Apple

10 things to know about iPad mini 4

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 10, 2015

You're excused for not caring much about the iPad mini 4, which Apple unveiled yesterday alongside other new gadgets. Phil Schiller, Apple's Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, literally spent a few seconds talking about the new mini.

But there's more to the iPad mini 4 than meets the eye. I've combed through Apple's press releases, read every word about it on their website and watched the entire presentation twice to bring you this handy listicle of ten things you may not have known about the fourth-generation iPad mini.

Apple seeds iOS 9.1 beta 1 to public testers

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Following the release of iOS 9.1 beta 1 to developers, Apple on Thursday seeded the first beta of iOS 9.1 to public testers. The software is available either over-the-air, for those running the latest iOS 9 beta, or via Apple's Beta Software Program website.

As announced yesterday, iOS 9.1 will bring about new features for the just-announced iPad Pro, such as support for Apple's new Smart Keyboard and Pencil accessories. The update also includes support for Unicode 8, which will add several new emoji.

Charging the iPad Pro…

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 10, 2015

Apple spent little to no time during yesterday's keynote presentation. discussing charging its new iPad Pro. Following the press conference, the company has refreshed related product pages with new information and we've been able to glean some rather interesting insights on charging the iPad Pro.

For starters, the device will ship with Apple’s 12W USB Power Adapter and work with existing 'Made for iPad' chargers from third-parties. But what about charging times?

Apple’s iPhone 6/6 Plus cases will fit the new iPhone 6s/6s Plus models

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 10, 2015

Considering the amount of people who have asked us if their cases will be compatible with the new phones, it's worth underscoring that Apple's own case lineup for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will indeed fit the new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, and vice versa.

As iDownloadBlog reader Adam Baligian observed on Twitter, Apple's own iPhone 6s Accessories webpage states that existing cases “fit snugly and your iPhone 6s or iPhone 6 still feels incredibly slim,” even with the case on.

New Apple TV lacks optical audio port but makes it up with Dolby Digital Plus 7.1

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 10, 2015

If you rely on the optical audio jack to enjoy crystal-clear sound on your home stereo system, you're in for a major disappointment as the new Apple TV no longer features an optical audio port on its back.

As evidenced on Apple's Tech Specs webpage for the new Apple TV, both audio and video are now sent over the HDMI cable exclusively.

You can at last download excellent Camera+ for iPhone at no charge

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 16, 2018

Camera+, a $2.99 download, is my favorite all-in-one iPhone photography solution that I highly recommend to anyone interested in getting the most out of their iPhone's camera.

The gorgeously done app isn't exactly an insta-purchase and went free just once since its October 2012 App Store debut. For many casual photography fans, burning their hard earned cash on Camera+ isn't justifiable.

Indeed, some rather capable photography apps are available at no charge.

Taptaptap, the developers behind Camera+, at long last on Thursday released the free edition of Camera+ so the “I don’t pay for apps” response no longer applies. In addition, they've outlined several new features coming to future releases.

iPhone 6s achieves same run time with a smaller 1,715 mAh battery

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 3, 2016

Despite having a smaller battery capacity, the new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus achieve the same battery life as their predecessors, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. PhoneArena spotted a scene in Apple's promotional video showing a 1,715 mAh lithium-ion battery, a reduction from the 1,810 mAh package inside the iPhone 6.

But as per Apple's Tech Specs webpage, the iPhone 6s provides the same ten hours of 3G or 4G data use, eleven hours of video playback and fourteen hours of talk time on 3G as its predecessor, the iPhone 6.

Periscope for iPhone refreshed with landscape video and more ahead of Apple TV app

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 10, 2015

Twitter-owned Periscope is secretly building an app for the new Apple TV and now the company has issued a telling update to its iPhone application in the App Store. The biggest newsworthy addition in Periscope 1.2 is landscape mode for shooting video.

Ever since its debut, Periscope has only supported portrait video. Video streams in portrait orientation look good on smartphones, but no so much on widescreen television sets so today's update could be viewed as a prelude to Periscope's rumored Apple TV app.

Samsung and Sony take swipes at Apple’s ‘Hey Siri’ event announcements

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 19, 2019

Following Apple's action-packed media event yesterday which saw introductions of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus smartphones with 3D Display technology, the new iPad Pro with Apple Pencil, the much improved Apple TV and more, both Sony and Samsung took to social media to poke fun of Apple's latest innovation.

As you may have guessed, Samsung especially took swipes at Apple's stylus, which isn't surprising given Steve Jobs' famous “If you see a stylus, they blew it” quote and the fact the Galaxy maker pioneered stylus-enhanced phablets with its Note lineup.

Adobe inadvertently leaks iPad Pro has 4GB of RAM

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 10, 2015

In addition to our discovery yesterday that the new Apple TV has 2GB of RAM, Adobe has inadvertently leaked that the iPad Pro has twice the RAM of the iPad Air 2, which has 2GB of RAM.

A press release published yesterday, which highlights its new Creative Cloud mobile apps, specifically mentions four gigabytes of RAM on the iPad Pro.

“iPad Pro is great for creative workflows with a high res 12.9″ touch screen display at 2732 x 2048 pixels, A9X chip, and 4GB RAM,” reads the press release. Soon thereafter, Adobe has updated the press release to no no longer mention 4GB of RAM.

New iPhones, iPads and Apple TV: a roundup of today’s announcements

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

That's all, folks. Apple's highly anticipated 'Hey Siri' event has come and gone. All announcements have been made, all products have been unveiled, and we finally got a glimpse of long-rumored, top secret Apple projects like the super-sized iPad Pro and the new Apple TV.

A lot has happened in the last several hours, and we understand it can be difficult to keep track of everything throughout the day. So as usual, we've put together an awesome roundup of everything important you need to know from today's event and subsequent reports.

So does the new Apple TV support 4K or not?

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 9, 2015

As I was watching Apple's media event unfold this morning from halfway across the world, I kept my fingers crossed for a 4K-capable Apple TV. Thankfully, the much improved Apple TV is at long last official but it's conspicuous that there is absolutely no word of 4K support whatsoever.

True, 9to5Mac did report last month that the new box would “lack 4K support for streaming video and AirPlay,” but apparently the hardware itself does support 4K capability, meaning Apple has purposefully disabled 4K on the new Apple TV,

Does that mean that the company is planning on enabling 4K with a software update int the future? This has been on my mind since the event has wrapped up and I'm hoping you could help me get to the bottom of this matter.