Steve Sande

<p><span>Cats are attracted to the warmth of power supplies, computers, external hard drives, even the cat-popular AirPort Extreme (before Apple redesigned it with the help of dogs...). Molly and her sister Emma live with their owner and AWT reader Harald Tammen, who sent this relaxing picture of Molly deep in dreams about getting a little Apple Watch for her paw.</span></p>

<p><span>Shortly after midnight Pacific Time, Apple began accepting orders for its Apple Watch. Early buyers who were online and purchased immediately when orders went live were able to secure a device for shipment on the April 24th launch date. Within minutes of launch, ship times on most of the 42mm models of the Sport Watch and standard Watch had slipped to 4-6weeks. Within an hour, all models of the Watch were shipping in late May (4-6 weeks) and June. </span></p>

<p>Here are some of the best free apps, app updates and new apps that have landed in the App Store recently. Today's notable apps include a discount on Solve - A colorful graphing calculator, the new Robot Factory kid’s building game and a major update to Unclutter. All app prices are USD and subject to change. Some deals may expire quickly, so grab them while you can.</p>

<p>UK electronics repair shop iPhonefixed obtained a 38mm sapphire glass display from the Apple Watch and [tested](https://youtu.be/70xGTRqElBY) the screen for its durability. </p>

<p style="margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px">Readers who have been with Apple World Today since the beginning will remember <a target="_blank" href="https://softorino.com/waltr" rel="noopener noreferrer">WALTR</a> (US$29.95), as the Mac app's developer -- Softorino -- was one of our sponsors. All of us on the AWT team are huge fans of WALTR, which can take just about any video file format, convert it quickly, and then transfer it for viewing on your iPad or iPhone.</p><p style="margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px">WALTR got an update to version 1.5 today, and it's a doozy.</p>

<p>Apple will begin accepting pre-orders for its Apple Watch starting Friday at 12:01 AM Pacific Time with sales commencing at the same time in launch countries worldwide. Your ordering window will vary depending on your time zone with some unlucky people like me waiting until the early morning hours for the Apple Store to start processing Watch pre-orders. As a seasoned veteran who has been pre-ordering Apple products for years, I've learned a few tricks to help pass the time and successfully secure my device of choice.  Read on to find out how you can fill your wait time with fun and end the process with an Apple Watch order confirmation. </p>

<p><span>Yesterday the embargo was lifted on </span><a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2015/4/8/apple-watch-reviews-hit-the-internet" rel="noopener noreferrer">reviews of the Apple Watch</a><span>; today, it's the new 12-inch MacBook that's under the microscope. Here's a roundup of comments from the reviewers, all of whom are veteran Apple bloggers:</span></p>

<p style="margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px"><a target="_blank" href="http://thinkbym.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Designed by many</a> is a design shop based in South Florida, and it's had success in the past coming up with innovative accessory designs, then crowdfunding the manufacturing. A good example of this strategy was the original <a target="_blank" href="http://www.thinkbym.com/collections/designed-by-m-store/products/al13-v3-iphone-6" rel="noopener noreferrer">AL13 Aerospace Aluminum iPhone Bumper</a>, which was a groundbreaking design that has been replicated by many other manufacturers.</p><p style="margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px">The company is going the crowdfunding route for a pair of Apple Watch accessories later this month; the Banded Classic (see image above), a leather and aluminum housing for the Watch that aims to jazz up the low-end versions of the device and the Simple Station, a dual Apple Watch/iPhone charging station (below).</p>

<p style="margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px">An Apple Watch is hip but an Apple ][ Watch is <em>hipster</em>.</p><p>The makers at Instructables have outdone themselves with <a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/Apple-II-Watch/?ALLSTEPS">this amazing Apple ][ Watch build</a>. You'll find complete, step-by-step instructions for making you own. And hey, it really shows the time! Don't miss the promo video. </p>

<p style="margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px">Karelia Software's <a href="http://www.karelia.com/products/sandvox/">Sandvox</a> has been providing dead-simple website creation to customers for years. Now, the same team has simplified the process of getting your work online with <a href="https://sandvoxhosting.com">Sandvox hosting</a>, available through Sandvox 2.10.</p>

<p><span>This morning, the update du jour was that for </span><a href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2015/4/8/mac-os-x-yosemite-10103-now-available">Mac OS X Yosemite 10.10.3</a><span>. Now iOS 8.3 has become available, and the 291 MB (at least on my iPhone 6 Plus) update is chock full of improved performance, bug fixes, and -- most importantly -- a redesigned Emoji keyboard.</span></p>

<p>Here are some of the best free apps, app updates and new apps that have landed in the App Store recently. Today's notable apps include a discount on Awesome Calendar, the new MORTAL KOMBAT X game app and a major update to OS X Yosemite. All app prices are USD and subject to change. Some deals may expire quickly, so grab them while you can.</p>

<p>The <a href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2015/4/8/apple-watch-reviews-hit-the-internet">first round of reviews are in for the Apple Watch</a>, and for the most part the voices at the big newspapers and websites are saying what people said about the first iPhone: it’s groundbreaking and impressive, although it has some flaws. The reviews are a mixture of awe and annoyance; Farhad Manjoo, writing at the New York Times, noted how it took him three days to fall in love with the device, “but once I fell, I fell hard.” </p>

<p style="margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px">After a long beta that included a lot of non-developer testers, Mac OS X Yosemite 10.10.3 is now available for general release in the Mac App Store. </p><p style="margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px">To be sure, this will be a controversial update as it introduces the public to the eventual replacement for iPhoto and Aperture -- the new Photos app. Here are the official release notes for the update:</p>

<p>Alone in a secret lab, Tim Cook counts down from ten. "...three...two...one." His wrist vibrates. It's a crude smiley face drawing from Jony Ive along with the words, "Go time." The Apple Watch embargo dissolves into nothingness and the first reviews hit the internet. </p>