virtual reality, exploring the AR/VR field and investigating how the company could embrace augmented or virtual reality in the future. Apple has reportedly built prototype virtual reality headsets, but Cook's continued comments on augmented reality indicate Apple is more heavily invested in that technology.
Less than a week ago Apple unveiled its new MacBook Pro line-up, with the focus of its "Hello again" event centering on the OLED Touch Bar that replaces the function keys on the company's 13-inch and 15-inch flagship models.
Initial media reaction to Apple's event was positive, and most journalists in attendance were impressed after their limited hands-on time with the new machines. "There's all kinds of love for the new MacBook Pro," reported The Loop the following morning, in a post citing quotes from several leading tech sites.
Over the weekend, however, evidence mounted of a backlash within sections of the online Mac community in response to Apple's latest announcements. In a blog post on his site titled "New MacBook Pros and the State of the Mac", developer Michael Tsai collated and linked to the most commonly aired grievances. The post has since become a common point of reference in the blogosphere for negative sentiment toward Apple following last week's event.
In his original post, Tsai said he was "disappointed" with Apple's announcements for the Mac, which made him feel as if Cupertino had either "lost touch" with what developers and creative professionals want, or Apple "simply doesn't care about those customers".
There's nothing particularly wrong with what Apple announced. I like Thunderbolt 3. The display looks good. I'm not crazy about Touch Bar, but it does seem potentially useful. The problem is that the MacBook Pro is not a true Pro notebook.
My Retina MacBook Pro is almost 4.5 years old. I've been wanting to upgrade it for a while and was planning to do so today. After seeing what was announced, I'm no longer sure that I want a MacBook Pro as my main computer.
The subsequent catalog of grievances largely mirror Tsai's own complaints, which include the "premium price" of a "Pro" MacBook limited to 16GB RAM, the prioritization of "thinness and lightness" over CPU and graphics performance, and Apple's "neglect" of other sections of its Mac product line. Tsai concludes: "It has seemed clear for a while that the CEO doesn't really understand the Mac, or simply doesn't like it that much, and that's a problem for those of us who do."
On Monday, both The Loop and Daring Fireball highlighted Tsai's post, noting its growing inventory of criticisms. The Loop said the list contained "a lot of fair complaints" that are "insights... worth paying attention to". Daring Fireball's John Gruber called the extent of the backlash "astounding" and described Tsai's collection of quotes as "must-read stuff".
In another widely shared article titled "How Apple could have avoided much of the controversy", developer Chuq Von Rospach wrote that while much of the criticism ignores "a lot of the positives" in Apple's latest announcements, the company should have at least mentioned upcoming updates to the rest of its product line, which would "have muted a lot of the anger".
Von Rospach goes on to speculate about what those updates might be, broaches some of the issues regarding Apple's new notebooks (the 16GB RAM ceiling, an increase in dongles) and concludes by suggesting that creative professionals need to realize the Mac line has become a "niche product" in a world driven by market forces where Apple technology has gone mainstream. The full article can be read here.
The impassioned online debate comes at an important time for Apple, which hopes to boost interest in a lukewarm computer market this holiday season, following the company's first reported full-year revenue decline since 2001. Its Touch Bar enabled 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro notebooks are expected to ship in late November. Meanwhile, the new 13-inch MacBook Pro sans Touch Bar is already shipping to customers and more comprehensive reviews of Apple's lower-spec notebook are expected this week.
Twitter has begun rolling out its opt-in Highlights feature to all iOS users.
The feature notifies users via push notifications (up to two a day) about the most interesting content from Twitter, tailored just for them.
Highlights are based on a number of different factors, says Twitter, including but not limited to: Conversations among people users follow and popular tweets from their accounts, as well as trends, news, and personalized topics.
The Highlights feature, which has been available on Android for some time, began rolling out to iOS users on Monday. To enable it, Twitter account holders should tap on the gear icon in the Twitter app, tap Notifications, followed by Mobile notifications, and toggle the "on" button next to Highlights.
Twitter is a free download for iPhone and iPad from the App Store. [Direct Link]
The premium version of popular app Instapaper, designed to allow users to save notable news articles to read at a later time, has officially become free to all users.
The company behind the app has emailed all account holders to tell them that, as of today, it is opening up Instapaper Premium features to all users, free of charge.
Users of Instapaper now get access to full-text search for all articles, unlimited Notes, text-to-speech playlists, unlimited speed reading, "Send to Kindle" via bookmarklet and mobile apps, Kindle Digests of up to 50 articles, and an ad-free Instapaper website.
The company said the change was made possible now that its team is better resourced – referring to its acquisition by Pinterest, reported in August.
According to TechCrunch, while Instapaper's team would begin working on Pinterest's core experience, the company said the app would live on as a separate entity and continue to get updates without them being monetized. Existing Instapaper Premium users will get pro-rated refunds in the coming weeks, the company said.
Pinterest has been busy acquiring smaller companies to bolster its teams with new talent and grow its user base. In October, the company reported that it had hit 150 million monthly active users. Although the number missed the mark on targets the company set in early 2015, it still represents a large potential source of revenue.
Schiller said the 
Twitter has begun rolling out its opt-in Highlights feature to all iOS users.
The premium version of popular app 
