Joe Rossignol

Consumer Reports has crowned the Apple Watch as its top-rated smartwatch in its test of 11 smartwatch models from eight manufacturers, including the Asus ZenWatch, LG G Watch R, Moto 360, Pebble Steel, Samsung Gear S and Sony SmartWatch 3. The not-for-profit organization tested the Apple Watch and competing devices for step count accuracy, screen readability, ease of use, scratch resistance,...

Software maker OpenTV has filed a patent lawsuit against Apple based on accusations that several of the company's products and services, including iTunes, infringe upon five of its patents related to streaming digital video. The civil suit was filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, and OpenTV is seeking undiclosed compensation for the alleged patent...

While Apple is still working to get key deals in place for its upcoming streaming music service, the company remains committed to announcing the service at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), likely during the opening keynote on June 8, according to 9to5Mac. Apple's streaming music service will reportedly launch alongside a revamped iTunes Radio in a "long list" of countries in ...

Apple updated its Apple Pay participating issuers list today with 24 additional banks, credit unions and financial institutions supporting the contactless payment service in the United States. Apple Pay now has nearly 250 participating issuers nationwide, and several hundred more plan to support the NFC-based mobile payment service in the future. The full list of new Apple Pay participating...

OtterBox today announced the availability of its new Symmetry Series folio cases for iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 in black with faux leather or white with a tan fabric cover. The cases feature a one-piece protective shell and slim folio that wraps around to cover the screen, alongside a micro suede interior cover to keep the tablet's display free of scratches. The Symmetry Series cases for...

The Apple TV has gained two new channels today in CBS Sports and USA NOW, bringing on-demand sports, drama, comedy, sitcoms and more programming to the set-top box in the United States. The new channels should be appearing on the Apple TV for all users today as an over-the-air update, with CBS Sports offering free sports clips for all users worldwide and USA NOW requiring a U.S. cable...

Microsoft has included several redesigned emoji in Windows 10 that resemble Apple's emoji found on iPhone, iPad and Mac, including a wide range of faces and even the "sassy" information desk person (via Emojipedia). The update also includes skin tone modifiers, the middle finger, a new haircut emoji and more, although country flags are still not supported on the upcoming operating system....

Apple has been leveraging its power within the music industry in an attempt to push music labels to stop licensing freemium tiers offered by Spotify and other streaming music services, according to The Verge. The company has also reportedly offered to pay YouTube's music licensing fee to Universal Music Group if the label stops allowing its songs on the website, a popular destination for music...

The much-rumored 12.9-inch so-called "iPad Pro" will feature a built-in NFC chip, pressure-sensitive Bluetooth stylus, Force Touch and USB-C port, according to AppleInsider. The report, citing a source familiar with Apple's future product plans, also claims that the larger iPad will have a new touchscreen with improved latency and unsurprisingly be powered by Apple's latest A-series processor. ...

iFixit has released Apple Watch repair manuals for various components of the device, including the battery, screen, adhesive, and NFC antenna. The guides provide step-by-step instructions on how to replace the Apple Watch's OLED display and battery, alongside additional steps for repairing the adhesive and NFC antenna that can be damaged as a result of opening the casing. The steps required...

While the 18-karat gold Apple Watch Edition is a gorgeous wristwatch, its starting price of $10,000 in the United States is simply out of reach for many customers. But if you have a stainless steel Apple Watch, it is possible to gold plate your device without breaking the bank. Take a look at the comparatively inexpensive services and methods for turning your Apple Watch gold below. WatchPlate ...

While many customers have been receiving their Apple Watch pre-orders earlier than expected, all 42mm Apple Watch Sport and stainless steel Apple Watch models now have shipping estimates of July on the Apple Online Store in the United States for new orders. Apple Watch Edition shipping times have not changed. Now that the calendar has turned to May, it is likely that Apple has simply bumped...

Apple is now offering a shorter one-week free trial for new customers that sign up for HBO NOW using an iPhone, iPad or Apple TV, shortly after the April 30 deadline of a previous promotion that offered customers the first month of the streaming TV service for free. A paid subscription begins at the end of the one-week trial until canceled. HBO NOW operates similar to Netflix, allowing...

Apple has confirmed on a support page on its website that dark wrist tattoos have the potential of interfering with the Apple Watch's heart rate sensor (via Trusted Reviews). It was reported earlier this week that some tattoos, particularly dark or saturated ones, can affect the Apple Watch's heart rate sensor and ability to register contact with the wearer's skin."Permanent or temporary changes...

Less than a week after the release of the Apple Watch, a few issues with the wrist-worn device have been spotted by early adopters. The first issue involves full sleeve tattoos interfering with the Apple Watch's heart rare sensor and skin contact registration, while MacRumors forum member Smickers has shared a new video that shows an Apple Watch with a nonfunctioning band locking mechanism."So, I ...

Apple TV's shipping estimate slipped to 1-2 weeks on the Apple Online Store in the United States today, less than six weeks before Apple is rumored to announce a new version of the set-top box at WWDC 2015 on June 8-12. The shipping times initially slipped to 1-2 weeks on the Apple Online Store on late Wednesday before the set-top box returned to in stock on Thursday, only to slip to 1-2 weeks...

The latest numbers from market research firm IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Tablet Tracker reveal that Apple continues to be the largest vendor in a declining tablet market, shipping 12.6 million iPads in the first quarter of 2015 to capture a 26.8% share of the global tablet market. Apple maintained the top position despite facing a 22.9% decline in tablet shipments compared to the year-ago quarter. ...

Apple has added 20 new Flyover locations to Apple Maps, including cities and landmarks in the United States, Australia, France, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Portugal, South Africa and Spain. Apple Maps now has a total of 141 destinations for Flyover, which provides photo-realistic, interactive 3D views of select areas that users can zoom, pan, tilt and rotate through. The full list of...

Apple identified a Taptic Engine defect affecting the Apple Watch before shipping the device to any customers, according to Re/code. The report, citing people with knowledge of the matter, claims that no faulty Apple Watches reached customers, and reiterates that Apple has shifted the majority of production to Japanese supplier Nidec, which has not encountered the same issue.“I believe no...

Apple's latest distribution numbers show that 81% of iOS devices are now running iOS 8 or later, less than one week after the release of the Apple Watch. 17% of devices used to access the App Store continue to run iOS 7 and the remaining 2% are running an earlier software version. iOS 8 adoption rose 2 percentage points since Apple shared its last distribution numbers earlier this month, with...