First Apple Watch update available now with improvements to apps, fitness tracking
The update also adds new emojis and support for seven additional languages.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Apple on Tuesday released the first update to the Apple Watch. The update, which measures 51.6MB, addresses many of the complaints users have had since the smartwatch launched in April. One major area addressed with the update is the performance of third-party apps, which up until this point have been sluggish to open.
Additionally, Apple is making improvements to the Apple Watch's activity-tracking features. These include fixes for the watch's stand measurement, along with improvements to calculating distance and pace during outdoor walking and running workouts, and improvements to calculating calories during indoor cycling and rowing workouts.
In addition to improvements to Siri and overall accessibility of the watch, the update also adds support for seven new languages, including Brazilian Portuguese, Danish, Dutch, Swedish, Russian, Thai and Turkish, along with support for new emoji characters.
The update, which will bring the Apple Watch up to version 1.0.1, is available now. To download it, head to the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, tap General, followed by Software Update.
Seeking a refund on unwanted text message fees? You may be out of luck
AT&T is one of the four major wireless carriers to agree to pay back customers for fraudulent text message charges, but its settlement may not be sufficient to guarantee a full reimbursement.
Not all AT&T customers looking for a refund on unwanted text messages will get every dollar back.
FTC officials say the amount of money set aside may not be enough to cover all refunds.CNET/Marguerite Reardon
More than 3 million current and former customers have applied for refunds as part of a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission over fraudulent "cramming" charges on AT&T customer phone bills. Third parties had used the carrier's premium text messaging service, which AT&T then charged to its customers.
But the sheer number of claims could outstrip the$80 million that AT&T has agreed to pay in its settlement, according to the FTC. This means some customers may end up getting a fraction of what they're owed as the FTC works through the applications for refunds.
AT&T, the nation's second-largest wireless carrier, was the first of the four major wireless phone companies to settle with federal regulators and reimburse customers for cramming. The government has also settled cases with T-Mobile, Verizon and Sprint with settlements totaling $353 million in penalties and restitution; $267.5 million of that total to be returned to affected customers.
This is an example of an actual AT&T bill in which fraudulent third party charges were "crammed" onto the bill.Federal Trade Commission
Customers had until May 1 to file for reimbursement. Whether customers get a full refund will largely depend on which carrier they subscribe to, since each settlement was different, according to the FTC.
AT&T said the amount customers receive is up to the FTC, which is administering the distribution of the funds.
"We reached a comprehensive settlement with the FTC and other agencies," a spokesman said in an email. "As a part of this settlement, the FTC controls the claims process, including determining who is eligible and how best to distribute the funds."
The FTC said it's still determining how many of the 3 million claims it's received warrant a refund, and said it's doubtful said AT&T's $80 million settlement will cover the full refunds.
What is cramming?
Cramming occurs when third-party companies charge customers for services, such as text messages containing daily horoscopes or ringtones, without customers' knowledge or consent. The charge shows up on phone bills, often buried pages deep, making it difficult to find. In the most recent suits filed against the phone companies, these charges came from premium SMS text messaging services. All four of the major carriers have since eliminated premium SMS services. But the settlements against the companies also cover future third-party charges that could end up on customer phone bills, such as services within applications on smartphones.
Three federal agencies that share jurisdiction over the wireless phone companies and their business practices went after the four major wireless companies for allowing such practices. The Federal Trade Commission and Federal Communications Commission worked on cases against AT&T and T-Mobile, while the FCC teamed up with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to go after Sprint and Verizon.
While the wireless carriers did not directly sell these premium SMS services to consumers, the government alleged they didn't adequately supervise of third parties or require a separate credit card authorization. By allowing third parties to charge customers through their wireless bills, the carriers opened the gates to it abuse and scams.
In exchange for providing access to its billing, carriers reaped between 30 percent and 40 percent of the charges, some of which were as much as $9.99 to $14.99 a month. The government agencies that brought suit against the phone companies estimate that American wireless consumers have been scammed out of hundreds of millions of dollars.
Under its $105 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, AT&T was required to pay $80 million to the FTC, which it will use to refund victims of the unauthorized charges. AT&T is also required to pay $20 million in penalties to 50 states and Washington, D.C., as well as a $5 million penalty to the Federal Communications Commission.
Other carrier settlements
Customers of T-Mobile should expect full refunds. Under the terms of its deal with the FTC, T-Mobilewill pay at least $90 million to fully reimburse all customers for cramming. If that amount doesn't cover everything, T-Mobile will pay the FTC the difference, so the agency can redress additional consumer complaints.
T-Mobile is administering the refunds itself and there is no cap on how much money it will spend to reimburse customers, according to the terms of its settlement with the FTC. The deadline for T-Mobile customers to file for reimbursement is June 30. Customers can find out more about whether they qualify for a refund on T-Mobile's website. T-Mobile is also required to pay $18 million in fines to all 50 states and Washington, D.C., as well as a $4.5 million fine to the FCC.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which also has authority over companies processing payments, led the cases against Sprint and Verizon. It announced last week that Verizon and Sprint will pay a combined $158 million to settle claims that they allowed bogus charges on customer bills. Verizon will pay $90 million, of which $70 million will go to pay back customers, and Sprint will pay $68 million, $50 million of which will be returned to customers. As with the AT&T deal, the fund has a cap -- meaning consumers will get a reduced share if refund requests exceed the allotment, said a CFPB spokeswoman.
ISprint and Verizon have each stated publicly that they will inform individual customers they suspect were affected.
Both companies have also said they've already been reimbursing customers for suspected fraudulent third party charges. Sprint put its number of refunds in the "tens of millions of dollars long before the government initiated its investigation of our industry," a spokeswoman said in a statement.
Customers will only be refunded money spent on the third-party payments. If the fund set aside for reimbursement exceeds the customer claims for refunds, the remaining money will be paid to the CFPB, the agency's spokeswoman said.
The deadline to apply for refunds from Sprint or Verizon is December 31, 2015. The CFPB is handling claims for Verizon customers who were affected by the scams. Verizon customers can submit claims for refunds at www.CFPBSettlementVerizon.com or can learn more information about the Verizon settlement by calling 888-726-7063. Sprint customers can submit claims for refunds atwww.SprintRefundPSMS.com or can learn more information about the Sprint settlement by calling 877-389-8787.
The company adds the Force Touch trackpad to its 15-inch MacBook Pro and unveils a new, lower-cost version of its Retina-display-sporting iMac.
The 15-inch MacBook Pro is getting component upgrades.Sarah Tew/CNET
For many people, Apple is all about the iPhone and iPad, but the company that made its name selling computers hasn't abandoned the Mac product line.
Apple released on Tuesday a revamped version of its 15-inch MacBook Pro, adding the new Force Touch trackpad, among other upgrades. Force Touch uses so-called haptic feedback to simulate the sensation of a physical click. Apple also unveiled a new entry-level version of its iMac with Retina 5K display, pricing it at $1,999, and the company lowered the price of the existing model by $200, dropping it to $2,299. The new machine has a less-powerful processor than the pricier machine. All the new models are available on Apple's website.
Last year's iMac with Retina 5K display.CNET
The Force Touch trackpad is the latest feature making its way through Apple's MacBook line. It made its debut on the 13-inch MacBook Pro and the new, svelte MacBook. The just-unveiled version of the 15-inch MacBook Pro also features a bump in processor speed.
"The response to the new MacBook and updated 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display has been amazing," Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, said in astatement, "and today we are thrilled to bring the new Force Touch trackpad, faster flash storage and longer battery life to the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display."
While the iPhone is Apple's biggest moneymaker, at almost 70 percent of sales, Macs -- including the popular iMac desktop and MacBook notebooks -- are the company's second-biggest revenue drivers. Macs accounted for nearly 10 percent of sales last quarter, while the iPad tablet contributed about 9.4 percent.
Apple currently ranks as the No. 4 PC company in the US (behind Hewlett-Packard, Dell and Lenovo), with an 11 percent share of the market, according to researcher IDC.
Apple said the new MacBook Pro features flash storage that's 2.5 times faster than what's found in the previous version. It also gets an additional hour of battery life, for a total of nine hours of wireless Web browsing and up to nine hours of iTunes movie playback. The new graphics chip from Advanced Micro Devices will render 3D images or run video-editing programs, like Final Cut Pro X, 80 percent faster, the company said.
Last year, the iMac with Retina 5K display was the big advancement in Apple's iMac line. The machine kept more or less the same look as the previous iMac but included a super-high-resolution display. The difference between the just-unveiled entry-level iMac and the higher-end machine? Here are the nitty-gritty specs:
The new iMac with Retina 5K has a 3.3 gigahertz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor with "Turbo Boost Speeds" of up to 3.7GHz. The higher end iMac, on the other hand, has a 3.5GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost Speeds of up to 3.9GHz.
The new machine also includes 8 gigabytes of memory and 1 terabyte of storage, as well as four USB 3.0 ports and two Thunderbolt 2 ports. The higher-end device has a 1TB fusion drive that combines flash memory with a traditional hard disk drive.
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