iOS

iOS 8 adoption flat at 84 percent, but iOS 8.4 matches Android KitKat and Jelly Bean adoption

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 27, 2018

A history of iOS 8 usage paints a rosy picture of more or less steady adoption of Apple's latest and greatest mobile operating system. But according to latest data published Wednesday on Apple’s dashboard for developers, iOS 8 adoption rates have remained flat at 84 percent of iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices in the wild, as measured by the App Store on July 6, 2015.

Two weeks ago, the same 84 percent figure was captured by Apple, indicating that the number of users who have upgraded from previous iOS editions to iOS 8, or bought a new device with iOS 8 pre-installed, wasn't enough to move the needle.

More interesting than that, however, is the latest data point by analysts Mixpanel which basically tells us that the recently-released iOS 8.4 software update now accounts for 40 percent of all iOS usage, just one week after release.

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Cool new feature in iOS 9 beta 3: dedicated ‘Selfies’ and ‘Screenshots’ folders in Photos app

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 8, 2015

Having been combing through the newly released iOS 9 beta 3 for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad in search of new features, I've stumbled upon something that instantly brought a smile to my face: a pair of brand new dedicated folders inside the Photos app.

One aggregates screenshots taken by holding down the power and Home button at the same time. The other is for face shots you take with your iPhone's front-facing camera, as first noted by The Verge.

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Apple’s ‘El Capitan’ European trademark filing confusingly includes tablets

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 3, 2015

Is Apple really readying an iPad that could run both iOS and OS X? The toaster-refrigerator dilemma has been occupying the collective mind of fans who have been keeping their fingers crossed for the convergence of the Mac and iPad ever since the original iPad debuted more than five years ago.

Apple's European trademark filing for ‘El Capitan’ is certainly intriguing, to say the least, as it mentions tablets as one of the devices targeted by the desktop operating system, as revealed yesterday by Patently Apple.

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Beats 1, Apple’s new global Internet radio, starts broadcasting with DJ Zane Lowe

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 28, 2016

Beats 1, Apple's 24/7 radio station, has just started broadcasting live in over a hundred countries around the world following the release of iOS 8.4 with a much improved and revamped Music app with Beats 1 and Apple Music integration.

Available on the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad with iOS 8.4 (and soon on Mac and Windows PCs with an impending iTunes update), Beats 1 is hosted by former BBC Radio DJ Zane Lowe in Los Angeles, with additional actors Ebro Darden in New York and Julie Adenoma in London.

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iOS 8.4 with Apple Music, Beats 1 and revamped Music app hits iPhone, iPod touch and iPad

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 30, 2015

As promised, Tuesday morning Apple released the free iOS 8.4 software update which introduces an all-new Music app with Apple Music and Beats 1 built-in. The over-the-air update is now available for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices. As these things take some time to propagate, the software update may not show up in your region yet.

“This update introduces Apple Music—a revolutionary music service, 24/7 global radio, and a way for fans to connect with their favorite artists—all included in the redesigned Music app,” release notes accompanying the update explain. “iOS 8.4 also includes improvements for iBooks and bug fixes,” Apple states.

To apply the update over-the-air, open the Settings app on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad and choose Software Update in the General section. Alternatively, connect your device via USB cable to a Mac or Windows PC running the latest version of iTunes and an update prompt should pop up automatically.

If you enjoy jailbreaking as much as we do, you're wholeheartedly advised to read this first in order to prepare for iOS 8.4 properly.

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iOS 8.4 launching at 8am Tuesday, iTunes Match song limit increasing to 100,000 with iOS 9

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 28, 2015

Former Beats Music CEO Ian Rogers wrote in a blog post yesterday that iOS 8.4 with Apple Music will release for public consumption on Tuesday, June 30, at 8am Pacific / 11am Eastern. A few hours later, however, Rogers has updated his post removing mention of the specific timing.

“Tuesday morning we’ll be unveiling the next chapter,” reads the post. “Please make a note to upgrade to iOS 8.4 Tuesday, June 30 and listen to our first day of broadcasting.”

Rogers is now a Senior Director of Apple Music.

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iOS 9’s Low Power mode throttles down CPU performance to preserve iPhone’s battery life

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 9, 2018

With iOS 9, Apple has brought out a brand new Low Power mode which kicks in when you're nearly out of juice. It was designed to help extend your iPhone's battery life, providing up to three hours of additional time before charging.

After using Geekbench's iPhone application to measure an iPhone 6's processor performance in Low Power, MacRumors was able to determine that this mode reduces processor performance by about forty percent. As a result, an iPhone 6 in Low Power mode would be roughly on par with an iPhone 5s or iPhone 5 in terms of sheer CPU performance.

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Kenwood’s aftermarket CarPlay receivers now shipping

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 24, 2015

Kenwood, a Japanese manufacturer of amateur radio,Hi-Fi and portable audio equipment, on Tuesday started shipping its new in-car receivers with CarPlay to car dealers. The new accessories support both Apple's CarPlay and Google's Android Auto platform, depending on your preference and connected smartphone.

The Japanese company owned by JVC-Kenwood said in a media release that both the DDX9702S and DDX9902S units are available now starting at $900 and $950, respectively.

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New in iOS 9: App Deletion—temporarily delete apps to make room for software updates

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 23, 2015

Unable to apply the latest iOS software update because you've run out of storage space on your iPhone or iPad? It's a common theme amongst owners of devices with just sixteen or, worse, eight gigabytes of storage.

If your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad is packed to the gills with apps and media, chances are you don't have enough free storage to download and install an iOS software update.

As discovered by iOS developer Kaleb Butt, to ensure those people can still deploy iOS software updates without being greeted with an 'insufficient space for download' message, Apple has created an interesting new feature in iOS 9.

Called App Deletion, it offers to temporarily delete apps on the device in order to clear the necessary storage space. Any deleted app gets automatically reinstalled right after the software update completes, leaving all app data and settings intact so you can pick up right where you left off.

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84 percent of devices are now using iOS 8

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 27, 2018

According to Apple’s dashboard for developers which monitors iOS devices that are accessing the App Store, iOS 8 is now powering 84 percent of active iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices in the wild.

The most recent data point was measured by the App Store on June 22, 2015 and represents a single percentage point increase over the 83 percent milestone from two weeks ago.

A month ago, iOS 8 adoption rate stood at 82 percent.

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Apple issues Mac App Store patch for XARA exploits as additional fixes are ‘in progress’

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 22, 2015

A cross application resource attack (XARA) that researchers at Indiana University, Georgia Tech and China’s Peking University publicized last week seems to have been partially addressed as Apple issued a server-side fix on the Mac App Store to block malicious apps and secure app data.

Additional fixes are in the works for the XARA exploits on both iOS and OS X, a company spokesperson told iMore. XARA exploits allow malicious apps to steal iCloud credentials of a user, access private data in apps like 1Password and Evernote, hijack their iCloud Keychain passwords and more.

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