The World Surf League (WSL) today named the Apple Watch as its official wearable, with the device set to be used as official competitor equipment in a sports environment for the first time.
During the 2023 Championship Tour, WSL athletes will use the WSL Surfer app on the Apple Watch Series 8 and the Apple Watch Ultra to get updates while they're surfing in the competition. The app is designed to sync with the WSL Scoring System in real time, offering athletes important details on scores, wave priority, and time remaining in the heat.
Each competitor will receive an Apple Watch before each heat, with the watch to come preloaded with the WSL app. The app has been in testing with Championship Tour surfers during the prior two tours to make sure that it meets the needs of competitors. Apple's Director of Apple Watch Product Marketing Eric Jue said the company is "thrilled" the WSL is adopting the Apple Watch.
"We're thrilled the WSL is utilizing Apple Watch for the Championship Tour, making it simple and easy for surfers to quickly glance at their wrist for instant access to vital information," said Eric Jue, Apple's Director of Apple Watch Product Marketing. "This innovative solution leverages many of the advanced features of Apple Watch -- bright high-resolution display, durability, water resistance, cellular connectivity, and a powerful platform for organizations to build custom apps -- and the new WSL Surfer app will empower surfers competing at the highest level with the information they need while in the water."
The 2023 Championship Tour includes 10 events in seven countries, and is set to kick off in January with the Billabong Pro Pipeline. Tour events will be broadcast in the WSL app, on the WSL YouTube channel, and on the website. Apple TV+ surfing documentary "Make or Break," which covers the WSL Championship Tour, is set to return on February 17, 2023.
Wednesday February 19, 2025 8:02 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today introduced the iPhone 16e, its newest entry-level smartphone. The device succeeds the third-generation iPhone SE, which has now been discontinued.
The iPhone 16e features a larger 6.1-inch OLED display, up from a 4.7-inch LCD on the iPhone SE. The display has a notch for Face ID, and this means that Apple no longer sells any iPhones with a Touch ID fingerprint button, marking the ...
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Over the years, Apple has switched from an aluminum frame to a stainless steel frame to a titanium frame for its highest-end iPhones. And now, it has been rumored that Apple will go back to using aluminum for three out of four iPhone 17 models.
In an investor note with research firm GF Securities, obtained by MacRumors this week, Apple supply chain analyst Jeff Pu said the iPhone 17, iPhone...
Thursday February 20, 2025 5:06 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Now that Apple has announced its new more affordable iPhone 16e, our thoughts turn to what else we are expecting from the company this spring.
There are three product categories that we are definitely expecting to get upgraded before spring has ended. Keep reading to learn what they are. If we're lucky, Apple might make a surprise announcement about a completely new product category.
M4...
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Following the launch of the iPhone 16e, Apple updated its iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia pages to give a narrower timeline on when the next updates are set to launch.
All three pages now state that new Apple Intelligence features and languages will launch in early April, an update from the more broader April timeframe that Apple provided before. The next major point updates will be iOS ...
Thursday February 13, 2025 8:07 am PST by Joe Rossignol
In a social media post today, Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an upcoming "launch" of some kind scheduled for Wednesday, February 19.
"Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," he said, with an #AppleLaunch hashtag.
The post includes a short video with an animated Apple logo inside a circle.
Cook did not provide an exact time for the launch, or share any other specific details, so...
Apple today announced its first custom cellular modem with the name "C1," debuting in the all-new iPhone 16e.
The new modem contributes to the iPhone 16e's power efficiency, giving it the longest battery life of any iPhone with a 6.1-inch display, such as the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16.
Expanding the benefits of Apple silicon, C1 is the first modem designed by Apple and the most...
Tuesday February 18, 2025 8:46 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple is permanently closing its retail store at the Northbrook Court shopping mall in the Chicago area. The company confirmed the upcoming closure today in a statement, but it has yet to provide a closing date for the location.
Apple Northbrook opened in 2005, and the store moved to a larger space in the mall in 2017.
Apple confirmed that affected employees will continue to work for the...
The design sounds ok for surfing, as long as one stands up fast enough: "if you've been immobile for about a minute, it will make the call automatically."
I had Watch 7 stainless steel gold. My Ultra is much better.
Surfers are fit athletes. If the weight of an Ultra is a problem for a surfer then that's the least of his/her problems.
It’s not the added weight, it’s something different on their body. Professional athletes are fine tuned, so much so that, the smallest difference in their equipment can really throw them off. I’m nowhere near their level, but if I’m wearing a different watch, or bracelet, or whatever when I play pickup games, it bothers me and is a distraction.
Surf's up for the Apple Watch! Product placement for Apple, and expanding the brand exposure to more people is a good thing for all Apple customers and shareholders.
