Vevo Partners with Apple to Stream iTunes Festival from SXSW [iOS Blog]

Music video and entertainment platform Vevo announced today that it is partnering with Apple to stream this week’s iTunes Festival at SXSW. Apple is limiting the service to include the same streaming options offered by its own iTunes Festival coverage, which includes iOS devices, Macs and the Apple TV.

Starting Tuesday, March 11 and ending Saturday, March 15, viewers can launch the Vevo iOS app or open the Apple TV channel to watch live performances from ACL Live at the Moody Theater in Austin, Texas. Mac owners can view the live stream by pointing their Safari browser to Vevo’s iTunes Festival website.

Three performances are scheduled each night, with headline acts to include major artists such as Coldplay, Kendrick Lamar, Soundgarden, Pitbull an Keith Urban. Select performances will be available for on-demand viewing after the concert is over.

iOS owners who prefer not to use Vevo can watch the daily concert series via Apple’s iTunes Festival app [Direct Link], while Apple TV users can open the recently updated iTunes Festival channel. Both sources allow users to live stream the concert’s shows as well as view concert lineups, on-demand performances and artist information.

Vevo is available for the iPhone [Direct Link] or the iPad [Direct Link].

Apple’s Larger iPhone Design Said to Be Inspired by iPhone 5c and iPod Nano

Apple’s much rumored larger iPhone is said to be a variation on the iPhone 5c rather than the iPhone 5s, according to a new report from Mac Otakara. Sources indicate that the larger iPhone would be an expansion to Apple’s lineup rather than replacing the positions currently held by the iPhone 5s and 5c.

Mac Otakara‘s sources claim Apple has decided on 4.7-inch and 5.7-inch displays as potential candidates for new iPhone models that would launch later this year. These two sizes originally were singled out by Reuters in a report published last year.

This new iPhone model may keep the basic design of the iPhone 5c such as the rounded back edges, button designs, and speaker/microphone hole designs, with some inspiration from the seventh-generation iPod nano. The latest iPod nano models are available in a range of colors like the iPhone 5c, but feature an anodized aluminum design instead of polycarbonate.

Sources also claim the 4.7-inch iPhone will measure at 14×7 cm, while the 5.7-inch model will be larger with dimensions of 16×8 cm. Possibly both models will be 7 mm thick with a protruding rear camera as seen on the current iPod touch models, although it the report indicates that the final version of the phone could be expanded to 7.5 mm thick to match the thickness of the camera module. The design for the phones should already be complete for a launch later this year, so it is unclear if Mac Otakara‘s sources are sharing information from earlier in the design process or if there is simply still some uncertainty in the sources’ information.

Rumors about Apple’s next generation iPhone have been scattered, with reports suggesting the iPhone 6 will adopt a “bezel-free” display and a 10-megapixel or higher camera module with an improved filter. A sketchy report from earlier this year also claimed Apple was working on an iPhone with a 5.6-inch display that would not be marketed with the iPhone name because of its experimental nature.

Mac Otakara has a reasonably strong rumor track record, correctly predicting the dual-LED flash for the iPhone 5s and the designs for the fifth-generation iPod touch and seventh-generation iPod nano.

Apple Maps to Include Transit Directions, Improved Points of Interest Data in iOS 8

Apple is preparing to significantly improve its Maps application in iOS 8, claims a report in 9to5Mac. Apple will slow its work on UI changes and focus instead on improving the underlying infrastructure that powers the application. These data-level changes will make Maps more informative and reliable for iOS users.

The new application will also be injected with new points of interests and new labels to make places such as airports, parks, train stations, bus stops, highways, and freeways easier to find, the sources added. Sources also say that the mapping application’s cartography design has been tweaked to be slightly cleaner and to make streets more visible.

Public transit is another major area that Apple will bring to the iOS 8 version of Maps, tapping into the engineering talent the company has acquired from mapping companies such as HopStop and Embark. The new Maps app likely will allow users to find train, subway and bus information in major U.S. and international cities. These public transit options will be embedded in the maps themselves and in the Directions panel, where they will show up in a new tab next to “Driving” and “Walking.”

Mockup of iOS 8′s transit features
These changes are only the beginning of Apple’s proposed plans for its Maps application, as the company is reportedly also working to add indoor mapping views, improved car integration, and augmented reality features in the future.

Apple switched away from a Google-powered mapping solution in 2012 when it introduced its own Maps application alongside iOS 6. Apple’s Maps faced extensive criticism at launch when a series of high-profile incidents highlighted embarrassing inaccuracies in mapping data and missing features like street view and transit directions that were available in its competitors’ products. Apple CEO Tim Cook even issued a personal apology to iOS owners, promising to improve the app until it lives up to Apple’s “incredibly high standard.”