Episode 38: Jeff ditches minimalist, Cody starts coding, and Sebastien ponders the idea of getting a new iMac. We also discuss Apple and IBM’s new partnership, Starbucks ambitious mobile payment plans, and the best email apps for iPad.
Apple airs new ‘Stickers’ MacBook Air ad
By Cody Lee on Jul 21, 2014
Apple tonight aired a new commercial for its MacBook Air line called “Stickers.” Interestingly enough, it doesn’t talk about features or specs, or even show the laptop in use. Instead, it shows an Air being customized with various decals.
Apple says the ad, which features music from Hudson Mohawke, is a “celebration of all the many ways people love the MacBook Air.” And it ends with a side view of the thin computer and a powerful tagline: ”The notebook people love.” Read More
WSJ: Apple gearing up for record production of 70 to 80 million iPhone 6 units
By Cody Lee on Jul 21, 2014
Apple is gearing up for its largest initial production run of iPhones ever, according to a new report this afternoon from The Wall Street Journal. The Cupertino company is betting big on its larger-screened handsets, which it believes will garner record sales.
Citing sources “familiar with the matter,” the outlet says that Apple has asked suppliers to manufacture somewhere between 70 million and 80 million units combined of two larger display iPhones, one 4.7-inch model and one 5.5-inch, by the end of December… Read More
Former jailbreak hacker accuses Apple of building surveillance backdoors into iOS
By Cody Lee on Jul 21, 2014
Former iPhone jailbreak hacker Jonathan Zdziarski recently gave a presentation at the HOPE/X conference regarding iOS device security. He said that the platform is reasonably secure from attacks by malicious hackers, but noted there are several backdoors built-in for surveillance.
In the presentation, called ‘Identifying Backdoors, Attack Points, and Surveillance Mechanisms in iOS Devices,’ Zdziarski detailed a number of undocumented high-value forensic services running on iOS devices, and suspicious design omissions in the OS, that appear to be for snooping… Read More
Apple to wipe all CloudKit data on July 22
By Timothy Reavis on Jul 21, 2014
Apple has sent an email to registered developers notifying them of a complete wipe of CloudKit databases. The erase, which is scheduled to take place on July 22nd, is related to the iCloud APIs introduced at WWDC this year and will effect iCloud containers with public databases.
This is the second time Apple is deleting iCloud server data, as the tech giant performed a similar wipe on July 7th in order to upgrade their servers to coincide with the latest beta releases for iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite.
Here is Apple’s full email to developers: Read More
Apple seeds iOS 8 beta 4 to developers: here is what’s new
By Timothy Reavis on Jul 21, 2014
Two weeks after its last beta release, Apple has seeded iOS 8 beta 4 to developers. Aside from the usual myriad of bug fixes and improvements, there are sure to be some UI tweaks and other noticeable changes. Apple has more details in beta 4′s release notes.
We’re installing the beta now and will be updating this post with any changes we find. Be sure to let us know of any changes you run across! Simply email us at tips@idownloadblog.com or leave a comment below! Read More
Apple seeds OS X Yosemite Preview 4, redesigned iTunes 12 and Yosemite Recovery Update
By Cody Lee on Jul 21, 2014
In addition to seeding the fourth beta of iOS 8 this morning, Apple has also released the fourth Developer Preview of its new OS X Yosemite operating system. The update comes two weeks after Preview 3, and well over a month after Apple announced Yosemite at WWDC.
The update is labeled as build preview 4 1.0 and can be downloaded via an update in the Mac App Store, or as a full download from Apple’s online developer center. It does not, however, appear to be out in Apple’s recently-launched public Yosemite Beta Seed program yet… Read More
Here is the redesigned iTunes 12
By Cody Lee on Jul 21, 2014
Alongside Developer Preview 4 of OS X Yosemite, Apple launched a new beta version of iTunes 12 this morning. The most notable change in the software is its refreshed interface, which features flatter UI elements, greater space between buttons, and other iOS 7-esque design language.
iTunes 12 also brings about a new icon, as well as a host of new features. Included in the new functionality is support for Family Share, a new option Apple announced at WWDC last month for sharing iTunes purchases, improved playlists, a redesigned information window, and more… Read More
iOS 8 beta 4 comes with a new Tips app
By Sébastien Page on Jul 21, 2014
Released earlier today, iOS 8 beta 4 came with a new stock application called Tips, which as its name suggests, is here to share tips about new features to iOS users. So far, the app offers 6 different tips but it does invite users to check back later as apparently it will be updated every week.
As iOS is becoming a more complex operating system, the addition of this app will definitely be welcome by users that are not necessarily tech savvy. While the average iDB reader probably already knows about these tips, most users don’t. This is a good way to ensure that all users are aware of what they can do with their device, brought in a very simple and elegant manner.
Below are the tips shared in this first edition: Read More
Netflix updates Apple TV app with next episode auto-play feature
By Cody Lee on Jul 21, 2014
Good news Apple TV owners. Netflix has updated its client for the set-top box with its auto-play-next-episode feature, bringing it in line with its other apps. The feature, which has long been available on the web and other platforms, has been a top request among users.
Now, when a TV episode is finished playing in the Netflix app, users will have the option to quickly move to the next one in sequential order. Previously, users would have to back out to the ‘Play’ screen, then out to the ‘Season’ screen and manually select the next episode… Read More
Samsung posts new ‘Screen Envy’ ad in response to iPhone 6 rumors
By Cody Lee on Jul 21, 2014
Samsung has posted a new ad to its YouTube channel this afternoon entitled ‘Screen Envy.’ The spot addresses rumors that the iPhone 6 will come with a larger display, saying that Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones have had 5-inch screens for years.
The commercial literally opens with an iPhone user telling his friend that Apple is working on a larger-screened smartphone. The friend, who is of course using a Galaxy S5, is clearly unimpressed by the speculation, saying “that hasn’t happened yet?” Read More
Facebook rolling out new ‘Save’ read-it-later feature
By Cody Lee on Jul 21, 2014
Facebook today announced a new feature that will allow users to save interesting items on the social network for later viewing. Users will have the ability to save things like links, places, recipes and media, and go back and view them at a later time.
Similar to apps like Pocket or Instapaper, Facebook’s new Save feature allows users to consume content on their own time, making them less likely to skip over it. It also helps filter out annoying posts like quizzes, mobile game invites, and other fluff… Read More
How to get HBO and HBO Go without paying a ridiculous $100+ cable bill
By Christian Zibreg on Jul 21, 2014
For all the talk about television networks and cable providers jumping into the 21st century with apps for accessing premium entertainment on the go, through just about any device, cable cutters are all to painfully aware of one huge caveat – you have to be subscribed to your cable or satellite television provider in order to enjoy premium television shows on your devices.
HBO, by and large the most prominent provider of original television shows, has an excellent HBO Go service available on multiple platforms, but again – you need to be a cable customer which means paying a ridiculous cable bill of hundred bucks per month or more.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. Turns out you can in fact enjoy shows like Game of Thrones, True Detective, The Leftovers, Silicon Valley and more, without committing your soul to a cable provider. You only need to know the magic word to keep HBO without paying for the additional 500 channels you never watch… Read More
Best Buy offering $100 iTunes Gift Cards for $85
By Christian Zibreg on Jul 21, 2014
Best Buy, the Richfield, Minnesota headquartered American multinational consumer electronics retailer, is seemingly offering discounts on Apple products on a weekly basis. To boot your week, the company is now offering $100 iTunes Gift Cards for just $85, representing a saving of fifteen bucks on your software and digital media purchases on iTunes.
These physical cards usually leave Best Buy’s warehouse in 1 business day and the retailer is throwing in free shipping to sweeten the deal a bit more… Read More
Letter Hero lets you build words that can leap tall buildings
Word games seem to be the theme of the week. The App Store was recently graced with a couple of interesting games that feature spelling as the main function. Being the wordsmith that I am, I’ve always had an affinity for the genre.
Letter Hero is a simple word game where all you have to do is tap a few letters to create words within a specified period of time. Add the random element of power ups and word bombs to turn a simple game into a crazy caper… Read More
Starbucks preparing coffee ordering service for mobile app
By Cody Lee on Jul 21, 2014
Great news Starbucks-goers. You may soon be able to order your coffee using your iPhone. In a recent interview with Recode, the company’s Chief Digital Officer Adam Brotman said that it plans to start testing a pickup service later this year via its mobile app.
The move comes as Americans are increasingly turning to smartphone-friendly services like Uber and GrubHub. And with nearly 15% of Starbucks’ US purchases now coming via its mobile app, adding the ability to order from it seems like a natural evolution… Read More
Apple announces London iTunes Festival featuring Pharrell, Beck and others
By Cody Lee on Jul 20, 2014
Apple this morning announced its eighth annual iTunes Festival in London. The 30-day event will feature over 60 acts, and once again take place at the legendary Roundhouse throughout the month of September.
Headlining this year’s Festival will be Maroon 5, Pharrell Williams, Beck and David Guetta, and Apple says that it will once again be streaming all of their performances to iOS devices, iTunes and the Apple TV for free… Read More
Security firm warns of new iMessage spam campaign
By Cody Lee on Jul 20, 2014
iPhones users—particularly those in larger US cities—may want to start keeping an eye out for odd iMessages. According to security firm Cloudmark, there has been a dramatic uptick in recent months of spam directed at Apple’s iOS messaging system.
Cloudmark says that the new spam campaign, which appears to be peddling counterfeit goods, accounted for 34% of US-based SMS spam during the past two months. Activity seemed to be particularly high in New York City, L.A., San Diego and Miami… Read More
This week on iDB: competition and community
By Sébastien Page on Jul 20, 2014
Like every Sunday, we get to take a look at some of the most popular posts that were published on iDB during the week that just ended. Whether it is a news item, a new jailbreak tweak, a tutorial, or an app review, we sum it all up in one convenient place for you.
As always, if you like what you’re reading, please feel free to spread the love by sharing our posts on your favorite social network.
We’re usually hanging out a lot on Twitter and Facebook, more rarely on Google+.
- Saurik on competition and community
- Hermes: a lightweight cross-platform quick reply solution
- SwipeExpander: a new keyboard shortcut tool for jailbreakers
- CCSliders: an all-in-one slider for Control Center
- Infographic offers overview of iPhone 6 rumors
- Can’t wait for the official iPhone 6? Here come the clones!
- Rumor: Apple’s secret partnership to boost iPhone battery performance
- How to change a Mac app icon in OS X
- The best icon packs for OS X
- Ultratext is a fun app that will spice up your iMessages
- Poll: what’s more important to you – screen size or battery life?
- This is the coolest iPhone photography you’ll see this week
- The best iPad calendar apps
- Apps of the week: Red Ball 4, Dragon Raiders, Ninja Up!, and more
- Wallpapers of last week: complex geometry
Don’t forget to listen to the latest episode of our new podcast, Let’s Talk iOS:
And of course, make sure to catch up with the new episode of Let’s Talk Jailbreak:
Find iDB on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, App.net, YouTube, and in your RSS reader. Also make sure to subscribe to our new podcast!
New in iOS 8: App Store trending searches
By Christian Zibreg on Jul 20, 2014
At WWDC back in June, Apple announced several nice-to-haves aimed at improving the oft-criticized app discovery with new App Store features. Among them: trending searches.
It should be noted that first mentions of this feature being active date as far back as a week ago. It’s however unclear whether everyone on the latest iOS 8 beta is seeing hot searches or just a subset of Apple’s registered iOS developers.
Be that as it may, trending searches are tremendously useful and bound to help developers get their apps found in the App Store. As the name suggests, the feature surfaces hot search queries at any given time… Read More
