Happy weekend everyone! We are back with another edition of our Apps of the Week roundup. This week's list features some great selections including a new meditation app, a unique photo editor, and a new app for recording songs with friends. Plus, we have two great new games for you to check out.
Snapchat on Thursday updated its mobile app with a new universal search bar. Speaking with TechCrunch, the company says the feature was designed for speed, so you can quickly locate what you're looking for and get back to snapping.
The new search bar is always accessible at the top of the app, and it allows you to find friends and groups and discover publishers and trending Stories. "Quick Chat" suggestions will allow you to jump straight to a specific message thread.
iPhone app purchasers may sue Apple over allegations that it has monopolized the mobile app market by not allowing users to purchase them outside the App Store, reports Reuters. The decision comes from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and it revives a long-standing lawsuit regarding Apple's iPhone app practices.
In 2012, a group of iPhone users filed to sue Apple, saying its App Store exclusivity was anticompetitive. Apple responded to the suit, saying that users purchase apps from developers, and it merely rents out the space. A lower court sided with the Cupertino company, and threw the case out, but today's decision reverses the order.
Apple on Thursday posted a note to its developer portal, informing third-party app-makers that it has increased the maximum size for tvOS apps from 200MB to 4GB. It says the change will allow apps to provide a more "complete, rich user experience upon installation."
Previously, tvOS app downloads were capped at 200MB with the ability to download more resources after being installed. This resulted in faster installation times, but often caused users to have to wait for additional content to download before using the app or game.
Following Apple's software fix, Consumer Reports has updated its review of the new MacBook Pro, stating that it now recommends the laptop. The publication says the fix corrects the erratic battery behavior it saw during its initial testing, and all MacBook Pro models now fall "well within the recommended range" in its ratings.
Apple on Thursday seeded iOS 10.2.1 beta 4 to developers. Registered developers and public testers can install the update either via iOS 10's OTA mechanism, or as a standalone download via Apple's website.
The release comes a few hours after Apple issued the fourth beta of macOS Sierra 10.12.3, and just a few days after beta 3 was seeded for both platforms, suggesting that they are nearing closer to public launch.
Swift creator Chris Lattner is leaving Apple to take a position as Vice President of Autopilot Software at Tesla. Lattner announced his departure Tuesday on a Swift.org forum, and Tesla published a blog post shortly after welcoming him to the company.
Lattner has been at Apple since 2005, and is credited with building early versions of the Swift programming language in 2010, before a team was formed to further the project. Most recently, he held the title of Senior Director of the Developer Tools team.
Apple has come to the conclusion that a hidden setting in Safari caused the odd battery results in Consumer Reports' MacBook Pro review that kept the publication from recommending the laptop. In a statement to AppleInsider, the company said it worked with CR's team over the holidays and determined that its testing methods were flawed.
KGI Securities' Ming-Chi Kuo released a new research note on Sunday, giving investors his updated predictions for Apple's tablet plans. In the report, the noted analyst says the company is working on 3 new iPads for 2017: a 12.9-inch iPad Pro 2, a low cost 9.7-inch iPad, and a new high-end model with a bezel-free display between 10-10.5-inches.
Apple on Sunday posted a press release entitled "iPhone at ten: the revolution continues." The announcement recognizes that it's been 10 years since Steve Jobs unveiled the original iPhone, and reflects on how far the handset has come.
By now, everyone knows the story. On January 9, 2007, Steve Jobs took the Macworld stage and told the audience: "every once in a while, a revolutionary product comes along that changes everything." And the rest, as they say, is history.
It's the weekend again, and you know what that means! It's time for another addition of our Apps of the Week roundup. This week we have some great selections, including an app for helping you plan your trips and vacations, a wallpaper gallery, and an app for taking 360 videos. And as usual, we've picked out a couple new games for you to check out.
Apple is planning to open a retail store in Seoul, South Korea, reports Reuters. This will be the company's first official store in the country, which also plays home to the headquarters of Samsung, Apple's largest competitor in the smartphone space.
A spokesperson for Apple confirmed the plans with Reuters via email, saying "We're excited about opening our first Apple Store in Korea, one of the world's economic centers and a leader in telecommunication and technology, with a vibrant K-culture."