Apple

First Pokémon GO update squashes bugs, no longer requires full Google Account access

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 12, 2016

Nearly a week following its official launch in the United States, New Zealand and Australia, Nintendo's incredibly successful Pokémon GO on Tuesday received its first update on the App Store. The freemium app was bumped to version 1.0.1, bringing out much-needed bug fixes whilst resolving an issue which caused the app to crash after attempting to catch any discovered pokémon. More importantly, full Google Account access is no longer needed for those who use this sign-in option.

Pokémon GO is a free download from the App Store.

iOS 10 tidbit: Spotlight Suggestions in Messages

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 12, 2016

On iOS 10, Spotlight Suggestions appear in more places than before. We recently told you about Spotlight Suggestions in the Look Up interface (formerly known as the Define feature). We also discussed iOS 10's expressive Messages app in depth and mentioned its super useful inline previews of URLs.

As it turns out, not only does Messages support inline previews of media URLs, but underlines specific terms in your chats—such as movie and app names—that Spotlight Suggestions can give you more info about.

iOS 10 tidbit: sending broken hearts via iMessage

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 12, 2016

iOS 10's much-enhanced Messages app includes the Digital Touch interface that first appeared on the Apple Watch. With Digital Touch, users can create iMessages that contain doodles, digital taps, video with effects and more.

We recently explained how Digital Touch can be taken advantage of to send nicely animated hearts to your recipients. Here's another iOS 10 tidbit: Messages on iOS 10 also lets you shoot animated broken hearts to someone for those times you wish to convey more specific feelings.

Apple has donated $1 million to help China’s flood relief efforts

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 12, 2016

Apple has donated one million dollars to help China's flood relief efforts, USA Today reported yesterday. The 1.33 billion people country was recently hit by the worst flooding in years. The Cupertino firm is the first United States corporation that has donated to the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA) in this year’s flood, said the organization on its website.

Apple may be forced to open a center for iOS device repair in Russia to avoid lawsuits

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 15, 2016

Following a lawsuit filed against Apple last June by iPhone owner Dmitry Petrov, which alleged that the Cupertino firm had failed to provide proper product support in Russia because its resellers and chain stores lacked the proper equipment to repair smashed displays, Apple could reportedly be planning to open a full-fledged center for iOS device repairs in the country to avoid future lawsuits.

It is not known when Apple's centralized repair center will open, but it will reportedly be “big and expensive”. According to a report by The Moscow Times, one unidentified employee of an Apple partnership corporation told Vedomosti that “he believes it will cost between $1 and $2 million.”

Crisp iPhone 7 Plus snaps show Smart Connector and, confusingly, no Mute switch

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 12, 2016

The industry-standard 3.5mm headphone jack may not be the only widely-used feature that is thought to be on the chopping block for the next iPhone. A new batch of high-resolution photographs that surfaced last evening appear to show off a larger 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus model that doesn't seem to have the Mute switch on its side.

The photos were posted by French bog NowhereElse. The same publication released a set of images yesterday that gave us the clearest look yet at the iPhone 7's subdued antenna lines.

Dark Mode discovered in Safari and System Preferences on macOS Sierra

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 12, 2016

It looks like iOS 10 may not be the only Apple operating system to include dark interface assets as Mac developer Guilherme Rambo tweeted out a number of screenshots showing a dark interface theme in several stock applications on macOS Sierra, including Safari and System Preferences.

This mode is different in appearance than macOS's existing setting for enabling dark menu bar and the Dock in System Preferences → General.

tvOS 10 preview: 4 new Siri features on Apple TV

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 3, 2017

Aside from Single Sign-On for pay-TV apps and other new features and enhancements, tvOS 10 brings expanded Siri capabilities to the fourth-generation Apple TV, including searching across even more apps, YouTube search, topic search and tuning right into live channels.

Both existing and new Siri features will be available in four new new countries when tvOS 10 launches this fall. Here's our detailed preview along with a video hands-on of the above Siri features coming to your big screen via tvOS 10.

Google wants to beat Apple to attracting India’s developer talent

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 11, 2016

Apple is opening a new facility in India early next year, aimed at improving the skills and success of Indian developers building iOS applications, and now Google hopes to do the same for Android. In introducing a new initiative this morning, called Android Skilling, Google hopes to beat Apple to attracting India's developer talent to Android.

Blind Apple engineer describes advancing Accessibility features for the blind

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 11, 2016

Mashable yesterday ran an interesting profile on 22-year-old Jordyn Castor, an Apple engineer who works on the company's Accessibility team. Aside from other tidbits, the story reveals that Apple employs Accessibility engineers who themselves are users of those features as Castor has been blind since birth.

The runaway success of Pokémon GO highlights safety issues of augmented-reality gaming

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 11, 2016

The runaway success of Pokémon GO is undeniable. In a few short days since its debut last week, the freemium title has become the top free app on the US App Store and the most downloaded and highest-grossing app in the countries where it is available. It sent Nintendo shares up 25 percent, adding $7.5 billion to the company's market capitalization. Furthermore, the game is about to surpass Twitter among Android users in the United States in terms of daily active users.

But there's a darker side to its success as widespread media coverage combined with pent-up interest and the power of the Nintendo and Pokémon brands in some cases seem to be resulting in a string of thefts, burglaries and even car accidents and other injuries.

TSMC’s Q3 revenue expected to climb to a record high on strong iPhone 7 A10 chip orders

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 11, 2016

Citing market forecasts quoted by the Commercial Times newspaper, Taiwanese trade publication DigiTimes reported Monday that shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSMC) could hit record levels thanks to orders for the Apple-designed 'A10' system-on-a-chip, the engine that will drive the next iPhone and iPad. TSMC just posted strong numbers for the second financial quarter.