In today's Apple Daily, we get to see how the Apple Watch performs when it's worn while diving off an Olympic diving platform. In other news, we get a look at the first article ever written about Apple, and we find that Apple is extending its environmentally conscious initiatives in China.
Swimmer Dives Off Platform While Wearing Apple Watch
We've already seen how the Apple Watch can survive being dunked in a bucket of water, but the team at DC Rainmaker decided to subject the device to even greater punishment by jumping off an Olympic diving platform with it. That means the watch was briefly submerged in waters deeper than the one meter Apple claims it's good for, and the device just kept on ticking. Well, digitally ticking, you know.
The high dive was only part of the test. DC Rainmaker also wore the device for a 1,000 meter swim around the pool, and the pressure and sloshing involved reportedly makes it harder for devices to survive compared to mere immersion. And yep, it came out fine.
Not surprisingly, though, the heart rate monitor was virtually useless while Ray of DC Rainmaker was swimming laps, as the water rushing between the watch and Ray's skin presumably interfered with the readings.
First Article About Apple Reproduced
These days, Apple coverage has reached a point where dedicated sites can find something worthwhile to write about the company almost every day. (Ahem.) But it wasn't always thus. There was a time when Apple was brand-new in the computing world, when there was only a single article written about the company. That first piece was written by Sheila Craven (née Clarke) in February of 1977 for Kilobaud magazine, and Business Insider has reproduced it in full.
Even in those first few moments, it was possible to catch glimpses of the famous dynamic between co-founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.
"The Woz was pretty quiet," said Craven, reflecting on her interview that day 38 years ago. "I got that he was the engineering brain power, and Jobs was the idea guy."
The article, which is quite technical in spots, may also have played a significant role in the Apple I's early success.
"I understand that when that article came out, orders started pouring in, and Apple Computer was really launched," said Craven. Craven almost certainly didn't know it at the time, but for a computing-focused journalist, that's the assignment of a lifetime.
Apple Announces New Environmental Initiatives in China
Apple CEO Tim Cook is in China today, where he announced new environmental initiatives for his company in the world's most populous country. With the help of the World Wildlife Fund, Apple will protect around one million acres of responsibly managed forestland in China in order to provide materials for its paper and wood products. Cook joined the Chinese Twitter-like social networking service Weibo in order to announce the plan to the public, and his account netted more than 376,000 followers in just the first day.
It's another move in Tim Cook's massive plan to make Apple run on 100 percent renewable resources. Just two weeks ago, Cook and friends announced a partnership with the SunPower Corporation to provide renewable energy for all of Apple's corporate buildings and retail stores in China. Still, he knows he has a lot further to go.
"This won’t happen overnight — in fact it will take years — but it’s important work that has to happen, and Apple is in a unique position to take the initiative toward this ambitious goal," Cook said in Apple's official press release. "It is a responsibility we accept. We are excited to work with leaders in our supply chain who want to be on the cutting edge of China’s green transformation."
Follow this article's writer, Leif Johnson, on Twitter.
