Apple Watch Faces Hydrogen Explosion, Liquid Nitrogen and More in New Tests [iOS Blog]

After being put under multiple torture and waterproof tests in the week since its official launch on April 24, the Apple Watch this week faced some of its most hardcore trials yet from YouTuber Richard Ryan. Known as "FullMag" on YouTube, Ryan this week has put the Apple Watch Sport through a series of three destruction tests - Liquid Nitrogen, Hydrogen Explosion, and a 50-caliber bullet shell - on his technology destruction-focused channel (via Cult of Mac).

First posted on Monday, Ryan began his Apple Watch videos with a test focused on dropping the Sport version of the Watch into a container of liquid nitrogen and smashing the frozen wearable with a sledgehammer. As with most of Ryan's videos, the results are less about wondering if the Watch passed Ryan's tests, but more focusing on exactly how badly Apple's new wrist-worn device was destroyed.


One of Ryan's more elaborate experiments comes from the hydrogen explosion test posted on Tuesday, and also appears to be the least destructive of the trilogy of Apple Watch videos on the FullMag channel. The Apple Watch Sport at the end of the video appears relatively unharmed, but given that Ryan doesn't attempt to test the device's normal functions following the experiment, there's no telling what kind of damage was done to the wearable's basic functionality thanks to the acidic-based science experiment.


Most impressive is perhaps Ryan's most recent video, a short clip of the YouTuber shooting an Apple Watch Sport with a 50-calliber bullet shell. The resulting destruction is easily one of the most impressive, the cheaper Apple Watch getting cut nearly clean in half by the massive bullet shell. Ryan even promises that while the 50-caliber shell will be the biggest firearm he sets his sights on to destroy the Watch, it won't be the last.


Ryan has performed less high-intensity tests on the Watch, according to Cult of Mac, but has yet to post them. The YouTuber found that from basic drop tests the stainless steel Watch "shattered" while the aluminum Sport was completely fine. Ryan's channel isn't focused solely on Apple products, however, with videos showcasing the destruction of everything from Rolex watches to destruction tests on other smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge.






Steve Jobs business cards up for school auction, one each for NeXT, pre-1985 Apple & Pixar

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If you like a little Steve Jobs memorabilia and want to contribute to a good cause, the Marin School has three Steve Jobs business cards up for auction, spanning 1984 to 1990, providing one each for NeXT, Apple and Pixar.

Bidding started at $600, and was up to $2,405 at the time of writing. The cards were collected by a family who used to do catering for the former Apple CEO, reports Business Insider.

The Marin School is a private school offering financial assistance to 18% of its students to allow access to students from all socio-economic backgrounds.

The recent biography Becoming Steve Jobs was backed by Apple, in contrast to Walter Isaacson’s earlier biography which was attacked by several Apple execs. Tim Cook, recently named by Fortune as “greatest leader,” spoke extensively about Jobs during an interview with the magazine.


Filed under: AAPL Company Tagged: Apple Inc, Auction, NeXT, Pixar, Steve Jobs, Steve Jobs business cards, Steve Jobs memorabilia

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Apple Now Offering One-Week HBO NOW Trial Following April Promotion [iOS Blog]

HBO NOW copyApple is now offering a shorter one-week free trial for new customers that sign up for HBO NOW using an iPhone, iPad or Apple TV, shortly after the April 30 deadline of a previous promotion that offered customers the first month of the streaming TV service for free. A paid subscription begins at the end of the one-week trial until canceled.

HBO NOW operates similar to Netflix, allowing customers in the United States to stream all of HBO's original series and entire movie catalog on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV for $14.99 per month. HBO NOW's official iPhone and iPad app is free on the App Store alongside the Apple TV channel. Popular HBO series include Game of Thrones, Silicon Valley, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Girls, and Entourage. The one-week introductory free trial is available for a limited time.






Apple Confirms Tattoos Can Interfere With Apple Watch [iOS Blog]

Apple Watch TattooApple has confirmed on a support page on its website that dark wrist tattoos have the potential of interfering with the Apple Watch's heart rate sensor (via Trusted Reviews). It was reported earlier this week that some tattoos, particularly dark or saturated ones, can affect the Apple Watch's heart rate sensor and ability to register contact with the wearer's skin.
"Permanent or temporary changes to your skin, such as some tattoos, can also impact heart rate sensor performance. The ink, pattern, and saturation of some tattoos can block light from the sensor, making it difficult to get reliable readings."
Apple does not offer a useful solution beyond connecting the Apple Watch wirelessly to external heart rate monitors such as Bluetooth chest straps, suggesting that users with tattoos covering the wrist may be forced to deal with this issue. Apple outlines skin perfusion and rhythmic movements as two other factors that can affect the performance of the Apple Watch's heart rate sensor.






Component & manufacturing cost of 38mm Apple Watch Sport is less than $84 – IHS teardown analysis

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The Apple Watch wasn’t long out before iFixit did its usual teardown. Research firm IHS always takes longer, as it seeks to identify the components and find out what they cost. The result, it says, is that the component cost of the 38mm Apple Watch Sport – the cheapest model – totals $81.20, with manufacturing costs taking the total cost-price to $83.70.

Tim Cook made a pointed reference to this type of cost estimate during last week’s earnings call, saying that “I’ve never seen one that is anywhere close to being accurate” – though he was likely making a broader point … 

Component costs are a small element of the total cost of bringing a product to market, especially a brand new product. Research & development and marketing costs in particular make up a huge part of the all-in cost of an Apple product. As the West Wing‘s Josh Lyman might have put it: the second Apple Watch Sport cost them $84, the first one cost them a billion dollars.

We already know IHS got one thing wrong: the company claims that margins on the Apple Watch are higher than for other products, a point directly contradicted by Apple CFO Luca Maestri’s statement during the earnings call that margins on the watch will be lower than the company average for products.

But for whatever it’s worth, below are the IHS numbers, with the display & touchscreen module the most expensive single component at $20,50, and the battery the cheapest at 80 cents.

ABI Research yesterday gave us a detailed look inside the Apple Watch’s S1 chip, revealing the RAM, radios, custom Apple processor and more.

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Top image: iFixit


Filed under: AAPL Company, Apple Watch Tagged: Apple watch, Apple Watch costs, Apple Watch manufacturing, Apple Watch manufacturing costs, Apple Watch teardown, iFixit, IHS

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