Apple puts up in-store graphics for Apple Watch, new 12" MacBook ahead of April debut

Posted:
in General Discussion edited March 2015
Apple Stores around the world installed new backlit displays Thursday night, showing off the company's latest and greatest products, including the Apple Watch and an all new ultra-thin 12-inch MacBook with Retina display.


Apple Store in Marbella, Spain. | Source: Daniel Lora via Instagram


Apple's latest in-store displays are in line with recent iPhone and iPad product placements that use enlarged close-up photographs to show off physical device features in exquisite detail.

In the image above, Apple showcases the Apple Watch Edition's modern buckle leather strap with solid gold clasp. Apple is apparently pushing Apple Watch accessories, as other images show the milanese loop alongside examples of all three Apple Watch tiers.

Taking a spot next to Apple Watch in many Apple Store installations is the new 12-inch MacBook with Retina display. Here Apple puts an emphasis on the new ultralight's thinness, touting profile shots and views of the device's keyboard taken from extreme angles.

Apple is also advertising MacBook's new color options, which now include gold and Space Gray along with the usual raw anodized aluminum.

Both products are slated for release in April, with Apple Watch preorders and in-store previews starting on April 10, the same day Apple's MacBook is set to hit store shelves. Apple Watch makes its way to market on April 24 debut.

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 29
    calicali Posts: 3,494member
    Am I the only one that noticed yet another blow to Goog announced at the keynote?
  • Reply 2 of 29
    mpantonempantone Posts: 2,033member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cali View Post



    Am I the only one that noticed yet another blow to Goog announced at the keynote?



    Not sure what you are referring to.

     

    Apple's media announcements typically do not explicitly refer to named competitors' products, but rather highlight the capabilities of the Apple product/service being announced, with the implication that other similar products/services are possibly inferior.

     

    Whatever Apple announces is a general blow to all of its competitors within that product category, not aimed at a specific company. So when Apple announces a new iPhone, it's taking a swipe at all smartphone manufacturers, not just Samsung (or HTC, BlackBerry, Microsoft).

     

    Would you care to elaborate?

  • Reply 3 of 29
    These products aren't for me, but I'm sure future ones will entice me.

    The Apple Watch and new MacBook are hobbies, and there's nothing wrong with that. Whilst the watch is likely to remain so, the MacBook should eventually find a place, once they've brought the price down and applied the Retina Display to the MacBook Air.
  • Reply 4 of 29
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Benjamin Frost View Post



    These products aren't for me, but I'm sure future ones will entice me.



    The Apple Watch and new MacBook are hobbies, and there's nothing wrong with that. Whilst the watch is likely to remain so, the MacBook should eventually find a place, once they've brought the price down and applied the Retina Display to the MacBook Air.



    The Air is dead laptop booting at this point. It's on borrowed time, like the polycarbonate MacBooks. Apple's just going to revise the MBP's to make them even thinner, and once Skylake hits the new MacBook will get a performance boost. The Air will get squeezed to nothingness.

     

    As for Watch, Apple's 'hobby' will make more money than half of Silicon Valley.

  • Reply 5 of 29
    calicali Posts: 3,494member
    mpantone wrote: »

    Not sure what you are referring to.

    Apple's media announcements typically do not explicitly refer to named competitors' products, but rather highlight the capabilities of the Apple product/service being announced, with the implication that other similar products/services are possibly inferior.

    Whatever Apple announces is a general blow to all of its competitors within that product category, not aimed at a specific company. So when Apple announces a new iPhone, it's taking a swipe at all smartphone manufacturers, not just Samsung (or HTC, BlackBerry, Microsoft).

    Would you care to elaborate?

    I know this. And it wasn't a verbal blow to competing products but a feature that hits Goog where it hurts. Search.

    It was very subtle but strong. Can you guess?

    Apple's slowly been burning bridges to Goog's search engine.
    Siri...Spotlight Search....and...dammit I know there's another.
  • Reply 6 of 29
    radarthekatradarthekat Posts: 3,842moderator
    cali wrote: »
    I know this. And it wasn't a verbal blow to competing products but a feature that hits Goog where it hurts. Search.

    It was very subtle but strong. Can you guess?

    Apple's slowly been burning bridges to Goog's search engine.
    Siri...Spotlight Search....and...dammit I know there's another.

    Well, I saw that Apple's ResearchKit front runs Google's medical research initiative, which will circumvent Google getting their hands on the volumes of medical data generated from widespread participation in medical research and diagnostics. Might that be what you're referring to? If not, then I guess you missed that in favor of whatever it is in your mind.
  • Reply 7 of 29
    aaronjaaronj Posts: 1,595member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by TheWhiteFalcon View Post

     



    The Air is dead laptop booting at this point. It's on borrowed time, like the polycarbonate MacBooks. Apple's just going to revise the MBP's to make them even thinner, and once Skylake hits the new MacBook will get a performance boost. The Air will get squeezed to nothingness.

     

    As for Watch, Apple's 'hobby' will make more money than half of Silicon Valley.




    LOL  "dead laptop booting." :)  Nice.

  • Reply 8 of 29
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Benjamin Frost View Post



    These products aren't for me, but I'm sure future ones will entice me.



    The Apple Watch and new MacBook are hobbies, and there's nothing wrong with that. Whilst the watch is likely to remain so, the MacBook should eventually find a place, once they've brought the price down and applied the Retina Display to the MacBook Air.

    I hear you...but that gold MacBook has me intrigued. It may just be the last laptop I buy. I've been really trying to keep my "gadgets" at the bare minimum, iPhone and iPad, AppleTV, TimeCapsule and an aging original intel iMac that refuses to die. :)

     

    I may just say to hell with it and go all in with Apple and buy the next gen. iMac (Gold I hope), the gold MacBook and still have the iPads/iPhones, etc. I do look at them as marvels of engineering and to be honest enjoy seeing them on my desk or in my home. I had a Ducati, and loved just opening the laundry room door to the garage and would just look at it. All most as much fun as riding it. Oh well.

     

    I will also most likely get an AppleWatch-Sport (White) for running.

     

    Best.

  • Reply 9 of 29
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,309moderator
    I think the clasp on the watch looks nicer than the main part:

    [IMG ALT=""]http://forums.appleinsider.com/content/type/61/id/56548/width/800/height/1000[/IMG]

    Just turn it all upside down, put the OLED panel in there and leave the battery and sensors in the other part. Half the thickness on each side. That way when the battery runs out, you just switch bands.
  • Reply 10 of 29
    mac_128mac_128 Posts: 3,454member
    Marvin wrote: »
    I think the clasp on the watch looks nicer than the main part:.
    It's probably Apple's short term goal to have the watch case look more like that.

    I just really detest that pill-capsule shaped button detail, on both the clasp and watch. It seems so dated to me, although classic Apple.
  • Reply 11 of 29
    calicali Posts: 3,494member
    Well, I saw that Apple's ResearchKit front runs Google's medical research initiative, which will circumvent Google getting their hands on the volumes of medical data generated from widespread participation in medical research and diagnostics. Might that be what you're referring to? If not, then I guess you missed that in favor of whatever it is in your mind.

    Hmmmm... I did see Apple say they wouldn't store any medical data and later say "open source". My thought was "Google's not gonna want this".

    What I always notice is when Apple blocks another potential road to Googs search engine.

    Here's what I noticed this time:

    When they talked about Force Touch they explained how you can press firmly over a word/name of interest to bring up it's Wikipedia entry or Force Touch an address to bring up it's location on a "map".
    It stuck out like a sore thumb and I chuckled a little.

    Reliance on search engines is shrinking on Apple devices. Can't wait for this feature to hit iPhone/iPad.

    400
  • Reply 12 of 29
    VERY SEXY! I noticed it today.
  • Reply 13 of 29
    solipsismysolipsismy Posts: 5,099member
    The Air is dead laptop booting at this point. It's on borrowed time, like the polycarbonate MacBooks. Apple's just going to revise the MBP's to make them even thinner, and once Skylake hits the new MacBook will get a performance boost. The Air will get squeezed to nothingness.

    I think the MBA is a much better brand than the MB, so I have to think the MBA will become something else in time. I'm hoping for it to become an ARM-based notebook once the prices for the display and other components can come down, and I would expect that to be a 12' model. Perhaps once the MB can get a faster processor to help differentiate between it and a 12" MBA running an A-series chip.
    As for Watch, Apple's 'hobby' will make more money than half of Silicon Valley.

    (I know you're just quoting the use of the term hobby) I don't think it's fair to refer to this as a hobby. The Apple TV is still pushed in with the iPods, but ?Watch is both a prominent product on Apple's website, and heavily advertised.
  • Reply 14 of 29
    analogjackanalogjack Posts: 1,073member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by TheWhiteFalcon View Post

     

    The Air will get squeezed to nothingness.

     


     

     

    But then there will be only two macbook lines; heavier than air and lighter than air.

  • Reply 15 of 29
    eat@meeat@me Posts: 321member

    Thunderbolted

     

    So, Thunderbolt is essentially dead - it is the new proprietary firewire. USB-C is the new universal standard for all peripherals.

     

    This means that macbook air and macbook pro and Mac Pro and iMac sans USB-C have been PWNED!  All macbook's will eventually be in the same form factor as the newly introduced MacBooks but with different spec.

     

    This could spell trouble for mac product line sales until new refreshes come out supporting USB-C.  USB-C is a bigger deal than people think and this puts apple's mac lineup in short term jeopardy.

     

    and the iPhone connector in the future?  is this a mini USB-C?

  • Reply 16 of 29
    eat@me wrote: »
    So, Thunderbolt is essentially dead - it is the new proprietary firewire. USB-C is the new universal standard for all peripherals.

    This means that macbook air and macbook pro and Mac Pro and iMac sans USB-C have been PWNED!  All macbook's will eventually be in the same form factor as the newly introduced MacBooks but with different spec.

    This could spell trouble for mac product line sales until new refreshes come out supporting USB-C.  USB-C is a bigger deal than people think and this puts apple's mac lineup in short term jeopardy.

    and the iPhone connector in the future?  is this a mini USB-C?

    And this seems to be paving the way for a post-Intel future, as Thunderbolt was one of the main blocking points.

    I'd love a 13" iPad weighing 1.5 lbs, with an ultra thin Smart Cover that incorporates a physical keyboard. Ive designs an ingenious hinge system, whereby one can use the keyboard on one's lap just like a laptop; no kickstand required. Nonetheless, one can remove the Smart Cover with ease when using as an iPad. It has an ARM processor. It runs iOS and OS X. One can swap between them at the tap of a button. Starting from $699.
  • Reply 17 of 29
    singularitysingularity Posts: 1,328member
    eat@me wrote: »
    So, Thunderbolt is essentially dead - it is the new proprietary firewire. USB-C is the new universal standard for all peripherals.

    This means that macbook air and macbook pro and Mac Pro and iMac sans USB-C have been PWNED!  All macbook's will eventually be in the same form factor as the newly introduced MacBooks but with different spec.

    This could spell trouble for mac product line sales until new refreshes come out supporting USB-C.  USB-C is a bigger deal than people think and this puts apple's mac lineup in short term jeopardy.

    and the iPhone connector in the future?  is this a mini USB-C?

    And this seems to be paving the way for a post-Intel future, as Thunderbolt was one of the main blocking points.

    I'd love a 13" iPad weighing 1.5 lbs, with an ultra thin Smart Cover that incorporates a physical keyboard. Ive designs an ingenious hinge system, whereby one can use the keyboard on one's lap just like a laptop; no kickstand required. Nonetheless, one can remove the Smart Cover with ease when using as an iPad. It has an ARM processor. It runs iOS and OS X. One can swap between them at the tap of a button. Starting from $699.
    Nothing wrong with that dream apart from the cost. There is no way it would be priced that low.
  • Reply 18 of 29
    eat@me wrote: »
    So, Thunderbolt is essentially dead - it is the new proprietary firewire. USB-C is the new universal standard for all peripherals.

    This means that macbook air and macbook pro and Mac Pro and iMac sans USB-C have been PWNED!  All macbook's will eventually be in the same form factor as the newly introduced MacBooks but with different spec.

    This could spell trouble for mac product line sales until new refreshes come out supporting USB-C.  USB-C is a bigger deal than people think and this puts apple's mac lineup in short term jeopardy.

    and the iPhone connector in the future?  is this a mini USB-C?

    And this seems to be paving the way for a post-Intel future, as Thunderbolt was one of the main blocking points.

    I'd love a 13" iPad weighing 1.5 lbs, with an ultra thin Smart Cover that incorporates a physical keyboard. Ive designs an ingenious hinge system, whereby one can use the keyboard on one's lap just like a laptop; no kickstand required. Nonetheless, one can remove the Smart Cover with ease when using as an iPad. It has an ARM processor. It runs iOS and OS X. One can swap between them at the tap of a button. Starting from $699.
    Nothing wrong with that dream apart from the cost. There is no way it would be priced that low.

    Fair enough.

    $799.
  • Reply 19 of 29
    brlawyerbrlawyer Posts: 828member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by TheWhiteFalcon View Post

     



    The Air is dead laptop booting at this point. It's on borrowed time, like the polycarbonate MacBooks. Apple's just going to revise the MBP's to make them even thinner, and once Skylake hits the new MacBook will get a performance boost. The Air will get squeezed to nothingness.

     

    As for Watch, Apple's 'hobby' will make more money than half of Silicon Valley.




    Agree that the Air is dead - as for the AWatch making "more money" than half of Silicon Valley, you're gonna be in for a very sad realization following the initial rush; trust me.

  • Reply 20 of 29
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,309moderator
    eat@me wrote: »
    So, Thunderbolt is essentially dead - it is the new proprietary firewire. USB-C is the new universal standard for all peripherals.

    This means that macbook air and macbook pro and Mac Pro and iMac sans USB-C have been PWNED!  All macbook's will eventually be in the same form factor as the newly introduced MacBooks but with different spec.

    This could spell trouble for mac product line sales until new refreshes come out supporting USB-C.  USB-C is a bigger deal than people think and this puts apple's mac lineup in short term jeopardy.

    and the iPhone connector in the future?  is this a mini USB-C?

    The same people who made Thunderbolt contributed to USB C so these are not competing with each other. Other Macbooks can't have the same form factor as the 12" Macbook because they need fans inside.

    Thunderbolt 3 will be 40Gbps, USB C is 10Gbps. The following site has details about how USB C's bandwidth can be used:

    http://www.vesa.org/news/vesa-brings-displayport-to-new-usb-type-c-connector/

    It looks like it can have 4 lanes, each with 10Gbps but it doesn't look like all devices can use all the bandwidth. Displays can use multiple lanes and support 5K video, which is 21Gbps (26Gbps at 30-bit - USB C will offer 8.1Gbps x 4 lanes = 32Gbps for Displayport) but USB devices can't seem to operate over multiple lanes. On Thunderbolt, a single device could work at 40Gbps.

    USB C provides a lot of the same functionality now (4 years after Thunderbolt) so the need to use Thunderbolt is lessened:

    http://www.anandtech.com/show/8558/displayport-alternate-mode-for-usb-typec-announced

    It's still not multi-protocol by default like Thunderbolt but the alt-mode is intended to allow for other protocols, they just have to be approved and only Displayport and MHL protocols have been done so far. They could support ethernet and maybe firewire in future.

    The best thing that could happen is if Thunderbolt 3 can be implemented with a USB 3 plug or at least have existing Thunderbolt hardware able to operate over USB C alt mode with just a cable change. Getting rid of Thunderbolt ports in favor of USB C (assuming the same functionality) would be a good thing for Thunderbolt because it finally means widespread adoption of the same features. There's no allegiance to one standard over another, the aim is to get the features implemented in the best way with the widest support.

    There's hardly a rush to get Apple's other lineup to USB C considering Apple is one of the first people to start using the port.

    I could see them switching magsafe out for USB C in all models and they can reduce the number of TB ports without affecting the number of displays that can be attached. Ideally one port for everything would be the best scenario to end up with and that can happen when USB C has feature parity with TB.
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