Apple Watch no longer supports Google Maps, Amazon, eBay

Major apps including Google Maps, Amazon, eBay appear to have ditched their Apple Watch apps and have quietly removed support for watchOS in updates submitted to the App Store. “Google confirmed it had removed support from Google Maps but suggested that move might be temporary,” technology website cnet.com reported.

The removal was not mentioned in the release notes, and Google has not indicated whether it will reinstate support for watchOS. Amazon and eBay, both of which previously included Apple Watch support in their iOS apps have also removed their apps. Both were last updated in April.

“It’s unclear why the companies decided to remove support for their apps on the Apple Watch, or whether Apple had a role in their decision,” the report noted. 

Apple launched its smartwatch two years ago, but the early software version was limited and apps initially were extensions of their iPhone apps. Apple released watchOS 3 software in 2016 that allowed app developers to make standalone apps for the Apple Watch.

Finally Apple Store in India

Apple Store

The Apple Store is coming to India — or at least a few counters are, along with those signature wooden tables. They will be debuting in India in partnership with Tata-owned consumer electronics chain Croma, which will host Apple at six of its locations as a pilot.

"We are proud to partner Apple to launch the Apple Store in India and extremely bullish about it," said Avijit Mitra, chief executive officer of Infiniti Retail, which owns Croma. "These stores will be modeled on the global design and will offer the best experience to consumers, showcasing the entire range of Apple products."

The Apple space will be 400-500 square feet in area and will be set up at five Croma stores in Mumbai — Malad, Juhu, Oberoi Mall, Phoenix Mall and Ghatkopar. In Bengaluru, this will be at Croma in Jayanagar. They are set to open by Diwali next month.

The store design, furniture, fixtures and lighting will the same as that used in Apple stores globally and the sales staff will also be trained by the company. In India, Apple sells through premium resellers who run exclusive brand stores under the franchise model. Devices are also available at multi-brand mobile and consumer electronics retail chains and some of the larger neighborhood phone stores.

Apple hasn't been able to set up its own stores because of mandatory local-sourcing norms for single-brand foreign direct investment in retail, it is said. Going the Croma route gives Apple the opportunity to control the consumer experience without jumping through the bureaucratic hoops.

To be sure, this could also be a precursor for a possibly stronger retail presence.

CEO Tim Cook is said to have suggested an easing of the sourcing rules when he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the US recently, according to two persons with knowledge of this. Croma said it has 97 stores across the country with 3.8 million customers. Apple owns more than 460 stores in 17 countries — more than half in the US. The company has significantly increased its retail presence in the country in the past year with five distributors as India has become one of the fastest-growing markets for Apple.

It's also accelerated the launch of new phones. Sales of the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus will start on October 16, just three weeks after the US. It also plans to launch Apple Watch in India by Diwali.

Apple sold 1.7 million iPhones in India between October 2014 and September 2015, the company's financial year, compared with 1.1 million units in the year-earlier period, according to market tracker Counter-Point Research.

Inside Apple Store 

Source : Times of India

What expect form Apple Event September 9, 2015

Event: San Francisco on Wednesday at 10:30 pm (IST)

iPhone 6s and 6s Plus : 

Wednesday’s event is likely to bring the debut of the iPhone 6s and 6s plus. The primary upgrades will come internally, with a new “A9” processor and increase in RAM form 1GB to 2GB. Capacity is unlikely to change, starting at 32GB to 128GB, 16GB skip may be.

Camera 12MP back and 5MP Selfi. That larger rear component might add a new white subpixel — helping with low-light performance, while some rumors have suggested that the selfie camera could gain its own flash and the ability to capture slow-motion video at 60 frames per second.

Speaking of new features, many believe that Force Touch will make the leap from the Apple Watch to the iPhone 6s and 6s plus.

The new iPhones may be thicker than the current versions.

Color: New Rose Gold color option to match the Apple Watch.

Apple TV 4 :

The first Apple TV hardware change in more than 3 years is reportedly cantered around improving the puck's gaming credentials, a bid to bring iOS's casual gaming dominance to the living room. To that end, the upgraded set-top box is thought to pack an all-new remote control with a built-in microphone and touchpad, alongside possible support for third-party, Xbox-like gamepads.

Support for 4K video output. Siri allows users to search for titles across every service available on the Apple TV.

iOS 9 & OS X 10.11 El Capitan :

Apple's next-generation mobile and desktop OS were announced at WWDC this summer, and the company is likely to announce details of final availability on Wednesday. Both will be free upgrades for existing users.

iOS 9 is a major update, bringing proper multitasking to the iPad alongside transit directions in Apple Maps and an all-new, Flipboard-style News app. Siri commands that complement more proactive notifications and suggestions.

OS X El Capitan is somewhat more restrained, focusing on refinements to OS X's user experience and improving performance across Apple's range of desktop and notebook computers. Front and center is a change from Helvetica to Apple's in-house San Francisco typeface for the user interface.

iOS 9 will launch to public 16 September 2015.

iPad Pro :

Apple does show off its new device on Wednesday, it is likely to sport a Retina display that extends over 12 inches on the diagonal alongside additional speakers, all in a chassis more svelte than the current iPad Air 2.

Live Event :

Apple will stream the event live to all apple devices and 2^nd & 3^rd gen Apple TV units on Wednesday starting at 10:30 am (IST).

Click here APPLE EVENT

First time, Windows users will be able to join in, provided they are running Microsoft Edge on Windows 10.