MacRumors iPhone and iPad Blog: Apps, News, and Rumors

New details are still emerging about the Apple Watch following yesterday's big "Spring Forward" event in San Francisco, with a new report pointing to a completely replaceable battery for Apple's new wearable. Following the event yesterday, an Apple spokesperson disclosed to TechCrunch that the Apple Watch "battery is replaceable." The big missing piece of information of course relating to how...

Last week, we heard reports that a hidden "diagnostic port" was present on early Apple Watches currently in testing. The TechCrunch report indicated the port was being used for diagnostic purposes. The port has a 6-dot brass contact array inside the groove for the ‘bottom’ strap connector slot. Several sources have confirmed its existence and placement to me. It is very similar to the...

Apple Watch Sport and the stainless steel Apple Watch will be covered by a limited one-year warranty for hardware repairs and up to 90 days of complimentary support from Apple, the same coverage offered for the iPhone, iPad and many other products. Meanwhile, the more expensive 18-karat gold Apple Watch Edition will be backed by two years of hardware coverage and complimentary support....

After today's "Spring Forward" media event that included a slew of new information on the Apple Watch, Apple updated its Apple Store app for iOS with a featured Apple Watch section that lets users browse available models, see if their iPhone is compatible with the device, and learn more about each version of the Apple Watch There are also life size images of the 38 and 42mm watch casings for...

Apple CEO Tim Cook on Monday at the “Spring Forward” media event in San Francisco announced that the 18-karat gold Apple Watch Edition will cost upwards of $10,000, and will be available in limited quantities. At the low end of Apple Watch Edition pricing, the 38mm 18-Karat Rose Gold Case with White Sport Band costs $10,000, and at the high end is the 38mm 18-Karat Yellow Gold Case with...

Apple CEO Tim Cook on Monday at the “Spring Forward” media event in San Francisco announced that the stainless steel Apple Watch will cost between $549 to $1049 for the 38mm model, while the larger 42mm model will cost between $599 to $1099, depending on the band chosen. A variety of bands are available for the stainless steel Apple Watch, including a Sport Band, Classic Buckle, Milanese Loop, ...

Apple CEO Tim Cook on Monday at the “Spring Forward” media event in San Francisco announced that the Apple Watch Sport will start at $349 for the 38mm, while the larger 42mm model will cost $399. It was also recently discovered that the Apple Watch Sport will be the only edition to include two bands in the box, as noted on Apple's online store page for the active lifestyle-focused edition. The ...

During its big "Spring Forward" Apple Watch event, Apple announced that it will release iOS 8.2 to the public today, with support for the upcoming Apple Watch and a range of bug fixes. iOS 8.2 was first seeded to developers along with the WatchKit SDK back in November, allowing them to begin preparing apps for the device. iOS 8.2 is available today as an over-the-air download. Apple is...

Apple SVP of Operations, Jeff Williams, today announced "ResearchKit", a new open source software framework in the vein of HomeKit and HealthKit that will turn an iPhone into "powerful diagnostic tools for medical research." The new software aims to assist doctors and scientist gather data at a faster and more accurate rate via the accessibility of the iPhone. Williams mentioned multiple...

Apple CEO Tim Cook on Monday at the “Spring Forward” media event in San Francisco announced that Apple TV will now cost $69, discounted from its regular price of $99. The new price for the set-top box arrives on the heels of the announcement of HBO Now for Apple TV. The new price appears to apply to the third-generation Apple TV, as the company did not announce a new set-top box on stage at the...

Apple recently updated its iPhone 5 Sleep/Wake Button Replacement Program page, as noted by Apfelpage [Google Translate], adding an additional year onto the service. This will allow customers with a malfunctioning iPhone 5 up to three years after purchase date to replace the sleep/wake button on the device. The service began last April when multiple reports surfaced concerning the iPhone 5's...

Following an afternoon of discussion on the recharge rate and battery life of the Apple Watch, third-party developers Lane Musgrave and John Arrow today revealed the "Reserve Strap", which will allow users to charge their Apple Watch while wearing it on their wrist. The device consists of a silicone band with embedded lithium polymer cells and an inductive charging cradle that will hold the...

A new report out of Japanese Apple blog Mac Otakara [Google Translate] suggests that a refresh of the iPad Mini line could be hitting mid-cycle, bringing a beefier processor and faster Wi-Fi to a fourth-generation iPad mini. Considering that the iPad Mini 3 was only a slight refresh on its predecessor, packing the same processing speed and power and essentially adding only Touch ID and a...

As rumors gear up surrounding the revamped Apple iTunes/Beats music service, a new report claims that the company will opt out of offering a free advertising-supported base tier for its upcoming streaming service (via Re/code). The company will allow customers an initial trial period of some kind, but following that users will have to pay to continue listening to music, the cost of which most r...

Google on Thursday updated Gmail for iOS with a trio of notable new features: quick actions, the ability to email files from other apps and a new attachment viewer. Gmail users on iPhone and iPad can now attach photos and documents to Gmail from other apps such as Instagram using the updated in-app share sheet, and open attachments from Gmail into any app. Taking advantage of Apple's...

Apple may give customers the ability to engrave personalized messages onto the upcoming Apple Watch, according to French Apple and tech site iPhonote [Google Translate]. According to the website's source, who remained anonymous due to their "involvement at Apple", the company would offer an engraving option similar to that of products like the iPhone, iPad, and iPod lines. The contact,...

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office today published a patent application created by Apple, detailing a method for the extensive waterproofing of various components within a device, possibly an iPhone, thus creating a completely waterproof smartphone without the need of a special case (via Patently Apple). Originally filed in September of 2013, the patent application describes a "hydrophobic...

Ahead of Apple's upcoming "Spring Forward" event that is expected to see the company unveiling more information about the Apple Watch, a new website has been launched that allows users to explore all of the different casing and band combinations for the device. Using images taken from Apple's Apple Watch website, MixYourWatch lets users pair each of the six different Apple Watch casings...