Apple

Samsung now paying iPhone users $200 to switch

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

Samsung is offering some extra goodies to people interested in participating in its Ultimate Test Drive program which seeks to persuade iPhone users to test-drive the Galaxy S6 edge, Galaxy Note5 or Galaxy S6 edge+ for 30 days in exchange for just one dollar.

Now the South Korean company is tempting would-be switchers with $100 of Google Play credit for buying apps, media and other content and an additional cheque for $100 if they traded in their iPhone to their carrier or retailer, as per AndroidCentral.

Beats 1 director Ian Rogers unexpectedly resigns from Apple

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 24, 2017

Ian Rogers, former Beats Music CEO and Apple Music's Senior Director, has unexpectedly left Apple less than two months following the launch of Apple's music-streaming service, according to The Financial Times newspaper on Friday.

The executive is credited with crafting Beats 1 Radio, Apple's free of charge 24/7 Internet radio available in more than a hundred countries, and shaping its playlists. He was also instrumental in hiring away Beats 1 DJ Zane Lowe from his post at BBC Radio 1.

Mysterious new chip has been discovered on a leaked iPhone 6s display component

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

As various iPhone 6s parts continue to leak out like crazy, a source provided MacRumors with new high-quality images and information pertaining to a screen assembly on Apple's upcoming 'iPhone 6s'.

The claimed part is slightly heavier and thicker than on the iPhone 6, but the biggest takeaway is a mysterious new chip which seemingly confirms that Force Touch is coming to the next iPhone.

September 9 tidbits: no iPhone 6c, renamed Force Touch and no sapphire screen on iPhone 6s

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 27, 2015

Apple today officially confirmed its rumored media event will be indeed taking place on Wednesday, September 9. The press conference is widely expected to bring new iPhones, iPads and possibly a next-generation Apple TV.

New pieces of information continue to surface in the run-up to the event. According to latest tidbits from a reputable publication with reliable sources, Apple won't unveil an 'iPhone 6c' at the event.

Apple teams up with PayAnywhere for new Apple Pay card reader

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Apple on Thursday announced that it has teamed up with payment service PayAnywhere on a new mobile NFC card reader. It will attach to iOS devices, and support both traditional credit cards and those stored within Apple Pay.

The reader, which will be available exclusively in Apple Stores in September, will open the door for smaller businesses to begin supporting Apple Pay. PayAnywhere is easy to setup and there are no monthly fees to worry about.

Apple to live-stream September 9 media event

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

Those not in attendance will be happy to learn that Apple just confirmed it will provide a live-stream of its upcoming September 9 media event.

Like the company's major events held in the past two years, the September 9 event should be presented at the www.apple.com/live micro-site in the blog format, with cherry-picked tweets, juicy photos and quotes updating in real-time right below the video stream.

The iPhone maker sent out invites for the press conference earlier today. Invite graphics sports the colorful Apple logo and a tagline reading “Hey Siri, give us a hint”.

iOS automation app Workflow picks up Today widget, Health actions, syncing and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 27, 2015

Workflow, the powerful software that makes it relatively simple to automate iOS by chaining multiple actions together, has picked up a Today widget and support for Apple Health actions in its most recent update which hit the App Store this morning.

In addition to the ability to activate your saved workflows directly from the Notification Center's Today view, Workflow 1.3 for iOS has gained yet another useful feature to back up and synchronize your workflows across multiple devices.

Apple sends out invites for September 9th event: ‘Hey Siri, give us a hint’

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated October 16, 2018

As expected, Apple has sent out invitations to for its iPhone event to be held on Wednesday, September 9th, 2015. The event will go down at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Fransisco, CA starting at 10am PST.

It's widely expected that the main topic of the event will be the new iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus. We also expect to see follow-up details on iOS 9 along with its launch date, along with information on OS X El Capitan.

iPhone 6s said to bring 12MP sensor, 4K video recording, and improved FaceTime camera

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 27, 2015

A lot has been said thus far about “the biggest camera jump ever” expected to grace Apple's upcoming 'iPhone 6s' and 'iPhone 6s Plus' smartphones. A report Thursday by 9to5Mac attempts to bring Apple's next-generation camera technology into full view.

According to sources who spoke with author Mark Gurman, the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus will introduce “a major revamp” to the camera system that ostensibly includes a twelve-megapixel iSight sensor out the back that can capture video in full 4K resolution, in addition to a simple software trick designed to bring flash support to the FaceTime camera out the front.

Rumor: iPhone 6s sports animated backgrounds inspired by Apple Watch’s Motion face

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 27, 2015

Apple's upcoming 'iPhone 6s' and 'iPhone 6s Plus' smartphones are said to include animated backgrounds inspired by the Apple Watch's Motion face, 9to5Mac learned from sources. Of course, Apple has offered dynamic wallpapers since iOS 7, but it's a single motif in seven color choices.

These new animated backgrounds created for upcoming iPhones are being described as sharing the same theme as the Motion face on the Apple Watch, which shows painstakingly crafted animations of jellyfish, multi-colored butterflies and brightly colored flowers.

Review: Astropad Mini turns your iPhone or Apple Watch into a pro graphics tablet for your Mac

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 27, 2015

We wrote about Astropad Graphics Tablet, an app that turns your iPad into a graphics tablet for your Mac, shortly following its February 2015 debut.

Designed and built by smart ex-Apple engineers Matt Ronge and Giovanni Donelli, the app has since been updated with support for FiftyThree’s Pencil stylus and gained other new features.

The team just released Astropad Mini, an iPhone edition of Astropad's iPad app with Apple Watch support for remote drawing into Mac apps and more.

Review: Lara Croft GO is the essence of adventure that feels unmistakably Tomb Raider-y

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 27, 2015

It only took a few minutes for me to get hooked on Lara Croft GO, a new premium title from Hitman GO creators Square Enix Montréal.

Created in partnership with Crystal Dynamics, this gorgeously done puzzle-solving adventure takes Hitman GO's turn-based strategy concept and simplicity of action to a whole new level while managing to incorporate several marquee aspects of the traditional Tomb Raider formula and gameplay.

But Lara Croft GO, a $4.99 download in the App Store, is hardly the same game as Hitman GO. More than the collection of its impressive parts—mesmerizing soundtrack, artful animations and gorgeous visuals—Lara Croft GO manages to distill the famed series down to its essence.

I spent a few hours playing and reviewing this game in the days leading up to its release, here are my hands-on impressions and findings.