Month: March 2015

Specs of 13″ MacBook Air refresh leak as rumors of Retina Air intensify

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

Images of what appear to be the specifications of a 13-inch MacBook Air refresh have surfaced on the forums of Chinese website Feng.com.

The seemingly genuine screenshots suggest a minor hardware bump based on Intel's latest Broadwell processors with more powerful Intel HD 6000 graphics, and a slightly bigger battery as well.

Although the source did not provide info related to the 11-inch MacBook Air model, Apple is likely to upgrade that machine with new Intel chips alongside the 13 incher.

In addition, a questionable report has suggested that a twelve-inch Air with a Retina screen is up for an announcement at Apple's “Spring Forward” media event next Monday, thought to focus mostly (but not exclusively?) on the Apple Watch.

Check out these interactive demos of Apple Watch apps

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

After months of anticipation, we are entering the home stretch in our wait for the Apple Watch launch. But for those of you who are having trouble dealing with the suspense, we believe we may have found something to tide you over.

Newly launched website WatchAware has put together a series of interactive demos, giving users a fairly good idea of how they'll interact with Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and various other popular apps on the upcoming Apple Watch.

HBO to launch ‘HBO Now’ standalone service in April, may have Apple TV as launch partner

Jake Smith ∙ March 4, 2015

HBO is looking to hop onto the Internet TV craze with the launch of a standalone service called "HBO Now" in April, according to the International Business Times.

The publication reports HBO is looking to charge $15 per month for the service, which would offer HBO content like "Game of Thrones" and "Boardwalk Empire". It would be the first time customers will be able to access HBO without having to go through a cable or satellite provider.

Banners begin going up at Yerba Buena Center ahead of Apple Watch event

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Apple has begun decorating the outside of the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, ahead of Monday's Apple Watch event. Creative Strategies analyst Ben Bajarin posted the above photo on Twitter this afternoon, showing a banner being hung on the front of the building.

The image on the banner matches the one on the invitations Apple sent out to media members last week for the event, which it has dubbed 'Spring Forward.' The phrase is a reference to Daylight Savings Time, which begins Sunday, and hints that the event will focus on the Apple Watch.

Rumor: iPhone 6s has 2GB RAM and Apple SIM

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 4, 2015

Apple's upcoming S-refresh to the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus apparently includes two gigabytes of random-access memory (RAM), a feature long expected by Apple fans who have been eyeing top-end Android handsets with 3GB of RAM with envy. More RAM = better multitasking = longer battery life.

Furthermore, the phone ship with the Apple SIM which debuted alongside the iPad Air 2, as reported by AppleInsider quoting “a person familiar with Apple's future product plans” who in the past has provided “reliable info.”

Asphalt 8 gains car decals, new Ferraris and car collections, revamped garage and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 4, 2015

This morning, French games maker and publisher Gameloft pushed out an update to Asphalt 8: Airborne, its arcade-y racer for the iPhone and iPad.

The download brings out car decals (the most requested feature) and five new Ferrari sports cars that Gameloft says you'll be able to drive “soon”. On top of that, the garage has been redesigned from the ground up and there are new car collections to enjoy now.

The update is available now on iOS and is coming soon on Android and Windows 8.

Apple Watch wins 2015 iF Gold Award, snags another fashion mag cover

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 7, 2016

Apple's Watch has just won an aptly named iF Gold Award from the International Forum in its annual industrial design competition, and it's not started shipping yet!

According to the award organizers, the meticulously designed wrist-worn gizmo is “already an icon” even though it's slated to ship in April.

Also, the device's tour of the world's fashion and lifestyle magazines continues with another Watch appearance, this one on the cover of the Chinese magazine Yoho.

Research: 25% of smartphones in urban China are iPhones, Samsung overtakes Apple in US

Jake Smith ∙ March 4, 2015

Research-firm Kantar Worldpanel released a note on Tuesday showing the iPhone is seeing continued growth in China. During the three months ending in January 2015, Apple reached its highest ever marketshare in the urban parts of the country as one in every four smartphones sold were an iPhone.

Apple confirms ‘FREAK Attack’ patch for iOS and OS X due next week

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 4, 2015

A new exploit dubbed ‘FREAK Attack’ — which stands for “Factoring attack on RSA-EXPORT Keys” — that takes advantage of a security flaw dating back to the 1990s will be patched soon by Apple.

As we speak, the iPhone maker is readying a fix in iOS and OS X that will be available in software updates next week, a spokesperson for the Cupertino firm told iMore.

Plagued by this security flaw, users of Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Android devices are at risk when visiting vulnerable websites that downgrade a secure HTTPS connection to a weaker encryption method.

Waze is rolling out AMBER alerts in US

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 4, 2015

Waze, a popular crowdsourced GPS, maps and traffic service, announced on Wednesday that it's rolling out AMBER alerts in the United States.

Realized through a partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the move brings AMBER alerts to Waze users when a child in their area has been abducted or gone missing.

Facebook’s forgotten Slingshot app introduces Explore section

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 29, 2018

Following a major version 2.0 update last December and another one that added swiping between back and front cameras, things have been quiet on the Slingshot front.

But Wednesday, the Facebook-owned disappear messaging app has received another update bringing out a new Explore section in an effort to increase usage time.

Slingshot is available free in the App Store.

Poll: do you use Reduce Motion feature in iOS?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 14, 2018

Soon after Apple thoroughly revamped its mobile operating system back in September 2013, power users started to complain about iOS's sleek visual effects standing in the way of usability. The main point of contention for many people seemed to be whether or not iOS ignores user input while the animation is running, resulting in the seemingly slower navigation.

Another common complaint was that those dizzying slam-cuts affected people with motion sickness. Addressing both complaints, Apple's made it possible to disable motion by flipping the Reduce Motion switch to ON in Settings > Accessibility > Reduce Motion.

Today's poll seeks to determine whether you navigate your iOS devices with full UI animations, as enabled by default, or with reduced motion effects in order to make the operating system seem more responsive.