Category: News

Amazon has updated its Kindle app for iOS to version 4.3, adding the ability to listen to the Audible version of Kindle books that you own. According to Amazon, there are over 45,000 Kindle/Audible titles eligible for this new in-app listening feature….

Last week, it was reported that Apple has begun producing some of its television ads internally rather than relying on longtime partner TBWA, and now Ad Age has an extensive look at the company’s evolving ad strategy that is seeing much more work being…

A couple of weeks ago, we told you about iPad and iPhone owners in Australia whose devices were ransomed off by a hacker or group of hackers that figured out a way to get into the software program and lock users out. If you recall, Apple’s response to the situation was to recommend that everyone […]

Apple’s quarterly iPhone sales may beat Wall Street estimates, based on new data from Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty. According to the firm’s AlphaWise Smartphone Tracker, Apple could sell as many as 39 million iPhones in the second calendar quarter of the year, beating Wall Street’s predicted 35 million and topping the 31.2 million sold in the same quarter last year.

Huberty believes iPhone sales will get a boost this quarter due to deep discounts on iPhone upgrades that entice consumers to buy a new iPhone, despite the upcoming rumored launch of the iPhone 6. Apple recently launched a promotion that encourages customers to trade-in their old iPhone and receive credit towards an iPhone 5s or 5c. Apple is offering iPhone 4 users up to $99, while iPhone 4s owners can get up to $199 as a store credit, making an upgrade to a subsidized iPhone 5s virtually free.

Carriers and third-party retailers also have discounted the iPhone in recent weeks, with Best Buy last month offering up to $200 trade-in value for customers who bring in an older iPhone and upgrade to an iPhone 5s or 5c. To maintain this sales momentum, Apple also may start selling the iPhone along with contract-free calling and data plans for T-Mobile and AT&T.

Morgan Stanley’s “AlphaWise” smartphone tracker compiles sales data using Google Trends data and historically is more accurate at forecasting iPhone sales than Wall Street consensus estimates, although Huberty may still tweak her numbers in the closing weeks of the quarter.

PhatWare Corp. has WritePad SDK 4.2, an update to their handwriting recognition SDK (software development kit) for iOS 7.0.
WritePad SDK enables third-party app developers and OEMs [original eq…

Amsys has announced their first “Beginning Swift Development” course for July. Announced at last week’s Apple WWDC keynote, Swift has been created to make app development an easier, more accessi…

Apple has released MacBook Air SMC Update 2.0 for mid-2013 MacBook Air models.
This update addresses an issue which may cause the battery to drain faster than expected when the lid is closed. It requires Mac O X 10.8.5 or later and is available via th…

It’s in the bag!This week’s roundup of the latest accessories for your Mac includes all the bags you can dream of, as well as some storage and ergonomic add-ons.Calypso CrystalThe $349 Calypso Flip is a leather flip case for protecting and carrying you…

Could a new day be dawning at Apple? Judging from a pair of recent reports, the Cupertino company is looking to put on a friendlier face, both in public relations and with former retail partners like Costco.

Re/code reported Monday that Apple CEO Tim Cook is apparently very hands on when it comes to searching for a replacement for VP of worldwide corporate communications Katie Cotton.

Cotton, a longtime Steve Jobs ally who never ventured far from the co-founder’s side during Apple media events, retired last month after almost 20 years with the company — but despite two of her underlings poised to replace her, Cook is said to be looking elsewhere for “high-profile external candidates.”

“He’s paying particular attention to those he believes could put a friendlier, more approachable face on Apple’s public relations efforts,” the report added, suggesting the “new” Apple could have a less contentious relationship with the media once such a candidate is hired.

And it’s not just PR: MacRumors reported yesterday that Costco Wholesale is renewing its relations with Apple for iPhone and iPad sales after parting ways in late 2010.

According to an internal email from Costco’s Wireless Advocates subsidiary, the new partnership will “incorporate Apple products into our already strong product line-up in Costco” in addition to two of the company’s three enterprise channels, which include the military and Car Toys.

The email acknowledges “much backend work and physical kiosk work” remains to get Apple products into Costco, but already iPods and iPad Air models with Wi-Fi only have started to appear in the wholesaler’s internal inventory systems, suggesting sales of such products could kick off over the summer.

Follow this article’s author, J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter

Google’s $35 Chromecast has been on a roll lately, adding support for a plethora of new apps and services. VLC users will be happy to know that they aren’t being forgotten, with VideoLAN recently confirming in a forum post that Chromecast support is underway for the iOS app, with Mac, Windows, and Linux coming a little further down the line. If that just brightened your day, wait until you read today’s recap!

Apple Details OS X Yosemite Design Changes in WWDC Video

If last week’s WWDC 2014 keynote whetted your appetite for a closer look at OS X Yosemite, Apple has just what you’re looking for. MacRumors reported Monday that Apple has posted the minute-long “The New Look of OS X Yosemite” video shown during the June 2 keynote, which focuses on the latest Mac operating system’s new desktop translucency while highlighting features such as AirDrop, Finder, Messages, and Notification Center. OS X Yosemite will be released this fall, and we’re sure to see even more of it over the summer.

Skype Announces iPhone Redesign, Available Next Week

The Skype Blog announced Monday that an all-new, “remastered” version of the company’s iPhone app is set to debut in the App Store “in about a week,” with a similar reboot also in the works for iPad as well. Version 5.0 promises to be “the most refined version yet,” with a “consistent look and feel with the Windows Phone and Android apps” and a speed overhaul said to be more than five times faster than the existing version. The iPhone app is also said to be smarter about syncing notifications between different devices and computers. Can’t wait for the new version? Skype has posted a closer look on its website, which will have to satisfy you for now.

Macphun Serves Up Creative Kit Plus Bundle Until June 22

The folks at Macphun are kicking off summer with a new Creative Kit Plus bundle offering $260 worth of Mac software for only $99.99. Available between now and Sunday, June 22, the bundle includes the company’s popular Intensify Pro, Snapheal Pro, and Focus 2 Pro applications along with a one-year Premium membership to photo contest service ViewBug. The first 500 customers will also receive a free copy of Macphun’s next app, which is due for release later this summer and is very hush-hush for the time being. You’re just a few clicks away from unlimited creative possibilities, so why not take the plunge on the Macphun website today?

South African App Store Begins Accounting for 14 Percent Tax

According to tipster Brandon Walker, Apple has started collecting Value Added Tax (VAT) on the South African App Store at a rate of 14 percent. The change was announced in an iTunes Connect email to developers on Sunday, which was expected to take effect within 24 hours. “Price adjustments on the App Store are made periodically due to changes in foreign tax rates,” the brief email reads, referring to a June 2 update to Apple’s Contracts, Tax and Banking agreements. If there’s anyone reading in South Africa, your iTunes dollar won’t stretch quite as far as it used to…

Flickr Abandons Facebook, Google Logins

Using Facebook or Google logins to sign into Yahoo-owned Flickr? Not anymore. According to a March 6 staff post in the official Flickr Help Forum, users have had several months to get used to the change, which has now finally started rolling out. “Starting this month, we will be requesting that everyone use a Yahoo username and password to sign in to Flickr,” the post reads, adding that Facebook and Google users will be prompted to create a Yahoo username when accessing their Flickr account. A tad inconvenient, but not surprising considering Yahoo’s recent moves to reestablish themselves as a major internet player.

Follow this article’s author, J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter

Apple has been awarded a patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (via AppleInsider) that details a weightlifting tracker that could pair with a watch-like device to provide live progress-tracking to users, offering a potential scenario where App…

Apple appears to be removing many of the popular music downloading apps from the iOS App Store, including those that allowed users to obtain files from third-party file sharing sites. The move is likely in an attempt to push the iTunes Store and iTunes…

For today’s Daily Deal we’ve found 7 great apps to add to your iPad collection.  We have 1 productivity / entertainment apps and 6 game apps in today’s bundle. We used our PadGadget Apps Tracker to find these great deals and we’ll continue to look for the best app deals as they pop-up. Some of […]

Apple today released MacBook Air SMC update 2.0 for mid-2013 MacBook Air models, addressing an issue that could cause excessive battery drain when the computer’s lid is closed.This update is recommended for MacBook Air (Mid 2013) models. This update …

Cupertino may have put smiles on the faces of iOS developers at last week’s WWDC, but some of those with less scruples may soon find their apps rejected from the App Store.

TechCrunch reported Monday that Apple appears to be taking a stand against developers attempting to monetize their apps through “incentivized video viewing” and rewards for social sharing.

According to an unnamed developer who posted to StackOverflow, such apps run afoul of two sections in Apple’s Developer Guidelines, despite the app in question having been updated four times previously.

Section 2.25 clearly notes “Apps that display Apps other than your own for purchase or promotion in a manner similar to or confusing with the App Store will be rejected,” while section 3.10 targets “Developers who attempt to manipulate or cheat the user reviews or chart ranking in the App Store with fake or paid reviews.”

In this developer’s case, an App Store reviewer specifically cited the app for “promoting other apps not your own” and for offering up “free in-game credits for watching videos of other apps by developers other than yourself” — including posting to Facebook in exchange for a reward of some kind, such as in-app content.

The report notes that many developers use such tactics in an effort to manipulate their own app rankings, which could be bad news for companies like Flurry, AdColony, and Tapjoy who offer cross-promotion services, such as incentives for watching brief in-app videos.

Worse yet (for developers, anyway), such rejections could soon be applied retroactively, suggesting that Apple is going out of its way to stomp out such practices on the App Store at long last.

As one Apple reviewer put it: “You can advertise your own games via the standard ad networks. However, when you have a ‘More Games’ or ‘Other Games’ you should only market your own games,” which should benefit more traditional advertising networks, including Apple’s own iAds.

Follow this article’s author, J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter

(Image courtesy of Mashable)