Guide to Mac, iPod, iPad and iPhone news and reviews
Facebook has launched its Snapchat competitor for a second time, following its accidental release and retraction earlier this month. Slingshot, out for both iOS and Android in the United States, allows users to pass messages, images, and video to each …
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Facebook today launched a new app called Slingshot, which is designed to compete with popular ephemeral messaging app Snapchat. A video and photo messaging app, Slingshot allows users to send media to friends, who are unable to view it until they share…
The second iOS 8 beta includes some minor but still important changes, users note. Podcasts, for instance, is no longer a separate app, but supplied with the OS and impossible to remove, as with iBooks since beta 1. Apple initially spun Podcasts off of…
OS X Yosemite’s dark mode, which was demoed on stage at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, has yet to make it into the beta as an available setting. It is, however, possible to get a glimpse of dark mode with a Terminal command, as discovered by iOS developer Hamza Sood.
To enable the somewhat functional dark mode:
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/.GlobalPreferences AppleInterfaceTheme Dark
— Hamza Sood (@hamzasood) June 17, 2014
The command enables an early version of dark mode, which is clearly not yet complete, likely explaining why it is not yet officially available in the beta. Users should, of course, use caution when deciding whether or not to try this feature for themselves. Dark mode can be undone with a second Terminal command.
The second beta of OS X Yosemite was released to developers earlier today, bringing several new changes like the return of Photo Booth and a new look for Time Machine. The public release of the software will likely come in the fall, after several more beta iterations.
Apple is offering discounts on several popular e-books from Hachette Book Group, the publisher currently embroiled in a dispute with Amazon. As noted by Re/code, Apple is promoting a sale on several Hachette titles under a “Popular Pre-Orders: $9.99 or Less” section in the book section of the iTunes Store, which includes upcoming titles from major authors like James Patterson, Michael Connelly, and J.K. Rowling (under pen name Robert Galbraith).
While Apple does not specifically mention the books on sale are published by Hachette, every book in the 26-book section is indeed a Hachette title. An Apple PR representative confirmed the promotion to Re/code, but declined to discuss pricing or other details.
For those unfamiliar with the dispute, Amazon and Hachette have been at war for the last month, after negotiations over profit-sharing failed. Amazon has since refused to take pre-order sales of Hachette books and has also ceased discounting existing Hachette titles, leading to much higher prices, in an effort to get Hachette to agree to better terms.
An Apple PR rep confirmed the promotion, but wouldn’t discuss the pricing or any other details. So we have to assume that either Hachette is lowering wholesale prices on its own titles to help Apple tweak Amazon, or Apple is lowering the retail price on its own, and losing margin in order to tweak Amazon.
Amazon released a public statement in May, noting that it was not optimistic about resolving the disagreement with Hachette in the near future. That means Amazon customers must pay more for Hachette books and must wait for books to be launched to make a purchase, a situation that benefits Apple as it is still able to offer customers pre-orders on popular titles.
Apple today released the second beta of iOS 8, which brings a number of improvements, changes, and bug fixes to the beta software that was introduced on June 2. iOS 8 beta 2 also includes several minor interface tweaks and modifications that make the…
Apple has released OS X Yosemite Developer Preview 2 to Mac users running OS X 10.10 beta builds. The new build includes many bug fixes, feature enhancements, and additions to the beta release of OS X, and arrives versioned as 14A261i. The updated buil…
Apple has released iOS 8 beta 2 to developers, bringing bug fixes and feature improvements to the developer build of iPhone and iPad software. The second beta build arrives versioned as 12A4297e and is made available through the iOS Developer Center at Apple’s website, or as a quick Over-The-Air update for devices that are currently … Read More
Alongside iOS 8 beta 2, Apple today released a new version of OS X Yosemite, just over two weeks after initially introducing the operating system at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference. The update, Developer Preview 2, has a build number of 14…
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It’s been a while since the iOS stylus beat has had anything truly revolutionary come down the pipeline—Apple only offers so many tools for stylus manufacturers and app-makers to use, and often at a compromise. But iOS 8 looks to shake up this status quo somewhat with a new tool for developers: touch sizes.
According to a blog post from FiftyThree, makers of the Paper drawing app and accompanying Bluetooth stylus Pencil, iOS 8 will bring a new update to their app—“Surface Pressure.” No, this doesn’t mean actual pressure sensitivity, à la Wacom; instead, Paper works together with Pencil to note how much of the Pencil nib you’re pressing to the screen. Depending on the tool you’re using, applying more of the nib to the screen gets you pencil shading, a larger ink brush, or dynamic eraser sizing.
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Facing a jury trial next month with $840 million in potential damage claims on the line in a dispute over alleged e-book price fixing, Apple has instead decided to settle out of court to make the problem go away.
Bloomberg reported Monday that Apple Inc. has reached a settlement with U.S. states who allege the iPhone maker colluded with five big publishers to put the squeeze on Amazon, the reigning heavyweight champion of e-books.
Although the U.S. attorneys general and the consumers they represent have accepted Apple’s settlement, a memorandum of understanding under court seal prevented lawyers from revealing any details of the agreement, and Apple was typically mum on the subject as well.
The U.S. government first launched an assault against Apple in April 2012, accusing e-book publishers of working with Cupertino to keep the price of digital books high while the iPad maker scarfed up 30 percent of the take. The move was intended to pressure Amazon to raise their prices, rather than offer best sellers below cost.
The settlement will keep Apple out of court and avoid a potentially costly jury trial, including damage claims of nearly $840 million.
Follow this article’s author, J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter
Amidst rumors Google is about to swallow up voice recognition provider Nuance, Domino’s Pizza has teamed up with the current Apple partner to provide a new voice ordering assistant in the latest version of its U.S.-based app, which pretty much brings us full circle back to ordering on the phone, although without any human interaction. That’s progress… right?
Looking for something to keep the kids busy this summer? Apple Retail Stores will again be hosting free summer camp workshops for kids eight to 12, where they’ll learn to make movies on iMovie as well as create an interactive book. Campers will create elements using the iPad, then apply the finishing touches using software on Mac, with an Apple Camp Showcase at the end for sharing finished projects with the world. Kids must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, and are welcome to bring their own digital camera or video camera for the Stories in Motion workshop (otherwise the store will provide one).
Parallels announced Tuesday the release of Parallels Access 2.0, a major update to the company’s formerly iPad-only remote-access app for Mac and PC which is now a universal build with iPhone support. New features include Facebook login support, a file browser, adjustable screen resolutions, and the ability to use a tablet or smartphone microphone for the remote desktop. Last but not least, Access is also available on Android devices for the first time, and it’s cheaper than ever to subscribe at $19.99 per year or $34.99 for two years ($29.99 through the end of June) for access to up to five computers on an unlimited number of devices; new business subscriptions are also available.
Having issues uploading unrecognized tracks via iTunes Match lately? MacRumors reported Monday that you may not be alone, with an ever-expanding thread of complaints slowly filling up the Apple Support forums over the last week or two. Although the $24.99-per-year service appears to match tracks against the extensive iTunes catalog just fine, unrecognized tracks instead stall during the upload phase, then unceremoniously end without ever actually finishing. No word yet from Apple on what might be causing the problem, which is likely a server-side issue that will hopefully clear up soon.
Now that both Apple and Google offer free navigation apps on their respective iOS and Android platforms, what’s a veteran of the GPS space to do? Garmin is now taking a unique approach with a new app called Viago, which promises “navigation tailored to fit your needs.” Offering international map browsing, regional navigation, lane assist with “photoreal junction” view, and traffic and speed info, the 99-cent app can be customized with optional upgrades via in-app purchases, including a free bonus package with new map themes and vehicle icons for iOS users.
The folks at Box were busy on Monday with a pair of announcements. First up is word the company has acquired Streem, an upstart storage service that allows users to store documents, presentations, videos, and other files via a cloud drive mounted on the desktop. More immediately, Box Sync now supports Mac package files, which will be good news for iWork users, since they’ll be able to finally sync Pages, Numbers, and Keynote files between the desktop and Box as a single file, exactly the way it appears on the desktop. The only requirement is upgrading to Box Sync 4 — a free update that’s available now.
Follow this article’s author, J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter
It’s a question many of us have asked ourselves at one point or another since Steve Jobs passed away in 2011: Is Apple still the design leader it once was? Apple’s design chief Jony Ive certainly seems to think so, or so he claims in an Q&A with the New York Times on the heels of the Gray Lady’s larger piece on Tim Cook this weekend. Not only is Apple’s approach to design in a good place, Ive says, but the company is about to extend it to products with “materials we haven’t worked in before.”
Ive understandably remains vague about the specifics of these new products, but past rumors may indicate what’s on the table. Large-scale production of sapphire crystal displays for the rumored “iWatch” and iPhone 6 seem all but a given, for instance, particularly in light of information from analyst Matt Margolis this weekend claiming that Apple can easily make untold tons of the stuff. Liquidmetal may also figure heavily into future Apple products; so far, it’s most notable for being used for the SIM eject tool for the iPhone 3G.
Ive’s interview also yields some additional information about Tim Cook. Most notably, Ive relays his belief that nothing significant has changed in Apple management since Cook took over the helm. Much of that smooth transition has a lot to do with Cook’s long history with the company, he says. “Steve established a set of values, and he established preoccupations and tones that are completely enduring – and he established those principals with a small team of people. I’ve been ridiculously lucky to be part of it,” says Ive. “But Tim was very much part of that team – for that last 15 or 20 years.”
Like Jobs, Cook reportedly insists on frequent meetings, and Ive notes that the two of them meet around three times a week. “Heading on for two decades working with Tim, one of the things I have always admired is the quiet consideration he gives to trying to understand how he perceives something,” says Ive. “He will take the time. I think that testifies to the fact that he knows it’s important.”
You can read the full interview over at the New York Times‘ website. If you missed the NYT‘s profile of Tim Cook this weekend, it’s also well worth a read.
Follow this article’s writer, Leif Johnson, on Twitter.
Many Mac users use utilities to temporarily prevent their computer from sleeping, often relying on sleep corners, the third party tool called Caffeine, pmset, or more recently, the command line utility that is now bundled with OS X called caffeinate. B…