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From dad bod to six pack: Essential gear for bulking up

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IMG_5165 (1)
Some of the best fitness gadgets don’t fit on your wrist.
Photo: Graham Bower / Cult of Mac Photo: Graham Bower / Cult of Mac

After a brush with cancer prompted me to take my health more seriously, I began using run trackers to start my journey from dad bod to six pack.

At first, running was the only exercise I did. It helped me lose my love handles, but I ended up looking too skinny. I decided it was time to put on some muscle. While Apple Watch and other wearables are great for running, they’re not much help when it comes to bulking up. As I soon discovered, some of the best fitness gadgets don’t fit on your wrist.

Here’s a faster way to charge your Apple Watch

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The 6 pin diagnostic port on the Apple Watch charges it faster than induction.
The 6-pin diagnostic port on the Apple Watch charges it faster than induction.
Photo: Reserve Strap

The “secret” developer port on the Apple Watch has yet to be harnessed by third-party developers, but it definitely possesses cool powers, as this new video shows: The tiny port hidden by the Apple Watch band can actually charge your device faster than normal.

Ka-ching! Apple plans to roll out an Apple Pay Rewards Program

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Apple Pay is ready to dominate CurrentC.
Apple Pay is about to give you an extra reason to get on board.
Photo: Wells Fargo

In case you hadn’t noticed, Apple is pretty darn keen on making Apple Pay into the de facto mobile payments solution.

With that in mind, the company is reportedly set to announce a new Apple Pay Rewards Program at next month’s Worldwide Developers Conference, offering exclusive perks to customers who use the service, while driving people to return to participating merchants.

Cars are ‘ultimate mobile device’ and other Apple insights from Jeff Williams

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The man described by Fortune as
The man described by Fortune as "Tim Cook's Tim Cook."
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

Apple’s VP of operations, Jeff Williams, took the stage at Recode’s Code Conference today to talk about everything from his pride and joy (ResearchKit), to the future of Apple Watch.

A full lineup of new software and products are sure to be announced next month at WWDC, but Williams revealed some of the surprises early, telling Walt Mossberg that Apple Watch apps are about to get a new SDK so they can run faster.  Apple’s electric car project came up as well with Williams calling cars  ‘the ultimate mobile device.’

Here are seven juicy insights into Apple’s future from the interview:

Apple Watch apps are about to get the speed boost they desperately need

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Is Apple Watch demand waning?
Native Apple Watch apps are coming.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple Watch is one the most incredible watch I’ve ever owned, but there’s just one problem — the apps are all soooo slow.

That could change pretty soon, according to Apple VP of Operations Jeff Williams, who says Apple will give developers a preview of native Apple Watch apps at next month’s Worldwide Developers Conference.

World’s most spoiled dog scores two Apple Watch Editions

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Billionaire's son who bought Apple Watches for his dog lands on China's 'discredited' list
Above: The oblivious new owner of two new Apple Watch Editions.
Photo: Wang Sicong

The son of China’s richest man has bought not one, but two gold Apple Watch Editions. For his dog.

Wang Sicong’s father, real-estate magnate Wang Jianlin, is worth about $34 billion dollars, and the 27-year-old son officially has too much disposable income.

6 lessons Apple Watch could learn from rival fitness trackers

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Apple Watch Activity
What would it take for Apple Watch to lap competing fitness trackers?
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

I’ve started cheating on my Apple Watch. It’s not that I don’t love it. It’s amazingly beautiful. It does stuff I didn’t even know I’d like. But when it comes to running wild in the outdoors, I’ve found a smartwatch that satisfies me more than Jony Ive’s wearable does.

For the past week I’ve been testing the Garmin Fenix 3, a top-of-the-line smartwatch from a company that’s made a name for itself by providing runners and outdoorsmen with some of the best wrist-worn fitness tech. I hate wearing the Fenix 3. While Apple Watch gently caresses my wrist, the Fenix 3 feels like I’ve strapped a tank to it. Yet it boasts features Apple Watch doesn’t have that I’m starting to think I can’t live without on runs and hikes.

I don’t plan to completely break up with the Apple Watch anytime soon, but I’m ditching it during my four-day trek through the Grand Canyon this weekend because there are still a couple things it needs to learn before it can truly be the best all-around fitness tracker.

How gadgets helped me go from dad bod to six pack

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Third-party fitness apps will finally become fully fledged Watch apps.
Fitness gadgets saved my life. Sort of.
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

I used to live the classic geek lifestyle, forever hunched over a MacBook, munching on comfort food. Until one day cancer forced me to take my health more seriously.

Now I run marathons and lift weights for fun. But the geek is still strong in me. From GPS watches to bioelectrical impedance analyzers, I’ve used pretty much every kind of fitness gadget.

Here’s the story of how fitness gear helped me get in shape for the first time in my life and swap my middle-aged dad bod for a six pack.

See an Apple Watch hater nearly choke to death mid-rant (NSFW)

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Apple Watch ranter
This Apple Watch hater might have some rage stuck in his throat.
Photo: LiveLeak

When you’re ranting about Apple and its products, don’t forget to breathe.

One incredibly angry man learned that crucial lesson the hard way: His profanity-laden diatribe about the Apple Watch ended when he broke into a coughing fit. You can see the whole NSFW rant and its shocking twist ending below.

Apple Watch on pace to beat iPhone’s first-year sales

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The Apple Watch
Apple Watch sales are holding steady.
Photo: QZ

Apple Watch orders are currently coming in at a rate of around 30,000 units per day — according to analytics provided by Slice Intelligence, which combed through the e-receipts of around 14,000 online shoppers who used Slice’s services.

Although there was, unsurprisingly, a big drop-off from launch day, numbers appear to have been pretty consistent since then. So far, Apple has sold upwards of 2.5 million Apple Watches — more than the iPod, iPhone, or iPad sold during the same period of time in their first year.

Apple Watch users plagued by heart rate monitor failures after updating

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If you look closely you can actually pinpoint the exact moment the Apple Watch heart rate monitor stops working.
If you look closely you can actually pinpoint the exact moment the Apple Watch heart rate monitor stops working.
Photo: The Simpsons, 20th Century Fox

Apple issued its first Apple Watch software update this week, adding new emojis, fixes for Siri and more. Unfortunately, hidden among the positives is one fairly big negative: Multiple users are complaining that the 1.0.1 update stops the device’s much-touted heart rate monitor from running as it should.

Apple Watch bands hit stores in limited supply

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Apple Watch sport with black fluoroelastomer band.
Apple Watch sport with black fluoroelastomer band.
Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

The Apple Watch won’t be available in stores for at least a few more weeks, but if you want to get a head start on your collection of band color options, hurry to your local Apple Store now. They’ve finally got Apple Watch bands!

I ordered an extra Sport band weeks ago after deciding the white I got wasn’t for me. I’m still waiting for it, and figured I’d probably be waiting for weeks. So as soon as I heard that some stores have bands in stock, I jumped in my car and sped to my Apple Store faster than Mad Max Rockatansky fleeing from Immortan Joe and the War Boys.

Unfortunately, bands are in pretty limited supply and only a few colors are available, but I lucked out and they had just what I needed. Here’s what it’s like to buy an Apple Watch band at the Apple Store:

As Apple Watch soars, Pebble is dropping like a rock

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Investors and consumers alike are skipping Pebble
Investors and consumers alike are skipping Pebble
Photo: Pebble

Apple Watch hasn’t even been out for a month yet but it may have already claimed its first victim in the war for your wrist.

Smartwatch maker Pebble is in big trouble and has applied for a $5 million loan from a Silicon Valley bank to stay afloat, according to a new report that claims the company is having a hard time maintaining growth.

Apple Watch’s biggest problem: Women don’t dig it

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Is Apple Watch mostly for men?
Is Apple Watch mostly for men?
Photo: Beyonce/Twitter

The only Apple Watches I’ve seen in the wild so far have been strapped to men’s wrists, and according to one of the world’s top Apple analysts, that could be a bad indicator for the digital timepieces’ popularity.

In a new note to investors, KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has cut his 2015 expectations for Apple Watch sales from 30 million down to just 15 million after research found that Apple Watch has attracted mostly men.

The iPod’s godfather is still waiting for his Apple Watch

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Fadell
From the sound of things, Nest CEO Tony Fadell learned quite a bit from working with Steve Jobs.
Photo: Nest

Before creating the home automation company Nest, Tony Fadell cut his teeth at Apple by creating revolutionary products like the iPod. You’d think being one of the key guys behind Apple’s resurgence in the early aughts means you get hooked up with Apple products for life, but according to Fadell, he had to pre-order the Apple Watch like the rest of us peasants. And he’s still waiting for it to arrive.

The first Apple Watch software update is here

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Apple Watch
It's time for an Apple Watch software update
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple Watch has barely been available to the public for a month now but Apple is already sending out its first software update this morning that includes new emojis as well as fixes for Siri, measuring stand activity, and third party apps.

What does ‘fitness’ mean and why does it matter?

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Apple Watch Activity
What exactly are fitness trackers tracking?
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Many people say they want to get fit, but what does this actually mean? Fit for what?

The websites of leading fitness trackers, like Apple Watch, Fitbit, Microsoft Band and Jawbone Up don’t shed much light on this question. They talk a lot about the things that their devices measure, and even suggest changes in how we go about our day, but they rarely explain why this matters or what the actual benefits are.

Wiz Khalifa rocks Apple Watch in new music video

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Wiz loves two things: Apple Watch and weed. But mostly weed. Photo:
Wiz loves Apple Watch almost as much as weed.
Photo: Wiz Khalifa/YouTube

Drake and Kanye West have both shown their love for Apple Watch with their custom gold Edition models. Now rapper Wiz Khalifa is getting in the Apple Watch game by rocking one throughout his entire new music video.

Wiz Khalifa’s latest surprise video, “The Play,” features three of Wiz’s greatest loves: his son Bash, weed, and Apple Watch. The video focuses on father-son moments between the rapper and Bash, but his stainless steel Apple Watch Sport with a white sport bands steals the show between blasts of lyrics talking about real guys making it off the streets without help.

Watch the heartwarming video below:

ICYMI: Apple Watch Nightmares

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Getting Apple Watch ordered or fixed can be a nightmare.
Getting Apple Watch ordered or fixed can be a nightmare.
Photo: Stephen Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s hot new wrist gadget is pretty fantastic and shiny, but when you trash it, how can you get it fixed? We’ve got the skinny on how to do just that, based on our own run-in with a shattered Apple Watch Sport. Plus? Rob and Evan take on more tips and tricks for the Apple Watch than you can stand, Luke’s got a look at how the next iPhone 6s could be the biggest “incremental” upgrade ever, and Leander has a rant-tastic video on his time with his own Apple Watch.

Get all of this, and lots more, in this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine, free to download and subscribe.

Headaches await if you break your Apple Watch

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Cracked-Apple-Watch
Good luck trying to get a broken Apple Watch repaired. Replacements are as scarce as brand new ones.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

What happens when you try to get a broken Apple Watch repaired? Not much of anything!

I know this because my Apple Watch broke last week and I have a repair order pending.

Luckily, the watch is covered by Apple’s AppleCare+ extended warranty, which covers accidental damage. It also offers two-day express replacement. No downtime without your new precious.

This would be great, but Apple doesn’t have any watches to replace it with. Apple’s watches are in such short supply, it might be Christmas before a replacement is available.