Using the Timer, Alarm, and Stopwatch Apps on Apple Watch [iOS Blog]
Apple has separated its three time-based categories into separate apps on Apple Watch. This allows you to quickly access the specific feature of the timer, alarm, and stopwatch you want with just a few taps.
While most of it is self-explanatory, we’ve got some tips for how to get the most out of each of these apps so they work the way you want, when you want.
Timer
The Timer app on Apple watch makes it possible for you to set a timer right from your wrist so you don’t have to search out your iPhone to activate or even turn off the alert when time is up.
Tap the Timer app icon on Apple Watch to open it. Then rotate the Digital Crown to adjust the time. When ready, tap the Start button.
You can switch between a timer that goes from zero to 12 hours and a timer that goes from zero to 24 hours by firmly pressing the display screen.
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iTunes 12.2: New version a missed opportunity for Apple Music
Apple released a new version 12.2 of iTunes for OS X and Windows this week as part of the launch of its Apple Music service. The initial reactions from users are anything but positive. But aside from obvious bugs, there’s a bigger problem: iTunes needed a revamp, not more features. By simply adding the subscription service, Apple squandered an opportunity for a fresh start.
Apple released the new version of iTunes late Tuesday. On Wednesday, complaints began to mount, with a number of users experiencing issues with mismatched song titles, artist names and album art. Reviewers generally suggested to hold off on updating iTunes, and one even called the latest version of the app “a disaster.”
But the mishandling of existing music libraries isn’t the only problem. Apple also added its music subscription service as one more layer to an already very complex app: Users can now access their own local music files, the subscription catalog, personal recommendations and the existing iTunes download store, all in separate tabs, with crucial links missing. For example, someone browsing the iTunes store isn’t informed that an album is also available as part of his subscription tier.
This pattern continues throughout the app. The music section of iTunes has a radio tab, which showcases Apple’s new Beats 1 online radio station as well as a number of genre stations. But there’s also a whole separate internet radio section, tucked away in a sub-menu, that also organizes online streams by music genres – except these aren’t streams curated by Apple, but actual radio networks from all around the world. Plus there are podcasts, again in a separate section of the app, even though many are published by the very same radio stations.
There’s also a section for home movies, and one for movie rentals and purchases, which is separate from educational downloads, even though both are somehow available through the iTunes store. Add audio books, ringtones, iOS apps and the ability to manage your iPad and iPhone storage, and it’s all too much of a good thing.
Apple should have taken a cue from the way it manages content on iPhones and iPads, and broken out many of these sections into separate apps. There’s no real reason why movies and TV shows have to live in the same app as Apple’s music service, and it really doesn’t make sense to manage devices with the same software also used to listen to music.
iTunes didn’t need a refresh. It needs to be broken up, and Apple needs to launch an Apple Music app for Windows and OS X in its place.
Holiday music exclusive battle: Apple & Eminem vs. Tidal & Lil Wayne
While many in the US are relaxing for the July 4th holiday, the folks at Apple Music and Tidal are hard at work trying to push their respective subscription music services. Apple has already announced plans for a Dr. Dre radio show on Beats 1 that will debut Saturday night, after airing shows hosted by artists Q-Tip and Run the Jewels on Friday. Just to add on, Apple Music revealed it nabbed the exclusive for Eminem’s “music film” Phenomenal. Not to be outdone, Tidal came through with a surprise exclusive drop of Lil Wayne’s new album, FWA, aka the Free Weezy Album. Whether or not those match your personal taste, it’s evident both are gunning hard for the current subscription streaming leader, Spotify, to power the playlist at your barbecue this weekend. As far as Spotify and the rest, well, at least they have AC/DC too.
Exclusive Premiere: The #Phenomenal Music Film just debuted on the new @AppleMusic: http://t.co/sm46wYh8T0
– Marshall Mathers (@Eminem) July 3, 2015
Oh you gonna watch Magic Mike tonight? Cool, we’re good w/ @Eminem’s music film, #Phenomenal http://t.co/unvdo8SEot https://t.co/nXq06XxUfk
– Apple Music (@AppleMusic) July 3, 2015
.@LilTunechi drops his new album: #FWA. Hear it now, only on TIDAL. http://t.co/k082wdZJGw pic.twitter.com/CRNDjT0Vwo
– TIDAL (@TIDALHiFi) July 4, 2015
If you want rock, you’ve got it-@acdc are on Spotify! Which classic will you stream most? ⚡️ http://t.co/IAz1tLGNFx pic.twitter.com/1j52ZuNvN3
– Spotify (@Spotify) July 2, 2015
Source: FWA – Tidal, Phenomenal – iTunes
TextBlade Update: An Inside Look at Production Troubles and New Info on Shipping Estimates [iOS Blog]
In January, WayTools announced the TextBlade, a compact, collapsible keyboard for iOS devices and Macs that’s quite unlike anything else that’s available on the market. It replaces a full keyboard with eight large smart keys that take advantage of multilayering, giving users access to a complete set of keys and commands on a keyboard that fits into a pocket.
WayTools began accepting pre-orders for the TextBlade at that time, garnering a huge amount of interest from people who were excited about the promise of a better mobile keyboard. The company initially planned to ship in February, but as customers who pre-ordered know, the TextBlade has yet to ship, having faced unforeseen production problems that led to a series of design tweaks.
I visited WayTools in Santa Monica in March and was able to be one of the first people to see the TextBlade in person, give it a try, and watch it in action. The post that I shared of my experience garnered a huge amount of interest from MacRumors readers and other people curious about the TextBlade, and since then, I’ve been asked by readers on multiple occasions to share an update about what’s going on behind the scenes at WayTools to cause the shipment delays.
As of today, I’m able to provide an update, following multiple conversations with WayTools’ CEO Mark Knighton, where we walked through the delays and went over some of the new features that have been added to the TextBlade since January. WayTools will be publishing an in-depth blog post that goes into even more detail on the problems the company faced with production, and I’ll update this post to add a direct link as soon as it’s live.
Production Issues
Before launching pre-orders, WayTools did production runs and quality tests on the TextBlade and the parts ready to go, but transitioning from testing runs to mass production can expose unforeseen issues. With mass production, a product that might have been assembled by a small team is now put together in parts by a huge number of workers and if the production process isn’t streamlined to the minutest detail, you’re not always going to get a consistent product.
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Apple Music Debuts Eminem’s New Music Video, Announces Dr. Dre’s Beats 1 Radio Show [iOS Blog]
In late June, it was revealed that Apple had rounded up celebrity partners to host radio shows on its Beats 1 programming schedule, including Elton John, Pharrell and Dr. Dre. Today, the company announced that Dre’s show, The Pharmacy, will premiere Saturday, July 4 at 3 PM PST and will broadcast every week thereafter at the same time.
The hour-long show will be co-hosted by Dre and Eddie Francis and feature recording artists Wyann Vaughn and DJ Pooh with music from DJ Jus Incredible, according to Billboard. Apple debuted the premiere date with a trailer for the program on Twitter.
Additionally, Apple Music today exclusively debuted the new music video for Eminem’s latest single, “Phenomenal”, promoting the event with a tease on the service’s Instagram. The 7-minute video, which is referred to as a “music film” by Apple, features cameos from actors John Malkovich and Randall Park, Dr. Dre and both the iPhone 6 and Apple Watch. Previously, Eminem was the subject of the first Beats 1 guest interview with DJ Zane Lowe.
The Cupertino company has been trying to secure a wealth of exclusive content for Apple Music in hopes of luring customers to its service rather than competing music streaming services. Most recently, Pharrell’s new single “Freedom” has been exclusive to the service as well as Dre’s album The Chronic. It’s likely Apple will continue to leverage its music industry contacts for future exclusives in the coming weeks and months.
Dr. Dre will debut a Beats 1 radio show on Apple Music tomorrow night
Days after Apple Music launched to the public, it’s becoming clearer where Dr. Dre fits. The hip-hop mogul, who joined Apple after the company bought up Beats, announced today that he’s about to launch a regular radio program exclusive to Apple Music. The hour-long show, called “The Pharmacy,” airs its first show tomorrow night on Apple’s live Beats 1 radio station, and will focus on “West Coast music,” according to the Associated Press. Tune in at 6pm ET if you’re curious, and thereafter you can catch it every other week.
[Image credit: Andy Kropa /Invision/AP]
Filed under: Apple
Via: AppleInsider
Source: Associated Press
Urban Armor Gear Video Review: Hands-On With the Company’s Durable iPhone 6 Plus and iPad Air 2 Cases [iOS Blog]
Back in January, we shared a video of an iPhone 6 that went into space, protected by an iPhone case constructed by Urban Armor Gear. The iPhone 6 came out unscathed, so when Urban Armor Gear offered us the chance to get our hands on a few of its cases to check out for a review, we agreed.
Urban Armor Gear’s line of cases are definitely unique, with an industrial-looking armored shell and an impact resistant inner core. Cases are available for several devices, but we checked out the company’s Rogue Folio for the iPad Air 2, its Rogue Folio for the iPhone 6 Plus, and its Navigator case for the iPhone 6 Plus.
We liked the lightweight, rugged protection offered by each of the cases, but we had some qualms with each of the folio cases. The Rogue Folio for the iPad works as expected, keeping the iPad safe from drops and serving as a stand that offers multiple viewing positions, but when holding the iPad with the case on, the flap is loose and hard to grip.
The same goes for the Rogue Folio for the iPhone. It offers all-around protection, leaves the buttons easy to press, and holds credit cards, but the of the folio is bulky, covers the camera, and feels downright sloppy.
The company’s line of non-folio iPhone cases, which all have a different name based on color, are thin and light, and for the protection they offer, they don’t add a lot of bulk to the iPhone. Ports are left open, buttons are easy to press, and a screen protector keeps the display safe. There’s also a lip around the phone to prevent the display from touching a surface like a desk when facedown.
Urban Armor Gear’s standard iPhone cases can be purchased from the company’s website for $39.95, and are available in white, blue, orange, black, pink, and clear. The company’s folio cases for the iPhone and iPad are available in red and black and can be purchased for $39.95 and $49.95, respectively.
Note: MacRumors received no compensation for this review.
Waterfield ‘Dash MacBook Sleeve’ Review: Slim With Adequate Protection for 12-Inch MacBook [Mac Blog]
Since its debut in April, the new 12-inch Retina MacBook hasn’t seen that much in the way of functional, protective travel cases showing up either online or in brick-and-mortar stores. Fortunately, San Francisco-based accessory manufacturer Waterfield has released not just a single travel sleeve for Apple’s newest MacBook, but an entire line of bags and cases for early adopters of the device.
Waterfield sent me the “Dash MacBook Sleeve” to review, and the case is covered in a black ballistic nylon outer shell but houses a plush, smooth inner liner to ensure your brand-new MacBook won’t scratch or scuff while resting inside the case. The Dash’s backside comes packed with a mesh netting that will hold accessories like cables and headphones, and to ensure your MacBook doesn’t tumble out, there’s a single elastic band attached on top.
After a few days taking my MacBook around with the Dash sleeve, I barely have any big quibbles with the case. While certainly a downside for some, I found Waterfield’s decision to stick to stark, bare-bones color options — all-black or with a copper trim — refreshing over some of the more out-there case options on the market. Notable as well, the case barely gains any thickness while housing the Retina device, retaining the 12-inch MacBook’s sense of lightness even in a protected environment.
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How to Troubleshoot Apps Overusing Energy in OS X [Mac Blog]
Even though most developers work their hardest to ensure that the programs you download onto your Mac run smoothly, sometimes, things go wrong. One issue that may arise is an app using an exorbitant amount of energy or memory, causing your Mac to overheat or suffer severe battery drain.
Sometimes, simply closing an app doesn’t do the trick. For example, if a program includes a helper tool, that tool may be the culprit. Closing the program may not solve the problem.
We’ve got a troubleshooting guide for finding out which apps are using the most percentage of processes on your computer.
Check Energy Consuming Apps
If you experience a fast drain on your MacBook’s battery, it may be caused by certain programs running in the background. While you may have intended to run something like Spotify, it is possible that you have a program open that you didn’t know about.
You can quickly check to see which apps are using a significant amount of energy by left clicking on the battery icon in the upper right corner of your laptop’s tool bar. From the dropdown list, wait a few seconds until your Mac finishes collecting power usage information. Any apps that are using a lot of energy will be listed.
You can then find the app by searching in Finder and quit the program. Or, you can right click on the app to open Activity Monitor.
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‘iPhone 6s’ Logic Board Suggests 16GB Base Model and Updated NFC Hardware
New images of the logic board from the next-generation “iPhone 6s” have been obtained by 9to5Mac, a few days after the site shared photos from an unnamed source which showed that a new, updated Qualcomm LTE chip could be in store for the iPhone this year. Today’s images suggest that, on top of the Qualcomm chip’s faster LTE speeds and increased energy efficiency, the iPhone 6s will include fewer chips that are collectively more efficient, updated NFC hardware for Apple Pay, and likely the same 16GB entry-level capacity seen on current iPhones.
The Toshiba flash memory chip shown in the photos has a 16GB capacity based on the “G7″ in the part number, and was built using a 19nm production process. This suggests that the new line of iPhones this year will once again offer a starting storage option of 16GB, likely supplemented with the same 64GB and 128GB options at higher price points seen currently.
While many have complained 16GB is not enough entry-level storage as HD video and space-hungry apps have proliferated, recently Apple SVP of Marketing Phil Schiller claimed the company’s cloud-focused services, like the just-launched Apple Music, help alleviate some of the storage stresses on low-end storage configurations. Other changes with iOS 9 such as smaller iOS update sizes and app thinning to load only the app assets needed for a particular device, will also help trim down storage needs.
On the NFC side of the new iPhone, the new chip inside the iPhone 6s is again from NXP but with a new 66VP2 part number compared to the 65V10 part in the iPhone 6. Chip teardown experts at Chipworks were unclear, however, exactly what kind of improvements such a chip will bring to the new line of smartphones, although they posit it could be eliminating the need for a separate secure element processor altogether and folding the two into one chip.
Echoing earlier rumors, today’s images suggest once again that the iPhone 6s will remain identical in look and shape to its predecessor, as seen in a case maker’s design drawings and logical for the continuation of the “S” generation trend. Any changes in dimensions would be negligible, leaving the device compatible with nearly all existing iPhone 6 cases and accessories.
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