Tag: apple

Why FitBit Chose Not To Support Apple’s HealthKit, For Now

Posted on by Lab Team

The wearable fitness device company Fitbit has stated in a recent post on its community forum that it has ‘”no current plans” to support Apple’s HealthKit system. It’s an odd decision given that Fitbit Flex was prominently featured in Apple’s keynote that introduced HealthKit, and the reasons behind this choice might go beyond fear of user takeover by Apple’s shining new platform, as the company makes a profit from selling the tracker devices anyway.

The true reason of the opt-out could be about the health data that Fitbit currently hosts on its own platform. By denying support for HealthKit, the company appears to be aiming for a tighter control over the data its devices harness, despite potential detriments to the user’s experience. Still, considering the high demand for integration voiced on its forum, we won’t be surprised if Fitbit decides to join Apple’s party down the road.

How The New Update Of Apple TV Is Making It The Smart Home Hub

Posted on by Lab Team

The central hub of your connected smart home could soon be the Apple TV, as Apple’s latest beta software officially brings HomeKit support to its set-top box originally devised for streaming iTunes media. The beta reportedly includes support for Apple TV as a remote access peer, which would allow the user to automatically sync information from connected home devices to the TV accessory. With this update, Apple is one step closer to building a future internet of “iThings”.

Two Things That Windows 10 Learned From Apple

Posted on by Lab Team

Microsoft has unveiled Windows 10, the next update of its operating system, oddly skipping Windows 9. Touted as the most comprehensive platform ever, Windows 10 aims to combine the familiarity of Windows 7 with the functionality of Windows 8. Looking closely, it seems Microsoft has learned a thing or two from Apple’s iOS.

Cross-platform continuum: While Apple added continuity feature in iOS 8 and OS Yosemite, helping users toggle between iDevices seamlessly with automatic sync-up, Windows 10 has taken it one step further, providing a unified user experience across platforms and devices ranging from the Internet of Things to servers.

Task View: Designed to help users navigate Windows’ multitasking feature (and looking suspiciously like the Expose Mode of Apple’s OS X), Task View allows users to set up different desktops for various usage scenarios and switch applications between them with ease.

Windows 10 is set to be released later next year.

Apple’s HealthKit Is Finally Here

Posted on by Lab Team

Following an extensive five-month-long tease of the breakthrough potential of HealthKit, Apple’s software platform for collecting health data is finally here. Whether it will truly live up to the hype remains to be seen. But Apple seems pretty determined to make it the new standard in digital health, if the partnership it recently struck with Mayo Clinic, one of the biggest name in health care, is any indication.

Brands: Don’t Ignore Data Security Concerns

Posted on by Richard Yao

In our recent POV on the “data dilemma” that most brands face regarding data collection, one crucial point we highlighted was security. If a brand can’t ensure data security, consumers will be reluctant to do business with the company.

As recent news reports indicate, however, brands aren’t clueless about the need for data security so much as willfully ignoring it until it’s too late. News of the massive credit card breach at Home Depot earlier this month marked the biggest consumer data breach in recent history, yet the retailer was reportedly aware of the security problem as far back as 2008 and did nothing about it. Similarly, Apple is now also accused of willfully ignoring the iCloud security issues long before the celebrity photo breach happened.

As both companies scramble to deal with the aftermath of losing consumer trust, this should serve as a lesson to all brands: collected consumer data must be managed with proper encryption and other up-to-date security measures. Otherwise, ignore early concerns about data security at your own risks.

For more actionable insights on how to keep data secure and consumer trust in tact, download our newest POV here.

3 Reasons Healthcare Could Favor Google Over Apple (And 1 Reason Patients Might Not)

Posted on by Lab Team

With its grand entry into the healthcare industry, Apple looks to leverage its enormous consumer brand popularity and loyalty into building a centralized “data hub” for healthcare. But its primary competitor Google, with its own Android healthcare apps, could eat into Apple’s share with its popular apps, enterprise-friendly approach, and budget-conscious pricing.

As valid as these reasons are, there is one factor that cannot be ignored: data security and privacy. Google has long been known for monetizing whatever data it can obtain. Apple, on the other hand, has recently updated its privacy policy, emphasizing that it is “not in the business of collecting data” for marketing purposes. Not only does this make iOS easier to comply with health privacy laws than Android, it also helps put patients and healthcare practitioners at ease.

Why Apple’s Restriction On NFC Use Won’t Last

Posted on by Lab Team

Apple has confirmed that its newly-added NFC chip in the iPhone 6 is restricted to Apple Pay, citing security concerns for not opening up NFC access. This means no NFC-enabled marketing tools or even other non-commercial convenience apps… for now. Apple restricted its Touch ID fingerprint sensor in a similar way for the iPhone 5S, but has recently opened it up to third-party developers with iOS 8. So it’s very likely that Apple will allow further NFC implementation in a future release of iOS.

Everybody Wants To Rule The World Of OTT Calling

Posted on by Richard Yao

Last week, Apple’s announcement that they would enable WiFi-based calls in iOS 8 sparked interest, but people have been enjoying free phone calls by using various OTT services for years. However, the market is currently undergoing a major shake-up, as telecom companies enter the market previously dominated by third-party VoIP apps.

VoIP Apps

Released back in 2003, Skype was among the earliest third-party apps to support Voice Over IP (VoIP) service. Although reasonably priced, the charges for calling landlines and mobile phones limited the scale of Skype’s VoIP usage, leaving the door open for other mobile apps like Tango and Viber to complete with better mobile user experiences and lower pricing. And earlier this year, a Singapore-based startup introduced Nanu, an app that supports free calls to non-Nanu users by playing a short ad over the connecting ringtone. Google also recently updated its Hangouts app to add Google Voice integration, which allows users to dial and receive VoIP calls.

The Telecom Companies

With the popularization of smartphones and high-speed mobile data connectivity, the movement towards OTT communication has reached a tipping point. Verizon and T-Mobile started with Voice over LTE (VoLTE) that allows carrying phone calls over the high-speed LTE networks. Apple’s announcement prompted major carriers like T-Mobile and AT&T to announce upcoming WiFi calling services soon after. And unlike VoIP that most third-party apps use, WiFi calling could jump from the carrier network to Wi-Fi seamlessly.

The Dark Horse

At this point, mobile carriers aren’t the only ones jumping on the OTT calling wagon— WhatsApp, the Facebook-owned messaging app, is reportedly set to add Internet-based voice calls soon. And with over 600 million monthly active users, it might just become one of the major players in the increasingly saturated OTT calling market.

What The Updated Google Hangout Signifies

Posted on by Lab Team

Google Hangouts has got a huge update, including Google Voice integration, which allows users to send and receive text and phone calls through the Hangouts app. Coming right on the heels of Apple’s newly announced support of WiFi calling, this updates signals Google’s desire to unite its fractured chat services and build an integrated IM system that can run across devices in order to compete with Apple’s iMessage and FaceTime.

What U2’s Apple Deal Means For The Music Industry

Posted on by Lab Team

By now you’ve probably heard that Apple is giving away U2’s new album away for free via iTunes. But U2 is obviously no charity; Apple is licensingthe Irish band’s new music, for an estimated $100 million,  as a “free gift” to the iTunes customers, along with the right to use the lead single off the album in its upcoming global ad campaign. Apple gets an extra selling point and a promotional tool; U2 gets enormous exposure through mass sampling and “the world’s largest album launch;” iTunes users get free music. Apple’s move heralds a paradigm shift in the music industry, where merchandise and tour ticket sales replacing music sales as the main revenue channel.