AWT News Update: July 17, 2015

For this Friday, some Apple news that you need to know:

• iPhone processor manufacturer TSMC says its power-efficient 10-nanometer process is on track for mass production of processors in 2017
• A number of popular iOS apps have a password vulnerability
• It’s confirmed; your iPod nano and shuffle won’t work with Apple Music

What’s new in the world of Apple?

• The day-long outages of the Mac App Store, iOS App Store, iTunes Store and iBooks Store have been resolved
• Google ships a new Chromebook Pixel, this time with two USB-C connectors
• Jony Ive and Marc Newson (at right) will open the Condé Nast International Luxury Conference in Florence
• Morgan Stanley and other Wall Street firms expect iPhone sales to be up about 24 percent year over year for the quarter ending March 31.

Join us tomorrow for another episode of the AWT News Update, and be sure to leave a rating in the iTunes Store for this podcast.

Pebble today announced its next generation smartwatch, Pebble Time. The device gets its name from its timeline-based UI that shifts the focus of the interface from apps to notifications with an emphasis on what you need to get done now and in the future.

The new Pebble Time is 20 percent thinner than the original Pebble and ships with a color e-ink display. Instead of a touchscreen display, Pebble opted to include four physical buttons with three on the left and one on the right. Also on board is an integrated microphone that provides an easy way to dictate a quick text message or reminder. Unlike the original Pebble, which uses a proprietary watchstrap, the Pebble Time uses standard 22-mm watch strap with quick-release pins, allowing you to replace the stock straps when the device arrives on your doorstep. The smartwatch also boasts of up to 7-day battery life, is water resistant and includes Bluetooth LE.

One the software side, the Pebble Time runs the new Pebble OS, which includes the Timeline interface. The UI lists notifications, weather news, reminders and more in chronological order. A press of the device’s buttons allows a user to scroll through their timeline as they view information from the past, present and future. Apps are still supported by the platform, but they will be relegated to the background. The new focus is this new time-based flow of information and apps will be able to plug into this stream.

Pebble Time is available to order now via Kickstarter and will ship in May 2015. Pricing on Kickstarter starts at $159, with a retail price of $199 when the device hits retail shelves later this year. The campaign is off to a great start — reaching its $500,000 funding goal within 20 minutes and breaking the $1 million mark in 40 minutes.