In the last few years 3D printing has gone from a niche within a niche, to one of the most headline-grabbing fields in tech. Consumers haven't exactly embraced the technology, but it is beginning to trickle down into the homes of more hobbyists and...
There's a rumor going around that Nike is axing their Nike Fuelband hardware division. Whether it ultimately proves to be true or false, given where Apple is and where they may be going with iOS 8, iPhone 6, and perhaps even an iWatch, it makes a ton of sense.
A few years ago Sonos, the Wi-Fi connected speaker maker, switched from making their own hardware controller to making an app for the iPhone and later, the iPad. When I spoke to them about it they said the iPhone was simply a better solution. It was great hardware, capable of presenting great interface, and it was something a huge amount of people already knew how to do.
By shifting their efforts from making hardware controllers to making an app to connect to their speakers, Sonos got to focus on what they did best while letting Apple handle the rest. Since then, many other peripherals, accessories, and connected devices have followed their lead.
Even existing wearables like the FitBit and the Pebble smartwatch have companion apps on the iPhone to handle aggregation, reporting, and updating, among other things.
With the Apple M7 motion coprocessor, Apple devices like the the iPhone 5s can do even more. For example, the M7 can store a weeks worth of motion data so that when you download a pedometer or similar app, you get a 7 day kickstart, and if you switch apps, you don't lose everything, you get the same buffer.
iOS 8 and the iPhone 6 are rumored to be taking this to the next level with Healthbook, which will collect all sorts of fitness, sleep, nutrition, and medical information, all in one place. Theoretically, Health Kit will come with that, letting developers hook into Healthbook.
That will extend the "buffer" beyond the device. Any motion tracker could share data with Healthbook, so that if you had your iPhone with your one day but your fitness band with you the next, it wouldn't matter. Progress would just get stored in the Pedometer card, for example.
If and when Apple has their own wearable on the market, then it wouldn't matter if you had your iPhone 6 or iWatch with you on any given day. Even your iPad, conceivably, in your backup while hiking. It would all just work together, syncing Healthbook via iCloud to all your devices.
In a world and future like that, a company like Nike wouldn't have to go to the trouble to make their own fitness band any more than a company like Sonos needed to keep making their own hardware controls. They can take all that effort and concentrate on making great software and services instead.
Some companies, competitors especially, will certainly want to keep making their own bands. Many companies will want to make peripherals and accessories that Apple doesn't, or at least doesn't yet, offer, like the blood sugar and pulse readers.
But those that just do things the iPhone and/or iWatch do could be far, far better served by just letting the iPhone and/or iWatch do those things.
Sure, in Nike's case it also neatly sidesteps any potential conflict of interest Tim Cook might face being Apple's CEO and Nike's board member, but it could also ultimately better serve the interests of both companies.
If you own or are interested in fitness bands like the Nike FuelBand let me know what you think — would you rather they focus on software and let Apple handle the hardware, or do you want to see a wider variety of hardware still?
General Mills has come to its senses, reversing its very recent and instantly unpopular attempt to punish customers who have liked it on Facebook or downloaded and used digital coupons. The original idea had been to force customers who have benefited from the cereal giant's online generosity to give up their legal right to sue GM for any reason, funneling those customers instead into arbitration. In a blog post explaining the news earlier today, General Mills claims it "never imagined this reaction." Perhaps they need a better PR team. [General Mills, Huffington Post]
Chocolate candy eggs aren't the only things worth hunting down this week, not when the iMore store is having a 20% off sale on all your favorite iPhone and iPad cases, cables, chargers and more! The sale starts now an runs through April 22, and all you have to do to take advantage is enter coupon code HOP14 during the checkout process. FREE shipping is available on all orders over $50 (domestic US / Canada), and you have lots of payment methods beyond standard credit card including Amazon payments, Paypal and Bitcoin!
We have tons of accessories in stock for the iPhone, iPad and more! Be sure to take advantage of the savings while they last!
And for those of you living in a multi mobile platform household, don't forget the HOP14 coupon also works at Shop Android, Windows Phone Central Store, and Shop CrackBerry! Add whatever you like and you shopping cart will follow you through all four stores, so all you have to do is checkout once and save big!
MG is celebrating its 90th year in the car-making business, so to mark the occasion, it's decided to take the wrappings off its first ever fully electric vehicle. Created at parent company SAIC's European Design and Technical Centre (SMTC), the MG...
HotelTonight's namesake feature is also holding it back: You can only book a room beginning at 9AM on the day of check-in. If you're planning to arrive during a major event, say, in Los Angeles during E3 or Rio during Carnival, landing without a...
The Left Coast Lifter sits docked in Hudson Harbor after its trip through the Panama Canal, coming to New York from San Francisco. Nearly 30 stories tall and able to lift up to 1,900 tons, the Left Coast Lifter now waits for construction work on The New NY Bridge to begin. [Photo by Nicholas Stango]
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You're probably familiar with LG's cutting edge curved OLED TVs, but the company is taking the technology in a new direction. At the Light+Building trade show in Frankfurt, LG unveiled an OLED table lamp. It's a little bit ugly—okay, a lot ugly—but the technology bears some exciting implications.
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Person A: "Man, I was so wasted last night..."
Person B: "Oh really? Well, exactly how wasted were you? What hard data do you have to back up this outrageous statement, sir? I demand satisfaction!"
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Google is looking to make the task for schools looking to cash in on Google Play for Education a bit easier with a bit of mobile software. The Google Edu Device Setup app (for Android, natch) allows administrators with a proper account to activate tablets purchased through school-themed store in bulk. Once the app is downloaded from the regular Play Store and the slates are activated, age appropriate settings -- like disabling location sharing -- can be configured and when complete, only the Education Store can be accessed. As you might expect, this tool only works with Nexus tablets procured through the proper scholastic portion of Google's online shop.
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