Arriving as a shock to the industry, online retail giant Amazon.com has announced a ban on Apple TV and Google’s Chromecast. As reported by Bloomberg, Amazon.com shared the news that they will be removing all existing listings by October 29th 2015, and allowing no new listings of devices featuring media-streaming from Google Inc. and Apple Inc. It was stated that those devices do not “interact well” with Amazon’s streaming media service, Amazon Prime Video.
Less-than-satisfactory compatibility blamed
It was also explained that Prime Video is not fully functional on their competitors’ hardware. It should be expected that Amazon will protect their own interests, seeing that they have invested heavily into Prime Video, as they do with all content services. Even though only 20% of Amazon customers are also subscribed to Prime Video, Amazon has decided to remove Apple and Google devices, making a dent in their marketplace. Will this in time net them more Prime Video viewers? They appear to think so, whilst setting an example as firm players in global retail by standing up to Apple and Google.
Sales Tactic?
Another product that Amazon is surely hoping to sell more of thanks to the hole in their market, self-made, is the Fire TV set-top-box inclusive of 4K support. Apple TV may not feature 4K but this new standard in digital content is yet to be expanded, it is simply not yet in demand. Apple TV may be making the intelligent decision by not yet adopting this bandwidth-heavy standard. Apple Inc. already has many exciting products in high demand and will most likely feel a impact from this daring move by Amazon, but not one big enough to shake them.
Amazon bans Apple TV and as a result could see more damage done to their own income, than to that of Apple. Amazon.com has employed similar tactics in the past, although the resultant effect was a drop in favorable customer opinion and loyalty. Let’s hope for their sake that this, too, do not backfire.
Apple have quietly acquired an artificial intelligence-based, self-learning, voice recognition startup, VocalIQ. Based in Cambridge in the UK, VocalIQ has put ten years of research and development into their intelligent API. Apple most likely will use this API, that learns from your language usage and semantics, to increase the functionality of voice assistant Siri. Whilst Siri is in dire need of improvement before being accepted as a fully-functioning virtual assistant, Apple’s VocalIQ acquisition is also set to be used across a wide range of other applications.
Bright Future Ahead
Apple’s not-so-secret automotive project, code name Titan, should benefit greatly from this new speech recognition technology. According to Forbes, VocalIQ had already been working with General Motors in 2014 on the integration of voice commands with existing and future automobiles. When considering that VocalIQ learns from all interactions, all recorded voice samples, it should be safe to say that big advancements to Siri are on their way! Apple’s voice-activated assistant currently receives a billion voice requests in a week, this data is sure to be invaluable to their new API. VocalIQ have supplied Apple with an API that is set to develop rapidly, thanks to its contextual learning capabilities. The sheer volume of data that Apple is sure to feed into their new API will hopefully bring breakthrough developments in voice recognition.
Global Advancement in Voice Recognition
Enhanced voice command functionality can benefit many of Apple’s productivity boosting-devices. Although the acquisition was confirmed by a statement in the Financial Times, no other official statements have been made from Apple, as is the case with most of their acquisitions. Despite the lack of information available regarding future plans for the VocalIQ API, one thing is for certain. Should Apple successfully engineer fully-functional voice recognition in pain-and-effort free manner, the way we use our devices will change completely on a global scale.
Apple Inc. has sealed a deal, winning them Landbank Investment’s new Central & Wolfe campus. This LLC planned campus spans eighteen acres and will have 777,000 square feet of office space, this is approximately as large as fourteen football fields. The mammoth complex stands at the Central Expressway and North Wolfe Road intersection in Sunnyvale, California and is set to be a marvel of the engineering world. Whilst the date that construction will begin has not yet been declared, the renderings of the new Sunnyvale campus are amazing to say the least.
Utterly Amazing Design
This curvaceous modern campus has many intelligent design elements in place. At any place within the building you will find yourself within forty-five feet of a window, and if not, within fort-five feet you will have a view of nature. This amazing new development is environmentally-conscious, having many “green” elements integrated into its design structure. Reclaimed water will be used for irrigation, whilst the roof provides roughly 90,000 square feet of space to be utilized for plants and nature. Solar panels are also planned to be mounted to the roof of Apple’s new campus. Not only will Apple’s new “spaceship-esque “ complex be technologically advanced and magnificent to see, but its impact on the environment is non-detrimental. Green developments have been at the forefront of Apple’s recent expansion and this awe-inspiring complex aims to excel in all regards.
Apple Sunnyvale Campus Overview
An Icon of Green-Conscious Living
According The Silicon Valley Business Journal, Apple has most likely leased the project, with this transaction being seen as indicative of Apple’s massive expansion across recent months. Apple recently purchased land to the value of over $300 million in north San Jose, this being amidst their currently development Apple Campus 2 at a cost of over $160 million! Apple appears to be acquiring land at a rapid rate and this Central Expressway campus stands to be a testament to Green construction and an icon of Silicon Valley.
Apple certainly leads innovation through the creation of smart devices, as has been recently seen through WatchOS 2.0. Now that the Apple Watch has reached a peak of development, their R&D team have their gaze focused upon an intelligent ring! Patents for the iRing reveal a smart ring that is capable of similar functionality and performance, to that of your iPhone! Whether we, the consumer, will see this unique device anytime soon is left to be seen, with many of Apple’s patents never reaching production. What have in the pipeline is however enough to peak interest, and leave many hoping for the arriving of the Apple iRing.
Details of the Patent Application
Apple’s Patent Application details a ring featuring a finger-mounted touch-screen, multiple processors, memory, built-in GPS microphone, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi network devices and a biometrics sensor, all of which hold extensive capabilities. The patent highlights hand writing recognition, voice commands and even wireless charging. Wireless charging functionality looks to have interesting implementations planned as can be seen in Apple’s patent application:
“ In other embodiments, the wireless power source is incorporated or integrated into an object or item upon which the user would place his or her hands on, or hold, for performing some other task, such as the steering wheel of a car, a computer mouse, a glove… “
Apple Ring Patent
Many Time-Saving Benefits
Plans to provide remote control and access to the iRing via cell phone are also covered in the patent. It is clear that Apple looks to expand upon their Apple Pay platform as their patent also explains utilizing NFC chip-set capabilities. Mobile payments are not the only planned benefit provided by the iRing, NFC functionality may provide user recognition to home appliances such as fridges, seen in this patent. Detailed biometrics are also planned, giving this intelligent ring the capability to deport heart rate details and more! Apple’s future iRing is a well thought-out technology that will bring many advanced, productivity enhancing benefits. A ring (that you cannot lose thanks to it’s built-in GPS) that enhances daily life more than a smart phone? I want one!
FaceTime is an awesome video app that helps you connect with friends and family, but with any modern application sometimes things can go wrong. One of the most common support questions is why wont my FaceTime work? If you are having issues with FaceTime not working, chances are that there is a quick fix but it could also be the sign of a more serious problem. This article will help you navigate some of the most common reasons FaceTime won’t connect.
1. Check to see if your computer or mobile device is connected to Wi-Fi or a cellular network as this may fix FaceTime not connecting
For Wi-Fi: Go to Settings > Wi-Fi and choose your Wi-Fi network. Double check that the internet loads by opening a browser.
For Cellular: Go to Settings > Cellular and make sure your cellular data connection is active. Also under “Use Cellular Data For” make sure FaceTime slider is in the “green” or on position.
FaceTime Cellular Setting
2. Make sure FaceTime is turned on
You’d be surprised how many people accidentally turn this off. Go to Settings > FaceTime and check that FaceTime is turned on.
3. Make sure your cellular network supports FaceTime over mobile
Apple has setup this page to check if your cell network allows for FaceTime over cellular. It could be FaceTime Video and Audio calling isn’t available in your country or region.
4. If you have restrictions on, turn them off
Go to Settings > General > Restrictions and turn restrictions off. If you need restrictions on at the very least make sure FaceTime and Camera aren’t off under the same settings.
Restriction Settings FaceTime
5. Make sure FaceTime is activated
Under Settings > FaceTime if you see “Waiting for Activation” turn FaceTime off then back on. If it still doesn’t activate try the other quick fixes in this article or check Apple’s support article on FaceTime activation errors. On a Mac, first open the FaceTime application then go to FaceTime > Preferences and turn FaceTime off and back on.
6. Check you are using the correct phone number and email address
Go to Settings > FaceTime and make sure your proper phone number is showing. Is the email correct too?
7. Change your Date and Time to be set automatically
Go to Settings > General > Date & Time then click the”Set Automatically” button to on. On a Mac go to System Preferences > Date & Time and check the box next to “Set date and time automatically.”
When using FaceTime Set Date & Time Automatically
8. Restart your iPad, iPhone or Mac
If all your FaceTime settings seem to be correct but you are still experiencing issues simply restart your device. If FaceTime failed, this may relieve the errors.
9. Update your operating system to the latest release
Go to Settings > General > Software Update. Check to make sure your software is up to date. There is a history of expired device certificates giving FaceTime issues, recent updates have fixed this problem.
FaceTime iPad Software Update
10. Check to see if you are using the same Apple ID on all devices
Some people end up signing up with Apple and creating different IDs. Go to Settings > FaceTime and check that your Apple ID is the same on all devices. To be sure you can sign out then sign in with the same Apple ID on all your devices.
Apple ID FaceTime
11. Make sure the Fetch New Data is set to “Push”
On your mobile device go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars > Fetch New Data and and select Push. Your Apple mobile device uses this function to alert FaceTime of an incoming video call.
FaceTime Push Data
12. Check your FaceTime blocked list
Go to Settings > FaceTime > Blocked and look at the list of names. If the person you are trying to connect to is in that list, tap on Edit and then click Remove to unblock them. Your friends and family could have been added to this list accidentally.
13. Check to see if the FaceTime application is shown on your device
If the FaceTime app is missing it could be your device was purchased in Pakistan, UAE or Saudi Arabia. FaceTime may not be available in those countries.
14. If you are still having trouble finding the FaceTime app or with FaceTime not working, restore your device
Make sure you first back up your device using iCloud or iTunes, then proceed with restoring your device. This should be one of your last options before contacting Apple Support.
Final Suggestions
We hope these tips helped fix your FaceTime not working. You can always visit Apple’s support knowledge base and forums for additional help. If you tried one of the suggestions above and it fixed your issue please let us know in the comment section below. If you tried something different to fix your FaceTime not connecting let everyone know as well.
