MacRumors

At a media event today, Microsoft announced a handful of new products and several updates to existing products coming from the company in 2015 and beyond. Topics for today's event included the Microsoft Band 2, Lumia 950 and 950 XL smartphones, Microsoft Surface Pro 4, and the all-new Surface Book.

The company started off by going into detail about the Microsoft Band 2, the second version of last year's wearable device. Microsoft said it took in a great amount of customer feedback in designing and implementing the new Band, which includes a new curved screen with durable Corning Gorilla Glass 3 and an improved touch display. New Cortana integration lets users speak to the Band in order to send texts and make reminders, and the device also includes a barometer that measures elevation for everything from hiking to climbing stairs.

The company's Microsoft Health app fuels the Band and lets users dig deeply into the data on everything from calorie burns to estimated recovery time for particularly intense workouts. The Band even includes an extensive golf measurement feature that can interpret the stroke of a swing and includes a score card that the company says is like "having your own personal caddy" on your wrist. Third-party partnerships with companies like Uber and Facebook are also incoming for the Microsoft Band 2, which will be available on October 30 for $249.

Microsoft then announced the Lumia 950 and 950 XL which are the newest iterations of the Lumia smartphone line, with 5.2-inch and 5.5-inch displays, respectively. Each of the new phones include a new feature called Glance Screen which showcases important pieces of information when a user pulls the phone out of his or her pocket, without the need to interact with the device directly and without using battery life. The Lumia 950 line also includes a 20-megapixel camera, Triple LED RGB natural flash, optical image stabilization, and a dedicated camera button on the side of the phone.

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Apple today seeded the fourth beta of iOS 9.1 to both registered developers and public beta testers for testing purposes, one week after seeding the third iOS 9.1 beta and releasing iOS 9.0.2, the second minor bug fix update to iOS.

The new iOS 9.1 beta, build 13B136, is available as an over-the-air update and through Apple's Developer Center. Apple has also released a third tvOS beta.

iOS 9.1 offers new features and compatibility updates for upcoming Apple products like the new fourth-generation Apple TV and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. The iPad Pro ships with two accessories, the Smart Keyboard and the Apple Pencil, both of which are deeply integrated into the operating system.

The update includes Unicode 8, adding support for emoji like the taco, burrito, cheese wedge, middle finger, unicorn head, and more, along with a new Messages option in the Settings app, allowing users to disable photos for their contacts.

It is not clear when iOS 9.1 will be released to the public, but it's likely it will come in late October, coinciding with the launch of the new Apple TV.

Apple is now accepting iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus in-store reservations through its Reserve and Pickup program in six European countries where the smartphones are set to launch this Friday, October 9, including Belgium, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the Netherlands.

European customers can select an iPhone model, color and storage size and make a reservation at a local Apple Store for in-store pickup on October 9. Most iPhone 6s models remain available for in-store reservation in all six countries, but iPhone 6s Plus models are very limited at most locations.

When you arrive at the Apple Store during your 30-minute check-in window, most locations should have a special line for customers with reservations. Only the person named on the reservation can pick up the iPhone -- bring a government-issued photo ID. Reservations are limited to 2 per customer.

The new iPhones launch in 40 more countries on October 9: Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Maldives, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Taiwan.

Apple plans to launch the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus in over 130 countries by yearend.

Earlier this year, Apple expanded its Made for Apple Watch program to include Apple Watch stands with integrated chargers. Popular accessory maker Belkin has now worked with Apple to develop the an Apple Watch stand with an integrated magnetic charger, which also includes a built-in Lightning connector for charging an iPhone.

The new Charge Dock for Apple Watch and iPhone is the very first third-party product to incorporate a Lightning connector and a charging puck for the Apple Watch, letting both an iPhone and an Apple Watch charge through the dock without the need for user-supplied cables.

Ahead of the launch of the Charge Dock, I went hands-on with it to see how it measures up to other Apple Watch and iPhone charging solutions on the market and whether it's worth its $130 price tag.

Design

Belkin's Charge Dock consists of an aluminum platform with a built-in Lightning connector for the iPhone and a chrome arm that houses an Apple Watch charging puck. It's a simple, unobtrusive design that fits well into any decor, but it does only come in silver, so it's not going to perfectly match all iPhones and Apple Watches.

The mix of a matte aluminum base and a shiny chrome arm may not be appealing to everyone, especially with the black accents on the base where the iPhone rests and the black detailing on the back of the Apple Watch stand.

Size wise, the Charge Dock is compact so it's not going to take up too much room on a nightstand or desk. It measures in at five inches long, three inches wide, and it's less than an inch thick. In length, it's a bit smaller than the iPhone 6s and about an inch smaller than the iPhone 6s Plus.

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Porsche has announced that its forthcoming 2017 Porsche 911 Carrera and Carrera S will support Apple's CarPlay platform. According to Moto Trend (via AppleInsider), Porsche selected CarPlay over Android Auto because under the agreement of partnering with Google, certain amounts of data would have been sent to the search giant.

Some of this data would have included vehicle speed, throttle position, and engine revs, all points of information that would constantly be flowing back to Google's headquarters each time a driver gets in the car. Comparatively, all Apple's CarPlay requires to know is whether the car is accelerating while the system is being used.

There's no technological reason the 991/2 doesn't have Android Auto playing through its massively upgraded PCM system. But there is an ethical one. As part of the agreement an automaker would have to enter with Google, certain pieces of data must be collected and mailed back to Mountain View, California. Stuff like vehicle speed, throttle position, coolant and oil temp, engine revs—basically Google wants a complete OBD2 dump whenever someone activates Android Auto. Not kosher, says Porsche.

Porsche's reasoning behind the decision points to not wanting to share the information with Google that could include the ingredients to its "secret sauce that makes its cars special," along with the fact that Google is reportedly building its own car at the moment. A few other vehicle manufacturers have announced support for CarPlay, but the service is just this year beginning to see a wider release despite being announced -- as "iOS in the Car" -- over two years ago.

Apple debuted a new series of Apple Watch ads aimed at simply showing off specific features. The new ads, which are all set against bright backgrounds and feature people using their Watches for specific purposes, show off the device's fitness and messaging capabilities in addition to Apple Pay and Maps.

The first two ads, "Sing" and "Date" feature people using Apple Watch's messaging capabilities to live their lives. In "Sing", the user sends someone an audio message of a song he's singing.

In "Date", actress Lake Bell, who is the narrator of the iPhone 6s commercial, enjoys a night out and is updated on her child via Messages.

The second two ads, "Train" and "Cycle", showcase the Apple Watch's fitness capabilities. In "Train", boxer Gennady Gennadyevich Golovkin can be seen checking his heart rate as he air boxes.

In "Cycle," a user is completing their indoor cycling exercise and watching it get recorded by the Apple Watch.

In "Ride", a user is shown driving around until they stop to ask Siri for directions. The Apple Watch then provides directions to her destination and she departs.

Finally, in "Sprinkle", a mother carrying a child is shown using her Apple Watch to pay for more ice cream after one of her daughters drops her ice cream.

The new ads come nearly 2 weeks after the Cupertino company released watchOS 2 for the device, which adds native app support, new watch faces and third-party complications. Earlier today, Apple and Hermes launched the Apple Watch Hermes Collection in select Apple Stores and Hermes retail stores.

Apple has purchased Perceptio, a small startup focused on artificial intelligence, reports Bloomberg. Founded by Nicolas Pinto and Zak Stone, Perceptio was developing technology that would let smartphone companies create advanced artificial intelligence systems "without needing to share as much user data" in the cloud.

Perceptio's goals were to develop techniques to run AI image-classification systems on smartphones, without having to draw from large external repositories of data. That fits Apple's strategy of trying to minimize its usage of customer data and do as much processing as possible on the device.

According to Bloomberg, both Stone and Pinto are established artificial intelligence researchers who specialize in creating image-recognition systems using deep learning. There's little information available about Perceptio, but Re/code profiled the company last year.

The duo were working on privacy-based artificial intelligence, figuring out how to run complex neural network algorithms on smartphones. Before being acquired by Apple, they were working on facial recognition technology and had released an unrelated video sharing app called Smoothie.

Apple confirmed the purchase with its standard acquisition statement: "Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans."

Apple's Siri personal assistant has lagged behind competing services like Google Now and Microsoft Cortana because of Apple's strict privacy policies and its reluctance to collect and utilize user data. It's possible the purchase of Perceptio will allow Apple to improve Siri without compromising on its dedication to user privacy.

Perceptio is the second Siri-related purchase Apple has made within the last few weeks. Apple also recently acquired VocalIQ, a UK-based startup that created a natural language API to allow computers and people to have a more natural dialogue.

Over the weekend, security site Palo Alto Networks detailed a new iOS malware that's able to infect non-jailbroken Apple devices using enterprise certificates and private APIs. It originated in Taiwan and China and was installed through several methods, including hijacking traffic from ISPs, an SNS worm on Windows, and offline app installation.

Called YiSpecter, the malware is able to download, install, and launch apps, doing things like replacing existing apps, displaying advertisements in legitimate apps, changing Safari's default engine, and uploading user information to remote servers.

In response to the detailing of YiSpecter, Apple has released an official statement to The Loop explaining that YiSpecter is only able to target iOS users who are running an older version of iOS that have also downloaded content from untrusted sources.

"This issue only impacts users on older versions of iOS who have also downloaded malware from untrusted sources. We addressed this specific issue in iOS 8.4 and we have also blocked the identified apps that distribute this malware. We encourage customers to stay current with the latest version of iOS for the latest security updates. We also encourage them to only download from trusted sources like the App Store and pay attention to any warnings as they download apps."

Apple implemented fixes for YiSpecter in iOS 8.4, so iOS 8.4.1 and iOS 9 are immune to the malware. Users who want to avoid being targeted by YiSpecter should make sure to upgrade to the latest version of iOS and as always, should avoid downloading apps from unverified sources.

Apple has begun selling official Apple Watch lugs through authorized distributor Avnet that may only be used in third-party bands that adhere to the company's Band Design Guidelines for Apple Watch. Apple-designed stainless steel lugs are each marked with "Made for Apple Watch" laser etching to verify their authenticity.

The stainless steel lugs are available in 38mm and 42mm sizes and are compatible with all Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport and Apple Watch Edition models. However, at the time of publication, Space Gray, Space Black, Yellow Gold and Rose Gold lugs are not listed for sale.

Apple has published Apple Watch Lug Assembly Guidelines that provide accessory makers with step-by-step instructions and a list of required tools for assembly, including a Pentalobe 1.1 screwdriver bit and clamping device. The document also outlines proper screw installation for the lugs.

Avnet is selling Apple Watch lugs in sets of 25 or 200 in both 38mm and 42mm, with prices ranging between $278.75 and $1,866.00 per package and between $9.18 and $11.33 per individual set. The distributor is also selling the Pentalobe 1.1 screwdriver bit required for lug assembly for $12.65. All prices are listed in U.S. dollars.

Apple Watch Lugs - 38mm (25 sets)

Price Per Unit: $11.15 USD

Package Price: $278.75 USD

Apple Watch Lugs - 38mm (200 sets)

Price Per Unit: $9.18 USD

Package Price: $1,836.00 USD

Apple Watch Lugs - 42mm (25 sets)

Price Per Unit: $11.33 USD

Package Price: $283.25 USD

Apple Watch Lugs - 42mm (200 sets)

Price Per Unit: $9.33 USD

Package Price: $1,866.00 USD

Avnet currently estimates a shipping lead time of 2 weeks for all lug sets and pentalobe screwdriver bits. Opening a commercial account with Avnet is required to complete the ordering process. Avnet's customer service team will contact customers within 24-48 business hours to complete the ordering process.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10

Tags: Apple Watch Bands, Avnet

Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Caution)

Since OS X El Capitan was released to the public last week, Microsoft Office users have noticed some serious bugs when attempting to use the software. MacRumors has received multiple emails from people having issues with Office 2016, and there are several threads about the problem on our forums.

Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint are crashing for many Microsoft users who have installed Office 2016, and Office 2011 users are also noticing problems with Outlook.

Microsoft is aware of the problems with its software and has been responding to customer complaints. In a thread on the Microsoft forums, Microsoft Program Manager Faisal Jeelani said the company is working with Apple to resolve the issues, but said there is no timeline for a fix. Microsoft also gave Computerworld a similar statement:

"We know that some users may be experiencing issues with Office 2016 for Mac running on El Capitan," the statement read. "We are actively investigating the matter with Apple. Until there is a fix, we recommend people install the latest updates to Office 2016 for Mac using Microsoft AutoUpdate."

Customers who are running Office 2016 are running into a wide variety of problems. Some are seeing only occasional crashes with the software, while others are unable to open any Office 2016 apps at all. Many who use Outlook for email are unable to access their inboxes, and this particular issue affects both Office 2016 and Office 2011.

I even did a fresh install of El Cap and then did a fresh install of 2015 Office. The whole office suite just bounces when I try to load a file. The programs freeze when using them and then crazy. I just keep sending the crash reports to Microsoft. I thought it was more widespread but apparently it is just me. I uninstalled 2016 office and went back to 2011.

Microsoft's first support replies came shortly after OS X El Capitan was released, which means the company has been working on a fix for several days now, but it is not clear when a patch might be released. Many customers on the Microsoft forums are growing angry with the company because Microsoft had several months to work out crashing issues ahead of OS X El Capitan's release. Crashes and Office 2016 problems were first reported during the beta testing period but remain unresolved.

Update: A Microsoft spokesperson has told MacRumors that a fix is in the works.

"We know that some users of Office 2016 for Mac are experiencing issues as a result of upgrading to Mac OS X 10.11 El Capitan. We are actively working with Apple towards resolution."

Apple today officially launched the Apple Watch Hermès collection, which the two companies announced at the September 9 "Hey Siri" event. The collection includes three different strap options for customers -- Single Tour, Double Tour, and Cuff -- alongside a stainless steel Apple Watch casing. None of the new Hermès bands are available to purchase separately, however, and are only included in one of the collection's ten available models.

Hermès offers four different colored versions of the Double Tour band, including Bleu Jean and Etain gray, but only in 38 mm sizes. Those interested in the Single Tour can choose between three different colors, two of which come in both 38 mm and 42 mm, but one -- the red-tinted Capucine Leather band -- is only offered in 38 mm. Alternatively, the Cuff option is a bit more simplistic for buyers, due to its availability in one single color and size option: a Fauve Barenia Leather Band with a 42 mm casing size.

Anyone interested can expect to pay above the average price point for the Apple Watch's mid-tier stainless steel range: the Single Tour starts at $1,100, the Double Tour costs $1,250, and the Cuff comes in at the most expensive with a $1,500 price tag. No models in the collection will be made available online, but instead are set to be offered at select Apple Store and Hermès retail locations in North America, Europe, and Asia.