Apple

Smart Keyboard for iPad Pro will only be available with U.S. English layout at launch

Apple's Smart Keyboard for the iPad Pro will only be available with a U.S. English layout when it launches in about two weeks, a move that might potentially discourage international users from purchasing the $169 accessory.

This has been revealed in the fine print that the Cupertino company quietly added to its German website, as first noted by German-language blog iFun.de.

iPad Pro and Apple Pencil approved by FCC

With about two weeks left until the official launch of the iPad Pro and the Apple Pencil, the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved both devices, GforGames reported today.

Both the Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + Cellular models of the 12.9-inch iPad Pro have received final approval yesterday, October 15, documents published by the FCC reveal.

Apple posts new iPhone 6s ad highlighting 3D Touch

Apple on Thursday posted a new iPhone 6s commercial, with a special focus on its new 3D Touch feature. During the ad, you hear a voiceover explain how Peek and Pop work, followed by a list of several things you can do with them.

In typical Apple fashion, most of the tasks covered by the voiceover are demonstrated by users on-screen. At one point we even see actor/singer Jamie Foxx, who uses 3D Touch in the Music app to access his just-released R&B album.

Apple updates iWork for iOS with support for 3D Touch, multitasking and more

Apple on Thursday pushed out updates for its iWork for iOS apps, bringing Pages, Numbers and Keynote to version 2.6. The updates are nearly identical for each app, bringing about support for many new iOS 9 and iPhone 6s features including multitasking and 3D Touch.

According to the change logs, users can now edit their various iWork documents in-app while using new iOS 9 features like Slide Over and Picture in Picture on iPad (depending on model). The apps also support Bluetooth keyboard shortcuts, text selection and much more.

Minecraft: Story Mode now available on iOS

Telltale Games and Microsoft-owned Mojang, the creators of Minecraft, have teamed up on a brand new, narrative-driven game set in the Minecraft universe. Titled Minecraft: Story Mode, the game launched today in the App Store as a $4.99 download for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.

Minecraft: Story Mode is framed as a full-blown adventure game. It's not a Minecraft add-on nor does it require the original Minecraft game. Like other Telltale Games releases, Minecraft: Story Mode is a multi-part episodic series.

How to customize your view of System Preferences icons on your Mac

Like iOS's built-in Settings app, the System Preferences application on OS X lets you customize the various aspects of your Mac to your liking.

For instance, you can adjust the size and location of the Dock, select a desktop background, set your computer’s clock to a different time zone, customize how your keyboard, mouse and trackpad work and much more.

With System Preferences, changing your computer's settings happens in one easily accessible central place. Our recent tutorial has shown you how to manually remove a third-party pane from System Preferences if it stays intact after uninstalling its container app.

Today, we're going to discuss customizing your view of System Preferences and teach you to organize System Preferences icons and show and hide individual icons from the view.

1Password for Mac gains large type option, changing secondary vault password and more

AgielBits' popular password-management utility, 1Password, was refreshed in the Mac App Store today with several notable enhancements. For starters, the app has brought out a new large type option to make those passwords easier to read on huge monitors and Macs with high-resolution Retina screens.

People who happen to manage multiple vaults in 1Password should jump with joy as they can at last change passwords for secondary vaults, too.

The top layout view has seen some changes as well with rich item icons and customizable columns. Last but not least, 1Password 5.4 for Mac includes security updates to address the dreaded XARA vulnerabilities.

Yahoo Mail 4.0 is out: revamped UI, smarter search, multiple mailboxes, rich compose & more

Yahoo today launched a thoroughly redesigned Mail app for the iPhone and iPad which brings out a number of interesting feature additions and enhancements.

The new, much-improved Yahoo Mail 4.0 features password-free sign-in, way smarter search, contacts management, rich compose, the ability to use multiple mailboxes from services such as Outlook.com, Hotmail and AOL Mail, to name just a few.

Apple’s ResearchKit now enabling new studies on autism, epilepsy and melanoma

ResearchKit, Apple's platform for medical research based on the Health app and iOS devices, is now enabling new studies on autism, epilepsy and melanoma, the company said in a media release today.

Tapping into data gathered from participants using iPhone apps; medical data from the Health app such as weight, blood pressure and glucose levels; and other data measured by third-party devices and the iPhone's accelerometer, microphone, gyroscope and GPS sensors—researchers can study autism, epilepsy and melanoma in greater detail than was possible before.

Pixelmator for Mac gains all-new Photos extension, Split View multitasking and more

The popular Photoshop alternative for the Mac, Pixelmator, was updated this morning in the Mac App Store. Bumped to version 3.4, the app includes full support for OS X El Capitan and iOS 9's Split View mode so you can use Pixelmator with another app in El Capitan's new side-by-side multitasking mode.

More importantly, Pixelmator now includes a brand new extension for Apple's stock Photos app that lets you edit images within the context of the Photos app using Pixelmator's Metal-based Distort tools.

Apple releases OS X 10.11.1 beta 4 to developers and public testers

Apple on Wednesday seeded the fourth beta of OS X El Capitan 10.11.1 to developers and public testers. The new build is available to registered developers via the Updates section of the Mac App Store or through Apple’s Developer Center. Public testers can also find it in the Updates section of the MAS, or via the public beta portal.

How to manually remove System Preferences panes from your Mac

Some third-party apps you install on your Mac might nest custom panes within OS X's System Preferences, mostly those distributed outside the Mac App Store due to sandboxing requirements. Uninstalling such an app automatically removes the underlying pane from System Preferences but not always, leaving you scratching your head.

Case in point: Tuxera's MacFUSE, a dynamically loadable kernel extension.

I needed to mount files to an NTFS-formatted drive the other day so I installed MacFUSE. After removing the app a few days later using its own uninstaller, I noticed its pane in System Preferences was left intact. Should that happen to you, here's how you can safely remove stubborn System Preferences panes from your Mac.