Apple

Apple posts big updates for its enterprise and education iOS tools

Cody Lee ∙ Updated August 4, 2016

TechCrunch is reporting tonight that Apple has posted major updates for its large-scale deployment tools for education and enterprise customers. The move underscores the company's efforts to make large-scale iOS device deployments more appealing to organizations.

The updates affect Apple's Device Enrollment Program, Volume Purchase Program and Apple ID Student services. And one of the more significant changes is that IT administrators will no longer have to physically plug individual devices into a computer to get them set up...

Apple releases iTunes 11.1.5 with compatibility improvements and bug fixes

Cody Lee ∙ February 26, 2014

Apple has released an update for iTunes this afternoon, bringing the software to version 11.1.5. Don’t get too excited though, it appears to just be a maintenance release with only a handful of improvements.

Those improvements include a fix for a problem that may have been causing iTunes to quit unexpectedly when a device is connected, as well as better compatibility with iBooks for users on OS X Mavericks...

Documents 5 launching tomorrow with Readdle apps integration

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 26, 2014

Ukrainian developer Readdle has a bunch of fine productivity apps on the App Store. After updating its Calendars app to iOS 7-friendly design in version 5 release, tomorrow will bring another major update as Documents goes iOS 7, too.

This handy file manager, media player, photo album and document viewer for the iPhone and iPad, available as a free download, is about to get a whole lot smarter by integrating with other Readdle apps and "borrowing" their functionality. Read on for the full reveal...

Djay 2 picks up new features, Traktor DJ and Cross DJ go half price

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2019

The App Store and Mac App Store are home to plenty of apps for novice and pro DJs alike. Algoriddim's djay 2 (read our review) and Native Instruments' Traktor DJ are among the finest examples of how a tablet can be used to double as a virtual turntable for mixing tracks in real-time.

I've seen a number of DJs hook up their iPad to pro equipment and mix tracks from their iTunes library as if it were second nature. To be perfectly clear, I suck at DJing and have no interest in it.

Those who dig DJing, however, are advised to take a look at the just-updated djay 2 for the iPhone and iPad or take advantage of a time-limited discount on Traktor DJ for the iPhone and iPad. I also mention another notable discount on a similar app, Cross DJ for Mac. Jump past the break for the full reveal...

Soundgarden will perform at iTunes Festival SXSW in Austin, Apple confirms

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Earlier in the month, Apple said it will be bringing the iTunes Festival to the United States, marking the show's first appearance on U.S. soil as iTunes Festival used to be a UK-only affair. But as Apple's influence grows and its brand gets more powerful, the company reckoned the time has come to bring iTunes Festival to the United States.

In addition to the previously announced acts, Apple on Wednesday added Soundgarden, the popular Seattle, Washington rock band, to its star-ladden list of performers. Soundgarden performing at the show will also mark the 20th anniversary of one of the band's best albums, Superunknown ($9.99 in the iTunes Store)...

Apple files for appeal in e-book antitrust case

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Apple filed the necessary papers yesterday afternoon to appeal the the 'guilty' verdict from its e-book antitrust case last summer. The company told a federal appeals court in New York that the decision was a "radical departure" from modern antitrust law.

For those that missed it, U.S. District Court Judge Denise Cote found Apple guilty of colluding with major book publishers to manipulate the prices of e-books. As a result, the iPad-maker faces 100s of millions of dollars and fines and other repercussions...

Broadcom launches Gigabit Wi-Fi chip that will likely power the next iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 30, 2016

Imagination Technologies, the fabless British semiconductor maker, yesterday at Mobile World Congress detailed its new PowerVR graphics which outperforms Nvidia's Tegra K1 platform and is a likely candidate for the next iPhone's GPU. And now, another premium silicon vendor has announced a chip that could just as easily find its way into future iOS devices.

I'm talking about Broadcom, whose Wi-Fi chips and other controller components are used in the iPhone 5s and iPad lineup. The Irvine, California based firm announced at Mobile World Congress a new fifth-generation 802.11ac Wi-Fi component which doubles data throughput and increases Wi-Fi coverage by up to 30 percent.

Should Apple choose to tap it, the iPhone 6 and the next iPad will adopt Gigabit Wi-Fi aka 802.11ac, the latest and greatest standard in wireless networking for the consumer market...

Apple wins Best Mobile Tablet award at Mobile World Congress without even trying

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Although Apple wasn't an exhibitor at this year's Mobile World Congress - currently underway in Barcelona, Spain - its iPad Air has managed to snag the award for the show's Best Mobile Tablet. The annual Global Mobile Awards and Mobile World Congress are both organized by the same party, the GSM Association.

A panel of judges has determined in their ruling that Apple's latest full-size iPad packs "class-leading performance in an attractive and svelte frame", a nice recognition of Jony Ive's design and the iPad Air's speedy A7 chip.

More importantly, the judges singled out Apple's tightly integrated ecosystem as a prime reason why the iPad Air has "an undisputed advantage in the number of format-optimized apps"...

IMDB’s fresh update lets you swipe both ways

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 25, 2014

IMDb (abbreviated from Internet Movie Database) is my go-to source for information related to films, television programs and video games. The service is reliable and accurate so I can safely rely on their data.

The Amazon-owned company (they bought IMDb outright in 1998 and attached it to Amazon.com as a subsidiary, private company) has a pretty nice iPhone and iPad application, available free in the App Store.

We haven't seen a major update since last December's refresh brought out iOS 7-friendly look, plus a brand new Road to the Oscars section, among other features. Today, IMDb got bumped to version 4.1. This new edition of the software sports a few cosmetic changes, but that's not what captured my imagination.

My interest was piqued by a cool design choice which makes it possible to use both left and right swiping to navigate through the app. Can we have this in all iOS 7 apps, please?

Apple, Samsung and others demand patent trolling protection from EU judges

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 25, 2014

After asking the United States Supreme Court to approve of stiffer penalties for patent trolls who bring frivolous lawsuits against them, Apple and Samsung - along with seventeen other technology companies - have joined forces and issued a letter to the European Union asking for limits on injunctions in patent infringement cases.

As reported by Bloomberg, the companies are asking EU judges to curb patent trolls and introduce anti-trolling changes into Unified Patent Court and the upcoming European Unitary Patent system...

Streaming channel for network ‘TV4’ added to Apple TV in Sweden

Cody Lee ∙ February 25, 2014

Apple has added another new channel to the Apple TV this morning for customers in Sweden. It's called TV 4 Play, and it's a streaming channel for the major Swedish television network TV 4 and it features both live and on-demand content.

That content includes live broadcasting, original programming, and full episodes of TV4 shows. Most of the content is available for free, but the network says that premium (paid) subscribers will have access to additional shows and movies...

Apple releases iBeacon specification

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Apple's iBeacons, an indoor positioning system that can detect nearby devices to optionally push promotional marketing messages, has been picking up considerable steam lately. For instance, such brands as Major League Baseball and Apple itself have implemented the system, as did various retailers, theme parks, grocery stores and even car accessory makers.

According to BEEKn.net, Apple has now released detailed specification for the iBeacon platform. Released through Apple's 'Made for iPhone' (MFi) initiative, the documents are apparently separate from Apple's main Bluetooth MFi specification..