Apple Loop: Tattoogate Breaks Your Apple Watch, iOS 8.2 Terminated, iPhone 7 Plans.

Macbook, March 2015 (image: Apple PR)

Taking a look back at another week of news from Cupertino, this week’s Apple Loop looks at Apple’s rush to remove iOS 8.2, three new iPhone 7 handsets, the iPad Pro feature set, emotions behind the Apple Watch, the wristband accessory guidelines, Applebot debuts, streaming music services and Beats, and the Apple Watch’s tattoo issue.

Apple Loop is here to remind you of a few of the very many discussions that have happened around Apple over the last seven days (and you can read our weekly digest of Android news here on Forbes).
Nice iOS Version, Shame We Have To Kill It
Unlike the slow rollout of Android Lollipop (not yet reaching ten percent in the ten months since it was announced), Apple’s rollout of iOS updates  is both slick and efficient, with the majority of eligible handsets upgrading in short order. Apple is also quick to lock out older version that may have a number of bugs that need to be avoided.
Gordon Kelly looks at just such an arrangement with Apple’s withdrawal of iOS 8.2 and a bigger push than normal to get everyone onto iOS 8.3.
ForbesBrandVoice
?
athenahealthVoice

Has A Doctor From Denmark Solved Childhood Obesity?

You have to hand it to Apple, it knows how to get the latest versions of iOS onto users’ devices – one way or another. The positive way is Apple’s unparalleled ability to make updates immediately available to all. But there is also a more sneaky method and Apple has just used it again…
As a result seven week old iOS 8.2 has been unceremoniously killed off by what Apple calls ‘code signing’. This leaves iOS 8.3 as the only version of iOS which the company will allow to be installed on owner’s iPads, iPhones and iPod touches.
A Triple Threat Of iPhones
Apple’s hardware release cycle strongly suggests that the next generation of iPhone handsets will be announced in September. The easiest answer to what they will feature would lead people to think that two models will be released, to replace the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus. Seeking Alpha’s Bill Maurer thinks that the mythical third handset will finally arrive in four months time:
This is the perfect time for Apple to go with three new phones. Apple can launch two new larger screen phones, and we’ll call them the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus for now. Eventually, I think Apple will need a new naming system because I don’t think in a few years consumers will be out celebrating the “iPhone 12″. The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus would be the same screen size as the 6 and 6 Plus, but would have upgraded specs. Apple would then discontinue the 5S/5C, but could use those production lines to produce a 4 inch model with upgraded specs, and this would be the third model. We’ll call it the “7 Mini” for this argument. Thus, we would have new models with screen sizes of 4, 4.7, and 5.5 inches. Apple might also decide to stay with the 6 and 6 Plus, discounting these models a bit.
What do you think?
CUPERTINO, CA – OCTOBER 16: An attendee inspects new iPad Air 2 during an Apple special event. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
The Subtle Targeting Of The iPad Pro
Along with the potentially new iPhones, there is an expectation that the iPad range will receive an updated larger version of the table with a twelve-inch screen. Imaginatively titled by the media as  the iPad Pro, it is going to encroach on the same territory as the Microsoft Surface 3, but Tim Cook will likely be targeting a professional and artistic audience. Helping that will be the new technology seen in the new slimline MacBook. Luke Villapaz checks the boxes:
Force Touch, a feature first introduced in the Apple Watch and redesigned MacBook, could also find its way into the tablet’s touchscreen. The technology enables a touchscreen or trackpad to tell the difference between a tap and a hard press. Users of the iPad Pro may also be able to control it through an included Bluetooth stylus. That may also come with pressure-sensitive features which can be used with sketching and drawing apps.
I doubt the iPad Pro will have a huge impact on the iPad range’s sales numbers. The larger screen and use-cases mean the targeting of the iPad Pro will be tightly focused - think artists, designers, architects, and draughtsmen – but it will be a machine that delivers a unique experience to a group that has not been served especially well with tablet hardware
The Emotions Driving The Apple Watch
Forbes’s Lea Lane has spent a few weeks with the Apple Watch,. Being a ‘regular user’ rather than a fully paid up member of the Silicon Valley geekerati, she’s found Tim Cook’s wearable to be engaging and relatively hassle-free:
I’m a writer, not a techie, so mine are everywoman’s opinions of a product that arouses heated battles of yea-and-nay-sayers. These honest impressions of a typical consumer just might help you decide whether or not to magnetically strap this much-talked-about personal device on your wrist — or pass for now.GGG
Apple Watch Accessory Guidelines
As expected, the accessory and third-party wristband market for the Apple Watch is going to have some strict controls placed on it from Apple… assuming manufacturers are looking for a ‘Made for Apple Watch’ logo to feature on the packaging. Mark Gurman looks at the restrictions in place through the official program on 9to5Mac:
Apple’s guidelines for third-party band development indicate that the accessories must comply with certain environmental specifications and be able to be tightened enough to a wrist to remain compatible with the Watch’s heart rate sensor.
The guidelines do not mention the hidden diagnostic port that some accessory makers hope to leverage. Today’s announcement additionally does not provide official specifications for developing charging accessories
Given Apple is also discouraging software designers from making new watch faces, I suspect that the first wave of accessories are going to be very close to Jony Ive’s vision of a wearable and not deviate very far from Apple’s ideal.
Cupertino Starts To Crawl
Apple has introduced the world to Applebot, its own web crawler which will be showing up in web logs across the internet:

Applebot is the web crawler for Apple, used by products including Siri and Spotlight Suggestions. It respects customary robots.txt rules and robots meta tags. It originates in the 17.0.0.0 net block.
MacRumors’ Mitchel Broussard wonders what is up:
The confirmation of Applebot is the closest the company has come to speaking directly on the subject, but it is still unclear whether the web crawler is setting up to be the basis for an Apple-branded search engine, or simply acting as more support for third-party search platforms when running Apple’s Siri and Spotlight services.
Occam’s Razor suggests the latter opinion is the right one, but hiding a development in plain sight would be an ambitious and new move from Apple.
NEW YORK, NY – MAY 04: DJ Cassidy performs at Michael Kors and iTunes After Party at The Mark Hotel on May 4, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Michael Kors)
Apple Or YouTube, You Decide
The Verge has started an interesting discussion around Apple’s negotiations with the music labels over music streaming services. With many expecting Apple to launch a streaming music service based around Beats in the next few months, Micah Singleton looks at Apple’s negotiating process, and some interesting unconfirmed offers:
Apple has been using its considerable power in the music industry to stop the music labels from renewing Spotify’s license to stream music through its free tier. Spotify currently has 60 million listeners, but only 15 million of them are paid users. Getting the music labels to kill the freemium tiers from Spotify and others could put Apple in prime position to grab a large swath of new users when it launches its own streaming service, which is widely expected to feature a considerable amount of exclusive content. “All the way up to Tim Cook, these guys are cutthroat,” one music industry source said.
It’s certainly a hardball approach (and one that regulators may be interested in following). Time will tell if this is a negotiation ploy, or if the position will solidify in Apple’s favour.
…And Finally
With all the tattooed hipsters in San Francisco, I’m surprised that the presence of tattoos on the wrists of many Apple Watch users is causing so many unforeseen problems for users. Alex Hern for The Guardian looks at the issue, and why it will play a big part in the wearables movement:
But users with tattoos on their wrists have taken to social networks to report problems using the feature.
The optical heart sensor sits on the underside of the watch and uses infrared and green LEDs to determine the wearer’s heart rate. In Apple’s case, it also checks whether or not the watch is sitting on a wrist, which it uses to activate security features such as a pin lock.
The sensor, which is similar to those used in other heart-rate-tracking gadgets such as the Fitbit Charge HR and the Microsoft Band, works by shining green light into the wearer’s wrist. Blood, being red, reflects green light less than the surrounding tissue, and so the amount of reflected light picked up by the sensors on the underside goes up and down with each heartbeat.
…but is #tattoogate the right hashtag?
A new Apple Watch on display at the Apple Grand Central Station store on April 24, 2015 in New York (DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images)
Apple Loop brings you seven days worth of highlights every weekend here on Forbes. Don’t forget to follow me so you don’t miss any coverage in the future. 

forbes.

Popular posts from this blog

UK GENERAL ELECTIONS:Inquiry announced into memo alleging Sturgeon wants Tory election victory.

Image
Civil service instigates investigation into leaked memo from Foreign Office about supposed comments made in February Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, with David Cameron in her office at the Scottish parliament earlier this year. Photograph: WPA Pool/Getty A civil service inquiry into a leaked memo which claimed that Nicola Sturgeon privately wanted to see David Cameron remain in power after the general election has been instigated following calls from the First Minister. Ms Sturgeon described the allegation as “100% untrue” and accused Whitehall of “dirty tricks”.
Read more

Sandhurst's sheikhs: Why do so many Gulf royals receive military training in the UK? A parade outside the building at Sandhurst Continue reading the main story In today's Magazine The death list that names 5,000 victims Is this woman an apostate? Voices from a WW1 prison camp The Swiss selfie scandal Generations of foreign royals - particularly from the Middle East - have learned to be military leaders at the UK's Sandhurst officer training academy. But is that still a good idea, asks Matthew Teller. Since 1812, the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, on the Surrey/Berkshire border, has been where the British Army trains its officers. It has a gruelling 44-week course testing the physical and intellectual skills of officer cadets and imbuing them with the values of the British Army. Alongside would-be British officers, Sandhurst has a tradition of drawing cadets from overseas. Many of the elite families of the Middle East have sent their sons and daughters. Perhaps the most notable was King Hussein of Jordan. Continue reading the main story Find out more Matthew Teller presents Sandhurst and the Sheikhs, a Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4, on Wednesday 27 August 2014 at 11:00 BST It will be available on iPlayer shortly after broadcast Four reigning Arab monarchs are graduates of Sandhurst and its affiliated colleges - King Abdullah of Jordan, King Hamad of Bahrain, Sheikh Tamim, Emir of Qatar, and Sultan Qaboos of Oman. Past monarchs include Sheikh Saad, Emir of Kuwait, and Sheikh Hamad, Emir of Qatar. Sandhurst's links have continued from the time when Britain was the major colonial power in the Gulf. "One thing the British were excellent at was consolidating their rule through spectacle," says Habiba Hamid, former foreign policy strategist to the rulers of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. "Pomp, ceremony, displays of military might, shock and awe - they all originate from the British military relationship." Sheikh Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa, King Abdullah, Sultan Qaboos Sandhurst alumni: King Hamad of Bahrain, King Abdullah of Jordan and Sultan Qaboos of Oman It's a place where future leaders get to know each other, says Michael Stephens, deputy director of the Royal United Services Institute, Qatar. And Sandhurst gives the UK influence in the Gulf. "The [UK] gets the kind of attention from Gulf policy elites that countries of our size, like France and others, don't get. It gives us the ability to punch above our weight. "You have people who've spent time in Britain, they have… connections to their mates, their teachers. Familiarity in politics is very beneficial in the Gulf context." "For British people who are drifting around the world, as I did as a soldier," says Brigadier Peter Sincock, former defence attache to Saudi Arabia, "you find people who were at Sandhurst and you have an immediate rapport. I think that's very helpful, for example, in the field of military sales." The Emir of Dubai Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum with his son after his Passing Out Parade at Sandhurst in 2006 Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Emir of Dubai, with his son in uniform at Sandhurst in 2006 Her Majesty The Queen's Representative His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, The Emir of Qatar inspects soldiers during the 144th Sovereign's Parade held at The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst on April 8, 2004 in Camberley, England. Some 470 Officer cadets took part of which 219 were commissioned into the British Army Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the Emir of Qatar until 2013, inspects soldiers at Sandhurst in 2004 Emotion doesn't always deliver. In 2013, despite the personal intervention of David Cameron, the UAE decided against buying the UK's Typhoon fighter jets. But elsewhere fellow feeling is paying dividends. "The Gulf monarchies have become important sources of capital," says Jane Kinninmont, deputy head of the Middle East/North Africa programme at the foreign affairs think tank Chatham House. "So you see the tallest building in London being financed by the Qataris, you see UK infrastructure and oilfield development being financed by the UAE. There's a desire - it can even seem like a desperation - to keep them onside for trade reasons." British policy in the Gulf is primarily "mercantile", says Dr Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, of the Baker Institute in Houston, Texas. Concerns over human rights and reform are secondary. The Shard at dusk The Shard was funded by Qatari investors In 2012 Sandhurst accepted a £15m donation from the UAE for a new accommodation block, named the Zayed Building after that country's founding ruler. In March 2013, Sandhurst's Mons Hall - a sports centre - was reopened as the King Hamad Hall, following a £3m donation from the monarch of Bahrain, who was educated at one of Sandhurst's affiliated colleges. The renaming proved controversial, partly because of the perceived slight towards the 1,600 British casualties at the Battle of Mons in August 1914 - and partly because of how Hamad and his government have dealt with political protest in Bahrain over the last three years. A critic might note that the third term of Sandhurst's Officer Commissioning Course covers counter-insurgency techniques and ways to manage public disorder. Since tension between Bahrain's majority Shia population and minority Sunni ruling elite boiled over in 2011, more than 80 civilians have died at the hands of the security forces, according to opposition estimates, though the government disputes the figures. Thirteen police officers have also lost their lives in the clashes. "The king has always felt that Sandhurst was a great place," says Sincock, chairman of the Bahrain Society, which promotes friendship between the UK and Bahrain. "Something like 20 of his immediate family have been there as cadets. He didn't really understand why there was such an outcry." David Cameron and King Hamad David Cameron meeting King Hamad in 2012... A protester is held back by police ... while protesters nearby opposed the Bahrain ruler's human rights record Crispin Black, a Sandhurst graduate and former instructor, says the academy should not have taken the money. "Everywhere you look there's a memorial to something, a building or a plaque that serves as a touchstone that takes you right to the heart of British military history. Calling this hall 'King Hamad Hall' ain't gonna do that." Sandhurst gave a written response to the criticism. "All donations to Sandhurst are in compliance with the UK's domestic and international legal obligations and our values as a nation. Over the years donations like this have saved the UK taxpayer a considerable amount of money." But what happens when Sandhurst's friends become enemies? In 2001, then-prime minister Tony Blair visited Damascus, marking a warming of relations between the UK and Syria. Shortly after, in 2003, Sandhurst was training officers from the Syrian armed forces. Now, of course, Syria is an international pariah. Journalist Michael Cockerell has written about Libyan dictator Colonel Gaddafi's time at the Army School of Education in Beaconsfield in 1966: "Three years [later], Gaddafi followed a tradition of foreign officers trained by the British Army. He made use of his newfound knowledge to seize political power in his own country." Ahmed Ali Sandhurst-trained Ahmed Ali was a key player in the Egyptian military's removal of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi That tradition persists. In the 1990s Egyptian colonel Ahmed Ali attended Sandhurst. In 2013 he was one of the key figures in the Egyptian military's removal of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, now rewarded by a post in President Sisi's inner circle of advisers. In the late 1990s there were moves by the British government under Tony Blair to end Sandhurst's training of overseas cadets. Major-General Arthur Denaro, Middle East adviser to the defence secretary and commandant at Sandhurst in the late 1990s, describes the idea as part of the "ethical foreign policy" advocated by the late Robin Cook, then-foreign secretary. Tony Blair and Robin Cook Tony Blair and Robin Cook at one point planned to end Sandhurst's training of overseas cadets The funeral of King Hussein in 1999 appears to have scuppered the plan. "Coming to that funeral were the heads of state of almost every country in the world - and our prime minister was there, Tony Blair," says Major-General Denaro. "He happened to see me talking to heads of state - the Sultan of Brunei, the Sultan of Oman, the Bahrainis, the Saudis - and he said 'How do you know all these guys?' The answer was because they went to Sandhurst." Today, Sandhurst has reportedly trained more officer cadets from the UAE than from any other country bar the UK. The May 2014 intake included 72 overseas cadets, around 40% of whom were from the Middle East. "In the future," says Maryam al-Khawaja, acting president of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, "people will look back at how much Britain messed up in the [Middle East] because they wanted to sell more Typhoon jets to Bahrain, rather than stand behind the values of human rights and democracy." "It's one thing saying we're inculcating benign values, but that's not happening," says Habiba Hamid. Sandhurst is "a relic of the colonial past. They're not [teaching] the civic values we ought to find in democratically elected leaders." line Who else went to Sandhurst? Princes William and Harry, Winston Churchill, Ian Fleming, Katie Hopkins, Antony Beevor, James Blunt, Josh Lewsey, Devon Harris (From left to right) Princes William and Harry Sir Winston Churchill Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond (but did not complete training) Katie Hopkins, reality TV star Antony Beevor, historian James Blunt, singer-songwriter Josh Lewsey, World Cup-winning England rugby player Devon Harris, member of Jamaica's first bobsleigh team line Sandhurst says that "building international relations through military exchanges and education is a key pillar of the UK's international engagement strategy". Sandhurst may be marvellous for the UK, a country where the army is subservient to government, but it is also delivering militarily-trained officers to Middle Eastern monarchies where, often, armies seem to exist to defend not the nation but the ruling family.

Image
Generations of foreign royals - particularly from the Middle East - have learned to be military leaders at the UK's Sandhurst officer training academy. But is that still a good idea, asks Matthew Teller. Since 1812, the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, on the Surrey/Berkshire border, has been where the British Army trains its officers. It has a gruelling 44-week course testing the physical and intellectual skills of officer cadets and imbuing them with the values of the British Army. Alongside would-be British officers, Sandhurst has a tradition of drawing cadets from overseas. Many of the elite families of the Middle East have sent their sons and daughters. Perhaps the most notable was King Hussein of Jordan. Four reigning Arab monarchs are graduates of Sandhurst and its affiliated colleges - King Abdullah of Jordan, King Hamad of Bahrain, Sheikh Tamim, Emir of Qatar, and Sultan Qaboos of Oman. Past monarchs include Sheikh S
Read more

Ebola Outbreak: Guinea Declares Emergency As Overall Deaths From Ebola Rise To 1,069

Image
Health workers take passengers' temperatures infrared digital laser thermometers at the Felix Houphouet Boigny international airport in Abidjan on Aug. 13, 2014. Ivory Coast on Monday banned air travellers from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, the three countries worst-hit by the Ebola outbreak, and ordered its flagship carrier Air Cote d'Ivoire to cease flights to and from them. Reuters/Luc Gnago Guinea, one of the worst-hit West African nations in the ongoing Ebola outbreak, announced a state of emergency Wednesday. The World Health Organization, or WHO, also  said  that four new people died in Guinea between Aug. 10 and Aug. 11. The total death count in Guinea from the latest epidemic was estimated at 377 by WHO while the number of cases reported had risen to 510. Overa
Read more