iOS

Apple releases iTunes 11.3, including all-new iTunes Extras for HD movies for Mac and Apple TV

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 10, 2014

Apple has just released a brand new iTunes 11.3 update which enables iTunes Extras for HD movies on Mac computers. Moreover, iTunes 11.3 finally brings back iTunes Extras to the $99 Apple TV media-streaming box after Apple killed support for this useful content-enhancing feature back in 2010.

As if that wasn't enough, the company confirmed that these interactive menus with featurettes, behind-the-scenes videos, director's commentary and other interactive assets will be coming to iOS 8 in Fall...

Fleksy iOS 8 keyboard launching this Fall with support for 40 languages

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated September 6, 2017

When iOS 8 launches this Fall, users will finally be able to install third-party keyboards, in line with Apple's newly found openness and extensibility.

Popular Android keyboards like Swype, Fleksy and SwiftKey, as well as specialized soft-keyboards such as Adaptxt and Minuum, are all currently being ported to iOS 8 as we speak.

Fleksy already teased its upcoming iOS 8 keyboard and promised to be one of the first third-party keyboards on iOS 8. And now, the company has confirmed in a media release that the Fleksy keyboard should be available when iOS 8 launches this Fall...

iPhone captures 42% market share in the United States for May

Joe Rossignol ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

The latest numbers reveal that the iPhone remains the most popular smartphone in the United States, with 41.9% market share for a three-month period ending May 2014. Samsung was the second most popular smartphone maker with a 27.8% share, attributed to its Galaxy-branded devices. LG (6.5%), Motorola (6.3%) and HTC (5.1%) round off the top five.

While the iPhone was the most popular smartphone, Android held a commanding 52.1% share among mobile platforms. iOS followed not too far behind at 41.9%, while Windows Phone (3.4%), BlackBerry (2.3%) and Symbian (0.1%) all trailed by quite a distance. Android also had 52.1% market share for the three-month period ending February, while iOS gained 0.6 percentage points…

Microsoft reportedly building iOS-compatible fitness band

Cody Lee ∙ July 2, 2014

Like Apple and several others, Microsoft is said to be working on a smartwatch that it plans to introduce later this year. There have been multiple reports on the project, including one from Forbes in May that described the wearable as a Samsung Gear Fit-like fitness band.

Tonight, Windows blogger Paul Thurott offered up some new details on Microsoft's wearable ambitions, reaffirming that the device will indeed be a wristband with a focus on sensors and fitness. He also notes that the gadget will be compatible with both Android and iOS...

Photos for Mac won’t be dumbed down, says Apple

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 1, 2014

Apple's surprise announcement that it will cease development of its Aperture app in favor of Photos for OS X Yosemite has left watchers scratching their head. There's also the problem of prosumers and iPhone photography enthusiasts, many of whom have grown dependent on Aperture workflows.

The problem is even more pronounced given concerns that any feature-parity between Photos on iOS 8 and the upcoming Photos for OS X Yosemite Macs would inevitably lead to significant dumbing down compared to Aperture's feature set.

Case in point: the iWork for iCloud effect.

Anyway, Apple has now official confirmed via a written statement that Photos for Mac will include certain pro-grade features such as photo editing, image search and third-party effects and plugins...

Pebble 2.3 firmware now live with notification skipping with a double-click

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

Nearly a month into its most recent firmware update which has brought out a much-needed music volume control and Launcher item ordering, the maker of the Pebble smartwatch on Tuesday issued another firmware update while refreshing its companion iOS app with smaller changes.

The Pebble 2.3 software update brings improved Bluetooth performance and, more importantly, enables the ability to quickly skip to the next notification by double clicking, in addition to other tweaks...

Audi CarPlay rollout: 2015 models in Europe, North American vehicles in 2016

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

Yesterday, luxury car maker Audi announced it'll be integrating both Apple's CarPlay and Google's Android Auto automotive software platforms into the Multimedia Interface for its premium lineup of vehicles. Today, the German car maker shared additional details pertaining to both the feature and the roll-out timeframe.

Coming to 2015 models in Europe and to 2016 vehicles in North America, CarPlay will integrate with Audi’s built-in controls and allow drivers to access apps through the car’s native controls and switch between CarPlay and Audi's Multimedia Interface with a touch of a button...

1Password with Touch ID authentication and Safari Share sheet support shown off

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 30, 2014

A big part of what makes iOS 8 so great is how Apple is finally opening up its mobile operating system to developers, more than ever before.

Take Touch ID, for example. With a little help from the iOS 8 SDK and the new Local Authentication Framework, third-party apps can tap Touch ID to authenticate a user in a safe manner as fingerprint data is protected and never accessed by iOS or apps.

Brands such as PayPal have pledged to update their apps with Touch ID authentication when iOS 8 gets released for public consumption this Fall and now a beta tester has posted screenshots and a short video of Touch ID integration in 1Password for iOS, the popular password management program by AgileBits...

Apple adds MLB At Bat to its list of CarPlay-enabled apps

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 24, 2014

Apple's in-car entertainment solution, CarPlay, features limited support for third-party applications, ranging from Stitcher and Apple's own Podcasts to Beats Music, iHeartRadio and Spotify. Previously demoed at WWDC earlier this month, you can now put MLB At Bat on the list of officially supported CarPlay apps, according to Apple's own CarPlay webpage...

Photography apps can now tap the full range of manual camera controls in iOS 8

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 19, 2014

Don't you hate it when your favorite camera app from the App Store is unable to provide the full range of manual controls supported by your iOS device's camera hardware?

Responding to developer feedback, Apple has now addressed that particular customer pain point by opening up manual camera controls in iOS 8.

That's right, developers of photography apps such as Instagram, ProCamera and Camera+, to name a few, can finally implement the full assortment of camera controls in their apps using the official iOS 8 SDK APIs...

Video: hidden iOS 8 Maps feature – Flyover City Tours

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 19, 2014

There's a nicely done new Apple Maps feature hidden in iOS 8 Beta 2. Called City Tours, it's basically a set of manually programmed and scripted virtual tours of select major cities, rendered and animated in Maps' three-dimensional Flyover mode.

Apple hasn't talked about City Tours during its WWDC keynote (aside from a brief mention on one slide) and the feature couldn't be found on the official iOS 8 webpage, in WWDC session videos or inside Apple's official developer documentation...

Apple TV rumored to receive Continuity integration with iOS 8 and Yosemite Macs this Fall

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 18, 2014

iOS 8 and Yosemite come with Handoff, a particularly useful feature for completing tasks across multiple devices and seamlessly moving from one device to another. Part of the broader Continuity capability, Handoff relies on proximity sensing via power-sipping Bluetooth 4.0 to detect nearby devices which then broadcast user tasks.

Handoff lets you easily create an intelligent Instant Hotspot on your mobile device, start writing an email on your iPad and continue right where you left off on a Mac, receive and make phone calls and handle text messages on Macs and lots more.

According to one blogger, Apple will be bringing Continuity to its Apple TV media-streaming box when iOS 8 launches this Fall, resulting in a much tighter Apple TV integration with Mac and iOS...