Opinion

The new Music app in iOS 10: a big bold confusing mess

Sébastien Page ∙ June 23, 2016

Apple Music is a great service, but the confusing and bloated user interface of the application has been criticized since the app was first released about a year ago. So when rumors started popping up that Apple had been working on simplifying the app, many got really excited, myself included.

Yet, when Apple showed off the new Music app on stage at WWDC a little over a week ago, I didn’t see anything simpler or more streamlined about the app. It’s only when I started using iOS 10 beta and the new Music app that my fears were confirmed.

Now that I’ve been playing with the Music app for a few days, I feel I have enough feedback to share a few quick thoughts with you. Don’t worry, it’s not all bad.

Opinion: Dark Mode? Apple’s been testing dark interfaces on iOS for years now

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 16, 2016

My colleague Andrew first broke news yesterday that Dark Mode resources have been found within iOS 10's Messages app. Now, Dark Mode was expected to make an official appearance in iOS 10, but the WWDC keynote came and went without any mention of this feature.

Now Mac Aficionados tweeted out screenshots depicting a dark interface in other iOS 10 stock apps, including an automatic dark mode in iBooks, in addition to the Clock app, Safari and the iTunes Store.

As it turns out, dark interfaces in these apps (sans Clock) have been present for years, indicating Apple's been testing how users might accept a Dark Mode option on iOS.

Poll: will you upgrade to iOS 10 or keep your jailbreak?

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated October 16, 2018

Apple announced iOS 10 yesterday at the company's WWDC 2016 Keynote and awed the audience with some pretty neat new features.

Of course, the battle continues for those who want more control over their devices, and because of that, we want to know whether you're going to be updating to iOS 10 this Fall, or if you'll be keeping your iOS device(s) jailbroken on iOS 9 or earlier.

Opinion: I’d rather pay upfront for my apps than rent them

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 9, 2016

Apple has argued that its new App Store rules, which extend subscriptions to literally every app category, would help create a new business model in which people would warm up to the idea of subscribing to apps rather than paying for them upfront.

I'm not so sure that subscriptions are the right answer to what the market is calling “app fatigue”, but I can tell you right now that I'd rather continue paying upfront for fine, quality apps than use them on a subscription basis, here's why.

Why I think Spotlight and Siri should be one

Sébastien Page ∙ June 7, 2016

Ever since the rumors of Siri making its way to the Mac began gaining credence, I started thinking about how I would like to use the feature on OS X, and what it would mean for Siri on iOS. As I was toying around with the idea of Siri on my Mac, something became apparent very quickly: Siri and Spotlight Search have a lot in common. So much so that maybe it would make sense to merge then into one feature at some point. Let me explain.

Mars is a levitating Bluetooth speaker that’s jam-packed with features

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated June 13, 2018

Picking the right Bluetooth speaker for your needs can be hard, especially with all the options out there.

On the more premium shelf of options out there is Mars by Crazybaby, which is a levitating Bluetooth speaker with a long list of features that we think makes it well worth the price.

In this review, we'll talk about what the Mars is capable of and show off its features.

What’s on your Home screen: Anthony Bouchard

Anthony Bouchard ∙ June 4, 2016

Opinions are like Home screens; everyone has one.

Because the Home screen is one of the most-used parts of any iPhone, and because people are always in search of cool new apps to download, it seemed appropriate for me to share what I have on the first page of my Home screen and talk about why I use what I use.

Following suit with my other colleagues here at iDB, I'll be sharing mine as well.

Here’s why an OLED touch bar would make a stellar addition to the MacBook Pro

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 25, 2016

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has caused quite a stir among the faithful with yesterday's research note in which he predicted a major redesign for the MacBook Pro. He claims the refresh includes, among other features, an OLED display touch bar replacing the physical function keys, which are located above the keyboard on current machines.

As some have observed insightfully, the rumored OLED bar could actually turn into a way more powerful feature addition than meets the eye.

Am I the only one wanting a keyboard on Apple Watch?

Sébastien Page ∙ May 25, 2016

Call me crazy or call me what you will, but when I saw Android Wear 2.0 was bringing support for third-party keyboards, I immediately started imagining how useful that would be on my Apple Watch.

Of course the screen is too small to accommodate a keyboard. Heck, it’s already too small to punch in your passcode without missing a tap target. Still, not only do I think there may me a need for it, but I also believe the technology to make this right is now available.

LetMeSwitch is a tweak that improves keyboard switching in iOS

Anthony Bouchard ∙ May 25, 2016

One of the things that can be really peeving about third-party keyboards in iOS is how you can only jump to the next keyboard instead of actually being able to pick a new keyboard to use immediately after.

iOS developer PoomSmart has the right idea with a new free jailbreak tweak called LetMeSwitch, which makes switching from a third-party keyboard to a different keyboard easier than ever.

Apple Pay – that great feature I never use

Sébastien Page ∙ May 20, 2016

Like everybody, I was really excited when Apple released Apple Pay to the public in October of 2014. The idea of paying for physical goods or services, in a store, with my iPhone felt like the future we had been promised was finally available.

Fast-forward eighteen months, and I am now facing the sad realization that I barely use Apple Pay. It’s not entirely Apple’s fault either.

Duo of tweaks enables round profile pictures in Facebook & Twitter apps

Anthony Bouchard ∙ May 20, 2016

As iOS moves forward in design, square profile pictures across the platform are becoming somewhat dated in terms of aesthetics.

A new free jailbreak tweak duo called Round Profile Pic (for Facebook) and (for Twitter) are available in Cydia that let you bring the round profile picture effect to Facebook and Twitter, an aesthetic that already exists throughout all modern iOS versions in various native apps.