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Apple seeds first iOS 8.4 beta to developers with all-new Music app

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Apple seeded the first beta of iOS 8.4 to developers on Monday, less than a week after releasing iOS 8.3 to the public. Today's beta includes an all-new stock Music application, which Apple says will make exploring your music collection "easier and more fun."

The app features a beautiful, more-simplified design, with quick access to things like recently-added music and your custom playlists. It also offers a more streamlined iTunes Radio experience, a new Global Search option, Up Next queuing and much more.

Apple Watch deliveries may arrive sooner than expected

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Good news today for those hoping that their Apple Watches will arrive before their estimated ship dates. MacRumors reports that a reader, who emailed Tim Cook over the weekend regarding the lengthy lead times for the wearable, received a response from the executive team saying that preorders will most likely ship sooner than expected.

"[Apple] said that June preorders will most likely ship sooner than June," said reader Andrew Turko, after speaking with someone on Apple's executive relations team. "Of course he didn't make any promises, but that's the reason Apple is announcing such an extended ship date after all - to avoid disappointment through false guarantees."

Apple takes 15% cut on Apple TV video sign-ups

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 13, 2015

Apple's customary 30 percent cut on content sold through iTunes has been both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because participators get to enjoy a frictionless payment system without having to host content themselves or cover bandwidth fees.

A curse because some high-profile sstudios wouldn't bend to Apple's rules of doing business. But the Cupertino firm may have softened its stance, at least when it comes to the Apple TV, as Re/code revealed Monday that Apple is actually taking a fifteen percent cut for premium Apple TV video networks.

About that hidden Apple Watch port…

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 13, 2015

Both review versions of the Watch Apple sent to journalists and demo units available in retail stores sport a hidden, undocumented port that Apple chose not to talk about publicly.

Resembling the Lightning connector on iPhones and iPads, it's reportedly used for diagnostics and direct access to the Watch's operating system, TechCrunch said in March. Slipping off the bottom strap connector slot of the Watch reveals the hidden port.

Based on social media postings and images Daring Fireball's John Gruber shared last weekend, it's basically a 6-dot brass contact array.

In this post, I'm going to lay down a few possible uses for the mysterious port and explain why I think it's crucial that Watches that'll be shipping into customers' hands on April 24 come outfitted with it.

Data usage tracking app DataMan comes to Apple Watch

Sébastien Page ∙ April 13, 2015

DataMan, my app of choice for tracking cellular data usage on iPhone, was just updated today to bring its simple interface to Apple Watch, allowing you to quickly have a look at your data usage directly from your wrist.

AudioRecorder XS brings impressive phone call recording and system audio recording to iOS

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated May 18, 2022

When you first think about Elias Limneos' AudioRecorder XS tweak, the words "creepy" or "spying" or "illegal" may come to your mind. That's because we usually associate recording phone calls with one of those words.

And trust me, AudioRecorder XS features a few legal warnings that you have to work through before you can use it. There's even a detailed legal disclaimer in the tweak's description on Cydia.

But viewing AudioRecorder XS as a way to do bad things is totally unfair to such a great tweak. Not only is this release well-designed and extremely functional, it contains a bevy of practical elements that many may find useful.

AudioRecorder 2 is an impressive jailbreak tweak that allows you to record phone calls from a variety of sources and also lets you record system audio. You may be familiar with other jailbreak releases by Limneos, such as CallBar and BioProtect. AudioRecorder XS lives up to the benchmark set by those two tweaks. Have a look at our full video walkthrough for the details.

Apple refreshes Final Cut Pro X, Motion and Compressor with new features

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 9, 2016

Monday, Apple announced a major update to its pro-grade video editing and processing programs for the Mac — Final Cut Pro X, Motion and Compressor — with a bevy of new features for motion graphics and key enhancements available to accelerate video editing, packaging and delivery.

“From Hollywood blockbuster directors to first time movie makers, Final Cut Pro X is changing the way we edit movies today,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing. “The updated Final Cut Pro X, Motion and Compressor make it even easier to edit, title and package everything from short videos to feature-length films.”

Final Cut Pro 10.2 introduces new easy to use 3D titles, improved masking for color grading and effects, and native support for more camera formats, as well as GPU-accelerated RED RAW processing.

iOS 8.3 stops transfer utilities from accessing app folders, restricts them to iTunes File Sharing

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 13, 2015

If you use desktop file managers such as PhoneView, iFunBox, iTools, iExplorer and others to browse app folders on your non-jailbroken iPhone, iPod touch or iPad, you have another reason to stay away from the latest iOS 8.3 update as it prevents those programs from functioning properly.

As first reported by Joe Rossignol of MacRumors, developers of these apps have confirmed that iOS 8.3 imposes additional restrictions on sandbox access.

In iFunbox, trying to access an app folder on an iOS device running iOS 8.3 produces a message saying “App Sandbox access is restricted by Apple to ones with iTunes File Sharing enabled since iOS 8.3”. This change does not affect jailbroken devices which can access app sandboxes as usual via OpenSSH for complete filesystem privileges and command line access.

Switzerland is indeed in trouble…

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 13, 2015

When Apple's design chief Jonathan Ive opined ahead of the Apple Watch unveiling last year that Switzerland was in trouble, many commentators waved off the comment as pure marketing talk.

But surveys cited in today's note by Key Banc researches clearly show that a much stronger-than-anticipated reception to the device may indeed give fashionable watch brands a pause.

The truth is, sales of traditional watches have already slowed as would-be buyers were holding off purchases in the wake of the Apple Watch's arrival.

2048oard brings the popular puzzle game to the iPhone’s Home screen

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

2048oard is a jailbreak tweak that allows users to play a version os 2048 directly on the iPhone’s Home screen. 2048, as you’re likely aware of, is the popular Sudoku-inspired game that involves combining like numbers of tiles to eventually add up to 2048.

The ability to quickly play a game like 2048 directly on the iPhone’s SpringBoard certainly has appeal, because nothing more than swipe gestures are required to play the game. Have a look at our video walkthrough for more details.

Survey: 1M Watches sold on Friday in US, Sport models most popular

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 1, 2017

The “disappointing” Apple Watch has seen an estimated 957,000 sales on its first day of pre-orders in the United States alone, filing as better-than-expected initial success than its first iPhone or the iPod. By comparison, Apple sold a millionth iPhone after 74 days. It took 28 days to get to that milestone with the iPad and two years with the iPod.

According to a poll of 9,080 online shoppers by Slice Intelligence, which measures digital commerce by tracking consumer e-receipts, an average of 1.3 Watches were purchased per customer, with $503.83 spent per item, indicating some fans bought more than one device.

Sprint will send someone to your house to set up your iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 22, 2017

Monday, U.S. wireless carrier Sprint announced Direct 2 You, an industry-first new service that sends a retail-trained Sprint expert to your home or other location who will deliver and set up your iPhone or other device, promising to change how customers buy or upgrade their phones, tablets and other mobile devices.

In addition to bringing a mobile device to your own home, office or other location of your choice, Sprint's experts will set it up on your behalf and transfer all the content, including contacts, pictures, videos and apps, from an old device to a new one, simplifying switching from one platform to another.