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iWork apps gain editing improvements, 500 shapes & more in latest update

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 13, 2017

Apple's iWork productivity suite was updated today on Mac App Store and App Store with several new editing features and other improvements available across iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Mac devices.

For starters, Pages, Numbers and Keynote for Mac, along with their iOS counterparts, now come with a brand new library of over 500 professionally drawn shapes that you can readily use in your documents, spreadsheets and presentations.

Across all the iWork apps, users can now reply to comments and join threaded conversations, making collaborative editing even easier than before, while new auto-correction and text replacement options save time while typing.

In Numbers, the new Insert Stock Quote feature and the Stock and Currency functions let you get data from the previous market day’s close. Keynote now lets you scroll like a pro on your Mac's trackpad with new pan and zoom options and your presenter notes can be edited while displaying slides in Light Table view.

Here's the full list of new features, fixes and enhancements in Pages 6.2, Numbers 4.2 and Keynote 7.2 for Mac, iPhone and iPad listed in release notes accompanying these downloads:

What's new in Pages 6.2 for Mac Enhance your documents using a library of over 500 professionally drawn shapes Reply to comments and join threaded conversations Add linked text boxes so text easily flows from one place to another New auto-correction and text replacement options save time while typing Export documents as fixed layout ePub books Change margins, headers, footers and paper size while collaborating Improved support for Hebrew and Arabic languages

Learn more about the new Pages for Mac features on Apple's website.

What's new in Numbers 4.2 for Mac Enhance your spreadsheets using a library of over 500 professionally drawn shapes Reply to comments and join threaded conversations Support for print preview in collaborative spreadsheets New auto-correction and text replacement options save time while typing The Insert Stock Quote feature and the Stock and Currency functions now return data from the previous market day’s close

Learn more about the new Numbers for Mac features on Apple's website.

What's new in Keynote 7.2 for Mac Enhance your presentations using a library of over 500 professionally drawn shapes Reply to comments and join threaded conversations New auto-correction and text replacement options save time while typing Scroll anywhere with new pan and zoom options Edit presenter notes while displaying slides in Light Table view Improved support for Hebrew and Arabic languages The Stock and Currency functions now return data from the previous market day’s close

Learn more about the new Keynote for Mac features on Apple's website.

What's new in Pages 3.2 for iOS Enhance your documents using a library of over 500 professionally drawn shapes Reply to comments and join threaded conversations Add linked text boxes so text easily flows from one place to another New auto-correction and text replacement options save time while typing New page thumbnail view allows you to easily navigate your document Export documents as fixed layout ePub books Change margins, headers, footers and paper size while collaborating

Learn more about the new Pages for iOS features on Apple's website.

What's new in Numbers 3.2 for iOS Enhance your spreadsheets using a library of over 500 professionally drawn shapes Reply to comments and join threaded conversations Support for print preview in collaborative spreadsheets New auto-correction and text replacement options save time while typing The Insert Stock Quote feature and the Stock and Currency functions now return data from the previous market day’s close

Learn more about the new Numbers for iOS features on Apple's website.

What's new in Keynote 3.2 for iOS Enhance your presentations using a library of over 500 professionally drawn shapes Easily rearrange your slides with the new Light Table view Edit presenter notes while viewing slides Reply to comments and join threaded conversations New auto-correction and text replacement options save time while typing Improved support for Hebrew and Arabic languages

Learn more about the new Keynote for iOS features on Apple's website.

These apps used to be paid downloads, but Apple recently made them free for all users.

Grab Pages, Numbers and Keynote for free from Mac App Store.

Pages, Numbers and Keynote for iPhone and iPad are available free on App Store.

Choose your default web browser in iOS with BrowserChanger10

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated March 28, 2023

Everyone has a favorite web browser they prefer to use on their computer, but when it comes to the iPhone or iPad, Apple forces all URL links to open in Safari by default.

You can change this with a new free jailbreak tweak called BrowserChanger10 by iOS developer HiDaN, which lets you choose a new default web browser for opening URL links.

This tweak makes Spotify album artwork display in full screen mode

Anthony Bouchard ∙ June 13, 2017

When listening to your songs in the Spotify Music app, the album artwork is typically scaled down slightly so that there’s a bit of empty space in between it and the edge of the display.

A new free jailbreak tweak dubbed SpotifyFullScreenArtworkUI by iOS developer theo78825 scales up the album artwork a little bit more so it fills the whole top half of the screen.

Make unlocking non-Touch ID devices quicker with Accelerated Unlock

Anthony Bouchard ∙ June 13, 2017

Devices that don’t support Touch ID or just aren’t utilizing the feature typically resort to passcodes as the next best form of security. On the other hand, there tends to be a rather annoying delay after pressing the Home button before the passcode interface finally appears.

A new free jailbreak tweak dubbed Accelerated Unlock by iOS developer Youssef Mikhail does away with this unwanted delay and makes unlocking your device seem faster.

Facebook could let you subscribe to news publications directly from the app

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 12, 2017

Facebook is working on a new feature to permit users to subscribe to news publications directly from its mainland mobile app. According to a report this morning from The Wall Street Journal, many details remain up in the air as discussions are currently underway.

The company is allegedly leaning toward a model that would let you read certain articles for free every month, before being prompted to pay. There's a catch: Facebook is said to limit this to the stories published natively through its Instant Articles service.

With that in mind, it may be no coincidence at all that Facebook recently launched new tools to help publishers make their Instant Articles compatible with the Apple News format as well as with Google's Accelerated Mobile Pages system.

This new functionality could roll out by the end of 2017, sources said. People familiar with the matter pointed out that the upcoming feature has long been requested by publishers.

While users currently can follow different news organizations, the rumored feature would permit them to use their credit card information on file with Facebook to directly subscribe to a news publication and have any subscriber-only content delivered to them through the app.

The development, if true, should pose some additional challenges to Google News platform as more and more people turn to Facebook for their daily news.

Image: Facebook's recent redesign of Trending pages.

New leaks give the best glimpse yet of iPhone 8

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 12, 2017

We've seen our fair share of alleged iPhone 8 dummies, schematics and technical drawings, but not a single physical component has leaked out of factories in Asia—until today.

A pair of images showing front and back phone panels, shared in a Reddit post today, may give us our first look at Apple's rumored designs for the OLED-based iPhone 8 as well as the iterative LCD-based iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus updates.

One of the images “confirms” that iPhone 8 could feature a vertically stacked dual-lens camera out the back, with an LED flash built directly into the bulge. The alleged iPhone 8 front panel shows a nearly full-screen design, with just a tiny bar at the top.

There's also a cutout near the top for the front-facing camera and the earpiece.

The Home button, at least a physical one, is nowhere to be seen, neither on the front nor on the back side. The alleged iPhone 8 front plate has virtually no bezels and appears to use protective glass that's slightly curved at the edges.

The other photograph shows these purported iPhone 8 parts pictured next to the alleged components for the 4.7-inch iPhone 7s and the 5.5-inch iPhone 7s Plus.

Those phones are said to feature a refined iPhone 7 design.

For what it's worth, the rear shells shown on that photo appear to be made from glass. Eagle-eyed readers could point out that KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that all new iPhones this year will feature glass backs to support wireless charging.

The images are said to have been obtained from a case vendor that purportedly got them from a glass supplier in China. Apple has reportedly prototyped more than ten different iPhone designs this year, but it remains to be seen if these images represent the handsets that Apple will ship this fall or one of the abandoned designs.

What say you, fail or?

iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra automatically update your Apple ID to use Two-Factor Authentication

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 12, 2017

If you haven't upgraded your Apple ID from Apple's older Two-Step Verification system to the more secure Two-Factor Authentication, iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra will do that for your when you install either operating system on your devices.

Apple communicated the change in an email to customers with Two-Step Verification enabled for their Apple ID. Here's the full text of the email communique, as obtained by MacRumors:

If you install the iOS 11 or macOS High Sierra public betas this summer and meet the basic requirements, your Apple ID will be automatically updated to use two-factor authentication. This is our most advanced, easy-to-use account security, and it's required to use some of the latest features of iOS, macOS, and iCloud.

Once updated, you'll get the same extra layer of security you enjoy with two-step verification today, but with an even better user experience. Verification codes will be displayed on your trusted devices automatically whenever you sign in, and you will no longer need to keep a printed recovery key to make sure you can reset a forgotten password.

Significantly improving the security of your Apple ID, Two-Factor Authentication requires both your Apple ID password and a one-time code when you sign in to a new device or browser with your Apple ID.

TUTORIAL: How to protect your Apple ID with Two-Factor Authentication

Unlike Two-Step Verification, which sends a six-digit verification code via SMS, Two-Factor Authentication is deeply integrated in iOS 9, OS X El Capitan, watchOS 2 and tvOS or later and features a mechanism that automatically delivers verification codes via push notifications to all trusted devices registered to a given Apple ID.

If you're not using either system to protect your Apple ID, you're wholeheartedly recommended to enroll your devices in Two-Factor Authentication. If your account isn't eligible for two-factor authentication, you can still use two-step verification to protect your Apple ID information.

One way or another, anyone installing Apple's latest OS updates this fall shall be asked to upgrade their Apple ID to the more modern Two-Factor Authentication system. Two-Factor Authentication is available in more than a hundred countries, listed in Apple's support document.

Samsung to supply 80 million AMOLED panels for iPhone 8 in 2017

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 12, 2017

Samsung's display-making arm is set to supply up to eighty million smartphone panels for iPhone 8 in 2017, which will be based on active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) technology, Taiwanese trade publication DigiTimes reported last week.

On top of that, Samsung will build an additional 80 million AMOLED panels in 2017, but they'll be used to supply orders from Samsung Electronics and its other smartphone clients.

As per sources, Samsung is expected to “keep some flexibility” if Apple places more orders.

The report claims that component makers have now kicked off mass production of parts for both the AMOLED-based iPhone 8 models and the iterative LCD-based updates in the form of iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus, the latter two featuring a reinforced glass chassis with a shiny metal frame holding together the “glass sandwich” design.

As indicated by the current manufacturing status of the upstream supply chain, iPhone 8 won't enter mass production until after mid-September, with production volumes in the third quarter pegged at around three million units, meaning Apple will likely be unable to keep up with iPhone 8 demand for a few weeks or even months.

Switching the next iPhone from LCD panels to AMOLEDs is a sea change for Apple's supply chain given the tens of millions of iPhones the Cupertino company sells each quarter. Other suppliers, like Japan Display, Sharp and LG Display are pouring big money into AMOLED production plants, but they're not expected to join Apple's AMOLED supply chain before 2018.

Combined shipments of existing iPhones, including iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone SE and the 32GB iPhone 6 are estimated to reach a total of 25-30 million units during the second half of 2017, bringing Apple's overall iPhone shipments in the third quarter to around 45-50 million units.

Image: iPhone 8 CNC-machined model via leakster Benjamin Geskin.

Apple allows Indian retailers to discount older iPhone models to boost sales

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 12, 2017

Apple's smartphone market share of the Indian market barely hovers above three percent because its aspirational handset is too expensive for many average consumer in the 1.32 billion people market.

But the Cupertino giant is taking steps to rectify the situation and has now permitted local retailers to slash prices of older-generation models such as iPhone 5s, which make up more than half of Apple’s shipments to the subcontinent.

Bloomberg reported Monday that Apple is now letting stores and online retailers such as Amazon.com and Flipkart slash iPhone prices.

iPlanet, a local reseller, prices iPhone 5s at 20,400 rupees, which works out to about $300. Apple no longer sells iPhone 5s in the US, but the most similar model, iPhone SE, starts at $400 in the US, without taxes or fees.

The device was listed at 15,999 rupees during an Amazon sale in May, or about $250. Retailer Flipkart lists iPhone 6 for 24,990 rupees, or approximately $390.

Here's an excerpt from the article:

Besides discounts, retailers have been pitching iPhones with cash-back offers, product exchanges, and monthly payment plans, all aimed at making it easier for young Indians to spend a month’s earnings or more on an iPhone 5s.

Apple is hiring an undisclosed number of 'affordability managers' in the country to negotiate with banks and other lenders on behalf of potential buyers.

Older devices accounted for a Counterpoint Research-estimatd 55 percent of the 2.6 million handsets Apple shipped to India in 2016. “As the premium segment grows in India, Apple wants a larger slice of it,” said Anshul Gupta, research director at market researcher Gartner.

“The bigger the iOS base, the brighter Apple’s future in India,” he added.

India is the smartphone industry’s fastest-growing market and an increasingly important market for Apple. The company has now started assembling iPhone SE devices in India via its contract manufacturer Wistron and is seeking additional concessions from the local government in an effort to boost local iPhone production.

The Wistron manufacturing facility is currently assembling “a couple thousand” iPhone SE units as a trial run, according to people familiar with the matter.

Tim Cook & Co. are predicted to officially bring Apple Online Store to India and enable Apple Pay transactions in the country.

In March, the iPhone maker opened the iOS App Design and Development Accelerator in the Yelahanka area of Bengaluru, which is the home of India’s startup scene. The populous country has some of the most vibrant and entrepreneurial iOS development communities in the world.

Minecraft to gain cross-platform multiplayer this summer, 4K HDR support coming in fall

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 17, 2018

An upcoming summer update to Minecraft: Pocket Edition for iPhone and iPad will include full support for cross-platform multiplayer, the game's developer Mojang announced today in a blog post ahead of the Electronics Entertainment Expo show, which runs from June 13-15, 2017 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

“We’re releasing a new update for consoles, which brings players together across mobile, console and Windows 10,” developers wrote. They'll be adding in-game multiplayer server, too.

A server browser in the Minecraft start menu will let you search a list of servers which you can join right away. They'll be launching with four servers—Lifeboat, Mineplex, InPVP and CubeCraft—with more to follow at a later stage.

And as a cool bonus, any downloadable content you purchase will be accessible amongst the various devices at no extra charge!

Mojang highlighted the upcoming features in a promo video, embedded below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyr3XZrZssk

The free update will permit fans of Minecraft on iOS to play the game with players on other devices, including Android, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Windows 10 PC and VR. Currently, Minecraft: Pocket Edition for iOS lets you play with friends on Xbox One consoles or PCs.

Mojan will be rebranding the game on Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, mobile and VR as just “Minecraft”. Support for Minecraft: Java Edition, which is the original PC game, will continue. “This means when you buy 'Minecraft', you're buying a game that can you can play with friends across devices,” said developers.

Plus, this fall, players will be able to explore endless worlds, rendered in 4K HDR resolution, via another upcoming update. Support for 4K resolution across platform will be free.

However, advanced effects will require a new “Super Duper Graphics Pack”, which will bring out features like dynamic shadows, lighting that streams through fog, movement in leaves and grass, new textures for mobs and villagers, directional lighting, edge highlighting and more.

They'll have additional information about the release date of the free 4K update and “Super Duper Graphics Pack” DLC closer to release. As always, we'll keep you in the loop.

Minecraft: Pocket Edition for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch is $6.99 on App Store.

Minecraft: Apple TV Edition is $19.99 on tvOS App Store.

Basic analytics coming to iOS 11’s Podcasts app

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 17, 2018

Like many stock apps in iOS 11, Apple's Podcasts app has been redesigned around an Apple Music-style appearance with consolidated tabs, bigger thumbnails and more.

As reported by Recode's Peter Kafka and Six Colors' Jason Snell, Apple is also making some notable changes to the way podcast feed works so that both podcast creators and advertisers can see what listeners actually like.

As for users, they'll be able to download full seasons of their favorite podcast shows and the Podcasts app will determine if a podcast should be played in chronological order.

There are other updates focused on making podcast creators' lives easier as well. According to Apple's own spec sheet regarding the Podcasts app updates in iOS 11, the updated Apple Podcasts specification now provides the following features:

Podcast creators can now provide clear, concise titles. Improvements to how episodes are ordered and recommended within a season. The ability for new subscribers to receive the full current season in their Library. Quick play lets users pick up listening where they left off.

Podcasts will be able to define individual seasons and explain whether an episode is a teaser, a full episode or bonus content. Snell explains that these extensions will be read by the Podcasts app and used to present a podcast in a richer way than the current linear approach in iOS 10.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFsAlcnlmSo

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As explained, Apple is going to share more data with podcast creators and advertisers.

With basic analytics, podcast creators will have the ability to see when listeners play individual episodes, what part of individual episodes they listen to, which parts they skip over and when they stop listening. To protect your privacy and prevent targeted advertising, Apple will provide aggregated, anonymized performance data that cannot be tracked to individual users.

Currently, podcast creators can see when someone has downloaded an individual episode, but that's about it when it comes to analytics.

How do you like these changes coming to the Podcasts app?

Share your opinion in the comments section below.

Jailbreak tweaks of the week: Apace, SocialDownloader, TimeMover, & more…

Anthony Bouchard ∙ June 11, 2017

It has been a busy week amid preparations for WWDC 2017, but that hasn't stopped the jailbreak community from hammering out jailbreak tweaks to improve the aesthetic and function of jailbroken iPhones and iPads.

In this piece, we'll talk about all of the jailbreak tweaks that were released throughout the past work week. We'll start first by going in detail with our favorite released, then we'll outline all of the rest afterwards.