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Killer Black Friday deals: 2018 Mac mini for $699; $225 off every Vega 15″ MacBook Pro; $1,050 off closeouts

 

Exclusive

By Christine McKee
Wednesday, November 21, 2018, 11:52 pm PT (02:52 am ET)

The best Black Friday deals can be found at AppleInsider, with a $225 exclusive discount on every new 2018 15-inch MacBook Pro with Vega graphics. Plus, save $100 on Apple’s 2018 Mac mini or up to $1,050 on closeout MacBook Pros with coupon. These are the most aggressive deals seen to date on the new configs, with free shipping and no tax outside NY and NJ.

For a limited time only, Apple authorized reseller Adorama is taking $225 off every Mid 2018 15-inch MacBook Pro with Vega 16 or Vega 20 graphics and $100 off two 2018 Mac mini systems for the Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend. These deals, which can be activated with coupon code APINSIDER using the pricing links below and in our Price Guide, deliver the lowest prices anywhere on the newly released configurations.

With initial benchmarks showing a strong performance increase in Geekbench on the Vega 20 models, these machines make great holiday gifts. And since Adorama will not collect sales tax on orders shipped outside NY and NJ, many shoppers can save up to $800 compared to buying from Apple. Adorama is also offering no interest financing when paid in full within 12 months on purchases of $1,000 or more using the Adorama Credit Card.

Those looking for the greatest savings can also take advantage of up to $1,050 off Mid 2017 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pros with coupon.

To snap up the discounts, shop through the pricing links below or in our Price Guide and enter coupon code APINSIDER during checkout using the step-by-step instructions near the bottom of this post. Need help? Send us a note at deals@appleinsider.com and we will do our best to assist.

2018 Mac mini deals

2018 15″ MacBook Pros with Vega 16 graphics

2018 15″ MacBook Pros with Vega 20 graphics

2017 15″ MacBook Pro clearance deals

2017 13″ MacBook Pro with Touch Bar closeouts

(*) Step by Step Instructions for Coupon Deals at Adorama

    1) Make sure you’re using a browser with cookies enabled that isn’t in private mode.
    2) Click on the price link to the desired configuration from this article or the Adorama price links in our Price Guides. You MUST click through our links in the same shopping session that you use our coupon. If you try to save a link for late, the coupon WON’T WORK. Once you click through a price link, you’ll see a price that’s higher than advertised (we’ll fix that in a moment).
    3) Add the MacBook to your cart anyway, and when you’re done shopping, begin the checkout process.
    4) After you enter your shipping information, move to the Payment section during checkout.
    5) Look for a link that says “Do you have a gift card or promo code?” next to the gift icon. Click that to bring up a coupon code field.

    6) Enter the coupon code APINSIDER in the field and click apply. The discount should appear under “Promo Savings” above the order total.
    7) That’s it. If you live outside NY & NJ Adorama will also not collect sales tax on your order.

    As always, if you have any issues, you can reach out to us at deals@appleinsider.com and we’ll try and help.

(*) Step by Step Instructions for Special Financing with the Adorama Credit Card

Additional Apple Deals

AppleInsider and Apple authorized resellers are also running a handful of additional exclusive promotions this month on Apple hardware that will not only deliver the lowest prices on many of the items, but also throw in discounts on AppleCare, software and accessories. These deals are as follows:

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Black Friday 2018 iPhone deals: Free iPhone XR; iPhone 7 for $5 per month; BOGO iPhone 8

 

By Christine McKee
Tuesday, November 20, 2018, 10:41 pm PT (01:41 am ET)

Sprint’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals are already in effect with buy one, get one free offers, $100 off the Apple Watch Series 4, and iPhone 7 devices for just $4.17 a month.

Deals on iPhones and Apple Watches are going on now at Sprint with instant savings on iPhone 7 devices — and prices as low as $4.17 per month. Apple’s latest iPhone — the XR —is also eligible for a buy one, get one free promotion (or up to $550 toward the iPhone XS, XS Max or X) with a qualifying lease and two new lines of service (or one new and one upgraded line). Meanwhile, the Apple Watch Series 4 is $100 off when you add a line as well.

Find out how to activate the promotions below —and keep checking back as more deals will be added as they go live.

Sprint’s Black Friday deals

Additional Apple Deals

AppleInsider and Apple authorized resellers are also running a handful of additional exclusive promotions this month on Apple hardware that will not only deliver the lowest prices on many of the items, but also throw in discounts on AppleCare, software and accessories. These deals are as follows:

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Apple sued over FaceTime, auto-expiring voice Messages technology

Stalwart patent troll Uniloc filed a pair of lawsuits over the weekend claiming technology used in flagship Apple communications products, namely FaceTime and iMessage, infringe on property initially developed by HP and Philips.

Uniloc’s latest legal overture, filed with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas on Saturday, leverages patents dating back to the early 2000s.

The first suit targets Apple’s FaceTime video conferencing service with a U.S. Patent No. 8,539,552 for a “System and method for network based policy enforcement of intelligent-client features.”

Filed with the USPTO in 2003 and crediting former 3Com engineers, the ‘552 patent details methods of enabling and enforcing network policies between a communications service and client devices. Specifically, the IP’s claims protect techniques of intercepting and intelligently filtering signaling messages that trigger communications services including caller ID, call waiting, multi-way calling, multi-line service, and codec specification.

FaceTime works in a similar manner by first binding a supporting device to a phone number or Apple ID, information that is used server-side for caller identification. When a user starts a FaceTime conversation, a signaling message is sent to FaceTime’s servers, which determines whether the target device is authorized to accept a call, the suit reads.

If the target device is authenticated, a connection is established and the sender’s information — caller ID credentials — are divulged to the recipient.

Filed with the USPTO in 2003 by Hewlett-Packard, the ‘552 patent was signed over to 3Com that same year. HP regained control of the IP, and more than 1,500 other assets, as part of its acquisition of 3Com in 2010.

Uniloc’s main Luxembourg arm took control of the IP in 2017 before signing it over to Uniloc 2017 LLC in May of this year.

Uniloc claims Apple’s iPhone 4 and later, iPad 2 and later, iPad Mini, fourth-generation iPod Touch and later versions and MacBooks running OS X and later infringe on multiple claims of the ‘552 patent.

In its second suit, Uniloc takes aim at iMessage audio features with U.S. Patent No. 7,020,252 for a “Group audio message board.”

The patent, granted to Philips in 2006, details a “communal audio message recordal apparatus” that enables multiple users to record and access audio messages. Each message carries a “qualifying parameter,” such as a timestamp or geographic location, which is used to grant or deny access to recordings.

The ‘252 patent presents an alternative to sifting through irrelevant messages, or gating access to messages, posted to a community style board. For example, users who visited a nightclub might be granted access to recordings from other users who also visited the venue within a specified time frame.

Uniloc construes the IP more narrowly, saying Apple’s service allows users to record voice messages that expire after a set period, specifically two minutes after it has been played by a recipient device.

The ‘252 patent was filed for in 2001, then reassigned to IPG Electronics 503 in 2009, Pendragon Electronics in 2012 and finally Uniloc Luxembourg in February of 2018. Uniloc 2017 took control of the IP in July.

Uniloc’s suit targets iOS devices running iOS 5 or later and Mac products running OS X or later.

Both suits seek unspecified damages, reimbursement of legal fees and other relief deemed fit by the court.

Saturday’s lawsuits were filed a month after Uniloc’s last play at Apple, which perhaps not coincidentally involved an HP patent and FaceTime.

In 2017 alone, Uniloc sued over Maps, Apple ID, remote software updates, AirPlay, autodialing, battery technology, device wake-up, step tracking, AirPlay, the Home app, the Apple TV Remote app and Apple Watch GPS capabilities.

Uniloc is one of the most active patent trolls in the U.S., leveraging reassigned patents or vaguely worded original IP against a number of tech firms including Activision Blizzard, Aspyr, Electronic Arts, McAfee, Microsoft, Rackspace, Sega, Sony, Symantec and others.

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Tim Cook expects ‘inevitable’ privacy legislation, values user privacy as an Apple core value

An interview previously recorded with Apple CEO Tim Cook at Apple Park aired on Sunday night, with the executive telling Axios’ Ina Fried and Mike Allen that he sees privacy regulation of tech as an inevitability.

Tim Cook on HBO

Tim Cook on HBO

Fried challenged Cook to answer why Apple takes Google’s money to be the default search engine when Google’s business explicitly relies on making money off of user data.

“We’ve been having a national discussion on tech and privacy, you guys have been a loud proponent of privacy, it fits in well with what you do,” asked Fried. “How concerning is to you that even if it’s other people’s technology, Facebook, Google, whomever, it’s happening still on your devices?”

Tim Cook reiterated that privacy is a core value, not ancillary to their business, and he named some of the features Apple implemented to act on that core value.

“It’s not that it fits in with what we do, it’s that this is a core value of ours,” said Cook. “If you look back over time, we were talking about privacy well before iPhone, so we’ve always believed that privacy was at the core of our civil liberties. This is not a matter of privacy versus profits or privacy versus technical innovation, that’s a false choice. What we’ve done is, your device has incredible intelligence about you, but I don’t have to have all of that as a company.”

Fried pushed back, asking about Google’s positioning as the search engine for iOS.

“You don’t directly have a big advertising business or make a lot of money off the data, but Google pays you on the order of billions of dollars a year to be the default search engine and they do have that business,” pressed Fried. “If you really want the user to be totally free, why take that money?”

“Well, one, I think their search engine is the best, and that’s very important, but two, look at what we’ve done with the controls that we’ve built in. We have private web browsing. We have an intelligent tracker prevention,” answered Cook. “So what we’ve tried to do is come up with ways to help our users through the course of their day, and it is not a perfect thing, I’d be the very first person to say that. But it goes along way to helping.”

Then the discussion turned to government regulation of user privacy.

“So, there’s broad support for more federal regulation of tech,” asked Mike Allen. “Do you think that’s inevitable?”

“Generally speaking, I am not a big fan of regulation, I’m a big believer in the free market, but we have to admit when the free market’s not working, and it hasn’t worked here,” responded Cook. “I think it’s inevitable that there will be some level of regulation.”

Cook has spoken in favor of federal regulation in the past and called for the US to consider legislation, outlining four key points that any legislation should contain.

In this interview on the Apple Park campus, Cook discussed his screentime habits. Cook also continued to position Augmented Reality as a game-changing technology, by demonstrating an AR landscaping application for positioning of trees in AR on the Apple Park lawn.

“Technology should amplify human performance and human experiences, and AR arguably does an unbelievable job at that, and I think it’s going to change everything,” Cook reiterated on the AR. “I think in a few years, we’re not going to be able to imagine our lives without [augmented reality]. It’s that profound a platform.”

Cook was also asked about the male-dominated workforce and ensuing culture in Silicon Valley. Apple’s CEO is expecting change on that front, soon.

“I think the Valley has been open and accepting to many different people from many different walks of life, but I agree 100% from a gender point of view that the Valley has missed it, and tech in general has missed it,” said Cook. “I know for one, we spend a lot of energy on this, and are constantly asking ourselves how can we improve more and listening to what our folks tell us, and I got to believe other folks are doing this too, so I’m actually encouraged at this point, that there will be more marked improvement over time.”

Axios teased the interview earlier on Sunday. At present, the full interview is not available on any venue other than HBO streaming services.

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22 hours only: LG’s 27″ 4K UHD monitor on sale for $289 ($210 off)

 

By Christine McKee
Saturday, November 17, 2018, 10:44 pm PT (01:44 am ET)

LG’s 27-inch 4K display is on sale for $289.00 today only during B&H’s DealZone Event. A discount of $210 off retail, this deal delivers the lowest price anywhere on the UHD monitor.

For one day only, save $210 on LG’s 27-inch 4K UHD display (27UD68-P) during B&H’s DealZone Event. Priced at $289.00 after the instant discount, this offer provides shoppers with the lowest price anywhere, with third-party sellers on Amazon charging at least $100 more.

This monitor has HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.2 connectivity, so current MacBook Pro users will need a cable like this to benefit from the additional screen real estate. However, it’s a great way to get an abundance of screen space without breaking the bank.

In addition to the cash savings, B&H is also throwing in free expedited shipping on orders shipped within the contiguous U.S., putting the display in your hands in a matter of days. B&H also will not collect sales tax on orders shipped outside AL, HI, IL, IN, KY, MD, ME, MI, MN, MS, NJ, NY, ND, OK, VT, WA and WI.

This deal is valid today only while supplies last.

Apple Deals

AppleInsider and Apple authorized resellers are also running a handful of additional exclusive promotions this month on Apple hardware that will not only deliver the lowest prices on many of the items, but also throw in discounts on AppleCare, software and accessories. These deals are as follows:

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Walmart forecast to usurp Apple as No. 3 online retailer in U.S., Amazon widens overwhelming lead

 

By AppleInsider Staff
Friday, November 16, 2018, 08:04 pm PT (11:04 pm ET)

Big-box retailer Walmart is predicted to overtake Apple as America’s third-largest online retailer by the end of 2018, a result of a wider slowdown in smartphone and consumer electronic sales, according to a report Friday.

Apple Online Store

Apple’s online storefront was recently updated for the 2018 holiday shopping season.

According to new statistics from eMarketer, spotted by TechCrunch, Walmart will capture $20.91 billion online retail spending this year, a figure that equates to 4 percent of the market. The number is up from 3.7 percent in a previous forecast from the same research firm.

The performance is expected to unseat Apple from its current spot as the No. 3 online retailer in the U.S. For 2018, eMarketer’s latest estimates suggest the iPhone maker will bump its ecommerce share 0.1 percent to end the year at 3.9 percent.

Apple is expected to show a net positive of 18 percent, less than last year’s growth, due to what eMarketer describes as a domestic slowdown in electronic device sales. By contrast, Walmart’s online sales — including profits from Sam’s Club and Jet.com — will grow 39.4 percent, a rate bested only by online home goods store Wayfair’s 40.1 percent.

“Walmart’s ecommerce business has been firing on all cylinders lately,” said eMarketer principal analyst Andrew Lipsman. “The retail giant continues to make smart acquisitions to extend its ecommerce portfolio and attract younger and more affluent shoppers. But more than anything, Walmart has caught its stride with a fast-growing online grocery business, which is helped in large part by the massive consumer adoption of click-and-collect.”

Ahead of both Walmart and Apple is eBay, which will see its share of the online market decline from 7.6 percent in 2017 to 7.2 percent this year.

Amazon remains king of the online marketplace with a massive 48 percent share of the market in 2018, according to eMarketer’s November forecast. The ecommerce titan is due to rake in more than $252 billion in the U.S., up more than 29 percent year-over-year.

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Qualcomm might be using political campaign-style attack tactics against Apple

Definers Public Affairs, the firm Facebook hired to go on the offensive against critics after the Cambridge Analytica scandal, might be leading an attack campaign targeting Apple at the behest of Qualcomm, new evidence suggests.

Qualcomm

Qualcomm building in San Diego, Calif.

On Wednesday, The New York Times published a scathing expose on Facebook’s response to revelations that the social network was compromised, and user data leveraged to sway political sentiment.

Part of the report focused on Facebook’s business dealings with Definers, a Washington, D.C., firm specializing in “oppo,” or opposition research. The consultant applies political campaign tactics to corporate relations, a strategy that only recently made its way to Silicon Valley when Definers set up an office there under the leadership of Tim Miller.

Facebook contracted Definers to lead a lobbying effort against its critics, including George Soros, in light of the Cambridge Analytica kerfuffle. The social media giant ended its relationship with the firm on Wednesday following the Times report.

Now it appears Definers is, or at least was, conducting a similar campaign against Apple at the direction of Qualcomm or a company with stake in an ongoing legal battle between the two companies.

As noted by the Times, a conservative news site with ties to Definers called the NTK Network published a number of articles critical of both Apple and Google. While Apple CEO Tim Cook is an outspoken critic of data mining business models, making him a potential enemy of Facebook, Definers said its work on Apple was funded by another, unnamed tech company.

Mr. Miller acknowledged that Facebook and Apple do not directly compete. Definers’ work on Apple is funded by a third technology company, he said, but Facebook has pushed back against Apple because Mr. Cook’s criticism upset Facebook.


While not confirmed, Qualcomm could be that third company.

Apple and Qualcomm are embroiled in a bitter legal battle over patent licensing, royalties, unsavory business practices and other contentious issues, with actions spanning courts, regulatory agencies and trade commissions worldwide. Qualcomm, which maintains the disagreement boils down to favorable IP pricing, has been angling for a settlement, but Apple is reportedly “gearing up for trial.”

Business Insider first linked Qualcomm to Definers on Thursday and claims Miller pitched story ideas involving Apple and Qualcomm to its reporters starting late last year. One suggestion was in regard to fines Apple was incurring with the legal action.

In June of last year, some five months after Apple fired the first shot with a $1 billion lawsuit claiming unfair licensing terms, Qualcomm sought a court order forcing Apple suppliers to continue royalty payments as the legal battle raged. Apple had instructed contract manufacturers to withhold payments on grounds that the chipmaker participates in unfair licensing practices, a decision that has added up to $7 billion in unpaid fees as of October.

Shortly after Qualcomm’s request, AppleInsider, and this reporter personally, was contacted by Miller about a potential connection between the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and Apple’s action against Qualcomm. Specifically, Miller hinted at some level of coordination between an unnamed FTC commissioner, Apple, Intel and Samsung before Apple filed its suit against Qualcomm in early 2017.

Miller did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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Another Apple supplier slashes revenue forecast, prompts speculation of weak iPhone demand

 

By Andrew O’Hara
Wednesday, November 14, 2018, 10:33 pm PT (01:33 am ET)

Speculation of lower than expected iPhone demand continues to weigh on Apple stock prices as yet another component supplier, AMS AG, cuts revenue estimates for the current quarter. Three other key Apple suppliers reduced their respective forecasts this week.

iPhone XS Max

iPhone XS Max

Citing “recent demand change from a major consumer customer,” Austria-based AMS on Wednesday reduced expected revenue to between $480 million and $520 million, down from estimates of $570 million to $610 million provided last month, for the important holiday quarter, according to Bloomberg. AMS supplies Apple with ambient light sensors for iPhone.

A similar explanation was offered by both Japan Display and Lumentum, suppliers of iPhone screens and Face ID 3D sensors, respectively, when they slashed forecasts on Monday. Chipmaker Qorvo, which supplies iPhone RF hardware, also forecast reduced earnings this week.

Not hard evidence of a drawdown in iPhone orders, reduced earnings estimates from key providers have stoked concern about the health of Apple’s handset business.

It should be noted, however, that a true gauge of iPhone demand is elusive. Component pricing, supplier diversification and Apple’s overall manufacturing strategy create a muddled calculus for analysts to parse, meaning perceived weakness from certain production partners might not necessarily equate to lower sales volumes.

That said, Apple has struggled in recent quarters to boost iPhone sales as major markets become increasingly saturated. Last quarter, Apple’s iPhone sales were up by a single percent year-over-year, and came in flat for the just ended fourth quarter.

Apple added fuel to concerns over plateauing iPhone growth earlier this month in announcing it would no longer report unit sales for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Unit volumes are used by analysts to calculate average selling price and gauge demand for Apple products over time. Without these figures, market watchers are left to speculate based on supply chain intel, information that is circumstantial at best.

Amidst the immediate slowdown in unit growth, Apple has managed to substantially bolster revenue not by reducing prices, but by increasing them. The plan has been successful thus far, with the premium priced iPhone X goosing ASPs to an all-time high of $793 in quarter four. That trend is expected to continue with XS, XS Max and the “mid-tier” iPhone XR, which starts at $749.

It remains to be seen whether the XR will be the home run Apple bulls were hoping for. Initially predicted to be the most popular of Apple’s 2018 iPhone lineup, recent estimates cast doubt on the handset’s market performance. On Monday, TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo became the latest analyst to cut XR sales predictions to 70 million units, down from 100 million units expected in October. He cited the looming trade war with China, customer anticipation of a next-gen XR and increased competition as factors in decreased demand.

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Lowest price ever: Apple’s HomePod on sale for $249 ($100 off) with no tax in most states

 

By Christine McKee
Tuesday, November 13, 2018, 09:02 pm PT (12:02 am ET)

Black Friday deals are in effect now with Apple’s HomePod on sale for $249 at Apple authorized reseller B&H Photo after a $100 cash discount. What’s more, B&H will not collect sales tax in many states, and shipping is free. Supplies are limited at the special price, and the offer is likely to sell out.

$100 off Apple HomePods

Apple HomePod in Space Gray
On sale for $249.00
($100 off + free shipping & no tax in many states*)

Apple HomePod in White
On sale for $249.00
($100 off + free shipping & no tax in many states*)
*Free shipping is valid on orders shipped within the contiguous U.S. B&H will not collect sales tax on orders shipped outside AL, HI, IL, IN, KY, MD, ME, MI, MN, MS, NJ, NY, ND, OK, VT, WA and WI.

Apple authorized reseller B&H Photo is back at it with a holiday discount that delivers triple digit savings on Apple’s HomePod. Now $249 after a $100 instant rebate, this deal offers shoppers the lowest price available on the smart speaker. And unlike Best Buy, which plans to offer the HomePod for the same price as a Black Friday doorbuster, you can snap up the savings now and take advantage of additional perks, such as no tax collected on orders shipped outside AL, HI, IL, IN, KY, MD, ME, MI, MN, MS, NJ, NY, ND, OK, VT, WA and WI. Shipping is also free within the contiguous U.S., putting this in your hands the quickest and for the lowest price.

Supplies are limited and the offer may sell out before its scheduled Nov. 17 expiration date.

Additional Apple Deals

AppleInsider and Apple authorized resellers are also running a handful of additional exclusive promotions this month on Apple hardware that will not only deliver the lowest prices on many of the items, but also throw in discounts on AppleCare, software and accessories. These deals are as follows:

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Apple’s camera-toting Apple Watch band employs facial recognition tech for clear FaceTime calls

Apple is investigating methods of incorporating camera hardware into its Apple Watch product lineup, focusing specifically on systems that avoid the inherent pitfalls of embedding image capturing equipment in a device not well-suited to the task.

Apple Watch Camera

Source: USPTO

According to a patent granted to Apple by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday, the tech giant is looking to broaden the feature set of its wearable by incorporating a novel camera system capable of automatically cropping in on subject matter, tracking objects like a user’s face and generating angle-adjusted avatars for FaceTime calls.

Apple’s U.S. Patent No. 10,129,503 for an “Image-capturing watch” details a hardware and software solution that makes a camera-toting Apple Watch not only feasible, but useful.

As noted in the property’s language, such designs would allow users to be less reliant on their iPhones, perhaps ditching the handset altogether in certain situations. With a camera-enabled Watch, users would be able to leave bulky handheld equipment behind when playing sports, working out or performing other strenuous activities.

A workable smartwatch camera solution is difficult to execute. Simply graphing a traditional handheld image capture system, like an iPhone camera, onto Apple Watch would be a user experience nightmare. Owners would be hard pressed to aim the camera at a subject without moving the entire platform — their wrist — to check framing, while at the same time dealing with a host of other concerns, from video stability to ergonomics.

To address the litany of anticipated issues, Apple proposes a system in which a wide-angle lens is fitted to a sensor built into a watch band. Alternatively, multiple cameras might simultaneously capture image data that is seamlessly stitched together to create one continuous image with a field of view that is much wider than any single-lens camera can provide.

The resulting wide-angle image reduces the need for precise aiming. Instead of framing subject matter beforehand, the final photo or video can be cropped after the fact to home in on a target or point of interest. This process can be conducted algorithmically or manually by the user.

Apple notes the technique not only works well for initial image acquisition — users need only point the lens in a target’s general direction — but also adds a new level of convenience not usually available to portable camera users. Crop-after-capture can assist in recording spur of the moment events, for example.

Apple Watch Camera

Illustration of teleconference call technique.

Beyond basic photography, the patent delves into teleconferencing. Here, too, Apple provides thoughtful context to the proposed technology.

In some embodiments, the watch processes a captured image and applies facial recognition software to recognize a user’s face. The device dynamically outputs a cropped image centered around the identified visage, making continuous on-the-fly adjustments to keep the face in frame even if the watch is in motion.

Perhaps most interesting is a contingency for rectifying unflattering “up nose” angles. If a user were to employ Watch in a FaceTime call, and do so without holding the device directly in front of their face as promised by Apple’s auto-cropping tech, the resulting image would at times be captured from a low vantage point.

To negate “up nose” shots, Apple proposes outputting a representation of a user’s face that appears to be taken from a straight-on perspective.

As noted in the patent, Watch’s onboard processor might generate an angle-corrected image or representation of a user’s face by compiling stored facial data, perhaps information gathered during biometric registration. Motion data captured by the camera and processed by the watch is then mapped onto the computer generated representation, which mimics a user’s facial expressions and movements in real time.

Alternatively, source motion data can be used to inform the movements of a non-human avatar like Apple’s Animoji and Memoji.

Apple Watch Camera

Illustration of automated cropping (top) and “up nose” angle correction.

Whether Apple intends to bring its Apple Watch camera band technology remains unknown. The company was in 2015 rumored to integrate a FaceTime camera into a future Apple Watch model, though the rumblings failed to bear fruit.

Apple’s camera watch band patent was first filed for in September 2016 and credits Seung Wook Kim and Megan A. McClain as its inventors.