Apple Releases iOS 8.4.1 With Apple Music Improvements and Bug Fixes
Apple today released iOS 8.4.1 to the public, roughly six weeks after releasing iOS 8.4 with the new Apple Music service and one month after first seeding the first iOS 8.4.1 beta to registered developers for testing purposes.
Today’s iOS 8.4.1 update is Build 12H321 and can be downloaded over-the-air through the using the Software Update tool in the Settings app on iOS devices.
iOS 8.4.1 is a minor update that includes under-the-hood performance improvements, bug fixes, and security updates. Throughout the testing period, no outward-facing changes were discovered in the beta, and Apple’s release notes specifically mention only Apple Music improvements and fixes.
This release includes improvements and fixes to Apple Music.
– Resolves issues that could prevent turning on iCloud Music Library
– Resolves an issue that hides added music because Apple Music was set to show offline music only
– Provides a way to add songs to a new playlist if there aren’t any playlists to choose from
– Resolves an issue that may show different artwork for an album on other devices
– Resolves several issues for artists while posting to Connect
– Fixes an issue where tapping Love doesn’t work as expected while listening to Beats 1
It’s likely iOS 8.4.1 will be one of the last updates to the iOS 8 operating system. iOS 9, iOS 8’s successor, has been in testing since June and is on track to be released in the fall alongside new iPhones. iOS 9 builds on the features introduced in iOS 8 and adds both new content and underlying performance improvements.
Apple Releases iTunes 12.2.2 With Apple Music Fixes
Alongside today’s releases of OS X 10.10.5 and iOS 8.4.1, Apple has also released iTunes 12.2.2, bringing additional fixes for Apple Music.
This update includes the following improvements:
– Click on the Beats 1 banner to see what’s currently on, or view a complete broadcast schedule so you never miss a show
– You can now view a list of the artists you’re following on Apple Music
– Resolved an issue where iTunes loses its place when you go back to a previous page in Apple Music
– Addressed a problem where artists may be sorted incorrectly in My Music
– Fixed a problem where playlists displayed in the action menu may not match the playlists in your library
– Artists can now share thoughts, photos, music, and videos to Connect, right from iTunesThis update also includes improvements to overall stability and performance.
iTunes 12.2.2 for OS X can be downloaded from the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store.
Apple’s Marc Newson Believes Automotive Design is Lacking Progress
The Wall Street Journal has published an in-depth profile of industrial designer Marc Newson, a longtime friend of Apple design chief Jonathan Ive who joined the Cupertino-based company in September 2014. The interview touches upon a number of topics, ranging from Newson’s creative process and design philosophies to his favorite artists and fashion designers.
Apple designers Marc Newson (left) and Jonathan Ive (right) via Vanity Fair
Just months after reports claimed Apple is actively researching and developing an electric and possibly self-driving vehicle, Newson added fuel to those rumors by referring to the automotive industry as one of his design pet-peeves. The designer said that while cars used to encapsulate “everything that was good about progress,” the industry is now “at the bottom of a trough.”
My design pet-peeve is: the automotive industry. There were moments when cars somehow encapsulated everything that was good about progress. But right now we’re at the bottom of a trough.
Newson’s comments certainly do not imply that Apple is working on a vehicle, but it is clear that multiple executives at the Cupertino-based company are car enthusiasts. Apple’s SVP of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue joined Ferrari’s Board of Directors in November 2012, while Ive has owned several luxury vehicles ranging from Aston Martins and Fiats to Bentleys and Land Rovers.
Jonathan Ive’s previous Aston Martin DB9 supercar
The New Yorker also reflected on how Newson and Ive are “car guys” in February:
He and Newson are car guys, and they feel disappointed with most modern cars; each summer, they attend the Goodwood Festival of Speed, where vintage sports cars are exhibited and raced in the South of England. “There are some shocking cars on the road,” Ive said. “One person’s car is another person’s scenery.” To his right was a silver sedan with a jutting lower lip. Ive said, quietly, “For example.” As the disgraced car fell behind, I asked Ive to critique its design: “It is baffling, isn’t it? It’s just nothing, isn’t it? It’s just insipid.” He declined to name the model, muttering, “I don’t know, I don’t want to offend.” (Toyota Echo.)
It was reported in February that Apple has hundreds of employees, including former Tesla, Ford and GM engineers, working on an electric vehicle at a top-secret research lab possibly located in the Sunnyvale area. The much-rumored initiative, known internally as “Project Titan,” likely remains in the early stages of research and development, with Bloomberg reporting that Apple hopes to begin production in 2020.
Samsung Galaxy Note 5 vs iPhone 6 Plus – which is the large screen king?
The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is finally here, and though there are plenty of other large-screen handsets out there, we know most of you will be looking for one specific comparison. Yes, we are talking about Apple’s iPhone 6 Plus, which will definitely be the new Samsung phone’s main competitor.
Which of these handsets is worthy of your hard-earned cash? We have finally gotten to play with the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and spent some time comparing it to the iPhone 6 Plus. These phones are more different than we would think, so let’s take you through all the details.
Design
Samsung’s Galaxy S series was never recognized for outstanding designs. In fact, up until the Galaxy S6 most people criticized these phones’ aesthetics and build quality. With the Samsung Galaxy S6, the Korean manufacturer took the team back to the drawing board and created a phone worthy of envy.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 adopts the same design language. It sports a metal edge, paired with the same glass front and back. The only main difference is there are now a couple side edges on the back of the phone (like the Galaxy S6 edge, but on the opposite side).
Apple will have a harder time competing with Samsung this year, as Sammy’s phones are actually very well-built this time around. But it will still be a matter of personal preference, as the iPhone 6 Plus is also a great-looking handset. Apple’s phablet sports a metal unibody design and glass front. Do you prefer mostly glass or mostly metal? That is the real question.
Let’s just hope the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 doesn’t bend like the iPhone 6 Plus was known to do. That will likely be a huge deciding factor for customers.
These phones are pretty similar in other ways. Both have the volume rocker on the left side, the power button on the right and the home button/fingerprint reader right under the screen. The manufacturers went as far as copying each others’ annoying protruding cameras.
Another main difference is, of course, that the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 comes with that S-Pen slot on the bottom-right area of the phone.
Display
There’s really not much fight here. The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 has a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display with a QHD (2560x1440p) resolution. That would equate to a 515 ppi pixel density. Meanwhile, the iPhone 6 Plus stays in the dust with its 5.5-inch IPS LCD Full HD (1920x1080p) screen, featuring a much lower 401 ppi density.
This means text, images and video will be much crisper and clearer on the Samsung Galaxy Note 5. Blacks will also be deeper and colors more vibrant, but that may not be to your liking. If you prefer more color accurate screens, IPS LCD panels are great at reproducing precise imaging. With that said, the Note 5 offers the option to tone down the colors for a more natural look, if that’s what you want.
Performance
We have to accept that great hardware doesn’t always make a huge difference in performance. Hardware can be adapted to software, making lower resources much more efficient. This is why gaming consoles with inferior specs (PS4, Xbox One, etc.) can often achieve better performance than fairly powerful computers.
With that in mind, we must also agree the difference between the Galaxy Note 5 and iPhone 6 Plus specs is quite significant. The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 has an Exynos 7420 chipset, which we have previously seen in the Samsung Galaxy S6 and we know to be stronger than Apple’s A8 processor.
In addition, the difference in multi-tasking prowess will be immense. Not only because of software, but also due to the 4 GB of RAM on the Note 5, which quadruple Apple’s mere 1 GB of RAM.
Hardware
Other specs are rather similar. Neither handsets have removable batteries or microSD card support. The iPhone 6 Plus does offer higher storage options at 16/64/128 GB, while the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 offers only 32/64 GB options. Furthermore, they are pretty similar in the battery department: the Note has a 3000 mAh battery, which is only slightly bigger than the 2915 mAh battery in the iPhone. The Note has always be known as the phone to choose if you’re looking for battery life, and we look forward to see if the Note 5 continues that legacy, even if its battery capacity is actually smaller than the Note 4’s.
The presence of microSD and removable battery has been one of the key features that Note fanatics have long touted, and there’s no small amount of controversy regarding their absence from the Note 5. The playing field is definitely more even now between these two competitors.
Camera
There’s not much to discuss here. It has been proven time and again that the Samsung Galaxy S6 camera beats any other smartphone shooter, including the iPhone 6 Plus’. The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 happens to have the same camera technology. This would be a 16 MP camera with f/1.9 aperture and OIS. On the other hand, the iPhone 6 Plus sports an 8 MP camera with OIS and an f/2.2 aperture. On the front, the Note 5 gets an update to 5MP compared to just 1.2 on the iPhone 6 Plus.
One notable new software feature of the Note is the ability to stitch together multiple videos in animated collages. That’s a neat little trick, but probably few users will actually use it.
Software
We won’t get into the Android vs iOS debate here. What we can tell you is Android 5.1.1 and iOS 8 are very different, and choosing between one or the other is a very subjective matter.
Android is known for its superior customization, open ecosystem and flexibility. Apple’s operating system is famous for its simplicity, intuitive interface and constant updates. Which style do you prefer? Do you want to geek out with Android, or do you want iOS to “just work”? That’s especially true given how the differences between the two operating systems have shrunk in time.
There is one main difference here, though. The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 does have that included S-Pen stylus. Along with the software optimizations, this can become a great tool for making you a much more productive individual. New S-Pen features coming on the Note 5 are the ability to write down notes even when the screen is sleeping and a redesigned Air Command menu that looks a lot better in our opinion.
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Wrap up
Do we have a clear winner? Not really, but we would say the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 has the upper hand in this battle. So far it performs better, looks great, has a better camera, and the software includes a plethora of shortcuts and helpful tools.
The iPhone 6 Plus will be the better option only if you prioritize internal storage. Or if you happen to have an inclination towards Apple’s design language and software. Otherwise, the iPhone 6 Plus is falling behind and we hope its successor can give these new handsets a better fight.
Which phone would you guys prefer? Hit the comments and give us your 2 cents!
iHome’s HomeKit-Compatible ‘iSP5 SmartPlug’ Now Officially Available
Following an initial publicity push in early June for the first batch of devices working in tandem with Apple’s HomeKit home automation service, iHome today announced that its iSP5 SmartPlug is now ready for a wider launch. The SmartPlug is one of the first official HomeKit-compatible products, allowing its users to interact with the power settings of any device — from a lamp to a fan — that is plugged directly into it.
The available app can be downloaded for both Android and iOS, but Apple users will specifically be able to control their home electronics with their voice thanks to Siri integration. Part of the iHome Control series of devices, the new iSP5 SmartPlug will let customers group multiple SmartPlugs into different “scenes” that let them control entire rooms of their home at once, and even create schedules and timers for the plugs to turn on or off the device connected to them.
“iHome products are already in more than 30 million homes and we’ve built a reputation over the last decade as a highly trusted consumer electronics brand. The move into the smart home market was a natural fit for us,” said Ezra S. Ashkenazi, CEO of iHome. “The iHome iSP5 SmartPlug, the first in our series under the iHome Control label, offers consumers the ability to turn virtually any small appliance into a smart product that can be controlled remotely with almost any iOS or Android device.”
Notably, the iSP5 SmartPlug doesn’t require a dedicated hub as with products like the Philips Hue lighting system, but instead works directly with a standard Wi-Fi router. iHome notes that the SmartPlug is just the “first in a planned series of products,” with promised announcements of new devices joining the iHome Control series in the coming weeks and months.
Those interested can purchase the iSP5 SmartPlug from iHome’s official website and Amazon for $39.99, with a larger retail rollout expected in the next few weeks.
Deutsche Telekom Now Accepting Reservations for Next-Gen iPhone
German carrier Deutsche Telekom has once again launched an online reservation service for customers interested in purchasing the next-generation iPhone, as spotted by Apfelpage.de.
The new early bird system promises preferred delivery of future smartphone models to customers that sign up with a valid email address and mobile phone number.
Deutsche Telekom does not specifically mention the much-rumored “iPhone 6s” or “iPhone 6s Plus” by name, but the reservation service launching just weeks before Apple is expected to launch new iPhones is unlikely a mere coincidence. In September 2011, the carrier rolled out a similar ticket-based reservation service nearly one month before the iPhone 4s was introduced.
The reservation service is essentially a pre-order system that functions on a first-come, first-served basis, allowing new and existing customers to provide their contact information, redeem a reservation ticket via SMS or email and receive preferred delivery of Apple’s next-generation iPhone to their door without needing to wait in line at an Apple Store or Deutsche Telekom store.
Google Translate:
By registering the reservation service you have bookmarked for a preferred delivery of pending smartphone innovations. The sooner you reserve and redeem your reservation, the sooner you can expect a delivery and have to stand in line in no snake. You get your device conveniently delivered to your door.
(Thanks, Marco!)
Lenovo to cut 3,200 jobs to revive market share
After reporting 51 percent drop in its first quarter profit, Lenovo has decided to lay off 3,200 staffers, which is roughly five percent of the company’s entire workforce. The Chinese company is hoping to save around $1.35 billion annually from job cuts.
“Last quarter, we faced perhaps the toughest market environment in recent years. To build long term, sustainable growth, we must take proactive and decisive actions in every part of the businesses,” said Lenovo CEO and Chairman Yuanqing Yang in a statement.
The world’s largest PC maker is suffering from poor financial health due to a significant decline in global demand for PCs and tough competition from Chinese smartphone makers. Its shares fell by nine percent on Thursday as it reported a quarterly revenue of $10.7 billion, which was far below the expectations.
Last year, Lenovo bought Motorola for $2.91 billion from Google Inc, and the subsidiary has seen a 31 percent decline in sales. Overall, the Chinese company’s mobile division has lost $300 million, but Yuanqing is confident that streamlining its smartphone businesses will prove to be beneficial for Lenovo in the long term.
“I still believe mobile is a new business we must win. I still believe this acquisition (Motorola) was the right decision…Except Apple and Samsung there is no third strong (global) player. I believe that will be Lenovo,” he said.
Via: Reuters
Come comment on this article: Lenovo to cut 3,200 jobs to revive market share
Apple teams up with app devs to make iPad better for work
iPads are apparently not doing too hot at the moment, and Apple is looking for a way to reverse the drop in sales that’s been going on the past six quarters. According to The Wall Street Journal, Cupertino hopes to accomplish that by making its tablets more enticing to businesses. The WSJ also reports the tech juggernaut is working with over 40 unknown enterprise app developers in an initiative that’s internally called “mobility partner program” (MPP). The members in the alliance are developing iOS apps for entrepreneurs, such as accounting and digital cash register programs. Apple’s also encouraging them to collaborate and create apps that work together. In addition, the partners are expected to send representatives to train Apple’s business specialists.
Cupertino told investors about MPP during a call in April, but details are still sparse. Even some of the partners aren’t quite sure how the alliance will work, and don’t know the identities of the other members. That said, the WSJ report reveals that Apple’s long-term goal is to sell app bundles tailored for specific businesses, and that it’s trying to get old IBM partners to create iPad apps. The company is also planning to ask carriers — AT&T and Verizon were specifically mentioned — to help it sell app bundles in the future.
Despite all the secrecy, the WSJ says the project already helped at least a couple of small business owners. In what could have been early tests for the initiative, Cupertino invited the owner of a skincare company to attend a meeting with some MPP members after a visit to the Apple Store. They ultimately convinced her to switch to a partner’s accounting software, which she found more effective than her old bookkeeping method. Another entrepreneur, a restaurant owner in Toronto, was compelled to buy three iPads after a meeting with yet another project partner. He uses those iPads as a digital cash register, and it allows cooks to see new orders instantly and prep food more quickly.
Source:
The Wall Street Journal
Tags: app, apple, business, enterprise, ipad
Apple Updates Boot Camp With Windows 10 Support
Apple today released an update to Boot Camp with support for Microsoft Windows 10, according to a new support document. The update, Boot Camp 6, is still propagating and is not yet available for OS X. However, several MacRumors forum members have noted the update is available within Windows partitions in Boot Camp, Apple’s tool to allow Intel Mac owners to dual boot OS X and Windows.
Boot Camp 6 also includes support for several Mac features within Windows 10, including USB 3, USB-C, Thunderbolt, built-in SD and SDXC card slots, built-in or external Apple SuperDrives, and the Apple keyboard, mouse and trackpad.
Windows 10 support is only available on select Macs with OS X Yosemite and the latest version of Boot Camp, which will automatically download the support software (drivers) needed to use Windows 10 on a Mac.
Boot Camp requires an authentic copy of Windows 10 for a new installation, which can be purchased from Microsoft in an ISO file or USB stick for $119. Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 users can upgrade to Windows 10 for free from within their Windows partition as long as the user’s software is completely up to date.
Apple team-up promises more diversity among tech interns
Apple knows that improving the diversity of its workforce doesn’t just depend on hiring more workers, or dishing out scholarships — it also has to recruit a wider range of interns that could eventually become permanent staff. To that end, it’s partnering with the career accelerator Code2040 to offer paid internships to black and Latino college students. Apple will start by taking on 10 of the 80 computer science fellows in Code2040’s 2016 class, and will pick up two more interns beyond that.
That’s a drop in the bucket when Apple has thousands of corporate workers. Also, it’s relatively late to embracing Code2040 when the likes of Facebook, LinkedIn, Jawbone and Tumblr (now Yahoo) have all gone first. You have to get started at some point, though, and this shows that a growing number of San Francisco Bay Area companies are aware that diversity is a holistic challenge — you can’t just focus on one or two areas and hope that everything will work out.
[Image credit: Code2040]
Via:
BuzzFeed News
Source:
Code2040 (Medium)
Tags: apple, code2040, diversity, education, intern, partnership
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