Apple

Survey highlights the top 3 quibbles developers are having with Mac App Store

Apple is shaking up the App Store, but what about its OS X counterpart? Sure, the new subscription terms extend to iOS, tvOS and OS X apps, but what's Apple going to do, if anything, in order to make the Mac App Store a more attractive venue for Mac software distribution?

We should find out what's next for the Mac App Store next week at WWDC. In the meantime, here's what developers are disliking about it, based on a DevMate survey which polled about 700 Mac developers.

Apple confirms that subscription apps won’t be obliged to offer free functionality

There has been a lot of confusion following Apple's App Store shakeup concerning subscription apps.

First and foremost, does Apple require subscription apps to be functional in some limited way without a subscription, as is the case with apps that use In-App Purchases, or will subscription apps require a subscription to use the app at all? If Apple's comment to MacWorld is to be taken at face value, both could be true.

Rumor: iPhone 7 to come in new deep blue color

Apple's next flagship smartphone, currently being called the iPhone 7, may come in a new "deep blue" color, reports Macotakara. Citing an informed source, the website says that Apple plans to add the new colorway this fall as a replacement for its Space Gray offering.

It's not hard to imagine Apple introducing new color options for its handset this fall, as it's done so several times in the past. And with few major aesthetic changes expected for the iPhone 7, this would be a way for customers to distinguish the new model from its predecessors.

Save iPhone storage space by slimming down Photos library with Avast Photo Space

iCloud Photo Library has a nifty little feature that lets you store full-resolution photos and videos to iCloud while keeping device-optimized versions on your iPhone, which can save you quite a lot of storage space.

But not everyone uses iCloud Photo Library (do you?) and pays for iCloud storage beyond Apple's measly 5GB free tier (anyone?). That's where Avast's Photo Space for iPhone jumps in. With this app, your Photos library goes on a diet.

Rumor: Apple will introduce iMessage for Android at WWDC

Apple is planning to bring its encrypted messaging service iMessage to Android, reports MacDailyNews. Citing sources familiar with the matter, the site says that the company plans to announce the move at its WWDC keynote next week.

If true—and that's a big if—the move would push Apple further into the messaging space as it tries to grow its 'Services' category on the back of dwindling iPhone sales. Note that the Cupertino firm already offers Apple Music on Android.

How to control Apple TV from your iPhone’s Lock screen with CiderTV widget

CiderTV, a software-based alternative for your Apple TV Remote, includes a built-in keyboard and has the ability to control linked Smart TV volume. As of recently, the app comes with a handy widget that makes it possible to control most of the functions of your Apple TV right from the Notification Center. It will save you a lot of time, here's how to get started with CiderTV and set up the widget.

Check out Apple’s soccer-themed ‘Shot on iPhone’ commercial

The UEFA European Football Championship kicks off on Friday, June10, and Apple's United Kingdom branch has decided to celebrate the occasion by releasing a brand new “Shot on iPhone” commercial, aptly titled “The Beautiful Game.”

The 30-second video features various photographs and videos of soccer players, fields and stadiums shot by iPhone users around the world.

Facebook starts accepting panoramic 360-degree photo uploads

Facebook today announced that it has started accepting 360-degree photo uploads. Panoramic photographs taken with your iOS device can now be uploaded to Facebook through the updated mobile app and are viewable in the web interface and on Facebook for iOS and Android.

Panoramic photos in your News Feed are marked with the compass icon. You can move your iOS device to pan around and even experience them in virtual reality with the Samsung Gear VR.

Camera+ 8: slow shutter, ultra-low ISO, new import options, action extension & more

Camera+ by oddly named developer taptaptap, one of the longest-standing camera applications (and one of the best out there, in my personal opinion), has received a major refresh on the App Store.

Camera+ 8.0 packs in a slew of improvements such as an innovative slow shutter feature, an extended range of effective ISO values, a handy extension for easier sending of photos from the share sheet of other apps and more.

Opinion: I’d rather pay upfront for my apps than rent them

Apple has argued that its new App Store rules, which extend subscriptions to literally every app category, would help create a new business model in which people would warm up to the idea of subscribing to apps rather than paying for them upfront.

I'm not so sure that subscriptions are the right answer to what the market is calling “app fatigue”, but I can tell you right now that I'd rather continue paying upfront for fine, quality apps than use them on a subscription basis, here's why.