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MLB clarifies: Ned Yost was only reminded Apple Watch must not be connected to iPhone during games

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MLB has clarified a somewhat ambiguous Kansas City Star report that it told Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost that he must not use his Apple Watch during games. The organization told MarketWatch that Yost was merely reminded that the watch must not be connected to his phone during games.

The MLB staffers managing on-field operations did call Yost to make sure he wasn’t using the data on his watch, […] but it was just a routine call. “It’s not banned,” said an MLB spokesman.

The spokesman added that if future smartwatches gained data functionality independent of linked smartphones, the MLB would address that issue separately.

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R.B.I. Baseball 15 coming to Mac w/ redesigned MLB ballparks & full rosters

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MLB Advanced Media has announced that R.B.I. Baseball 15 will be released this spring and will be available for the first time on Mac. This is a follow-up to the popular version from last year that made its debut on iOS.

R.B.I. Baseball 15 promises a number of updates bringing the most realistic experience to date, most notability including authentic ballparks and full 25-man rosters for all 30 Major League teams. It also includes user stat tracking for the first time as well as an online multiplayer mode with both ranked and friendly games. Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo will be on the cover for this year’s rendition. A release date has yet to be announced.

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Both MLB stadiums will accept Apple Pay at concession stands for 2014 World Series

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Forbes reports today that during the 2014 World Series (which starts tomorrow) two MLB stadiums will be accepting Apple Pay at concessions stands. Kansas City’s Kauffman Stadium and San Francisco’s AT&T Park will be the first professional sports stadiums to accept Apple’s new payment process.

MLB hasn’t clarified when the rest of the league’s stadiums will begin accepting Apple Pay. The hardware has apparently only been installed at the World Series stadiums so far.

There are also plans to implement Apple Pay in the MLB At the Ballpark app to allow users to purchase tickets using Touch ID in a future update, though there’s no timeline for when that feature will be available just yet.


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T-Mobile is again offering free MLB At Bat access to customers

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Like it did last year after inking a partnership with Major League Baseball, T-Mobile is once again offering free access to the MLB At Bat apps on iOS and Android. Tmonews points us to official confirmation from a T-Mobile support employee:

“UPDATE: As the official sponsor of Major League Baseball, we will be offering MLB At Bat 14 to our customers for free starting May 1 through the entire regular season! With our unlimited data and nationwide 4G LTE, you can enjoy all the great features MLB’s At Bat has to offer!”

That’s instead of paying for one of several MLB subscriptions that grants access to the app starting at $2.99 monthly or $20 for the entire season. There’s no word from T-Mobile with the official details yet, but we’d imagine customers will get access to all the live games and content apart from premium features available to $115/per year MLB.TV Premium subscription. 

The MLB At Bat app is available for iOS and Android now.

MLB At Bat mobile apps adding Chromecast support today for Premium subscribers

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Google announced today on its Chrome blog that Major League Baseball is adding support for its $35 Chromecast streaming stick through the MLB At Bat app for Android and iOS. That means that users with the app and an MLB.TV Premium subscription will be able to stream live and on-demand video content from the app (or from a browser tab in Chrome through MLB’s site) to a Chromecast connected TV. You’ll also be able to use the phone or tablet you’re streaming from as a second-screen experience to “check scores, stats and news” while watching the game on the bigger screen:
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Qualcomm gets in on Bluetooth beacon action with iBeacon competitor

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Apple’s iBeacons aren’t the only Bluetooth LE beacons available, but they have so far been the default option for retailers thanks to the backing of such a well-known company. Qualcomm, which makes wireless chips for Apple among many others, may be aiming to change that with its launch of its own beacons from just $5 each.

Gimbal proximity beacons, available in two models, are accurate down to one foot and work indoors and outdoors […]

Depending on volume, Series 10 beacons [for indoor use] are available for as little as $5 each and Series 20 beacons [weatherproof version] are available for as little as $10 each.

While the move represents competition for Apple, it’s good news for iOS users … 
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MLB demos using Apple’s iBeacon technology to deliver personalised, interactive stadium experiences

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Mashable reports that Major League Baseball has demo’d using Apple’s iBeacon indoor mapping technology to provide live baseball fans with a whole range of personalised and interactive experiences when attending games at stadiums.

An update to its At the Ballpark app provides both practical assistance and additional entertainment and interest.

By loading the free app when you get off the subway and head towards the stadium, it immediately knows you are at Citi Field. It populates a ballpark guide with information specific to the stadium, so if you were to enter Phillies’ Citizens Bank Park, the entire experience and data wouldn’t be the same.

As you near the gates, the app displays your ticket’s barcode on screen, as well as a map of where the seats are located. If tickets are loaded into Apple Passbook or purchased online through certain ticketing partners, the app will automatically pull them up … 
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Android usage of Major League Baseball site increases – but Apple still dominates

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MLB.com digital head Bob Bowman told AllThingsD that they were slowly picking up Android users – up from 20% two years ago to 30% today – but that iOS users still spend more.

The site offers a free app with a choice of paid subscriptions, at $19.99/month and $24.99/month. Bowman said that the majority of paid sign-ups came from iOS users …
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MLB increasing Passbook support from 4 to almost half of all Major League stadiums in 2013

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On top of just recently updating its At Bat 13 iOS app for Spring Training with a ton of new features, MLB announced at an event last night in New York that it will increase the number of stadiums accepting Passbook this season. According to a report from GigaOm, the number of stadiums accepting tickets through Apple’s wallet app will increase from just four to 13:

The teams that will start accepting Passbook tickets for the first time are the Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland A’s, Pittsburgh Pirates, Detroit Tigers and Chicago Cubs. The New York Mets, San Francisco Giants and Kansas City Royals, which began accepting Passbook last September, will again offer the service this season. MLB says there are three more teams that will enable iOS tickets this season, but that are not yet ready to make an official announcement.

CEO of MLB’s Advanced Media Office Bob Bowman told GigaOm that iOS users currently make up approximately 70 percent of all At Bat users and around 85 percent of paid subscribers. The updated iOS At Bat app includes a classic games video library archive, re-architected app navigation, and searchable video highlight library expansion to include access to complete video archives.


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MLB at Bat ’12 available for free on App Store Feb. 29 with $119 subscription

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Pitchers and Catchers are set to report over the next few days and MLB is getting its 2012 App ready

Baseball fans will be happy to hear that Major League Baseball is again bringing the MLB at Bat app back to the App Store so they can enjoy every game throughout the season on their iOS device. In previous years, the MLB at Bat app on the App Store made available audio of the games and in-game statistics. A premium package could open video for all games. This year, MLB is changing the way they bring you games.

Luckily for this season, MLB confirmed with EverythingiCafe that MLB at Bat ’12 would be available for free on the App Store for both the iPhone and iPad— as long as you pay for the one time subscription. The app will stream both audio and video and bring in-game stats.

MLB at Bat ’12 will be available Feb. 29 for free. However, if you want to use the app, you will have to pay a once-a-year $119 subscription as a returning customer or $125 as a new customer. Those who subscribe can view 150 Spring Training games and all 2,430 regular season games, though some are subject black outs. You can now sign up for the MLB.TV season on the MLB website. The first game will stream March 3.


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