Every Apple follower already know that the tech giant is planning to launch Apple Watch in April, but it appears that spring has a new meaning for them. Something big is being planned and it may come earlier than expected.

According to a reliable source that spoke with MacRumors, “Apple is planning to begin moving Apple Watches to centralized distribution points in the U.S. during the first few days of the month, with an Apple Watch release possibly coming during the first full week of April, between April 6 and April 10.”

The April release may have prompted the Cupertino giant to send out an invitation on 9 March where they are expected to reveal the Apple Watch’s official release date and hopefully spill some more details on it. The invites identified Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco as the venue for the event.

However, as typical for the company, the invite said very little, offering nothing but a colorful graphic and the tagline "Spring forward," referencing the switch to Daylight Saving Time that occurs the day before.

The reference to time strongly suggests that Apple will discuss the Apple Watch at the event and an unnamed "person familiar with the matter" told Bloomberg News that the smartwatch will be the focus. Apple plans to launch its smartwatch in April, CEO Tim Cook said in the company's earnings report earlier this month; the gadget was introduced last fall at the same time as the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, but few people have had the chance to get their hands on one.

The last time Apple held an event in March, it was to show off the third iteration of the iPad, and there have been rumors that Apple has been developing a larger iPad aimed at the enterprise market. That March 2012 iPad unveiling didn't last long, however – Apple introduced a new full-sized iPad just more than six months later, in October.

Apple also introduced an updated Apple TV at the March 2012 event, and that offering has not been updated since.

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When will the iPad pro be released?

This has been the question many Apple followers are asking after it was reported that the next tablet from the multi-billion tech company will be bigger than the current iPadm which is why it was also dubbed as the iPad Plus.

All indications point to the possibility that the upcoming new series of tablet from Apple is expected to be release in the second quarter of 2015 or in April. Also, if the reports are true, the iPad Pro will be released alongside the smaller sibling iPad Mini 4.

According to News Every Day, the Apple iPad Pro will feature the same design as the iPad Air 2. This means, the tablet will be ultra thin and light.

To be specific, the device will be 7 mm in thickness and will reportedly weigh 700 g. When it comes to key Apple iPad Pro specifications, the device is expected to boast one of the 12.0-inch, 12.2-inch or 12.9-inch displays, bundled with a 2K screen resolution to offer better viewing experience.

It is worth noting that, the tech giant has recently unveiled the first 5K desktop computer, the iMac Retina. On that note, it is very apparent that the company is investing time and effort in perfecting impressive display technology, notes Value Walk.

Furthermore, Apple is focusing on the productivity more than entertainment factor with the big-screen iPad. On that note, rumours state that, the Apple iPad Pro could be marketed as the hybrid tablet/laptop with a detachable keyboard in tow. This means, Microsoft’s Surface Pro series of tablets will reportedly be the competitor to the upcoming tablet, says the same site.

Meanwhile, under the hood, the tablet will reportedly run on Apple’s A9 chipset. Value Walk also says that, because of the popularity of the S-Pen stylus that comes with the high-end Samsung Galaxy phablets and tablets, Apple is planning to offer a similar stylus with the upcoming iPad Pro/iPad Plus. However, unlike the Galaxy Note 4, this stylus could reportedly be an optional unit and could also come with only the high-end version of the iPad Pro.

Speaking of Apple iPad Pro price, as a market leader, Apple is currently in a position to quote the price the company wants to, however, the tablet market has apparently slowed down and therefore, overpricing is out of the question, says value Walk. Hence, the upcoming tablet is expected to be priced in the same range as the current-generation iPad models. Nonetheless, Apple has not confirmed the iPad Pro specifications or the release date thus far.

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Mobile payment is slowly changing everyone's lives and tech giant Apple is one of those leading the way towards that transformation using Apple Pay app.

Apple Pay is Smart Wallet of iPhone 6 / iPhone 6 Plus that allows its owners to shop online and make mobile payment. The App is also compatible with other Apple devices like Apple Watch-compatible devices (iPhone 5 and later models), iPad Air 2, and iPad Mini 3. It works with Visa’s PayWave, MasterCard’s PayPass, and American Express’s Express Pay terminals.

Making payment with Apple Pay is one of the safest option these days. 'More than one million Apple iOS users adopted Apple Pay within 3 days of its launch,' quoted Apple’s CEO Tim Cook on 27 October 2014.

If you are proud owner of iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus but did not Set Up Apple Pay with Credit Card, do it now.

Setting Up Apple Pay is simple and easy. To start, navigate to Menu in your iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus. Just below iTunes find the Option, 'Passbook and Apple Pay'. Next tap on Passbook and Apple Pay and then tap on add a new Credit / Debit Card.

No need to fill card details manually. Just click on the camera icon adjacent to card number. Hold your Credit Card / Debit Card in Front of iPhone Camera and allow the App to scan it.

Next Agree to Terms and Conditions and complete verification process.

It is easy and convenient. No complicated sign-ups or bulky application forms. The Apple Pay Wallet is accepted in all Apple Stores.

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Time is running short and Apple needs to get its act together or else face the wrath of fans waiting to get a hold of the company's smartwatch.

Wall Street Journal reported that the tech giant has asked Asian suppliers to make as many as 6 million units of its three Apple Watch models for the first quarter.

The relatively large initial order — which far outpaces sales of other wearable devices from Samsung and Sony, among others — is a risky move for Apple.

The watch is the first new device developed solely under the stewardship of Apple CEO Tim Cook. If it’s a dud, it will cast doubt on his ability to create products without Apple’s late visionary, Steve Jobs.

Already the watch has proven problematic for the company, with insiders calling it a "black hole" because it sucked up so much time and energy, the Journal reported.

Apple ended up scrapping several health-related features, such as the ability to measure blood pressure, heart activity and stress levels, due to the complexity, the paper added.

The entry-level Sport model accounts for half the first-run order, while the mid-tier, stainless steel model count for one-third, according to Tuesday’s report.

Apple ordered a small number of the high-end model with 18-karat gold casing ahead of the April launch but plans to produce more than 1 million units per month in the second quarter, the Journal reported.

Apple didn’t comment on the report.

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Some site reported a couple of days ago that there is a mysterious Apple van making its way around San Francisco.

One blog that wrote about a possible self-driving van, they got an unsolicited email from an alleged employee of Apple detailing the "vehicle development" at the company.

This person said Tesla employees were "jumping ship" to work at Apple.

"Apple's latest project is too exciting to pass up," the person said. "I think it will change the landscape and give Tesla a run for its money."

Apple has about 50 employees who previously worked at Tesla, according to LinkedIn. Many of those hires were engineers who interned at Tesla and specialized in mechanics, manufacturing, and robotics.

Nobody has yet to step forward and confirm the latest technological innovation and, if it is indeed true, many are wondering why the company is venturing outside their core competency.

More likely, it's working on new iPhone-to-car experiences that will be better than what Tesla offers in its own vehicles. Apple has an initiative called CarPlay that lets users control certain a car's entertainment and other systems with their smartphone. It was supposed to come out in 2014, but has been delayed, and has only just started to emerge on cars like the 2015 Hyundai Sonata.

There is a speculation that maybe this alleged Apple employee is talking about things like using your iPhone to unlock and drive a CarPlay-partner car without needing a key. Tesla began offering this with its 6.0 system update last year. Perhaps it could be a much deeper set of integrated experiences with navigation, audio, and other systems.

Whether or not Apple is working on a car of its own, the company seems to compete with Tesla for top talent.

Tesla has hired about 150 people from Apple so far, according to Bloomberg, and Apple has reportedly tried to appeal to potential Tesla hires with US$ 250,000 signing bonuses and huge salary hikes.

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The general sentiment is that millions of people will buy Apple Watches, because the company’s enormous, core base of fans will line up for just about anything for an iProduct. At US$ 349 per watch, Apple has to sell "just" 3 million Apple Watches to reach US$ 1 billion in sales.

Nearly 70 percent of Apple's revenue comes from the iPhone. With iPad sales slumping, Apple needs this new product to succeed to reduce its reliance on one core product. Chances are they find that with Apple Watch, but some sceptics think otherwise.

The allegation is that Apple itself is trying to reduce investors' expectations for the watch, relegating it to the "other" section of its report, which includes iPods and Apple TVs. So unless sales are through the roof, critics believe that the public should not expect Apple to give away too much about how many watches it has sold.

Here's why critics think Apple Watch won't be an instant hit:

It costs US$ 350. That's a lot of money to fork over for a device that adds a slight bit of convenience. It doesn't do anything more than your iPhone does - it just allows you to do some iPhone functions on your wrist.

Wearable devices haven't taken off for that reason: The functionality doesn't justify their price.

As serial tech investor Fred Wilson predicted earlier this year, "Another market where the reality will not live up to the hype is wearables. Not everyone will want to wear a computer on their wrist."

That's why Wilson said the Apple Watch won't be a "home-run product that iPod, iPhone, and iPad have been."

Battery life is going to be awful. If the rumors of 10-hour battery life hold true, that's truly dreadful. That'll barely get most people through their work day and commute.

The Apple Watch does so much and it's so small that there's probably not much that Apple can do to improve the battery. That's why non-Apple smartwatch makers have decided to give their watches a couple core functions and relegate the rest to the smartphone.

Rival smartwatches might not be as compelling as the Apple Watch, but the battery life at least gets them through a day.

Not everyone thinks it's as beautiful as Tim Cook does. When he unveiled the Apple Watch last fall, Tim Cook fawned over the beautiful design elements of the Apple Watch.

But there are actually better-looking smartwatches on the market, including the gorgeous Moto 360, which actually looks like a watch. There's no mistaking the Apple Watch – it’s boxy, fat and, compared to Apple's other products, it's ugly.

What's compelling about it? Do you need to send drawings to your friends to communicate that you want to get a cup of coffee? Do you really want to zoom in and out with a dial to see text on a tiny screen when you have a 5-inch screen in your pocket? Do you need to know your heartbeat while sitting at your desk?

That's a personal preference, but most people will undoubtedly say, "No way."

Version 2.0 will be better. Spending US$ 200 on the iPhone is a two-year investment. You know you're getting something that will be replaced in a couple years, and your carrier will subsidize the cost for you.

With the Apple Watch, you're spending US$ 350, and you're stuck with it. Next year, when Apple designs an Apple Watch that does your laundry and your dishes, you'll need to fork over another US$ 350 or stick with what you've got.

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The patent office is delivering more information on what to expect from Apple in the next few years. Foremost of several innovations by the giant tech company is their foray into the area of "Fingerprint Sensor in an Electronic Device."

The Apple application shows how Touch ID might be placed directly inside the touchscreen of an iPhone or iPad instead of under the home button. The patent would allow users to have their fingerprint scanned by pressing on a specific location on the screen of the handset or tablet.

Security could be enhanced on the iPad by requesting that the user verify his identity by matching the fingerprints on all five fingers on one hand. A palm print could also be employed.

Previous attempts to embed a fingerprint scanner inside a touchscreen have resulted in the placement of additional layers on top of the display which harmed the quality of images seen on the screen.

Additionally, touch inputs sometimes would not register on a touchscreen outfitted with the additional material. Apple plans on getting around this by using an integrated circuit that would be placed on the bottom of a cover sheet or on the top of the display. Using a "transparent conductive material such as indium tin oxide," Apple would be able to prevent a drop in the quality and clarity of the images seen on the touchscreen.

The patent filing is partly credited to Dale Setlak, co-founder of AuthenTec. The biometrics company was purchased by Apple in 2012 to help it produce the current Touch ID fingerprint scanner.

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Chris Smith of BGR concluded that Apple CEO Tim Cook devised a sneakier way to "defeat Android." Rather than tumultuously and publicly raging against Android device makers and committing major resources to a thermonuclear war against Google and its Android partners, Cook allegedly "defused" former Apple CEO Steve Jobs’s thermonuclear threat, "then he took down Android."

As expected, not everyone agrees with this assumption. Android fans will claim that their mobile OS of choice is still better than iOS, and that Android is the widely used across the globe, significantly outselling iPhones. Last year alone, around 1 billion Android devices were sold globally, compared to under 200 million iOS devices.

However, Apple has apparently managed something other companies can only dream of. With just two new phones launched late in the third quarter of 2014, Apple managed to shatter its previous iPhone sales records and crush estimates for the fourth quarter of 2014, establishing record for revenue and profit in the process.

As Forbes explains it, that happened thanks to Apple’s laborious and methodical ways of doing things that didn’t necessarily involve crushing rivals in courts. Under Cook, Apple terminated patent fights with HTC and Motorola. The company even stopped some of its legal actions against Samsung, though it still beat its main rival in U.S. courts twice, with some legal matters still to be resolved in the region.

Instead, "just as America negated the Cold War through patience, propaganda, and technical prowess, Tim Cook has neutered Android’s economic threat to Apple through guile, suppression, and finesse," the publication puts it.

The company continued to improve the iPhone over the years — even though Android fans always made fun of the fact that iPhones were not always on par with competing Android devices — releasing the bigger iPhones on its own terms.

Apple forced competitors to start work on 64-bit processors a lot earlier than anyone anticipated, and built up resources well in advance. This not only gave Apple preferential supply and pricing, but also preventing rivals from being able to buy the materials and components they need. Just recently, reports claimed that even if it wanted to, Samsung could not make enough metal smartphones because of Apple.

Other achievements include strategic bets on synthetic sapphire and hedging DRAM "as efficiently as Southwest hedges aviation fuel." Forbes says that Apple is also first in line for touch panels — it has convinced Foxconn to build an entire display factory just for its products — and even booked up all available shipping from China when the iPhone 6 was released.

Finally, even before the iPhone 6 was launched, Apple was the undisputed king of the mobile business when it come to profits, with only Samsung being profitable among its Android rivals. And yet Apple managed to further improve that status, by increasing the average selling price of the iPhone with the iPhone 6, rather than driving smartphone margins down like Android device makers.

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Despite the staggering profit reported by Apple, Android developers are unperturbed. In fact, just a few days ago, Samsung and HTC updated two of their hot Android devices to Android 5.0, at least in some regions of the world.

Both handset makers are now back with more Lollipop news for some of their best-selling phones, though it’s not necessarily good news. TechTastic reports that the Galaxy S4 is now receiving its Lollipop build, though only users in certain markets will see update prompts at this time

As for certain versions of the HTC One M8 and One M7, HTC’s 2014 and 2013 flagship handsets, the company said the update has been slightly delayed, missing the expected 90-day update window.

Specifically, the Galaxy S4 update has started in Russia for the GT-I9500 model, a version of the handset that should also be available in many other European markets. Other Lollipop updates for Samsung devices have also been rolled out in Russia first.

As we also reported earlier, Verizon’s Galaxy S5 is finally getting Android 5.0 Lollipop as well.

Meanwhile, HTC vice president of product management Mo Versi posted an update on the Lollipop rollout for carrier versions of the HTC One M8 and the HTC One M7, saying that they will both miss the initial 90-day goal, as the company is still working on fixing some issues.

"We’ve been diligently working to fix some of [the software issues] on our end and incorporating Google’s fixes as quickly as possible, but despite everyone’s best efforts some carrier versions of the HTC One (M8) and HTC One (M7) will not meet our 90 day goal, which is February 1st," Versi wrote.

"While we are committed to delivering within this time period, we are even more committed to ensuring these updates result in an even better experience with your device because that is what the updates are intended to do."

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Is there something to be excited about when Apple launches its brand new MacBook Air model in the coming months?

It will be a 12-inch version that will bring a significant design update to the company’s family of ultra-portable notebooks. The device is going to be even slimmer and lighter than existing 11-inch and 13-inch designs, reports have revealed, with Apple said to start selling it in stores sometime this quarter.

Even though the price of the 12-inch model is yet to be officially announced, there’s now a reason to be excited about the notebook even if you don’t plan to buy one.

According to a report from Digitimes, Apple is expected to sell anywhere from 10% to 15% more Macs this year than in 2014. The company is seen shipping 20 million to 23 million computers in 2015, compared to 19.59 million units in the previous period.

Sources speaking to the Taiwanese publication said that Apple is likely to further drop the prices for the 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air models once the 12-inch MacBook Air is out, without revealing any pricing details. Last year, Apple dropped the prices of the MacBook Air line when launching slightly updated versions of the notebooks.

An analyst who is often accurate with Apple-related predictions has recently correctly predicted the record iPhone sales numbers for the fourth quarter of 2014, and he has now said the 12-inch MacBook Air should be released by the end of March.

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We already reported about the record-breaking profit numbers of Apple in the last quarter of 2014. But what does this mean for Android users? Does this mean the primary they face a grim outlook in the years to come?

Aside from the runaway iPhone sales, Google faces an unprecedented threat from "forked" versions of Android — independently developed offshoots of the mobile operating system that are out of Google's control. Can Android weather the storm and still emerge a viable option?

Data shows that despite all this threat, Android isn't going anywhere, at least not soon. Strategy Analytics has just revealed that Android reached a huge new milestone in 2014. For the first time ever, more than 1 billion devices were shipped with the Android OS.

This trounces iPhone sales, CNET reports. Apple sold just 192.7 million units in the same time period. According to Strategy Analytics, Android devices were in 81 percent of all smartphones sold last year. The global smartphone market also increased 30 percent, to 1.3 billion from 1 billion.

Microsoft's 3 percent market share is little more than a footnote, and all others combined come to less than 1 percent.

This record-breaking lead from Strategy Analytics means that Android's future is assured for years to come. Sure, Apple's platform is still consistently more profitable than Google's , with iOS users spending more on apps, but in the numbers game, Android is unassailable.

This is especially the case in the lower end of the market. While Apple is expanding into emerging economies like China in a big way, it is doing so by targeting high-end consumers. And it is manufacturers of higher-end Android devices, like Samsung, that are losing out as a result.

However, for hundreds of millions of people in developing countries, Apple devices are out of reach. And unless Apple dramatically rethinks its pricing strategy (unlikely), they will remain so for years to come. Android users may not have the purchasing power of Apple's wealthy minority, but the OS' grip on the market is untouchable.

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Starting February this year, Android tablet owners who long for more productivity and PowerPoint will be able to download Microsoft's apps from the Google Play Store.

Apps and mobile devices may well be revolutionizing how we work and play but, for the moment at least, Microsoft's evergreen suite of productivity applications - Word, Excel and PowerPoint - are still the gold standard. And until now they have been conspicuously absent for Android tablet though iPhone and iPad owners have been able to download the apps for nearly a year already.

However, unlike their Apple device counterparts, the Android apps won't run on all devices. Your tablet will have to have a 7-inch or larger display, be running version 4.4 (KitKat) of Android and have at least 1GB of RAM on board in order for the applications to work properly.

Technically speaking, each of the apps is free. All you'll need for them to run on your tablet is a Microsoft account and, once signed in, you'll be able to edit and save documents.

If you have a Microsoft 365 subscription, it will unlock a number of 'premium' features in each of the apps - such as syncing documents across devices but many users will be able to get by with just the basics. However, if you have a large screen (i.e., greater than 10-inches) tablet, none of the apps will work without a Microsoft 365 subscription.

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If you think outdated celphones now belong to tech museums or collector's chests, then you are wrong. There is something inherent in these gadgets that made them the preferred devices than, let's say, iPhones or Android smartphones.

Just ask your local drug dealer and they will tel you why.

In the UK, instead of the latest tech money can buy, Vice reports, that drug dealers are stocking up on vintage Nokia 8210 phones because they are less easy to track.

Vice claims that "every source" the publication spoke with has one of the vintage Nokias.

Vice spoke to a drug dealer known as K2 about the phones he uses. "I've got three Nokia 8210 phones and have been told they can be trusted, unlike these iPhones and new phones, which the police can easily [use to] find out where you've been."

K2 went on to explain to Vice that drug dealers use the Nokia phones because of their long battery life and fears over police surveillance. "At least I can trust an old Nokia," he said.

Vice also spoke to a crack addict who recalled being offered money for his old Nokia 8210 phone. He eventually exchanged it for some crack cocaine worth around $50. Another person Vice spoke to was a phone shop owner in Birmingham. He said that the phones sell "straight away" when they come in stock.

It's not just a long battery life that drug dealers like about the Nokia 8210, though. It also has an infrared port, which means that dealers can send contacts between phones easily without swapping out SIM cards.

Nokia 8210s are popular sellers on eBay, too. A quick search of the used-cellphone section shows that the 16-year-old phones are selling for around £30 — a high price for outdated technology.

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After a staggering and record –breaking 4th quarter profit of US$ 18 Billion, everyone expects Apple not to replace what is not broken. But before anyone can blink, the tech giant has confirmed its plan to change the company’s image.

To solidify its hold as one of the world’s top retail company, Apple’s executive changes up employee dress codes.

It is necessary for employees to represent the company, and employee uniforms are one way to do that. Apple’s current senior vice president of retail, Angela Ahrendts, is doing her part to improve the company’s image.

Given Ahrendts history in the fashion industry, it is not surprising anymore to Apple retail followers to hear that she wants to change retail store employee uniforms. The new policy’s title is “Back to Blue . . . But All New.”

To follow the new dress code, employees must wear a polo shirt or crew neck tee in the same shade of dark blue. Both variations come in either long or short sleeve options. All employees will be given one of the short-sleeved versions to start.

The new shirts are of fine cotton construction and made of 10 percent recycled materials. Apple’s new shirts feature a smaller Apple logo centered at the heart.

New uniforms aren’t the only change Ahrendts has in mind. She also wants to recruit United States-based retail employees for China’s stores. She sent a recent memo to retail workers from 200 employees of U.S. stores. She also reminded employees to keep the Chinese market at the top of their mind. Apple will hire for 15 stores throughout the country.

Ahrendts has always kept China on her strategy list. She planned a three-part vision for Apple retail, and those points have shaped the company’s impact on China. Apple’s presence in China is showing seeds of success. The iPhone maker sold more phones in China than in the United States in the most recently completed quarter. The tech giant’s even managed to dethrone Xiaomi, a locally-based phone maker that previously sold the most phones in that market.

Apple wants to take on China, which boasts the largest market and presents a greater opportunity for revenues.

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