Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming OS X 10.11.2 El Capitan update to developers and public beta testers, just one week after seeding the third beta and a full month after releasing OS X 10.11.1, the first OS X El Capitan update, to the public.
The fourth beta, build 15C47a, is available through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store and can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center. Public beta testers can download the beta through the Mac App Store.
We don't know exactly what improvements the 10.11.2 update will bring to OS X El Capitan, because the betas seem to be focused on under-the-hood upgrades with no apparent outward-facing changes. It’s likely to include bug fixes, security enhancements, and performance improvements to address problems that have popped up since the release of OS X 10.11.1.
Apple's release notes for OS X 10.11.2 have asked developers to focus on Networking, Graphics, Mail, Wi-Fi, Calendar, USB, Notes, Photos, and Spotlight.
Apple is developing its own in-house docking solution for charging the Apple Watch, reports French site iGeneration [Google Translate]. Citing sources with knowledge of Apple's plans, iGeneration says the dock will be called simply the "Magnetic Charging Dock," a name also seen in alleged packaging photos below.
Circular in shape, the dock appears to support the Apple Watch in two orientations, both laid flat over the top in portrait mode and on its side in landscape mode, useful for Nightstand mode. The charging puck within the dock seems to adjust from flat to upright to accommodate both orientations.
The Magnetic Charging Dock is said to come with a Lightning cable that will be used to charge the Apple Watch through the dock, but it does not include a USB power adapter. The packaging for the dock lists a price of €89, which likely means it will be priced at $79 in the United States.
At $79, the Magnetic Charging Dock is significantly more expensive than Apple's dock for the iPhone, but it appears to have a more complicated design with the ability to support both portrait and landscape charging. It is not known when the dock might go on sale, but the completed packaging signals an imminent release date.
Update: German site Grobgebloggt.de (via Apfelpage.de) has shared photos of the Magnetic Apple Watch dock. It ships with a 2M Lightning cable.
Apple has developed a new 4-inch iPhone based on an iPhone 5s with sixth-generation iPod touch features including an A8 chip, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1 and an improved FaceTime HD camera with ƒ/2.2 aperture, according to often-reliable Japanese blog Mac Otakara [Google Translate].
Mac Otakara, citing reliable sources, claims the so-called "iPhone 5s Mark II" has entered production and could be shipped at any time. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects the new 4-inch iPhone, which he also believes to be an upgraded iPhone 5s, to launch in the first half of 2016, a launch date corroborated by other recent rumors.
Kuo previously claimed that the next 4-inch iPhone may adopt an A9 processor in order for iOS 9 or iOS 10 smoothly, but his chip-specific prediction appears to be more guesswork rather than information sourced from Apple's supply chain.
Given Mac Otakara's respectable track record, and considering Apple's reported desire to differentiate the new 4-inch iPhone from its flagship iPhone 6s lineup, it is plausible the so-called "iPhone 6c" could be powered by an A8 chip.
Apple will also reportedly withhold 3D Touch from the 4-inch iPhone in order to encourage adoption of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.
Follow our iPhone 6c roundup to keep track of the latest news about the 4-inch iPhone.
Mark One, the company that's currently working on the Vessyl smart cup that can measure the nutritional content of any liquid, today launched an interim product that's designed to track how much water a person drinks in a day.
The Pryme Vessyl is a smart cup that measures all of the water that a person drinks during the day, using the data collected with a proprietary hydration algorithm that lets users know if their hydration needs are being met. It uses decades of research on hydration to determine an optimal or "Pryme" hydration level for every person based on factors like age, weight, sex, and activity level. The data collected by the Pryme Vessyl is compatible with the Jawbone UP and Apple's own Health app.
Many of us still follow the 8 cups per day, one-size-fits-all approach to water consumption, but everyone's hydration needs are unique--fluctuating day-by-day, and even hour-by-hour. Pryme captures a variety of factors such as height, age, weight and sex, as well as changing variables like sleep and exercise, to help you understand your personal hydration needs.
Design wise, Pryme Vessyl is a 16-ounce cup that has a glass interior with a soft-touch white exterior and a nickel-plated bottom. It includes a spill-resistant lid that can be flipped back with a thumb, and the Pryme Vessyl team tells MacRumors that it's both highly durable and reliable.
There are sensors built into the cup to detect each time a person takes a sip. In addition to water, it can hold any hot or cold beverage, so it can be used with other liquids like tea or juice. Though it's safe to use with hot liquids, the electronics inside prevent it from being dishwasher safe.
A blue line on the side of the cup, activated with a tilt, lets users keep an eye on their hydration levels throughout the day to make sure they're getting enough water. Pryme Vessyl uses inductive charging and attaches to an included base, so it's simple to charge. Its built-in battery is able to last for up to five days per charge.
Pryme Vessyl can be purchased from the Vessyl website for $99 and it's also available online at Apple.com and from select Apple retail stores in the United States and Canada.
All customers who previously pre-ordered the Vessyl will receive a Pryme Vessyl for free. The Vessyl remains in development with no prospective launch date as the Mark One team works to transition from prototype to production while maintaining accuracy.
In its latest display shoot-out, DisplayMate Technologies compared the displays of Apple's current iPad lineup: the 2015 iPad mini 4, the 2015 iPad Pro, and the 2014 iPad Air 2 to see how the three tablets measure up against each other. The iPad mini 4 came out on top in most of DisplayMate's tests, which used a variety of calibrated lab measurements and image/photo viewing tests to compare display quality.
DisplayMate called the iPad mini "unquestionably the best and most accurate LCD tablet display we've ever tested," giving it higher marks than the 2732 x 2048 resolution iPad Pro. The iPad Pro also scored well, earning all "very good" to "excellent" marks on tests, and while the iPad Air 2 did well enough to rank as a top tier display, its performance was somewhat behind the iPad mini 4 and the iPad Pro, unsurprising as it was last updated in the fall of 2014 while the mini and the Pro were both released in the fall of 2015.
All three tablets use the same IPS LCDs, but the iPad Air 2 and the iPad Pro have photo aligned LCDs with higher contrast ratios while the iPad mini 4 uses standard mechanical alignment. The iPad Pro also uses a metal oxide TFT backplane for better light throughput and power efficiency, a must for such a large and power hungry display.
Each of the iPads has a similar max brightness, measuring in at 415 cd/m2 (nits) for the iPad Air 2, 424 nits for the iPad Pro, and 450 nits for the iPad mini 4. On maximum contrast ratio, the difference between peak white brightness and the darkest black, all of the iPads had high True Contrast Ratios, but the iPad Pro won at this test. The iPad mini 4 had a True Contrast Ratio of 967, while the iPad Air 2 ranked at 1,064 and the iPad Pro measured in at 1,631, the highest DisplayMate has measured for an LCD tablet display.
On color gamut, the iPad mini had the most accurate score at 101 percent (100 percent is best). The iPad Air 2 had a 105 percent color gamut, while the iPad Pro had a 107 percent color gamut, with the larger two tablets displaying oversaturated blues. On color accuracy, the iPad mini also won, but the iPad Pro was a relatively close second. The iPad Air 2 earned much lower Absolute Color Accuracy marks.
The iPad mini 4 has a very impressive Absolute Color Accuracy with Average/Maximum Color Errors of 1.9 and 4.2 JNCD - tied for first place in Absolute Color Accuracy with the Microsoft Surface Pro 4. The iPad Pro is somewhat less accurate, but still (just barely) Very Good, with Average/Maximum Color Errors of 2.6 and 6.6 JNCD. The iPad Air 2 has noticeably lower Absolute Color Accuracy with Average/Maximum Color Errors of 3.9 and 8.8 JNCD, which are visually noticeable and could be unacceptable for some color critical applications (like medical imaging, high-end digital photography, product sales demonstrations, and advertising proofs, for example).
When it comes to screen reflectance, DisplayMate called all three iPads "unrivaled record holders" for performance in ambient light. The iPad mini had a 2.0 percent Reflectance, while the iPad Air 2 had 2.5 percent and the iPad Pro had 2.6 percent. A test measuring contrast in high ambient light saw the iPad mini perform best, with a Contrast Rating for High Ambient Light of 225. Comparatively, the iPad Air 2 scored 166 and the iPad Pro scored 163.
Due to the inclusion of the metal oxide backplane in the iPad Pro, it earned the award for most power efficient. The backplane increases light throughput and the iPad Pro's display uses a lower refresh rate when there are static images on the screen.
While the iPad mini 4 is the best iPad display based on DisplayMate's test, the site calls all of the iPads in Apple's current lineup "unrivaled" when it comes to screen Reflectance, giving them an edge over competing tablets. Due to their low Reflectance, the iPads have "by far" the highest image Contrast in ambient light and the highest Contrast Rating for High Ambient Light of all current tablets.
The full results of the display shoot-out, available from DisplayMate, are well worth checking out for those interested in getting an in-depth look at how the displays of the iPad mini 4, iPad Pro, and iPad Air 2 compare.
Apple has expanded Postmates same-day delivery to Manhattan for most products ordered through the Apple Online Store and Apple Store app. The service is available for Mac, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Watch, Beats products, cables, accessories and many other items in stock at local Apple Stores for a $19 flat rate fee.
Most products are guaranteed to be delivered within a two-hour window, but select products may have longer same-day wait times. Customers that order through the Apple Store app are provided with estimated delivery times and tracking information as the product is transported from the Apple Store to the delivery location.
Apple's new Postmates same-day delivery option is available in most areas of Manhattan, including 37 of 43 zip codes based on our limited spot check. The service has limited coverage in northern neighborhoods such as Inwood and Washington Heights, and is unavailable on Roosevelt Island and in the other New York City boroughs of The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island.
Apple launched Postmates same-day delivery in the San Francisco Bay Area in May. Customers who do not live in an area where Postmates delivers will not see same-day delivery options for Apple products, instead receiving only standard shipment delivery times without an option for courier delivery.
Postmates operates in several other major U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington D.C., Seattle, Boston, Philadelphia, Miami, Atlanta, Denver, San Diego, Portland, Phoenix, Austin, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Minneapolis and Charlotte, but same-day deliveries for Apple Online Store and Apple Store app orders appear to be limited to the Bay Area and Manhattan.
Apple products can also be ordered through the Postmates app in select U.S. cities.
Apple updated its Apple Pay participating issuers list today with 95 additional banks, credit unions and financial institutions supporting the contactless payment service in the United States. Apple Pay now has over 750 participating issuers nationwide, and several more plan to support the NFC-based mobile payment service in the future.
Apple Pay now supports Tesco Bank and TSB in the United Kingdom
Apple also added Apple Pay support for two larger financial institutions Tesco Bank and TSB in the United Kingdom. Tesco Bank, which began emailing customers about incoming Apple Pay support earlier this week, currently supports Apple Pay for its MasterCard credit cards, while TSB supports debit cards and MasterCard and AMEX credit cards.
H&R Block, a large tax planning, preparation, and filing company, highlights the complete list of new Apple Pay participating U.S. issuers. As a disclaimer, some smaller banks, credit unions and financial institutions listed may have already had support for the contactless payments service and are only now being reflected on Apple's website.
The full list of new Apple Pay participating issuers in the U.S. is ahead.
Apple Pay is now available in Canada exclusively for American Express customers, allowing newer iPhone and Apple Watch owners to make contactless payments at stores like Indigo, McDonald's, Sport Chek, Tim Hortons and others that have NFC-equipped payment terminals and accept American Express.
Apple Pay is now live in Canada on iOS 9.1 (Image: Twitter/Bryan)
Apple Pay should now be live in the Wallet app on iOS 9.1 for Canadian users. American Express cards can be scanned or added manually by tapping the "Add Credit or Debit Card" option.
American Express, an independent credit card issuer in Canada, is not nearly as popular or widely accepted as MasterCard or Visa credit cards in the country, and Apple notes that bank-issued American Express cards like those in partnership with Scotiabank are not accepted at launch.
Apple has reportedly been in talks with six large Canadian banks about launching Apple Pay north of the U.S. border, including the Royal Bank of Canada, TD Canada Trust, Scotiabank, Bank of Montreal, CIBC and National Bank of Canada, but negotiations have reportedly been dragging.
TD Canada Trust prematurely leaked an Apple Pay splash page last month, suggesting that Canadian banks may eventually support the mobile payments platform. High interchange fees and potential security issues have reportedly been sticking points in negotiations between Apple and banks.
Canada has been well prepared for Apple Pay, as many retailers and businesses across the country are equipped with NFC payment terminals required for contactless payments. The country was one of the earlier adopters of Chip-and-PIN debit and credit cards that can be tapped against a payment terminal when making a purchase, and Apple Pay is a natural extension of that functionality.
Canada's largest credit and debit card payment processor Moneris announced Apple Pay support for American Express cards earlier today.
Apple Pay launched in the U.S. in October 2014 and expanded to the U.K. last July, making Canada the third country with support for the service. Beyond Canada, Apple is also partnering with American Express to bring Apple Pay to four additional markets by the end of 2016.
Apple has confirmed with the Financial Post that Apple Pay will support American Express in Australia later this week, with AMEX customer service representatives suggesting a tentative November 19 launch date. Apple Pay will launch with American Express in Spain, Singapore and Hong Kong next year.
Update: Apple has published a list of Apple Pay participating retailers and apps on its Apple Pay page in Canada. Notable stores include Apple, Indigo, McDonald's, Petro Canada, Staples and Tim Hortons.
Though the iPad Pro has been widely available in Apple retail stores since its launch last Wednesday, supplies of the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard have been much more limited. At launch, there were no Apple Pencils or Smart Keyboards available for purchase in the U.S. with in-store pickup, and the first online orders listed delivery dates of November 19 at the earliest, more than a week after the iPad Pro became available.
As of today, pre-order customers with some of the earliest upcoming estimated delivery dates are seeing some movement with their orders, receiving notifications that their Apple Pencils are now preparing for shipment. MacRumors reader Jose's Apple Pencil is preparing to ship with an estimated delivery date of November 20 to November 24, and there are a few other reports of Apple Pencil shipment changes on Twitter.
With orders already preparing for shipment, it's likely customers who managed to pre-order right around midnight on November 11 will start receiving their shipments later this week. A few customers in the United Kingdom have already received their Apple Pencil orders.
Customers who order an Apple Pencil online right now will not be able to receive the device until mid-to-late December, and the same goes for the Smart Keyboard, which is equally scarce. After the iPad Pro's midnight launch, delivery estimates for the Apple Pencil and the Smart Keyboard quickly slipped from late November into December.
Some Apple retail stores around the country have been receiving small Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard shipments on a daily basis, but as Apple is not allowing in-store pickup for the Apple Pencil, it's not possible to use Apple's website or app to determine which stores have stock. Instead, customers hoping to get an Apple Pencil before December are having to visit their local Apple Stores on a daily basis hoping to get lucky with shipment timing.
The Apple Pencil, which enables pressure sensitive drawing on the iPad Pro, retails for $99. The Smart Keyboard is priced at $169.
Apple today added Japanese mobile operator KDDI to its list of carriers that support the Apple SIM for the iPad, expanding Apple SIM availability to Japan for the first time. The Apple SIM can now be purchased in Japanese Apple stores in addition to retail stores in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the UK and the United States.
The Apple SIM, introduced in 2014 alongside the iPad Air 2, is designed to allow users to easily switch between different short-term data plans from a number of different carriers. The Apple SIM is particularly useful for traveling abroad, allowing users to switch carriers as needed.
During the early days of availability, the Apple SIM was limited to the United States and the United Kingdom through a partnership with carriers AT&T, EE, Sprint, and T-Mobile, but in June, a partnership with GigSky expanded availability of data plans to more than 90 countries.
The Apple SIM is available for cellular models of the iPad Pro, iPad Air 2, iPad mini 4, and iPad mini 3.
Two of the biggest Apple Music competitors and most notable names in the streaming music industry are joining forces, with Pandora today announcing its $75 million acquisition of "key assets" from Rdio.
According to a press release on the acquisition, Pandora has gained unspecified "technology and intellectual property," and a number of Rdio's employees will be given roles at Pandora. Pandora plans to use Rdio's assets to "offer fans greater control over the music they love," with an expanded Pandora listening experience set to launch in late 2016, depending on licensing. Pandora wants to become the "go-to destination" for wherever and however its fans want to listen to music.
"The Rdio team built an acclaimed product and technology platform that has consistently led innovation in the young streaming industry. I'm pleased that many members of the Rdio team will continue to shape the future of streaming music, applying our tradition of great design and innovative engineering on an even larger stage with Pandora," said Anthony Bay, chief executive officer of Rdio.
Pandora has more than 80 million users and continues to be one of the most popular streaming music services. Pandora offers its users the ability to listen to free, ad-supported radio stations centered around particular artists or songs rather than offering on-demand listening like Apple Music.
Rdio offered a similar ad-supported free listening tier, but it also included Rdio Unlimited, a service that let users listen to any song on demand as is possible with Spotify and Apple Music. With its acquisition of Rdio's assets, Pandora may be angling to expand into the on-demand market to better compete with other streaming services.
The acquisition hinges on Rdio obtaining permission for the transaction from the United States Bankruptcy Court. With approval, Rdio will wind down its Rdio-branded operations in all markets as Pandora is only acquiring assets and not the Rdio brand.
Apple's Top Free Charts on some iOS devices appear to be incorrectly ranking Apple apps like iMovie, Pages, Keynote, and Numbers. As discovered by Sensor Tower and shared by TechCrunch, on some iOS devices, the App Store's Top Free Chart lists Pages, Numbers, and Keynote at higher ranks than on the desktop App Store and on other iOS devices.
For example, on an iPad mini 2 and an iPhone 5s, we found iMovie, Keynote, Pages, and Numbers all listed within the top 10 free apps, all at different positions. On an iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s Plus, iPad Air 2, and iPad Pro, the only Apple app in the top 20 free apps is iTunes U, which also matches up with the desktop version of the App Store. iTunes U, according to Sensor Tower's data, is the only app along with GarageBand that should be listed in the top 10 of the free chart.
App Store Top Free Charts on iPad mini
While MacRumors did not see the errant chart behavior on more recent devices, both TechCrunch and Sensor Tower have seen problematic ranking numbers on a range of different devices running iOS 9.1. Devices running iOS 8.3 did not seem to be affected by the problem.
App Store Top Free Charts on iPhone 6s Plus
As TechCrunch points out, it's not clear if the discrepancy between App Store Top Chart listings is a bug or an intentional manipulation by Apple, but given the significantly different results from device to device, even those that are the same generation, it seems more like a bug than something done deliberately.
The discrepancy, of course, could be related to a bug in Apple's App Store ranking algorithm, but it's a persistent one if that's the case.
It doesn't appear to be impacting the relative rankings of most other Top applications, besides Apple's. That is, Facebook Messenger is still at the top of the App Store, followed by newcomer Acapella from PicPlayPost, then YouTube, and then Facebook.
Apps like Pages, Keynote, Numbers, and iMovie are listed in the Top Free Charts because they are provided to iOS users at no cost with the purchase of an iOS device, but these apps are not free, an issue that could potentially be causing chart problems. All of the above listed apps sell for $4.99 to $9.99.
Apple has, however, manipulated the App Store results in the past to highlight its own apps, so it could be the result of a direct work to promote its line of iWork apps to specific devices or specific users, but without comment from Apple, it's difficult to tell.
As of October, Foursquare has become one of the companies that contribute data to Apple's Maps app, providing information on "Business listings data." This likely includes details on restaurants, retail stores, and other venues, given Foursquare's focus on unearthing the "best places to eat, drink, shop, or visit in any city in the world.
Rumors about a data sharing deal between Foursquare and Apple first surfaced in 2012, but Apple Maps Marketing, a site that keeps an eye on Apple's Maps partners, notes that Foursquare was not added as a partner until October 22.
For those unfamiliar with Foursquare, it's essentially a Yelp competitor that helps people find nearby venues. Several years ago, Foursquare was popular as it had a built-in check-in feature that let people share the places they'd visited, but Foursquare has always had trouble securing revenue.
In 2014, Foursquare split its app into Foursquare, for local listings, and Swarm, its check-in app, which ended up being an unpopular decision. Since then, Foursquare has struggled to find its niche among competitors, so this data sharing deal with Apple could be a huge boon for the company.
A growing number of users on the Apple Support Communities, MacRumors discussion forums and social media have reported issues with the iPad Pro becoming unresponsive after being charged for a lengthy amount of time, forcing affected users to perform a hard restart to turn the device back on.
MacRumors forum member "BizzaroClark" claims that, on multiple occasions, his iPad Pro has "appeared frozen" and "will not wake" after being charged. After hard resetting the iPad Pro, he said the device has 100% battery life. Dozens of users have shared similar experiences over the past five days.
At least twice I have left my iPad Pro plugged in, once over night, and once during work. When I returned to my iPad it appeared frozen. Black screen, screen will not wake. I had to do a hard reset twice to get the thing to work again. After the hard reset the battery was 100%.
Apple blog Mac Kung Fu pointed us towards Apple Support Communities and Reddit topics about the issue with nearly 5,000 views and 200 comments combined, indicating the problem is rather widespread. iPad Pro user "darkfire.shadows" shared his experience in the Apple Support Communities:
At night it was down to 40% so I charged it and went to bed. When I woke up it was "dead". It wouldn't wake up. I needed to perform a hard reset to get it to come to life. Worked on it for a couple of hours and had to run an errand. Plugged it back in as I was going to need a full charge later that day. Came back to it, same thing. Dead.
MacRumors confirmed the issue has affected one of our iPad Pros since last Wednesday.
The issue has affected both 32GB and 128GB iPad Pros on iOS 9.1, including Wi-Fi and LTE models. It remains unclear if the problem is rooted in hardware or software, but some users speculate that restoring from an iCloud backup during setup may be contributing to the freezing issues.
Apple's support team has provided customers with mixed solutions, ranging from restoring the iPad to factory settings using iTunes to force restarting the device by holding down the Sleep/Wake and Home buttons simultaneously for at least ten seconds, until an Apple logo appears on the screen.
Last month, we reported that some iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus and iPhone 6 users have experienced similar issues with their smartphones randomly powering off, even when left unattended and with sufficient battery power, indicating this could be a broader iOS 9 issue. Apple has not officially commented on the matter.
IHS Technology research director Kevin Wang, who previously said a new 4-inch iPhone would launch by the end of 2015, has now changed his prediction to mid 2016 on Chinese microblogging service Sina Weibo (via GforGames), corroborating information shared by reliable KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Wang did not provide any new details about Apple's oft-rumored 4-inch iPhone, beyond confirming the smaller screen size, but Kuo recently said the device will "resemble an upgraded iPhone 5s," including a metal design with an A9 processor, and launch in the first quarter of 2016.
As there is still demand for a 4-inch iPhone, we believe Apple will upgrade this product line. Because the iPhone 5s is more popular than the iPhone 5c, we think Apple is likely to launch an upgraded iPhone 5s. We predict Apple will mass-produce this new 4-inch iPhone in 1H16 with metal casings. In order to make the current iOS 9 or next-generation iOS 10 run smoothly, Apple may adopt an A9 chip for this new phone.
Kuo believes the so-called "iPhone 6c" will not feature 3D Touch to differentiate it from Apple's flagship iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. Foxconn is expected to be the primary manufacturer of the 4-inch smartphone, with 20-30 million shipments projected through the end of 2016.
Given his recent track record, Wang's new prediction should be treated with a proverbial grain of salt, but it does corroborate multiple rumors suggesting Apple will release a new 4-inch smartphone in 2016. The so-called "iPhone 6c" was originally rumored to launch in 2015, but those plans were reportedly scrapped.
Adding to its lineup of Activité-branded watch-style activity trackers, Withings today announced the Activité Steel. The Activité Steel is designed to fit in between the expensive original Activité and the more affordable Activité Pop.
Like the other Activité activity trackers, the Activité Steel is designed to look more like a traditional wrist watch than a fitness device. It features a stainless steel case, chrome hands, and a sub-dial that was inspired by a tachymeter. According to Withings, the Activité Steel was designed to have a "distinctive masculine feel."
"While the tracker market is booming we see growing demand from health conscious people who are not willing to compromise their style," says Cédric Hutchings, CEO of Withings. "Steel is the perfect Christmas gift for those demanding trendsetters."
The Activité Steel keeps track of steps taken, showing progress towards a daily goal on the small sub-dial on the watch face. It is also able to automatically detect several activities, including running and swimming, and at night, it's able to monitor sleep length and quality.
There's a standard watch battery inside so there's no need to charge the Activité Steel, but the battery will need to be replaced approximately every eight months. As it does not charge, the Activité Steel is water-resistant up to 50 meters like the other two Activité watches.
All of the information gathered by the Activité Steel can be viewed in the accompanying Withings Health Mate application, which lets users insert activity goals, keep track of food consumed, and interact with friends to reach fitness goals.
The Activité Steel, initially available in classic black, can be ordered from the Withings website for $169.95.
While the iPad Pro further bridges the gap between iOS and OS X, and notebooks and tablets as a whole, Apple CEO Tim Cook recently told the Irish Independent that Apple is not interested in creating a "converged Mac and iPad."
“We feel strongly that customers are not really looking for a converged Mac and iPad,” said Cook. “Because what that would wind up doing, or what we’re worried would happen, is that neither experience would be as good as the customer wants. So we want to make the best tablet in the world and the best Mac in the world. And putting those two together would not achieve either. You’d begin to compromise in different ways.”
Instead, Cook said Apple wants to create the best possible Mac and iPad, suggesting that both products have a strong future. The chief executive is "bullish" about the reverse of declining iPad sales in recent quarters.
“It’s true that the difference between the X86 [personal computer] and the A-series [Apple iPad architecture] is much less than it’s ever been,” says Cook. “That said, what we’ve tried to do is to recognize that people use both iOS and Mac devices. So we’ve taken certain features and made them more seamless across the devices. So with things like Handoff we just made it really simple to work on one of our products and pick it up and work on the next product.”
Last week, Cook rhetorically questioned why anyone would buy a PC anymore -- excluding the Mac, which he says is not the "same" -- and said the iPad Pro will serve as a replacement for a notebook or desktop computer for "many, many people."
"I think if you're looking at a PC, why would you buy a PC anymore? No really, why would you buy one?" [...]
"Yes, the iPad Pro is a replacement for a notebook or a desktop for many, many people. They will start using it and conclude they no longer need to use anything else, other than their phones."
Many early iPad Pro reviews described the tablet as a powerful creative canvas, but not quite a true PC replacement. Benchmarks found the iPad Pro delivers MacBook Air-class CPU performance and MacBook Pro-class GPU performance.
MacStories editor Federico Viticci, as someone who uses iOS as his main computing platform, felt otherwise. "I don't see myself using a Mac as my primary computer ever again," he wrote in his iPad Pro review.
Cook also provided a non-comment about Apple's rumored electric vehicle plans, emphasizing "a need for a focus on user interface."
“I don’t have anything to announce about our plans,” he says. “But I think there’s some significant changes in the automobile industry over the next several years with electrification and autonomous driving. And there’s a need for a focus on user interface. And so I think there’s a lot of changes that will go on there.”
Follow our iPad Pro and Apple Car roundups for the latest news about each topic.
Apple Pay is expected to expand to its third market this week, launching in Canada this Tuesday, November, 17, reports iPhone in Canada. As previously announced, Apple Pay will be launching through an exclusive partnership with American Express, initially limiting the reach of Apple's payments service in the country.
According to American Express, the service is set to launch this Tuesday, November 17, 2015. Customer service representatives we spoke with confirmed the date over the phone numerous times, and is in line with what you’ve told us as well.
As reported by The Globe and Mail last month, sources indicate Apple partnered with American Express in order to expedite the Apple Pay launch in the country, as discussions with the major Canadian banks and other credit card companies had been "dragging."
Beyond Canada, Apple is also partnering with American Express to bring Apple Pay to Australia by the end of the year and to Spain, Singapore, and Hong Kong next year. Apple Pay launched in the United States alongside iOS 8 in September 2014 and expanded to the United Kingdom in July of this year.
As of October, Foursquare has become one of the companies that 
