Tech Talk

This week's news was obviously dominated by Apple's media event and the launch of iOS 14, but there was a lot to digest, so check out our summary below for the high-level view of the past week. With the exception of the massively redesigned iPad Air, all of the new hardware introduced this week is starting to appear on store shelves and on customers' doorsteps, while all of the new software updates bring some changes and new features to existing devices, so there's lots to explore! Everything Apple Announced at This Week's iPad and Apple Watch Event in Just Seven Minutes Apple hosted its virtual "Time Flies" event this week , where it introduced four new products, including the Apple Watch Series 6, lower-cost Apple Watch SE, a 10.9-inch iPad Air with an all-screen design, and an updated 10.2-inch iPad with a faster A12 Bionic chip. As expected, there were no new iPhones, which are believed to be coming in October instead . Apple also announced t

In watchOS 7 , Apple introduced Family Setup , a new feature that allows users to pair additional watches to their iPhone for children or older members of their household who don't have their own iPhones. An associated feature of Family Setup, called "Schooltime," allows parents and guardians to remotely turn on Do Not Disturb on kids' watches and display a special watch face with restricted interaction. But even if you have no interest in Family Setup, you can still use Schooltime on your own Apple Watch whenever you want to focus on something. Schooltime helps eliminate distractions on your Apple Watch, and you can use it as an alternative to Do Not Disturb or Theater Mode when you want to silence notifications and block apps, but still want to be able to check the time easily without visual distractions. And you don't have to worry about not receiving Emergency Calls – they'll still come through with Schooltime enabled. To access Schooltime on an App

Apple today announced that it plans to open its online store in India on Wednesday, September 23, providing customers located in India with a way to purchase iPhones, Macs, iPads, and more directly from Apple. "We're proud to be expanding in India and want to do all we can to support our customers and their communities," said Deirdre O'Brien, Apple's senior vice president of Retail + People. "We know our users are relying on technology to stay connected, engage in learning, and tap into their creativity, and by bringing the Apple Store online to India, we are offering our customers the very best ofApple at this important time." Apple's online store will also feature Apple Specialists able to help with ordering products and setting up new devices, with customers able to get help in English and Hindi. With the store, Apple will introduce financing options and a trade-in program, along with EDU pricing for students. Starting in October, Apple wil

Apple on Wednesday released watchOS 7 to the public, and the latest operating system for compatible Apple Watch models also brought ECG and irregular heart rhythm notifications to users in Colombia, Israel, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates for the first time. ‌Apple Watch‌ Series 4, 5, and 6 users can generate an ECG waveform in just 30 seconds by placing their finger on the Digital Crown. The idea is that you can take this information to your doctor, if the results are abnormal, and use it as a basis to discover if you have any larger issues at hand. The irregular rhythm notification feature also intermittently checks heart rhythms in the background and sends a notification if an irregular heart rhythm is identified that could potentially be atrial fibrillation (AFib). Atrial fibrillation is a health condition that often goes undiagnosed, so ECG app and heart rhythm alerts on Apple Watch will be highly useful for detecting early signs of disease. ECG readings

Apple's official public release of iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 is finally set to drop on Wednesday, September 16, just a day after the company released the Golden Master to third-party developers. Also set to be made available to the general public for the first time are watchOS 7 and tvOS 14 . While that's left a lot of developers scrambling to test and submit their apps to Apple for review – a process that can sometimes take days if not weeks – that doesn't change the fact that plenty of Apple device users will be eager to download and install the new software as soon as it comes out. There are tons of native features in ‌‌iOS 14‌‌ and ‌‌iPadOS 14‌‌, all the details of which you can find in our iOS 14 roundup and iPadOS 14 roundup . Although there's no exact time for the release, major Apple OS updates usually arrive at around 10.00 a.m. Pacific Time, so if you want the latest features on your iPhone , Apple Watch, iPad , or Apple TV , then make sure you have you

The new watchOS 7 update includes a new Apple Watch feature that's designed to let users customize all of their Activity goals, setting not only calorie targets, but also Stand hours and Exercise minutes. In watchOS 6 , there is no option to customize Stand hours or Exercise minutes, with Apple requiring at least 12 stand hours and at least 30 minutes of exercise to complete an Activity goal. Goals will be much more customizable with ‌watchOS 7‌. The Exercise goal can be set for as low as 10 minutes or as high as 60 minutes, while the Stand goal can be dropped to six hours. Twelve hours continues to be the maximum. Activity goals can be changed by opening up the Activity app on the Apple Watch and scrolling down to get to the "Change Goals" option. Under Change Goals, you can set new Move, Exercise, and Stand goals. Apple released the ‌watchOS 7‌ GM earlier today, and plans to release the new update to the public tomorrow. Related Roundups: Apple Watch 6 , watch

At today's media event, Apple announced Family Setup , a new feature coming tomorrow as part of watchOS 7 that will allow kids, elderly relatives, and others take advantage of many of the capabilities of the Apple Watch without the need for their own paired iPhone . Compatible with Apple Watch Series 4 and later and the Apple Watch SE, Family Setup requires a cellular Apple Watch model and an active carrier plan for the watch. The primary user can then use the Watch app on their ‌iPhone‌ to set up an Apple Watch for another family member, managing access to various features and capabilities and receiving reports on activity. One interesting feature of Family Setup is "Apple Cash Family," which lets a parent securely load money onto their child's Apple Watch and allows the child to then purchase items wherever Apple Pay is accepted. With the new Apple Cash Family, parents can securely send their kids money to spend on their watch using ‌Apple Pay‌. Parents can c

Apple today made its Apple Card interest-free monthly installment payment plan option available for the Apple Watch for the first time, allowing U.S. ‌Apple Card‌ holders to pay for the Apple Watch over time with interest-free payments. When purchasing an Apple Watch using ‌Apple Card‌ Monthly Installments, users will make one installment payment each month for twenty four months, which is the same purchase plan available for iPhone . ‌Apple Card‌ users also earn the three percent standard Daily Cash back for purchases through Apple. Apple in June made interest-free monthly installment plans available for Macs, iPads, and other Apple products, but the Apple Watch was not included as an eligible purchase option until today, as noted in a new support document . The new ‌Apple Card‌ Monthly Installment option for Apple Watch is prominently displayed when making an Apple Watch purchase from the online Apple Store or the Apple Store app. A standard $399 Apple Watch Series 6, which

Following the debut of the new Apple Watch Series 6, the refreshed iPad Air, and the low-cost eighth-generation ‌iPad‌, Apple has extended its Back to School sale in the United States, with the promotion now ending on October 12 instead of September 29. In addition to extending the dates of the sale, Apple has also updated its Terms and Conditions [ PDF ] to exclude the new ‌iPad‌ Air from the promotion. Customers who purchase one of the new $599 ‌iPad‌ Air models (which are not available for sale yet) will not be eligible to get free AirPods . Prior to today's update, both the iPad Pro and the ‌iPad‌ Air were eligible products that customers could purchase to take advantage of the free ‌AirPods‌ promotion. The Back to School Sale in the United States initially launched on June 15, and it provides a $159 credit toward the purchase of ‌AirPods‌, AirPods Pro , or ‌AirPods‌ with Wireless Charging case for those who purchase a MacBook Air , MacBook Pro , iMac , iMac Pro , or

Apple today updated its AppleCare+ protection plan for Apple devices to cover two incidents of accidental damage protection every 12 months. Prior to now, AppleCare + covered two incidents of accidental damage every 24 months. The ‌AppleCare‌+ changes apply to the new Apple Watch models as well as the iPhone , a change made ahead of the launch of the new iPhone 12 models. Macs and iPads also offer the same updated coverage. Accidental damage is subject to service fees that vary based on the damage and the device. For the iPhone , for example, screen damage requires customers to pay a $29 deductible, while other accidental damage requires a $99 fee. Apple's separate Theft or Loss plan for the ‌iPhone‌ also has a lowered deductible that's now $149 for all iPhones. Previously, replacing a stolen or lost ‌iPhone‌ cost $149 to $269 depending on the device, so it's much more affordable to get a lost ‌iPhone‌ replaced under the new terms. Apple also recently changed

Apple is trying out a new retail store experience that puts express pickup of online orders and Genius Bar appointments front and center, while keeping customer and staff safety paramount during the ongoing global health crisis. Images credited to PopVox co-founder and CEO Marci Harris via Twitter Dubbed "Apple Express," the temporary retail format for brick-and-mortar stores is being trialed at Apple Burlingame in California. The location has an interior storefront hub with a partition at the entrance that includes serving counters with perspex window shielding, central display cases with popular accessories for purchase, and a surrounding wall that screens off the shop floor proper. Black spots on the floor in front of the temporary facade indicate where visiting customers should stand in order to observe social distancing measures. Based on the pictures, the system allows one customer at a time to come up to each serving window, while customers with pre-booked ap