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Posts tagged ‘Apple’

16
Oct

Here’s your first look at Apple’s new 5K iMac


We had a feeling Apple would announce a new iMac today, and indeed, the company didn’t disappoint. Here in Cupertino, we just saw Tim Cook and co. unveil a refreshed model that has basically the same slim design as the last version, except this time it packs a 5K display. I’d be lying if I said I got to spend much time with it — the demo area here is extremely crowded — but I did want to give you some early hands-on photos to look at. Have a gander at the gallery below, and keep your eyes peeled for a full review — something tells us we’ll be taking one of these bad boys for a spin very soon.

Developing…

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16
Oct

A first look at the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3


Unlike last month’s Apple event, today’s shindig was held in a tiny auditorium on the company’s campus, nary a single gigantic white box in sight. Arguably, the size of the venue matched the importance of the products being announced — minor iPad and iMac refreshes don’t exactly command the same kind of attention as revamped iPhones and Apple’s introduction into the wearables market. This doesn’t mean the latest version of the iPad Air and iPad mini aren’t worth a closer look, of course; it may be just another iteration of the series, but it’s got its share of new features — and thinness — to go along with it. I’m currently getting some up close and personal time with the new devices, but here are a selection of images as I collect more thoughts.

Developing…

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16
Oct

Special Beats Music offer from AT&T comes to an end


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When Beats Music finally launched their own streaming music service, playing off the name recognition of their line of headphones, AT&T managed to strike a special deal for their customers. AT&T subscribers were able to get the Beats Music service for a 90-day free trial, much longer than the standard 2-week trial period. In addition, AT&T subscribers could buy a Beats Music subscription for $14.99 per month, $5 more than the normal price, but could share their subscription with other users and devices. This special package is no longer available to AT&T customers although they can still order the standard $9.99 per month Beats Music service.

According to AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel, “There haven’t been any changes for AT&T customers who currently have the Beats Music family plan or who are within the free trial period. New subscribers can still get Beats Music through their app store or at beatsmusic.com.”

Since the original launch of Beats Music and the special deal with AT&T, the service was acquired by Apple for $3 billion. Apple has still not provided any indication as to what their plans are for the service and whether it will continue as a standalone offering available to platforms outside the Apple ecosystem. When the deal closed, Beats Music had about 250,000 subscribers.

source: FierceWireless

Come comment on this article: Special Beats Music offer from AT&T comes to an end

16
Oct

We’re liveblogging Apple’s iPad event!


OK, folks, who’s ready for new iPads? Apple’s just about to begin its big keynote, and we’re pretty sure we’re going to see some fresh tablets. Maybe iMacs too, and a final version of OS X Yosemite to go with them. But who needs speculation at this point? Follow along as we report live from Apple’s press event in Cupertino. Then, when we’re done with that, you might want to stick around even longer: There’s a chance we’ll be getting hands-on with all the new stuff.

Hello, and good morning from Cupertino!

I’m Dana Wollman, your friendly neighborhood reviews editor, and I’ll be your liveblogger today.

I’m joined by Brad Molen, our esteemed senior mobile editor and reviewer of iPads. Which you know, we’ll probably be seeing today.

We’re seated here in an intimate little auditorium here on Apple’s campus. We’ve already gotten the warning that the event’s about to begin.

Seated nearby, we’ve got my friend and former colleague Joanna Stern from the Wall Street Journal. Clayton Morris from Fox News. And John Gruber from Daring Fireball, who I had never met in person before.

It really is a cozy little space here. The tall gentlemen seated near me have basically no leg room. We’re all packed in together. Good thing we’re all friends here!

On the speaker system here we’re got some upbeat music. Not Pharrell, for once, thank goodness.

Oh, and on stage, there are some computer tucked to the side. Specifically, an iMac and one of the MacBooks.

Makes sense: I expect we’ll hear about OS X Yosemite again today. Maybe iMacs too.

MacBooks, though? Don’t get your hopes up. I’m not.

Here we go: The house lights went dark.

We’re starting with a video, as we often do.

It’s Apple employees… yelling?

Lots of yelling and cheering all around.

Lots of scenes from various Apple Stores around the world.

With plenty of closeups of all the recently announced devices, of course. The iPhone 6 and what have you.

Applause.

Good lord, the applause. (What journalists applaud at these events?)

And here’s Tim Cook.

(He changed his outfit since we saw him in the hallway.)

Tim’s talking about the new iPhones, calling them the “best phones we’ve ever created.”

And he’s quoting some reviews, starting with Walt Mossberg at Re/code.

And a reminder that these iPhones are the fastest-selling iPhones in history.

(But you knew that.)

By the end of this week, the iPhone 6 will be in 32 countries. And it’s launching in China in a few hours.

This is also the first time Apple is launching an iPhone on all three of China’s major networks.

“This is our biggest iPhone launch ever.”

Got it? Good.

“The iPhones also get the benefit of another major announcement we made last month.” (He’s talking about Apple Pay.)

Bear with us here: Recapping is part of the experience!

But in case you didn’t know, Apple is claiming Apple Pay support from all of the major US banks. Including 500 more, presumably smaller banks too.

And lots of major retailer support too. Macy’s, etc.

You want a pair of Beats headphones, and “boom you bought them.”

Lots of chuckles at that Beats plug there.

“I’m excited to announce today that we are beginning on Monday.”

So, you’ve got an iPhone 6 / 6 Plus already? Get ready to use the mobile payment feature starting then.

But wait, now we’re switching gears to Apple Watch, which you also may have read about.

“Great reception from the health and fitness community” and from “people who know a lot about fashion and style… even more than I do.”

This month, Apple Watch is on the cover of Vogue China. (We already reported that!)

And now, a recap of the apps Apple Watch will have at launch. Delta, Starwood and others.

And now, Apple is about to roll out “WatchKit” for developers. That’s coming next month.

“We can’t wait to see what experiences they come up with.”

“Apple Watch is shipping early next year, and every day I look forward to that day.”

So this is the part where we back up and talk about the whole lineup.

Which means it’s time to talk about the underlying operating systems: iOS and Yosemite.

With that, Craig Federighi, the software guy, is taking the stage.

Let’s start with iOS 8.

Joanna Stern just got a shout-out for her review of the OS.

Nearly half of the install base is running iOS 8, he says.

Here we go, he’s comparing to Android.

Fragmentation!

Only 25 percent of Android users are running KitKat, or so he says.

“iOS 8 is a major feature release.” (Very true.)

In particular, though, Craig is focusing on new features for developers. Extensibility for third-party apps, for example.

In case this is all new to you, I suggest you read Brad Molen’s thorough review of iOS 8.

And, I mean, our liveblog photos going up should jog your memory too.

Some laughter there as Craig name-checked a Klingon-themed third-party keyboard.

On to HealthKit.

Y’all know how this works, right? Works with all sorts of health apps and devices, like scales?

Moving on, a recap of Metal. This is more on the performance side, of course, and graphics performance.

But that’s kinda hard to demonstrate in a liveblog.

Next recap: Swift, Apple’s programming language.

“Its impact could be greater than any other language,” says the Wired review he’s quoting to us.

(Hah, only one person started applauding at first, and then everyone jumped in.)

And now, iOS 8.1.

Key points: Support for Apple Pay.

Ability to access all your photos and video at their original resolution, with no downscaling.

That’s gonna be in public beta for now.

And now, OS X Yosemite.

So far, a recap of the design. Flat, iOS-inspired.

New typography, new icons in the dock. A new “Today” view in the Notification Center. Revamped Spotlight search.

New look for every native app, including Safari, which now hides favorites behind the address field.

Safari, as you might know, also has Spotlight suggestions. Similar to the new Spotlight suggestions on the Mac desktop, and on iOS 8.

New tab view in Safari. “Birds-eye view” of all of your tabs, with all of your pages from the same site in one stack.

Now Craig is talking about performance improvements in Safari.

In particular, JavaScript performance and battery life (at least two extra hours versus other browsers).

Then there’s the new Mail app. The Markup feature I told you about in my preview over the summer. Mail Drop for sending large attachments (up to 5GB).

Messages has a new design. Brings on a lot of features you’ll also find in Messages for iOS 8. Add participants, etc.

We’re going at blazing speed here! Brief mention of iWork here.

New sidebar view if that’s exciting to you.

Moving on! iCloud Drive.

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16
Oct

Apple to roll out WatchKit for developers in November


Apple wants developers to start tinkering and creating apps for its new smartwatch ASAP. So, the company’s launching WatchKit in November, a few months before the device’s launch next year.

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16
Oct

Apple Pay launches Monday with support from Starbucks, Macys and others


Apple has just kicked off its iPad extravaganza with a big piece of news about Apple Pay initiative. It’ll launch this Monday, and now has the support of 500 US banks along with major retailers like Starbucks, Macys, McDonalds, Disney, Walgrens and Target. That means if you decided to splurge on one of Apple’s meaty new handsets, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, you’ll finally be able to put their NFC chips to good use.

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16
Oct

iOS 8.1 is coming, will bring Apple Pay support for new iPhones


Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior VP of software engineering, has just announced that iOS 8.1 is coming soon, and will bring Apple Pay compatibility in tow for the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus

Developing…

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16
Oct

Apple October 2014 Media Event: Spoiler-Free Video Stream [Mac Blog]


With Apple’s October 2014 media event kicking off in just a short while, some users are interested in avoiding all of the announcements and waiting until Apple posts the recorded video of the event so as to experience it without already knowing the outcome.

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For those individuals, we’ve posted this news story, which will be updated with the link to the presentation once it becomes available from Apple. No other news stories or announcements will be displayed alongside this story.

Users waiting for the video to be posted are welcome to gather in the thread associated with this news story, and we ask that those who follow the events refrain from making any posts in the thread about today’s announcements.



16
Oct

Apple Will Release WatchKit in November for Developers [iOS Blog]


Today at its media event in Cupertino, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced that WatchKit would release for developers in November alongside the Apple Watch SDK. Previously, WatchKit had still been in development and was available to a select few third-party developers like Starwood Hotels.

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In November, all developers will be available to get WatchKit and the Apple Watch SDK to create their own apps for Apple Watch. Cook once again reiterated that the Apple Watch will be available in early 2015.



16
Oct

Apple Pay Launching This Monday, October 20 with iOS 8.1 [iOS Blog]


At its special event today, Apple announced that its Apple Pay mobile payments solution will launch on this Monday, October 20 with iOS 8.1. The company also noted that it had signed on another 500 banks to work with Apple Pay since announcing the service last month.

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Apple Pay will be compatible with iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus and will support the Apple Watch when it launches in 2015. Apple is emphasizing safety and security with Apple Pay, as users simply hold the iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus to a receiver while holding the Touch ID home button. Card numbers are stored or shared in a “Secure Element” functionality, and are never visible to Apple or cashiers.

Apple Pay will first be available in the United States and will be compatible with American Express, MasterCard and Visa. Apple also lists Citi, Bank of America, Capital One, Wells Fargo, Chase, and a number of other banks as partners.



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