Apple Announces 2015 ‘Hour of Code’ Workshops for Students

Apple has announced that it will once again be participating in “Hour of Code” this Computer Science Education Week on December 7-13, hosting free workshops and special events for kids ages six and up at Apple Retail Stores throughout the U.S. and around the world.

Apple will be hosting an “Hour of Code” free one-hour introduction to the basics of computer programming on December 10, supporting Code.org‘s initiative for the third consecutive year. Additional “Hour of Code” partners include Amazon, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and many others.

Apple has also featured six global special events to be hosted by Code.org co-founder Hadi Partovi, and other developers and organizations, in Brussels, Chicago, New York City, Tokyo, San Francisco and Sydney. Each will have a focus on app development or computer science education.

“Hour of Code” is an initiative sponsored by non-profit website Code.org, which hosts a variety of tools for learning and teaching programming. Each year, the site hosts a global movement aimed at reaching millions of students through a free workshop that teaches basic programming techniques.

Registration is now open for the workshops and special events on Apple’s website.

Discuss this article in our forums

Apple Pay Usage Declined on Black Friday Over Last Year Per New Study

In a new study performed by InfoScout, nearly half as many possible Apple Pay customers used the mobile payments system on Black Friday in 2015 as they did in 2014 on the same sales-laden holiday (via Quartz). The study polled a total of 300,000 people to gather the information, discerning the time around March 2015 as Apple Pay’s peak, with another understandable resurgence in the fall surrounding the launch of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.

The research organization found that Apple Pay was used for only 2.7 percent of total possible Apple Pay-eligible transactions on Black Friday this year. This is opposed to 2014, where new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus customers used Apple Pay in 4.9 percent of eligible transactions. As InfoScout points out, simple early adopter curiosity — Apple Pay was barely a month old at the time — could have helped in the service’s early-on surge in numbers.

InfoScout‘s survey didn’t track in-app payments made on Black Friday through Apple Pay, however, so customers who shopped on mobile devices in apps like Target and Best Buy were not included in the results. 300,000 participants is a large sample size, but given the popularity of mobile and online shopping, there’s a good possibility that a large swath of Apple Pay’s numbers were subsequently excluded from the poll.

Despite the tepid usage of Apple Pay on Black Friday this year as reported by the survey, Apple has been in full force behind the year-old service. With its launch in new countries like Canada and Australia, the company has continued to educate its customers on Apple Pay’s various features with new guided tour videos. Other stores have launched loyalty rewards support and the service is available at more places than ever thanks to Square’s $49 NFC and Chip reader.

Discuss this article in our forums

2016 U.S. CarPlay Vehicles: Chevrolet, Honda, Volkswagen and More

Most carmakers in the U.S. are now clearing out 2015 models to make way for new 2016 vehicles, a growing number of which feature CarPlay for the first time since Apple introduced the software platform at WWDC in 2013.

Apple’s in-dash software provides hands-free or eyes-free access to Maps, Phone, Messages, Music, Podcasts and third-party apps including Spotify, Rdio, iHeartRadio, CBS Radio and MLB At Bat.

Volkswagen is one of twelve automakers supporting CarPlay on 2016 U.S. vehicles

CarPlay will be available in a wide range of 2016 vehicles from Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Honda, Volkswagen and other carmakers — many are available now, and others will launch in the coming weeks. The feature is standard for most U.S. models listed, but some carmakers have made the feature an upgrade by itself or as part of an entertainment package.

2016 U.S. CarPlay Vehicles

Other Carmakers

Apple lists several other CarPlay partners on its website, but some remain committed to their own infotainment systems in current U.S. vehicles. Select carmakers have disclosed their plans to support CarPlay in the future.

– Acura has not announced CarPlay support, but its parent company Honda has launched CarPlay in the 2016 Accord and 2016 Civic. Given that Acura is Honda’s luxury brand, its vehicles should eventually support CarPlay.

– Fiat Chrysler Automobiles brands, including Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, RAM and Abarth, will not support CarPlay in 2016 models, and the auto group has not announced future plans. Ferrari is the sole exclusion.

– Audi‘s website says CarPlay will be “available on some all-new Audi models arriving in U.S. showrooms by 2016,” possibly including the 2017 Audi A4 in late 2016. Select Audi models in Europe already feature CarPlay.

– BMW confirmed in a November 2015 earnings call that it remains committed to supporting CarPlay on future models, but did not specify a model year — the 2017 model year or later is probable.

– Ford, like Chrysler, is another “Big Three” U.S. automaker that does not appear it will support CarPlay on 2016 models, including its luxury brand Lincoln, but the company has suggested its SYNC 3 platform could eventually work with CarPlay.

– Jaguar, Land Rover, Mazda and Subaru have not announced CarPlay support for their 2016 vehicle lineups.

– Nissan has plans to support CarPlay for its 2016 vehicle lineup, but the 2016 Altima will not be one of those vehicles and support for other upcoming models remains unclear. It has not announced plans for 2016.

– Mercedes-Benz has demoed CarPlay in its 2015 C-Class sedan in 2015, and the 2016 A-Class supports Apple’s in-dash system, but the A-Class is not sold in the U.S. It appears increasingly likely that Mercedes-Benz will not adopt CarPlay in the U.S. until the 2017 model year or later.

– Toyota appears to have put its CarPlay commitment on hold for now. The world’s largest automaker instead reached a partnership with Telenav in July 2015 to use its Scout GPS Link technology for its in-dash systems.

Aftermarket Systems

Alpine, Kenwood and Pioneer each sell aftermarket CarPlay systems for installation in vehicles that do not come standard with the feature. The aftermarket systems generally retail for between $600 and $1,400 depending on the model, and can usually be retrofitted into older vehicles for relatively minimal costs.

Pioneer’s NEX systems are available at various resellers across the U.S., ranging in price between $700 and $1,400 depending on the model. Kenwood’s DDX9702S and Excelon DDX9902S retail for $900 to $950 each and allow seamless switching between CarPlay and Android Auto. Alpine’s system sells for as low as $600.

CarPlay is compatible with the iPhone 5 or later running iOS 8 or newer.

Discuss this article in our forums

Adobe Renaming ‘Flash Professional’ to ‘Animate’, Shifts Focus to HTML5

As part of its round of November Creative Cloud updates, Adobe announced plans to rebrand its Flash Professional CC software as Animate CC to acknowledge a growing shift away from Flash.

In a blog post on its website, Adobe explains that more than a third of content created in Flash Pro CC uses HTML5, leading the company to rename the software to “accurately represent its position as the premier animation tool for the web and beyond.”

Along with changing the name of Flash Professional CC, Adobe is working on major feature updates for the software, including improved drawing, illustration, and authoring support and integration with Adobe Stock and Creative Cloud Libraries.

While Adobe is rebranding to better focus on HTML5, it says the new Animate CC will continue to support Flash (SWF) and Air formats as “first-class citizens,” with work already underway on Flash Player 12.

The new Adobe Animate CC app will be available starting in January. Previous versions of Flash Professional will continue to be available.

Flash has been on its way out for several years now. Apple’s refusal to support flash on its iOS devices was a major blow to Adobe and declining use led Adobe to eliminate its Flash player for mobile devices in 2011. Major websites have largely transitioned from Flash due to never ending security vulnerabilities, with Amazon no longer accepting Flash ads and Facebook’s lead security engineer calling for the death of Flash.

Discuss this article in our forums

Sketchy Rumor Says New 4-Inch iPhone Could Have Colorful Metal Design, Launch in February 2016

A sketchy report from Chinese website TechWeb [Google Translate] (via GforGames) claims Apple’s rumored “iPhone 6c” could feature a colorful metal design and Touch ID, lack 3D Touch and launch in February 2016, corroborating previous rumors claiming Apple will release a new 4-inch iPhone in early 2016.

The report, citing unnamed “Foxconn insiders” and other various sources, confirms that Apple is working on a new 4-inch iPhone with a “colorful metal body design,” in contrast with the plastic-backed iPhone 5c, but adds that Foxconn has not received orders yet for mass production of the device.

Apple’s exact release plans for the so-called “iPhone 6c” remain unknown, but the report speculates about a possible January unveiling of the device, and says the budget handset could be priced between $400 and $500 in the U.S. The iPhone 5c, released in 2013, started at $549 off-contract for the 16GB model.

Often-reliable Japanese blog Mac Otakara said last month that Apple has developed a new 4-inch iPhone that is essentially an iPhone 5s with sixth-generation iPod touch features, including an A8 chip, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1 and an improved FaceTime HD camera with ƒ/2.2 aperture.

The report said the so-called “iPhone 5s Mark II,” likely an internal name for the new 4-inch iPhone, has entered production and could be shipped at any time, and a recent research note from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and other rumors point towards a 2016 release date.

GforGames recently cited a similarly sketchy report claiming Apple is experimenting with at least five different “iPhone 7” models with unique hardware features, reportedly including a USB Type-C connector for headphones, wireless charging technology, multi-Force Touch, dual camera configurations and Touch ID embedded in the display.

Follow our iPhone 6c roundup to keep track of the latest news about the 4-inch iPhone.

Discuss this article in our forums