IBM giving employees Apple Watches?

IBM is planning on providing it’s employees with FREE or discounted Apple Watch models! Whaaat. Yup, it seems that IBM are incorporating the Device into it’s ‘Commit to Health’ initiative, which will mean that employees will receive the devices under their health insurance plans.

The employees can either choose to get a subsidy that covers the full cost of the device or they can purchase it at a discounted price, and IBM then hopes that they will take advantage of the health features of the watch. Healthy workers are hard workers! IBM previously had a similar program with Fitbit, however it is currently unclear if the Apple Watch program is replacing this or supplementing it.

Lots of Apple Watch users have raved about the health benefits of the device since it’s release, so it’s possible that IBM is one of many companies who will be encouraging their employees to use the Watch in the future.

Watch OS 2

The Apple Watch! Soon to be updated to SUPER APPLE WATCH! Or, in laymen’s terms, Apple Watch OS 2.

*The most exciting thing about this update in our minds is that with it, the Apple Watch will support native apps (meaning apps that don’t have to go through the iPhone first). Booyah.

*There will also be third-party ‘complications’, which means that you can change and add to the data you see on the clock face, as well as new apps that will have access to the Taptic engine, microphone, accelerometer and heart rate sensor as well as the crown.

*The Watch will naturally be benefited by the device-wide Siri improvements, Apple pay updates as well as the transit directions in Maps.

*The Watch will be able to play videos as well as – very exciting- the ability to make FaceTime Audio calls.

* The Watch will also have a bunch of different Watch faces to choose from, including iconic locations around the world shot over 24 hours and the user’s own photo albums. When you select an album, every time you raise your wrist a different photo form the album will show.

* Users will be able to add more than 12 friends and have the ability to send sketches in multiple colors.

* The Apple Watch will, with OS 2, come with Activation Lock which, as in iPhones, will prevent another user from wiping or activating the Apple Watch if it is lost or stolen.

WatchOS 2  will be available to the public in the fall alongside iOS 9 and will be FREE.

WWDC!

You wanna see some cool numbers? Yeah? Why not on this beautiful Warriors winning Sunday?

In just under 2 weeks you’ll be able to waltz on in with your cool self to any Apple retail store in the US of A and take home some Apple Watch candy!

As of June 26th, if you find yourself lusting after an Apple Watch whilst on holiday in Italy, Mexico, Spain, Taiwan, Singapore, Switzerland or South Korea, you’ll be able to satisfy that lust in an Apple retail store there too!

The most imminent number to get excited about? Apple’s WWDC Keynote speech starts TOMORROW at 10am PDT! That’s…16 hours and 42 minutes away! Check out what to expect and how to watch it here!

We’ll also be publishing a detailed outline of all the goings on down there at San Francisco’s Moscone Center shortly after the keynote so make sure to get your good self back here if you’re unable to catch the main event!

…Go Warriors.

How many Apple Watches are being ordered daily?

Since orders for the Apple Watch began on April 10th this year, around 2.5 MILLION Apple watch’s have been ordered in the US alone. That’s a lot of wrists.

More than half the orders came on that day, with an estimated average of  30,000 orders being processed every day since then. Thirty thousand. Jeebus. The order numbers saw a rise around April 24th, when a lot of people started receiving their Apple Watches and splashing their shiny devices around town, and in recent days have seen a small decline in orders.

What does this mean?

These early sales are out pacing early sales of Apple’s most well known previous devices, the iPod, iPad and iPhone, making it a surefire early success in history’s (and investor’s) books. Whether or not that success will continue remains to be seen, however come June when the Apple Watch is said to be sold in physical retail stores, Apple should see a noticeable rise in sales, if only momentarily.

You’ll be able to buy an Apple Watch in-store in June!

Good news Apple Watch watchers! Tim Cook recently confirmed with employees at Apple China headquarters that beginning in June, customers will be able to purchase – and take home- their own shiny new Apple Watch from Apple retail stores in multiple countries around the world (including China).

Apple’s original online only purchasing system, was the first of it’s kind in the company’s history and was designed to smooth out the launch of the new device, however it was only ever going to last through May and is not indicative of how Apple will handle product launches in the future.

From the sauce, Angela Ahrendts, Senior Vice President of Retail and Online Sales: “We love our launches we do in stores, have absolutely no fear, this is a unique situation.”

There have been a couple of boutique stores around the world that have had the ability to sell the Apple Watch in their stores from the beginning, such as Maxfield in Los Angeles, California, which is the only retail location in the United States.

Come June, expect to see Apple retail stores roll out the Apple Watch to buy in-store, most likely beginning with the model with the least supply wait currently – the sport.

New configurations of Apple Watches shipping now!

Did you order a fancy stainless steel Apple Watch with a Link bracelet, Modern buckle or Leather loops band? If you did, it’s likely you haven’t received your shiny new device yet, along with everyone else who ordered those specific configurations.

BUT! You can rejoice. It seems that Apple have overcome the shortages that plagued those models/bands and they have begun shipping out. Commence shipping dance! The first orders, in fact, should be arriving ANY MINUTE NOW HOLY APPLE WATCH BATMAN!

It looks like Link bracelet band on Stainless Steel is shipping first, with modern Buckle and Leather Loop soon to follow. If you ordered the Link Bracelet or Leather loop band separately, they have begun shipping, whilst the elusive Modern Buckle band remains unavailable for purchase.

According to Apple’s site, the Link Bracelet is crafted from 100 components, including links that take more than nine hours to cut, while the Modern Buckle and Leather Loop are made from leather sourced from small tanneries in France and Italy. FANCY.

You tell us: Worth the wait?

You’ll soon be able to pick up the Apple Watch in-store!

So, you guys remember how you can only get an Apple Watch through shipping after online ordering? Well, natch! Not so much anymore! Apple is in the process of making it possible to pick up certain models of the Apple Watch in-store as well!

The ‘pick up in store’ option is officially labelled as ‘coming soon’ for most people on the Apple website, and as ‘currently unavailable’ for others, the pick up option for both remaining greyed out for the time being.

Soon, however, it seems as though you’ll be able to reserve your shiny Apple Watch online to be able to be picked up in a physical store shortly afterwards. You’ll reportedly be asked to present your government-issues photo ID, of which the name must match the name on the order. Uh, duh.

There has been no confirmation as to when this new option will become live, but we’re assuming it won’t be too much longer than 1- 2 weeks.

Exciting stuff!

Image courtesy of www.macrumors.com

Apple Watch warranty and Applecare+ information

Did you buy an Apple Watch? Are you concerned about damage or breakage? Wondering if Applecare+ is for you? Here’s what your warranty does and does not cover.

You get a 1 year limited hardware warranty with the purchase of your Apple Watch and up to 90 days of complimentary support.

Damage eligible for warranty service includes user-claimed debris under the display glass or pixel anomaly, a back cover removed with no damage, and any condensation in the heart rate sensor windows. A removed back cover is only covered when not accompanied by enclosure damage or evidence of prying.

Damage eligible for out-of-warranty service includes a racked, missing, removed or damaged Digital Crown cap, extreme abrasion, puncture holes, missing buttons resulting from a drop, any chips or multiple cracks in the display glass, a removed back cover with evidence of enclosure damage or prying, a bent or split band enclosure, a missing or removed band release button, or cracks in the back cover.

Damage which would deem your Apple Watch nonreturnable and ineligible for warranty service includes a disassembled unit or missing parts, catastrophic damage, counterfeit or third-party parts, and unauthorized modifications such as aftermarket displays and other non-Apple installed parts.

You’re looking at out-of-warranty service fees of $229, $329 and $2,800 for the Sport, Watch and Edition models respectively for repairs not covered by Apple’s limited one-year warranty or AppleCare+ for Apple Watch.

Out-of-warranty battery service is also available for $79 plus an applicable $6.95 shipping charge if required for all Apple Watch models.

Applecare + for Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport and Apple Watch Edition is $49, $69 and $1500 respectively and extends your coverage to two years from the original purchase date of your Apple Watch and adds up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage, each subject to a $69/$79/$1000 service fee plus applicable tax.

You can purchase Applecare+ for Apple Watch within 60 days of your Apple Watch purchase.

Don’t like the band your apple watch came with? It’s ok!

So, you’ve got your shiny new toy, the Apple Watch, in your grasp, and you love it. We mean, you love it. But…something’s a little off. You’re not too sure about the band, are you? Little too green? Were you unaware until now that your wrist swells up all weirdly when you play tennis and it doesn’t fit right?

Well, you’ve got some options, friend. Apple will allow you the opportunity to exchange your Apple Watch band for another style! Yay! Unless you have the Apple Watch Edition, or you purchased your Apple Watch at a non-Apple retailer. Bowboooow.

Here are the rules for band-swapping:
– The new band must be within the same collection as the watch and must be an available band option for that watch face.

– The band swap is within 14 day return period.

– The watch must have been purchased at the Apple Online Store, Kiosk, or Apple Store App.

– You are not using band swaps as a way to configure a sellable product for a customer.

The swap must be initiated through the Online Store call center who will create a new band order for you, ship it out, and provide instructions on how to mail your old band in for a refund.

You will not be able to return a Apple Watch band by itself for a refund, and you can’t return an Apple Watch without the band.

iFixit teardown of the Apple Watch

The good people over at iFixit have performed their all-serving ritual of tearing apart new tech, giving the Apple Watch a repairability score of 5/10.

Somewhat expected for an Apple product.  If you’re interested to see the guts of the Apple Watch, check out the teardown here:

Thanks iFixit!