Apple quietly kills off Modern Buckle band for the Apple Watch

Apple has a habit of quietly killing off products and the latest one to get the axe is one of the original Apple Watch bands: the Modern Buckle. While still available in the UK online store, it’s disappeared in the Canadian one. According to Engadget, the last time the Modern Buckle was seen on Apple’s online store was back in March. If you try to click on a search result link that leads directly to the band’s listing, you’ll get a redirect that says, “Looking for something? We thought so. However, the product you’re looking for is no longer available on apple.com. But we do have similar products to show you."

The Modern Buckle was available for the 38mm and retailed for $149. This limitation and mid-range price might have affected the decision to discontinue the product. But if you’ve been eyeing it, now might be time to start scouring online before it disappears completely.

watchOS 5 brings Auto Workout Detection, Apple Podcasts and a Walkie-Talkie feature

Apple Watch is a key Apple Product and one that has shown tremendous momentum. Now heading into its fourth year, we will be getting watchOS 5 which will enable auto workout detection which senses when a workout is in progress and gives retroactive credit.

Even the most devoted gym rats often forget to start tracking exercises or stop  to move to another exercise or piece of gym equipment which results in faulty stats and tracking.

Adding this feature makes the Apple Watch an even more valuable fitness device. Adding Podcasts to Apple Watch is a huge feature I’ve been waiting for, this means you can sync and download Podcasts for listening on runs or trips to the gym. Also coming are enhanced notifications that make needing to read or respond less time consuming.  A new slew of watch bands and a Pride Watch face were also revealed.

watchOS 5 will not work with the first generation O.G. Apple Watch models.

Apple Watch AirPod holders exist, because why not?

Accessories can be useful and fashionable—sometimes you get one without the other. In this case we might be leaning towards the former. Elago created a US$14.99 (around CA$20) silicone Wrist Fit band that can slide on “most” 38mm and 42mm Apple Watch bands and hold your AirPods for you. It’s not the most elegant execution but again, some people might find some use for these.

Source: Engadget

Instagram lets go of its Apple Watch app

As silly as it may sound, before you were be able to scroll through your Instagram feed on the tiny display of the Apple Watch. But that’s about to change. Version 39.0 of the app only states in the changelog the words “general bug fixes and performance improvements” and when you update, the app is taken away from your smartwatch when it’s paired. An Instagram spokesperson also confirmed with The Verge that there will no longer be a “standalone experience” of the app starting with this version. Instead, you’ll only get notifications, if you have that turned on within the app.

9to5Mac believes this has to do with the new restrictions from Apple where Apple Watch apps need to use watchOS 2 SDK or later but Instagram’s app came out during WatchKit 1.0 when third-party apps weren’t able to run natively on the watch. It didn’t even get features like video support and the ability to work over LTE connection. It seems Instagram figured this particular Apple platform doesn’t appeal to them as much.