Apple

Ferrari and other cars parked inside Moscone West. More CarPlay news at WWDC?

Ferrari is one of the three CarPlay launch partners (along with Volvo and Mercedes-Benz) so we're not shocked that a Ferrari sports vehicle has been spotted inside the Moscone West building and right in front of the keynote line.

With CarPlay in iOS 8 allegedly gaining support for wireless connections between the vehicle and your iOS device - and who knows what else - this could signal Apple's desire to take CarPlay mainstream and perhaps announce during the keynote additional CarPlay features/partners, expanded CarPlay availability, in-dash aftermarket solutions and what not...

Spotify now makes it easy to take all Your Music for offline listening

Spotify, the top subscription music service, today gave its iOS streaming app a minor update improving the way you can manage and enjoy your music when without an Internet connection. According to the Swedish startup, you can now go to the Songs tab to tell the app to synchronize all the tracks inside the Your Music section for offline listening. Previously, you had to mark songs for offline listening by starring them or waste time creating and managing playlists.

Spotify for the iPhone and iPad is free in the App Store...

WWDC channel goes live on Apple TV ahead of today’s keynote

Ahead of today's much anticipated keynote address - which starts at 10am PT / 1pm ET at San Francisco's Moscone West - Apple has silently added a WWDC channel to the Apple TV owners' Home screen.

As in years past, the Apple Events channel has been updated with the familiar WWDC graphics to reflect the upcoming event.

This makes good on Apple's promise to stream the keynote live to the Mac and Windows users on desktop, as well as to Apple TV boxes and the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices, utilizing its industry-standard QuickTime architecture.

We will be covering the keynote live so you'll want to refresh iDownloadBlog regularely to follow the announcements as they happen...

Last minute WWDC rumors: new iBeacon tech, smart home toolkit and more

We've already given you a rundown of what to expect to see at Apple's WWDC keynote. The event, which is in less than 12 hours now, is expected to bring about a redesigned OS X, and a familiar-looking iOS 8 with new apps and features.

But as usual, there are some last minute reports making the rounds regarding today's big announcements. In addition to the above items, it's now believed Apple could introduce new iBeacon features and a 'smart home' toolkit for developers...

Apple giving WWDC attendees $25 App Store gift cards

Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference is a hodgepodge of long lines, major announcements, and free stuff. Those who are lucky enough to attend the event are usually greeted with a bag of promotional goodies.

This year, in addition to their usual WWDC badges and jackets, attendees are being given a free $25 App Store gift card. It's in celebration of the Conference's 25th year anniversary, and the card reads "25 years and coding."

WWDC roundup: what to expect from Apple’s keynote

We're now less than 24 hours away from Apple's highly anticipated WWDC 2014 keynote. Beginning at 10 AM PST tomorrow, Tim Cook and other executives will take the stage at the Moscone Center in San Francisco to give us all a glimpse of the company's future.

We don't know exactly what's going to be talked about, outside of new versions of OS X and iOS, but the rumor mill has provided us with a bevy of possibilities. So, as we do every year, we've put together a roundup of all the things we're expecting Apple to announce...

Five things the Galaxy S5 does better than the iPhone 5s… and vice versa

The Galaxy S5 has been my go-to device and my daily driver over the last month or so. I know that may seem like blasphemy since I write for iDownloadBlog, but I have a lot of reasons for doing so.

For starters, I wanted to become more familiar with the competition. I already had a good sense about Samsung's offerings and Android in general, but nothing can replace hands-on usage and the balanced perspective that comes with that.

If I wanted to seriously be able to take an objective look at Apple and at Samsung, and at iOS and Android, then I would need to have a better understanding of competing devices. What better device to help develop such an understanding than what is arguably the iPhone's biggest competitor, the Galaxy S5?

Since I've acquired one, I've mostly been enjoying my time with the GS5. In fact, I've traveled to South Korea, home of Samsung, which has made my perspective about the whole competition even more well-rounded. With all of this in mind, I wanted to compile a list of some of the things that I enjoy about the Samsung Galaxy S5. These are five things that I believe that the GS5 does better than Apple's flagship iPhone 5s. Afterwards, I'll do a reverse comparison, and tell you what I think the iPhone does better. Want to see which items made the cut? Check inside for the details.

Designer’s book ‘Keep it Simple’ highlights early Apple phone and tablet prototypes

In a follow-up to his 2012 book 'Design Forward,' industrial designer Hartmut Esslinger released 'Keep it Simple' late last year. The book talks about the collaboration between Esslinger and Steve Jobs during the mid-80s, which led to the creation of several iconic Apple products.

For a little context, Esslinger founded the design firm 'Frog' in 1969, which was contracted by Apple in 1982. Most notably, the firm developed the 'Snow White' design language for Cupertino company, but it was also responsible for designer a number of lesser known prototypes...

How the Apple-Beats deal affects HP, AT&T and others

If you haven't been following the latest news, it is a prerequisite to know that Apple has acquired Beats for $3 billion before reading further. The announcement has created a lot of confusion in regards to what the acquisition means for Beats and existing partnerships with the brand. Just to be clear, Beats collectively refers to both Beats Electronics, which markets high-end headphones, speakers and audio software, and the streaming music service Beats Music.

Prior to being acquired, Beats had several partnerships with other brands, including companies that are direct competitors with Apple. Most notable is Hewlett-Packard, which uses Beats Audio branding and technologies in its product lineup. AT&T has an exclusive deal with Beats Music to sell subscriptions and an unlimited music downloading family plan, and design firm Ammunition has a partnership to create Beats products. Even HTC has been in the mix.

Read ahead to find out how the Apple-Beats deal affects all of these deals…

Apple’s longtime PR chief Katie Cotton retires

As Apple announced earlier this month, its vice president of worldwide corporate communications Katie Cotton has left the company. According to a report from Recode, today was the last day of her 18-year tenure in Cupertino.

Cotton was a polarizing figure in the tech world. Tasked with being the media gatekeeper for one of the most secretive companies in the world, she was known for her aggressive protection of Apple and tight control over information...

Luca Maestri officially begins work as Apple’s new CFO

If you don't know the name of the guy in the picture, you should probably learn it. That is Luca Maestri, and he is Apple's latest Senior Vice President. Maestri used to be the company's Corporate Controller, and is now its Chief Financial Officer.

Apple announced in March that its long-time CFO Peter Oppenheimer would be retiring this year, and Maestri would be taking his place. And according to SEC paperwork filed today, he officially became Oppenheimer's successor as of May 29th...

Trademark filings discovered for Healthbook, HealthKit and iResearch

With Apple's WWDC keynote now just a few days away, speculation regarding what the company will announce on Monday is heating up. We saw the iOS 8 and OS X banners earlier today, and now we have some mysterious trademark filings.

The folks over at MacRumors have discovered several trademark applications related to the term 'Healthbook,' which is a new app rumored for iOS 8. The documents don't say they were filed by Apple, but looking at the clues, it's fairly obvious...