Apple Inc.

[CityFarmer]

Apple new venture...

(not vested)

Apple muscles into streaming music market

SAN FRANCISCO (June 9): Apple launched Apple Music on Monday, a $9.99-a-month streaming music service that may not differ dramatically from competitors but comes with Apple's deep music roots, global brand and hundreds of millions of iTunes customers.

Apple's push into the streaming business will likely alter the dynamics of how consumers listen to music as the music industry grapples with declines in downloaded songs and tries to figure out new ways to get people to pay for music.

"The Apple brand speaks for itself and it will have an earthquake-like impact on the industry," said Daniel Ives, an analyst with FBR Markets. "Given the gold standard brand, given Apple's breadth and awareness, it's more important what Apple is doing strategically than moving the needle financially."
...
http://www.theedgemarkets.com/sg/node/207702

[Kooper]

Hm, that new Apple project sounds great. I'm interested to see it in action.

[CityFarmer]

One step closer to a natural touch... Apple continue to innovate, which is ultimately important for a tech company...

(not vested)

Apple suppliers start making iPhones with Force Touch

NEW YORK — Apple has started early production of new iPhone models with a feature called Force Touch, which senses how hard users are pressing down on a screen, people with knowledge of the matter said.

Its newest iPhones, in the same 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch versions as the current iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus devices, will have a similar exterior design, the people said. Volume manufacturing is scheduled to ramp up as soon as next month, they said.
...
http://www.todayonline.com/tech/apple-su...orce-touch

[CityFarmer]

A user experience shared, on Apple Watch...

Beautiful, but not life-changing

SINGAPORE — With all the pre-launch hype and speculation, the Apple Watch was probably the most anticipated product launch by the tech giant since the iPad, or even the first iPhone.

I got my hands on a review set only a day before the device’s official launch in Singapore. Photos do not do the watch justice — it looks so much better in reality, especially on my wrist.

I spent a week trying to figure out all its functions, and customising it to match my preferences.

While the watch is enchanting in its beauty, it is not as life-changing as the iPad or iPhone.

Most of the device’s key functions, for now at least, are simply extensions rather than outright replacements of those in the iPhone.

Phone calls or messages can be answered through the watch, but messaging is limited only to SMSes and available apps such as WeChat, KakaoTalk and Telegram, but frustratingly no Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp.

The watch can also control the music played from the iPhone. I used this function a lot — until iOS 8.4 became available on my iPhone on June 30,which allowed me to choose the next song to play.

Regardless, there are apps that point to the greater potential of wearable tech. Apple Maps is excellent, user experience-wise. I no longer had to hold out my phone for walking directions; instead, the watch gave off a slight vibration when it was time to turn left or right, and all I had to do was take a quick glance at the device to know the right way.

Day-to-day apps such as Calendar, Mail and Twitter are also fairly well integrated into the watch. Having notifications that I could view with a quick glance saved me the trouble of digging out my phone from my pocket.

For travellers, apps by Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Starwood Hotels are really useful. The SIA app sends a notification when a flight is ready for boarding, while some Starwood hotels allow the watch to be used as a room key.

The level of personalisation the watch affords is impressive. According to Apple, there are more than a million ways to customise the look of the device — during work hours, I set the watch to show the events I had for the day; while for a night out, I chose a more classic watch face.

Ultimately, the timepiece is incredibly nifty and well built. Its only flaws stem from the expectations built up over the past few years.

The propriety straps I tried all felt very comfortable and unless one is constantly on the device, battery life can last nearly the whole day on a full charge.

There are three variations of the device: Apple Watch Sport, Apple Watch (the mid-range option), and Apple Watch Edition (the luxury version). They are available on the Apple Online Store, with prices ranging from S$518 to S$25,500.

FACT BOX

Tips and Tricks:

Alerts

• To ensure you don’t miss any important notifications, turn on Prominent Haptic to preannounce.

Active vs Total Calories

• You can see both measurements in the Activity app on your iPhone.

Music

• You can allocate up to 2GB on Apple Watch to store music locally. Go to the Apple Watch app on iPhone > My Watch > Music

Camera Remote

• Apple Watch can be a viewfinder for the iSight camera on your iPhone, so you can take a perfect selfie or join the group shot.

Mute Gesture

• Mute alerts by resting your palm on the display to cover it for at least 3 seconds. You’ll feel a tap to confirm.

Mail

• A shortcut to quickly deleting an email from your inbox list – just swipe left

Activity

• Force Touch in the Activity app to change your daily move goal anytime you want

• Swipe up from the 3 ring summary view to see more information: Active calories, steps and distance

• You can see a breakdown of your total active time vs exercise time in the Activity app on iPhone. Go to the Activity app on iPhone > day view > swipe left on the Exercise summary

Workout

• Force Touch during a workout to end or pause a workout (or swipe all the way to the left) then scroll down to save or discard it

• If you prefer a simplified display during workouts, you can turn off the graphics and see only numbers. Go to the Apple Watch app on iPhone

Calendar

• Force Touch in Calendar to switch between list view and day view

• Force Touch on a calendar event to email the organiser

Notification Centre

• Force Touch to Clear All

Digital Crown

• Double-click to jump to the last app

• Click and hold down the Digital Crown for Siri

Messages

• Force Touch in the Messages inbox to compose a new message

UI

• You can increase legibility by increasing text size or using bold text. Go to Settings > Brightness & Text Size

Digital Touch

• In Friends, you can see who also has an Apple Watch by looking for the hand icon (bottom centre) to know if you can send a Digital Touch

Unlock with iPhone

• You can set the Apple Watch to automatically unlock when you’re wearing it and you unlock your iPhone. Go to the Apple Watch app on iPhone > My Watch > Passcode > Unlock with iPhone

Show Last App on Wrist Raise

• If you’d rather see the last app you used when you raise your Apple Watch to look at it, go to the Apple Watch app on iPhone > My Watch > General Activate on Wrist Raise
http://www.todayonline.com/tech/tech-rev...epage=true

[CityFarmer]

The Apple watch is having a slow start...

Apple waits as app developers study who’s buying its watch

SAN FRANCISCO — In the months surrounding the much-ballyhooed release of the Apple Watch, Apple managers courted Facebook in the hopes that the social networking giant would make a software application for the new gadget.

Facebook was not persuaded. Three months after the watch’s release, there is no Facebook app tailored for it. Mr Adam Mosseri, who oversees Facebook’s news feed, said the social network had been studying the Apple Watch but had not figured out how to deliver a good Facebook experience — including the news feed’s stream of posts, photos and videos — on such a small screen.

“I don’t know if we could get it all in there in a way that feels good and works well,” Mr Mosseri said in a recent interview. “You’d just want to get your phone out at that point.”
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http://www.todayonline.com/tech/gadgets/...-its-watch

[CityFarmer]

Apple Music is running into a speed bump...

Apple Music under investigation over app store ‘tax’

SAN FRANCISCO — The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is investigating Apple’s newly-launched music subscription service, and Senator Al Franken is asking the Justice Department to further investigate whether the company is engaging in anticompetitive behavior.
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http://www.todayonline.com/tech/apple-mu...-store-tax

[greengiraffe]

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/apples-...2015-08-03

MARKET PULSE
Apple's stock officially enters correction territory as it crosses below key technical level
Published: Aug 3, 2015 4:48 p.m. ET



By
TOMI
KILGORE
REPORTER
Apple Inc.'s stock AAPL, -3.19% dropped 2.4% on Monday, to officially enter correction territory for the first time in 7 1/2 months. The blue-chip technology company's stock closed 10.9% below the Feb. 23 record close of $133, and at the lowest since Jan. 30. Many view declines of up to 10% from a significant peak a pullback, and declines of at least 10% to up to 20% a correction. A bear market is a drop of 20% or more. The last time the stock closed at least 10% below a significant peak was Jan. 16, 2015. Apple's stock also crossed below the closely-watched 200-day moving average, which many chart watchers use as a guide to a stock's long-term trend. The last time it closed below the 200-day moving average Sept. 17, 2013. The stock, which eased another 0.1% in after-hours trade, has lost 8.2% over the past three months, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, -0.11% has slipped 2.4%.

[greengiraffe]

Apple hints at ‘big announcement’ at September 9 launch

• BRANDON BAILEY
  
• AP
  
• AUGUST 28, 2015 7:20AM
  

[Image: 140866-46a200ee-4d03-11e5-b80b-e6817984bcd4.jpg]
Apple CEO Tim Cook at the 2012 launch of the iPhone 5. Source: AAP
[b]Apple has announced plans for a new product event on September 9 in San Francisco, where the giant tech company is expected to show off new iPhones and other gadgets.[/b]
The company has introduced a new iPhone model every year around this time. But in typical fashion, Apple is only dropping vague clues about its plans.
Invitations sent to reporters and analysts were headlined, “Hey Siri, give us a hint.” Apple has previously said it plans to expand the capabilities of Siri, its voice-activated personal assistant, in an upcoming version of its operating software for iPhones and iPads.
Industry insiders have also speculated Apple may introduce a larger iPad for business users, a new set-top box for televisions and possibly other products. The company, however, has not confirmed any plans.
While Apple usually holds such events on a regular schedule, they are still the subject of much anticipation in the tech industry, given that Apple products tend to be popular and influential.
Apple says the September 9 (US time) event will be held at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in downtown San Francisco. The auditorium seats up to 7,000 people, which is a much larger capacity than San Francisco’s 750-seat Yerba Buena Theatre, where Apple often holds such events.
As for Siri, the digital service had clearly been programmed to play it coy about the September 9 event.
When queried for a hint on a reporter’s iPhone, the digital assistant had several different answers.
One was to expect “a big announcement”.
Other responses included: “Look deep within yourself and you will find the answer. Especially on September 9,” and, “Well, I hear there’s something big happening on September 9.”
AP, Dow Jones

[Behappyalways]

Someone has invented the first Apple Watch sex toy - and it's a sell-out
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/ap...l-out.html

[CityFarmer]

Apple new offerings...

Apple to launch Apple TV with gaming focus

Apple will make gaming a key part of an Apple TV product it is expected to unveil at an event on Wednesday, according to a New York Times online report on Sunday (Sept 6).

The article, which cited unnamed people briefed on Apple’s plans, said the new product is expected to have a starting price around US$150 (S$214), more power for better graphics, a new remote that could double as a controller and an app store for buying games.

Apple representatives were not immediately available for comment.
...
http://www.todayonline.com/tech/apple-la...ming-focus