MacRumors

Apple Watch reservations for in-store pickup will be limited to one per customer through Apple's Reserve and Pickup service, MacRumors has learned. Customers in the United States and other launch countries will be required to present a valid government-issued photo ID upon pickup at the Apple Store where they placed their Apple Watch reservation, and only the person named on the reservation will be allowed to pick up the product.

"Inventory is subject to change. Your reservation is valid for pickup only at the Apple Retail Store that you selected. If you do not pick up your selected item(s) by the designated date and time, your reservation will be cancelled and your item(s) will be returned to stock. There is a maximum of 1 reservation per customer. Number of reservations may be limited. Apple reserves the right to refuse, limit or cancel a reservation if Apple determines that a customer has provided misleading or fraudulent information and/or abused, disrupted or attempted to circumvent the reservation system."

Apple's one-per-customer reservation limit has been confirmed to be in place in the United States and United Kingdom, and likely other launch countries, but it's worth noting that the company's plans could change between now and the Apple Watch launch. Apple was originally planning to allow two reservations per customer as recently as March, according to sources, but is now allowing one per customer as stock is expected to be limited. MacRumors can also confirm recent reports claiming the Apple Watch Edition will be offered at select Apple Stores only.

The limit does not apply to online pre-orders that will be shipped to home beginning April 24, although it is possible that Apple will also restrict online orders to one or two Apple Watch models per customer as it has done for Personal Pickup with the iPhone, iPad and other products in the past. Apple will not be allowing walk-in purchases of the Apple Watch without a reservation, according to leaked Apple Store training documents obtained by MacRumors last month.

Apple Watch pre-orders begin April 10, and the wrist-worn device goes on sale April 24 in the United States, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan and United Kingdom. Apple Watch starts at $349 for the entry-level Sport model, while the stainless steel model costs between $549 and $1,099, and the gold edition starts at $10,000. Try-on appointments will be available at Apple Stores and select fashion boutiques beginning April 10.

Apple retail chief Angela Ahrendts has issued an internal memo to retail employees that encourages store staff to direct customers to the Apple Online Store to purchase the Apple Watch and new MacBook, according to Business Insider. Ahrendts says that this is "a significant change in mindset" for Apple, noting that the long lines that typically form on Apple product launch days "are over" at retail stores.

"Get in line online

The days of waiting in line and crossing fingers for a product are over for our customers. The Apple Store app and our online store make it much easier to purchase Apple Watch and the new MacBook. Customers will know exactly when and where their product arrives.

This is a significant change in mindset, and we need your help to make it happen. Tell your customers we have more availability online, and show them how easy it is to order. You'll make their day."

Apple previously outlined changes to its so-called "Customer Journey" in leaked training documents obtained by MacRumors last month, emphasizing that retail employees will be focused on "reducing wait times and physical lines" and ensuring that customers get the Apple Watch that is best for them.

One way Apple will limit in-store waiting times for the Apple Watch is by requiring reservations for pickup at brick-and-mortar Apple Stores, although Business Insider notes that in-store pickup will not be available whatsoever to U.K. customers at launch. U.S. customers will be able to reserve for pickup, although stock will likely be tight compared to online availability.

Apple Stores will have limited in-store supply of the Apple Watch when the wrist-worn device goes on sale April 24. Apple will begin accepting online pre-orders for the Apple Watch on April 10, the same day try-on appointments will be available for customers, in the United States, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan and United Kingdom. Read how to pre-order the Apple Watch and what to expect at a try-on appointment for useful info ahead of time.

Just a few days before the Apple Watch is available for pre-order on April 10, the device has been spotted in what seems to be its first TV appearance. The Watch, which appears to be the stainless steel version with a white sport band, is on the wrist of musical artist Pharrell Williams as he judges on NBC's singing competition show The Voice. It's likely this marks the first time a non-Apple employee wore it on national TV.

Thus far, Apple has carefully curated the Apple Watch's image and has exercised control on how the device is portrayed in media. Apple's marketing efforts have so far been split between posing the Watch as a fashion statement and fitness accessory. Williams is often known for his unique style, recently winning the Fashion Icon Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

The fitness side of the Apple Watch has been promoted on the covers of fitness magazines like Fitness Magazine on the wrist of Kate Bock, Self magazine on the wrist of Candice Swanepoel and model Christy Turlington as she writes about how the Watch helps her train for a marathon on a personal blog on Apple's website. The fashion side of the Apple Watch has been on display in magazines like Vogue, Style, East Touch and YOHO. It was also shown off at an exclusive event at Parisian boutique Colette.

As the launch of the Apple Watch gets closer, and people are able to try them on within Apple Stores, it's likely the device will continue to appear on TV, magazines, billboards and more as Apple attempts to market the device to a wide variety of potential customers. The Apple Watch will be available beginning April 24, but will be available for pre-order and in-store try-ons starting April 10.

Update: Williams has also posted a brief Instagram clip of the watch in action, with the watch actually appearing to be a gold Edition model.

While most Apple acquisitions become public knowledge shortly after they happen, there are acquisitions that go largely under the radar until months or years afterwards. TechCrunch has recently learned of one such acquisition, which may have happened in 2013. Apple is said to have purchased Ottocat, a small startup specializing in search technology.

Ottocat's technology is said to be behind the "Explore" app discovery function in the App Store. The Explore tab in the iOS App Store lets users find apps in different categories plus nearby apps.

TechCrunch has learned that Apple quietly bought a startup called Ottocat some time ago, which had developed a system to organize and surface apps on the app store based on "nested" categories of increasing specificity. A version of that system now powers the "explore" tab in Apple's app store.

According to TechCrunch, though there's little evidence on LinkedIn to suggest the acquisition happened, Ottocat co-founder Edwin Cooper was the author of a patent that was granted to Apple, which Cooper appears to have filed as an Apple employee. The patent, "System and Method for Divisive Textual Clustering by Label Selection Using Variant-Weighted TFDIF," which is related to the App Store's explore feature.

TechCrunch has some information on how Ottocat worked, explaining that its technology aimed to introduce categories for better app discovery to assist users looking to find apps in specific areas when they didn't have an app in mind to search for, which sounds very similar to what the Explore feature in the App Store does.

The premise was to do away with keywords by categorizing apps into increasingly more specific subcategories that worked on a "drill-down" principle -- eliminating the guesswork and potential inaccuracy of keywords altogether.

The Ottocat website originally went down in October of 2013, so that may have been around the time that the acquisition occurred. The original error message stated "Ottocat is no longer available," but the website is now completely defunct. Explore was announced as an App Store addition in June of 2014.

Apple CEO Tim Cook today sent out an email to all Apple employees to thank them for the effort they've put into the launch of the Apple Watch and to announce a major discount on Apple Watch models for Apple workers. The email was obtained by MacRumors and is shared below.

Employees will be able to order any stainless steel Apple Watch or Apple Watch Sport for personal use at a 50 percent discount, and Apple is also offering $550 off the Apple Watch Edition. $550 is half off the most expensive stainless steel Apple Watch and the maximum discount that employees can obtain.

Team,

The day we’ve all been waiting for is almost here: Apple Watch is ready to ship.

Our retail stores are training for a whole new way to engage customers and help them experience Apple’s most personal product yet. On Friday, in over four hundred stores across four continents, we’ll open our doors to people who want to try on Apple Watch for the first time and start deciding which one is right for them.

Tens of millions of people have seen our keynotes and demonstration videos about the watch, and there’s much more to come. Some of the most innovative developers in the world are working on new experiences designed specifically for Apple Watch. More than one thousand apps were submitted in just four days last week when the App Store started accepting them, and the rate of submissions has only been climbing since then.

I know that many of you have been looking forward to choosing an Apple Watch for yourselves, and we want to make it easy for you. Starting Friday in countries where the watch is available for pre-order, a special Employee Purchase Plan will offer a 50% discount on any Apple Watch or Apple Watch Sport for your personal use.

As we introduce the watch in more countries, the special pricing for employees will be offered in those countries as well. Discounts will begin at pre-order and last for 90 days after availability. AppleWeb has more details, so I invite you to check it out.

Our products enrich people’s lives like no others, and we think Apple Watch is going to delight our customers in ways people can’t yet imagine. We want you to share in that experience right alongside them.

Congratulations to everyone who has worked so hard for years to help this product reach our customers. And thanks in advance to the thousands of retail employees around the world who will start placing it on people’s wrists starting Friday.

Tim

Over the course of the past several weeks, MacRumors has spoken to multiple Apple retail employees who have relayed just how much work has gone into Apple Watch preparations. Training for the Apple Watch has been intense and somewhat stressful, as employees have needed to learn all new sales techniques to relate to customers in a more personal manner to offer fashion recommendations.

Employees are also gearing up for a couple of busy weeks as customers begin scheduling try-on appointments in stores beginning April 10, so the discount on the Apple Watch will be seen as a welcome bonus. In his email, Tim Cook says that he wants Apple retail employees to "share in the experience" of the Apple Watch right alongside the customers that are purchasing them, and he goes on to thank all of the retail employees that will be working with customers in the coming weeks.

Tim Cook's email also includes a note about third-party apps. He says that "more than one thousand apps" were submitted to Apple for approval last week after the company began accepting submissions, and that "the rate of submissions has only been climbing since then." We've covered many of the Apple Watch apps that have already surfaced, both in a comprehensive list that contained many of the first available apps and individual posts (airlines, to-do lists, transit apps) that give a deeper look at how we'll be able to use the Apple Watch. Even more info on Apple Watch apps can be found on Apple's dedicated app site.

The Apple Watch will be available for pre-order beginning April 10, which is also the day that try-on appointments will become available. The Apple Watch officially launches on April 24.

Apple's retail employees were today given newly redesigned shirts that will be worn during the Apple Watch launch, MacRumors has learned. The shirts are a dark shade of navy blue, much darker in color than the existing brighter blue shirts employees wear now. Employees have been given two T-shirts each and have been instructed to wear the shirts beginning on April 10. Apple also typically distributes polo shirts and T-shirts with longer sleeves, but employees have not yet received these.

The new shirts Apple employees are receiving for the Apple Watch mark the second wardrobe change that's been enacted this year. In January, Apple distributed redesigned T-shirts and polo shirts all in a dark shade of blue, with an Apple logo located at the top left of the shirt, over the heart.

Apple's head of retail Angela Ahrendts was rumored to be behind the first style change, and she's likely handling the new look for employees during the Apple Watch as well, using her expertise as Burberry's former CEO to find a uniform look that's suitable for employees handling every day sales and those dedicated to serving high-end retail customers as Apple prepares to start selling its first luxury item, the gold Apple Watch Edition.

Along with new shirts, the launch of the Apple Watch has brought many changes for retail employees. Employees are undergoing rigorous training in order to get ready to sell the Apple Watch, which is being positioned as a fashion item. As we've learned from leaked training materials, employees are learning how to interact with customers in all new ways, evaluating customer style and preference to make product recommendations.

Training is still ongoing, and as of this week, employees have been learning what store-front displays will look like and they've begun to receive word on which stores will be carrying the gold Apple Watch Edition. It appears that only a limited number of flagship stores will have the higher-end device available for sale, and safes are being installed in some of these stores this week. In the United Kingdom, for example, only the Covent Garden and Regent Street Apple Stores are said to be selling the Apple Watch Edition, along with the dedicated shop in Selfridges department store in London.

Employees are also beginning to receive details on how reservations and try-on appointments will be handled (try-on appointments will be worked into the Mac queue), and they are preparing for a major overnight revamp of stores, which will include the installation of Apple Watch try-on tables and display stations.

The Apple Watch will go on sale online this Friday at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time. It will be available in all first-wave launch countries simultaneously, including Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Ukrainian website Rozetka has compared the new 12-inch Retina MacBook to the 11-inch mid-2013 MacBook Air in a new video, providing a closer look at the physical design of the new MacBook and offering a side-by-side view of the different features between the notebooks. The video also highlights how the new MacBook, which measures 0.51" at its thickest point, is nearly as thin as the original iPad (0.50").

The video provides an in-depth look at the new MacBook's ultra-thin design, Retina display, redesigned keyboard, Force Touch trackpad, unlit Apple logo and more, interspersed with stock video footage and screenshots of the notebook from Apple. The fifteen-minute clip complements Vietnamese website Tinhte's unboxing photos and video of the new MacBook that surfaced last week.

Apple's 12-inch Retina MacBook will be available to purchase in silver, space gray and gold on April 10, the same day that Apple Watch pre-orders begin in the United States, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan and United Kingdom. The notebook starts at $1,299 for the base 256GB configuration, while a 512GB model with a slightly faster processor is available for $1,599.

Last Friday, third-party warranty firm SquareTrade released its findings of high-pressure testing on the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge and HTC One M9, showcasing some pretty dramatic results once the phones hit certain pressure thresholds. Today, Samsung has responded with testing and results of its own, asking SquareTrade to conduct a new test under the guidance of its official findings.

Samsung points out that the 110 lbs of force exerted on the Galaxy S6 Edge to result in the cracked-glass warning is far from a normally occurring real-world circumstance, with the average force generated "when a person presses the back pocket" being around 66 lbs of force.

The company tested the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge and found the two phones weren't bendable even up to 79 lbs of force, "which is equivalent to putting pressure to snap a bundle of five pencils at once."

Samsung continued to point out that SquareTrade's video failed to showcase the higher strength of the Galaxy S6 Edge's backside, which in normal circumstances would face equal amount of pressure as the front. With these facts in mind, the company decided to make a force-test video of its own to showcase its results.

Secondly, even though both front and back sides are exposed under the same level of pressure in normal circumstances, this test does not show the strength of the back side. Some smartphones have different durability in each the front and back sides respectively. SquareTrade has only tested the front side, which may mislead consumers about the entire durability of smartphones.

All our devices are put rigorous high-quality validation tests before they are delivered to consumers. These tests include various conditions, such as dropping, bending, and breakage. And we are confident that all our smartphones are not bendable under daily usage.

Stating these reasons, Samsung says it will deliver its statement to SquareTrade and ask the firm to perform the stress test once again, mainly targeting both the front and back sides of the phone, and publish its new findings to the public. Apple faced a similar damage control situation last year following the first wave of "Bendgate", going so far as to allow reporters into its testing labs to showcase various iPhone 6 Plus durability tests to the media outlets in attendance.

While it could be a factual error, Reddit points us towards an interesting comment on the LG Display blog last week that claims Apple announced it will release a new iMac with 8K display later this year. Apple, of course, has not made any announcements about a new iMac since last year, and 8K displays are not expected until 2016.

"It has become clear that Japan is planning to launch an 8K SHV test broadcast and then promptly restructure the UHD service. Apple has also announced that they will release the ‘iMac 8K’ with a super-high resolution display later this year. Korea is also preparing to offer an 8K service demonstration at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. LG Display displayed a new beacon of the 8K era by revealing their 98-inch 8K Color Prime Ultra HDTV at CES 2015."

VESA's new DisplayPort 1.4a standard paves the way for future displays at 7,680 x 4,320 pixels, but Apple has not made any announcements about releasing a Mac with an 8K display. Apple's highest-resolution Mac is the iMac with Retina 5K Display, which has a resolution of 5,120 x 2,880 pixels.

While this report should be treated lightly until further information surfaces, it still proves interesting that LG Display would make a public-facing comment like this on its website. The most likely scenario is that LG will eventually remove or modify the comment now that it has been put in the spotlight.

Update 7:00 PM PT: LG has since taken down the article mentioning the "iMac 8K."

Since the release of Apple's in-house Maps app as part of iOS 6 back in 2012, Yelp has been the company's sole partner for integrating customer reviews of businesses and other points of interest. In recent days, however, Apple's Maps app has begun including reviews from TripAdvisor and Booking.com on select hotel listings.

It is currently unclear what the criteria are for determining whether a given hotel listing includes reviews from Yelp, TripAdvisor, or Booking.com, but based on a spot check of several cities, the vast majority of hotel listings in the United States continue to display Yelp reviews. Other types of business listings also continue to use Yelp reviews on Apple Maps.

Internationally, Booking.com in particular seems to be more strongly represented, with brief surveys of London, Paris, and Sydney all showing reviews from that site on a majority of hotel listings viewed.

Apple has yet to update its Maps acknowledgements page to note it is now sourcing TripAdvisor and Booking.com, citing only Yelp as a data partner for reviews.

Apple has been working hard to improve Maps since its rough launch in 2012 that saw Tim Cook issue an open letter apologizing to consumers for not meeting their expectations with the new Maps app. The company has since improved its directions and three-dimensional imagery, although other changes such as transit integration planned for iOS 8 last year were pushed back as Apple's mapping efforts have reportedly been hampered by internal politics.

One major improvement that appears to be in the works is street-level imagery similar to Google's Street View and Microsoft's Streetside for Bing Maps. Minivans outfitted with sensor arrays and apparently leased by Apple have been spotted in several areas around the United States, with the behavior of the vehicles on residential streets and in parking lots suggesting they are collecting street-level imagery.

(Thanks, Aaron and Ram!)

Following up on last month's claim that Apple is planning to show off a revamped Apple TV set-top box with App Store and Siri support at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference in June, BuzzFeed now reports that the new box will not include support for 4K video streaming even though several services like Netflix, Amazon, and YouTube offer content in the high-resolution format.

“4K is great, but it’s still in its infancy,” said one source familiar with Apple’s thinking.

Enabling 4K video support in Apple’s first major overhaul of Apple TV in three years might seem like a smart bit of future-proofing — particularly given reports that the A8 chip in the guts of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus is 4K-capable. But it’s arguably an unnecessary one at this point.

The report points out that 4K streaming is expensive for content providers given the bandwidth required, and the vast majority of Americans do not even have Internet connectivity at fast enough speeds to support such streaming. Still, those who do currently stream 4K content or hope to in the relatively near future are likely to be disappointed by Apple's decision to forgo support in the next Apple TV.

Beyond existing Apple TV services and new third-party apps, the revamped Apple TV is also expected to support a package of streaming television channels if Apple can manage to reach agreements with the necessary content providers. Apple is reportedly in talks with ABC, Fox, and Disney, as well as Discovery and Viacom, to try to put together a "skinny" TV package of select channels that would reportedly cost consumers somewhere in the range of $25 to $40 per month. Apple is said to be aiming to announce the service at WWDC in June and launch it in the September timeframe.

Apple on Friday updated its online store with instructions on how to purchase the Apple Watch, reiterating that the wrist-worn device can be ordered online or reserved for in-store pickup. The new section appears to confirm that Apple Watch in-store reservations will be available beginning April 10, allowing customers to reserve a specific Apple Watch for pickup at an Apple Store beginning April 24.

The wording and timing of the new section suggests that Apple Watch in-store reservations will be available April 10, a move that would generate more foot traffic in Apple Stores on Apple Watch launch day. Nevertheless, there remains a slim possibility that reservations will begin on April 24. Apple did not immediately respond to request for comment, although we will update this post if we receive confirmation.

Last week, Apple Store training documents obtained by MacRumors indicated that Apple will not allow walk-in purchases for the Apple Watch upon launch, meaning that reserving the wrist-worn device for pickup at a specified date and time will be required initially. Walk-in customers can join the queue for a try-on appointment, after which they can order the Apple Watch online or make a reservation for in-store pickup.

Apple Watch pre-orders kick off at 12:01 AM Pacific on April 10 in the United States, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan and United Kingdom. Apple has added "Guided Tour" videos to its website that outline various functions of the Apple Watch, while we've prepared detailed guides on how to pre-order the Apple Watch and what to expect at a try-on appointment.

Apple today updated its dedicated Apple Watch website with a brand new "Guided Tours" section that includes several Apple Watch walkthrough videos. The introductory video on the site, entitled "Welcome to Apple Watch," walks users through all of the things the Apple Watch can do. Apple Watch Guided Tours are also being featured on the main Apple site.

The site includes dedicated videos on various Apple Watch features, like Messages, Faces, and Digital Touch. Other video walkthroughs on features like Phone Calls, Siri, Maps, Music, Apple Pay, and more, are labeled as "Coming soon," and may be added over the next few days.

The four videos available today are "Welcome to Apple Watch," "Messages," "Faces," and "Digital Touch." As previously mentioned, the first video is a walkthrough, but other videos are more specific. In "Messages," for example, we see a demo of how Messages works on the device. An incoming message causes a tap on the wrist through the Taptic Engine, and raising the wrist displays the message. Lowering the wrist dismisses the message, while tapping "Reply" lets the user pick a pre-defined response or dictate one through Siri.

There's also a walkthrough of the animated emoji that can be sent through the Messages app, and a demo on how to send new messages directly from the watch.

In "Faces," there's a demonstration of all of the different faces that are available on the Apple Watch, and a walkthrough on how to customize each watch face. A firm press on the watch face brings up a faces gallery and access to customization options. Each face has different customization options, from adding more detail like weather to changing second hand colors.

"Digital Touch" goes through sending sketches, taps, and heartbeats to contacts. Touching the side button of the Apple Watch gives you access to your friends list, where you can make a call, send a message, or send a Digital Touch. With Digital Touch, you can send a quick sketch, tap to send a tap to a friend, or hold two fingers on the screen to send a heartbeat.

These videos are also referenced within other areas of the Apple Watch site, with the Messages, for example, available in built-in apps section, and the Digital Touch video available in the "New Ways to Connect" section.

Today's walkthrough videos from Apple come a week ahead of Apple Watch pre-orders, which are set to begin on Friday, April 10 at 12:01 AM PT. April 10 will also mark the date when Apple begins offering in-store try-on sessions, giving customers the opportunity to test the Apple Watch out before its April 24 launch.

Update 6PM PT: Apple's added the Guided Tour videos to its YouTube channel.