Following big updates for Mac OS X and iTunes, Apple has this afternoon published an update for its iOS Podcasts client. The update brings the app to version 2.1, and includes a handful of new features and improvements.
Among the new features are Siri integration and support for CarPlay. Users can now ask Siri to play specific podcasts by simply saying 'play' and then the name of the podcast file, and control the app using a CarPlay vehicle...
To go along with the just-released OS X Mavericks 10.9.3 Software Update, Apple has also issued a second major update to iTunes 11. The new version 11.2 is now available for download and includes several improvements to the in-app podcast browsing experience.
For starters, there are now all-new Unplayed and Feed tabs which collate episodes you haven't listened to yet and new ones that have become available.
iTunes now lets you save a podcast episode to keep on your computer and resolves a few annoying issues, including one where Genius would hang when updating itself. Jump past the fold for the full breakdown...
The high-fidelity Castro podcast player for the iPhone and iPod touch debuted last December and today got bumped to version 1.1. Despite the incremental change in version number, developers have added numerous new capabilities and refinements that will improve upon your already top-notch Castro experience.
There's now a new continuous play feature for episodic listening, a sleep timer, vastly improved audio quality of slow-speed playback, rich new options inside in-app settings, a cleaner user interface with nicer typography and much more.
From before, the app supports non-iTunes subscriptions. Today's update is free to existing owners of the software. For newcomers, Castro is a $3.99 download from the App Store...
Apple has issued a maintenance update to its Podcasts app for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices. The new 2.0.1 edition, now available free in the App Store, brings a handy pull to refresh feature allowing you to pull down on the My Subscriptions screen in order to manually refresh your subscriptions. Additionally, this version of Podcasts brings a few other fixes, listed right after the break...
Apple rather uncharacteristically not only live-streamed yesterday's keynote through its website and on Apple TV, iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices, but has also made a replay available shortly thereafter. The October 2013 Apple Special Event video is now available on-demand through the Apple Events section of the company's website.
I typically prefer to keep Apple's keynote clips handy for later reference and offline viewing. As a bonus, I get to keep the videos forever and make as much copies as my heart desires. Right on cue, the iPhone maker has now made the entire iPad keynote available as a downloadable video podcast on iTunes...
Earlier today, Apple announced that it would be updating 20 of its apps for iOS and Mac. We've already covered a number of these updates, including those for the iWork and iLife suites, and now it's time for some iOS-specific apps.
Trailers, Podcasts, and Find My iPhone have each been updated for iOS 7. They have all been redesigned to match the new iOS with flatter UI elements and thinner fonts, and we have screenshots and download links after the fold...
Following today's launch of the new iPhone 5s/5c and Wednesday's public release of iOS 7, Apple on Friday issued a major new software update to its "hobby project," the $99 Apple TV streaming set-top box. The company's been testing a companion Apple TV update since announcing iOS 7 at June's WWDC.
We previously caught glimpses of some of the new features such as AirPlay enhancements, automatic device configuration over Bluetooth, custom subtitles and Conference Room Mode for presenters. All of these goodies - and then some - are now readily available to Apple TV owners.
Go past the fold for the full details on iCloud Photos and Videos, iTunes Music Store purchases, Podcasts, AirPlay from iCloud and other Apple TV enhancements...
Remember the hokey demonstrations of hypnotism, where people are given commands to honk like a duck when a bell rings? Substitute podcasts for the hypnotists and a hyperlink for a duck quack and you've got Apple's latest patent application.
The application, published Thursday by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, outlines a way to encode device commands in audio signals. While Apple uses the example of enhanced podcasts which embed commands to visit a webpage or view an image stored on your device, the technology is also seen as a way to include ads in the upcoming iTunes Radio service...
Apple on Monday quietly announced its users have subscribed to one billion podcasts through iTunes. The milestone is being celebrated via a special iTunes section that includes the What's Hot and New & Noteworthy sections.
Additionally, Apple highlights cherry-picked shows like This American Life, TEDTalks, 60 Minutes, Happy Tree Friends, etc.
There are now 250,000 different podcasts in more than a hundred languages available through iTunes...
Shortly following its live-streamed WWDC keynote talk yesterday, Apple has posted a streamable replay to their home page.
I like to keep those keynotes handy for offline viewing, but saving a video stream to a computer is unfortunately a mess which involves too much trickery without guarantees for success.
Luckily, Apple has catered to the archivist in us by making the entire presentation available for download through iTunes...
Apple has updated its largely unpopular Podcasts app this afternoon, bringing it to version 1.2. The update is a fairly significant one, bringing about a number of improvements including iCloud syncing, custom stations and more.
Proponents of a less-skeuomorphic design will be happy to hear that Apple has also dialed down the styling in the app a bit. The new playback window, for example, now features flat icons instead of the bulky tape-like buttons...
Apple’s Podcast app was released alongside iOS 6 in September 2012 and soon after drew the ire of design conscious users who saw it as a prime example of how skeumorphism devalues usability. That was only tip of the iceberg because users kept on hammering the software in iTunes ratings over its user unfriendliness, slow performance, lack of basic features and a whole host of other issues that go far beyond just teething problems.
And with just 1.5 stars based on nearly 6,000 ratings in the App Store, Podcast is the worst iOS app Apple has ever made, period. Venting his frustration with Apple's seemingly ignorant handling of the app, John Herrman in an article on BuzzFeed titled “Apple’s Podcast Disaster” raises some valid concerns regarding Apple and the future of podcasting...