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iOS 7 adoption at 87 percent ahead of WWDC 2014

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 27, 2018

After last summer's WWDC, Apple started charting iOS adoption numbers on Dev Center, its portal for registered Mac and iOS developers.

According to data from March 24, 2014, a whopping 85 percent of the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices in the wild ran iOS 7 at the time. The figure has now grown to 87 percent device, as per latest App Store numbers.

Although iOS adoption rates are now plateauing following the software's public release more than six months ago, the two percentage-point difference in two weeks time is nonetheless a notable accomplishment.

I bet Apple's executives will highlight iOS vs. Android adoption to paint Google's platform as highly fragmented, but there's more to data than meets the eye. Read on for more context...

NBC’s iOS app now streams free shows to Apple TV

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 8, 2014

Cord-cutters are well aware that the National Broadcasting Company, or NBC, is one of the rare few broadcasters that allow for free streaming of their shows right after they've aired on television, no cable subscription required.

The company has a nice iOS application which has received an interesting little update earlier today with support for wireless content streaming to the Apple TV, via Apple's AirPlay technology.

As a result, you can now send such shows as The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Days of our Lives, The Blacklist and About a Boy to your big screen TV, through Apple's $99 media-streaming box...

Apple allegedly working on its own baseband chips for 2015 iPhones and iPads

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 8, 2014

As you know, Apple's in-house teams have been designing the engine that drives the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Apple TV devices for years now. However, the company still sources one crucial piece of silicon from a third-party: it buys baseband modems that provide the iPhone and iPad with cellular connectivity from Qualcomm. But even that could soon change, if a new rumor is an indication.

DigiTimes, the hit-and-miss Taiwanese trade publication, is reporting that Apple is planning to form a research and development team to engineer baseband processors for iPhones fully in-house. The move would empower the firm to take an even greater control of its chip destiny.

In years past, Apple acquired several fabless semiconductor makers such as PA Semi and Intrinsity for their talent and technology. Apple now has over a thousand silicon and wireless engineers who design A-series of chips in house by licensing CPU and GPU blueprints from ARM and Imagination Technology, respectively, optimizing their designs for speed, low power consumption and iOS...

Persistent search bar and swiping improvements added to Vimeo’s iOS app

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 7, 2014

Back in February, the video sharing service Vimeo added support for the handy swiping gesture to its free iOS app.

You can swipe right to reveal options to share a video, like it or add it to your Watch Later list. Swiping left marks a video for download so it can be accessible on your device without an Internet connection.

Today's update, now available in the App Store, removes the Watch Later option when you swipe from left to right, leaving only sharing and liking options in the menu. But don't worry, Watch Later is now available when you swipe from right to left. As a bonus, the app now adds a clip to your Watch Later list and marks it for download at the same time.

Vimeo version 4.0.10 also includes a new persistent search bar at the top, but more on this after the break...

Amazon Instant Video gets overhauled with iOS 7 styling

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 7, 2014

Amazon on Monday issued a new version of its Instant Video for iOS app. Available free in the App Store, the new Amazon Instant Video version 2.5 now finally features a brand new user interface on the iPhone and iPad which honors Apple's human interface guidelines for iOS 7 development.

Released initially for the iPad in August 2012 and later updated with iPhone UI, the app picked up support for background AirPlay wireless streaming to the Apple TV back in September 2013.

If you live in the Amazon cloud, Instant Video for iOS is your gateway to the world of Hollywood entertainment available on Amazon's video service. Today's facelift arrives after the online retail giant announced (and started selling on the same day) its own set-top box last week, the $99 Fire TV that does voice and runs games.

Read on to learn more...

What early iPhone 5 buyers wanted: stronger battery, better Maps, bigger screens and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 7, 2014

According to Apple's internal survey conducted with early iPhone 5 buyers, the company was well aware it didn't have what consumers wanted most, as far back as the Fall of 2012.

An internal research note from Apple’s lawsuit with Samsung, published by Business Insider reporter Jay Yarrow, indicates the one thing iPhone 5 buyers wanted most was longer battery life, hardly a surprise as the longer-lasting battery is the most frequently cited complaint among smartphone buyers in general.

Early iPhone 5 adopters were also asking for a much improved built-in Apple Maps application, the #2 item on the wish list, and a bigger screen as the third most often requested feature. We're of course expecting iPhones with bigger screens in the second half of this year.

If there's any substance to the rumors floating around, Apple is working on a 4.7-inch iPhone and another one with a screen measuring between five and 5.7 inches diagonally, although the latter model could be delayed over issues with in-cell production technology for the larger screen size...

Apple’s iPhone trade-in program extends to Germany

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 7, 2014

Apple's own iPhone trade-in program is now available across company-owned online and brick-and-mortar retail outlets in Germany. Now available via the Online Apple Store and through Apple's free Apple Store application for the iPhone and iPad, the initiative allows German shoppers to trade-in their existing device in good condition and receive a gift card worth up to €230, or about 315 in US dollars.

Like in the United States, German customers can then redeem the amount on the gift card against a new iPhone purchase to help bring down the upfront cost of the hardware. Your existing devices get disposed of in an environmentally friendly way instead of ending up in landfills...

IGN names ‘Epoch 2’ its Free Game of the Month

Cody Lee ∙ April 6, 2014

Great news gamers, IGN has named Uppercut Games' Epoch 2 its Free Game of the Month. This is one of the first times that the game, which normally retails for $4.99, has ever been made available at no cost.

For those unfamiliar with the title, Epoch 2 features intuitive, gesture-based controls and gorgeous visuals. It continues the post-apocalyptic storyline of the original, and offers new weapons and gameplay modes...

Internal Apple slides explain why it thinks iPhone growth is slowing

Cody Lee ∙ April 6, 2014

Despite posting 50+ million iPhone sales last quarter, Apple's stock slid some 6%. As impressive as the numbers were, they still fell short of Wall Street expectations and reaffirmed fears of slowing growth. Apple's YoY (year-over-year) iPhone growth is now down to just single digits.

The question is why? And Apple has a pretty good idea of what the answer is. According to some internal documents brought to light by the ongoing Samsung trial, the company attributes the slowing in iPhone growth to consumer want for larger, cheaper handsets and other factors...

TinyCo posts teaser video for upcoming Family Guy game

Cody Lee ∙ April 5, 2014

We've been following the progress of the Family Guy mobile project since it was first announced last year. The series is one of the most popular on television right now, and many believe the game has the potential to give The Simpsons: Tapped Out a run for its money.

In fact, the two games will be very similar. TinyCo has said that 'Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff' will be a free-to-play title with various resource management elements. And today, the developers offered up even more information on the project along with a new teaser...

Sprint now offering up to $650 for new ‘Framily’ subscribers

Cody Lee ∙ April 5, 2014

Following in the footsteps of T-Mobile, Sprint announced this week that it is now offering up to $650 in equipment trade-in and early termination fee credits to new subscribers. The goal of the promo is to entice customers to switch over from their current carriers.

Folks looking to cash in on the 'Framily Switching Bonus' offer must port their existing phone numbers from another company to Sprint. They must also trade-in their previous handsets for new smartphones, and subscribe to one of the carrier's new Framily rate plans...

Apple engineer explains how the iPhone was designed for ‘normal people’

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

The Samsung trial marched on today, with Apple's Greg Christie taking the stand. You might remember Christie, the senior software engineer, from this WSJ article last month, where he detailed some of the early stages of original iPhone development. And this afternoon, he did the same thing in court.

More specifically, Christie shared some new details on the development of the iPhone's 'Slide to Unlock,' which is one of the patents that Apple's accusing Samsung of infringing. He said initially, his team wanted the handset's display to be always on, but they quickly discovered it needed a locked mode...