Business

Force Touch is poised to rule all Apple devices

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M.G. Siegler asks: if there was no Apple Watch, would Apple have come up with Force Touch at all?

My 2 cents: I don’t think Apple Watch was in anyone’s mind when Force Touch was patented.

Shoe retailer Clarks rolls out iPad foot measuring, data gathering system

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Clarks is no small operation. They’ve got more than 1,000 stores throughout the world and they also manufacture their own shoes which they sell in their own shops, as well as via third party retailers.

This new system gives them accurate foot measurement, but that’s not the goal behind this system.

Apple Acquires GPS startup Coherent Navigation

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Eric Slivka, writing for MacRumors:

In one of its latest efforts to bolster its mapping capabilities, Apple appears to have acquired Coherent Navigation, a Bay Area GPS-related firm founded in 2008 by engineers from Stanford and Cornell.

Big GPS tech gain for Apple.

On Apple Watch as an invitation to thieves

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There’s been a wave of sentiment over the past few days about the Apple Watch as an invitation to thieves. Many people share John Gruber’s take:

I really don’t get the hysteria over this as an invitation to thieves. This is no less secure than every single other wristwatch ever made.

This isn’t about the value of a single watch. It’s about a combination of large enough market size, high desirability, and relative rarity. Read on for details.

The Apple Watch and theft

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Jeff Benjamin, writing for iDownloadBlog:

The Apple Watch contains security measures to prevent thieves from accessing your data, but it doesn’t include the necessary features to dissuade thieves from trying to steal your device to begin with.

A cold splash of water on Mac App Store sales

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Sam Soffes released his new product, Redacted for Mac. He never expected his product to quickly become the #8 top paid app in the US and #1 top paid app in Graphics. Break out the champagne, right?

Read on.

Apple Watch in store pickup available soon

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9to5mac:

Apple is now preparing for the rollout of the in-store pickup option on new Apple Watch orders, which will allow users to select a retail location to pick up their wearable devices after order.

Apple has plans for your DNA

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Antonio Regalado, writing for MIT Technology Review:

Apple is collaborating with U.S. researchers to launch apps that would offer some iPhone owners the chance to get their DNA tested, many of them for the first time, according to people familiar with the plans.

Fascinating article, lots at stake here. Also, are identical twins genetically identical?

A template for an excellent idea

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Matt Gemmell noticed that his local Apple Store did not have any in-store seminars teaching blind or visually impaired people how to use Apple devices. Here’s what he did about it.

A crack in the consortium

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Remember the MCX Consortium, the competing transaction processing system from Walmart, et al? One of their high profile members is Best Buy and they just agreed to take Apple Pay.