Monthly Archives: March 2015

Apple iWatch Event Is Finally Here. Time To Add Some Spring In Your Step

Apple iWatch Event March 2015

Picture Credit: Apple.Com

On Monday, March 9th at 1:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM Pacific), Apple wants everyone to spring forward and join them for their very special Apple Event. 

This event will be streamed live on Apple.Com/Live and/or if you have an Apple TV Unit, you can stream it on the Apple Live Event App.

Of course, everyone and everybody who has any interest in technology – especially Apple technology – knows that this special event will highlight the announcement of the availability and prices for the much anticipated iWatch. 

According to this excellent article by TechCrunch, the Apple iWatch will give back something very valuable to people from every sector of life – the gift of time. Yes, the Apple iWatch will focus on time saved in your daily lives and, perhaps, make you forget that you ever needed an iPhone in the first place. 

This is technology and this is what Apple does best – reinventing not only how we interact with others but also with ourselves.  

Make sure you watch the live event on Monday and, if you are not able to do so, I will live blog the event so you can check back later. Refresh this page often during the live stream. 

Are you purchasing an iWatch?  Comment below. 

Live Update: 1:00 PM Monday, March 9th

  • 7 minutes to lift off everyone!
  • The place is jam-packed.  What else is new?
  • Here we go!  Tim Cook Time!
  • Intro Movie showing the Apple Store in West Lake, China. It is their latest store and it is gorgeous. Love their funky red Apple shirts.  You can plainly see how loved Apple is in China. 
  • Tim Cook hits the stage. Three “Good Mornings”.  Brags about the China store. They have opened 6 stores in China in the last 6 weeks alone. Want to be at 40 in the next year. 
  • Apple TV is addressed.  Thank Heavens!  HBO will be added. How exciting. They have created ground-breaking shows like The Sopranos and Sex In The City and Veep and Game Of Thrones.  The CEO of HBO  introduced – Richard somebody –  and states that Apple is HBO’s partner at large. All past, present and future shows will be on Apple TV in April for $14.99 a month.  First month is free. 
  • Not sure if this applies to USA only for now. 
  • Tim Cook continues to talk about Apple TV. Lowering the price to $69.00.  Great news. 
  • iPhone is being addressed.  Selling like hot cakes and it is the top selling smartphone in the world. Customer satisfaction is at 99%.  
  • Apple Pay is enjoying enormous momentum.  There are 700 locations across the U.S.  Vending machines are now included. Well that is a pleasant surprise!
  • Every major car brand is committed to delivering CarPlay.  Excellent news. HomeKit will expand. The HealthKit App will address medical research. 
  • Jeff Williams takes the stage and explains “medical research”.  He says that disease symptoms ebb and flow and, at times, lack of communication between doctor and patient is an everyday problem. 
  • He then introduces Research Kit which turns the iPhone into a powerful diagnostic tool. They have worked with many key hospitals to refine this capability. No easy task. He spoke how it works with a disease like Parkinsons disease. The phone can assess vocal and hand tremors and walking gait. 
  • The data will be seen on your phone. With Diabetes, you can assess glucose levels and with Asthma, one can address pathogens.  For Breast Cancer,  is addressed as well. 
  • Privacy is addressed. Apple will no longer see your data – and this is imperative for HealthKit. 
  • Addressing the medical capabilities of the iPhone and, probably, the iWatch is a game-changer for Apple. 
  • The ResearchKit will be an open source platform and will be added over time. It will be introduced next month along with the first five apps addressed earlier in this keynote. 
  • Tim Cook is back on stage.  Next up, he wants to talk about the Mac. This is the strongest lineup for the Mac ever. Macs are in schools, businesses, coffee shops and they are still going strong. Apple challenged themselves to re-invent the Notebook. 
  • A film is played and reveals a very thin, very clean notebook. It looks like an iPad with a keyboard. 
  • Phil Schiller takes to the stage to speak about the new MacBook. The technology was reinvented for this new product. It weighs just 2 lbs. Thinnest Mac ever made.  The keyboard defines the size of the notebook by going all the way to the edge. It is flat and thin. A butterfly mechanism has been designed for this keyboard, increasing stability. The keys are larger as well, increasing precision when typing. Individual LED lighting for each key.  The display is a 12″ retina display. Gorgeous. The panel is .88 mm thin. 
  • Continuing on, the track pad is improved. It is a force touch track pad with force sensors with a tap touch engine which provides feedback of your clicking.  It is pressure sensitive as well.  The new Force Click feature is wonderful. It can increase speed in a video, for instance. 
  • This is also the first fanless notebook. The Logic Board is  1/3 size smaller. Insane. 
  • So, with the extra space, they added more battery power. There are terraced, contoured battery cells with 35% more battery life – delivering all day battery life. 
  • You can connect to the Notebook wirelessly and with Bluetooth. 
  • One connector supports power, usb, display etc. The cable is thinner and reversible. 
  • Colours are silver, space grey and gold.  It is the world’s most efficient notebook. And, because of its lightness, it is truly portable
  • Prices: $1299; $1599
  • Availability: April 10th. 
  • Mac Pro and Air will also receive Force Track Pad and new features. 
  • Tim Cook is on stage to speak about the Apple Watch. It is not  just “with you it is on you”. It was designed for people with different tastes and design preferences. There is a stainless steel watch all the way up to an 18 carat gold watch. 
  • Apple Watch is incredibly accurate. There will be different faces and colours from which to choose. 
  • Oh my goodness. There is a Mickey Mouse Watch. Haha. Cha Ching. Christmas is coming. Haha
  • You will be able to see everything clearly and precisely, your calendar, your weather, your heartbeat. You will be able to communicate immediately and intimately and be able to receive messages and calls. It is a thing of beauty. The clarity is astounding. 
  • You can connect Apple Watch to Apple Watch, duplicating  what you do on your watch on your friend’s watch. 
  • Apple will track your daily movement and will remind you if you have been sitting too long. It will send you a reminder to, say, be more active and will send you a program re how you should  go about becoming more active. 
  • Tim Cook introduces Christy Turlington Burns, who completed a marathon in Africa using the Apple Watch. A movie is aired. The WorkOut App measured her time and pace. 
  • Christy takes to the stage to announce her next big adventure. She is wearing the blue modern buckle Apple Watch.  In 8 weeks, she will be running a huge marathon in the UK, using the Apple Watch in the process. You can follow Christy’s training on a blog at Apple.Com
  • You can interface  Apple Watch with Siri, recieve notifications, use Apple Pay, connect to Social Media, keep track of the news as it happens. 
  • Kevin Lynch takes to the stage to speak further about the Apple Watch in action. You can press the crown for Siri or just voice activate Siri. There are cute stickers for quick replies to messages. You will also recieve a notification if you have been sitting too long. 
  • Apple Pay will be much easier with an Apple Watch, I feel. It is already on your wrist – no digging for the iPhone
  • Phone calls are very nice. You do not have to bring your arm next to your ear. 
  • The watch, at some hotels, will be your room key. You check in to confirm your arrival and then – bam – your room key is displayed on your watch. (Let’s hope this never malfunctions or you will wake up to a stranger in your bed). 
  • You can control features in your home – locks, lights ETc. – with your Watch and see a live feed of people entering your home. 
  • It works with the iPhone. There is an Apple Watch App on the iPhone, available for download today. 
  • There is an all-day battery life. To charge this watch, you hold the magnetic charger on the back of the watch. Cool
  • Prices:  Apple Watch Sport is available in 5 colours. It is made of special aluminum. It starts at $349 – $399.  Apple Watch Stainless Steel starts at $549 – $1049.  The 18 carat solid gold watches – Apple Watch Edition  are $10,000. 
  • Availability – pre-orders on April 10th.  Fully available on April 24th in many countries.