Perhaps the most significant Apple-related event this week was the launch of a refreshed 15-inch MacBook Pro, but the company also released its first firmware update for the Apple Watch, and saw its takeover of GPS firm Coherent Navigation made public.
Apple buys Coherent Navigation
Following its usual takeover policy, Apple did not announce the deal. It did however recruit Coherent's co-founders, and the firm's Web domain name now redirects to Apple.
Coherent specialized in high-accuracy GPS devices and software. Apple could be hoping to improve the accuracy of GPS-dependent software, such as Maps or iOS in general. Precise GPS could also be critical for future iterations of the Apple Watch, which might incorporate a built-in receiver for tasks like fitness tracking and navigation.
Apple television set dead for over a year
The Wall Street Journal said on Monday that, despite some rumors, work on an Apple television set was nixed over a year ago. Apple executives allegedly decided the company could do little to make a set stand out in the already competitive TV market.
Apple was reportedly exploring a variety of ideas, including 4K resolutions, FaceTime support, and even a laser-based transparent display. Instead the company is said to be throwing its weight behind an overhauled Apple TV set-top box with features like Siri and an App Store.
New 15-inch MacBook Pro, cheaper 5K iMacs
Like its 13-inch sibling, the upgraded 15-inch Pro released on Tuesday has a Force Touch trackpad with haptic feedback. Other hardware improvements are relatively minor, since Apple is continuing to use Intel Haswell processors, owing to the lack of quad-core Broadwell chips.
A base model costs $1,999 and comes equipped with a 2.2-gigahertz Intel Core i7 processor. The stock high-end model is $2,499, and upgrades to a 2.5-gigahertz CPU paired with an AMD Radeon R9 M370X graphics card.
Apple simultaneously introduced a new $1,999 version of the 5K iMac, with a 3.3-gigahertz quad-core Core i5 processor, an AMD Radeon R9 M290, 8 gigabytes of RAM, and 1 terabyte of internal storage. The existing 5K iMac was unchanged, but is now $200 cheaper at $2,299.
Apple Watch gets first-ever firmware update
also debuted on Tuesday, and targeted a variety of early bugs affecting things like Siri, third-party app performance, and tracking distance, pacing, calories, and standing motions. Support for several new languages was added, among them Dutch, Russian, Thai, and Brazilian Portuguese.
The update may be the cause of problems with heart rate tracking, however, causing delays or unresponsive behavior in some cases. The sensor should continue to operate normally in Workout mode.
Rights to local network TV could delay Apple subscription service
Another rumored Apple television initiative is a streaming subscription service, but a Friday report hinted that the company is running into negotiation roadblocks in the form of access to local networks. The service could potentially miss a fall launch target, and probably won't be announced at WWDC on June 8.
It is expected to launch eventually however, since the stumbling point is believed to be dollar figures rather than anything barring Apple from entering the market.
AppleInsider podcast
For readers looking for additional analysis of this week's news, the latest AppleInsider iTunes podcast tackles topics such as Mac and Apple Watch developments, the Steve Jobs movie teaser, and the reactions of people like Carl Icahn and Gene Munster to the demise of Apple television dreams.