Many Users Reporting Touch ID Not Working in App Store on iOS 8.3

Following the release of iOS 8.3 for iPhone and iPad on Wednesday, many users have turned to the Apple Support Communities, Reddit and MacRumors discussion forums about Touch ID not working in the App Store on the latest software version. The issue affects multiple iPhone and iPad models, including the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and iPad Air 2, although the bug does not appear to affect all users.

“I just updated to iOS 8.3 and it completely removed my ability to use Touch ID in the App Store on my iPhone 6,” a post on Reddit reads. “It asks for my password for each and every purchase. Is anyone else seeing this? The option to use Touch ID in the App Store is on. I have already tried turning it off and on again to re-enter my password.”

The bug persists for many regardless of whether Touch ID is listed as enabled for purchases under Settings > iTunes & App Store, and there does not appear to be a proper solution for the problem yet. Apple may be forced to resolve the bug through a minor point update such as iOS 8.3.1, as it has done in the past with iOS 8.0.2 when the original iOS 8.0.1 update broke Touch ID and Wi-Fi entirely.

Fortunately, the lack of Touch ID within the App Store is mainly an inconvenience at this point for affected users, rather than a serious security issue. iPhone and iPad users will still be prompted to enter their Apple ID password when purchasing apps from the App Store, which was standard functionality before Touch ID was released on the iPhone 5s. Apple has yet to provide comment on the matter.

Product Hunt for iOS Gains New Tool for Creating Curated Collections, Bookmarking Products [iOS Blog]

Product Hunt, the popular site that specializes in surfacing new products, is today launching an updated iOS app that adds several features to the existing Product Hunt app for iOS, including access to community-curated collections, the ability to follow other users, improved search capabilities for finding people, collections, and products, and a revamped look that makes it easier to read about new products.

Since its initial introduction in August of 2014, the Product Hunt app has received only minor updates, and was largely created as a mobile version of the website, where users could view a list of products and upvote or comment. Today’s update will be a welcome change for Product Hunt users, as it will let them follow other users, see what friends are posting, and explore curated collections.

Curated collections let users find collections of products related to a central theme. For example, some of the available topics include “Great apps for travels,” “Rad GIF Apps,” and “Prank Products.” There are hundreds of different product collections available, which can be browsed through using the new “Collections” tab or searched for using the built-in search.

It’s also possible for users to create new Collections directly within the iOS app, which is a useful way to bookmark content for later viewing or to create lists of favorite products. On the detail page of any product, there’s a button that will add it to a Collection. Product Hunt received a lot of feedback from iOS users asking for a way to bookmark products on the iPhone to view later, a request Collections address.

Searching has been expanded in the new version of the Product Hunt app, so users can tap the search bar at the top of the “Products” page to locate specific products, collections, or people in the Product Hunt community. The ability to search for Collections lets iOS users find a wealth of new products, all of which have been aggregated by other Product Hunt users.

When viewing a product’s detail page, there’s a new “Related” tab next to the “Comments” tab that will display similar products. For example, a product listing for a site that offers 3D printed jewelry lists other 3D printed jewelry sites available under the Related tab.

Product Hunt CEO Ryan Hoover hopes that the newly updated iOS app will make exploring Product Hunt more of a social experience, bringing it into conversations away from the computer. Users can add favorite products to a Collection to show to friends, or pull out their iPhones and search for products when having a discussion about something discovered within the app.

The new version of Product Hunt for iOS also makes it possible to download other iOS apps from within the Product Hunt app and it includes several performance improvements.

Product Hunt can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

MacBook Review Roundup: Major Design Appeal, but Too Many Key Compromises

Apple’s upcoming ultra thin 12-inch MacBook with a Retina display has been overshadowed by all of the Apple Watch news that’s been surfacing over the course of the last week, but the super slim device is set to launch online and in-stores on Friday, April 10, alongside the Apple Watch.

Ahead of the MacBook’s launch, Apple has given select sites MacBook review units to test out, and those early MacBook reviews are coming out today. We’re gathering up tidbits from some of the best reviews below, which give us our first look at how the MacBook performs with its low power Core M processor and a look at how users feel about the new keyboard and the new trackpad.

Many of the reviewers loved the extremely thin size of the MacBook, its impressive Retina display, and its Force Touch Trackpad, but were unhappy with some of the compromises that are made with the machine — lack of ports, the keyboard, the processing speed, and the high price. Almost all of the reviews pointed out some of the shortcomings in the Core M processor, noting that it’s much slower than Apple’s other notebook offerings and suitable for lighter use, much like a Chromebook. It was, however, able to run Photoshop and Logic Pro, just slower.

Several of the reviewers disliked the new keyboard when first trying it due to its thin keys with little travel, but most were able to adjust to the different feel of typing on it after a short period of time. The increased size of the keys was also hard to adjust to for touch typists. Battery life in general ranged from seven hours up, but most of the reviews saw shorter battery life than the promised nine hours of web browsing. Overall, the consensus between reviewers seemed to be that while this is a great MacBook, it’s not a solution for everyone and is going to appeal to a niche set of people due to its high price and the performance compromises.

Dieter Bohn, The Verge:

Basically, if you do anything that’s going to really tax the processor, this laptop probably isn’t going to cut it for you. In that sense it’s actually kind of like a Chromebook. It’s fast enough for 70 percent of what I do, but a little slower than what I’m used to. For about 20 percent of what I do — mostly photo editing — it works but requires patience. But it’s the last 10 percent that’s hard: video editing, really big iPhoto libraries, basically anything processor-intensive can get rough.

Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica:

The port situation is the biggest problem. The question isn’t whether people can live with only one port, but whether they’ll want to put up with it when there are so many other options available. Using the MacBook as a primary computer requires you to subscribe to a mostly wireless lifestyle that not everyone is going to be ready for, and even if you already use Macs switching to a MacBook means throwing your dongle and cable arsenal out and starting over. […]

Ultimately the new MacBook feels like a first-generation product–a very good first-generation product, but a first-generation product nevertheless. It’s got some promise and a couple of major shortcomings and you don’t need to be the first person who takes the leap into the Brave New Future it represents.

Jason Snell, Macworld:

The MacBook keyboard’s better than I expected it to be–I was able to score 118 words per minute on TypeRacer using it–but it never felt particularly comfortable. If you’re not a keyboard snob, you may not even notice the difference, but if there’s any single feature that would make me reluctant to buy a MacBook, it would be the keyboard. […]

I never found using the MacBook sluggish. Then again, I didn’t try to play games on it. But again, if you’re trying to play games on the MacBook, you may be missing the point. The integrated Intel HD Graphics 5300 processor is more than enough to drive the Retina display with no lag, and I found Apple’s various interface animations ran smoothly.

Darrell Etherington, TechCrunch:

I came to the MacBook with certain expectations; specifically, that it would not be able to meet my more “pro” level needs, in terms of Photoshop, Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro. Luckily, the MacBook defied those expectations and performed well with each of the above applications.

Which isn’t to say performance is on par with, say, the brand new 13-inch MacBook Pro — it isn’t. But pre-launch concerns of this machine being seriously hampered by its low-power Intel M processor were, in my experience, very premature. The new MacBook handled the tasks I threw at it so well that I am no seriously considering whether or not I can adopt one full-time, as a replacement to my original 2012 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro road warrior.

Dana Wollman, Engadget:

That’s the thing, though: While USB Type-C ports will one day become industry standard, they’re still uncommon enough that you will need a dongle to plug in any of your peripherals that use a full-sized USB Type-A connector. In my case, that meant I couldn’t charge my phone off my laptop. I also couldn’t use the USB headset I normally wear while podcasting and making voice recordings. If I did want to use my USB gadgets, I would have had to plug in a $79 adapter — that’s right, it’s not even included in the box. Again, I expect USB Type-C will one day be the norm, and it’s possible that your needs are simple enough that you can already live without the full-sized USB ports.

Joanna Stern, The Wall Street Journal:

I expect the new MacBook to follow the same path as the Air. Over the next few years, it will improve, and become an affordable, indispensable tool for life in the future. But here, now, in the present day, there are more practical slim, everyday laptop choices. The MacBook Air is the best option all around, the MacBook Pro Retina 13 is a great step up, and PC users can do no better than Dell’s latest XPS 13.

Christina Warren, Mashable:

The MacBook’s Retina screen is joy to behold. As someone who has grown addicted to high-res displays, having such crisp visuals on a notebook this small is fantastic. In fact, I’m not sure how I’m going to return to my 13-inch MacBook Air.

Colors pop, text is crisp, and everything is visible from all angles. Using it outdoors or in low light was no problem — the screen is great.

Other reviews: CNET, Wired, Slashgear, USA Today, The Loop, Bloomberg, and Six Colors.

The Retina MacBook will be available for purchase online and in stores on Friday, April 10. Prices start at $1,299 for the entry-level model with a 1.1GHz processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. A 1.2GHz model with 8GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD is also available for purchase, and both models can be upgraded with a 1.3GHz processor.

Apple Releases iTunes 12.1.2 With Improved Support for New Photos App [Mac Blog]

Apple today released iTunes 12.1.2, a minor update that primarily improves support for syncing photos from iOS devices to the new Photos app for Mac released yesterday as part of OS X 10.10.3.

This update improves support for syncing photos to your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch from the new Photos app for OS X. In addition, this update also adds several refinements to the Get Info window and improves overall stability.

iTunes 12.1.2 is a free download through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store.

Apple Watch Sapphire Crystal Display Cover Faces Drill in Scratch Test

iPhone service and repair website iPhonefixed earlier this week got its hands on a sapphire crystal Apple Watch display cover and decided to put the 38mm part through a scratch resistance test to weigh Apple’s claims of a completely scratch-resistant sapphire display.

The website ran the display cover through its test, rubbing it against a stone wall, scratching it with a coin, key, and abrasive paper, and finishing off with tapping the screen with a hammer and drilling it with a power drill. Following the tests, iPhonefixed found Apple’s promise of a scratch-resistant display to be entirely accurate, with not a single scratch or scuff on the screen even after all of the site’s attempts at leaving a mark.

Apple’s promotion of the sapphire crystal display cover marketed it as a material “ideal for protecting the Retina Display” on the Apple Watch, due to it being one of the hardest transparent materials on the planet next to actual diamonds.

Though iPhonefixed was not able to test the Apple Watch Sport’s Ion-X glass display cover, with the lower-end model’s “aluminosilicate glass that’s especially resistant to scratches and impact,” it too is likely to hold up well to abuse.

Check out the full Apple Watch sapphire display cover scratch test video by iPhonefixed right here.

‘WALTR’ for Mac Gains Support for Subtitles and Transferring New Audio, Video Formats to iOS Devices [Mac Blog]

Softorino‘s WALTR app for the Mac, which is designed to make it easy to upload and convert any music or video file to an iPad or iPhone, is getting its first major update today following its November 2014 release.

WALTR will help you drag and drop a wide variety of media files onto your iPad or iPhone, and it supports many different file types, including MP4, AVI, CUE, WMA, M4R, AAC, M4V, M4A, FLAC, ALAC, and MKV. Today’s update brings additional formats, full subtitle support, an updated design, and more.

New formats that are now supported include LV, M2TS, TS (experimental), DV, MPG, MPEG, MPE, MPEG(old types), and WEBM for video and M4B, AIFF, WAV, OGG, OGA, WV, TTA, and DFF for audio. It also supports subtitles in .SRT and .ASS formats.

For those unfamiliar with WALTR, it’s incredibly easy to use. You simply plug in your iPad or iPhone to your Mac, turn off iTunes, and drag any media file onto the Mac app. From there, the file is converted and uploaded to your device within minutes, plus it’s placed into the proper Music or Video app.

WALTR can be downloaded from the Softorino website for free. The software includes a 14-day free trial, after which a single license can be purchased for $29.95.

To celebrate today’s update, Softorino is giving away 15 copies of WALTR to MacRumors readers. To enter to win, use the Rafflecopter widget below. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube Channel, following us on Twitter, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page. Due to the intricacies of international law regarding giveaways, this giveaway is open only to U.S. residents who are 18 years of age or older.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
The giveaway will run from today, Thursday, April 9 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time through Monday, April 13 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. Winners will be chosen randomly on April 6 and will be contacted through email. A response to our email is required within 48 hours or the winner will forfeit the prize and we will pick a new winner.

Google Close to Finishing Android Wear App for iOS

Earlier this year, news leaked that Google was working on an Android Wear app for the iOS App Store, and it appears that the company’s progress on engineering Android Wear devices to work with iPhones is nearing completion.

According to a source that spoke to The Verge, Android Wear on the iPhone works similarly to the Apple Watch, connecting through a companion app and providing functions like Notifications. Google is said to be “close to finishing” the final technical details behind the project.

An LG G Watch R with FaceTime notification from iOS, via The Verge

In its current state of development, Android Wear works along with a companion app on the iPhone and supports basic functions like notifications — as you can see in the photo below. As it does on Android, on the iPhone Android Wear also supports Google Now’s ambient information cards, voice search, and other voice actions. It should also support some more advanced features with Google’s own iOS apps, like replying to Gmail messages.

If Google finishes the project and submits its Android Wear app to the iOS App Store, it is not clear how Apple will react, given that the app would allow Android Wear devices to compete directly with the Apple Watch. Apple allows Pebble and other competing fitness bands to have apps in the App Store, so it may also permit Google to release an Android Wear app, but at the same time, Apple has aggressively cut down on products similar to the Apple Watch in its retail stores.

It no longer sells fitness devices like the Fitbit, the Jawbone UP, and the Nike Fuelband, and over the years, Apple has also had some altercations with Google. Apple used to feature Google Maps on its iOS devices, but moved on to its own proprietary mapping solution several years ago.

Android Wear watches are built on Google’s platform but are available from a number of Apple’s competitors, including Samsung and LG. Popular smartwatches like the LG G, the Moto 360, and Samsung’s Gear lineup are all Android Wear devices.

There is no word on when Google might release an iOS app capable of officially connecting Android Wear devices to iPhones, but it’s possible an announcement could come during the company’s I/O developer conference in late May.

List of Apple Stores That Will Carry the Apple Watch Edition at Launch

Following reports that Apple Watch Edition stock will be limited to select Apple Stores in the United States and other launch countries, MacRumors has discovered that Apple’s Find Locations tool enables prospective buyers to search their local area to check for Apple Watch Edition availability. Below, we have identified some of the major cities and metropolitan areas in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, France, Germany, Hong Kong and Japan that will carry the Edition.

To check Apple Watch Edition availability in your local area, navigate to Apple’s Find Locations website, click on Sales, use your current GPS-based location or enter another one, select Watch Edition from the list of all products, and click on the Go button. A map will then display nearby Apple Store locations that will be carrying the Edition. If you live outside the United States, you will need to change the country flag in the top right first.

United States
— New York City: Fifth Avenue, SoHo, Upper West Side
— Boston: Boylston Street
— Chicago: North Michigan Avenue, Lincoln Park
— Philadelphia: Walnut Street
— Washington DC: Georgetown
— Atlanta: Lenox Square
— Miami: Lincoln Road
— Virginia: Tyson’s Corner Center
— Newark, Delaware: Christiana Mall
— Bay Area: San Francisco, Stanford
— Los Angeles: The Grove, Third St. (Santa Monica), South Coast (Costa Mesa)
— Houston: Highland Village
— Dallas: Northpark Center
— Seattle: Bellevue Square

Canada
— Toronto: Eaton Centre
— Montreal: Sainte-Catherine

United Kingdom
— London: Covent Garden, Regent Street, Selfridges

Australia
— Sydney: George Street
— Brisbane: MacArthur Chambers
— Melbourne: Southland (Cheltenham)

France
— Paris: Carrousel du Louvre, Opera, Galeries Lafayette

Germany
— Berlin: Kurfurstendamm
— Munich: Rosenstrasse

Hong Kong
— Festival Walk
— International Finance Centre (IFC)
— Causeway Bay

Japan
— Tokyo: Isetan, Ginza, Omotesando
— Osaka: Shinsaibashi

Apple Watch pre-orders begin April 10, and the device goes on sale April 24.

Apple Watch Can Use Known Wi-Fi Networks for Limited Functions Even When iPhone Is Off

A collection of major tech blogs yesterday published their in-depth reviews for the Apple Watch, one of which was Yahoo! Tech‘s David Pogue, whose opinion fell in line with most other sites, describing the Apple Watch as “light-years better” than any other smartwatch, but “you don’t need one.”

When discussing the Watch’s tethering to an iPhone, Pogue reveals a few pieces of information about the Watch that Apple has yet to comment on in any promotional material for the wrist-worn device, mostly regarding some cellular-related functionality sans iPhone.

And here’s a surprising feature that Apple hasn’t said anything about previously: When the watch is in a known Wi-Fi hotspot, the watch can perform the most essential online functions even when your phone is completely dead, turned off, or absent. It can query Siri, for example, send and receive texts, and send/receive drawings and tap patterns to other watch owners. That’s impressive.

According to Pogue’s week-long experience with the Apple Watch, even with the iPhone dead or turned off, his Watch could still perform these basic iPhone-reliant functions like sending and receiving texts and drawings. He never mentions actual phone calls, which are undoubtedly still reliant on full use of an iPhone.

Pogue also mentions the Watch’s ability to communicate with an iPhone over both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, meaning the two devices can communicate indefinitely as long as they stay under the same Wi-Fi connection even when they’re out of Bluetooth range, a previously known but still notable aspect of the Watch.

The Wall Street Journal‘s Apple Watch review makes a passing reference to Pogue’s claim, though providing fewer details than Yahoo! Tech‘s piece. “The watch does work (a little) away from the phone,” The Wall Street Journal‘s Geoffrey A. Fowler said. “When you’re around a known Wi-Fi network, the watch can tap directly into it.”

Stay up to date on the latest Apple Watch news, from estimated shipping and delivery dates to the newest reviews, before Apple’s first wearable device goes up for pre-order tonight at 12:01 AM Pacific Time.

Mophie Announces New Spacestation, Space Pack for iPhone 6, 6 Plus and iPad mini [iOS Blog]

Mophie announced on Thursday that it has released an updated version of its Mophie Space app on the App Store for iPhone and iPad, alongside new Space Pack battery and storage cases for iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and iPad mini and a new universal Spacestation battery and storage pack for iOS, Android, Mac and PC. The new products are available through the Mophie website today, with prices ranging from $149.95 to $199.95.

“With this new introduction of Space, it’s a transformative moment for mophie, as we’ve created a solution millions of people could use and benefit from, but without the barrier of a high price point – the app is free,” said Daniel Huang, mophie CEO and Co-Founder. “Space represents another opportunity for us. Just as we created and established a real solution for mobile power with the juice pack, the next phase of Space establishes a complete, user-friendly solution for mobile storage and file management.”

Mophie’s Space Pack for iPhone 6 ($149.95) features a 3300mAh internal battery that provides up to 100% additional battery life, while Space Pack for iPhone 6 Plus ($149.95) includes a 2,600 mAh internal battery that provides up to 50% extra battery life. The popular lineup of battery cases also provide up to 128GB of extra storage for storing up to 64,000 additional photos, 56 additional hours of video and 36,000 additional songs.

The universal Spacestation ($149.95) is equipped with a 6000mAh internal battery and 2.4A of high-current power that provides up to 100% extra battery life for iPad mini and 200% to 300% extra battery life for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Like the Space Pack, the Spacestation also includes up to 128GB of extra storage for storing up to 64,000 additional photos, 56 additional hours of video and 36,000 additional songs.