iCloud

Apple patents offline iTunes purchases

Ed Sutherland ∙ April 9, 2013

Could Apple be preparing a prepaid version of iTunes of sorts, one that could allow users to purchase music and other digital media from the Apple cloud without an Internet connection? Tuesday, the iPhone maker was granted a patent for a system permitting iTunes purchases using offline credits, according to the 2010 filing. At the heart of the system is the ability to buy credits while online. The credits would also get stored locally on your device, not just in your online iTunes account.

Those 'offline' credits can then purchase and enable various media that would first have to be cached automatically on your device, based on top sellers, recommendations, past purchases and other criteria.

In turn, people could make iTunes transactions whenever they happen to be, even when being online is impractical. Reportedly, the proposed technology could also increase iTunes sales by offering restricted usage of the material...

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Quickly access your iCloud tabs in Safari with CloudTabs+

Cody Lee ∙ April 8, 2013

I use my MacBook and iPhone all day, every day. If I'm not on one, I'm on the other, and sometimes I'm on both. So I'm constantly using features like iCloud's Safari tab sync to ensure a streamlined experience as I switch between devices.

The sync feature itself, which Apple introduced last year in iOS 6, works great. But I have to admit, it would be nice if it wasn't buried in mobile Safari's Bookmarks menu. Luckily, that's not a problem anymore with this new jailbreak tweak...

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Strategy Analytics: iCloud and iTunes Match are top cloud media services in US

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 3, 2018

This is kind of interesting. According to a new report from market research firm Strategy Analytics, Apple's iCloud and iTunes Match are the top cloud media services in the United States.

The firm asked 2,300 Americans which online digital locker storage services they used to store music, video or games online. And believe it or not, iCloud/iTunes Match took the field...

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iCloud is now completely solar

Ed Sutherland ∙ March 21, 2013

Apple's data farm - which powers the company's cloud-computing efforts - is completely solar. That's the word from the iPhone maker, which Thursday released its annual Environmental Progress report. The progress comes only a year after Apple received a failing grade by Greenpeace International, whose members charged the iPhone maker used coal to power its cloud.

Apple also announced 75 percent of power to its worldwide corporate offices come from renewable sources such as solar, wind and geothermal. That is more than double the sustainable energy of two years ago, when the company announced 35 percent of power in its corporate suites was renewable...

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Dropbox CEO: iCloud is a lock-in brimming with ‘bizarre limitations’

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 4, 2013

Apple's iCloud, a service that brings together all of your desktop and mobile devices with seamless synch and cloud-based storage, is basically a lock-in, Dropbox CEO Drew Houston opined speaking at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. Praising his company's cross-platform approach to file sharing, Houston blasted iCloud for imposing "bizarre limitations" on what users can do with their files, remarking that people shouldn't really care what platform they are using in order to access their files anywhere and on any device...

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Apple expands iTunes in the Cloud support in France, Sweden, the Netherlands, and eight more European countries

Cody Lee ∙ February 27, 2013

It appears that Apple has begun rolling out TV show and movie support for its iTunes in the Cloud service to a handful of new European countries this week. Users in France, the Netherlands and a few other European countries are reporting that they have just gained access to the feature, which allows you to access previously purchased content...

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US authorities can access your iCloud data without a warrant

Cody Lee ∙ January 30, 2013

Cloud computing has really taken off in recent years as a cheap, flexible way for folks to store their documents and data. Apple's iCloud service, for example, has garnered more than 250 million users in just a little over a year.

But while we're all busy uploading our lives to the cloud, it's worth mentioning that it's not totally secure from prying eyes. A recently renewed Surveillance Act gives US authorities permission to access your data without a warrant...

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Apple TV updated: use Bluetooth keyboards, queue up songs, access purchased music

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 21, 2017

Hot on the heels of releasing the new iOS 6.1 software with iTunes Match improvements, Siri movie ticket sales and enhanced LTE carrier support, Apple just posted a matching firmware update for its $99 Apple TV set-top box.

As indicated back in December 2012, one of the biggest new features the new software brings out is awesome support for Bluetooth keyboards, making the little hockey-puck much more than a "hobby" device. Other improvements include enhanced iTunes in the Cloud and iTunes Up Next. Go past the break for the full breakdown...

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How to have iOS screenshots automagically appear in your Mac’s Finder

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 27, 2013

I've always loved the simplified iOS approach to screenshot taking just by pressing the power and home button simultaneously. This oft-used feature works in absolutely any app and, as an added bonus, iOS stores my screenies in the Camera Roll as crisp, lossless PNG files.

An indispensable part of my daily blogging workflow, I grab app graphics on a daily basis for use in reviews, news articles and guides such as this one. The old-school approach to syncing iOS screenshots (along with your photos) entails connecting your device to a Mac or PC via USB. But if you're anything like me, you've long cut the cord to enjoy the benefits of wireless sync.

Now, iCloud makes photo sync a no-brainer: that is, unless the very thought of firing up iPhoto or Aperture on your Mac just to access your Photo Stream drives you nuts.

There must be a better way to bypass these resource-intensive apps and have the screenshots taken on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch automagically appear just a mouse click away in your Mac's Finder. Read on for the full breakdown...

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How to access iCloud docs on Mac via Plain Cloud

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 28, 2016

iCloud is great. I use it everyday to keep data synced across all of my devices and, especially, have important docs in perfect sync across my favorite Mac and iOS apps. By design, those files are tied to their creator apps so problems arise when you just wanna access them quickly in your Mac's Finder, without having to go through the tedious export/re-import process. That's where Plain Cloud jumps in. Plain Cloud is a free Mac app that acts as a simple front-end to apps that store documents in iCloud...

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Apple wins Technology and Engineering Emmy Award

Cody Lee ∙ January 11, 2013

Apple was presented with a Technology and Engineering Emmy Award last night during a special reception in Las Vegas. The annual event honors innovation in broadcast technology and recognizes companies and individuals whose breakthroughs have a significant effect on TV engineering...

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