Apple

Electronic Arts launches Battlefield 4 Tablet Commander companion app

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

If Electronic Arts' first-person shooter Battlefield 4 has been keeping you glued to your Windows PC or PlayStation/Xbox console, you won't want miss out on this one. Released today as a free download for the iPad on Apple's App Store, the Battlefield 4 Tablet Commander app provides a no-compromise second-screen experience letting you command the battlefield and compete with the opposing teams commander directly from your iPad, using easy touch gestures and drag-and-drop interface...

iPhone 5c supply cuts, iPad losing revenue game, overpriced iPhones… It must be a Friday.

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 4, 2016

What better way to manipulate AAPL than trash-talk the company on a Friday and let bloggers disseminate FUD? First, UBS analyst Steve Milunovich articulated his disappointment with iPad sales because the tablet in general "simply isn’t a must-have device" (I swear I'm not making this up).

Next, Henry Blodget (who runs Business Insider) is back with his 'iPhone dead in the water' meme: Apple's refusal to go for low-value customers has been ticking Blodget off for some time, even if the move carries the real risk of damaging the brand beyond repair.

Then, a Chinese blog asserts Apple is further trimming the iPhone 5c production as early adopters continue to prefer the flagship iPhone 5s. Finally we have Morgan Stanley creatively putting all of the Android tablets together - including those sold on the Moon plus sub-$50 no-names sitting in the drawer collecting dust - to proclaim Google's platform a revenue winner.

Grab your popcorn and chillax...

Some early adopters complaining about screen burn-in on their Retina iPad mini

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 15, 2013

An unknown portion of the first batch of Retina iPad minis coming out of assembly line is apparently plagued with the screen retention problem, reports from disgruntled users claim. Every Apple product launch is marred with teething issues, though this one is more than skin-deep. As we reported, Korea’s ETNews blamed the issues last week on production woes with Sharp-made IGZO Retina panels.

Manufacturing issues have apparently prompted Apple to negotiate with Samsung Display for the supply of 7.9-inch Retina screens starting next year, as Samsung’s display-making unit “was the first to solve the technological problem”. At the heart of the issue is malfunctioning of Sharp’s thin-film transistor screen technology...

Nest app overhauled top to bottom, now with full support for Protector smoke detector

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 15, 2013

Nest, a startup run by the iPod Godfather and brilliant engineer Tony Fadell, made a name for itself with a sleek, intelligent thermostat (check out Jeff's hands-on) and the beautiful smoke and carbon monoxide detector dubbed Nest Protect. Today, the company has announced a big update coming soon to its companion application for the iPhone and iPad to allow for easier and, well, eye-candy management and robust remote control of your app-enabled Nest devices.

For starters, the app's been redesigned from the ground up and now supports both landscape and portrait orientation and includes gorgeous animated weather and more detailed Where location settings for Nest devices.

The headline new feature is support for both the Nest Thermostat and the upcoming Nest Protect smoke-detector, making it a one-stop solution for Nest device management, from the palm of your hand...

Following nationwide POS outage, Apple Stores switch to old-school pen and paper

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 25, 2017

As of yesterday, Apple's internal retail system which runs Apple Stores in the United States has been experiencing nationwide outage which is threatening to hurt the company's retail revenue as the downtime continues to slow down the sales process and affect both walk-in purchases and in-store pickups of online orders.

In fact, Apple has now switched to a pen and paper system, in some instances replacing its custom-made EasyPay self-checkout software/hardware combo with old-fashioned credit card machines.

The full details are right past the fold..

Phil Schiller says iPhone was a ‘bet the company’ product

Cody Lee ∙ November 15, 2013

As the Apple v. Samsung trial to recalculate the damages Samsung owes continues, Phil Schiller took the stand yesterday. Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing was called up to speak with just 11 minutes left in the session.

But that still proved enough time for Schiller to dish out some interesting details about his role at Apple, and its early days of iPhone development. He said around 100 people worked on what was referred to as the 'bet the company' product...

Good deal: 55% off Jony Ive bio and Inside Steve’s Brain book combo

Cody Lee ∙ November 15, 2013

It's been a big week for Apple-related book releases, with two major titles hitting the shelves: Dogfight: How Apple And Google Went To War And Started a Revolution and Jony Ive: The Genius Behind Apple’s Greatest Products.

The latter is a full-length biography on Ive, Apple's senior vice president of design. And if you've been thinking about picking it up, you'll be interested to know that you can snag it at a nice discount in this two-book combo deal...

New Jony Ive bio book hits iBooks Store, here are juicy bits

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

I've been following Leander Kahney for quite some time now, going all the way back to his Wired and The Guardian years. Kahney now runs the Cult of Mac Apple blog and he's already published three books about technology and Apple's culture: Inside Steve’s Brain, the New York Times bestseller about Steve Jobs, Cult of Mac about the creation of the Mac and Cult of iPod which chronicles how Apple's music player came to be.

Building on the experiences in writing these books, Kahney has now taken a crack at demystifying Apple's arguably most powerful executive after Tim Cook, the guy who put sexiness in Apple's gadgets and flattened all your icons - 46-year-old British industrial designer Sir Jonathan Ive.

I've skimmed through the book and cherry-picked a few interesting anecdotes...

iWork for iCloud gets collaboration enhancements, printing and folders

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated September 17, 2017

Apple ahead of the September 22 iPad keynote teased "great new features coming to iWork for iCloud". The company's head of Internet Software and Services, Eddy Cue, during his keynote segment took us through some of the enhancements that increase productivity by allowing multiple users to work simultaneously on Pages, Keynote and Numbers documents from iOS devices, Macs and even the web interface.

Today, Apple's taken iWork for iCloud further by rolling out several new capabilities such as printing and the ability to organize your documents in folders, right in your web browser. The full list of changes is right after the break...

Apple’s iBooks and iTunes U apps finally receive iOS 7 makeover

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

Apple by now has updated much of its own iPhone and iPad applications that area available on the App Store, with the two major holdouts: iBooks and iTunes U (also pending in the update queue: Find My Friends and Keynote Remote, a Keynote presentation software companion).

Now, Jony Ive's been feeling your pain so today Apple issued a pair of long-expected updates bringing iBooks and iTunes U in line with the general iOS look and feel.

The revamped iBooks "has been updated with a beautiful new design for iOS 7," says Apple. The refresh includes a completely revamped iBook Store.

Did they kill the page curl? Read on for the full breakdown...

Gmail gets full screen view on iPad and more iOS 7 goodies

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 14, 2013

Boom, Google has just updated its Gmail app for the iPhone and iPad with additional iOS 7-specific user interface tweaks and a brand new iPad full-screen view for the message compose sheet and message list in portrait. You're also going to dig a slimmed down navigation bar in landscape which you can use to quickly switch between inboxes and accounts. Finally, Google says the updated software now includes "better scrolling" experience...

This jaw-dropping concept totally reimagines Apple’s dull OS X Messages app

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 14, 2013

The iDB team very much depends on Apple's Messages app as our day-to-day communications tool to keep everyone on the same page. Disregarding for a moment the ongoing iMessage reliability issues, the Messages app that comes bundled with OS X feels terribly outdated both design and feature-wise, even in Mavericks.

Basically nothing has changed since the iChat days apart from iMessage integration and a few questionable UI tweaks adding up to the overall clunkiness.

Thinking differently about the software, Palo Alto, California-based user interface designer Denis Pakhaliuk has envisioned a remarkable concept which has immediately left me speechless and wanting for more.

The awesomeness is right after the break...