Just ahead of Apple's 'hello again' keynote event Thursday morning, Twitter announced its plans to discontinue the video-looping social networking app we all know as Vine.
Twitter announces plans to discontinue Vine
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Adobe pushes another critical security update for Flash Player
It's been a little more than two weeks since Photoshop maker Adobe released a security update for its Flash Player for macOS which fixed a bunch of critical vulnerabilities and now another critical security update for Flash Player got released this morning. According to Adobe, the vulnerabilities in the current version of Flash Player could allow an attacker to take control of Mac, Windows, Linux and Chrome OS machines.
Apple Store goes offline ahead of today’s “Hello again” Mac event
Like clockwork, Apple has taken its online stores around the world offline ahead of today's “Hello again” Mac event, which kicks off with a keynote at 10am PT / 1pm ET at Town Hall on the Cupertino campus. iDownloadBlog will be providing remote live coverage of the announcements as they happen.
Apple typically takes the online store down ahead of major product introductions. The store should go back up with new product listings as soon as the event wraps up. Be sure to stick around as we've got a lot more coming up.
How to live stream today’s Apple “hello again” event
Apple will be streaming its "Hello Again" keynote event from its home campus in Cupertino, California today.
If you want to tune into the event to see everything Apple brings to the table, then this post will have all the information you'll need to learn how to stream the event live.
Apple said to be launching new TV guide app tomorrow
Apple plans to unveil a new TV guide app tomorrow during its Hello Again Mac event, reports Recode. Citing a source familiar with the initiative, the site says the guide will aggregate and show content that's available, and will work on Apple TV and iOS devices.
Unfortunately, not all major video providers have agreed to participate in the program. Most notably, the report claims that Netflix data will not be available in the guide, which is odd considering that the two companies have worked closely together in the past.
New report rebuffs claim that Apple will release 5-inch iPhone in 2017
A new report is out late Wednesday rebuffing an earlier claim that Apple intends to release 3 iPhone models next year. Citing sources familiar with Apple's plans, AppleInsider says the company will be sticking with its 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch handset sizes in 2017.
For those that missed it, Asian news outlet Nikkei reported Wednesday morning that Apple would be adding a 5-inch option to its current two-size lineup. It didn't, however, explain why it would want to do so, given how close it would be to the 4.7-inch model.
Apple says AirPods aren’t ready yet, pushes back release date
Bad news for folks hoping to snag a pair of Apple's cool new wireless AirPod headphones this month. TechCrunch has received a statement from Apple saying that they aren't quite ready yet, so don't expect them to hit their original 'late October' rollout date.
No Escape key on your MacBook Pro? Sierra lets you remap its function to a modifier key
With less than 24 hours away until Apple's “Hello again” Mac event, images of an unreleased MacBook Pro found in the latest macOS Sierra 10.12.1 update have all but confirmed a rumored OLED touch bar replacing the row with hardware function keys.
The Internet immediately complained about the apparent loss of the hardware Escape key that seems to have fallen victim to these programmable OLED keys. While the OLED Bar could display a soft-Escape key in the left corner, users can now assign its function to one of the hardware modifier keys.
As Jeff Geerling first noted yesterday, the latest macOS 10.12.1 Sierra update now conveniently lets you remap an Escape action to a Caps Lock, Control, Option or Command modifier key—which wasn't possible in earlier macOS editions.
How Micro-LEDs could allow for Apple gadgets with longer-lasting batteries & brighter screens
2017 iPhones may ditch traditional LCDs for a lot brighter, much more power-efficient OLED display technology. However, the OLED switch could be short-lived as Apple is said to be adopting emerging Micro-LED display panels. Micro-LED screens could debut on 2017 Apple Watch models.
Micro-LEDs range in size from one micron to one hundred microns. Skating to where the puck's going to be, Apple in May 2014 bought Micro-LED developer LuxVue Technology, adding their talent to to its hardware innovations team. The iPhone maker also set up an R&D center in Taiwan to research Micro-LEDs.
Here's a technology primer providing a layman's overview of the current state of Micro-LED technology and how it could benefit Apple by helping its teams engineer devices that would rock longer-lasting batteries and have significantly brighter screens.
Nikkei: all iPhone 8 models to have all-glass design, new 5″ model in the works
According to Nikkei Asian Review today, Apple's 2017 iPhone family (which may be called “iPhone 8” rather than “iPhone 7s”) will include three models, adding a brand new five-inch form factor to the mix. All three models of the iPhone 8 should boast refreshed industrial design.
The overhauled phones would be sandwiched between two pieces of chemically hardened curved glass—like KGI's Ming-Chi Kuo predicted in a report to clients.
Both glass backs and cover glass for the iPhone 8 will be supplied by China's Biel Crystal Manufactory and Lens Technology, an industry source told the publication. The glass front and back will be held together by a brand new metal frame, but Apple is said to have yet make a final decision on the design of the metal frames.
New Apple TV app launching Thursday to give users personalized TV show recommendations
For years, Apple's been courting content owners to support its ambitions to provide its users a package of TV programming and live broadcasts, to no avail.
But Apple's living room strategy is said to have shifted recently from building an inexpensive skinny bundle of TV programming to developing a simple interface for browsing digital programming guides.
First signs of this new direction should become visible at Thursday's “Hello again” Mac event: USA Today claims that Apple will unveil a new app for giving owners of the fourth-generation Apple TV personalized recommendations for television shows.
Tip: save space on iPhone 7 Plus by turning off depth of field photo duplicates
iOS provides a Portrait mode in the stock Camera app to owners of the dual-camera iPhone 7 Plus.
As you know, Portrait mode lets you take dramatic DSLR-like depth of field photographs where the camera automatically creates a beautifully blurred background while keeping the subject in the front sharp and in full focus.
Your iPhone 7 plus defaults to saving both the original twelve-megapixel photo and its depth of field counterpart, effectively doubling storage requirements for Portrait shots.
In this quick tutorial we're going to show you how you can easily disable photo duplicates for depth of field photos with just a few taps.