WatchKit Software Tools Now Available to Developers

CUPERTINO, California—November 18, 2014—Apple® today announced the availability of WatchKit, software that gives developers a set of tools to easily create experiences designed specifically for Apple Watch™—Apple’s most personal device ever. Apple has the world’s most vibrant and innovative developer community, and now these developers can begin developing WatchKit apps before Apple Watch becomes available. Developers can create innovative WatchKit apps, actionable notifications and Glances, for timely information accessible by an easy, quick look at Apple Watch.

“Apple Watch is our most personal device ever, and WatchKit provides the incredible iOS developer community with the tools they need to create exciting new experiences right on your wrist,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “With the iOS 8.2 beta SDK, developers can now start using WatchKit to create breakthrough new apps, Glances and actionable notifications designed for the innovative Apple Watch interface and work with new technologies such as Force Touch, Digital Crown and Taptic Engine.”

Developers can create notifications that allow users to take action or respond right from their wrist such as turning the lights off after they’ve left the house, quickly accessing flight details at the airport, and rerouting their transit when a train or bus is late. Developers can incorporate Glances, which quickly show users information they care about most, such as the latest news and sports scores, alarm system status or the next step of a favorite recipe.

Developers who have previewed the WatchKit tools and APIs are eager to start building on the personal and immediate experiences Apple Watch will offer users.*

“Fans crave real-time and personal information, and the ESPN app for Apple Watch gives us the ability to deliver live scores and information for their favorite teams,” said John Kosner, executive vice president of Digital and Print Media, ESPN. “Glances provide fans with a snapshot of live games, and if there is no game taking place, they’ll get valuable game-time information or the final box score. With actionable notifications, the experience becomes even more personal, as fans receive alerts on score changes, news and more.”

“Apple Watch allows us to make the Instagram experience even more intimate and in the moment,” says Kevin Systrom, co-founder and CEO of Instagram. “With actionable notifications you can see and instantly like a photo or react with an emoji. The Instagram news and watch list allows you to see your friends’ latest photos, follow new accounts and get a real-time view of your likes and comments.”

“The American Airlines app on Apple Watch reminds you when it’s time to head to the airport via pre-trip notifications, and provides updates for gate changes, connecting gate info upon arrival, and will notify you when boarding begins if you’re not at the gate yet,” said John Gustafson, American Airlines vice president of Digital. “Travelers can also ask ‘Where am I?’ in-flight and get real-time location information at 30,000 ft.”

The iOS 8.2 SDK beta including WatchKit is available immediately for iOS Developer Program members at developer.apple.com/watchkit. The WatchKit site includes programming guides, human interface guidelines, templates and more. Starting later next year, developers will be able to create fully native apps for Apple Watch.

* App features are subject to change and may not be available in all regions or all languages. Apple Watch requires iPhone 5 or later.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.

Redwood Shores, CA – June 10, 2014 – Avangate introduced the first Digital Commerce solution for the New Services Economy. With the Summer 2014 release of its Avangate Commerce Solution, the company is addressing the needs of the rapidly growing Online Services market.

“Online Services is the next trillion dollar market being accelerated by the explosion of cloud computing and mobility coupled with increased consumer demand to purchase whenever, wherever and however they want. This proliferation of new service offerings is cutting across all industries – from finding a limo driver, to accessing business software, to receiving legal advice. In this new world where buyers are in control, the expectations for online service providers to personalize and seamlessly sell, deliver and support have been permanently raised. We call this the New Services Economy,” said Carl Theobald CEO, Avangate.

A new consumer survey commissioned by Avangate spotlights the current state of the New Services Economy, how consumers buy Online Services, as well as some of the key drivers and detractors to consumer adoption.

Some of the key findings include:

• 63 percent of US adults already use at least one Online Service daily with over 50 percent of those adults paying for those same services
• Over half of US adults would consider paying for Online Services if they were offered as a trial (60%) or could be purchased with the ability to self-service modify their service options at any time (50%)
• 90 percent of consumers do not update their credit cards on file, directly dropping retention and revenue.
• Some of the top customer frustrations with Online Services include: difficult-to-reach live support (49%), inflexible purchasing options (41%), and slow customer service/resolution (35%).

The Summer ’14 release of the Avangate Commerce Solution includes features designed to help companies accelerate their growth and better monetize how buyers are buying today. Some key benefits and features of this new release include:

Accelerate time to market with the flexibility to easily price, package and then commerce-enable every customer touch point to be able to order, activate, and service customers.

• Enhanced online self-service (hosted online carts and account management) – 1-click renewals, enhanced cart abandonment recovery AB testing tools, new cross-selling and renewal promotions, and rules-based retention flows
• Brandable, secure mobile cart – simplified ordering and mobile analytics
• Services Distribution – multi-language customizable partner-reseller portals, direct subscription registration, expanded affiliate attribution, categories, subscription payouts
• Call Center Console – full capabilities for call center and other agents to fully manage customers, orders, subscription management (suspend, discount, extend), as well as cross sell and manage trials on behalf

Simplify and enable the easy scaling of services businesses without having to add more “back office” teams of IT, finance, risk, and chargeback manpower.

• Automated Commerce Triggers – rules-based triggers for commerce and subscription billing events for cart abandonment, personalized cross-sell, retention, and recovery / dunning processing
• Secure Management of Cards on File – 1 click ordering, renewals and upgrades, multiple cards on file self-service
• Expanded Chargeback and Fraud Management – tools, automated processing, detailed insights per product, reasons, payment methods and billing cycles and services
• Continually Expanding Global Support and Compliance – Russian and Portuguese customer support, expanded local support numbers, SEPA and EU Consumer Rights adoption

Maximize conversion and profitable customer retention with smarter payments to leverage the best from payment providers around the world.

• Authorization Dashboard – recurring revenue analytics across retention & payment authorization strategies (e.g., Account Updater, Retry logic efficiency, routing, and others)
• Expanded Customer and Subscription Reports – cohort analytics, recurring revenue reports, renewal forecasts, customer lifetime value and history
• Intelligent Payment Routing (IPR II) – multi-payment processor management and optimization, local processing routing, cascading billing, Retry Engine+, integrated dunning and metrics
• Payments Beyond Credit Cards – support for recurring ACH and iDeal, expanded PO management and check processing, as well as expanded payment and alternative payment options in LATAM (e.g., installment payments, local cards) and CIS (local cards).

Many Apps Fail to Provide Information On Payment Dispute Mechanisms, Privacy

A new staff report issued by the Federal Trade Commission finds that many mobile apps for use in shopping do not provide consumers with important information – such as how the apps manage payment-related disputes or handle consumer data – prior to download.

The report, “What’s the Deal? An FTC Study on Mobile Shopping Apps,” looked at some of the most popular apps used by consumers to comparison shop, collect and redeem deals and discounts, and pay in-store with their mobile devices. The report builds on the findings of the Commission’s 2012 workshop on mobile payments and the report from that workshop, which raised concerns about consumers’ potential financial liability – as well as the privacy and security of their data – when using mobile payment services.

In this new report, FTC staff surveyed a total of 121 different shopping apps across the Google Play and Apple App Stores. The survey included 47 price comparison apps, which let consumers compare prices on a particular item in real-time; 50 “deal” apps, which provide consumers with coupons or discounts; and 45 in-store purchase apps, which enable consumers to use their phones to pay for goods they purchase in physical stores. Several apps were found in more than one category.

“As mobile apps become more central to the shopping experience, it’s important that consumers have meaningful information about how those apps work before they download them,” said Jessica Rich, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “Consumers should not be left in the dark about their potential liability for erroneous or unauthorized charges or about the way shopping apps handle their data.”

The report makes a number of recommendations to companies that provide mobile shopping apps to consumers:

1. Apps should make clear consumers’ rights and liability limits for unauthorized, fraudulent, or erroneous transactions.

The staff report found that, prior to download, the apps reviewed frequently failed to give consumers information about the dispute procedures and consumers’ potential liability in the event something goes wrong with a payment made through the app.

The report recommends that the developers of in-store purchase apps provide clear dispute resolution and liability limits information to consumers, particularly when using a stored value method to process payments, as transactions made using this method may lack the legal protections afforded by credit or debit card transactions.

2. Apps should more clearly describe how they collect, use, and share consumer data.

Privacy considerations are important in mobile commerce apps, the report notes, as the data collected is potentially sensitive. The report finds that a majority of the shopping apps across all three categories had privacy policies disclosing that the apps collected a wide array of information, ranging from consumers’ names and addresses to detailed information on consumers’ purchases, their Social Security numbers, and data provided about the consumers by third parties.

The report finds that the reviewed apps’ privacy disclosures often used vague language, reserving broad rights to collect, use, and share consumers’ information. While almost all of the apps stated that they share personal data, 29 percent of price comparison apps, 17 percent of deal apps, and 33 percent of in-store purchase apps reserved the right to share users’ personal data without restriction, thus making it difficult for consumers to make informed decisions about whether to use the apps based on privacy considerations.

The report recommends that shopping apps clearly describe how they collect, use, and share consumer data. Making that information available will allow consumers to evaluate and compare apps based on how the apps handle their information.

3. Companies should ensure that their data security promises translate into sound data security practices.

The report also recommends that companies, whose apps promise consumer safeguards for their data, follow through on those promises. Specifically, the report recognizes that technology advances found in smartphones can offer the potential for increased data security and encourages all companies to provide strong protections for the data they collect.

Beyond recommendations for companies, the report also urges consumers to closely examine the apps’ stated policies on issues like dispute resolution and liability limits, as well as privacy and data security and evaluate them in choosing which apps to use. The report also notes that when apps do not provide that information, consumers should consider using alternative apps, or in the case of missing dispute resolution policies, limit the dollar amount used to fund stored value accounts.