MacRumors

Apple today added several iPad Air 2 models to its online store for refurbished products, marking the first time refurbished versions of the iPad Air 2 have been made available for purchase.

Released in October of 2014, the iPad Air 2 features a slimmer body than the original iPad Air, plus a triple-core A8X processor, an 8-megapixel camera Touch ID, and a gapless display with an anti-reflective screen coating.

Apple is currently offering several refurbished iPad Air 2 models, ranging from the entry-level 16GB Wi-Fi only iPad Air 2 to the 128GB Wi-Fi + Cellular iPad Air 2. All models are discounted by 15 to 17 percent, dropping prices by $80 to $160. For the entry-level Wi-Fi only 16GB model, the discount lowers the price to $419 from the original $499 price tag.

That price point beats many sale prices from third-party vendors, and as with all of Apple's refurbished products, the iPad Air 2 models come with a full 1-year warranty, a new battery, and a new outer shell.

Apple's refurbished inventory fluctuates on a regular basis based on available supply, so models that are available today may not be available tomorrow. The refurbished iPad Air 2 models can be purchased immediately from the online store.

(Thanks, Phil!)

During a recent visit to China, Tim Cook met with employees at Apple's China headquarters and confirmed that the company is aiming to have the Apple Watch in Apple retail stores by June in multiple countries around the world, including China. In the meeting, details of which were shared by 9to5Mac, Cook reportedly told employees that the Apple Watch launch "could not be going better," and joked that he wished the company had more operational staff for a smoother launch.

Apple's plan to start selling the watch in stores by the end of the month of May was first hinted at by Apple retail chief Angela Ahrendts, who said in an employee memo in April that the Apple Watch would be available exclusively online through May.

The Apple Watch's launch was highly unusual for Apple, as it saw the company foregoing its traditional lines in favor of accepting orders entirely online. According to Ahrendts, orders were handled in that way to ensure customers had the best possible ordering experience without long in-store lines and wait times. Supply constraints were also a factor, with rumors suggesting Apple lost time due to faulty taptic engines produced by a supplier in China.

Ahrendts has promised that the Apple Watch ordering process is not representative of how all of the company's product launches will be handled in the future. "We love our launches we do in stores," she told employees. "Have absolutely no fear, this is a unique situation."

Though the Apple Watch will continue to be available through Apple solely online until June, Apple has allowed some high-end fashion boutiques around the world to sell the Apple Watch to customers. In the United States, Maxfield in Los Angeles, California is the only retail location that has had the Apple Watch in stock, and customers continue to line up on a daily basis to attempt to get a device without needing to wait online.

Apple has been working hard to overcome supply issues and many Apple Watch orders have been shipping out ahead of their estimated delivery dates. Even the Apple Watches in shortest supply -- the Link Bracelet, the Modern Buckle, and the Leather Loop -- have begun shipping to consumers. It's unlikely Apple will be entirely caught up on shipments by the time June rolls around, but for models that are more common, like the Sport, shipping estimates have been slowly improving, suggesting there will enough inventory to begin sales in stores in June.

Apple today released the first software update for the Apple Watch, upgrading it to Watch OS version 1.0.1. Released to the public on April 24, the Apple Watch initially shipped with version 1.0 of Watch OS, the operating system unique to the Apple Watch and deeply linked to iOS.

The new software can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General --> Software Update. To install the update, the Apple Watch must be placed on the charger and it must be in range of the iPhone.

Watch OS 1.0.1 includes performance improvements and bug fixes for Siri, measuring stand activity, calculating calories for indoor cycling and rowing workouts, distance and pace during outdoor walking and running workouts, accessibility, and third-party apps. The software update also includes support for new the emojis found in iOS 8.3 and it provides additional language support for Brazilian Portuguese, Danish, Dutch, Swedish, Russian, Thai, and Turkish.

Apple has been steadily shipping Apple Watch devices out to customers, but supplies remain constrained and some Apple Watch orders have not yet shipped out. Customers receiving an Apple Watch shortly after today's update will need to update the software on the device after taking it out of the box.

While the high-end 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K Display was discounted from $2,499 to $2,299 today, Apple has raised the prices on several other products in Europe and Canada as the U.S. dollar continues to remain strong against the euro and other international currencies. The affected countries in the European Union include Germany, France, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Finland and multiple others.

All non-Retina 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMac models in affected countries are now between 150 to 300 euros more expensive starting today. The base configuration iMac, for example, increased from €1,099 to €1,249, while the high-end 27-inch iMac without Retina display rose from €1,799 to €2,099. Prices may vary slightly between countries due to applicable local taxes and tariffs.

Apple also increased the price of the Mac Pro by between 400 to 600 euros, with the base model going from €2,999 to €3,399 and the high-end configuration now priced at €4,599 up from €3,999. The base model Mac mini increased 50 euros to €569, while the mid-tier and top-tier configurations were bumped up 100 euros to cost €819 and €1,129 respectively. 12-inch MacBook, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air prices have not changed.

Meanwhile, the price of non-Retina 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMac models increased by $100 to $150 in Canada as conversion rates continue to fluctuate. Similarly, the Mac Pro now costs between $200 to $400 more in Canada depending on the configuration, and Mac mini prices rose by between $50 to $120. The prices of various Mac accessories, including the Magic Mouse and USB-C adapters, also rose in both Europe and Canada.

Apple last raised prices in Europe, Canada, Australia and other regions in early March.

Apple today started selling a new Lightning connector dock compatible with the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5 and fifth-generation iPod touch. The dock retails for $39 on the Apple Online Store in the United States, with an estimated shipping date of 1-3 business days as of publication time. The dock is also available in other countries, although prices vary depending on the local currency.

The long-anticipated Lightning dock arrives nearly three years after the Lightning connector made its debut on the iPhone 5 in September 2012, and succeeds the original 30-pin dock that Apple previously sold. Of course, given that Apple's official Lightning dock is long overdue, a number of accessory makers have already released third-party docks over the past several months and years.

The new Lightning dock has a smaller form factor that no longer cradles the device, making it compatible with both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus and likely other iOS devices with Lightning connectors in the future. The dock also features a 3.5mm headphone port on the rear for audio out, enabling music and podcasts from an iPhone to be played on powered speakers and stereo systems.

Apple today announced updates to its 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display lineup and a new $1,999 configuration of the 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K Display, confirming a recent rumor that said new models of the computers would be released as early as Wednesday. The refreshed MacBook Pro and iMac models are available through the Apple Store, Apple Online Store and authorized resellers beginning today.

The new 15-inch MacBook Pro gained all the expected updates similar to its 13-inch sibling: a Force Touch trackpad, faster flash storage, longer battery life, and better graphics. The new MacBook Pro comes in 2.2GHz and 2.5GHz configurations for $1,999 and $2,499 respectively. Both configurations come with a quad-core Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB memory, and Intel Iris Pro Graphics cards, with the higher-end 2.5GHz model gaining expected boosts in flash storage and memory.

Given that the necessary Broadwell chips are not yet available, the new 15-inch MacBook Pro and 27-inch iMac still have Intel's fourth-generation Haswell processors. Based on the average product cycle for the MacBook Pro and iMac, Apple may choose to skip Broadwell processors and use next-generation Skylake processors for the next versions of the notebook and all-in-one desktop computer respectively. Those models are unlikely to be released until late 2015 at the earliest.

“The response to the new MacBook and updated 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display has been amazing, and today we are thrilled to bring the new Force Touch trackpad, faster flash storage and longer battery life to the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Customers love the groundbreaking iMac with Retina 5K display, and now with a new lower starting price, even more people can experience the best desktop we’ve ever made.”

The iMac line that received an update today was a new $1,999 configuration of the 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display. The new model is a 3.3GHz configuration with a quad-core Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of memory, and 1TB hard drive. Both the 15-inch MacBook Pro and 27-inch iMac are available to purchase right now from Apple's online store, with most of the models sitting at an estimated shipping time of between 1 and 3 business days as of announcement time.

Apple shelved plans to introduce a full-blown television set more than a year ago reports The Wall Street Journal, citing sources with knowledge of Apple's plans. The company reportedly spent more than a decade researching the possibility of releasing an ultra high-definition television set before deciding to nix the project because it couldn't find untapped features that would give it an edge in the television market.

Apple had searched for breakthrough features to justify building an Apple-branded television set, those people said. In addition to an ultra-high-definition display, Apple considered adding sensor-equipped cameras so viewers could make video calls through the set, they said.

Ultimately, though, Apple executives didn't consider any of those features compelling enough to enter the highly competitive television market, led by Samsung Electronics Co.

One of the technologies Apple investigated in the mid-2000s was a transparent display that used lasers to display an image, but it used too much power and resulted in poor image quality. Another potential feature Apple explored was video calling similar to FaceTime, but it ultimately "didn't seem compelling enough" for Apple to enter the television market.

The Wall Street Journal's report comes following comments from investor Carl Icahn, who today shared a letter covering on products he believes Apple will introduce over the course of the next several years. Icahn suggested Apple will dominate both the television and automobile markets, introducing 55 and 65-inch television sets in 2016 and a car in 2020.

Rumors about an Apple-branded television set have circulated for many years, but picked up in 2011 after the launch of Walter Isaacson's Steve Jobs biography where Jobs' interest in the television industry was highlighted. "I finally cracked it," Jobs was quoted as saying.

Rumors continued through 2012 and 2013, pointing towards television prototypes in Jony Ive's studio and work on television designs, but rumors died down in late 2013 as a product failed to materialize. Focus turned instead to Apple's ongoing content struggles and its efforts to release a new set-top box, with the television team being disbanded and sent off to work on other projects. The television set project was not, however, officially "killed."

Apple is expected to unveil a new Apple TV and a new streaming television service at its upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference, set to begin on June 8, but according to The Wall Street Journal, the status of the announcement hinges on the completion of Apple's deals with media companies.

The new Apple TV is said to include a full App Store, Siri support, additional storage, and a redesigned form factor. The television service may feature a bundle of approximately 25 channels priced at $30 to $40 per month, with programming beginning in the fall following the prospective June announcement.

Ahead of next month's Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple is laying the groundwork for future software and hardware updates for both the Apple Watch and Apple TV, according to a new report from 9to5Mac.

Timing for some of the new features remains unclear, but the report claims Apple is working on a "Find My Watch" implementation that could be paired with a "Smart Leashing" feature that would remind Apple Watch users if they appear to have accidentally left their iPhones behind.

First, Apple has been working on a feature dubbed “Find my Watch” for the Apple Watch, which as the name implies will allow a user to track a Watch’s location, as well as lock or remotely wipe it if it is lost or stolen. [...]

Given the Apple Watch’s reliance on an iPhone, Apple plans to implement Find my Watch via what’s currently known inside the company as “Smart Leashing.” According to a source, the Watch will use its wireless signal to establish its location relative to the iPhone, and will optionally be able to notify a user if the iPhone is accidentally left behind.

The news comes following concerns over the lack of any sort of Activation Lock functionality for the Apple Watch, but the new features may require new hardware to support them, pushing their launch off until the release of the second-generation Apple Watch.

Apple is also reportedly working on support for third-party watch face complications for the Apple Watch, which would, for example, allow users to see at a glance if they have unread Twitter mentions. Additional software and hardware work is focused on filling out health and fitness functionality for the Apple Watch, including additional sensors that were rumored but did not make it into the first version of the device.

On the Apple TV front, sources claim Apple's developer tools that will allow developers to build third-party apps for the next-generation Apple TV will be known as "TVKit", with the new hardware and tools expected to debut at next month's Worldwide Developers Conference. The Apple Watch appears set to serve as a key method for controlling the new box, which will also support Apple's rumored live streaming television service, although recent rumors have suggested that piece of the overall package may debut several months later than the hardware.

Apple's WWDC keynote is expected to see a significant number of announcements, including the new developer tools for Apple TV apps and native Apple Watch apps, as well as iOS 9 and OS X 10.11. As was the case last year, hardware announcements may be slim or absent entirely, particularly with updated 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro and 27-inch iMac models expected this week.