Apple Launches Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Dock

Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Dock – New Larger Pad

Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Dock, a new larger pad based with the same design like its inductive charging puck was launched by Apple enabling it to charge on its side and lying flat. The dock is designed to be used for both 38mm as well as 42mm models and tends to charge the Watch lying flat on the surface or on its side while in Nightstand mode.

Since its update of the operating software in September, the Nightstand feature meant that plugging the Watch in overnight could turn on a special screen wherein the time is displayed in such a manner that when the Watch is placed sideways, one could still read the time. Moreover, it also gives Snooze and Dismiss functions to the side buttons which are convenient on top in night time positioning.

Embedded in the centre of the dock is a charging pad which can be flipped up to charge a Watch placed on its side. It is accompanied with a lightning to USB cable though a power adaptor has not been included. Taking into consideration where some docks have been of uncertain built quality, Apple Watch is perfect with a white polyurethane circle holding a central chrome ring inside that is the Apple magnetic charging puck.

First Venture in Wearable Technology

This can be placed flat so that the Watch can lie on top with the strap open. It also effortlessly folds up for side-on-use purpose. The underside tends to have a soft, fuzzy surface which does not scratch whenever anything stands on it. Besides this, there are cheaper models though this one has simplicity of design together with elegance.

 It is the first time that Apple has come up with a Watch charging dock following several third party accessories. The latest dock can be purchased from Apple’s website at a price of £65 and would be available in Apple retail stores. The Apple Watch is said to be the first venture into wearable technology of Apple and is offered in three versions namely Sport in anodized aluminum, Standard in stainless steel and Luxury in 18 carat yellow or Rose gold.

Front-Facing Camera for FaceTime Calls/Inbuilt Wi-Fi

According to a report released earlier this month it claims that the device is believed to have sold about 7m units, since its launch earlier this year, which is more than its rival vendors combined together. Apple does not tend to release official sale figures for the Watch; however Canalys, the report by independent analyst company, claims that Apple seems to be the only smartwatch manufacturer to deliver over 300,000 units in the third quarter of this year.

As per Canalys, Pebble, its nearest rival saw deliveries reaching 200,000 in the third quarter due to the launch of its Time Steel smartwatch manufactured from stainless steel together with a colour e-paper display. Apple had released the latest software upgrade watchOS2, lending support for the third party native apps, new watch-faces as well as improvement to Siri.

 It is said that the second generation of Apple Watch is in progress for release next year with rumours featuring a front-facing camera for FaceTime calls as well as inbuilt Wi-Fi together with new superior models

Future iPhones could Contain Eye Tracking Software

Eye-Tracking Software – Future iPhone/Other Products

Software for eye tracking may now be a feature for the future iPhones and the other Apple products after the tech giant company has been granted a patent for the technology. According to latest patent it has been revealed that the next generation of iPhone could comprise of software which can track the path of one’s gaze and show notifications when the eyes tend to focus on certain section of display.

 The newly granted patent which was filed by Apple in September 2012, outlines how a gaze detection device can delay the automated auto correct of a misspelled word if it tends to know the user’s eye was not focused on the word, it asserts could be more instinctive. It recommends that this could be more applicable to notifications, delaying delivery of a message notification till the user tends to pay attention to the display, reducing the risk of missing the message completely.

The patent recommended that other instances could be for voice mail pop-up notifications, news alerts or app updates or software. Utilisation of biometric technology comprising of voice as well as facial recognition together with fingerprint and retina scanning has become a commonplace for payment and identification systems.

Eye-Tracking System for Unlocking

Biometric authentication utilising fingerprint recognition or retinal scan tends to offer an appropriate solution together with unique security as well as ease of use. Since products are available online, integrated with these features, multiple passwords are seen, as the industry standard tends to decline.

The iPhone 5s and 6s generations of Apple all seem to comprise of Touch ID fingerprint scanners inserted in their home buttons in order to unlock and make swift verified purchases.Google had patented the use of an eye-tracking system for unlocking devices by following the flight path of a bird or on reading a line of text, back in July 2013. The inbuilt iris-scanning smartphone authentication system had been unveiled by Fujitsu at this year’s Mobile World Congress – MWC, which was said to be applied to security systems.

The eye tracking system, a form of wearable technology enabled the user wearing the device to look at moving object on the projected screen of the glass in order to unlock the display. The picture of the product portrays how the moving object will be same to a screen saver with a bird flying back and forth used as an example. The user had to follow the movement of the bird with their eyes in order to unlock the display screen.

Panic Button – Fingerprint Sensor

However, in some of the cases, there seems to be no guarantees explored in patents ever making it into the future products. Several of the companies tend to run through patenting certain functions or materials to keenly refrain their rivals from utilising the technologies.

Apple had recently been granted a patent for the implementation of a `panic button’ functions in its fingerprint sensor that could be applied in different ways inclusive of disabling certain set of functions on the device, denying access to contact information, emails and photos or even activating the handset’s camera or microphone to documents with those making attempt to use it. The recordings could thereafter be forwarded to the law enforcement in case of certain situations.

Apple may Launch Macbook Air 2016 on Black Friday Weekend

Apple’s launch – Macbook Air 2016 Laptop on Black Friday Weekend

It has been rumoured that Apple intends to launch its Macbook Air 2016 laptop on Black Friday weekend falling on November 27 this year. If the rumours tend to be true, the latest Macbook Pro may have several problems with good sales inclusive of great deals for earlier Apple devices together with other products, according to online sources.

 The report by the source states that Apple would be releasing its lightweight laptop early to match up with the beginning of the festive shopping season in the US. But a Black Friday release would be taking away the response from Apple’s new Macbook model since several of the shoppers would be looking out for some appealing deals during the shopping weekend.

It is said that Apple has delayed the launch of the new varieties of Macbook Air as well as Macbook Pro in order that the laptops do not tend to dominate the company’s latest gadget, the iPad Pro. It is likely that theMacbook Air 2016 would pack an Intel Skylake U-chipset under the hood and would be running El Capitan, which is the latest version of Apple’s desktop OS.

Powered by A9X Processor – Various Storage Options

The iPad Pro is provided with a 12.9 inch display together with a stylus known as the Apple Pencil, along with a woven nylon keyboard called the Smart Keyboard. It is powered by an A9X processor with 4 GB of RAM and would be made available in various options of storage.

The Macbook Air is said to be the most powerful laptop of Apple’s till date besides being powered by Intel’s Skylak U-chipset as well as run on El Capitan which is the tech giant’s new operating system. There are plans also that the latest models would be much sleeker which would not be surprising, but would be provided with a Type-C USB port.

 Talks are also on that the new models would be having more powerful RAM as well as Force Touch technology. The Macbook Pro 2016 is also likely to comprise of the same Skylake processor but would probably come in December due to chip found under the code AAPLJ951 in El Capitan.

Two Display Options/Improved Battery/Retina Display

Besides this, others rumour that it includes two display options, a 13 inch screen and a 15 inch screen with improved battery life. MNR Daily has also added that it would most likely be provided with Retina display also.Since Apple had decided to skip their announcement at the time of the company’s unveiling of latest products in September, the new laptops have been subjected to rumours.

 It was earlier reported that Macbook Air 2016 would be launched in time this Christmas while the Macbook Pro 2016 would be made available in spring 2016. Besides this there are reports also that the two new Apple laptops had been delayed to make way for the newly released iPad Pro.

MNR Daily noted that Apple did not desire that the Macbook 2016 should compete with the new iPad which would affect the sales from it.According to the Vine Report, Apple supporters have been wondering on the official launch Macbook Pro 2016 and the Macbook Air 2016since then, making predictions ranging from November to January 2016.

Apple Pencil Gets a Twisty Torture Test

Apple Pencil – Concern Due to Awkward Position while Charging

The Apple Pencil could be a smart piece of technology though one thing that several people have been speculating is how susceptible it could be at the time of charging. At first glance, it tends to stick out of the iPad Pro which does not seem to be a clever idea. It has sparked some concern due to its awkward position while being charged. The Pencils placed into the power port on the iPad Pro, sticks out from there, open to the world where anyone passing could bump into it.

However, it looks like Apple had given it a though and there is a pivot mechanism within the connector created to take the strain should the pencil be knocked. Zach Straley, video blogger, tried his utmost in breaking it putting it through a gradual torture tests, ramping and though he eventually succeeded, he had to work hard in doing so.

Torture test is an evaluation of the ability of an item to endure extreme condition and such types of test can be conducted by product manufacturers, reviewers as well as end users. A torture test usually focuses the element to various severe trials which surpasses anything it would probably encounter in the real world practice.

Sporting an Unintentional Angle

Straley started off with an unboxing and a quick demonstration on the working of the Pencil and began with some wiggling, followed by more rigorous twists and tugs.

At one stage of time he could hear it cracking as he picked the iPad up using the Pencil as a lever, The Pencil had the tendency of popping out of the port when pressure was applied. Moreover it also performed some gymnastics when tugged from side to side.

Straley states that it is like they have created a hinge within the pencil in order that it would actually bend. The torture test processes to a set-up wherein the Pencil extends in the air when the iPad is placed on the table and this high tech writing device tends to end up sporting an unintentional angle. This means that one would have to take care while charging the Pencil.

Implemented for Marking/Drawing/Sketching/Taking Notes

Tim Cook and Jony Ive have been debating that the Pencil seems to be much more than a stylus even if the others may have to wait for some time to find out. The Apple Pencil is not intended to be utilised as a stylus which acts as a replacement for the finger.

 Ive is of the opinion that the design makes it clear that the Pencil could be implemented specially for marking, drawing, sketching and taking notes. He informed that the Pencil is a natural extension, in some ways of Apple’s iOS progress and the multi-touch user interface needs only fingers for operating and making it instinctive. However, assured activities such as drawing or sketching could be accomplished better with a tradition type factor tools.

There seems to be a familiar history of torture test for tech objects. Apple Watch had been subjected to drowning; boiling as well as dropping earlier in the year which makes the Apple Pencil’s trials to be a bit tame.

Apple Appears to Be Promoting Its Own Apps In The iPhone App Store’s Top Charts

Apple Utilising Top Charts Section – Promoting Its Application

Apple has been utilising the Top Charts section of its iPhone App Store, in higher positions than they would otherwise rank, for promoting its application by citing apps like Keynote, Numbers, iMovie, Pages and iTunes. When seen on an iPhone, these apps are perceived intermingled in the Top 20 Free application on the phone, though when viewed from the desktop version of the App Store, they tend to be either not present within the Top 20 or rather in a different position.

This difference could be associated to a bug in Apple’s App Store ranking system though if that is the case it could be an insistent one.It does not seem to impact the relative rankings of several of the other Top application other than Apples’.

Facebook Messenger still seems to be at the top of the App Store, followed by Acapella from PicPlayPost then YouTube and then Facebook. But in the desktop version of the store, a game known as Twist is ranked higher than Instagran and Snapchat and on the iPhone 6s version of the App Store, Twist is seen immediately after these two applications, even when the two charts had been seen simultaneously.

Top Free Charts Listing – Differs from Device to Device

Another interesting fact is that Top Free charts listings tend to differ from device to device Sensor Tower, the app store optimization firm began exploring this strange behaviour recently. Apple’s apps seemed to show up in random positions on the App store app on the iPhone as per earlier findings and at times would remain listed in the Top Charts even after they were installed on the end user’s device.

 The company was warned about this behaviour when it observed that its ranking data was not matching with what was appearing in the App Store. As per Sensor Tower’s data, only GarageBand and iTune U should be ranking in the Top 10, though not the productivity suite app or iMovie of Apple’s. Apple Store was first tested by Sensor Tower on many phones running the new version of iOS (9.1) and has now also tested it on iPhone 6 and iPad mini. They came across the same differences as well as noticed that the problem does not affect the iTunes App Store for iPhone on the desktop.

Device Explicit Charts Between Two Different Models

Sensor Tower, however found that an iPhone which runs on the older version of the iOS software (8.3), did not have the same issue like the other devices. The problem seems to be odd since it cannot be duplicated always. Ariel Michaeli, AppFigures CEO for instance had informed that he envisages the same Top charts on his iPhone as well as the desktop.

Without the official confirmation of Apple where no comment has yet been provided, one cannot officially mark this as being Apple’s direct, manual operation of the Top Charts ranking and it could be a bug. It is worth mentioning that it would not be the first time that Apple’s own apps have mysteriously appeared in the Top Charts on some devices and not the others. Apple has always had device explicit charts between two different models of the same device for instance two iPhones.