MacRumors

With Apple's Watch looming on the horizon, fitness makers are moving to push their services to a variety of individual and corporate customers. The latest band maker to improve its offerings is Jawbone, which this week announced a new program designed to get its UP fitness bands into the office and on the wrists of business people in the US.

The new UP for Groups provides discounts on bulk orders of the fitness trackers, as well as software features to manage and encourage group participation. It is compatible with the existing UP24 tracker, the new UP Move and the upcoming UP3.

Unlike the individualized consumer version of UP, UP for Groups allows administrators to work with large groups of participants. Admins can view aggregated statistics to see when their employees need to move and send out timely activity reminders to the group. Participants can take part in group challenges and view their group's statistics with an emphasis on the number of active participants in a group and not the number of steps walked by each member.

The new UP for Groups is part of a growing movement to address obesity in adults using feedback from fitness trackers. Jawbone competitor Fitbit already has a corporate fitness program, while Misfit is partnering with the Oscar insurance company on a rewards program for subscribers with healthy habits.

Apple's upcoming Watch is expected to kick off a further explosion of interest in fitness trackers when it is released in 2015. Increased consumer interest will open new doors in the health field with Apple reportedly in talks with insurance companies, hospitals and other health institutions about its HealthKit initiative and iOS Health app. Apple already is partnering with the Mayo Clinic and electronic health record company Epic Systems, and more partnerships are undoubtedly in the works.

Microsoft today released a suite of five consumer apps under the MSN brand, bringing news, health, and other previously Windows Phone-exclusive apps from the Bing team to the iOS platform (via ZDNet). This launch follows the recent expansion of Microsoft's Office for iOS suite to the iPhone that produced standalone versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint to Apple's smartphone devices.

The suite of MSN apps include MSN News [Direct Link], MSN Sports [Direct Link], MSN Food & Drink [Direct Link], MSN Money [Direct Link] and MSN Health & Fitness [Direct Link], which integrates with Apple's Health app and connects to MSN Health & Fitness on the web. The new MSN apps are available for free and downloadable now from the iOS App Store. Android versions are also being made available on Google Play and the Amazon Appstore.

The push to bring these apps to iOS and other platforms like Android is part of larger initiative at Microsoft to drive the adoption of the company's desktop and cloud services by making its mobile apps available across a variety of platforms. This new direction is being spearheaded by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, who replaced long-time Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer earlier this year.

Apple and supply partner Quanta Computer have apparently solved its yield issues with various Apple Watch components as the wearable device is now gearing up to enter mass production in January, reports Taiwan's United Daily News (Google Translate, via GforGames). Previously, other sources projected that the Apple Watch would enter mass production at the end of February.

The report notes that this is due to Quanta increasing its number of employees from 2,000 to 10,000, as the company expects to hire 20,000 employees to help with production. Apple is projecting to ship a total of 24 million Apple Watches in 2015. The United Daily News also mentions how a new "iPhone 6s" will likely miss a Spring debut, but that is to be expected as production of a new A9 chip has yet to gear up. The launch would also be unlikely as Apple's iPhones have never launched in the Spring.

Employee comments made after the Apple Watch's debut in September noted that Apple may not be planning to launch the device until February 2015 or later, as the company originally planned to have the watch ready to ship in time for the 2014 holiday season. However, it is now possible that Apple has solved many of the issues surrounding production of the Apple Watch and will make its "early 2015" release projection. When it goes on sale, the Apple Watch will be available in a variety of materials with several different band choices and start at $349.

Apple has announced that it will begin selling LTE versions of both the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 in China beginning this week. Previously, only the Wi-Fi versions of Apple's newest tablets were available in the country.

Apple® today announced that models of iPad Air™ 2 and iPad mini™ 3 with cellular networking will be available in China starting this week. TD-LTE and FDD-LTE standards, as well as TD-SCDMA, DC-HSDPA, HSPA+ and other fast networks, are all available in a single model, giving iPad Air 2 customers in China the ability to stay connected on advanced cellular data networks in China and around the world so they can go more places and do more things.

The cellular iPad Air 2 models are available at 4,488 (RMB) for the 16GB model, 5,188 (RMB) for the 64GB model and 5,888 (RMB) for the 128GB model. The iPad mini 3 is available at 3,788 (RMB) for the 16GB model, 4,488 (RMB) for the 64GB model and 5,188 (RMB) for the 128GB model.

Earlier this year, Apple made the first LTE iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina Display available for purchase in China.

United Airlines today announced that it plans to distribute Apple's new iPhone 6 Plus to more than 23,000 of its flight attendants during the second quarter of 2015.

The phones will be able to handle "most onboard retail transactions" such as food and drink purchases, and will allow flight attendants to access their email, the United.com website, the United Airlines Intranet, plus policies and procedures manuals.

"We are thrilled to make this investment in our flight attendants," said Sam Risoli, United's senior vice president of inflight services. "iPhone 6 Plus will enable them to deliver an even higher level of flyer-friendly service and will offer our flight attendants simple, one-touch access to valuable work information, enabling them to better serve our customers."

In the future, the iPhone 6 Plus devices used by flight attendants will replace printed safety manuals with electronic versions, allowing for real-time reporting and access to aircraft cabin issues and repairs. United will also develop customer-focused tools to be used on the iPhones.

United Airlines has been an eager adopter of Apple technology in the past, becoming one of the first airlines to distribute iPads to pilots to replace heavy flight bags of navigational charts and other flight materials in 2011. United is planning to renew that program, replacing the original iPads with Apple's newest iPad Air 2 devices.

In addition to rolling out iPhone 6 Plus devices to flight attendants, United is also in the midst of terminal renovations at New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport, which will see upgrades that include iPads for customer use.

Currently, supply of Apple's iPhone 6 Plus remains somewhat constrained, with new devices shipping in three to five business days. By mid-2015, however, Apple should have reached supply/demand balance, making it possible for companies like United to deploy the devices on a large-scale basis.

As of this week, Apple has begun offering several new toys in its online Apple Store, including a Barbie from Mattel, a Skylanders game, and a WowWee Robot. The new online-only additions come just ahead of the holiday season and mark Apple's continued efforts to bolster its products aimed at younger children.

The most curious new toy offered in the online Apple Store is a Barbie Fashion Design Maker Doll from Mattel. Sold for $49.95, the Barbie is the first doll that Apple has ever sold and at first glance, appears out of place in the online store. The Barbie is a standard Barbie doll, but it is designed to be used alongside a free app [Direct Link] on the iPad that allows children to create customized clothes on printable fabric sheets.

To start, download the free design software app to your iPad, or visit the website to download to your Mac or PC. Use it to create completely customized designs. Select patterns, colors, and accessories available within the program, and add photos to make a really personal statement. Print your finished and fabulous creations onto the eight enclosed printable fabric sheets -- and watch them go from 2D to 3D.

Along with the Barbie doll, Apple is also now selling the Activision Skylanders Trap Team Starter Pack for the iPad. Available for several months via other outlets like Amazon, the Trap Team Starter Pack brings the popular Skylanders console game experience to the iPad. Much like Barbie, Skylanders is very popular with children.

Apple's third kid-oriented offering added this week is the WowWee MiP Robot, a $99 gesture-controlled toy robot that plays games, dances, battles with other robots, and delivers small items.

Full of personality, WowWee's MiP gesture-controlled robot gives you seven different modes and a free app for your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch that offers a bunch of games. Swipe your hands in front MiP's eyes to the direction of your choosing and watch him follow suit. Or load up MiP's tray with a can of soda and use the MiP app to deliver it. MiP is a loveable toy your whole family can enjoy.

Apple has long offered a variety of iOS-related toys suitable for both children and adults like the Anki DRIVE and the Sphero, but over the course of the last few months, the company has added several accessories oriented solely at its youngest consumers. Products added in 2014 include the Philips/Disney Friends of Hue StoryLight kit, the Tiggly Shapes toddler game, and the Osmo educational gaming system are all aimed at children.

It is not entirely clear why Apple has boosted its focus on accessories for younger children in recent months, but drawing kids into the Apple Store with iPad and iPhone-oriented toys pushes them into the Apple ecosystem at an early age, potentially allowing the company to create lifelong customers.

The expanded range of toys offered by Apple also lets the company reach a whole new demographic and it may be part of new retail chief Angela Ahrendts' efforts to redesign the Apple retail experience. As noted earlier this year, Apple's new head of retail is aiming to overhaul the end-to-end Apple Store sales experience, reimagining product discovery and improving customer interactions with employees.

Apple today seeded the second beta of iOS 8.2 to developers, approximately three weeks after releasing the first iOS 8.2 beta.

The beta, build 12D445d, is available immediately to registered developers as an over-the-air update and it can also be downloaded from the iOS Developer Center. Today's update also includes Xcode 6.2 beta 2 with WatchKit.

According to the release notes, iOS 8.2 beta 2 includes fixes for keyboards that may not appear in Safari, Maps, or other third-party apps in iOS simulator and it offers Siri support for Singapore English.

Several WatchKit fixes are bundled in as well, repairing a bug that caused notifications to fail to open an app, an issue that caused WatchKit apps to stop working in iOS 8 simulator, and more.

iOS 8.2 includes the WatchKit SDK, allowing developers to create apps, Glances, and notifications for Apple's upcoming wearable device ahead of its 2015 launch. The first iOS 8.2 beta, with WatchKit SDK and developer documentation, revealed several new details about the Apple Watch, including its heavy reliance on the iPhone and the different types of content developers can create for the device.

Following a partnership announced over the summer, Apple and IBM have today introduced the first in a line of mobile business apps that target a wide range of industries and businesses. Dubbed "IBM MobileFirst for iOS", the suite of ten apps hopes to "bring IBM’s big data and analytics capabilities to iPhone and iPad users."

With the initial batch including apps focused on the finance, air-travel, and banking industries, IBM also confirmed a few clients including Citi, Air Canada, Sprint, and Banorte will support the MobileFirst program starting today.

“What we’re delivering aims directly at the new quest of business—smart technologies that unlock new value at the intersection of big data and individual engagement,” said Bridget van Kralingen, senior vice president, IBM Global Business Services. “Our collaboration combines IBM’s industry expertise and unmatched position in enterprise computing, with Apple’s legendary user experience and excellence in product design to lift the performance of a new generation of business professionals.”

One of the ten apps, Sales Assist, is retail-focused and, for example, allows workers to view customer profiles with extensive back-history on previous purchases to help make informed suggestions tailored to specific users. It can also check a store's inventory, find missing in-store items, and ship items unavailable in-store to customers at home. There's one app that grants pilots easier control over flight manifests and schedules, another that provides personalized in-flight services for passengers, and multiple apps focused on banking and case advisers.

The apps, built exclusively for iPhone and iPad, "are delivered in a secure environment, embedded with analytics and linked to core enterprise processes." The two companies ensure that the apps can be developed and adjusted to fit any company, and once out in the wild are easily managed and upgraded thanks to cloud services provided by IBM. All apps are highly secure as well, and the partners promise that more apps are "being continuously designed and developed" for release in the future.

“This is a big step for iPhone and iPad in the enterprise, and we can’t wait to see the exciting new ways organizations will put iOS devices to work,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “The business world has gone mobile, and Apple and IBM are bringing together the world’s best technology with the smartest data and analytics to help businesses redefine how work gets done.”

The official websites of both Apple and IBM provide a deeper dive into the program with extensive looks into each of the ten apps announced today.

Following a two month absence, Apple has restarted sales of Bose products in its online store. The reinstated products include the Bose QuietComfort 20i, the Bose SoundLink Mini Bluetooth Speaker, and the Bose SoundLink Bluetooth Speaker III, but notably do not include the company's over-the-ear headphone offerings. The move follows a report yesterday which noted that some French Apple retail stores had begun receiving shipments of Bose products with an intent to put the products back on shelves, and it is now likely those products will return to stores shortly.

It still is not clear as to why Apple removed Bose products from its stores, but the decision may have had something to do with Apple's acquisition of Beats Electronics and a patent infringement lawsuit filed by Bose in July against Beats. That lawsuit was settled between Beats and Bose before Bose products disappeared from Apple's store shelves, which may indicate that the removal and reinstatement was a part of the discussions between the two companies.

Bose also signed a deal with the NFL to ban NFL players from wearing Beats headphones during games, which garnered comments from Beats co-founder Jimmy Iovine who stated that it made Beats "look like the underdog." Bose products were not the only products removed by Apple in recent months, as the company also pulled Fitbit products from its retail and online stores. Unlike Bose products however, Fitbit products have yet to return to the Apple Store.