Apple has updated its largely unpopular Podcasts app this afternoon, bringing it to version 1.2. The update is a fairly significant one, bringing about a number of improvements including iCloud syncing, custom stations and more.
Proponents of a less-skeuomorphic design will be happy to hear that Apple has also dialed down the styling in the app a bit. The new playback window, for example, now features flat icons instead of the bulky tape-like buttons...
Welcome to episode 2 of Let's Talk Jailbreak. In this episode, Jeff and I sit down and talk about the reasons why we and other people jailbreak, battery life, some of our favorite jailbreak tweaks, and we also review this week's tweaks that were released in Cydia.
This new episode takes into account some of the feedback you guys gave us last week. Most noticeably, I worked on improving the sound quality on my end. Turns out my mic settings were all jacked up, but after some serious tweaking and sound recording tests, I think I finally hit the sweet spot. It's not perfect yet, but it's better. We're working on making it perfect, so hang tight...
It's been a long time in the making, (remember this?), but we have finally started our first weekly podcast. This particular podcast, entitled Let's Talk Jailbreak, will be focused mostly on jailbreaking, and the jailbreak community. We hope to have some great developers and influential members of the community on soon. In this first episode, we talk to iDB founder Sebastien Page, as he gives us a high level overview of iDownloadBlog.
Apple’s Podcast app was released alongside iOS 6 in September 2012 and soon after drew the ire of design conscious users who saw it as a prime example of how skeumorphism devalues usability. That was only tip of the iceberg because users kept on hammering the software in iTunes ratings over its user unfriendliness, slow performance, lack of basic features and a whole host of other issues that go far beyond just teething problems.
And with just 1.5 stars based on nearly 6,000 ratings in the App Store, Podcast is the worst iOS app Apple has ever made, period. Venting his frustration with Apple's seemingly ignorant handling of the app, John Herrman in an article on BuzzFeed titled “Apple’s Podcast Disaster” raises some valid concerns regarding Apple and the future of podcasting...
In case you were not able to watch the iPad mini keynote live as it was happening yesterday, Apple made the video available for streaming on its website shortly after. But for those of you who don't want to be tied to a wifi network in order to watch the keynote, you'll be happy to learn that the whole iPad mini event is now available as a podcast download from iTunes...
Finally, Apple's Podcast app is usable. I lamented over the fact that there was no iCloud subscription syncing included with the initial release, but it looks like Apple has acknowledged this glaring hole, and fixed it up just in time for iOS 6.
Take a look inside for the full change log, and our video hands-on of the original release...
If you wanted to watch Tim Cook and his team the iPhone 5, iOS 6, iTunes and new iPods but don't want to stream, you can now download the entire iPhone 5 keynote as iTunes video podcast, free of charge. Though Apple did not provide a live stream of yesterday's event, just a few hours later the company made available a streaming video of the presentation through its web site. If history is indication, following the Apple.com stream and iTunes podcast it shouldn't be too long until the keynote pops up on Apple's YouTube channel...
A month ago Apple removed Podcasts section from iOS 6 storefronts and posted a dedicated new app to let folks download, consume and manage audio and video podcasts on the go.
Apart from its skeuomorphic design mimicking a vintage tape recorder, the program was plagued with unreliable performance, unexpected quits and generally a bunch of bugs. These issues are clearly reflected in abysmal iTunes ratings that at the time of this writing barely hovered over two and a half stars out of five.
Our own Jeff Benjamin noticed as much, observing in his video hands-on that the radio-dial interface is interesting at first sight, but not very efficient and syncing often doesn't work as intended. Today, Apple pushed out a minor update that promises to squash these pesky bugs while bringing out a couple of new nice-to-haves...
A short while ago, Apple released their official Podcasts app on the App Store. The release wasn't exactly a surprise, as it was rumored to be in the works for some time now.
The new Podcasts app is a free universal download, and serves as a much needed way to manage podcasts. Granted there are other podcast apps available on the App Store, but this is the first time that we've seen something from Apple directly.
Why it took Apple so long to create a podcast management app is anyone's guess. Whatever their reasoning, the bottom line is that it's finally here. Check inside for a full hands on video walkthrough of Apple's new Podcasts app.
There has been some speculation over the past few weeks that Apple was looking to debut a standalone podcasts app alongside iOS 6 this fall. But it looks like they couldn't wait.
Apple just rolled out an all-new Podcasts application, universal for all iOS 5.1+ devices. And we have to admit, it looks fantastic. Keep reading for more details and screenshots...
According to Peter Kafka of AllThingsD, and verified independently by my sources, podcasts in iOS 6 will have a dedicated app come this fall. Though the Podcast section is still present in desktop iTunes 10.6.3, released earlier this week, removing it from iOS 6 iTunes storefront indicates plans that a brand new Podcast app is in the works. Another tell-tale sign: at first run, the iTunes app tells you the iTunes U section has moved to a dedicated app, released back in January. Oh, Audiobooks too are MIA...
Instacast is by far and wide considered to be the best podcast client for iOS. It allows you to download and organize your favorite podcasts and video podcasts, without ever having to open iTunes.
Well it looks like the best just got better today. Instacast version 2.1 is out in the App Store, and the update includes a fresh coat of paint, and several other nice enhancements and bug fixes...