Category: Apple

Twelve South has Apple fans covered this Christmas check out these cool gifts #Apple #Tech

Twelve South is known for designing beautiful accessories exclusively for Apple products. Constantly offering surprising new ways to protect and personalise Apple hardware, its range of products make perfect Christmas gifts for the Apple lovers in your life.

AirFly Pro – £49.99

Available from Apple.com from November 12th and Amazon UK from December 12th

With AirFly Pro, users can now connect two pairs of wireless headphones to any wired audio jack. This allows two people to listen to the same soundtrack, podcast or music with their favorite noise-cancelling headphones or AirPods, making the wireless experience shareable no matter what brand of wireless headphones they may have.

AirFly – £39.99 – Available from Amazon UK

AirFly allows for AirPods or wireless headphones to be used with any wired headphone jack. Perfect for in-flight entertainment or gym workouts this handy little device is the new travel must-have on every tech lovers wish list.

AirSnap – £29.99 – Available from Amazon UK

AirSnap is the perfect accessory to keep pricey ear buds safe and sound but still easily accessible. This protective case for AirPods attaches to any bag with its integrated clip, available in leather and twill.

 BookBook vol. 2 for iPhone 11 – £54.99 – Available from Amazon UK

BookBook is a beautifully-designed vintage leather case for iPhone 11 that takes the form of a mini leather book. BookBook streamlines everyday carry while protecting the users’ iPhone. With a magnetic leather shell for easy separation of wallet and phone, it’s like getting two cases in one. BookBook also has a built-in viewing stand to FaceTime or view favourite shows.

HiRise Wireless – £79.99 – Available from Amazon UK

HiRise Wireless is a 3-function beauty: a gorgeous upright desktop stand for mobile phones, a wireless charging pad for AirPods and a USB-C portable wireless charger for travel, all in one beautiful chrome and leather package. Now users only need one wireless charger for both at home and on-the-go.

 Journal CaddySack – £69.99 – Available from Amazon UK

Crafted from luxurious full-grain leather to complement the users’ style and professional appearance, Journal CaddySack is designed to neatly house the most essential tech accessories on-the-go. The perfect way to celebrate a recent promotion or exciting new career path.

 

Journal for iPad Pro and MacBook – From £99.99 – Available from Amazon UK

Crafted from New Zealand leather and tailored just for iPad Pro and MacBook, Journal offers protection and luxury in a sophisticated, classic design. Perfect for those sharp dressers who want their iPad Pro or MacBook to follow suit.

 PlugBug Duo – £49.99 – Available from Amazon UK

Perfect for the world traveller, PlugBug Duo keeps USB-powered devices charged in more than 150 countries. It also adds two USB ports to a MacBook Power adapter so users can charge three devices at once. With PlugBug Duo, users can keep all their devices charged, wherever they may roam.

 PowerPic – £89.99 – Available from Amazon UK

PowerPic, a wireless phone charger disguised as a picture frame, blends seamlessly into any home decor. Hide your charger in plain sight and enjoy your favorite photo on your nightstand or shelf. With PowerPic, your favorite photograph will become your favorite phone charger.

 

Activ5 Smart Fitness Device Now Available in UK Apple Stores & apple.ie #Activ5 #Fitness #Apple

Activbody, Inc., a health and fitness product innovator, is excited to announce that their flagship product, a portable isometric strength-training device Activ5, is now available at apple.com and in select UK Apple Stores. This is also  available to Irish customers HERE

The Activ5 is unique because, with its companion training app, users are able to access and track their activity from over a hundred personalised 5-minute strength-training workouts and exercises that can be performed anywhere.

Activ5 recently announced an Apple Watch app and the adoption of HealthKit. The app includes exercise and heart rate tracking and calculates energy burned. With HealthKit, users will be able to see the data tracked on Apple Watch in the Apple Health app on iPhone.

“We are experiencing phenomenal interest and growth globally due to the effectiveness of Activ5, and our ongoing commitment to meaningful, customer-centric enhancements including our recent Apple Watch app announcement,” said Dan Stevenson, CEO of Activbody.

Apple prices vs average salary: Can Irish people afford the latest iPhone? #Apple #iPhone11

Apple as you know have just launched the next generation products last night and they do give impressive shows I must add despite my gripes with them and their mantra.But as expected the upgrades are iterative and not much improvements on last years. Pricing is another matter on configuration and you if you go top tier you are talking €1700 which costs the same a macbook.

The prices in case you missed..

iPhone Pro Max €1279 – Pro €1179 iPhone 11 €829. These are base pricing…

Picodi.com have sent us a report about how many workdays an average Irish person would need to save up for iPhone 11 Pro. Lets take a look..

The official price of the iPhone 11 Pro (64GB) in Ireland is going to be €1179. Assuming that, according to Central Statistics Office, the average gross salary in this country is €769.98 (€605 net), a statistical Irish person would have to work for 9.7 days to afford this year’s iPhone (not counting living expenses). That is 0.3 of a day less than the previous year.

On the other hand, in Malta, where the iPhone 11 Pro price is going to be the same as in Ireland, citizens would have to work almost two times longer than Irish people. With the average annual salary amounting to €19390 (€15418.50 net), an average Maltese needs 19.2 workdays to afford the new Apple gadget. Still, it is 0.7 of a day less than in 2018.

In the lead of the rank are the Swiss, Americans and Luxembourgers, where the ratio of the iPhone’s price to the average salary is the most attractive. A statistical Swiss should be able to save up for iPhone 11 Pro in 4.8 days, an American – in 5.8 days, and a Luxembourg – in 6.7 days.

The reverse record belongs to Mexicans: a statistical resident of this country would have to lay aside 54.2 days worth of wages to buy the iPhone. In countries like Montenegro or Russia, the new gadget has got the value of 48.5 and 47 workdays, respectively.

SEE FULL REPORT

See https://www.apple.com/ie/ for prices

How many working days will you need to buy the new iPhone? #iPhone #iPhoneXS

On 12th of September Apple Inc. introduced their latest products, including the most expensive smartphone in the company’s history—iPhone XS Max.

The Analysis Department of Picodi decided to check how many days Irish people and citizens from other countries have to work to afford the novelty from Apple. The results of our research are based on iPhone XS 64Gb prices in various countries and official statistic data about average wages in each of them.

You could suppose that the best average wage/price ratio would be in the US—the most important market of Apple. However, it turns out that the ones who would be able to afford Apple’s newest product the fastest are people in the developed countries and the UAE. For example, an average Swiss would have to work 5.1 days, the citizens of Luxembourg—less than 7 days, and Norwegians—7 and a half day. Among the countries where you have to work the least amount of days are also United Arab Emirates—money earned for 7.6 days are enough to buy the newest iPhone. In the US, on the other hand, one would have to work 8.4 days.

It’s already known that in Ireland the latest iPhone will cost 1179 EUR. Under the assumption that average gross wage in Ireland—according to data from Central Statistics Office—amounts to 744.08 euro per week, it would take 10 days for an average Irish man to earn enough to buy the new iPhone. Of course, assuming that the other living costs would be zero.

The longest time to afford the iPhone XS would have to work the Filipinos—over 156 days. It won’t be so easy also in Pakistan—with the local earnings and prices an average Pakistani would have to work over 88 days.

 

Methodology

This analysis was based on the official prices of iPhone XS 64 GB in 42 countries and publicly available data about average wages in those countries for the year 2017 or the last period accessible.

New LIVE FACE app live captures facial performances via #iPhoneX to create 2D facial animations.

With the iPhone X’s TrueDepth camera, and the LIVE FACE app for CrazyTalk Animator 3, users can instantly capture facial performances to animate illustrative or photo characters to produce fast cartoon animations, also for broadcast shows on TV, YouTube, Twitch, Facebook or any other live service.

iPhone X’s exclusive face tracking power was only known for usage with Animojis in Facetime, but now Reallusion’s LIVE FACE app unlocks its full potential by live data streaming facial mocap data to any desktop client.

 

The new LIVE FACE app live captures facial performances via an iPhone X to create 2D facial animations with CrazyTalk Animator 3 (CTA 3) on a Mac or PC, turning an iPhone X into a powerful production tool that anyone can use.

 

With the iPhone X’s TrueDepth camera, and the LIVE FACE app for CrazyTalk Animator 3, users can instantly capture facial performances to animate illustrative or photo characters to produce fast cartoon animations, also for broadcast shows on TV, YouTube, Twitch, Facebook or any other live service.

 

“LIVE FACE by Reallusion made my jaw drop, both literally and figuratively when I used it. LIVE FACE is the game changer I’ve been waiting for to execute funny, quick animations utilizing the iPhone X for live TV.”

Jesse Griffith – Chief Animator, Jimmy Kimmel Live  
“Thousands of dollars of cumbersome equipment and connections are being whittled down into an app that students can easily use on an iPhone X they already have, on or off campus. Not only does LIVE FACE simplify the entire educational process, but it looks to bridge the significant gap that students face once they graduate and try to incorporate technology into their own pipelines.”  
John Blalock, Digital Applications Supervisor, Chapman University

LIVE FACE features..

LIVE FACE for iPhone X can track up to 57 face signals through Wi-Fi, to drive character facial expressions including; head angle, brows, eyeball rotation, as well as controlling talking mouth shapes.

Customise sprite-based expressions

Import custom facial animation sprites, or convert expression sets directly from Photoshop layers. You can further add different levels of Free Form Deformations (FFD) to smoothly alter each facial feature.

Flexible capture from different angles.

No matter where you place your iPhone, the unique Zero Pose design will quickly recalibrate the angle offset of your face, and accurately standardize the facial tracking in one-click.

Supports various face profiles

CrazyTalk Animator 3 will automatically choose the appropriate face profile, for front-facing or angled-facing characters. Mocap facial profiles provide optimized facial mocap for both sprite-based and image-based characters.

All users can now download the extended trial version of CTA 3.3 pipeline version ($299 value ) for free until July 31st, 2018.

CrazyTalk Animator 3

https://www.reallusion.com/event/CTA3Ppl/redeem.html

Version: 3.3  –  Platform: Mac / Windows – Trial Duration: To 31st of July, 2018

LIVE FACE Motion Capture App for iPhone X

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/live-face/id1357551209?ls=1&mt=8

Version: 1.0  – Platform: iOS  –  Limitation: iPhone X only

 

Bought the new iPhoneX, You might want to insure it,here is why. #Apple #iPhoneX

The new Apple iPhoneX is seen as the must have gadget this year and its now available but jesus the price is just not in any way justified.Not only that we of course have some idiots trying to cash in on the new device commanding  €500 more than the official price,do not give into these people the iPhone X is just not worth that money full stop. Asking up-front payments on many billpay plans are even rediculous, I have never been an Apple fan and not been shy about it but I genuinely do like this handset and considering one but that dam boring OS thats locked down still keeps me taking my finger off the upgrade or purchsae button. It might happen yet….

https://twitter.com/techbuzzireland/status/927132586350137344

You can of course avail of APPLE CARE which also costs money on top of your brand new overpriced status symbol. This begins at €29 for the screen only and for other incidents it will cost you €99 and if you check the pure rip off prices Apple command for the iPhone 8 and X just check them out below. You can see the full list HERE 

You can of course buy a phone case,the cheapest way around it but is it really going to protect you? Depending on the case this is an arguable topic and again we already have seen mutiple drop tests giving different results from different drop heights with different cases to protect the phone so these tests whilst legit in their individual test still boil down to pot luck on how and where the phone lands.

A fine example is one where a phone was dropped from 3 ft NAKED and cracked and one from HEAD HEIGHT also NAKED did NOT crack. You decide. At the end of the day the screen and back panel is made with glass, It does not matter what Apple claim it is not indestructable. In the short term a case is always the right way to go, I love phone cases and I also love the naked feel of a phone particulary if the phone is nice to look at so I have cases for all my phones and take them off when indoors at home mostly but when out I bally up if you will.

 

One insurance company right now offering a good deal vs Apple Care is mobile phone insurance direct where you can now get some quotes, AS IT STANDS some are NOT offering insurance at the time of writing for the 256GB model of the new iPhone X. check out the prices now on offer above or head to the website no matter what phone you have and check their prices https://www.mobilephoneinsurancedirect.ie/

Apple announce a new 9.7 inch iPad. Well newish… #Apple #iPad

You can order this week the same time as the new iPhone..But again we are fleeced.

Apple have announced a new iPad. Well its kind of new,not much of a difference overall considered the specs on board plus the starting price is €419 for the base model and climbs up to €519. If you go Wi-Fi and cellular it starts from €579..

In their press release…

Apple today updated its most popular-sized iPad, featuring a brighter 9.7-inch Retina display and best-in-class performance at its most affordable price ever, starting at $329 (US). Designed for unmatched portability and ease of use, along with incredible performance and all-day battery life, iPad is the world’s most popular tablet and the primary computing device for millions of customers around the world. Through the more than 1.3 million apps designed specifically for iPad, customers can do even more, from learning to code with Swift Playgrounds and reading books on the large screen to boosting productivity through Microsoft Office and using multitasking features like Split Screen.

 

 

Also in their press announcement Apple say

 

“iPad is the world’s most popular tablet. Customers love the large, 9.7-inch display for everything from watching TV and movies, to surfing the web, making FaceTime calls, and enjoying photos, and now it is even more affordable,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “New customers and anyone looking to upgrade will love this new iPad for use at home, in school, and for work, with its gorgeous Retina display, our powerful A9 chip, and access to the more than 1.3 million apps designed specifically for it.”

See the full press release HERE and all the details on the Irish Apple store HERE 

The Apple iPhone 7 goes PRODUCT RED to support Aids. #HIV #Aids #Apple

You can order the new variant from 15:01 on 24.03 starting at €889.00

If you are fed up with the traditional colourways these might be for you but they do come at a price.. Also it launches the same time around the world which will suit potential Irish buyers better at a 3 PM check in rather than midnight.. Apple state

A portion of the proceeds from every (PRODUCT)RED purchase will go to the Global Fund to fight AIDS in Africa.

 

Every purchase contributes to the Global Fund to support HIV/AIDS programmes and help deliver an AIDS-free generation.

 

 

Apple have come under fire though on some boards with the money they already make per iPhone and this one comes in more expensive than the default models which again some users have said get a dbrand skin for example or a case. However there is a good cause behind it and if you dont mind shedding the extra cash well it might just be up your street… The 128GB and 256GB are only available in this colour so it will not be cheap regardless. I would also like to know how much ” A PORTION” actually is too..

 

Buy HERE 

 

If you loose an Airpod/Charging case here is what Apple will charge in Ireland. #Apple #Airpods.

Recently we learned that Apple have made the overpriced Airpods available to us Irish folk which will cost you a small fortune for something you are bound to loose. Not only is this a first generation product they look stupid and as mentioned you will loose one if not both of these futuristic looking things..

Apple have now announced what they cost to replace and the terms applied plus a shipping charge if required that will cost you €12.30..

Apple have said the following..

 

 

If you need service for your AirPods or charging case, there’s no charge if the issue is covered under the Apple One Year Limited Warranty or consumer law. 

Our warranty covers a defective battery, but it doesn’t cover wear from normal use.  If the battery capacity on your AirPods or charging case decreases over time, you can replace them for a battery service fee.

If your AirPods or charging case get damaged accidentally, you can pay an out-of-warranty fee. And if you lose an AirPod or your charging case, we can replace your lost item for a fee.

 

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