MacRumors

Wireless bluetooth headphones have been gaining traction over the past few years as potentially reliable replacements to the traditional wired headsets offered in most smartphone boxes. With the announcement of the "Bragi Dash" at CES in 2015 -- and the subsequent year of updates trickling out of the German company -- interest in true wireless earphones that don't even require a wire between the earpieces has begun to increase.

Interest in these products took another step forward last week when it was reported Apple may be working on a Dash-like product to be sold alongside the so-called "iPhone 7" later this year. The Apple-owned Beats by Dre brand already offers customers a variety of Bluetooth headphones, but none that are as small and undetectable as the Bragi Dash.

With the first round of Bragi Dash units now shipping to Kickstarter backers, a few sites have been sharing their initial impressions of the new earphones. The Verge, The Wall Street Journal, Engadget, and Wired agree on the Dash's impressive suite of features, especially subtle motion gestures and ambient noise control, but some remain skeptical of their wide appeal due to syncing issues and a short three-hour battery life.

The Verge commented on the gesture controls, surprised by the amount of subtlety the Dash still managed to pick up. The basic gestures let users nod or shake their heads to accept or reject phone calls, which the site found to work nearly too well, and worried over accidental gestures causing miscommunications with the Dash. Still, The Verge's favorite feature was the ability of the headphones to allow ambient noises to pass through to your ears from their location in a room, even when music is playing.

With the Dash, you just swipe on the left earbud and the ambient noise around you suddenly appears in your earbuds. Better yet, Bragi has done some especially tricky software work to make that ambient noise sound like it's coming from the corresponding direction. If someone is speaking to the right of you, it sounds like their voice is coming from that direction. You can do this while music is playing or not, and it's the kind of feature that you wind up wanting on any pair of headphones even after using it just one time.

Connectivity issues were the main concern of The Wall Street Journal's experience with Bragi's new headphones. The Bluetooth connection between the iPhone and the Dash became unreliable for the site "particularly on outdoor runs," necessitating the purchase of an armband case to bring the iPhone closer to the in-ear headphones. Although Bragi promises an upcoming update will address such problems -- and the Dash's 4GB of internal memory can offset some iPhone connectivity issues -- The Wall Street Journal remained skeptical on the consistency of the feature.

But in testing, another problem emerged: The Dash still connects via Bluetooth to the phone itself, and that connection dropped even more frequently than the Earin, particularly on outdoor runs. I ended up buying an armband case for my phone so I could get a more consistent connection.

A few times, the Dash fritzed out and became unresponsive until I put it back in its charging case. Buyer beware: These are surely signs that the software is a work in progress. (Bragi says an update is coming, which Dash owners will install by plugging the companion case into a computer.)

On the plus side, the site was largely impressed by the Near Field Magnetic Induction used by Bragi to keep the dual earbuds in sync, creating a "bubble around one’s head through which the sounds travels from one ear to the other." NFMI was the reason the Dash were delayed in the middle of last year, when the team decided to find a better way for the earbuds to communicate with each other. WSJ also found that each of the Dash's earbuds were reliable in their fit within the ear, never causing concern over whether either piece would fall out during long runs and workouts.

Engadget was doubly impressed by the use of NFMI as an alternative to Bluetooth connectivity between each piece of the Dash (Bluetooth is still used to communicate with the iPhone). Like most reviews, the site also commented on the usefulness of the Dash's voice assistant that guides users through the initial setup and can also read out data and information back to them on the fly.

I insert a bud into my right ear, and then the left. A few seconds later I hear a woman's voice. She explains how I can listen to music on my phone, afterwards there is silence; deafening silence. Until I connect my phone to the wireless headphones, and the lady returns, confirming that everything is good, and I'm all set. This is probably the slickest gadget set-up I have ever experienced.

Wired's experience with the Dash most succinctly categorized the headphones apart from everything else that is available on the market, the site calling Bragi's new product "a computer, a platform, an entirely personalized object," separate from competitors like Earins. When testing the basic music functionality of the earphones, Wired found the quality to be "fantastic" and referred to the new product as "remarkable" for what it accomplishes even considering the slim three-hour battery life.

The Dash is not a pair of headphones. Well, it is, but that’s like calling the iPhone a telephone. It’s not competing with devices like the Earins, or whatever truly wireless Beats headphones Apple’s working on for the iPhone 7. Dash is a computer, a platform, an entirely personalized object.

Read more reviews and impressions of the Bragi Dash online: DC Rainmaker, The Gadgeteer, Wareable, and Reviewed.com.

Apple's iAd program has never been responsible for a large portion of its sales, leading Apple to decide that it's time to take a step back from the platform. According to BuzzFeed, Apple plans to end its efforts at advertising sales and cease its direct involvement with iAd. "It's just not something we're good at," an inside source told BuzzFeed.

To accomplish this, Apple will dismantle its iAd sales team and will turn the iAd platform over to publishers, allowing them to directly create and sell advertising content. Publishers will be able to keep 100 percent of revenue generated.

Advertising industry sources familiar with Apple's new plan for iAds seem intrigued by it. "I think this is going to be great for publishers," said one. "It gives them direct dialogue with their customers as opposed to forcing them to go through an Apple middleman. Access will be more plentiful and easier to manage -- theoretically."

In September, Apple made the first steps towards automating iAd with an iAd Workbench update that added tools to allow publishers to sell ads themselves in Apple News. Currently, Apple News publishers are able to sell their own ads or have iAd sell on their behalf, while developers have to rely entirely on iAd. Apple is expanding its Apple News model to the App Store and other platforms, allowing publishers to sell directly.

Since its debut in 2010, Apple has failed to establish iAd as a successful advertising platform, mainly due to pricing. At launch, iAd's minimum buy-in fee was at $500,000 and despite several price cuts, Apple has struggled to get advertisers on board. Apple made several improvements to iAd over the years and attempted to revive the platform when iTunes Radio launched, but it has never been a successful venture for the company.

For end users, the impact should be minimal. The iAd platform is sticking around and should continue to serve up many of the same in-app ads in the same format that's available today.

Update 1/15: Apple has confirmed plans to discontinue its iAd App Network on June 30, 2016 in an announcement made to developers.

Time Warner CEO Jeffrey Bewkes reportedly told investors on Monday that he would entertain a sale of the media company, and Apple is a possible suitor, according to the New York Post. AT&T, which owns DirecTV, and Fox are also said to have shown interest.

Eddy Cue, one of Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook’s top lieutenants, in charge of content deals, has been keeping tabs on proceedings at Time Warner, a source close to Apple said.

Time Warner owns a large number of assets that could lay the foundation for Apple's much-rumored streaming TV service, including CNN, HBO, TBS, TNT, NBA TV, Cartoon Network and its Warner Bros. division. A deal could allow Apple to offer a skinny bundle of channels airing popular TV shows for all ages like Adventure Time, Game of Thrones, Sesame Street, Silicon Valley and Veep.

Apple's streaming TV service has reportedly been placed on hold due to its difficulties in securing deals with content owners, but striking a deal with Time Warner would allow the company to reconsider offering a skinny bundle of channels through a Netflix-like service for Apple TV, Mac, iPad, iPhone and other devices.

Apple has previously been in talks with CBS, ABC, Fox, Disney, Viacom, Discovery and others about launching a web-based streaming service that would bundle approximately 25 channels for $30 to $40 per month, but content owners have been reluctant to give up control of the living room up to this point.

For now, fourth-generation Apple TV owners can stream select on-demand content from tvOS apps like ABC News, CNNgo, Fox NOW, HBO NOW, MLB.TV Premium, NBC Sports Live Extra, PBS, PBS Kids, USA NOW, Watch ABC and WatchESPN, but most require authenticating with a cable or satellite TV subscription.

A new report out of China today points to an earlier than expected trial production of the unannounced "Apple Watch 2," expected to begin as soon as the end of January. According to Taiwanese website Commercial Times (via G for Games), the second generation of the Apple Watch will be manufactured by Quanta, which was also responsible for last year’s production of the original smartwatch.

Despite today's report of Quanta's eagerness to begin production on the Apple Watch 2, a rumor back in November suggested the company had a "weaker than expected" profit return on the original Apple Watch. As such, Apple may be searching for new suppliers of the device (in addition to keeping on Quanta to take the brunt majority of the line), including Foxconn, Wistron, and Inventec.

Although it has yet to be confirmed by Apple, rumors regarding the new Apple Watch include a thinner case, FaceTime camera, and an upgraded Wi-Fi chip for more independence from the iPhone. This week it was discovered that Apple has posted four job listings centered around health technologies, suggesting possible improvements on the first generation Apple Watch's health and fitness features.

Amid an overall decline in worldwide PC shipments, Apple is the sole manufacturer that saw positive shipment growth, according to new PC shipping estimates from Gartner. With worldwide PC shipments from Lenovo, HP, Dell, ASUS, and Acer down, Apple also broke into Gartner's list of top 5 worldwide PC vendors for the first time since Q3 2015.

During the fourth quarter of 2015, Apple shipped 5.7 million PCs, for 7.5 percent market share. That's up from 5.5 million PCs and 6.7 percent market share in the year ago quarter, for an overall year-over-year growth of 2.8 percent. Worldwide PC shipments totaled 75.7 million units in Q4 2015, an 8.3 percent decline, with Acer and Lenovo seeing some of the biggest drops.

In the United States, Apple saw more significant growth of 6.5 percent, shipping an estimated 2.2 million PCs in Q4 2015 for 12.8 percent market share. That's up from 2 million PCs and 11.6 percent market share in Q4 2014. When it comes to U.S. PC shipments, Lenovo saw significant growth with 2.1 million shipments, while ASUS maintained status quo with 1.2 million shipments. HP, Dell, and manufacturers in the "Other" group that comprises non top-5 vendors, all saw a decline in shipments.

Overall PC sales in the United States during the fourth quarter of 2015 were at 16.9 million, a decline of 3.1 percent compared to the fourth quarter of 2014. According to Gartner, PCs were not a top holiday gift item.

"Holiday sales had a limited impact on PC sales in the U.S. market," Ms. Kitagawa said. "Notebooks were off the top wish list of holiday gifts. Unlike 2014 holiday sales, there were not many holiday mega deals for laptops, especially in value segments. At the same time, consumers' interest shifted to other consumer electronics devices such as TV's and wearables. "

For the full year, Gartner estimates Apple shipped a total of 20.7 million PCs worldwide, ranking the company as the number 5 worldwide PC vendor for 2015. That's up from 19.6 million total in 2014, for a total growth of 5.8 percent and a 7.2 percent share of the market. Lenovo was the market leader in 2015 with 57 million shipments, while HP was second with 52 million and Dell and ASUS were third and fourth with 39 and 21 million shipments, respectively.

IDC also released its own estimates of Apple's worldwide and U.S. PC shipments during the fourth quarter of 2015, which are surprisingly close to Gartner's numbers considering the two firms' estimates typically differ significantly. IDC also estimates Apple shipped 5.7 million PCs during the quarter, for 7.9 percent market share. Like Gartner, IDC ranks Apple as the number 5 worldwide PC vendor.

For U.S. shipments, IDC estimates Apple shipped 2.2 million machines for a 12.7 percent share of the market. Both Gartner and IDC rank Apple as the number three PC vendor in the United States, below HP and Dell. IDC's shipment estimate for the full year also matches Gartner's, with Apple responsible for 20.7 million shipments and 7.5 percent market share, up from 19.6 million shipments and 6.3 percent market share in 2014.

It's important to note that data from Data from Gartner and IDC is preliminary and the numbers can shift. Last year, for example, Gartner predicted PC shipments of 2.1 million and 11.7 percent market share for Apple in 4Q 2014, later revising that number to 2 million shipments and 11.6 percent market share.

Gartner and IDC both position Apple as the sole top vendor that saw positive worldwide growth in 2015, and the same trend could continue into 2016. Apple is expected to refresh many of its Macs during the year, introducing significant upgrades in the form of Skylake processors for most machines.

After four months of availability, Apple's newest mobile operating system, iOS 9, is now installed on 75 percent of active iOS devices as of January 11, according to new numbers posted on Apple's App Store support page for developers.

iOS 9 adoption has climbed from 71 percent to 75 percent over the course of the past month, which is when Apple last updated iOS 9 adoption numbers. As iOS 9 adoption grows, the number of people using iOS 8 and earlier operating systems has declined. 19 percent of iOS users continue to use iOS 8, while 7 percent use an earlier version of iOS.

iOS 9 adoption has outpaced iOS 8 adoption. At four months after launch, iOS 8 was installed on 68 percent of active iOS devices. In fact, iOS 9 adoption is nearly on pace with iOS 7 adoption, which was installed on 79 percent of devices four months after it was released in 2013.

In September, when iOS 9 hit a milestone that saw it installed on more than 50 percent of active iOS devices, Apple called it the "fastest iOS adoption ever," and said it was on pace to be downloaded by more users than any other software release in Apple's history.

The latest installation growth follows the release of iOS 9.2 on December 8, which introduced a huge number of bug fixes and brought improvements to Apple Music, Mail, and iBooks. iOS 9 adoption may see another boost with the release of iOS 9.3, which is currently in beta testing.

iOS 9.3 is one of the biggest updates to iOS 9 yet, introducing a new Night Shift mode, new Quick Actions, and improvements to several apps and features like Notes, Apple News, Health, and CarPlay.

Apple's iOS 9.3 beta introduces major new features like Night Shift, but there are also dozens of little tweaks to be discovered in the operating system update. It appears that one of those minor changes applies to Wi-Fi Assist, adding a much-needed feature that allows users to see just how much data it's using.

Wi-Fi Assist data usage can be checked within the Settings app by choosing the Cellular section and scrolling down to the Wi-Fi Assist option. Next to the toggle that turns the feature on and off, there's now a data usage number that displays how much data has been consumed when it is in use.

Wi-Fi Assist was first introduced with iOS 9. It's a feature that allows an iPhone to seamlessly switch over to a cellular connection whenever a local Wi-Fi connection is weak. Enabled automatically when updating to iOS 9, Wi-Fi Assist proved to be unpopular with users who claimed it was eating up a lot of data. One recent news story even accused Wi-Fi Assist of causing a teenager to receive a cell phone bill for upwards of $2,000.

Concerns about Wi-Fi Assist led Apple to publish a support document on the feature, explaining how it works and assuring users that data usage should only be a "small percentage higher" than previous usage. Wi-Fi Assist only turns on in a limited number of circumstances and won't activate when data roaming, when apps are downloading background content, or when using third-party apps that stream audio or video.

Despite Apple's reassurances about Wi-Fi Assist, unhappy customers filed a $5 million class action lawsuit over the feature, with the plaintiffs claiming they were subjected to overage charges on their iPhones after updating to iOS 9. The lawsuit also claims Apple did not do an adequate job explaining the feature when iOS 9 was released.

Wi-Fi Assist is available on any iOS device running iOS 9 or later, with the exception of the iPhone 4s, the iPad 2, the third-generation iPad, and the original iPad mini. Wi-Fi Assist can be turned off using the Settings app for those who don't want to risk using extra data.

Apple yesterday surprised us with new betas of iOS 9.3, OS X 10.11.4, watchOS 2.2, and tvOS 9.2. Of those betas, iOS 9.3 and tvOS 9.2 introduce important new features to iOS devices and the fourth-generation Apple TV.

iOS 9.3 includes a new Night Shift mode that cuts down on blue light in the evening for better sleep, plus it introduces new Quick Actions for several stock apps and brings new features for News, Notes, Health, CarPlay, and more. A full walkthrough of what's new in iOS 9.3 is available in the video below.

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tvOS 9.2 introduces features that have been sorely missing from the new Apple TV, including support for Bluetooth keyboards to make text entry a simpler process. It includes folders for organizing the Home screen much like one can do on an iOS device, and it introduces a new look for the Home screen, among other things. To see everything that's new in tvOS 9.2, make sure to watch our walkthrough video.

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watchOS 2.2 and OS X 10.11.4 include less obvious under-the-hood updates, but both bring important new features. OS X 10.11.4 introduces support for locked notes, while watchOS 2.2, paired with iOS 9.3, allows the iPhone to connect to multiple Apple Watches.

There's no word on when we'll see the public releases of iOS 9.3, tvOS 9.2, OS X 10.11.4, and watchOS 2.2, but there's undoubtedly several weeks of testing left before the updates will launch. Ahead of these major releases, we will see the launch of iOS 9.2.1 and OS X 10.11.3, both of which are also in testing.

Apple has posted at least four job listings since November seeking biomedical engineers and technicians to join the research and development arm of its Health Technologies team, reports BuzzFeed News.

Apple's current health and fitness initiatives include the Apple Watch, launched last April with a heart rate sensor and activity tracking, and ResearchKit, an open source medical research framework for clinical trials on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

The rumored Apple Watch 2 is expected to launch in March with several improvements, possibly including a FaceTime Camera and expanded Wi-Fi capabilities, but Apple's health and fitness ambitions beyond its next-generation smartwatch remain open to speculation.

Apple CEO Tim Cook stirred speculation in November when he said that while Apple does not want to subject the Apple Watch to U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval, the company is not against the idea of putting adjacent products like apps or "something else" through the FDA.

Since then, Apple has made a number of hirings that suggest it may be working on a new health and fitness project.

BuzzFeed News also found that over the last three or so months, Apple has snapped up employees from the medical world, according to LinkedIn. For example, Anne Shelchuk, who has a doctorate in biomedical engineering, left ultrasound software company ZONARE Medical Systems for Apple’s health technology team in November. […]

Craig Slyfield, a mechanical engineer who’s co-authored several papers related to measuring and visualizing human bones in 3D, also joined Apple as a product development engineer in November. A hire in October was system design engineer Nathan Clark, who has a doctorate in biomedical engineering and a patent for a device that separates cells.

Last March, ABC provided a closer look at Apple's top-secret health and fitness lab where it collected more than 18,000 hours of health and fitness data from over 10,000 workout sessions by Apple employees. Apple COO Jeff Williams is known to lead the Apple Watch team internally, while Director of Fitness for Health Technologies Jay Blahnik, a former Nike FuelBand consultant, also plays a key role.