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iPhone 6 display: bigger screen, better pixels

Timothy Reavis ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

For most people, the first thing that stands out about the new iPhone 6 display is that it's bigger, and with the iPhone 6 Plus, it's a lot bigger. Naturally, this means both screens must have a higher pixel count in order to maintain Retina status, but the real question – are these displays simply bigger, or actually better – still awaits this Friday for an answer. Apple certainly considers them to be better, as they've advertised the new 'Retina HD' display in the iPhone 6 siblings as having higher contrast with wider viewing angles and improved polarization, but the real difference between Retina and Retina HD remains somewhat obscure.

While Retina displays have been in existence for over four years now since they made their first appearance in the iPhone 4, Apple's new Retina HD display seems to greatly improve upon the old formula.

Some extensions not working yet in iOS 8-optimized apps

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

After announcing last week that iOS 8 will be released to the public on September 17th (that's tomorrow), Apple invited developers to begin submitting their apps and app-updates for the new firmware. In fact, it's already approved a number of iOS 8-optimized apps into the App Store.

But there's a problem that you've probably noticed if you're running a beta version of iOS 8 right now: extensions for many iOS 8 apps aren't working properly. According to MacRumors, the issue seems to be related to code-signing on Apple's end, and it's currently working on a fix.

Early hands-on videos for iPhone 6 and 6 Plus hit the web

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus don't officially launch until Friday, but it seems that some users have managed to get their hands on the two devices early. YouTube channel UNDERkg, which appears to be based in South Korea, has posted hands-on videos for both a Space Gray iPhone 6 Plus and a Gold iPhone 6.

The two clips are 4 minutes long and 7 minutes long respectively, and are both shot in 4K for excellent detail. The videos do a good job of exploring the external hardware of the handsets, as well as some of the more nuanced features in the iOS 8 software. If you have the time, they're definitely worth a look.

Protean: a full-featured Status Bar customization tweak for iOS 7

Alihassan Mahdi ∙ September 16, 2014

The Status Bar is a handy area of iOS that lets you take a peek at various information such as time, Wi-Fi, battery level, etc, from anywhere on your device. However, Apple restricts users from customizing it the way they want. A new jailbreak tweak known as Protean has been released to get rid of this restriction.

Developed by Elijah and Andrew, Protean adds many new features to the Status Bar and allows you to organize the items in there by positioning them on any side. The tweak also displays the applications that have a pending notification on the Status Bar and allows you to customize flipswitches such as Airplane mode, Auto Lock, etc, and add icons of connected Bluetooth devices.

Foxconn worker arrested for leaking iPhone 6 parts

Sébastien Page ∙ September 16, 2014

The Chinese police arrested a Foxconn factory worker suspected of having stolen and sold shells of the iPhone 6 on September 4, reports the WSJ today. Motivated by money, the man had stolen no less than 6 shells that he sold to a local electronics market in Shenzhen.

The Nightmare Cooperative is a roguelike and puzzle game combined

Lory Gil ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

There is this type of puzzle game that requires players to move characters around on the board in unison in order to get everyone to the correct end point. PAC-MAN Friends uses this type of puzzle movement. It’s fairly complex and interesting, to say the least.

The Nightmare Cooperative is a roguelike game that uses that puzzle movement aspect to keep your party on their toes. You can use your mage to pick up that potion, but watch where your warrior is going or he may fall into the lava pit at the same time. We’ve got a full game review of The Nightmare Cooperative for you today.

Apple won’t open iPhone 6 NFC features to developers for at least a year

Jake Smith ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

The NFC chip found in the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will only work with Apple Pay and won't be opened up to developers who make third-party apps, Apple confirmed on Monday.

The pair of smartphones, due to be released Friday after a record amount of pre-orders, are the first devices from Apple to feature NFC technology. Like Touch ID on the iPhone 5s, Apple is keeping a lock on the technology presumably for security purposes.

Tim Cook talks user privacy in part 2 of Charlie Rose interview

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

PBS has posted a new clip of Tim Cook's interview with Charlie Rose to YouTube this evening. The two-part interview, of which the first half aired on Friday night and the second half airs tonight, covers a wide range of topics, including Steve Jobs, the Apple Watch and more.

The latest clip sees Cook talking with Rose about user privacy, and how Apple approaches the hot button issue. Cook explains that Apple isn't in the business of collecting user data, and it purposefully designs its services—email, iMessage, etc.—to collect as little of it as possible.

Apple: new U2 album accessed by 33 million users thus far

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Apple issued a statement this afternoon from Senior Vice President Eddy Cue regarding its new U2 album promotion. Cue says that over 33 million iTunes account holders have accessed "Songs of Innocence" since the promo launched last week.

Mr. Cue called the number "record-breaking," but didn't elaborate. He did, however, note that the figure includes customers who downloaded the album from their iCloud account, streamed it, or listened to it in iTunes Radio's First Play channel.

Tim Cook already being questioned about Apple Watch and privacy

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen announced this afternoon that he's sent a letter to Tim Cook regarding the new Apple Watch and user privacy. Jepsen wants Cook to explain what data the device will collect, how that data will be stored, and what Apple's policies are on apps that access health information.

Specifically, Jepsen asks whether Apple will allow consumers to store personal/health info on its servers, and if so. how will that information be safeguarded. He also wants to know what kind of data Apple Watch will collect from users, and how it and its developers plan to obtain consent for this collection from users.

Let’s Talk iOS 046: One more thing

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Episode 46: An in-depth look at the new iPhones, the Apple Watch, and last Tuesday's Apple event. Plus, we discuss Tim Cook's interview with Charlie Rose, Samsung's questionable marketing tactics, and Jeff talks about what he's been working on for the last couple of months.

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Apple seeds Developer Preview 8, Public Beta 3 of OS X Yosemite

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Nearly two weeks after releasing the last beta, Apple has today seeded Developer Preview 8 of OS X Yosemite. The update, version 8 1.0, is available for download to users currently running DP 7 in the Mac App Store, as well as in Apple’s online developer center.

Additionally, Apple has released Public Beta 3 for OS X Yosemite. The Public Beta program began in July, and received its second update late last month. If you're a member of the program, you can find today's release in the 'Updates' tab of the Mac App Store.