Apple has this afternoon seeded the third Golden Master candidate of OS X Yosemite. The update can be downloaded either through the Updates tab in the Mac App Store, or through Apple’s Mac Dev Center by registered developers.
This marks the eleventh beta of Yosemite as Apple prepares to officially release the software to the public later this month. Introduced in June, OS X Yosemite brings about new UI design and several other improvements for Macs.
The controversial U2 album 'Songs of Innocence' has been downloaded nearly 30 million times since Apple announced it would be available to iTunes users for free last month. In a statement to Billboard on Thursday, senior VP Eddy Cue said that the album had racked up 26 million 'complete downloads' since its September 9 debut.
Cue adds that over 81 million Apple customers have experienced Songs of Innocence within the last month—a number that includes Beats Music, iTunes, and iTunes Radio streams. "To help put this into perspective," Cue says, "prior to this, a total of 14 million customers had purchased music from U2 since iTunes opened in 2003."
In celebration of its 5 year anniversary (seems to be the theme today), Autodesk has released an all-new version of its popular SketchBook app for iOS. It's universal, so it works with both iPhones and iPads, and it's free, with a single Pro Tools in-app purchase available for $3.99.
The icon is new, and upon launching the app, SketchBook veterans will notice that the inside is as well. There are a number of changes here, from the tools menu that's been relocated to the top of the screen, to the improved paint engine, and it all looks great on the new iPhone 6.
Celebrating its 5-year anniversary, Zynga has released a revamped version of its hit word game called 'New Words With Friends.' It's an all-new app, but users won't be forced to upgrade, and those who do will not see any kind of interruption in their gameplay.
The game is essentially a sleeker, more robust version of the massive hit that first debuted in 2009. There are some definite design changes here, with flatter UI elements and more streamlined menus, and a host of new features including a new offline solo mode.
The photo above depicts what is claimed to be the 2GB Elpida RAM module Apple is using in the iPad Air 2. The origin of the part in the image, which was posted to Weibo last night, is unknown, but it appears fairly similar to the 1GB Elpida RAM found in the first generation Air.
Reports suggesting that the new full-sized iPad may feature 2GB of RAM have been bouncing around since mid-August. Many pundits believe that Apple is planning to add greater functionality to its iPad line, in an effort to better differentiate its tablets from its larger smartphones.
Great news Reckless Racing fans, the third iteration of Pixelbite's popular top-down racer is now available on iOS. You can pick up the new game, which is universal, so it'll work with both your iPhone and iPad, for $4.99 from the App Store.
The original Reckless Racing debuted in 2010, as a delightful birds-eye-view rally racing game with beautiful graphics. Reckless Racing 3 continues that tradition with dirtier tracks, better visuals, and its largest selection of cars and trucks ever.
The US government has just handed AT&T a significant fine for allowing third party companies to stealthily tack on their charges to customer phone bills for things like spam SMS text messages. The announcement was made on Wednesday in a joint press conference by the FCC and FTC, who say this is the largest "cramming" settlement in history.
In total, AT&T will pay out $105 million to settle the case—$80 million is earmarked for the FTC, which it will use to set up a reimbursement program, $5 million will go to the FCC, and $20 million will go to individual states. Additionally, the carrier has been ordered to begin proactively informing subscribers if extra fees are going on their accounts.
It looks like Fitbit won't be sharing data with the new iOS 8 Health app anytime soon. Responding to a question in support forums, a representative for the company said that it "currently has no plans to integrate with HealthKit."
The rep adds that HealthKit is an interesting new platform that Fitbit will be watching as it matures, as it looks for opportunities to improve the user experience. "But at the moment," he says, it's working on "other exciting projects."
GT Advanced's decision to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy will not affect supplies of upcoming Apple Watch, says KGI Securities' Ming-Chi Kuo. In a note to investors this morning, the well-connected analyst says that because the device's screen is so small, Apple can turn to other suppliers for sapphire if need be.
Kuo notes that aside from GTAT, Apple is already working with a handful of other sapphire ingot (or cast) suppliers including Hansol and Harbin Aurora Optoelectronics. Because Watch drop-test requirements aren't as stringent as they are for smartphones, general sapphire manufacturing processes are adequate.
Apple withheld its final payment of $139 million it was due to make to GT Advanced, reports The Wall Street Journal, ahead of its decision to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. It's not known why the company withheld the money, but it's been speculated GT was not able to meet sapphire yield requirements outlined in its deal.
That deal involved Apple loaning GT Advanced a total of $578 million to help get a large sapphire factory in Arizona up and running. The two companies announced the partnership last fall, which many believed would result in the production of a large amount of sapphire display covers earmarked for Apple's newest iPhone models.
Despite its good intentions, using Siri while driving is actually quite dangerous, according to a new study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. After a series of tests involving 45 drivers completing in-car tasks with various voice control systems, researchers found Apple's digital assistant to be a "high level of mental distraction."
In fact, Siri performed the worst out of all of the various systems they tested, and even resulted in two crashes during the simulator study. The popular assistant was also rated the least intuitive and the most complex, and AAA criticized it for its lack of consistency and flexibility when it came to recognizing voice commands from its drivers.
Alongside beta 2 of iOS 8.1, Apple has today seeded Golden Master candidate 2.0 of OS X Yosemite. The update can be downloaded either through the Updates tab in the Mac App Store, or through Apple’s Mac Dev Center by registered developers.
This marks the tenth and possibly final developer beta of Yosemite as Apple prepares to officially release the software to the public later this month. Introduced in June, OS X Yosemite brings about new UI design and several other improvements for Macs.