AT&T will launch a push-to-talk, walkie-talkie style application to the iPhone for its corporate customers, according to a report. Push-to-talk has long been a feature of the Nextel network, which is shutting down this summer, and was a popular selling point for business users. This is the first time the…
| Read more »AT&T has announced it has changed its device upgrade policy to 24 months with a standard two-year wireless agreement, a change from the company’s prior 20-month upgrade policy. Customers must now wait two full years to receive a full discount on purchasing a subsidized device. The company suggests that…
| Read more »Despite all its growth in recent year, Apple still crams all its developer news into a single keynote at the start of its annual Worldwide Developer Conference.
This year, we can expect details on iOS 7, a major update to the operating system that powers the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, along with information on the next version of OS X. In addition, Apple could launch new hardware and is poised to launch a streaming music service, having signed up all the major record labels.
Meanwhile, developers will be paying keen attention to what, if any, parts of the iPhone become accessible. Speaking at D11, CEO...
AT&T iPhone and other smartphone owners who like to upgrade before their two-year contract expires won't be getting the discounts they've come to expect now that the carrier has decided to fall in line with other cell service providers and drop early upgrade options. Until now, AT&T would typically give smartphone owners full subsidized pricing at 20 months when signing a new two-year contract instead of making them wait a full 24 months.
Video Lan Client, the nigh-indispensable open source media player for multiple audio and video formats (MPEG, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, Divx, ogg, etc.), was updated to version 2.0.7. The new version, a 41.9 megabyte download, adds the following fixes and changes:
- Fix track selection for PowerPC machines.
- Fix audio decoding for WMA Pro, MPEG 4 ALS, APE, MLP and ADPCM-IMA4.
- Fix audio encoding for MP3 and AAC.
- Numerous translations updates and new Azerbaijani, Kirgyz, Oriya translations.
- Fix a memory leak when creating AVI files.
- Fix two XSS vulnerabilities in the Web UI.
- Fix memory exhaustion vulnerability in some playlist...
Apple is all but certain to announce a streaming music service at its Worldwide Developers Conference today in San Francisco, per a report from the Wall Street Journal. A second report from the paper confirms some details about the next version of iOS, iOS 7, which will be the centerpiece announcement for Tim Cook’s keynote speech.
“iRadio,” as the service has been unofficially nicknamed, will be supported by text and audio ads as well “Buy” buttons place alongside the track in progress to drive sales, say the WSJ. There have been no rumors of a paid tier, unlike...
Just after 10 AM ET, the online Apple Store went down in preparation of today's WWDC Keynote at 1:00 PM ET/10 AM PT. Which announcements are you looking forward to? Let us know in the comments.
And be sure to be here on TUAW at 1:00 PM ET/10 AM PT for TUAW's coverage of the WWDC Keynote. While Apple is live-streaming the keynote, the TUAW liveblog will have all the commentary from our excellent hosts: the always lovely Erica Sadun, the exceedingly witty Steve Sande, the rest of our TUAW crew and comments provided by you!Apple Store is down ahead of WWDC Keynote originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 10 Jun 2013 10:10:00 EST. Please see our...
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A spiffy program just got a hefty upgrade.
Per AppleInsider, Adobe on Monday announced the availability of the latest version of its prosumer photo editing software, Lightroom 5, bringing improved workflow features and functionality highlighted by a new perspective-correcting “Upright” tool.
First released as a beta in mid-April, the final version of Lightroom sports a new Healing Brush and an Upright tool that automatically corrects perspective for images with skewed elements...
Follow live coverage of Apple's WWDC 2013 keynote starting at 10AM Pacific time, 1PM Eastern.
| Read more »AT&T yesterday announced that customers must now wait 24 months before becoming eligible to buy new phones at subsidized prices. Previously, customers could upgrade at reduced rates with the signing of a new contract 20 months after their previous phone purchase. Verizon recently switched from 20 to 24 months as well.
The new 24-month policy will take effect at AT&T for contracts expiring in March 2014 or later. There is still an early upgrade option, of a sort. "Once you’ve completed six months or more of your Service Commitment, you qualify for partial discount off the full retail price when you sign a new two-year wireless agreement," AT&T said.
AT&T today also...
AT&T is extending mobile phone upgrade periods from 20 months to a full two years, according to Engadget. The news was obtained from a corporate memo leaked to the site. Previously, smartphone owners could upgrade their contract phones after 20 months, but now those owners will need to wait a full two years to upgrade phones bought on a contract.
The move by AT&T follows a similar one by Verizon a few months ago. The new upgrade period goes into effect immediately for all new contract subscribers and also for all current subscribers whose terms finish in March or later.AT&T extends iPhone upgrade period to two years originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 10 Jun 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our...
| Read more »We’re about two hours from the WWDC kickoff and its accompanying keynote address.
And it will, of course, be streamed.
Per 9to5Mac, like as it has done for some events in the past, Apple has pushed a WWDC app to Apple TV units overnight in order to access a live stream for today’s keynote, which is slated to start at 10 AM Pacific standard time.
Apple is expected to announce iOS 7, OS X 10.9, and a streaming music service at this event.
The keynote can be seen live at www.apple.com/apple-events/june-2013/.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Apple will stream the WWDC keynote live today so everyone can watch. Clearly this is the best way to stay up-to-date on the event, so I won’t be doing a live update myself. I will post my thoughts on any announcements after the keynote.
∞ Read this on The Loop
The online Apple store has been temporarily shuttered ahead of today's WWDC 2013 keynote. Apple normally only closes the store midday when it's preparing to launch major new products. As such, the move may all but confirm expectations that updated Macs will be announced during the keynote.... ...
| Read more »Apple's keynote at this year's World Wide Developer Conference is scheduled to start at 10Am pacific time, and The Mac Observer is on location as usual with our live event coverage. With the online Apple Store already down, we're expecting big announcements beyond iOS 7 and OS X 10.9. Be sure to check in for our as-it-happens coverage from the keynote, and throughout the week for even more news from the annual developer's event.
Apple is set to unveil iOS 7 today, and 9to5Mac has posted a mockup of Apple’s new OS released with additional details before its official debut. iOS 7 reportedly uses a thinner font throughout the Home Screens. Apple has replaced the carrier signal bars with five white or gray…
| Read more »Adobe announced the immediate availability of Photoshop Lightroom 5 on Monday. The new version of the photo management and editing application gained new image editing and enhancement tools, as well as new photo book design options.
The Mac Observer Spin:
OK, Apple, Adobe just ramped up Lightroom so when will we see a new Aperture?
Apple's online store was replaced with the familiar "Back Soon" notice Monday morning ahead of the company's annual World Wide Developer Conference keynote event. Apple typically doesn't take its Web-based store offline ahead of media events unless new product announcements are coming, hinting that rumors of new Mac Pro and MacBook Air models might be accurate.
In what gets as close as possible to confirmation that Apple is announcing new hardware at WWDC today, the Apple Store is down for updates.
We’re expecting new Haswell-based MacBook Airs, and perhaps new MacBook Pros and a new Airport Extreme and Time Capsule supporting the faster 802.11 ac standard …
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You can see everything we know, the surprises we consider...
| Read more »Adobe has officially released Photoshop Lightroom 5 today. The photo editing and management software is a direct competitor to Apple's Aperture. While the software has dozens of new features, here are the six top ones:
Syncro Soft has released an upgrade to Oxygen XML Editor, version 15. The software is said to have "major" improvements in its WSDL editing, including new search and refactoring actions, hierarchy and dependency views, context-aware editing help, and the ability to generate documentation. Enhancements have also been made in working with XML databases and validation support.... ...
| Read more »The London Mac User Group is getting together today to watch Apple's WWDC 2013 keynote event and do a little socializing at the same time. The group will be meeting at the Old Explorer Pub in London's West End on Great Castle Street, and they're planning on having food, beer, and will be giving away an iPad mini door prize. The event kicks of at 5:30PM London time, and costs £3 (free for LMUG members).
Yo Sushi, a restaurant chain that uses conveyer-belts to deliver food to tables, has now gone one step further: flying in trays on a quadrocopter controlled by an iPad. ”Hold my beer and watch this” is something you might expect to hear in a restaurant from time to time, but not usually from the serving staff …
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| Read more »Apple will be running live video of its keynote event today, both on its website, and via an “Apple Events” channel on Apple TV. Starting at 10 a.m. PDT/1 p.m. EST, viewers will be able to tune in and watch as the company is expected to introduce iOS 7,…
| Read more »With just hours to go until the official start of WWDC, Apple has updated the event's official app again. The WWDC app was first launched a week ago and allows users to browse times, locations and descriptions for sessions, labs and special events; keep up with the latest news, get important notifications and see daily snapshots; watch session videos, and more.
Today's update brings enhancements for video playback. Just in time for watching the keynote at 10 AM PST.
The WWDC app is a free download.Apple updates WWDC app again originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 10 Jun 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds....
| Read more »As first reported by MacRumors, Apple will live-stream Monday’s Worldwide Developers Conference keynote.
Apple’s WWDC keynote kicks off at 10 a.m. PT Monday (1 p.m. ET), and of course Macworld will provide live coverage for those unable to watch Apple’s video stream, or those who prefer their Apple excitement in text-and-photo form. The live stream will be available via Apple TV and on Apple.com; the Web-based stream will work not just on your computer, but on iOS devices as well. (Apple did the same thing with last year’s iPad mini event.)
Apple has previously announced that it will reveal the next...
| Read more »There has been more speculation for what Apple will present at its Worldwide Developer Conference keynote address later today. Recent reports have allegedly confirmed previous rumors of iOS 7 design changes and the iRadio streaming music service, subjects that people already standing in line to attend the event are likely to learn about.... ...
| Read more »Asa Mathat | D: All Things DigitalApple’s share price has dipped following the company’s annual World Wide Developer Conference keynote for four consecutive years, as investors had their perhaps overly exuberant expectations for the event recalibrated.
The day after the company’s WWDC 2009 keynote, the stock fell 1.3 percent; the day after its WWDC 2010 keynote, it dropped 2.6 percent. After the WWDC keynote 2011 and WWDC keynote 2012? Down 3.3 percent and 0.7 percent, respectively, according to BTIG analyst Walter Piecyk.
Will Apple’s share price slip post-WWDC this year, as well?
The answer won’t be clear until market open on Tuesday. But with expectations for Apple’s WWDC plans far more subdued than they have been in years past, there’s perhaps less risk of volatility than there might...
Apple will be streaming its World Wide Developer Conference Keynote event Monday morning via Apple TV. The Mac, iPhone and iPad maker quietly added a new channel to Apple TV this morning ahead of the presentation, and also added a link to watch through the Apple Events page on the company's website.
Apple will be allowing owners of its Apple TV the ability to watch the keynote at the Worldwide Developer Conference later today, as well as through its Apple Events page. The stream will be available to view through the Apple Events channel later today, which has been rebranded with the purple WWDC logo specially for the keynote, and it also provides access to previously-recorded keynotes and events.... ...
| Read more »Once again, Apple has decided to live-stream today's keynote via a special "Apple Events" channel on the Apple TV. Apple first unveiled the "Apple Events" channel last October when the company live-streamed the iPad mini event through it. If you don't have an Apple TV, there is a good chance Apple is now planning to live-stream the WWDC Keynote via its website or other channels, like it did for the iPad mini event as well.
Apple live-streaming WWDC keynote to Apple TV, probably other channels originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 10 Jun 2013 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | ...
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I'm not a weather junkie, but when it's time to get up and go -- a wintertime road trip or a fishing or hiking expedition -- I usually take a peek into the mountains with a weather app that I've now replaced with an even better version. The new app? Radar Cast Pro - NOAA Hi-Def FutureCast, Push Notifications, Lightning Strikes & Weather by WeatherSphere. The search engine friendly title is a mess for real life use, so I'm going to just call it "Radar Cast Pro."
Apple's all-in-one iMac desktops will receive a refresh this summer, gaining Intel's latest generation Haswell processors in June or July, according to one analyst. ...
| Read more »We’ve heard nothing of new Haswell iMacs in the pipeline but prominent Apple Analyst Mingchi Kuo from KGI securities thinks they are on the way:
What’s new
We forecast iMac shipments to be 650k units in 2Q13, down 63% from 1.75mn units in 1Q13. We expect shipments to pick up in 3Q13 as Apple (US) launches Haswell iMac and peak season arrives. Full-year shipments are set to reach 4.7mn units.
Analysis
We attribute the shipments decline to the fact that new product shipments have peaked and due to the arrival of the consumer slow season. But we believe iMac shipments troughed in 2Q13. Apple is expected to upgrade iMac processor to Intel’s (US) latest Haswell processor in June or July. Meanwhile, the consumer peak season has arrived. Thus we expect shipments to reach 1.1mn units in 3Q13, up 69% QoQ. Full-year shipments are forecast to be 4.7mn units, up 31% YoY.
Even a July launch, if the analyst is correct, could warrant...
An "Apple Events" channel was quietly added to users' Apple TV main screens on Monday, along with a link on Apple's official website, revealing the company plans to allow members of the public to view a live stream of today's Worldwide Developers Conference keynote. ...
| Read more »If you're an Apple fan, all the fun is happening out in San Francisco at 10 AM PST. That makes those on the other side of the pond feel especially far away from the action. However, if you're here in London why not share the excitement of today's WWDC keynote with other Apple aficionados?
Once again to London Mac User Group is holding a special event during today's keynote. The event is being held in the downstairs bar of The Old Explorer Pub on Great Castle Street in the West End. There'll be food, pints, and Apple bingo. Attendees will also have a chance to win an iPad mini. The event begins at 5:30 PM -- that's 30 minutes before the keynote's 6 PM London-time start time.
The entrance fee is £3, but free to all LMUG members. More information about the meet up can be found here. The Old Explorer Pub is located at 23 Great Castle street, London, W1G 0JA. You can find directions to the pub on...
| Read more »We have a handful of potent ExtraBITS this week, including the stunning claim that the U.S. National Security Agency has been partnering with the world’s biggest tech companies, including Apple, to spy on the world through an initiative called PRISM. That’s not Apple’s only problem, as it’s also on trial, accused of colluding with publishers to raise ebook prices. If your iPhone battery life is suffering, then another alleged PRISM collaborator, Facebook, may be to blame. Hopefully the NSA will update PRISM to be more power-efficient. In happier news, the Apple Store now repairs iPhone 5 screens for $149. Read the full article at TidBITS, the oldest continuously published technology publication on the Internet. To get a full-text RSS feed, help support our work and become a TidBITS member! Members also enjoy an ad-free version of our Web site, email delivery of individual articles,...
| Read more »Notable software releases this week include LaunchBar 5.5, Aperture 3.4.5, iTunes 11.0.4, BBEdit 10.5.4, TextWrangler 4.5.2, and Security Update 2013-002 for Snow Leopard and Lion. Read the full article at TidBITS, the oldest continuously published technology publication on the Internet. To get a full-text RSS feed, help support our work and become a TidBITS member! Members also enjoy an ad-free version of our Web site, email delivery of individual articles, the ability to make long comments with live links, and discounts on Take Control orders and other Apple-related products.
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Like as it has done for some events in the past, Apple has pushed a WWDC app to Apple TV units overnight in order to access a live stream for today’s keynote.
Thanks, Batuhan
Apple is yet to announce whether or not the live stream will be available via desktop computer browser or iOS Devices like iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch.
Apple is expected to announce iOS 7, OS X 10.9, and a streaming music service at this event. A few hours ago, we posted a look at iOS 7....
Asa Mathat / AllThingsD.com: YH
It took a while, but Apple is finally ready to announce its iRadio service. It should get a formal introduction at Apple’s WWDC event today, and a launch later this year.
We don’t know if Apple is actually calling iRadio “iRadio”. But at this point we do know quite a bit about the streaming music service:
A lineup is already well underway for the eagerly-awaited start of Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference and in particular the keynote address, scheduled for 10AM Monday. Though consumers and others not attending the event will be looking for possible news on new Apple products and software, developers are most likely to be focused on the previews of iOS 7 and OS X 10.9, and what if any adjustments they will need to make in their own programs to either compensate for under-the-hood changes or to take advantage of new features incorporated into the two updated platforms.... ...
| Read more »Photoshop maker Adobe has officially released Lightroom 5 for Mac and Windows as both a part of the Creative Cloud subscription suite and as standalone software. Creative Cloud subscribers can add the software by download immediately, while standalone users an upgrade to version 5 for $79 or buy the product new for $149 from Adobe. The program, which has been in beta testing for the last couple of months, features new editing tools, more sharing and publishing options, video slideshows, Smart Previews and more.... ...
| Read more »This would be interesting. A Fleksy page seems to indicate that Apple will be announcing a keyboard API for developers to build their own software keyboards. We’ll see, we’ll see.
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| Read more »Mark’s already run down much of what we think will happen at WWDC.
I’ve been given a quick peek at an early beta of iOS7 and can only describe what I’ve seen. I’m told I can’t post the screenshots because Apple embeds little watermarks that could land the source in some trouble.
The whole OS has that ‘skinny jeans’ Helvetica Neue Ultra Light or similar that you’ve seen in those posters. At the top, instead of carrier signal bars, Apple now has 5 dots that are white or gray to represent the signal.
You can now download Adobe Lightroom 5 from Adobe for $149.99/$79 upgrade as an individual license and via Adobe Creative Cloud. The upgrade to the professional photo organization and editing tool is significant:
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Don’t let dust spots, splotches, or...
| Read more »The fifth incarnation of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom arrives as both a preview and an adjunct to the company's new Creative Cloud cross-platform suite of apps targeted to photographers, graphic designers, Web developers, and cinematographers. While Lightroom 5, released Monday at midnight Eastern time, is nominally part of Adobe's new subscription-based Creative Cloud successor to Creative Suite, it differs in that it is not subscription-based, but rather available as a traditional software license in a box. Lightroom 5 was released as a public beta in April.
Lightroom is popularly considered as a competitor to...
| Read more »Adobe on Monday announced the availability of the latest version of its prosumer photo editing software, Lightroom 5, bringing improved workflow features and functionality highlighted by a new perspective-correcting "Upright" tool. ...
| Read more »Adds new snippets feature and integration with Automator workflows. ($35 new, free update, 5.3 MB) Read the full article at TidBITS, the oldest continuously published technology publication on the Internet. To get a full-text RSS feed, help support our work and become a TidBITS member! Members also enjoy an ad-free version of our Web site, email delivery of individual articles, the ability to make long comments with live links, and discounts on Take Control orders and other Apple-related products.
| Read more »Apple’s WWDC app was updated late last week for various video enhancements, and tonight, the eve of Apple’s developer conference, the app has been again updated with video playback improvements. However, this time, Apple isn’t so specific about what has been “enhanced.” Thanks, Daniel!
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| Read more »Ars sends its livebloggers out with the most high-end typewriters and hires an army of underage newsies who deliver each update, by hand, to the great mechanical liveblog machine at our HQ.
Tomorrow, June 10, will certainly be an historic day for Ars, in that for the first time we will be running no fewer than five liveblogs on the same day. A milieu of E3 pre-announcements and Apple's WWDC keynote have combined this year to create the blogger's perfect storm of tech-company news, and Ars Technica is going to be on the ground to bring all of it to you in real-time.
But how will you know when these announcements will happen, and what to look for? Never fear, we're here to help you map out your Monday. First, when a liveblog starts, we will, as always, display the post at the top of the left-hand column. Also, we put together the handy guide below so you can put...
Not a bad PR move on AT&T’s part: While everyone is getting hyped for WWDC, Ma Bell throws the same curve ball that Verizon threw at us in April. You must now wait the full 24 months to be eligible for phone upgrades rather than getting in at 20 months as you could have previously.
Today, we’re announcing a 24-month upgrade policy across all of AT&T’s wireless products and services. This aligns device upgrade eligibility with our standard two-year wireless agreement and it applies to any customer whose agreement expires in March 2014 or later.
The move shouldn’t be a huge deal for iPhone customers who are used to two year cycles who can plan ahead to 2014.
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| Read more »It’s WWDC 2013 time. We’ve run down what we know about Apple’s announcements, what surprises we could see, and what we wish for the conference. Be sure to stay tuned at 10 AM Pacific/1PM Eastern time for the full keynote live blog.
Update: Since Apple will be live streaming the event on the Web, iOS and AppleTV, we will be doing real-time updates only on our Twitter account and posting stories as they become available. Also we’ll post the best pictures from Moscone below:...
It would appear that AT&T iPhone users will have to wait a bit longer to upgrade to their next handsets, as the carrier announced on Sunday that it will be extending its hardware upgrade cycle to a length of two years. ...
| Read more »While speaking at the PTTOW! summit last May, legendary ad executive and TBWA Global Director and Chairman Lee Clow reminisced fondly about his 30-year journey "looking into the future" with Steve Jobs.
He was 25 years old, when I met Steve. And he was already this passionate, intense. He and Wozniak invented this thing called the personal computer. Wozniak was just kind of into it for the hobby kind deal. Steve looked at it and said, "This is going to change everything."
Clow touched on a number of topics, but his story regarding Jobs' love of branding is particularly interesting.
Clow said that Jobs loved brands, having grown up admiring both Sony and Polaroid not only for furnishing cool products, but also because they represented the type of branding he admired.
Clow explains that in calling the company "Apple", Jobs may have been influenced by Sony which in 1958 changed the company name from Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo to...
| Read more »AT&T is following in the footsteps of its chief rival by lengthening the period customers must remain on contract before they can upgrade their devices. An anonymous source tipped Engadget to the carrier's decision, which will limit customers to upgrading their devices only when they've reached the full duration of their contracts. Prior to the policy shift, the upgrade period was 20 months.... ...
| Read more »The iPad has had a big impact on aviation. iPads are holding charts and other vital information for professional pilots eliminating thousands of printed pages that used to be pushed into heavy black flight bags.
Now, a pilot has written an app called the Aviation Pilot Duty and Performance Calculator to assist pilots operating under Part 135 (commuter and on-demand flight operations) that does a lot of the calculations that are laborious and time consuming. The app helps pilots compute things like Departure Gradients, Climb Performance, Approach Planning, keeping track of flight time and more.
Pilots operating under FAA part 91 (general aviation) and Part 121 (commercial pilots) will also find many of the features built into the app helpful.
The Aviation Pilot...
| Read more »An interesting image of what is supposedly a new Mac Pro was sent to several Mac sites on Sunday, including The Mac Observer. There's no context, there's no additional information, and there's zero track record with the anonymous sender, but it's an interesting image.
The city of Cupertino California has released a new Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Apple Campus 2 project, outlining impacts related to traffic, noise and air quality and how the company plans to mitigate such issues. ...
| Read more »Tim Cook, one year ago, to Walt Mossberg: “We’re going to double down on secrecy on products.”
12 months later, here we are, on the cusp of WWDC 2013, and nobody outside Apple seems to have any idea what Apple is set to show tomorrow. Cook’s words to Mossberg were anything but empty. The most secretive company in the industry got more secretive. We know Jony Ive has been leading the software design of iOS and OS X. We can be pretty sure they’re going to show us what they’ve been up to. But no one seems to know just what that is.
Yours truly included — and I couldn’t be happier. I haven’t been this in the dark about what Apple was set to announce in a keynote since the original iPhone introduction in January 2007. I’ve seen some speculation over the past few days that Vesper’s UI was informed by advanced knowledge of iOS 7....
| Read more »All-new dial-in experience! See below -- do not call into Talkshoe, we won't be there.
Our experiment last week using Fuze Meeting for our call-in process worked well enough to merit a second shift. Just as before, the text chat will be in this very post when the show begins... which will be two hours earlier than usual, given a few timezone conundrums and a few hosts out celebrating various celebrations.
So, tonight at 8pm ET, 5 pm PT, join us for our final WWDC preview countdown. This week, we'll review some of the external expectations put on Apple, in the context of Rich's assessment of true innovation coming from Cupertino.
Just like...
| Read more »The WWDC 2013 Keynote is tomorrow, Monday, June 10th, starting at 1pm EDT (10am PDT) and TMO's Dave Hamilton is already on-site posting pictures and updates. During the keynote itself coverage will include live, play-by-play updates from within the Moscone. Tune in here for TMO's coverage to find out exactly what's happening so you don't miss a thing!
We’ve got a pretty good idea of what Apple intends to give us at WWDC. Even the things we’re not so sure about seem on the radar.
But what does Apple need to do long term to tighten up the ecosystem and bring some excitement back into its hardware, software and services? I’ve got a few things…
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1. iCloud – I’m not sure how Apple gets to iCloud Nirvana from where they are now, but iCloud needs to turn into a full OS in the sky. The idea behind iCloud is that you really don’t know it is there but it is backing up and syncing all of your files across all of your devices all the time.
The end game for Apple should be this:
Does your dad -- or do you -- have a fascination with the weather? Is he always checking his iPad for local weather conditions, sending precipitation reports to the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network, or obsessively watching storm chaser videos on the Weather Channel app? If that's the case, or if you'd just like to win something really cool for Father's Day, then we have the giveaway for you. TUAW and Netatmo are giving away a Netatmo Weather Station valued at $179.
As featured in our review from last year, the Netatmo Weather Station includes both outdoor and indoor air quality sensors and also tracks temperature, humidity, and noise levels, all of which is available with a glance at your iPhone...
| Read more »In case you missed anything, here’s a quick roundup of the news that powered AllThingsD this week:
Has Apple lost its magic? It's kind of remarkable that pundits and analysts of all stripes are suggesting as much at this point, but really not all that surprising because they've been saying that every spring right up to Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference for years. ...
| Read more »The tech industry had a lot to say this week amid reports of massive government surveillance of Internet and telephone activity.
The Internet giants accused of giving the government access turned to the Web to defend themselves, while others in the industry voiced strong criticism over the apparent government activity.
Meanwhile the federal government, including President Obama and Director of National Security James Clapper, defended their actions, while others in Washington said it was time to rein in some of the surveillance tactics.
Here are a smattering of opinions offered up this week.
Ray Ozzie, Lotus Notes founder, former Microsoft...
Waterfield Designs makes some of the nicest computer, tablet, and smartphone accessories out there, and by nice I mean customizable, good-looking, and durable. I've had a Waterfield Designs iPad Travel Express bag for about three years now, dragged it all over the world, and it still looks like it did when it was brand new. Well, that same durable design is now showing up in your pocket with the delightful Finn Wallet (US$29), which can be used either as a wallet (duh!) or to house a naked iPhone. Let's take a look!
Design
The Finn Wallet actually comes in two different sizes: Size 25, which is intended to be a "wallet wallet", and Size 27, to clothe your iPhone 5. As for the lovely leather exterior (no, it's not Corinthian Leather...
| Read more »Chinese environmental activist Ma Jun recently said that Apple has made major strides towards becoming more environmentally friendly and transparent with respect to the company's operations in China.
While speaking at the Fortune Global Forum in Chengdu, China, Ma explained that Apple has recently transfromed from a company that was completely closed off about its environmental practices in China to one of the more environmentally progressive tech companies in the country.
Adam Lashinsky of Fortune reports:
Ma is a well-known former journalist who has devoted considerable energy to water issues in China. His group collects pollution data on Chinese companies and shares it with Western companies to help them better understand the ramifications of their supply chain partners. He said Apple not only has begun cooperating with his organization, it has become a positive force on the...
| Read more »From Puk's human companion, Wanda Rijkenberg:
This is Puk. Ever since she moved in with us she loves to nap in our home studio. We like to think because she's love us and that's where we often sit, but it's probably also to do with the studio equipment heating up the room. As a kitten (below) she'd squeeze between the power amp and a small mixer lit by a warm light. Now, years later, Puk grew a bit and so did the studio, leaving no place for a slightly overweight cat to squeeze into.
But in winter the trees in front of the house can't stop the sun from entering the room. And every time it does Puk knows exactly when and where to find that one free spot to nap in those rare rays of winter sun: just before the afternoon, on the pen tablet in front of the computer.
If you've got a Caturday nominee to share, let us know via our feedback page. For security reasons we...
| Read more »Google is the most-liked technology firm in America, according to a new poll. The search giant showed a sizable favorability margin over both the iPhone maker and the world's largest social network, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll. More than eight in ten respondents indicated a favorable view of the search company.... ...
| Read more »An awful lot has been written recently about whether Apple is has lost its spark. "Does Apple have an innovation problem?" asks the Washington Post. Forbes claims to lay out "Apple's innovation problem", although that piece is so muddled and lacking in specific details I came away more confused than illuminated. "Apple hasn't created an innovative product in years", claims inc.com. "Has Apple's innovation engine stalled?" asks USA Today. Fox News tells us "Why Apple is ailing." The Telegraph reports that "...
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For Apple, the first half of this year has been unusually quiet. There have been no special events, no product announcements. Indeed, the company has been virtually silent since last fall, when it rolled out major redesigns of a number of key products: the iPhone 5, the iPad and iPad mini and the iPod line.
So Monday’s Worldwide Developers Conference keynote address from Apple CEO Tim Cook will be regarded with great interest not only for annual updates to the company’s desktop and mobile operating systems — OSX and iOS, but also as a harbinger of devices to come.
iOS 7
The centerpiece news of the day will be the unveiling of iOS 7. This latest iteration of the operating system that runs Apple’s iPhones and iPads will be the first to version of the OS to be truly crafted under the design leadership of Jony Ive, Apple’s senior vice president of Industrial Design, who...
Fnord666 writes "When a company called FlatWorld Interactives LLC filed suit against Apple just over a year ago, it looked like a typical 'patent troll' lawsuit against a tech company, brought by someone who no longer had much of a business beyond lawsuits. Court documents unsealed this week reveal who's behind FlatWorld, and it's anything but typical. FlatWorld is partly owned by the named inventor on the patents, a Philadelphia design professor named Slavko Milekic. But 35 percent of the company has been quietly controlled by an attorney at one of Apple's own go-to law firms, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius. E-mail logs show that the attorney, John McAleese, worked together with his wife and began planning a wide-ranging patent attack against Apple's touch-screen products in January 2007—just days after the iPhone was revealed to the world." ...
| Read more »In many ways, Apple's iCloud Photo Stream service makes every iPhone photographer's life simpler. A good understanding of Photo Stream's "ins-and-outs" is needed to derive the most benefit from the service. In this article, Sandro Cuccia attempts to demystify the workings of Photo Stream.
another random user writes "Apple has applied for a patent on a combined virtual currency and digital wallet technology that would allow you to store money in the cloud, make payments with your iPhone, and maybe communicate with point-of-sale terminals via NFC. The patent application, published [Thursday] by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Organization, details how iPhone users could walk into a store, pay for goods with their phone, and walk out with their merchandise. Though Apple is late to the virtual wallet game, that doesn't seem to stop them trying to patent the process. There does not appear to be anything in the patent application which describes something that can't already be done." ...
| Read more »Mark Zuckerberg strongly denies Facebook is part of the PRISM program.
| Read more »The PRISM project is hitting the news just now, with the Director of National Intelligence issuing statements, and people talking about what privacy means in a free society.
This morning, our backchannel discussion about PRISM drifted to the topic of user privacy in apps. Specifically, we've noticed a recent trend -- our apps are starting to contact us by email.
Here's an example of a real email generated by an iOS app:
Hello, Thank you for trying [redacted] out!
I noticed that you've used the app a couple of times over the past few weeks but are no longer using it. We trying to make the calendar a better experience and in doing so I'd really appreciate if you could take a moment and tell me why [redacted] isn't working for you.
If you have any other thoughts you'd like to share with the team, please feel free to send it our way!
... | Read more »If you enjoyed this week's roundup of iPad cases, check out last week's edition, Golden Slumbers.
| Read more »Nerval's Lobster writes "Apple's iOS 7, which is heavily rumored to make its debut at next week's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco, will almost certainly feature a totally redesigned interface. According to recent rumors (including a few key postings on the Apple-centric blog 9 to 5 Mac), the OS will stand as a shining example of "flat" design, which eliminates "real world" elements such as texture and shading in favor of stripped-down, basic shapes. That means certain iOS environments such as Game Center (with its casino-like green felt) and Newsstand (with its wooden shelving) could soon look completely different. But what about iOS 7's actual features? What could Apple change that would improve the operating system's chances against the increasingly sophisticated Google Android, not to mention the new-and-improved BlackBerry 10 and Windows Phone 8? What would you do to iOS with Apple's full resources at your disposal?"...
| Read more »Lee Clow, Chairman and Global Director of Apple's go-to ad agency TBWA/Media Arts, recently discussed the 30 years he spent working with Steve Jobs, as well as the history behind now iconic commercials like those from the "Think Different" campaign. ...
| Read more »At a recent entrepreneurial summit known as the PTTOW! conference, TBWA Global Director and Chairman Lee Clow -- an advertising legend in part due to his long history behind many of the iconic ads for Apple -- gave a short talk on his memories of Steve Jobs and the 30-year relationship that they shared. In a video of the talk (seen below), Clow describes meeting Jobs in his mid-twenties; shares Jobs' passion for "democratizing" computer technology to consumers; adds his belief on how Jobs arrived at the "Apple" brand name, and more.... ...
| Read more »Enter to win a Bracketron Mushroom GreenZero Travel Charger. Giveaway closes on June 14th, 2013.
| Read more »Additional testimony and questioning in the DOJ e-book price-fixing trial against Apple has turned the nature of the case -- which has already become more into a inquiry of Amazon's misdeeds than of Apple's -- so far away from where the DOJ wanted it to go that even Apple's own lawyers sat up and took notice when Judge Denice Cote asked a key question during Friday's hearing. Cote, who in various pre-trial statements had made it crystal clear she believes the DOJ's original claims against Apple, injected doubt into a key part of the prosecution's case.... ...
| Read more »With just days to go until the opening of the 2013 Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco on Monday, Apple has pushed an update to the companion WWDC iOS app (free). While the program is aimed at attendees and registered Apple developers, others can also use the app by tapping "cancel" when prompted to sign in. The new version now handles video properly (resuming after a phone call, ignoring audio ringer mute when playing a video), corrects blurry text in session details, allows Favorites in Events to go to 11PM, prevents duplicate section headers in the videos list from appearing an... ...
| Read more »Construction photos from the Stanford 2 Northern California Apple Store have leaked out. The store, previously only visualized by architectural rendering, uses a glass box design with all glass walls supporting a "floating" white roof. A similar approach has been taken with the Portland, Oregon store. The new store, when open, replaces a mini-store about 700 feet away that dates back to 2004.... ...
| Read more »Like to text? Vern Seward point out 3 iOS apps that just might enhance your texting experience in this week's Free On iTunes. MessagEase, Fleksy, and Glyph-O-Rama.
Bryan Chaffin has been thinking about Apple CEO Tim Cook and the company's design guru, Sir Jonathan Ive. It started when Sir Jony was put in charge of the look and feel of iOS 7. As more rumors about the iOS makeover began to come out, he became convinced: working with the software designers is one of many steps in Tim Cook training him to takeover Apple some day.
If there's one promise I hope I can make to TUAW readers, it's that this will be the last iPad keyboard case review you'll read for a while. We've had quite a few over the past few months, but the subject of this review - the CruxSKUNK (US$179 introductory pricing, $210 regular MSRP) -- has been touted as a contender for the top iPad keyboard case. Let's see how it does compared to the ClamCase Pro, the current recipient of the TUAW iPad keyboard case review crown.
Design
The CruxSKUNK was funded by a popular Kickstarter project; the project team was requesting $90,000 and the final backing was almost $250,000. What got the backers so excited about YAIKC (yet another iPad keyboard case)? Well, compared to most other cases, it's built like a tank - or more like a MacBook Air. Machined out of aluminum...
| Read more »BMW has announced that all of its 2014 models will be getting an update bringing the Siri "Eyes Free" mode to it ConnectedDrive internet service. The mode will allow users to talk to Siri via their iPhone without having to actually look at their phone.
With the latest update to BMW iDrive, both Apple Siri and Samsung SVoice can be accessed through the vehicle's voice command controls. With a paired device, pressing and holding the steering wheel voice command button will engage the device's voice access. Pressing the steering wheel voice button without holding it will continue to access the vehicle's voice command functions.
The BMW voice command system itself has been enhanced to now include visual voice command suggestions. Once activated a banner across the top of the display offers prompts for when to speak and provides suggestions for what to say. The suggestions are tailored to the...
| Read more »When it comes to music labels, Apple’s gotta catch ‘em all. Elsewhere, Google unwittingly gives the folks from Cupertino a helping hand, and you’ll never guess what might show up at this year’s WWDC. The remainders for Friday, June 7, 2013 are mint in box.
Apple Signs Sony Up for iRadio, Now Has All Three Major Music Labels on Board (AllThingsD)
Sony, the last of the big three record labels, has reportedly signed on to Apple’s music-streaming service. So, I guess we can rest easy knowing that we’ll all be able to stream those oh-so-difficult-to-find tunes.
Google helps DOJ make first big mistake in Apple ebook trial (The Verge)
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Sony Music has jumped on board Apple's forthcoming streaming music service, according to numerous reports on Friday, meaning that Apple has now secured essential support for its anticipated new offering from each of the big three music labels. Warner Bros. and Universal reportedly each reached agreements with Apple earlier in the week. An official announcement is expected to be made next week at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco.
Apple on Friday released an update to its WWDC 2013 iOS app, bringing a number feature enhancements and bug fixes to the title ahead of the conference scheduled to kick off on Monday. ...
| Read more »Readers ask about the necessity of running permissions fixes regularly among other topics.
| Read more »We've mentioned Kingdom Rush Frontiers here a few times before, so odds are you might know a little something about it already. But the long-awaited sequel/expansion to one of the best tower defense games on the App Store has now gone live, for $2.99 on iPhone and $4.99 on iPad, and you can now download it and defend towers to your heart's content.
Kingdom Rush has been on the App Store for a while (it originally began life as a Flash game), and Frontiers takes the winning formula of unit-based tower defense, and adds a whole lot of new content and extras. In addition to a whole new map and story to play through, there's a new upgrade tree to unlock as you go, which will buff up your towers in various ways. And...
| Read more »If you're not a father -- or a future or recent graduate -- you've got a bit of a conundrum coming up: you're likely to soon need to buy a gift for a dad or grad. In the middle of graduation season, and with just over a week left before Father's Day, Electronista has got your back. Our Dads 'n' Grads Buyer's Guide is going to show you which gadgets to get, because tech gifts are immeasurably better than ties and copies of Oh, the Places You'll Go!... ...
| Read more »Ahead of Apple’s big keynote address to kick off its WWDC 2013 developer conference next week on Monday, Apple today updated its WWDC app for iPhone and iPad with a number of tweaks and fixes.
The most notable updates include videos that “now continue to play over AirPlay when the device locks or after interruptions” such as phone call, as well as a tweak so the audio ringer switch doesn’t mute audio in videos.
You can check out everything we expect to see at WWDC next week in our roundups here and...
(Preparations for Apple’s 2013 WWDC developer conference / Image via Nick)
There’s a lot we already know about what we’ll be seeing next week at WWDC– we’ve already brought you exclusive details on iOS 7, OS X 10.9, a MacBook refresh, Apple’s new Radio service, and much more. What else might we see Apple show off next week? Below are a couple of our best predictions based on what we think Apple is most likely to show off as well as few things we’ve been hearing:
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iCloud | Notifications |
Over the last year Apple’s iCloud service has been plagued with what feel like almost monthly outages, and the service is less than reliable for something that’s supposed to ‘just work’ without the user paying attention. One big feature...
It has been a busy few weeks in the App Store with a bunch of app updates landing on iOS and OS X. Grab a cup of joe and check out our list of notable updates from the past few weeks! You can also follow them on a rolling basis on our website.
Updated iOS Apps
Runtastic PRO GPS Running, Walking & Fitness Tracker [iPhone; Category: Health & Fitness; $4.99] Runtastic PRO uses GPS to map your sport and fitness activities, such as: running, jogging, or walking. Version 2.1.1 includes:
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| Read more »We make iOS apps. We made [Spy vs. Spy] and Primeval DFX (Hollywood style CGI dinosaurs, inserted into your own videos) last year.
Everything we do starts by blending the sciences with the humanities — the robots with the pencils — the programmers with the designers.
We think of ourselves as a ‘goldilocks’ company — Just The Right Size. We’re big enough to handle multimillion dollar projects and small enough to maintain a commitment to being positively good at everything we do.
Hire us, and we can make an app for you.
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