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Sunday, 23 April 2017

Apple, Apple Watch, Earth day, Tech, TIM COOK

Apple adds Earth Day fitness badge to Apple Watch

Posted By: Uni logo - 10:25:00

Just a couple of days after releasing its new NikeLab version of the Apple Watch, Apple is leveraging the device's reputation as a fitness tool to join in the Earth Day festivities.

Early Saturday, Apple CEO Tim Cook posted a photo of a new special edition achievement badge on the Apple Watch designed to get people outside and active.

"Get outside, enjoy our planet and complete a 30-minute workout today," said Cook on Twitter.

If you open the Apple Watch-associated Activity app, you'll now see a badge that comes with a message dedicated to Earth Day.

"Get outside and celebrate Earth Day on April 22 and earn this award," reads the app message. "Go for a walk, run, cycle, wheelchair, or swim workout of 30 minutes or more in the Workout app in any third party app that writes these workouts to Health. You will also earn special stickers for Messages."

Awesome.

But while I consider myself a fairly dedicated Apple Watch user, specifically for fitness, I just don't pay much attention to the badges. Yes, the badges are well-designed, and can often come as a nice surprise when you hit an activity milestone, but in reality, it took a while for me to even take the activity rings seriously as a indication of my workout progress. The badges? Barely ever notice them.

Regardless, the badges remain a great marketing tool to pull non-Apple Watch owners into the Apple Watch ecosystem, even if they eventually forget about the badges.

Oh, and the prominent Earth Day reminder is a good look for any company still struggling to clean up its own environmental profile.

WATCH: Why Facebook's AR announcement should excite iPhone fans

Sunday, 14 August 2016

BUSINESSS, Tech, TIM COOK, TOPICS: APPLE, U.S

The super casual list of friends Apple's CEO calls for advice

Posted By: Uni logo - 23:29:00

Apple CEO Tim Cook presents the smaller iPhone SE during the spring event at its headquarters in Cupertino, California, USA, 21 March 2016.

It's only fitting that the leader of the biggest company in the world has a pretty impressive list of friends.

In an extended interview with the Washington Post, Apple's top executive offered new insight into how he's handled some of the bigger decisions he's made in his five years as CEO. Among the revelations: a casual list of some of the biggest names in business and politics who he has called upon for advice in years past.

"I think it’s incumbent on a CEO to not just listen to points of view but to actually solicit them," Tim Cook said in the interview. "Because I think, if not, you quickly become insular. And you’re sort of living in the echo chamber."

Warren Buffet

Tim Cook said he consulted with the famed investor when Apple decided to return cash to Apple shareholders in 2012. Cook noted that he sought Buffet's advice, in part, because he wouldn't be biased:

I thought he’s the natural person

"When I was going through [the question of] what should we do on returning cash to shareholders, I thought who could really give us great advice here," he said. "Who wouldn’t have a bias? So I called up Warren Buffett. I thought he’s the natural person, and so I try to go through that process on everyone." "That doesn’t mean I always do what they say," he added.

Anderson Cooper

The CNN anchor may seem like a surprising confidante, but Cook said he spoke with him before making one of his most personal decisions: the op-ed he wrote in 2014 declaring "I'm proud to be gay." Cook said he went to Cooper because he admired how the anchor handled his own decision to come out publicly in 2012.

"I talked to Anderson Cooper at length — multiple times," Cook said. "Because I thought that the way that he handled his announcement was really classy. I was getting advice from people who I thought were really great people who had really deeply thought about it."

Bill Clinton

In 2013, Cook was facing his first Congressional testimony (he was called to testify about Apple's tax practices). He said he consulted with a number of people before the hearing, including the 42nd president himself, who he met through the Clinton Foundation.

"He knows a lot about the politics," Cook said of Clinton. "I’d not met him through a political connection. I’d met him through the foundation."

Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein

It was the same hearing that prompted Cook to reach out to another prominent business figure — Lloyd Blankfein, the CEO of Goldman Sachs.

"I looked back to say who’s done this before? I knew Lloyd and thought he’d be honest with me," Cook said.

Laurene Powell Jobs

Steve Jobs' widow, Laurene Powell Jobs, also counseled Cook prior to his Congressional testimony. Cook, who elsewhere in the interview called the day of Steve Job's death "the worst day ever," noted that she has a unique understanding of the company and Cook himself.

"Laurene has the lens of knowing me and deeply understanding Apple."

Monday, 27 June 2016

Apple Watch, Tech, TIM COOK, U.S.

Apple celebrates Pride weekend with rainbow Apple Watch bands for employees

Posted By: Uni logo - 07:08:00

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As Tim Cook and others from Apple prepared to join in Sunday's annual Pride parade in San Francisco, the company gave employees a special, limited-edition rainbow-colored watch band to commemorate the event.

As pointed out by 9to5Mac, a Reddit user posted an image of the watch band along with a letter from the company marking its 30th year in association with Pride and calling the watch band, "a symbol of our commitment to equality."

Images of the watch band also started popping up on social media.

my new favorite watch band 😱😍 thanks, #applepride !!pic.twitter.com/Bs5aX0jFuy

— Bri Chapman (@iluvcompsci) June 26, 2016

Cook, who has been open about his life as a gay man, and how his decision to come out could positively affect others, also posted about Sunday's parade as a large contingent of Apple employees marched in the event.