Apple

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.

Next-generation 21.5-inch iMac with 4K screen could hit as soon as next Tuesday

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 8, 2015

Code strings discovered in El Capitan Developer Preview earlier this summer have pointed at a substantial refresh coming to Apple's 21.5-inch iMac, even more so given that computer wasn't updated alongside its 27-inch sibling in May 2015.

A next-generation 21.5-inch iMac with an ultra-sharp screen featuring a glorious 4K resolution is now expected to launch as soon as next Tuesday, as per multiple reliable sources who spoke with 9to5Mac.

New Apple TV and iPad Pro launching online in late-October, in-store sales from early-November

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 8, 2015

The fourth-generation Apple TV set-top box and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro tablet with Apple Pencil are due to hit retail tories in the first week of November after launching online toward the end of this month, according to reliable sources who spoke to 9to5Mac's Mark Gurman.

“The revamped Apple TV set top box and iPad Pro will both begin showing up in Apple Retail Stores for sale during the first week of November after going on sale via Apple’s website in late October,” wrote the publication.

References to Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2 and Magic Trackpad 2 discovered in OS X code

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 8, 2015

References to unreleased Apple-branded mouse, keyboard and trackpad accessories have been discovered in OS X code by French blog Consomac. Code strings discovered in the latest OS X 10.11.1 beta 3 point to the Magic Mouse 2 and Magic Trackpad 2, which are likely next-generation versions of Apple-branded mouse and trackpad. In addition, the strings hint at a brand new keyboard, dubbed the Magic Keyboard.

Gonzo action game The Executive is IGN’s Free Game of the Month

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 10, 2015

So you want to be the CEO of a trillion dollar mining company that has been infiltrated by werewolves? Look no further than The Executive by Riverman Media, a title unlike any other mobile game on the market.

The Executive, normally a $4.99 download from the App Store, has just gone free via IGN's ongoing Free Game of the Month promotion, marking the first time the game has hone free since its July 2015 debut.

Best of all, there are no ads and no In-App Purchases in The Executive so this single free download is all you need. The Executive is part rhythm game and part 2D fighter and can be yours at no charge if you follow our instructions on redeeming your free copy.

iOS 9 adoption hits 57 percent after three weeks

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 8, 2015

According to Apple's own data, the adoption rate for iOS 9 has reached 57 percent of iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices in the wild after three weeks of availability, as measured by the App Store on October 5, 2015. By comparison, it took iOS 8 nearly six weeks to zoom past the 50 percent barrier.

A total of 33 percent of iOS devices running iOS 8 visited the App Store on October 5, while earlier version of the mobile operating system accounted for the remaining ten percent of hardware in the wild.

Adobe makes Lightroom for iOS free for everyone, no subscription needed

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 8, 2015

Since its April 2014 debut, Adobe's Lightroom mobile app has required you to subscribe to Adobe’s Cloud service in order to use the app, but not any longer. As first noted by The Next Web, both Lightroom for iPhone and Lightroom for iPad are now available for everyone without the desktop app, without a Creative Cloud Photography Plan subscription and even without an Adobe ID.

Apple announces enhanced editions of Harry Potter series available exclusively on iBooks Store

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 8, 2015

Apple on Thursday issued a press release announcing that all seven books in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter fantasy series are now available exclusively as iBooks accessible on iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Mac devices.

The books sport interactive animations, exclusive covers, annotations from Rowling, custom Harry Potter typefaces, video and other interactive content.

This marks the first time Harry Potter books are available digitally outside J.K. Rowling's own Pottermore Shop e-commerce company, developed in partnership with Sony.

Apple: yes, we now remove App Store apps pulled from sale from your Purchased history, too

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 7, 2015

Users around the world are noticing that they're no longer able to re-download older iPhone and iPad apps and games that their developers have removed from sale on the App Store.

The abnormal behavior flies in the face of Apple's policy of allowing people who bought apps from the App Store to re-download them to other devices through the App Store's Purchased tab.

As a result, questions arose as to whether this pointed toward a big problem in the App Store. Sadly, as PocketGamer points out, this is definitely a new Apple policy meaning you now have to back up your purchased mobile apps in iTunes to keep them forever.

Apple seeds OS X 10.11.1 El Capitan beta 3 to developers and public beta testers

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 7, 2015

A third beta of what would become El Capitan's first major software update following the recent release of the operating system is now available to members of the Apple Developer Program and public beta testers signed for the Apple Beta Software Program.

Google accelerates mobile pages

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 7, 2015

Google has been working with a small group of publishers for weeks on news articles that load almost instantaneously on smartphones, doing away with long loading times that eat up your battery and consume resources.

The Accelerated Mobile Pages Project went live today with mobile-optimized content from more than two-dozen participating publishers. These stories are searchable via mobile Google Search like regular searches.

Upon tapping on a link in Google search results, these article appears on your iPhone's screen almost immediately, like magic. It's a really cool glimpse of what mobile web should have been from the onset and we have a few examples you can check out yourself right now.