Apple

1Password with Touch ID authentication and Safari Share sheet support shown off

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 30, 2014

A big part of what makes iOS 8 so great is how Apple is finally opening up its mobile operating system to developers, more than ever before.

Take Touch ID, for example. With a little help from the iOS 8 SDK and the new Local Authentication Framework, third-party apps can tap Touch ID to authenticate a user in a safe manner as fingerprint data is protected and never accessed by iOS or apps.

Brands such as PayPal have pledged to update their apps with Touch ID authentication when iOS 8 gets released for public consumption this Fall and now a beta tester has posted screenshots and a short video of Touch ID integration in 1Password for iOS, the popular password management program by AgileBits...

Apple announces iTunes U 2.0 with new creation tools and discussion feature on iPad

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 30, 2014

Apple on Monday announced a major new version of its iTunes U educational app with a number of new creation and discussion features for iPad. The new iTunes U 2.0 app, due July 8, will enable teachers to create, edit and manage entire courses directly on iPad for the first time, while students will get to take advantage of some interesting new collaboration capabilities, including the ability to start class discussions and ask questions right from their iPad...

Apple airs new ‘Parenthood’ iPhone 5s ad

Cody Lee ∙ June 29, 2014

Apple has this evening posted a new TV commercial for the iPhone 5s to its YouTube channel. The ad is entitled 'Parenthood,' and it touts the handset’s ability to morph into a useful tool for parents.

Set to the tune of "Life of Dreams," by Julie Doiron, the spot showcases various iPhone apps and products for parents such as Withings' Smart Baby baby monitor and the popular Draw Animal app...

Tim Cook and Apple show support at San Francisco Pride celebration

Jake Smith ∙ Updated February 11, 2016

Apple CEO and frontman Tim Cook took the streets on behalf of Apple to support the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender pride parade and celebration happening in San Francisco on Sunday.

Cook was seen in a snazzy Apple Pride t-shirt in a photo on Instagram user Daniel Soto's profile. Cook's company is one of the many corporate sponsors for the San Francisco Pride event that has taken place this weekend, and what better to have the CEO come and show support.

iPhone turns 7 – and I still remember holding it for the first time

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 29, 2014

It's hard to believe, but today Apple's legendary smartphone turns seven years old. The phone which revolutionized smartphones and kickstarted the mobile revolution shipped with the simplest user interface imaginable, comprised of a grid of eye-candy icons.

Anyone that could touch the icons could use the new handset. It had no physical keyboard to begin with, which at the time was something of a heresy. The hyped device sold its first million units in 74 days.

It would go on to become the industry leader and cultural force, popularizing in just few short months the then nascent smartphone category outside the confines of boardrooms and high-level managers who were happy to dutifully type away their emails on the BlackBerry's clickety-clack keyboard.

My fifth and sixth iPhone anniversary articles, for the most part, touched on the handset's impact on the society. For this anniversary, I wanted to pay a special tribute to the device that has changed phones forever and reminiscence on my early impressions and the experience of picking the original iPhone up for the first time...

Your Instagram photos aren’t where they used to be

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 27, 2014

Facebook-owned Instagram, which in March surpassed 200 million active users and 20 billion photos, used to store user-shared snaps and videos on Amazon's EC2 cloud computing service since 2010, but not anymore.

It's now come to light that the social networking behemoth back in Spring stealthily moved all your photos from Amazon into its own data center, and no one even noticed.

They even coined a term for it: Instagration...

Adobe responds to Apple’s Aperture news

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

It didn't take long for Adobe to respond to Apple's somewhat shocking announcement that it was winding down development of its professional photo editing software, Aperture, to focus on the upcoming Photos app for OS X Yosemite app, due in 2015.

As expected, Adobe is happy to seize the opportunity to sell its Lightroom software and Creative Suite subscriptions to the disappointed Aperture fans whom Apple's announcement left flabbergasted...

Apple updates its pro apps: Compressor, Final Cut Pro, MainStage and Motion

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 24, 2018

As we continue to chew on the ramifications of Apple's eyebrow-raising decision to stop development of Aperture and iPhoto for OS X and focus exclusively on the upcoming Photos for OS X Yosemite (due in 2015), the Cupertino firm has just issued a round of updates to its pro apps: Compressor, Final Cut Pro, MainStage and Motion.

New versions of these apps are now available in the Mac App Store under the Updates tab. I've included release notes for each app right after the break...

Audi rolling out CarPlay and Android Auto in 2015 vehicles

Joe Rossignol ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

Audi announced on Thursday that it will be integrating both the CarPlay and Android Auto software platforms into the Multimedia Interface for its premium lineup of vehicles. The new functions will be available for new Audi models starting in 2015, marking a milestone for the car manufacturer in terms of smartphone integration.

Audi was a founding member of the Google Open Automotive Alliance earlier this year, and already offers navigation via Google Maps and streaming music via Google Play Music. CarPlay integration will also bring iOS to its vehicle lineup, following close dialog between the Audi development lab in Silicon Valley and Apple…

Apple to stop development of Aperture in favor of Photos on OS X Yosemite

Joe Rossignol ∙ Updated February 13, 2018

Apple has confirmed that it will no longer be developing its professional photo editing software Aperture when OS X Yosemite is released later this year. The company is shifting focus to the new Photos app that it previewed at the WWDC keynote, which effectively replaces both iPhoto and Aperture on previous versions of OS X. The app is set to launch early next year…

Fly brings multi-cam video editing to iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 5, 2018

The App Store is home to some of the best photography and video editing apps on any mobile platform so there are plenty of choices for video editors and mobile podcasters, from Apple's own iMovies app to innovative third-party solutions like MixBit by YouTube creators, Pinnacle Studio by Corel and Chromic, to name a few.

If you're really serious about editing video on the go and want to compose advanced edits with professional-looking effects that go beyond ready-made templates, look no further thanFly by Fly Labs, an innovative and fast video editor that supports multi-device video capture function.

Available free of charge in the App Store, Fly brings multi-cam editing to your iPhone and lets you compose videos with picture-in-picture and split-screen effects using simple and intuitive gestures...

Siri creators develop Kasisto, virtual personal assistant for business

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 27, 2014

SRI International, the startup behind the Siri personal assistant that Apple famously bought four years ago and implemented across its iOS device lineup, has spun off a new company called Kasisto that has developed a namesake personal assistant for businesses, Re/code reported Friday.

The business-minded personal assistant is aimed at companies wishing to implement Siri-like functionality within apps for industry verticals such as healthcare, automotive and more. Companies can train Kasisto for specific areas to perform complex tasks, which often require deep domain knowledge and human interaction...