Apple

iOS 9’s Wi-Fi Assist, fully explained and demystified

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 12, 2015

Wi-Fi Assist, a new feature in iOS 9, was initially met with some skepticism as Apple did a lousy job detailing how it works beyond stating that Wi-Fi Assist automatically uses cellular data when Wi-Fi connectivity is poor.

“With Wi-Fi Assist, you can stay connected to the Internet even if you have a poor Wi-Fi connection,” the iPhone maker said somewhat critically.

However, inexperienced users might encounter some unwanted effects when using their devices in areas with low Wi-Fi signal because Wi-Fi Assist will activate their carrier's mobile data network and therefore possibly lead to increased data consumption and unwanted overage fees on the wireless bill.

Here's what Apple is saying how Wi-Fi exactly works.

Apple partnering with local retailer Croma to set up first stores in India next month

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 12, 2015

At long last, first Apple Stores are about to launch in India, home to population of 1.25 billion people. As reported by The Economic Times, Apple Stores will be debuting in India in partnership with Tata-owned consumer electronics chain Croma, which will host Apple products at six of its locations as a pilot.

Apple's tried and tested store-within-a-store concept will go live at five Croma stores in Mumbai—Malad, Juhu, Oberoi Mall and Phoenix Mall—in addition to Croma's Jayanagar store in the city of Bengaluru, the capital of India's southern Karnataka state and the center of the country's technology industry.

Google launching deep integration between search and iOS 9 apps by month’s end

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 9, 2015

Google announced today that Apple fans who are running iOS 9 on their iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices will soon start seeing app content in their search results in the Safari browser.

The company's so-called App Indexing feature is now compatible with HTTP deep link standards for iOS 9. Owners of iOS 9 devices should expect app content to begin surfacing in search results by month's end.

Review: Overcast 2.0 brings streaming support and new price—free (no IAPs whatsoever)

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 9, 2015

Developer Marco Arment today issued a major update to Overcast, its praised podcast player and manager app for the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Apple Watch. Going from the freemium to free model, Overcast 2.0 is now a free app without In-App Purchases, advertising or other limitations.

Instead, you can now support the continued development of Overcast, if you want, by becoming a patron which entails a recurring subscription.

If not, enjoy everything Overcast hast to offer absolutely free of charge.

One of the major new features in Overcast 2.0 is streaming, which can now be used with Smart Speed and Voice Boost effects to save time when listening to podcasts by shortening moments of silence without having to download new episodes first.

How to mute Activity reminders on Apple Watch for the rest of your day

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 9, 2015

Among the small things Apple's added to watchOS 2 is a new switch allowing you to mute Activity reminders for the rest of your day.

To be clear, hourly alerts to stand up and move a little, as well as other coaching reminders on your Apple Watch, can help a great deal when it comes to meeting your personal fitness goals.

But not everyone is a fitness buff.

If you yourself aren't exactly an active person, you might find Activity alerts a bit distracting, if not downright annoying. But worry not, you can suspend coaching alerts for the rest of your day with just a few taps. Let me show you how.

Watch ‘Steve Jobs’ scene with Woz confronting Steve over impending launch of NeXT Computer

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 9, 2015

The high-profile 'Steve Jobs' biopic, based on Walter Isaacson authorized biography of Apple's mercurial co-founder, released today in select theaters across the United States and Universal posted a full scene on its YouTube channel to celebrate the launch.

In it, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak (played by Seth Rogen) warns Steve (played by Michael Fassbender) that the launch of NeXT, Jobs's overpriced, cube-shaped workstation computer created during his wilderness years, will go down in history “as the single biggest failure in the history of personal computing.”

Some of the previously pulled apps and games now returning to App Store’s Purchased history

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 9, 2015

Many of the iPhone and iPad applications that have vanished from users' Purchased histories are now returning to the App Store, TouchArcade reports, suggesting the whole brouhaha was but a glitch in the App Store.

Not all of the pulled games have returned, however, though some classics like Ngmoco's games and Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 can now be re-downloaded through the App Store's Purchased tab again.

SIM-free iPhone 6s now available in Apple’s web store

Cody Lee ∙ October 8, 2015

Heads up to those of you who have been waiting for SIM-free iPhone 6s and 6s Plus handsets. As noted by MacRumors, Apple on Thursday night began offering SIM-free models of its latest smartphones via its web store.

While you could previously buy the iPhone 6s at full retail, they have, until now, included carrier-specific SIM cards. These new models, as the name suggests, do not include any kind of SIM card, meaning they are unlocked.

Elon Musk throws shade at Apple and its rumored car project

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 7, 2018

Tesla CEO Elon Musk threw some serious shade at Apple and its rumored car project in a recent interview with German newspaper Handelsblatt. Business Insider shares the comments, in which Musk calls Apple a "graveyard" for Tesla employees who can't hack it.

When asked about reports that Apple has hired away important Tesla engineers, Musk replied: "Important engineers? They've hired people we’ve fired. We jokingly call Apple the “Tesla Graveyard.” If you don’t make it at Tesla, you go work at Apple. I’m not kidding."

Starbucks will soon begin accepting Apple Pay

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 19, 2018

Starbucks fans rejoice! The popular coffee chain will soon support Apple Pay. Jennifer Bailey, the head of Apple's mobile payment arm, broke the news Thursday onstage at the Code/Mobile conference, telling Recode's Ina Fried that the launch is planned for early next year.

Note that this will be different than the current implementation of Apple Pay in the Starbucks app, which only really allows you to re-fill your Starbucks Card. In-store support of the payments service will allow users to pay for their coffee using their iPhone or Apple Watch.

How to check if you have TSMC or Samsung chip in your iPhone 6s

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 15, 2019

For the first time ever, Apple has dual-sourced the engine that drives the new handsets from more than one supplier. Both Samsung and rival Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) won contracts to build the Apple-designed 'A9' system-on-a-chip for the new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.

While these chips offer literally the same compute and graphics power, both synthetic benchmarks and real-life tests have shown small yet notable difference in terms of battery as the TSCM-built A9 appears to be more power efficient than its Samsung counterpart.

The question is, does your brand spanking new iPhone 6s have the TSMC or Samsung-built chip? You can find that out in just a few simple steps, let me show you how.

Samsung-built A9 chip in iPhone 6s found to drain battery faster than TSMC one, Apple doesn’t really agree

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 9, 2018

Does your iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus come outfitted with Samsung or TSMC-built A9 processor? The answer to that question could determine how long your device will run before its battery needs recharging.

Your key takeaway is this: while the dual-sourced chips perform identically in synthetic Geekbench tests in terms of sheer CPU compute power and GPU performance, there's a marked difference in observed battery life ranging from six to eleven percent.

You could argue the difference is barely felt in day-to-day use, but I beg to differ: energy efficiency is paramount for mobile devices and the battery-friendlier the main processor is, the longer it will run on a single charge.