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Apple takes leap into new territory with smartwatch
By Glenn Chapman, with Rob Lever in Washington
San Francisco (AFP) March 8, 2015


Smartphones may make people dull
Waterloo, Ontario (UPI) Mar 6, 2015 - A new survey suggests that, for some, smartphones may encourage lazy thinking -- allowing users to solve problems via computer rather than exercise their brainpower.

The survey looked at three previous studies involving 660 participants that attempted to define and quantify their analytical strategies and skills. The researchers looked at thinking styles on a scale ranging from intuitive to analytical. Participants verbal and numeracy skills were also measured.

Analysis of participants smartphone habits showed the more analytic thinkers who showed stronger cognitive ability spent less time using the search engine function on their devices.

Analysis suggests intuitive thinkers are more likely to take shortcuts in the process of problem-solving and knowledge acquisition, while more analytical thinkers are likelier to second-guess themselves and take a more detailed and logical cognitive approach.

"Decades of research has revealed that humans are eager to avoid expending effort when problem-solving and it seems likely that people will increasingly use their smartphones as an extended mind," study co-author Nathaniel Barr, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Waterloo, explained in a press release.

Researchers also found that higher use of social media and entertainment applications was correlated with lower cognitive skills.

"Our research provides support for an association between heavy smartphone use and lowered intelligence," study co-author Gordon Pennycook, a psychologist at Waterloo, added. "Whether smartphones actually decrease intelligence is still an open question that requires future research."

The study was published this week in the journal Computers in Human Behavior.

Apple supplier Japan Display to build $1.4 bn LCD screen factory
Tokyo (AFP) March 6, 2015 - Apple supplier Japan Display said Friday it would spend $1.4 billion on a new smartphone and tablet screen factory, in a move that may be a response to growing demand from the US iPhone maker.

The plant, which is expected to produce 25,000 sheets of liquid crystal displays (LCD) a month, will be constructed in the central Japanese city of Hakusan at a cost of 170 billion yen ($1.4 billion), the company said.

The plant, which would boost Japan Display's screen production by about 20 percent, is expected to start operating next year "to satisfy growing demand for ever-advancing displays", it said in a statement.

The announcement by one of the world's biggest smartphone and tablet screen makers came two weeks after a media report said it was mulling construction of a plant dedicated to supplying smartphone screens to Apple.

The report said Apple would shoulder a significant portion of the construction cost.

On Friday, a spokesperson for Japan Display was not immediately available to comment and the firm's statement said only that the new building would be financed by "cash flow and other receipts".

Government-backed Japan Display was launched in April 2012 from the integration of the display units of Sony, Toshiba and Hitachi.

While sales to Apple remain brisk, shipments to Sony and South Korea's Samsung have slowed because of competition from China.

Japan Display has warned that it expects a net loss of 12 billion yen in the fiscal year to March, reversing with an earlier forecast of a 26.8 billion net profit.

The firm's shares started trading in Tokyo last year after a $3.2 billion initial public offering.

Apple's hotly-anticipated smartwatch is expected to debut Monday as the trend-setting firm sets out to make stylish wrist-worn computers must-have accessories for modern lifestyles.

Industry trackers say Apple Watch will star at a media event being held at the same San Francisco theater where the California tech giant introduced the iPad.

Apple's chief executive Tim Cook has revealed little about the sophisticated wrist wear, but has said that he "can't live without it."

The company announced its plans for Apple Watch last year to much fanfare and has said it would begin shipping in April.

It will mark Apple's first new product type since the iPad in 2010.

Apple has indicated that the entry price would be $349 in the United States, and that two different sizes would be available in three collections, including the "Apple Watch Edition," featuring 18-karat gold cases in yellow or rose, sapphire crystal and finely crafted bands and closures.

The Apple device will connect with the iPhone, and also have a range of apps and sensors, notably for health and fitness.

The watch is also expected to include map software that guides people to destinations with gentle "taps" on the wrist.

Fitness apps on the Apple Watch and its rivals could spell trouble for makers of fitness bands from companies like Jawbone, Fitbit and Nike.

"Apple is poised to once again show how computing platforms are won or lost on the one-two punch of eager consumers and hungry ecosystem partners," said Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey.

Apple reportedly had to scale back health tracking features on the watch after some sensors didn't rise to the challenges.

- Catalyze, dominate the market -

It remains unclear whether Apple -- a latecomer to the wearables segment -- would do for smartwatches what the iPod did for MP3 players and the iPad did for tablet computers.

Apple enters a segment crowded with vendors ranging from South Korean giants Samsung and LG, to Japan's Sony and startups such as Pebble.

Motorola, acquired by Chinese giant Lenovo last year, also produces a smartwatch, and China's Huawei introduced its version at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this month.

Pebble, which burst on the scene with a crowd-funded smartwatch in 2012, this month broke the record on the Kickstarter platform with more than $16 million raised.

Research firm Strategy Analytics predicts Apple will set fire to the market from the outset, projecting sales of 15.4 million units worldwide in 2015, to give Apple a 55 percent market share.

"The Apple Watch is the catalyst to ignite the global smartwatch market," said Strategy Analytics executive director Neil Mawston.

"Apple's famous brand, loyal fan base, deep retail presence and extensive apps ecosystem will ensure healthy uptake for its watch."

Still, he said Apple may see a few glitches that need to be ironed out.

"Apple's first-generation Watch is not yet perfect," Mawston said in a statement.

"Apple will need to upgrade tangibly its second-generation watch to stay ahead of competitors later this year."

He noted that rival models are more attractive, have a longer battery life and offer more affordable prices.

But Deutsche Bank analyst Sherri Scribner predicted an even bigger splash for the Apple Watch, with sales of 17.6 million units this year.

By 2018, Scribner said, one of every four iPhone users will also have an Apple Watch, making the segment worth some $26 billion for the company.

In a research note, Scribner said the Apple Watch should be a "catalyst" to expand the market, with wrist-worn devices gradually becoming a complement to smartphones.

- The next big thing? -

Others say it's not yet clear if the smartwatch will become the must-have accessory for consumers, particularly if the pricing remains at current levels.

Roger Kay, analyst at Endpoint Technologies Associates, said Apple's loyal consumer base will deliver a certain number of sales but won't guarantee widespread adoption.

"There will be 10 million people who will buy it because it's from Apple," Kay said. "But the larger question is whether this category really has legs."

A key question is whether Apple can create the same kind of buzz and energy around a new product without its legendary leader Steve Jobs, who died in 2011.

"Steve could distort reality and tell everyone it was the next big thing, and people would believe it," said Kay.

"They've never done it without Steve. So this is the challenge for Tim Cook."

rl-gc/oh

APPLE INC.


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