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Tim Cook: Work on the Apple Watch began after Steve Jobs died
In a short video interview ABC News anchor David Muir conducted with Tim Cook following today's Apple Watch announcement, the Apple CEO talked a bit about the impact Steve Jobs had on him and Apple at large. Echoing a statement he's made on a number of previous occasions, Cook explained that Apple -- the company itself -- is one of Jobs' "greatest gifts to mankind." Of particular interest is Cook quickly noting that work on the Apple Watch began after Steve Jobs died, making it the first new product category from Apple conjured and developed exclusively during the Tim Cook era. You know we started working on it after his passing, but his DNA runs through all of us. And so the foundation that he left, you can see it in all the things we're doing today, and the way we look at things. And so to me, it's not a big deal if he saw something or he didn't, it's that his thinking and his taste and his incredible perfectionist kind of view, and his view that you should always innovate, all of those things are alive and well in the company. And I think they always will be. I think his DNA will always be the foundation of Apple. The full clip can be seen below. Watch more news videos | Latest world news
Game devs on board with the iPhone 6, Apple Watch
Apple unveiled its shiny new toys at a conference today, including the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, the Apple Watch and iOS 8. A lineup of game developers are already signed on to play around with Apple's new chip, the A8, which supports 64-bit and is 50 percent more energy efficient than the A7, allowing people to play games for longer periods of time, Apple SVP of Marketing Phil Schiller said during the show. See Engadget's liveblog here. Apple's new Metal API allows games to perform better than on OpenGL, Schiller said. Developers on board with Apple's new moves include Epic Games, Ubisoft, EA, Disney, Square Enix, 505 Games, CD Projekt Red and Zynga, among others shown off during today's conference. New developer Super Evil Megacorp announced its first game on the Apple stage; it's a mobile MOBA called Vainglory. "The MOBA perfected for touch," the tagline reads. It's due out in October for iPad, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. See a trailer below. The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus drop on September 19, iOS 8 is available for download on September 17, and the Apple Watch is due out early next year. The Watch requires wearers to own an iPhone 5 or newer Apple device. There's no word on any games coming to the Apple Watch just yet, but Johann Sebastian Joust designer Douglas Wilson gives us hope with one tweet: "Getting a LOT of tweets asking about JS Joust for the newly announced Apple watch. I have all sorts of tech/design q's. But, interesting!"
All of the Apple Watch promotional videos are now viewable online
Well folks, the iWatch -- oh excuse me, make that the Apple Watch -- is real. On the not-so-off chance that you missed some of the promotional videos Apple showed during today's presentation (Apple's disjointed live feed is a topic for another day), Apple recently published them on YouTube for your viewing pleasure. Here's a video touting the health and fitness aspects of the Apple Watch. Below is a classic Apple style video introducing the Apple Watch. This video provides a nice broad overview of the device, touting its features and explaining the philosophy behind its design. Naturally, this clip is narrated by Jony Ive. And last, and sorta least, we have the Apple Watch intro video Apple played to get us all amped up for the big reveal.
Summarizing Apple's iPhone 6 / Watch event
Despite glitches during Apple's livestream of today's event, most of us here at TUAW were able to pick up enough of what was going on to realize immediately just how significant most of the announcements were. Here's a quick summary of some of the topics we found to be the most important: iPhone 6 / iPhone 6 Plus The Apple team spent no time warming up, jumping right into the announcement of the two new iPhone models immediately. The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will both be available on September 19, with pre-ordering starting this Friday, September 12. Prices start at US$199 for the 16GB iPhone 6 (64GB and 128GB versions available for $299 and $399 respectively), while the 16GB iPhone 6 Plus starts at $299 (64 GB for $399 and 128GB for $499). Both phones feature a new CPU -- the Apple-designed A8 -- and a new motion coprocessor called the M8. The M8 builds upon the motion-sensing and capturing capabilities of the M7 in the iPhone 5 family by adding a barometer sensitive enough to tell the relative height changes you take climbing a hill or even just going up and down stairs. The A8 features 2 billion transistors, but is 13 percent smaller than the A7 that featured just 1 billion. The company says that the CPU power of the iPhone 6 is about 50 times that of the original iPhone introduced in 2007. The design of the new phones includes ion-strengthened glass, an improved polarizer, a photo-aligned IPS liquid crystal display, and an ultra-thin backlight. The screen size of the iPhone 5 family is 4 inches measured diagonally -- for the iPhone 6, that number is increased to 4.7 inches, and for the iPhone 6 Plus it's 5.5 inches. While the iPhone 5 currently features an 1136 x 640 display at 326 pixels per inch (ppi), the iPhone 6 boosts that number to 1334 x 750 at 326 ppi and the iPhone 6 Plus to 1920 x 1080 -- at 401 pixels per inch. One of the other big changes to the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus is battery life. The iPhone 6 can do Wi-Fi browsing for up to 11 hours (compared to 10 for the iPhone 5s), while the larger battery pack of the iPhone 6 Plus gives it a 12-hour life. If you just use your phone for plain old 3G network voice service, you'll be thrilled to know that you can talk for 14 hours on the iPhone 6, and a full day with the iPhone 6 Plus. The iPhone 6 family supports over 200 LTE carriers worldwide, and these are the first phones Apple has offered to support VoLTE -- Voice over LTE. This allows for simultaneous data and voice access over LTE, rather than either shutting off browsing while you talk or moving your voice calls to 3G. Wi-FI speed has been increased -- the company says it's now 3 times faster than that available on the iPhone 5 and 5s. Speaking of Wi-Fi, the phones also support Wi-Fi calling, meaning that in certain cases your calls will be routed to the Wi-FI network you're connected to, making for crystal-clear voice quality. The camera on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus got pumped up as well. While the total number of pixels hasn't increased -- it's still 8 MP -- the camera now has larger pixels (1.5 microns), a f/2.2 lens (fast) and has faster autofocusing. Other fun things include a new "burst selfie" mode, high dynamic range (HDR) videos, and improved panoramas that can be up to 43 megapixels big. The iPhone 6 Plus also adds optical image stabilization to reduce camera shake. Videos can be full 1080p at 60 frames per second, and you can shoot up to 240 fps slo-mo at 720p. While plenty of third-party companies have announced their own cases for the iPhone 6 family, Apple is also introducing silicone and leather cases for both phones, including PRODUCT(RED) models. Apple Pay (AKA Pay) Apple announced that the new phones also have near-field communications (NFC) built in, and that they'll be introducing a new financial transaction system in October called Apple Pay. The system combines Touch ID and NFC to make secure payment a reality. How secure? The number provided to the credit card pay station and the CVV code are both different each time you use the system. To add credit cards to Passbook and hence to Apple Pay, you just need to take a photo of the card and the information is added. To pay, hold the iPhone near the pay station with your finger on the Touch ID pad, and a sound indicates that payment has been made. All transactions are not only time-stamped, but also tagged with your location as well. If your iPhone is lost or stolen, just putting it into Lost Mode using Find My iPhone will block additional transactions from being made. At launch, Apple Pay will support credit and debit cards from Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citi, and Wells Fargo. Soon, Barclays, Navy Federal Credit Union, PNC, USAA and USBank cards will also be added. At this point, over 220,000 retailers and restaurants around the US can take Apple Pay, including Bloomingdales, Macy's, McDonalds, Petco, Subway, Walgreens, Whole Foods Market, and even Disney Parks. Many apps will also allow Apple Pay to work. You'll be able to use OpenTable to pay for meals at selected restaurants, the MLB AtBat app to buy baseball tickets, and the Target app to buy ... well, a lot of things. Apple Watch (AKA Watch) It's been a while since we've had a "one more thing" moment at an Apple event, and this year the anticipation was high for Apple's rumored "iWatch". It's no longer a rumor -- the Apple Watch, or just "Watch" -- will be out in early 2015, and it's an amazing set of devices. There are three main "lines" of Apple Watch; Watch, Watch Sport, and Watch Edition. Think of the Watch as the "Timex" of the line, Watch Sport as a cool sports watch, and Watch Edition as a high-end fashion watch. Straps for the Watch run from "durable" plastic-like straps for the Watch Sport to high-end "Milanese Loop" straps for the Watch Edition. Many of the straps use magnets to automatically fit the Watch to your wrist. There's too much about these devices to write about here, so I suggest that you use the link in the previous paragraph and go out and read about it for yourself. Also, be sure to watch Apple's video describing the device as "Our most personal device yet." The Watches require an iPhone 5 or 6 to work, but provide some amazing capabilities. Sensors on the back can track your heart rate, and apps will let you "touch" another person with that information. There are adjustable emoji for sending personal messages, and incoming messages that ask you a selection of answers can be automatically answered with a tap. There's a Maps app built in as well. Using haptic responses, you can get walking instructions and the Watch will provide a right or left tap on your wrist to tell you which way to turn. Those same capabilities provide simple taps on your wrist for notification instead of annoying vibrations. Want to look at photos? There's a Photos app for viewing your library in the cloud. You can use Siri to dictate responses to emails or other messages, ask questions, or even find movies or restaurants. But one of the biggest features of the Watch is its health and fitness capabilities. It's more than just a fitness tracker, providing input to the Health app in iOS 8 and then motivating your activity in a number of ways through a Fitness app. It will tell you how often you should stand up to prevent sitting-related diseases and injuries, slowly goad you to build your walking and stair climbing, and so on. The UI of the Watch is incredible, using what's called the Digital Crown to scroll through items or zoom in/out. There's a touch screen to select and tap on apps, and a button that provides functionality in certain apps. And of course, developers will be able to use WatchKit to create apps to push the functionality even further. U2 There was even more! U2 came on stage to perform a song from their new album Songs of Innocence, and then Apple CEO Tim Cook and Bono announced that the album is going to be free to every iTunes customer -- that's 500 million people worldwide. While the album still hasn't shown up in iTunes for many users, it will. Conclusion As an Apple watcher since 1984, this was one of the most incredible events I've watched. That includes the 2007 intro of the iPhone, the 2010 iPad introduction, and some pretty amazing announcements and "Stevenotes" over the years. I don't think people will really understand the implications of Apple Pay and Apple Watch for many years, but they're set -- along with the new iPhones and all other Apple products -- to take us into a very interesting future.
Apple Watch: Much ado about nothing
I don't get it. Based on my demographic standing; by sheer dint of my position within the tech press; as someone who grew up with the first Macintosh in his house and a subscription to Macworld, I should be standing and applauding and ferociously tweeting my awe and amazement at the unveiling of Apple Watch. Yet, I am not. Apple did not save wearables, as many thought it would. Apple caved to the incredibly high bar of expectations set by the public. Apple unveiled something, at best, lukewarm. At most, it's prettier than the smartwatches that've come before, and that's likely its greatest innovation.
Apple iPhone 6 and Watch press event now available on Apple's website
If you were unable to watch Apple's live stream today due to scheduling conflicts or difficulties with the video feed, Apple has now posted the presentation in its entirety for your viewing pleasure. You'll need a recent Mac or iOS device with Safari to watch the on-demand video. Unlike earlier years, Apple also provides a live blog with high-resolution images from the event. Apple TV owners can tune into the Apple Events channel the watch the announcement video on their HDTV.
How will you charge the Apple Watch and what will its battery life be?
We learned a lot about the Apple Watch today, including its powerful health app, but there's one nagging absence of information: How long will the device run before needing to be charged? All of the features listed during the presentation are impressive, but also should be incredibly resource heavy. After all, the device needs to be paired with an iPhone and, even Bluetooth, sending all that information back and forth means the devices will be communicating quite often. Currently all we know is how the watch will be charged. According to the presentation it will need to be charged overnight and uses an inductive charger with a special MagSafe-style magnetic attachment that clicks into the bottom of the device. While we don't have any clues to its exact running time, Tim Cook's statements about charging the device at night suggests we could be looking at up to one day of use for the device. We'll have more information about the Apple Watch's battery life as it becomes available.
The entire Apple event in just 84 seconds
Hey, you're busy and you don't have time to watch a multi-hour Apple livestream video. No problem! We've done the hard work for you. Here's the entire September 9, 2014 Apple event in just 84 seconds. Have fun!
The Apple Watch health app is an incredible tool for all levels of fitness
Apple has been pushing an increased emphasis on health since this year's WWDC event, but the Health app for its Apple Watch is officially their biggest move yet. The app's goal is to motivate people to be more healthy and active, regardless of what level of fitness you're currently at. Accordingly the app is designed both for users who just want to track what they're doing during the day or who are using it to build the best body they can. To meet this goal they app has two modes, Fitness and Workout. Fitness monitors your day to day health and activity on three fronts using three "rings." You can track your progress based on how close to becoming a full circle each ring is. The Move ring measures how many calories you burn during your normal day to day activities. The Exercise ring tracks just your brisk activity, from a brisk walk or above. The ring will close out when you meet your recommend 30 minutes of activity a day. Finally the Stand ring shows how often you take a break from sitting. The ring will close when you reach a full minute of standing for each hour of the day. Workout mode is designed to work as an all-in-one fitness app/sports watch in one. It includes an accelerometer to measure body movement, tracks your heart rate, and utilizes your GPS to track distance. Not just quantity of movement, but the quality. You can select workouts from a list of popular activities, then set goals for that activity -- when you want to work out, calories, or distance. See at a glance how long, how far, and how hard you've been working out. When you're done, it will give you a summery of your session. There are even rewards or achievements for meeting goals. The app stores all your data on your iPhone allowing you to track goals and see your progress. Your data can also be shared with the Health app where it can be used with third party health and fitness apps. Over time the watch gets to know you, and delivers intelligent reminders and offers goals based on your progress. In theory, this means that if it knows you're willing to run one mile a week, it will eventually start upping your goals to encourage you to work harder. This Fitness app is truly exciting. We can't wait to get our hands on an Apple Watch to test it out.
Apple Watch available in early 2015, prices starting at $349
Apple today announced the new Apple Watch and confirmed the device will be available early in 2015 with a starting price of US$349. Leaning heavily on the watch side, the new Watch will be available in two different sizes and three different finishes, including an 18K gold option for the premium edition. There's also a variety of bands and watch faces that'll allow you to configure the appearance of the device to suit your taste.
Apple Watch to include built-in Messaging, Navigation, Photos and third-party apps
Apple today announced the new Apple Watch with a sapphire display and a UI that combines both a physical dial and a touchscreen for control. The new Watch will ship with a handful of built-in applications including a Messaging app with emoji support and a photos app for viewing your iCloud photos. A communications app with a dedicated physical allows you to share quick drawings or even a recording of your heartbeat with other users. There's also a Maps app with turn-by-turn directions navigation that include a haptic feedback function. The haptic feedback of the Watch will provide you with different vibrations based on whether you should turn left or right. Besides Apple apps, the company also introduced Watchkit, which will allow for the development of third-party apps. These other apps will allow you to Tweet or Facebook from your watch, browse Pinterest, check flight information, and even unlock your hotel room by waving your watch at the door supported hotels.
Apple Watch monitors your activity and workouts with two separate apps
Does the Apple Watch spell doom for dedicated fitness devices from Fitbit, Withings and Jawbone? Certainly, it looks as if you won't need one if you own Apple's first wearable, since the device ships with a pair of apps specifically designed to track fitness. The first is Activity, which measures the quantity of your sitting, standing and movement on a daily basis. There are three "rings" on the display, and you make each one disappear by performing the requisite amount of movement for each one. For instance, the exercise ring will disappear if you've moved at a pace above a brisk walk for more than 30 minutes in a single day. The move ring, meanwhile, will disappear when you've burned off a predetermined quantity of calories, and the standing ring disappears if you get up and stand for a single minute each hour, for 12 hours. Apple claims that Activity will learn your daily patterns, and when it senses that you're chilling out on the couch, it will give you a Jawbone-esque reminder to get up off the couch -- just like your very own personal trainer.
Apple Watch revolutionizes emojis with live edited expressions
Apple Watch is already a groundbreaking device, but for those of you who text, there is obviously one feature that's even more important than biometrics or interactivity. We're speaking, of course, of the real-time emoji editor. With Apple Watch you'll be able to edit your emoji's expressions in real time using your finger to match exactly what your mood is. Maybe you want an emoji that's half furious anger, half explosive with joy? Just swipe your finger a few times to create the perfect mashup of your emotions. There's no word yet on if you'll be able to manipulate more than just the traditional yellow smily face emoji, but considering the breadth of emoji options Apple offers, we can't wait until the day every emoji can be manipulated. Yes. Even this one.
Apple Watch: Apple's smartwatch redefines the market
The rumors were true, and although we didn't actually see the device or any single hint of it before today, the iWatch exists, and it's called "Apple Watch." Tim Cook just showed off the device for the first time with a video that showed a variety of health software and other apps, as well as a plethora of interchangeable watchbands. "What we didn't do is take the iPhone and shrink it. It would be a terrible customer experience," Cook said, showcasing a small dial on the side of the device called the digital crown. The crown lets you zoom in and out on the screen, scroll through lists, and it also functions as a home button that sends you back to a central screen where apps are stored. The device vibrates using what Apple calls a "Taptic Engine," and lets you feel notifications without a sound. The idea here is that you'll be able to check your updates without disturbing those around you. Apple's beloved digital assistant Siri also makes an appearance on the watch, so you can ask for information on things like movies or sporting events, or get answers to virtually endless number of questions right from your wrist. The watch is slated to come in three different versions: The standard Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport, and Apple Watch Edition. The differences are mainly relegated to materials, with the Sport version coming in strengthened aluminum, and the Edition version comes in 18k gold. Each version also comes in two sizes, which makes it perfect for those with large or small wrists. Third party apps will also be supported, which is obviously a huge addition. Twitter was shown off as an example, and it's essentially the full Twitter client shrunken down for the watchface.
Engadget Daily: 3D printed body parts, hands-on with the Lyric thermostat and more!
Today, we investigate the reality of 3D-printed body parts, take a closer look at Honeywell's Lyric thermostat, peruse the OnePlus One's innards and learn about the Wall Street Journal's predictions for Apple's rumored wearable. Read on for Engadget's news highlights from the last 24 hours.
