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How Does the Apple Watch Series 3 with Cellular Work?

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watchOS 4 ceramic series3 control center connected to device

The Third generation of Apple Watch was just released, and with it comes the ability to use the Watch while on a cellular network such as Verizon, Sprint, AT&T or T-Mobile, but how exactly does this device communicate with Apple to get content to your watch?

Experimentation

The first thing I did when I turned on my new watch was to pair it with my phone, obviously, but I then tried to use the cellular features within the same room as my phone. This meant that I turned off the radios of my phone and tried several different ways to get the watch to work and all it would say is, “Disconnected.” I was discouraged and a bit disappointed with the watch, because I could not get it to work with LTE out of the box. Yesterday I called Verizon, and we went through the set up process again, and we did see more options that had to be set during setup that were not there the first time, so this was promising. but I still could not figure out how to use LTE after it was set up.

The Solution

When I woke up this morning, I gave the problem some more thought, and I realized that the watch still relies on the iPhone to work. This means that both devices must be on the Internet, and that both devices have to be in communication for the watch to work properly. I left the apartment and went for a walk, and sure enough, I was able to see a green cellular icon in control center with a signal strength icon at the top. I then tried to use Apple Music, but of course, that was promised for next month, so that did not work at this time.

Conclusion

While I was disappointed with the watch at the time of unboxing, I think the watch is growing on me now that I have had time to play with it. I think they could do much more with it like making it completely independent from the iPhone, but I think they have come a long way from the Series 0 watch that everyone loved.

#iACast 56 – Apple iPhone Event 2017

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iPhone X Home Screen

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As predicted, Apple released all new hardware at their September 2017 event Just as predictably, iACast hosts Jason, Michael, Aleeha and Meaghan talk about the latest hardware announcements on this episode of the iA Cast. Here are the highlights of what was talked about.

#iACast 55 – 2017 iPhone Pre-Show

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Apple Special Event September 2017

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In this episode, Jason, Michael, Aleeha, Jade, and Anne discuss what we possibly  can expect from Apple’s event on Tuesday. We have posted this episode before Wednesday as a special to prime everyone for the upcoming event.

#iACast 18 – UnboxCast Part 2

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image showing three views of the same Apple Watch Series 2

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On this episode of the iA Cast, Rich Cavallaro unboxes his new iPhone 7 Plus, and Michael Doise unboxes the new Apple Watch series 2. We set up these devices, and we take a look at the differences between load times on the Apple Watch series 2 compared to the original Apple Watch commonly known as the series 0 version.

Unlock your Mac with your Apple Watch

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Image with dark background with Apple Watch app icon with label in the center.

One of the neatest features added to WatchOS 3 and MacOS Sierra is the ability to unlock your Mac with your watch. Apple uses several new technologies to do this that use high encryption, and data speed measurements to determine if it is ok to unlock your Mac. The cool thing about this is that it is easy to set up. Here’s how you do it.

Prerequisites

  1. Your Mac must at least be a 2013 model Mac for this feature to work.
  2. You must first set up two-factor authentication with your iCloud account. If you haven’t done so, the Mac will walk you through this process.
  3. You must make sure you are not using your iCloud password to log into your Mac. This will require you to set a different login password for your user account than what is used for your iCloud account.

Setting up Unlock from Apple Watch

  1. Open System Preferences on the Mac
  2. Find Security and Privacy
  3. Find the check box that says, “Allow your Apple Watch to unlock this Mac”
  4. Follow any instructions given to enable two factor authentication or to set a non-iCloud Password

Screen shot showing how to unlock the computer with Apple Watch

That’s it! Now, when you go to unlock your Mac, you should just have to wait for your watch to unlock the computer. If for some reason the process does not work, or both devices can’t find each other, you will still need to type your password.

Should there be a new Apple Watch in 2016?

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Bigger pic of Apple Watch

Apple has a release cycle of a new product each year whether it be computers, phones or other hardware, but does Apple need a new Apple Watch this year?

Advantages of a new Apple Watch model

The advantages of a new Apple Watch this year would be that Apple could put a new processor and memory on the watch, making WatchOS faster and more responsive. They could also allow for better software features on WatchOS 3 as well.

Disadvantages of getting a new Apple Watch model

While it would be cool to see a new watch, you also have to look at the market. Will people want to buy a new Apple Watch, or will they just want to keep with their current model. If you own a sport model of the watch an upgrade is reasonable, but the steel and edition models of the watch are a little more difficult to justify upgrading. The other thing to consider is if Apple decides to keep the same band attachment mechanism. If Apple decides to change how the watch works with bands, then all bands purchased last year and during the beginning of this year will not work on the new watch.

Conclusion

While it would be cool to see a new watch, I don’t think they really need to put out a new model of Apple Watch until 2017. This is because people are just now getting used to wearing their current model, and will have to adapt and adopt a new way of using and wearing the Apple Watch if one becomes available. As mentioned earlier, you may need to get new bands for the new model, and they will cost as much as the first watch you have purchased. I again think that coming out with a second model in March would not be a good idea for Apple, but I do think they could get away with coming out with a watch when the new iPhone 7 becomes available. It would be a neat companion product. Get your iPhone 7 and your new Apple Watch.

What do you think? Do you think Apple should make a new Apple Watch model this year? Let us know in the comments or on social media.

#iACast 8 – Recording with a watch?

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Icon for Just Press Record

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This week on iA Cast we record the episode with an app on the Apple Watch called Just Press Record. Let us know what you think.
  1. Just Press Record is an app for iOS that works with Apple Watch. You can record and it saves your recordings immediately to iCloud Drive.
  2. Apple comes out with new Aluminum and glass gold and rose gold Apple Watches. Rose gold model has a rose gold color in the selection of colors for your complications.
  3. New iMacs with retina displays. 21.5 inch has 4k and 27 inch has 5k display. each one comes with new magic devices.
  4. Apple releases Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, and Magic Trackpad 2. Magic keyboard is wedge shaped like the new Magic Trackpad and has a flatter design. Magic Trackpad 2 has force Touch and the Magic Mouse 2 is slimmer with the same kind of feel. All three of these devices use Lightning cables to charge, and can get 9 hours of battery in 2 minutes of charging.
  5. We then discuss the difference between USB-C and Micro USB.
  6. We discuss the news in Gaming.
  7. We then talk about iOS content blockers and if you should use them. Check out Purify Blocker in the App Store.
  8. The BARD Mobile app from NLS has been updated with new features and the same bugs.
  9. Fall television is back with great new seasons. Many shows can be found on Hulu and other places online. Apple adds all Harry Potter books to the iBookStore and more.

We hope you have enjoyed this episode of iA Cast. Please leave us feedback on how you like the recording quality of the Apple Watch and the Just Press Record app.

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