iOS

If history is any indication, iOS 7 Beta 2 could drop today

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 24, 2013

It's been two weeks since Apple released the first beta of iOS 7 to its registered developers. A lot has been written about it and way more ink will be spent as subsequent betas get released and thoroughly tested before iOS 7 is eventually ready for prime time this Fall. If history is anything to go by and if you trust reliable sources in the know, today is the day iOS 7 Beta 2 arrives.

If iDB is part of your daily routine, you should be among the first to know when a new beta hits Apple's servers. Also, count on our resident team to take a closer look at the new beta and report back about everything there is to know about feature changes.

Stay tuned...

Imgur coming to iOS soon, hits Android

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

When Alan Schaaf’s free image sharing service dubbed Imgur went online on February 23, 2009, it was met with genuinely positive feedback from users who'd been longing for an image hosting service that didn't suck.

Though no one expected the San Francisco-based startup to compete with the likes of Flickr, Instagram or other established photo sharing services, it did start picking up considerable steam after users on Reddit and Digg began sharing viral images on Imgur. In response to its rising popularity, the startup has just issued the official Android client and confirmed that iOS version is coming along soon...

Gartner: tablet shipments to jump 68% in 2013 amid PC slump

Ed Sutherland ∙ June 24, 2013

Research giant Gartner Monday released new figures confirming the growth of tablets and the decline of PCs are set to continue through 2013 and into 2014. However, the numbers point to a changing market for tablets and a potential rescue for ailing PC and laptop demand.

While the overall shipment of PCs, mobile phones and tablets is expected to rise by just 5.9 percent this year, PC shipments of both desktops and notebooks will slide lower by more than ten percent. Worldwide mobile phone shipments should increase a modest 4.3 percent while tablets lead consumer demand for mobility, shipments jumping by 67.9 percent this year, according to the research firm...

Accessory vendor bypasses iOS 7 Lightning check

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

One of the little-known features of iOS 7 that not many people will like is its background check of whether or not a third-party accessory is hooked up to the your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad using a non-certified Lightning cable.

We've know Apple has tightened its MFi program rules (MFi stands for 'Made for iDevice') and iOS 7 seems to be stepping up a cat and mouse game between Apple and non-MFi vendors....

Siri in iOS 7 getting better at pronouncing names

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 24, 2013

Not only is Siri getting a facelift and new features in iOS 7 as Apple continues to focus on improving her usability and the accuracy and reliability of the responses, she's also getting smarter thanks to backend changes which don't require a software update. For example, one of such server-side improvements is the ability to place phone calls to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to help save lives.

But there's one aspect of Siri that has seen little changes since her inception: inaccurate pronunciation of certain names. But no more. Although not specifically addressed during the WWDC 2013 keynote, it's been discovered that Siri can now initiate a learning process of sorts whenever it has trouble understanding your pronunciation of a person's name...

Interactive maps illustrate iOS, Android and BlackBerry usage around the world

Cody Lee ∙ June 23, 2013

This is kind of interesting. The folks over at Gnip and MapBox have teamed up with ex-Google data guru Eric Fischer to create a series of interactive heat maps that show the usage of iOS, Android and BlackBerry devices around the world.

The data consists of some three billion global, geotagged tweets that have been collected since September of 2011. And the team has converted all of this data into navigable maps in an attempt to illustrate patterns in language and device use...

Apple starts charting iOS adoption, 96% of users are on iOS 6

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 21, 2013

Apple has started charting the iOS adoption figures via a portal for its registered developers. While Google's been doing this for quite some time now, it's the first time Apple offered the continuously updated official iOS adoption data.

Key takeaway: a whopping 96 percent of Apple customers are now using iOS 6, as measured by the App Store during a 14-day period ending June 3, 2013.

There is a massive difference compared to Android 4.x versions that, according to Google's dashboard web page, was on 58.6 percent of Android devices accessing the Android Play store during a 14-day period ending on June 3, 2013.

And with 39.8 percent of Google customers on the now outdated Android 2.2 Froyo and up to Android 3.2 Honeycomb software, Apple's huge advantage in terms of platform fragmentation is undisputed...

A closer look at smarter keyboard in iOS 7

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 24, 2018

The iOS virtual keyboard has seen little changes since the iPhone's inception six years ago. Apart from a few baby steps here and there, each new major iOS release has brought little in terms of improving the typing experience on iPhones, iPads and iPods.

In turn, developers have readily stepped up their game with a number of keyboard-focused tweaks for jailbroken devices in order to, you know, just keep pace with Android. Virtual keyboard in iOS 7 is of course translucent and like other frosty panels seen throughout the system shows heavily blurred content underneath to an arguably stunning effect.

Apart from the visual updates, we have noticed a few under-the-hood improvements in iOS 7 seemingly aimed at making the iPhone's predictive keyboard smarter. Go past the fold for the full breakdown...

Default iOS hotspot passwords can be cracked in under a minute

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 19, 2013

You may want to reconsider using a default password iOS provides for hotspot functionality as researchers at a German university warn of the weaknesses that let attackers crack any default iOS hotspot password in under a minute. Although Windows Phone uses even weaker passwords and some Android vendors weaken their device's security by modifying the Wi-Fi-related components, Apple's problem is that iOS generates "random" hotspot passwords using a dictionary of only 1,842 different entries...

A closer look at App Store in iOS 7

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 22, 2017

Like all stock apps, the App Store on iOS 7 has been graced with a sprinkle of Jony Ive's magic. Not only does the storefront looks a lot nicer now - gone is the dark-themed look in favor for sleek appearance with lots of white space for easier reading - the app is way smoother and nimbler than on iOS 6.

It also features several enhancements that will appeal to pretty much everyone, from parents and their kids to power users to the likes of Senator John McCain who will love not having to manually update apps on his iPhone. Here's a quick look at all the changes in App Store on iOS 7...

Following iOS 7 flattening, Apple changes Jony Ive’s title to SVP, Design

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 17, 2013

This is quite interesting. Just as Apple has taken the wraps off iOS 7 which has undergone a major facelift under the guidance of Apple's Jony Ive, the design guru's official title on the company's Leadership section has been tweaked, going from Senior Vice President of Industrial Design to just Senior Vice President of Design.

The subtle but signifiable change of nomenclature is for sure meant to signal Ive's tremendously important and much broader responsibilities at Apple, that now encompass both hardware and software design across the company...

Forrester: iOS is shoppers’ platform of choice

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

Owners of mobile gadgets running on Apple's iOS operating system are more likely to make purchases from their iPhone, iPod touch or iPad and use their iDevices for product research. According to research firm Forrester, iOS owners are nearly one-third, or thirty percent, more likely to make purchases using their smartphone or tablet and fifteen percent more likely to research products, compared to Android users.

Although Apple's software is overwhelmingly chosen by shoppers, 96 percent of e-businesses planned to develop mobile applications for both Android and iOS. However, while companies such as Microsoft and others encourage developers to create apps for their platform, only very large companies intend to stray from the iOS-Android duopoly...