Apple

Apple enables two-step verification for FaceTime and iMessages

Cody Lee ∙ February 12, 2015

Apple has enabled two-step verification for its FaceTime and iMessage services, The Guardian reported on Thursday. The move will force users who have the authentication system enabled to input an app-specific password when logging into either of the two services.

For those unfamiliar with the term, two-step verification is an opt-in system that adds an additional layer of security to Apple ID accounts. It requires users to input authentication codes when logging into iCloud on new devices, the web, and now iMessage and FaceTime.

Apple supplier Avago Tech rumored to provide 3D Touch technology for iPhone 6s

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 14, 2018

A report Thursday by the The Economic Daily News claims to have identified a company that will supply Apple with a pressure-sensitive touch technology for the next iPhone. US-based Avago Tech, which lists Apple as a key customer, will be the main supplier of a 3D touch technology for an ‘iPhone 6s’ refresh, supply chain sources assert.

For what it's worth, recent reports by Tech News Taiwan and UDN did mention that the next iPhone might adopt the Watch's Force Touch feature that uses tiny electrodes around the display to differentiate between a light tap and a deep press.

Dr. Panda’s Restaurant 2 is App Store’s new Free App of the Week

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 12, 2015

Part of its ongoing weekly promotion, Apple's App Store editorial team has now chosen a new Free App of the Week, Dr. Panda's Restaurant 2 by TribePlay, giving you an instant saving of three bucks.

Optimized for iOS 8 and designed for ages 6-8, this iPhone and iPad game comes with a notable educational value attached to the download.

The app helps children understand life and the world around them by inviting them to become chefs and make the pizza of their dreams and other dishes while experimenting with various ingredients.

It'll educate kids on the basic steps of making all sorts of different foods and help them familiarize themselves with how different recipes and kitchen tools work.

Who's ready to cook the food of their dreams?

Apple increases size limit of app packages from 2GB to 4GB

Cody Lee ∙ February 12, 2015

Apple announced this afternoon that it has increased the size limit of an app package submitted through iTunes Connect to 4GB. That's double the previous size limit of 2GB, which had been in place since the App Store launched in 2008.

The move should appease both developers and game-makers, who have been struggling to keep their app sizes under 2GB despite the multiple increases in display resolutions of Apple's various mobile devices over the past several years.

Pay Once & Play: Apple highlights great games with no in-app purchases

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

Apple has begun highlighting non-freemium games in a new App Store section entitled "Pay Once & Play." The company describes the new section as an area where users can download "great games with no in-app purchases."

As noted by MacStories, the section is divided into 3 categories: Recent Releases, Blockbuster Games and App Store Originals, and it features a wide variety of games including Minecraft, Thomas Was Alone and Threes!.

Alto’s Adventure is launching next Thursday and I can’t wait to play it!

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 12, 2015

I don't have a clue about skiing and snowboarding, but that doesn't mean I'm not a sucker for winter games in the App Store. Especially if they're based on an endless running concept, incorporate artistic backdrops, have a somber soundtrack and delight with buttery-smooth execution.

That's why I'm so much looking forward to Alto’s Adventure, an upcoming iPhone and iPad game set against a beautiful, procedurally generated alpine landscape. The game is releasing in the App Store next Thursday, February 19 and it stands poised to become a big hit.

Meet Phorm, an iPad mini case that enhances your virtual keyboard with tactile keys

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 4, 2016

What if Apple's virtual keyboard could give you tactical feedback on each key press? This very idea has led Tactus Technology to embark on a project that'd result in a special case that magically morphs into a tactile keyboard buttons which raise up directly on your iPad mini's screen.

You're still using your on-screen keyboard, it just has a tactile feel to it now. Based on microfluidic technology, the Phorm, as they're calling it, consists of an iPad mini case and a screen protector which does all the magic.

A huge slider on the back of the case lets you dynamically add or remove fluid-filled keyboard buttons that give you tactile feedback. “The anxiety of auto-correct disappears, your productivity increases,” says Tactus.

So, is the Phorm but a gimmick? Read on.

Rumors intensify that Apple indeed is building a car

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2016

Reviving an old ‘iCar’ rumor, Business Insider on Monday ran a story citing an Apple employee as saying that the Cupertino company has been in fact working on something in “vehicle development“ that will “give Tesla a run for its money.”

“Apple's latest project is too exciting to pass up,” the source said. “I think it will change the landscape and give Tesla a run for its money.”

The following day, Bryan Chaffin, co-founder of The Mac Observer, wrote he was “certain” that Apple's building a car after talking to sources who estimated there's an “80 percent chance” of it working on an actual car rather than some car-related tech.

Could Apple be really building an automobile? What's going on here?

ESPN app gains iPad and iPhone 6 support, introduces ESPN Now and rebrands itself

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 12, 2015

A refreshed, rebranded, thoroughly revamped and much improved ESPN app is now available for download in the App Store.

ESPN 4.2 brings universal support for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, a thoroughly redesigned interface and long overdue support for the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus screen resolutions.

The updated software now combines the ESPN SportsCenter app for the iPhone and ESPN ScoreCenter for the iPad into a single unified experience, now rebranded under the new ESPN App name.

You can now install apps from Pinterest for iOS, App Store opens official Pinterest account

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 27, 2018

Pinterest, a visual discovery and sharing service, wants to make installing apps a frictionless process so yesterday they announced a new feature created in partnership with Apple, called App Pins.

In a nutshell, App Pins are special types of posts on Pinterest that feature an “Install” button. Tapping the button serves up iOS's standard App Store preview sheet with related app information, allowing users to install an app right there and then, without having to leave Pinterest.

Cut the Rope creators release a challenging platformer, King of Thieves

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 12, 2015

ZeptoLab, a Russian entertainment and gaming company best known for developing the Cut the Rope mobile franchise, today released its latest iOS game in the App Store, King of Thieves.

King of Thieves is a challenging platformer with elements of asynchronous player-vs-player multiplayer games in which you must steal other player's gold and gems undetected.

Game mechanics involve lots of leaping off walls, jumping, avoiding obstacles and what not. King of Thieves also incorporates some elements of tower defense games so give it a whirl if you're a fan of the genre.

Apple eradicating ‘bonded servitude’ at supplier factories

Cody Lee ∙ February 11, 2015

Apple has informed its supply chain partners that it will no longer tolerate the charging of recruitment fees to new hires, the company said in its annual Supplier Responsibility report on Wednesday. The practice is common in countries like China, where labor is in short supply, and manufacturers use third-party brokers to help staff their factories.

“It is in essence bonded servitude,” Apple's Senior Vice President of Operations Jeff Williams tells Bloomberg, describing a scenario in which a factory new-hire is forced to take on a huge debt before they even begin work. "That fee needs to be paid by the supplier and Apple ultimately bears that fee when we pay the supplier and we’re OK doing that."