Apple

Designing the new iMacs and Magic accessories…

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 13, 2015

As you know, the Apple news of the day is the official release of a much-improved 21.5-inch iMac with Retina 4K display, refreshed 27-inch iMacs and the new Magic Mouse 2, Magic Trackpad 2 and Magic Keyboard wireless accessories.

Speaking with Apple's engineering leaders Kate Bergeron and John Terns, technology writer Steven Levy shared in a Medium article some rather interesting tidbits pertaining to creating the new iMacs and how members of Apple's Input Design Lab tackled the design issues encountered while engineering the new Magic accessories.

Apple’s refreshed Magic accessories have introduced a new Bluetooth pairing process

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 13, 2015

Apple's just announced Magic accessories—the $99 Magic Keyboard, $79 Magic Mouse 2 and $129 Magic Trackpad 2—don't just feature a refreshed design with an integrated litium-ion battery, Bluetooth 4.0 and a built-Lightning port for recharging, but a new way to pair them with your computer.

The previous-generation mouse, keyboard and trackpad had to be paired to your Mac using the standard wireless pairing process for Bluetooth-compatible peripherals: you would go through the Bluetooth pane of OS X's System Preferences to scan for Bluetooth device and pair one to your computer.

With the Magic Trackpad 2, Magic Mouse 2 and Magic Keyboard, the pairing process has been vastly simplified, however.

Meet Apple’s new Magic Mouse 2, Magic Trackpad 2 and Magic Keyboard

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 13, 2015

In addition to refreshing its iMac lineup with enhanced screen technology and faster chips across all models, giving the 21.5-inch iMac a brand new Retina 4K display and removing non-5K Retina models from the 27-inch lineup, Apple has also introduced a trio of new accessories today.

As rumored before, the second-generation Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad have been announced, as well as an all-new aluminum keyboard marketed under the Magic Keyboard moniker.

Apple launches 21.5″ iMac with Retina 4K display, all 27″ models now have Retina 5K display

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 13, 2015

As suspected, Apple today announced a refresh to its all-in-one desktop, refreshing the 21.5-inch model with a brand spanking new screen with 4K resolution versus a 1080p screen on the previous-generation model.

In addition, the Retina 5K display is now available on every 27-inch iMac as Apple has removed the non-Retina 27-inch models from sale.

The updated all-in-ones come outfitted with more powerful processors and graphics, two Thunderbolt 2 ports and new storage options that make the high-performance Fusion Drive even more affordable.

Last but not least, the Cupertino firm has refreshed its keyboard, mouse and trackpad accessories with rechargeable batteries, Bluetooth 4.0 networking and more, with the Magic Trackpad 2 featuring Force Touch technology.

New in iOS 9: scrub through your photos quickly

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 18, 2023

On the surface, the refined Photos app in iOS 9 hasn't changed much from the previous release. But scratch a little deeper and you'll discover a few gems that might not be readily apparent but will leave you wondering how you lived without them.

For example, images taken with your iPhone's front-facing camera automatically go into a new 'Selfies' album.

Similarly, screenshots taken by simultaneously pressing the power and Home buttons get saved into a new 'Screenshots' album. Today, I want to talk about another new feature in iOS 9's Photos app: quick photo-scrubbing.

How to change dictation language on Apple Watch

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 22, 2019

As part of the Apple Watch setup procedure, you're asked to select your preferred language that will be used system-wide in apps, the user interface and other places. Your choice also determines the language used for dictation.

For example, my watch is set to English even though my mother tongue is Croatian (I just find English user interfaces easier to use).

Unfortunately, this gives me headache if I want to dictate messages to my local buddies in Croatian, not English. But did you know that you can transcribe words spoken in languages other than your default one?

I sure as hell did not and am not ashamed to admit that I was totally oblivious to using multiple languages for the Apple Watch's dictation feature. In this post, I'm going to teach you real quick how to do just that with a few easy-to-follow steps.

How to manage quick replies for Apple Watch

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 12, 2026

Learn how to customize canned responses for Messages, Mail, and Phone apps on your Apple Watch to send quick replies without typing.

Apple seeds iOS 9.1 beta 5 to developers

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 12, 2015

Less than a week following iOS 9.1 beta 4, Apple on Monday issued a brand new, fifth beta of what would become iOS 9's first major software update.

iOS 9.1 beta 5 (build 13B137) for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad is available to both members of the Apple Developer Program and public beta testers.

In addition, the software is available as a standalone download through Apple's portal for developers.

Vimeo updated with iOS 9 Spotlight support, iPad multitasking, picture-in-picture & more

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 12, 2015

The popular video-sharing service Vimeo has refreshed its iPhone and iPad application in the App Store with full support for iOS 9 technologies. For starters, videos you upload to the service and other content can now be found through iOS 9's much improved Spotlight Search engine.

Moreover, the new Vimeo 5.6 for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad now lets you multitask like a boss on the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 4 in side-by-side Split View and Slide Over modes while enjoying video in iOS 9's picture-in-picture mode.

Word, Excel and PowerPoint for iOS gain comment editing, file renaming, fonts and much more

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 12, 2015

Microsoft on Monday issued a refresh to its mobile office programs on the App Store: Word, Excel and PowerPoint. These productivity applications now feature on-the-go comment editing, file renaming, quickly jumping to a page and much more.

Last month, the Windows giant has rolled out matching updates to Word, Excel and PowerPoint with full support for iOS 9's new Slide Over and Split View multitasking modes on the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 4. In addition, the apps have gained useful shortcuts on iPads with wireless keyboards, Vietnamese localization and other perks.

Facebook updates iOS app with 3D Touch support

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 12, 2015

Facebook's mobile iPhone and iPad application has received a quick update today, adding support for 3D Touch shortcuts on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, but not the Peek and Pop in-app features.

Still, you can now press firmly Facebook's icon on the Home screen for quick access to the following shortcuts: Take Photo/Video, Upload Photo/Video and Write Post.

Day One journaling app updated for iOS 9 with 3D Touch support and native watchOS 2 app

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 27, 2018

Day One by Bloom Built, my go-to journaling app for iOS and the Mac, has had an app for the Apple Watch since April 2015, but it used to be hampered by the limitations of watchOS.

With watchOS 2, apps can now run directly on the wearable device and more independently of its connected iPhone, resulting in better responsiveness and faster execution. A brand new release of Day One now includes a native watchOS 2 app, support for 3D Touch Home screen shortcuts on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus and more.