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iOS 7: the Lock screen

Jeff Benjamin ∙ June 13, 2013

The iOS 7 Lock screen is another significant departure from its predecessors when it comes to looks. The overall functionality remains similar, but it's a whole new ball game when it comes to visuals.

First and foremost, the font for the clock and the date has been replaced with a thinner variety of font. You'll also notice that the clock, status bar, and slide to unlock backgrounds have been nixed for a cleaner look that doesn't obscure the Lock screen wallpaper.

Take a look inside as I go hands-on with the new iOS 7 Lock screen, including demonstrations on how to enable or disable the new and improved Notification Center, and the new Control Center options.

Square Wallet redesigned in a major update

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 19, 2018

Twitter founder Jack Dorsey's mobile payment startup Square has been gaining serious traction, slowly but steadily. Just recently, the company released a stylish Stand accessory which turns your iPad into a full-blown cash register.

Square has also updated its Register app with kitchen tickets and a bunch of new features for restaurants and today their universal Wallet iOS app has received a face-lift and gained several new capabilities in a major 3.0 update...

Budget iPhone thought to borrow colors from iPhone 4 bumpers

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 13, 2013

Just as Reuters ran a story this morning claiming Apple is planning to release two phablets next year and build a budget iPhone in variety of colors in 2013, the reliable Japanese blog Macotakara piggy-backs with its own story asserting that Apple's inexpensive iPhone will actually borrow colors from those iPhone 4 bumpers.

This apparently means such color choices as black, white, pink, orange and blue. The story goes on to note that Apple is shooting for a September launch of the budget iPhone...

Reuters: Apple considering phablets, $99 colorized budget iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 13, 2013

According to a Reuters report Thursday, Apple is talking to its suppliers and manufacturing partners about producing multiple iPhone models in the next year or so, including a long-rumored less expensive iPhone in a range of color choices and two larger-screen models. The report asserts Tim Cook & Co. are adamant to iPod-ize the iPhone by offering more screen and color choices in order to appease to those smartphone buyers who are increasingly considering larger form-factor devices to enjoy their media, surf the web and enjoy their content on a bigger screen...

New in iOS 7: Notification Center ‘Today’ stream shows context-based alerts

Cody Lee ∙ Updated June 20, 2013

Alongside the sweeping changes in iOS 7, Apple gave its Notification Center a complete overhaul. It's been divided into three sections, it no longer sports a linen background, and it's lost a few features, such as the handy Weather widget.

But it's also gained some nice features, such as the new 'Today' view. The column offers up all kinds of useful information including stock prices, Calendar events, and apparently, traffic information for your frequently visited locations...

Jony Ive reportedly had Apple’s marketing team design iOS 7 icons

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Since the moment Apple unveiled its completely redesigned mobile OS on Monday, the comments regarding its UI, and particularly the new icons, have been flowing nonstop. Some folks like the changes, and others refuse to believe it's the product of Apple designers.

And as it turns out, the latter group may be right. Sort of. A new report is out this afternoon claiming that there are explainable reasons behind the strange-looking app icons and inconsistant UX in iOS 7. And according to insiders, it's still a major work in progress...

Apple and Tim Cook getting sued over NSA’s PRISM intelligence program

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 12, 2013

The controversy over National Security Agency data mining isn't going away anytime soon. As you know, the scandal blew up when it was discovered that the government issued a secret order to Verizon Business Network Services to provide the NSA with logs for millions of calls on an ongoing daily basis.

Numerous lawsuits are being announced with each passing day and some have already been filed. For example, the American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit and Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) said he will sue the Obama administration over the "unconstitutional" PRISM surveillance programs.

And now, an activist group is suing Apple and Tim Cook, as well as Facebook, Google, YouTube, Skype, AT&T, Sprint, Yahoo, Microsoft, PalTalk, AOL, the NSA and its Director Keith Alexander, President Obama himself and Attorney General Eric Holder over participating in the government's secret Big Brother initiative...

Comcast demos next-gen X2 TV platform

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 12, 2013

While Apple CEO Tim Cook continues teasing the public with respect to a rumored standalone television set with the shiny Apple logo on it, market incumbents are beginning to take notice of the buzz.

Not content with sitting on the sidelines and watch Apple potentially make deeper inroads into the living room, the cable giant Comcast, the nation's top pay TV provider, today took the wraps off its next generation, cloud-enabled X1 Platform from Xfinity.

They are calling it the X2, it's coming this Fall, has a sleek new user interface, is social, can talk to you and run apps and integrates with Facebook, Instagram, Pandora, Rotten Tomatoes and more. I've included more details and a promo video after the jump...

Rovio teases new ‘Angry Birds Go’ game

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Raise your hand if you've been thinking to yourself "you know, I think there really needs to be another Angry Birds game." No one? Ok. Well apparently that's what the folks at Rovio have been thinking, because one is coming.

The developers of the popular Angry Birds platform just announced on their blog that they have an all new game in the works called 'Angry Birds Go.' It didn't offer up many details for the game, but it did post this teaser image...

Apple posts new video: ‘Making a difference. One app at a time.’

Cody Lee ∙ Updated August 4, 2016

Apple has posted a new, lengthy video to the iOS section of its website today. The 10-minute clip is called 'Making a difference. One app at a time.' and it highlights how folks around the globe are using apps on Apple's mobile products.

As usual, the videography in the short film is beautiful and the message is concise. Apple is showing how iOS apps help make the world a little bit better, and things a little bit easier, for people from all different walks of life. Watch it...

The new AirPort Extreme can house SATA hard drive, teardown reveals

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 12, 2013

Apple at Monday’s WWDC 2013 keynote briefly mentioned its refreshed AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule wireless appliances which now support Gigabit Wi-Fi, also known as 802.11ac, for three times throughput of 802.11an. In unveiling the sixth-generation AirPort Extreme, Apple's marketing honcho Phil Schiller somewhat cryptically alluded that the redesigned base station might accept internal storage.

“There’s also room in there for a hard drive,” he quipped. Sure enough, teardown wizards over at iFixit bought a brand spanking new unit and tore it apart, finding 3.5 inches of empty space inside...

Apple says it owns one-fifth of e-book market

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated October 12, 2018

Under questioning by U.S. government lawyers, an Apple executive testified that the company owns about 20 percent of the U.S. e-book market - double the figure many observers had assumed.

The surprising percentage was revealed as the head of the company's iBookstore service refuted government charges of conspiracy to set e-book prices.

During the sixth day of testimony in the Department of Justice's lawsuit against Apple, company director Keith Moerer said iBookstore grabbed twenty percent of e-book sales soon after opening, a figure it continues to hold. Additionally, he said iBookstore sales increased 100 percent in 2012 with more than a hundred million customers...