Apple’s Passbook app in iOS 6 has seen an encouraging uptick as various brands continue to implement Passbook support for loyalty and coupon cards and tickets, like Starbucks, mobile payment startup Square, Coupons.com, MLB, Discover, Apple (of course) and a host of airlines, to name a few. Passbook is also used by real estate agents and now Passverse founder Tomas McGuinness has brought an unofficial support for Passbook to the Clubcard from Tesco, UK’s biggest supermarket chain… Read More
According to MoPub, which tracks over a billion ad impressions each day across over 12,000 apps and a dozen ad networks, the release of Google’s Maps iOS app last Wednesday has benefited the iPhone maker in many regards, not least of which is a healthy boost to iOS 6 adoption rates.
The firm saw a 29 increase in unique iOS 6 users in the five days after Google Maps for iOS was released and a thirteen percent increase from Monday to Wednesday.
The reason: those who held off upgrading to iOS 6 because it removed Google’s mapping software are making the jump now that the standalone Google Maps app is on the App Store… Read More
Apple has just released an incremental iOS 6.0.2 update fixing issues with wireless network connections on the iPad mini and iPhone 5. According to Apple, the software “fixes a bug that could impact Wi-Fi”. Previous reports have suggested that these devices suffer from a carrier-agnostic Wi-Fi issue that could result in unwarranted cellular data usage while on a Wi-Fi network. Unfortunately, Apple does not name the exact Wi-Fi bug that has been fixed with this update… Read More
Judging from the comment sections on our Google Maps posts, and other feedback from around the web, it seems like quite a few people were holding out for a Google Maps app release before upgrading to iOS 6. And it makes sense, given some of the horror stories we’ve heard.
But according to Chitika, a large mobile ad network who regularly tracks iOS adoption rates and other mobile trends, iOS 6 adoption only rose 0.2% after Wednesday night’s debut of the Google Maps app, suggesting it had no immediate impact on the number of iOS 6 users… Read More
While most people consider the return of Google Maps to Apple’s App Store an all-around positive, one observer sees the move as a ‘mixed blessing’ for club Cupertino. Not only is the familiar mapping application once again available, but the Android maker Google may now overshadow Apple’s own efforts to make a difference in the increasingly competitive mobile mapping arena. As we reported yesterday, the new Google Maps for iOS is the top free app for the iPhone.
Indeed, Google admits the iOS app – which adds turn-by-turn directions – is superior to the Android version from a design standpoint. But for Google, returning to iOS means it also reconnects with iPhone users and a wealth of data… Read More
You can’t blame Samsung’s marketing team for pouncing on Apple’s every misstep. Remember the Apple Maps snafu in Australia that led to the police issuing a public warning advising against using the mapping product because it incorrectly placed the town of Mildura in the middle of Australia’s Murray Sunset National Park? Seen at the top is a new display banner found on Sydney’s George Street.
A mud-soaked SUV and a sign that reads “Oops, should have got a Samsung Galaxy S III. Get navigation you can trust” really needs no description. The wrong data Samsung’s ad is referring to was supplied by the Australian government, iDB reported yesterday, and was incorrectly rendered in other mapping products… Read More
When the town of Mildura was showing up inside iOS Maps in the middle of Australia’s Murray Sunset National Park, users were quick to point out that Apple’s data was 43 miles off the town’s actual location. It was already too late: the police issued a public warning as some iPhone-totting travelers had gotten lost in the Park’s maze-like roadways. That the area has poor cell reception and lacks water supply didn’t help either.
Apple has corrected the problem since and now we’ve learned that particular snafu wasn’t Apple’s fault in the first place: the company simply re-used the data supplied by the state of Victoria… Read More
Apple’s Maps app took another hit earlier today, when word got out that police in Victoria, Australia had issued a public warning regarding the software. Apparently, they had been receiving a number of calls from travelers who were getting lost in a nearby National Park due to the app’s inaccurate data.
The problem was that the town of Mildura was showing up in the middle of Murray Sunset National Park, about 43 miles south of its actual location. And since the Park has maze-like roadways, poor cell reception and no water supply, this was a potentially dangerous situation. But don’t worry Apple is on it… Read More
The Infiniapps are some of the most popular tweaks on the jailbreak scene. There’s Infinidock, which lets you add more icons to your iOS dock, Infinifolders, which does the same thing for folders, and Infiniboard, which adds vertical scrolling to your Springboard.
If you’re a fan of the trio, you’ll be happy to know that Chpwn has recently updated all three of them to support iOS 6. In fact, he’s completely rebuilt them from the ground up to eradicate long-standing bugs, and improve the stability and performance of the tweaks… Read More
Apple’s Maps application has had nothing but problems since it was released to the public back in September. Users have complained that the company’s in-house replacement for Google Maps has inaccurate location data and other bugs.
But if you thought Maps was bad before, wait until you hear this. Police in Victoria, Australia issued a warning this weekend regarding the mapping software after several travelers became lost and stranded due to receiving poor directions… Read More
Twitter founder Jack Dorsey’s another startup, Square, has made a name for itself with a compelling and competitive mobile payment service which, in my mind, is more straightforward and powerful than Google’s Wallet. The company is selling its iPhone payment dongle via the online Apple Store, having released an accompanying Wallet app on iOS and Android on November 8. It supports, among other things, receiving electronic receipts and paying with your own name.
Now, the Wallet app has been recently updated with micro-payments at Starbucks locations and now Square has added a timely new functionality, the ability to send personalized gifts that can be used at about 250,000 businesses supporting Square Wallet as a payment option.
This new feature also taps Apple’s Passbook service in iOS 6 so any gift card created with the Wallet app gets automatically imported into Passbook and synced across devices via iCloud. This let you redeem a Square gift card at any of the supported points of purchase via Passbook. How’s that for a hands-free checkout? Read More
The iPhone – and particularly the iPhone’s Passbook feature – is quickly making the traditional business card extinct. Real estate agents, huge users of business cards, are now one of the biggest proponents of Passbook as Re/Max Regional Services adopts iPhone-based business cards for its 4,500 agents and brokers. Agents in Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky, Southern Ohio and Southeastern Michigan will use iPhone’s equipped with a “CardSense” feature that includes a scannable QR code on the lock screen. A QR reading app then grabs a copy of the business card… Read More
Eddy Cue, Apple’s SVP of Internet Software and Services, is reported to have fired Richard Williamson, an executive who oversaw the team that created Apple’s own and troubled iOS 6 mapping service. The development marks the second high-ranked management departure of an Apple executive over so-called Mapgate, following the ouster of iOS boss and Steve Jobs confidant Scott Forstall last month after a CEO apology over the glaring flaws in Apple’s mapping software.
“We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make maps better”, Cook wrote in lat month’s letter of apology. In an effort to win back trust of its users, Apple is now understood to be seeking outside help to fix Maps. Jump past the fold for the latest info… Read More
Airline Qantas Tuesday announced Passbook integration for boarding passes in Australia. Travelers simply check in using their iPhone and select the “Add to Passbook” button when it appears on compatible devices. The national airline says that Passbook boarding passes will be color-coded to match the user’s frequent flyer status. Qantas isn’t stopping there as it plans on expanding Passbook functionality with live updates and other perks early next year… Read More
A design Apple licensed for the iOS 6 Clock app from the Swiss Federal Railways for an alleged $20 million was also licensed 26 years ago to Switzerland-based watch maker Mondaine. In fact, Mondaine Group CEO André Bernheim had at one point considered legal action against the iPhone maker before Cupertino relented and agreed to sign a licensing agreement. The clock face design is truly timeless: it’s withstood the test of time and is still being used in SBB’s stations. Now, in a conveniently timed PR move, Mondaine issues a statement reminding Apple users it’s the official licensee of the design for wrist watches and wall clocks, eventually hoping some fans would put Mondaine products on their holiday shopping list… Read More
Google Voice users will be happy to hear that Google has finally updated its iOS client to support iOS 6 and the new 4-inch display on the iPhone 5 and 5th generation iPod touch. The update comes more than 2 months after Apple released version 6 of its mobile OS to the public. So needless to say, this was long overdue… Read More
Just as Samsung added the iPad mini, fifth-gen iPod touch and fourth-gen iPad to its suit, claiming Apple’s latest gadgets violate its patents, news broke that Google’s handset arm Motorola Mobility is thinking about doing the same in its litigation against Apple in the Southern District of Miami, Florida. And in order to establish that Apple’s devices violate Motorola patents, Google is moving to perform some infringement analysis and has filed a motion complaining that Apple is withholding the source code for iOS 6, which powers the latest iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices… Read More
Late last year, news broke of a serious iMessage bug that enabled iOS devices to continue to send and receive messages, even after being remotely wiped and having their SIM cards deactivated. It was particularly dangerous for folks whose devices were stolen, or the like.
But never fear, a new report says that the bug has been repaired in iOS 6. According to a source with knowledge of the matter, Apple has taken steps to eradicate the problem in its mobile software… Read More
Apple has taken a lot of heat over its new Maps application in iOS 6. Users have complained that it’s inaccurate, buggy, and doesn’t have anywhere near the international support that Google Maps has.
Well it looks like Apple has made some progress on the latter front. Last night, reports started coming in that the Cupertino company has activated turn-by-turn voice navigation for its Maps app in Australia… Read More
With the release of iOS 6, Apple replaced its controversial unique device identifier system (or UDID) with the Advertising Identifier. It’s a non-permanent, non-personal, device identifier, that advertising networks use to track your behavior.
Since its introduction, users who don’t like targeted advertisements have had the ability to limit ad tracking via a toggle in the Settings application. And in iOS 6.1, users will gain the ability to reset their Advertising Identifier as well… Read More
