Apple mines big profits from Watch band

SAN FRANCISCO  - Nearly 20% of Apple Watch buyers are not only shelling out hundreds of dollars for the timepiece but are springing for a spare band too, giving the tech giant a profitable second dip into customers' wallets, according to data provided exclusively to Reuters.

The data from Slice Intelligence, a research firm that mines e-mail receipts, offers a rare window into the money-making potential of Apple's first brand-new product under CEO Tim Cook.

The ever-secretive company has yet to release how many units of the watch it has sold, let alone how profitable it is. Slice estimates the company has sold 2.79 million as of mid-June.

But if the band purchases are any indication, sales of the watch itself are just the beginning of Apple's profits.

Although the entry-level sports band retails for US$49, it costs only about $2.05 to make, according to an analysis of the 38-millimeter size by IHS, a technology research firm.

Read more...

Samsung Galaxy S6 Active hands-on vs Galaxy S6

Today we compare the Galaxy S6 Active to it's slightly less active counterpart, the original Samsung Galaxy S6. These devices are very similar where it matters most - in their cameras, their software, and their displays. The places where they're different is in their ability to handle the elements. Hence the name - Active. There's also carriers to think about. While the Galaxy S6 is available through most any carrier you like, the Active iteration is only available in the United States through AT&T. If you cannot roll with that, you cannot roll with this.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 has a 5.1-inch 1440 x 2560 pixel display - so does the Active. Both have Super AMOLED technology under the hood. It's like they're the same display. Without ripping both models apart to make certain, as far as we can tell, they are.

Read more...