New in iOS 9: Spotlight can solve math problems

Jeff Benjamin ∙ September 19, 2015

One of my favorite things about Spotlight and Alfred on OS X, is that both allow me to quickly churn out quick answers to simple math problems. Prior to iOS 9, Spotlight on iOS was extremely limited, but thanks to some major effort on the part of Spotlight's engineering team, the search feature is starting slowly creep towards its feature-rich big brother on Mac.

One detail that's been flying under the radar is Spotlight's new ability to solve simple math problems directly from the Spotlight interface. It's like having a calculator app that's readily accessible with just a simple swipe from the Home screen.

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More details on the new Apple TV revealed

Jeff Benjamin ∙ September 18, 2015

Apple TV dev kits are trickling into developers who participated in the dev kit lottery last week. Apple is providing some developers with an early look at the new Apple TV hardware by giving away full blown developer kit models, which come complete with a new Apple TV, Siri remote, and all of the other accessories necessary to use the next-gen set top box.

Although the verbiage surrounding the dev kits made it seem as if developers should be extra hush-hush about the kit, many new details have started to leak out about the 4th generation Apple TV. What can we expect from Apple's upcoming streaming and gaming device?

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How to compile apps using Xcode 7 to run on a non-jailbroken device

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

As of iOS 9, you no longer need to rely on a jailbreak if you want to run some of the apps that aren't available on the App Store. All you need is a Mac, Xcode 7, the code you wish to compile, an iOS device running iOS 9, a free developer account, and some time. If you have all of those things, then you can install apps on your iPhone or iPad without a paid developer account, and without a jailbreak.

Compiling apps using Xcode 7 is fairly straightforward, but if you've never done it before, it can be a bit tricky. In this post, I'll show you how to compile code using Xcode 7 and run it on your iOS 9 device. I'll also discuss some of the errors and issues that you might incur along the way.

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Provenance classic game emulator launches for Apple TV, and iOS devices

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

A week ago, we told you about Provenance, a then upcoming emulator that would be one of the first of its kind for the new Apple TV. Today, Provenance officially launched for the Apple TV and it also works with other iOS devices.

Provenance is a multi-emulator, meaning that it can emulate games from a variety of classic platforms. Users can look forward to emulating their favorite NES, SNES, Genesis/MegaDrive, Sega CD, Master System, GameBoy & GameBoy Color, and GameBoy Advance games.

Want to see what Provenance looks like on the big screen? Check here for more screenshots.

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How to only show the days you completed dedicated workouts with Activity app

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 9, 2022

Folks who track their workouts with the Apple Watch or a third-party fitness accessory tend to analyze their logged history in the iPhone's Activity app in order to gain a valuable insight into when they have—and more importantly, have not—met their personal goals.

Realizing you're consistently failing to hit your set workout goal on weekends, for example, is the first step toward changing your routine, working out more and leading a healthier life overall.

Though largely unchanged from its iOS 8 counterpart, Activity on iOS 9 has gained a useful, somewhat hidden toggle for switching between displaying Move, Exercise and Stand rings and highlighting the days you completed dedicated workouts.

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New in iOS 9: two-column landscape layout in Notification Center on iPads

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 18, 2015

iOS 9 packs in a whole bunch of nice-to-haves and small refinements that haven't even made it into the official release notes.

Among other things, the operating system introduces a more streamlined Notification Center view in landscape mode which Apple designed to take advantage of the larger screen real estate on iPads.

The enhanced look is based on a two-column layout to allow the simultaneous display of your Today view in one column and your Notification Center widgets and app notifications in the other, so you don't have to switch manually between them.

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Samsung finds a new angle to attack iPhone: lack of customization

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 18, 2015

Say what you will, but there's no denying that Samsung's marketing department has more or less successfully exploited the iPhone's perceived weaknesses in their anti-Apple ads.

As you know, ads for the Galaxy phones typically focus on stuff like the iPhone's non-replaceable batteries, battery life in general, non-curved screens, lack of wireless charging and what not.

But the latest Samsung commercials appears to have found a new anti-iPhone angle: the lack of customization.

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Lag-Gate: some devices plagued with lagginess and general sluggishness after updating to iOS 9

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 18, 2015

According to a lengthy, and growing, thread on MacRumors Forums, an unknown portion of people who have updated their iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices to iOS 9 are now complaining about sluggish performance and unexpected crashes.

Some folks are even going as far as to suggest that iOS 9 is laggier than iOS 8.

Unfortunately, I'm one of them as well.

After upgrading my iPhone 6 Plus and iPad Air to iOS 9 I couldn't help but notice overall sluggishness and considerable lag on both my devices, especially when I'm using the new task switcher or bringing up Spotlight Search.

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Teardown reveals iPad mini 4 has 2GB of RAM, smaller battery and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 18, 2015

A teardown analysis performed by repair experts iFixit has confirmed that the iPad mini 4 (model number A1538) ships with two gigabytes of RAM, twice as much as the previous-generation and the same amount of RAM found inside the iPad Air 2, iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.

In addition, the device sports a fully laminated 2,048-by-1,536 pixels LED-backlit LCD IPS screen, an improved eight-megapixel iSight camera out the back, faster Touch ID and a thinner 19.1 Wh rechargeable lithium-polymer battery of lesser capacity.

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Apple’s car project apparently ‘ready to leave lab’

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 18, 2015

The Guardian is reporting today that Apple's rumored electric (driverless?) car developed under the code-name Project Titan is “ready to leave the lab.” As the project now has an official Engineering Program Manager, Apple is reportedly moving to “coordinate the work of teams of hardware and software engineers.”

The story also claims that Apple executives recently met with officials at California’s department of motor vehicles (DMV) to discuss their plans for an “autonomous vehicle.” DMW would only say that “the Apple meeting was to review DMV’s autonomous vehicle regulations.”

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