MacRumors

The Apple Watch isn't going to be available for sale tomorrow in Apple's retail stores, but there are a select handful of high-end fashion boutiques around the world that will be offering various Apple Watch models for sale.

One of the stores, Maxfield, is located in Los Angeles, and people are already lining up outside the store in the hopes of getting an Apple Watch on launch day. Maxfield is the only store in the United States that have the Apple Watch in stock on April 24.

maxfieldline

Line at Maxfield LA, image via Alidir8

Other stores that will have Apple Watch stock tomorrow include Dover Street Market in Tokyo and London, Colette in Paris, and The Corner in Berlin. It is not known how much stock each of these stores has available, but according to Dover Street Market's CEO, the Tokyo location will have 350 watches available for purchase, while Dover Street Market in London will have 570. Neither store is expected to have the Apple Watch Edition, but beyond that models in stock are unknown.

Though Apple's retail stores are not offering the Apple Watch for sale, there appears to be some confusion among customers. At Apple Stores in Australia, there were customers lining up outside of stores in the hopes of getting an Apple Watch.

The confused 23-person #AppleWatch queue outside Australia's flagship store.

A photo posted by Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson (@jendn) on


According to Apple retail chief Angela Ahrendts, Apple Watch orders may not be available in stores for a month or longer as the company works to get all pre-orders delivered. Apple is getting orders out rapidly, however, and many customers who had 4 to 6 week shipping dates will be getting their devices tomorrow.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

Early Apple Watch models were found to have a hidden diagnostic port used to allow Apple engineers to diagnose problems with the devices, but reports at the time were unsure if the feature would be included in models shipping out to consumers. Apple Watches have now arrived in Australia, giving us our first opportunity to further investigate the diagnostic port.

diagnosticport1
MacRumors reader MrLaforge has received his Space Gray Apple Watch Sport and has taken high-quality pictures of the casing, giving us a look at what appears to be the diagnostic port hidden underneath a cover. The port's cover looks a lot like the SIM card slot on an iPhone 6, and it appears that it might open in a similar way, giving Apple employees a way to run diagnostics on the Apple Watch when it's brought in for service.

diagnosticport
The same covered diagnostic port was also present in Apple Watches provided to media sites for Apple Watch reviews earlier this month. At Apple Stores, devices on display have the same ports, but they remain uncovered, presumably to make it easier for employees to continually monitor and adjust settings on the devices.

A report from TechCrunch has speculated that this diagnostic port could also potentially be used for smart band accessories in the future, but it is unclear if that is something that Apple is planning on introducing.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

Earlier this week, Apple began sending out emails to iOS developers, offering them a chance to purchase a 42mm Apple Watch Sport with a Blue Sport Band guaranteed to ship by April 28, 2015. Apple had a limited number of devices to provide to developers, and used a lottery system to determine who would get the chance to purchase one of the available watches.

Developers who registered for a chance to buy one of the watches with a guaranteed delivery date and won the lottery have just begun receiving emails with purchase instructions. Apple is asking winners to complete a purchase by 5:00 p.m. local time on April 27 to take advantage of the shipping date.

applewatchdeveloper
It’s not known why Apple only offered 42mm Apple Watch Sport models with Blue Sport bands, but it can be assumed that the combination may have been one that the company had an ample supply of. Apple is providing developers with watches in an effort to give them devices to test Apple Watch apps on.

A guaranteed April 28 ship date means developers who purchase one of the available devices will receive an Apple Watch just a few days after customers who pre-ordered receive theirs.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

It's now April 24 in Australia, and Australian customers who pre-ordered Apple Watches are beginning to receive their watch deliveries, according to numerous posts on Instagram, Twitter, and various Internet forums, including the MacRumors forums. Unboxing videos and early first impressions should begin trickling out soon.

applewatchdelivery1

Image via melfirbank

Customers in other first wave launch countries will begin receiving their shipments as soon as local delivery companies open for the day. After Australia, orders in Hong Kong, China, and Japan will go out, followed by France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Apple Watch orders in the United States will start arriving at approximately 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time.

Apple Watch orders began shipping out earlier this week. Initial shipments seemed to be limited to customers who pre-ordered early, but later in the week, customers who originally had 4 to 6 week shipping estimates were surprised with early shipping times. Apple has said that many customers can expect to see their Apple Watches arrive earlier than expected, but an April 24 delivery date remains in question for some orders, as there are customers who pre-ordered early and have not yet received shipping information.

Apple will not be carrying the Apple Watch in its retail stores tomorrow as orders have been limited to online only, but several high-end fashion boutiques around the world have a limited amount of stock for purchase. These stores are located in Tokyo, London, Paris, Berlin, and Milan.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

Tomorrow is the launch of the Apple Watch, so we're doing our deals post a day early this week. On the eve of the Apple Watch release, deals are similar to last week's -- good, but not great. If you're looking to buy an iPad Air 2, you might want to wait a week, but it's an okay time to pull the trigger on a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air, new or old.

Along with the standard discounts on Macs and iOS devices, we've also rounded up this week's app deals and a few deals on some useful Apple accessories.

iPad Air 2

Best Buy continues to offer the lowest prices we've seen on a single iPad Air 2: the 16GB Cellular iPad Air 2 in silver is available for $499.99, $130 off its regular price.

B&H Photo is offering a small discount on all of its iPad Air 2 models, dropping prices by $30 to $50. With the discount, the 16GB WiFi only iPad Air 2 is priced at $469 and the 64GB model is priced at $569.

ipadair2c
MacMall is also offering some discounts on iPad Air 2 models, dropping the prices by $30 to $50. With the discount, the 16GB entry-level Wi-Fi only iPad Air 2 is priced at $459, while the Wi-Fi-only 64GB iPad Air 2 is available for $539. Discounts are higher on cellular models, with the 64GB Cellular iPads priced at $669. The deals are applicable to all three iPad colors.

iPad Air

Best Buy has a couple of original iPad Air cellular models available at low prices. The 16GB Verizon iPad Air is available for $379.99, and the 32GB Verizon iPad Air is available for $429.99.

Both Best Buy and B&HPhoto have deep discounts on some remaining stock of now-discontinued higher-capacity iPad Air models, as listed below.

- iPad Air Cellular Space Gray 128GB (AT&T) - $549
- iPad Air Cellular Silver 128GB (AT&T) - $499.99
- iPad Air Cellular Silver 64GB (AT&T) - $499.99
- iPad Air Cellular Space Gray 64GB (AT&T) - $449
- iPad Air Cellular Silver 64GB (Verizon) - $566.99
- iPad Air Cellular Space Gray 64GB (Verizon) - $449
- iPad Air Cellular Silver 128GB (Verizon) - $579
- iPad Air Cellular Space Gray 128GB (Verizon) - $559

iPad mini 3

B&H Photo is offering some modest discounts on various Wi-Fi only iPad mini 3 models, dropping the price by up to $50. The 128GB iPad mini 3 in silver is available for $549, while the silver 64GB model is available for $439. The 16GB space gray model is priced at $349.

iPad mini 2

Amazon has a few iPad mini 2 models available at discounted prices. The 16GB Cellular Verizon iPad mini 2 in Silver is available for $323.50. The 16GB Cellular Verizon iPad mini 2 in Space Gray is available for $359.89.

retina_ipad_mini_space_gray_silver
Best Buy, B&H Photo, and Amazon also have remaining stock of now-discontinued higher-capacity iPad mini 2 models, which are a good deal if you're looking for an iPad mini. Compared to the iPad mini 3, the iPad mini 2 only lacks Touch ID.

- iPad mini Cellular Silver 128GB (AT&T) - $445
- iPad mini Cellular Space Gray 128GB (AT&T) - $429
- iPad mini Cellular Silver 64GB (AT&T) - $399.99
- iPad mini Cellular Space Gray 64GB (AT&T) - $399.99
- iPad mini Cellular Silver 128GB (Verizon) - $434.97
- iPad mini Cellular Space Gray 128GB (Verizon) - $534.99
- iPad mini Cellular Space Gray 64GB (Verizon) - $429.99

iMac

- 21.5-inch 2.7GHz/8GB/1TB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $1,189, $110 off
- 21.5-inch 2.9GHz/8GB/1TB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $1,389, $120 off
- 27-inch 3.2GHz/8GB/1TB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $1,689, $110 off
- 27-inch 3.4GHz/8GB/1TB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $1,794, $205 off
- 27-inch 3.5Ghz/8GB/1TB Retina iMac (B&H Photo) (MacMall) (Amazon) - $2,349, $150 off

retina-imac-27

Mac mini

- 1.4GHz/4GB/500GB (Amazon) (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $464.99, $34 off
- 2.8GHz/8GB/1TB (MacMall) - $934.99, $64 off

MacBook Air

- 2015 11-inch 1.6GHz/4GB/128GB - (B&H Photo) (Adorama) $824.99, $70 off
- 2015 11-inch 1.6GHz/4GB/256GB - (Best Buy) (Amazon) (B&H Photo) (Adorama) $1044.99, $50 off
- 2015 13-inch 1.6GHz/4GB/128GB (B&H Photo) (Adorama) - $949.99, $50 off
- 2015 13-inch 1.6GHz/4GB/128GB (B&H Photo) (Adorama) - $1,139.99 $60 off
- 2014 11-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/128GB (Adorama) - $719.99, $180 off
- 2014 11-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/256GB (Amazon) (B&H Photo) - $899, $200 off
- 2014 13-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/128GB (Amazon) (B&H Photo) - $819, $180 off
- 2014 13-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/256GB (Amazon) (Adorama) (B&H Photo)- $1,029, $170 off

macbook_air_yosemite_roundup

Retina MacBook Pro

- 2015 13-inch 2.7GHz/8GB/256GB (Best Buy) (B&H Photo) - $1,424.99, $74 off
- 2015 13-inch 2.9GHz/8GB/512GB (Best Buy) (B&H Photo) - $1709.99, $90 off
- 2014 15-inch 2.2GHz/16GB/256GB (B&H Photo) (MacMall) - $1,799, $200 off
- 2014 15-inch 2.5GHz/16GB/512GB (Adorama) -$2,249, $250 off
- 2014 13-inch 2.6GHz/8GB/128GB (B&H Photo) - $1,129, $170 off
- 2014 13-inch 2.6GHz/8GB/256GB (Adorama) - $1,249, $239 off
- 2014 13-inch 2.8GHz/8GB/512GB (Amazon) (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $1,549 $250 off

macbook_pro_13_15_late_2013

Apps

There are quite a few apps that are on sale at discounted prices or available for free for a limited time. We'll highlight a few here, but make sure to check out our sister site AppShopper for a complete list.

Half Marathon Trainer Pro is available for free, down from $9.99. 10K Trainer Pro is also available for free, down from $1.99. Board game Bang! is available for free, down from $1.99. Pandemic is available for $4.99, down from $6.99.

djay 2 for iPhone is available for free this week, down from $2.99, and djay for iPad is also free, down from $9.99.

Apple Accessories

Groupon is selling the Griffin Survivor Case for iPhone 5/5s for $11.99, down from $49.99. The MyCharge Hub 9000 Power Bank is available for $64.99 from Amazon, down from $139.99. Incase is offering a free Portable Power 2500 USB battery pack with a $150 purchase using the code POWERONUS15.

incasedeal
DailySteals has a 3-pack of Apple Lightning cables for $26, a decent deal as a single cable usually costs $19. Woot has the Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Folio for the iPad Air 1 and 2 for $59.99, down from $99.

lightningcable
Groupon's running a big Apple event and selling a range of Apple products and accessories at discounted prices, including the LifeProof Fre case for the iPad Air, Apple EarPods, Speck MacBook cases, MagSafe chargers, Mophie battery cases, and more. Totallee is offering MacRumors readers 25 percent off all iPhone case orders with the promo code MACRUMORS.

grouponsale
LivingSocial is offering customized iPhone photo cases for $6.99 to $11.99, a significant discount off the regular $29.99 to $59.98 price tag. Woot has the Lifeproof Fre case for the iPad Air 1 for $49.99, down from $129.

MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors.

TestFlightApple today updated TestFlight with support for WatchKit apps on Apple Watch and minor stability and performance improvements. Starting today, developers will no longer have to exclude their WatchKit extensions for Apple Watch when seeding a beta iOS app to testers through TestFlight.

TestFlight is a beta testing service that enables developers to seed pre-release versions of their apps to select individuals for testing. The expanded support for WatchKit is a timely update, arriving just moments after the official App Store for Apple Watch apps went live. iTunes Connect may still not accept apps with WatchKit extensions for some until the changes roll out to all developers.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

Once you've migrated your image library from iPhotos or Aperture (or both), you'll probably want to add all the images from your iPhone or iPad and get everything organized so you can quickly find pictures from specific dates and events in the future.

To help you accomplish both of these tasks, we've written up a tutorial that provides an overview of how to import pictures into the Photos app on OS X Yosemite and gives a few suggestions for how to organize your collection.

How to add and organize photos for os x 2

Importing Pictures

  1. Connect your device (iPhone, iPad, or digital camera) to your computer using the USB connector and open the Photos for OS X app.
  2. Select "Import" from the list of tabs at the top of the screen in the app.
  3. Select the images you wish to add to the Photos app, or select "Import All New Items" to add everything from your device.

Imported images will automatically be added to the "Last Import" album in Photos. You can see your photos using a number of different views, including the main Photos tab, which displays all pictures that you have added to the app and any pictures that you have taken using an iOS device that is connected using My Photo Stream.

➜ Click here to read more...

Ahead of the Apple Watch launch tomorrow, Apple has shared a selection of apps that it believes all new Apple Watch owners should download. Provided to Buzzfeed, the list covers a wide range of apps, from those that provide news coverage to those that help people share photos or travel around town.

Today marks the debut of the Apple Watch App Store, which should go live in just a few hours, letting people browse through available apps and download content before getting their watches tomorrow. The Apple Watch App Store will be accessible through the pre-installed Apple Watch app on the iPhone, available to all iOS 8.2 and iOS 8.3 users.

applewatchappstore

Image courtesy of Buzzfeed

For sharing on social media, Apple recommended both Twitter and Instagram, noting that the latter includes support for emoji comments on the Apple Watch. The New York Times was recommended for news, and Mint was recommended for tracking finances.

Yelp got a mention, as did Target's app, which includes a useful shopping list feature, and Dark Sky was highlighted as the must-have weather app. Citymapper was mentioned as a useful transit app, showing the fastest public transit routes, and Pacemaker's music mixing app was the only music app on the list. Elevate's brain training app was Apple's most unusual pick.

Given the Apple Watch's position as a health and fitness device, Apple also shared several notable fitness and nutrition apps, including Fitstar Yoga for yoga, Strava for runners, and Golfshot for golfers. Apple recommended Lifesum for tracking calories and Centered for meditation.

Several of these apps have been previously highlighted by Apple either during one of its Apple Watch events or on its Apple Watch app website, but several of the above apps are new picks that Apple has not previously shared.

When Apple Watches reach the hands of customers tomorrow, there will be more than 2,000 Apple Watch apps available for the device.

Update 10:35 AM: The Apple Watch App Store on iPhone is now live. The regular App Store is also now showing Apple Watch screenshots and indicators for apps that include Apple Watch support.

Apple Watch App Store

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

Apple has published the official Apple Watch User Guide on its website, providing detailed information about the wrist-worn device broken down into categories such as Basics, Watch Faces, Notifications, Glances, Timekeeping, Messages, Digital Touch, Mail, Phone Calls, Calendars and Reminders, Health and Fitness, Apple Pay and Passbook, Maps and Directions, Music, Photos, Accessibility and more.

Apple Watch User Guide
The user guide provides a wealth of information about the Apple Watch in one place for easy access, and should serve as a valuable resource for customers that pre-ordered the Apple Watch for delivery starting April 24. The user guide provides step-by-step information and visuals on a wide variety of topics from setting up your Apple Watch and pairing with an iPhone to using apps and tracking your daily activity.

WB_leatherLoop
There are also instructions on how to remove, change and fasten Apple Watch bands for the Classic Buckle, Leather Loop, Link Bracelet, Milanese Loop, Modern Buckle and Sport Band. Apple advises that leather bands be cleaned with a nonabrasive, lint-free cloth that is lightly dampened with fresh water and then air dried, while other bands can be dried using a nonabrasive, lint-free cloth.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

Apple today released an iMac Graphics Update for users of the more recent iMacs, fixing an issue that caused the computers to freeze up after viewing very large JPEG Files.

Affected iMacs include the late 2014 27-inch Retina iMac, the late 2013 21.5-inch iMac, and the late 2013 27-inch iMac.

imacgraphicsupdate
Apple has also released an accompanying support document that describes the issue in more detail, suggesting the problem occurs when opening a large JPEG image in Finder or Preview on OS X Yosemite 10.10.3.

If you're using using OS X Yosemite v10.10.3 and one of the following iMac models, viewing certain very large JPEG (.jpg) images in the Finder or Preview can cause your iMac to briefly stop responding, display a black screen, and restart to a message that your computer restarted because of a problem.

People who own one of these three iMacs are encouraged to update their machines right away to fix the bug.

Related Roundup: iMac
Buyer's Guide: iMac (Buy Now)
Related Forum: iMac

randyApple's former Chief Architect of Video Applications Randy Ubillos announced on Twitter today that he is retiring after working for 20 years at the Cupertino-based company on professional video and photo software. Ubillos is best known as the creator of the first three versions of Adobe Premiere and KeyGrip, which was sold to Apple and released as Final Cut Pro.

While not a household name like some other Apple employees, Ubillos is well known among those who have used Final Cut Pro or other professional video software. In June 2010, he made a brief appearance on stage during WWDC to demo the latest version of iMovie for iPhone 4 and returned on stage in October 2010 during Apple's "Back to the Mac" event for another demo.

ipod-touch-selection-hero-2014Apple is expected to announce a new iPod touch later this year, according to AppleInsider. The report, citing a source familiar with the plans, claims that the refreshed portable media player will likely have a similar design as the current model released over two-and-a-half years ago, and speculates that the next-generation device could have camera and processor improvements.

Apple has not refreshed the iPod touch since October 2012, when the portable media player was updated with an ultra-thin and colorful design, A5 processor and Lightning connector. iPod sales have been declining for several years, becoming a largely insignificant part of Apple's product lineup, anchored by the iPhone, iPad and Mac. The company no longer discloses iPod sales in its quarterly results after reporting 2.9 million units sold in Q4 2014.

The report is entirely speculative about possible new features the next-generation iPod touch could have, including a 64-bit A7 processor, increased storage space, and improved iSight and FaceTime cameras. Additionally, it would make sense for the new iPod touch to support Apple Pay, which would require locked down NFC capabilities and a Touch ID fingerprint scanner. Beats-related features could also be in store following Apple's $3 billion acquisition of the company in May 2014.

If the report proves accurate, Apple could announce its next-generation iPod touch during its iPhone event in September or iPad event in October that it typically holds each year. It is also possible that Apple may quietly update the iPod touch through a press release or website update, given that iPods are no longer as significant for Apple.

Related Forum: iPod touch and iPod

Boating and navigation app SeaNav US [Direct Link] reported this morning that Apple is no longer welcoming the app on the App Store due to the mention of Pebble support, or "any other mobile platform", within the app's description.

Pebble Time
SeaNav notes that its iOS app has been previously approved by Apple with no fuss, and have only faced roadblocks after receiving the rejection email this morning. The app supported Pebble for "nearly 2 years" before today, and the company says the app's most recent update has "no changes to our support for the Pebble", hinting that the impending launch of the Apple Watch could be the main culprit of the crackdown on SeaNav.

We have just had the latest version of our SeaNav US iOS app rejected by Apple because we support the Pebble Smartwatch and say so in the app description and meta-data (we also state in the review notes that "This application was approved for use with the Pebble MFI Accessory in the Product Plan xxxxxx-yyyy (Pebble Smartwatch)". See copy of rejection reason below.

SeaNav US has previously been approved by Apple with no problem, we have had Pebble support in SeaNav for nearly 2 years and there are no changes to our support for the Pebble in this version. What are Apple doing? Have they gone Apple Watch crazy? What can we do?

App Store review guideline 3.1 has covered the prohibition on mentioning competing platforms for some time, but until now developers have generally not had issues with Apple rejecting apps for mentioning Pebble support. With the Apple Watch ready to launch, however, Pebble may now be considered a competing platform.

Apple has been known to deal swiftly with apps it deems questionable on the App Store in the past, but today's news is definitely interesting given the reason for rejection and the launch of the Apple Watch tomorrow. SeaNav US should be able to resubmit the app after removing all mentions of the Pebble smartwatch from its marketing materials and App Store page, but it certainly leaves an interesting question for the future of Pebble-supported iOS apps, especially Pebble's dedicated iOS app, presuming SeaNav's rejection was not the result of a reviewer misunderstanding Apple's intended application of the guidelines.

Update 9:32 AM: The developer of Home Remote notes in the Pebble discussion thread that he had an update approved just last night. Pebble is mentioned in his app's description, so it remains unclear whether SeaNav's rejection is part of a specific shift in policy for Apple.

One of the main conveniences of the Apple Watch is that it provides at-a-glance information without needing to take your iPhone out of your pocket, whether you are stuck in a meeting, walking down the sidewalk or watching Netflix on your couch. For a task as simple as checking the weather, the ability to simply look at your wrist will make Apple Watch weather apps very appealing for a lot of users.

Many developers have been quick to jump on the opportunity to release weather-related Apple Watch apps, including CARROT Weather, The Weather Channel, Weather Underground, Yahoo Weather, AccuWeather, Weather Nerd, Thermo Diem, NOAA Radar Pro and more. While the apps all share a common thread of providing weather information, each have unique designs and features that are worth trying out.

CARROT Weather Apple Watch

CARROT Weather for Apple Watch

Earlier this week, CARROT Weather received its first-ever update with Apple Watch support, bringing its humorously twisted 24-hour and 7-day forecasts to the wrist. Tapping on a section brings up a color-coded interface with more detailed weather information, including the current temperature, type and chance of precipitation, wind speed, humidity, barometric pressure and more. CARROT Weather is $2.99 on the App Store.

The Weather Channel will also be releasing an updated version of their app to support Apple Watch, enabling users to view current weather conditions, hourly forecasts with temperature and precipitation visuals, and weekend forecasts. The app also offers customizable real-time notifications for rain, snow, lightning and severe weather on your wrist, and features a live radar based on your GPS location. The Weather Channel app is free on the App Store.

Weather Underground Apple Watch

Weather Underground for Apple Watch

Weather Underground for Apple Watch provides current conditions, 10-day forecasts, severe weather alerts, radar imagery and more on the wrist, with Force Touch navigation for quick access to hourly, ten-day forecasts and saved locations. The app can also notify you about the latest National Weather Service severe weather alerts in the United States. Weather Underground is free on the App Store.

Yahoo Weather for Apple Watch features a sleek design that provides the current temperature at a glance, alongside the current weather conditions, type and chance of precipitation, wind speed, barometric pressure, sunrise and sunset times, and more. Yahoo Weather is free on the App Store.

Yahoo Weather Apple Watch

Yahoo Weather for Apple Watch

AccuWeather for Apple Watch features MinuteCast, which provides minute-by-minute precipitation forecasts for the forthcoming two hours hyper-localized to your exact street address or GPS location. The app keeps you up to date with other current weather conditions based on your location, including temperature, the forecasted high and low for the day, wind speed, and times for sunrise or sunset. Breaking weather notifications in the U.S. can also be enabled. AccuWeather is free on the App Store.

More Weather Apps for Apple Watch:

This roundup will be updated with more popular Apple Watch weather apps as they become available.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

Algoriddim's been in the business of turning iPads, iPhones, and Macs info full-fledged DJ systems for both pros and home mixers for years now, and as of today, the company's also ready to bring DJing to the wrist with the new djay app for the Apple Watch.

Built into the latest djay 2 iPhone update, djay for Apple Watch is an app that came to fruition after months of testing and experimenting with ways to bring a functional, ultra portable DJing experience to the wrist. Algoriddim's developers set out to distill the essence of DJing into an Apple Watch-sized package without compromising on function -- the goal was to create an app that could be used to DJ an entire party on the wrist.

djay1
djay for Apple Watch interfaces with the iPhone's iTunes music library, letting DJs select tracks from playlists and mix songs on their wrists. Several songs can be cued up and there are controls for navigating backwards and forwards and looping sections of a song, all in sync with the beat. A Glance view gives a quick look at what's currently playing.


Mixer and transition controls let DJs sync the beat of two songs and introduce crossfading to meld one song into another gradually. There are a set of audio effects that can be added to songs, and an Automix mode can be activated with a Force Touch press to let the app automatically mix songs from an iTunes playlist or Spotify with beat-matched DJ-style transitions. A Spotify Match feature like the one in the djay iPhone app will even find tracks that go well with the song that's currently playing in Automix mode.

djay2

Whether practicing on-the-go, mingling with guests at a party, or rocking out on the dance floor, djay on Apple Watch frees the DJ from the DJ booth and opens the door to completely new ways to mix tracks.

With djay on Apple Watch, users can browse their entire iTunes library plus cue up and mix their favorite songs, all while controlling audio effects and loops for each deck individually - right from their wrist. Or they can simply use Apple Watch to engage djay's popular Automix feature that pulls tracks from Spotify and mixes them automatically.

Along with djay for Apple Watch, Algoriddim is also launching a major update to its djay Pro app for the Mac. Free for all existing users, the 1.1 update adds live video mixing, bringing all of the features of vjay to djay, and it introduces support for several Pioneer CDJ and XDJ systems, popular equipment choices for professional DJs.

djaypromac
With support for the Pioneer CDJ, djay Pro is the first and only app that lets the CDJ interface directly with Spotify and iTunes playlists. The app's new video mode lets djay Pro users add visualizers to music and mix videos in real-time, with transitions, title and image overlays, and visual effects.

In celebration of the launch the new djay Pro Mac app and the Apple Watch app, Algoriddim is making djay 2 for the iPhone and the iPad free for the next week. That means all users who download djay 2 for iPhone will have access to the djay Apple Watch app beginning April 24.

djay 2 for iPhone can be downloaded from the App Store or free. [Direct Link]

djay 2 for iPad can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

djay Pro for Mac can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for $49.99. [Direct Link]

ElevationLab early this morning revealed a new product aimed at charging and securely fastening the Apple Watch, called the "NightStand." Aimed at securing the Watch with a strong base, NightStand isn't only one of the more reasonably priced Apple Watch stands to come along, but has the unique functionality of being able to mount vertically onto surfaces as well.

Apple_Watch_v6.68-1_grande
Similar to ElevationDock, the company's popular iPhone charging base, the NightStand for Apple Watch aims "to make charging un-annoying and effortless." Thanks to what the company calls the "NanoPad", the dock holds strong to any smooth surface it is placed on, which ElevationLab assures will provide customers with a quicker, one-handed charging experience.

NightStand makes daily charging a breeze. Just set your watch on, from out of the corner of your eye, no careful alignment required. Locks to your bedside table so you never have to hunt for the cord. Undocking is one-handed. Solid, soft, seamless construction. Low-profile, minimal design.

NightStand is molded in solid, medical-grade silicone with a gorgeous matte finish. Its softness protects from scratching (like traditional padded watch stands and winders do), it naturally kills germs, has a pleasant amount of flex, and comes in beautiful colors.

One of NightStand's most interesting features is its ability to be mounted vertically, thanks to an included "ultra-strong, optional to use, custom 3M adhesive back." ElevationLab promises it's as easy to place on a wall with a smooth surface as it is on a horizontal area, assuring a painless removal process as well that may require the adhesive to be slightly heated with a hair dryer in extreme cases.

Apple_Watch_v6_bed_vert.91-2_grande
The NightStand is available in three colors - Bright Red, Matte Black, and Cerulean Blue - and can be pre-ordered from ElevationLab's official website right now for $29. The docks, unfortunately, won't ship for over a month, with an estimated May 29 date currently sitting as the ballpark dispatch date for pre-orders made soon.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

With most of the past few days covered in Apple Watch shipping news, the build-to-order version of the new 12-inch MacBook has flown slightly under the radar. But, this morning, Apple began updating customers who opted-in for the 1.3GHz model of the notebook with shipping dates almost two weeks earlier than initially expected.

retina macbook shipping
First given a vague 3-4 week shipping estimate by Apple, the 1.3GHz MacBook has now received a delivery estimate as early as the middle of next week for some customers in the United States. The build-to-order option took slightly longer to ship than the basic 1.1GHz and 1.2GHz models due to its custom upgrade processor parts.

Those two regular models of the notebook began shipping out to customers soon after its April 10 launch alongside the Apple Watch. Although many expected the new MacBook to be sold in Apple retail locations, the company opted to keep the 12-inch Retina device mostly to its online storefront for the time being.

Related Forum: MacBook

Apple has notified many Apple Watch pre-order customers in the United States and other first wave launch countries to confirm that their orders have shipped, with deliveries starting on April 24 as scheduled. All customers should now have access to a tracking number through UPS or another courier service to track their Apple Watch pre-orders leading into Friday's launch.

apple watch shipment
With the Apple Store's order status finally updated in tandem with a few early notifications customers have received from services like UPS, Apple Watch pre-order customers with a confirmed shipping status can now track their package through Apple's online store. Though yesterday's UPS notifications sent out to some customers focused mostly on areas in the southern United States, this morning's official update from Apple applies to customers nationwide and in other launch countries.

Today's update comes after a week of slight confusion for most Apple Watch pre-order customers, with credit and debit card charges occurring on Monday and a handful of order status changes soon thereafter, but with most customers still left in the dark for the rest of the week despite placing pre-orders early on April 10. This morning's news should come as a breath of relief for most customers who placed pre-orders as early as possible, and Apple still promises that dispatch dates beyond 4/24 - 5/8 could be coming in earlier than expected, as well.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)