In a rare display of a voluntary product recall, Apple has pulled the Beats Pill XL wireless speakers citing a possible fire safety risk caused by overheating.
According to a media release Apple PR put out Wednesday, the voluntary recall of all Beats Pill XL speakers, “including a refund for customers,” does not affect any other Beats or Apple products.
“Apple has determined that, in rare cases, the battery in the Beats Pill XL may overheat and pose a fire safety risk,” notes the press release.
According to a new Apple job listing first spotted by Benedict Evans, Apple is about to make its mapping service available to everyone via a cross-platform web application. The full-time position seeks a web engineer with JavaScript expertise “to help make maps work seamlessly on the web.”
Currently, Apple Maps are accessible on the desktop via Mac, on mobile iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices and through your wrist via Maps for Apple Watch.
Providing an HTML-based Maps web app should support any standards-compliant web browser while putting pressure on Google Maps. In addition, Maps as a web service would make it comparable to Microsoft's Bing Maps, Nokia HERE and other mapping service accessible through the desktop web interface.
Developer Flexibits has made a name for itself with Fantastical, an award-winning calendar replacement for the iPhone, iPad and Mac. Today, an important update to the iPhone app was pushed, bringing out a newly-added WatchKit extension so you can at last run Fantastical on your wrist!
This update is available to all existing users of Fantastical for iPhone at no additional cost.
You must be wondering what took them so long, right? I mean, Flexibits was among rare developers without an Apple Watch app in time for the device's April 2015 launch.
“We want to understand precisely what problem we're solving,” Flexibits co-founder Michael Simmons tells me via a Skype chat.
The net result of their undertaking is arguably the fastest and friendliest calendar experience on the wrist and that's saying a lot given Fantastical competes with Apple's stock Calendar app which comes preloaded on the wearable device.
Apple's upcoming iPhone refresh—tentatively dubbed by the press ‘iPhone 6s’ and ‘iPhone 6s Plus’—should feature sharper Retina displays thanks to a rumored screen resolution boost, according to the latest report coming out of Chinese blog Feng.
The publication is claiming knowledge that a 4.7-inch ‘iPhone 6s’ will feature a Full HD screen, literally matching the 1,920-by-1,080 Full HD pixel resolution screen of the current-generation 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus. As for an ‘iPhone 6s Plus,’ Apple's phablet-class device should match high-end Androids by going from a Full HD Retina screen all the way up to a 2K one.
We've known since CES 2015 the Apple TV would play a central role in Apple's HomeKit ecosystem, dating back to October 2014 when HomeKit support first surfaced in an Apple TV Software beta.
Wednesday, a newly published Apple support document has acknowledged that the streaming box acts as a bridge between HomeKit devices and your mobile life.
Tim Cook took time out of his busy schedule yesterday to talk about privacy with folks attending EPIC's Champions of Freedom event in Washington. EPIC, a non-profit research center focused on emerging privacy issues, was honoring the CEO for his superior "corporate leadership."
Cook addressed attendees via a remote video feed, and spoke about a number of topics regarding privacy, security and what they mean to Apple versus other Silicon Valley tech giants. TechCrunch has a transcription of the speech, and he takes quite a few jabs at Facebook and Google.
6Wunderkinder GmbH, the makers of Wunderlist, the popular to-do, list and tasks application for the Mac, iOS, Apple Watch and other platforms, confirmed today it's being acquired by software giant Microsoft.
With more than thirteen million users across platforms and more than one billion to-dos created in Wunderlist, the app should seamlessly fit in Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's mobile first, cloud first vision.
But don't fret, mobile Wunderlist apps aren't going anywhere, at least for the time being. “As Wunderlist becomes a part of the Microsoft family, we’ll introduce a host of new features, keep adding partner integrations, and progress further in delivering Wunderlist to billions of people,” Christian Reber, 6Wunderkinder founder and CEO said Tuesday.
According to a post on the official Google Lat Long blog, the company's mapping service now includes improved real-time transit information for select cities in the United States, the United Kingdom, Hungary and the Netherlands.
The more accurate transit data includes real-time information on arrivals for buses, metros and subway systems, Google said. Google Maps will even alert you to cancelled routes, so you can “better navigate the intricate and unpredictable world of transit in major cities around the world.”
Apple's $69 set-top box has just gained a new channel from National Geographic, as first noted by MacRumors. The new 'NatGeo TV' channel, now available on the device's Home screen, includes streaming content from National Geographic and Nat Geo Wild, as well as current show episodes available for streaming the day after they air on television.
In addition to these shows, the new channel gives you on-demand access to past episodes of popular National Geographic shows. Some content is free, but on-demand streaming requires authentication with a cable TV provider.
Among the first wave of HomeKit-certified devices from SmartLinc and Ecobee, which dropped today ahead of Worldwide Developers Conference next week, iHome on Tuesday launched its HomeKit-enabled smart plug receptacle.
The first in iHome Control series of smart home products, the iHome iSP5 SmartPlug not only controls smart home appliances but “dumb” ones like lamps, using Apple's HomeKit. The accessory will be available for pre-order on iHome.com beginning June 15.
Available for pre-order since CES 2015, Insteon said today its hub with support for Apple's HomeKit will begin shipping to retail stores early next month. Dubbed the Insteon Hub, the device can now be ordered at $149.99 through Amazon.com and via SmartHome.com.
Controlling HomeKit-enabled accessories away from home requires a hub in the form of a third-generation Apple TV with Apple TV software 7.0 or later, or a dedicated product like the Insteon Hub.
First HomeKit-certified devices are beginning to appear ahead of Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference next week. Tuesday, accessory maker Ecobee announced its smart thermostat for the connected home with HomeKit-certified chips for full compatibility with the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.
Soon to replace Ecobee's existing thermostat that has been selling in Apple's retail stores, the refreshed third-generation accessory features Wi-Fi connectivity, compatibility with Apple's HomeKit and integration with Siri so you can control your room's temperature using spoken commands on your iOS device.