Marc Newson Hired Part-Time at Apple for Specific Undisclosed Projects

Designer Marc Newson recently spoke to architecture and design magazine Dezeen in his first interview since joining Apple. Though most of the conversation focuses on a new consumer beer machine he created along with Heineken, Newson does reveal some interesting tidbits about his current role at Apple.

Marc Newson with Jonathan Ive, courtesy of Vanity Fair
Newson confirms to Dezeen‘s Amy Frearson that he is working for Apple part-time and was hired for very specific reasons he would not disclose. He will remain in the UK while continuing to work on projects for his existing company.

Amy Frearson: You’ve taken on quite a major role with Apple, do you think you’ll still have time to work on these kinds of project as well?

Marc Newson: Yes absolutely, because my role at Apple doesn’t necessitate all of my time and that was for very specific reasons, so absolutely, my company still exists and I remain based in the UK.

When asked about his role in the design of Apple’s new Watch that is slated to arrive early next year, Newson was tight-lipped, answering only questions about the future of the traditional watch.

Amy Frearson: Can you tell me if you were involved in the watch design?

Marc Newson: Apparently I can’t.

PR Lady: Sorry we can’t answer that, sorry.

Amy Frearson: Maybe I could ask you another question. With your background in watch design, can you tell me what you think is the future of the traditional watch?

Marc Newson: There will always be a place for mechanical watches. Apart from telling the time – which is all they do – they’re about something completely different. You know, I think that the mechanical watch industry will continue to exist in much the same way as it does right now. To be honest I’m not really intimately aware of what’s happening with the world of mechanical watches right now.

Newson has worked closely with Apple lead designer Jony Ive, collaborating on several products for a Product (RED) benefit auction. Newson also is rumored to have worked on previous Apple products before officially joining the company.

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Twitter for Mac Updated With Support for Multiple Photos and Photos in Messages [Mac Blog]

Twitter for Mac received its last major update in December 2013 in the form of a revamped look with some new features, and the app has finally received another update bringing support for several additional photo features. Among them is the ability to post and view up to four photos in a single Tweet, a feature rolled out for the service in general some six months ago.

What’s New in Version 3.1

This update brings new photo features to Twitter for Mac.
– View and post Tweets with as many as four photos (click each image preview to view the full photo)
– Share photos privately in Messages
– More performance improvements and bug fixes

Twitter for Mac [Direct Link] is a free download from the Mac App Store.

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Advanced Apple TV Remote Interface for iOS and Macs Outlined in Apple Patent Application

A recent Apple patent application (via AppleInsider) reveals some of the company’s efforts looking into ways of improving the Apple TV and iTunes desktop experience using iOS. The newly published patent application, titled “Browsing remote content using a native user interface,” describes a mobile application that would serve as a second screen for a connected media device.

Mobile devices and computers displaying native interfaces for viewing content and sending controls to media device
This smarter iOS-based remote detailed in the patent moves away from the current Remote app that mimics a hardware remote by providing a robust Apple TV or iTunes interface on the mobile device. Users could then browse, search or perform other advanced functions right from the mobile device.

The disclosed technology relates to receiving media signals from a media device and rendering a user interface that is native to the device receiving the media signals based on information encoded in the media signals. The device receiving the media signal interprets information received from the media device describing media content and semantic information describing a type of interface page, and displays the content based on the semantic information in a graphical user interface (GUI) on the electronic device based on the interpretation.

Other descriptions in the patent application, which was filed in March 2013, suggest iOS owners could use the remote to search the web for information, such as the cast of the movie they are watching, and display that information on the big screen.

Apple is rumored to be working on a new Apple TV that could launch sometime in 2015. The company reportedly is working with cable companies to negotiate access to live and on-demand content, but has run into numerous obstacles on the content front.

The new Apple TV may include an App Store, Siri integration and more. It is not yet clear whether the device will be a cable-supported set-top box, an updated version of the current Apple TV, or a combination set-top box and streaming media device, as Apple has been rumored to be working on a variety of different options.

As with many Apple patent applications showing unreleased inventions, there are no assurances the disclosed inventions will ever be released, but they can sometimes reveal hints about the company’s areas of interest and research.

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Spotify Adds CarPlay Support in Latest iOS Update [iOS Blog]

Spotify today released a new version of its iOS app [Direct Link] that adds Apple CarPlay integration. Spotify was among several iOS apps, including CBS Radio, iHeartRadio and Beats Music, that pledged support for the in-car iOS feature when it was unveiled earlier this year, and Spotify’s update arrives just as Pioneer is rolling out CarPlay firmware support for several existing aftermarket systems.

The updated music player will allow users to access their Spotify account using the car’s in-dash receiver and a compatible iPhone. Other changes in version 1.8.0 include support for spoken Swedish and Québécois on iOS 8 and other various iOS 8 bug fixes.

What’s new

New: Now supports Apple CarPlay! Play Spotify in your CarPlay equipped vehicle. Just connect a compatible iPhone.
New: Spotify can now speak Swedish, and Québécois on iOS 8.
Fixed: Various new bugs on iOS 8.

Apple’s CarPlay technology brings iOS features such as navigation, messaging, music playback and more to car dashboards, making it easier for users to interact with those services while in the vehicle. Several automobile manufacturers, including Audi, Ferrari, Ford, Hyundai, and others, have partnered with Apple to bring the technology to their cars in upcoming model years.

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Samsung to Begin Work on Apple’s 14-nm A9 Chips Before End of 2014

Samsung semiconductor head Kim Ki-nam today announced that the company will begin work on 14-nanometer processors for partners such as Apple, Qualcomm, and AMD before the end of 2014, reports ZDNet (via 9to5Mac).

The comments indicate that Samsung will produce Apple’s next-generation A9 chip to be used in next year’s line of iPhones and iPads. Currently, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus use the 20-nanometer A8 processor. It is also likely that the forthcoming iPad Air 2 and second-generation Retina iPad mini will utilize Apple’s A8 chip.

The report also states that Samsung is producing around 30% of the total volume of Apple’s A8 chip, while TSMC is handling 70% of the production load. Teardowns of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus revealed A8 chips that were manufactured by TSMC, although it is possible that a select number of shipped devices contain chips produced by Samsung.

Last year, it was reported that Apple signed a contract with Samsung to handle 30% to 40% of total A9 chip production, while TSMC would be getting the rest of the production load. A report from August stated that TSMC was ahead of schedule with its new 16-nanometer process, which was said to be for Apple’s A9 chip. However, these latest comments from Ki-nam may indicate that Korean company has already won the bid to produce the A9 with its upcoming 14-nanometer process over TSMC’s proposal.

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First CarPlay-Compatible In-Dash Systems Now Available From Pioneer

Pioneer today became the first company to officially offer support for Apple’s CarPlay vehicle integration feature, after announcing the addition of CarPlay to five of its 2014-NEX in-dash multimedia receivers.

“CarPlay enriches the iPhone experience in the vehicle by providing a safer way to access the iPhone features they want to use most while driving,” said Ted Cardenas, vice president of marketing for the Car Electronics Division of Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. “With Pioneer’s implementation, CarPlay can now be integrated into millions of vehicles already on the road.”

As previously announced, CarPlay is available through a firmware update for the $1400 AVIC–8000NEX, the $1200 AVIC–7000NEX, the $900 AVIC–6000NEX, the $750 AVIC–5000NEX and the $700 AVH–4000NEX. CarPlay is also compatible with Pioneer’s new $600 smartphone receiver, AppRadio 4.

First introduced in March, CarPlay utilizes the built-in dashboard display of an automobile to offer hands-free operation of the iPhone. With CarPlay, drivers are able to complete tasks like getting directions, making calls, and sending messages through Siri voice control.

Other companies that sell aftermarket in-dash systems also plan to offer support for CarPlay in the near future, including Alpine and Clarion. The first CarPlay enabled cars are expected to come in 2014 as well, with Apple partnering with a wide range of manufacturers including Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, BMW, Ford, Hyundai, GM, Honda, Mazda, Audi, and more.

CarPlay for compatible Pioneer NEX in-dash systems is enabled through a firmware update that is available at no cost. It requires an iPhone 5 or later along with iOS 7.1 or newer.

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Apple Creates Tool to Check Activation Lock Status on iOS Devices

Apple has released a new Activation Lock Status tool (via iDownloadBlog) that will make it easier for people buying a used iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to avoid getting a device that is locked to another user.

Accessible via iCloud.com, the Activation Lock Status Checker allows users to enter a Device IMEI or Serial number to check whether a device has Activation Lock turned on.

Activation Lock was introduced alongside iOS 7 and is designed to prevent iPhones and iPads from being stolen. When Find My iPhone is enabled, it effectively locks an iOS device to a user’s Apple ID account, and even when wiped, the device will require the original Apple ID and password.

Activation Lock has cut down on iPhone-related thefts in major cities, but it has also affected users who purchase an iOS device used. If Activation Lock is enabled, a used iOS device will be entirely useless until unlocked by the original owner.

If an iOS device does have Activation Lock enabled, Apple’s tool will give users a clear warning that an Apple ID and password will be required before another user can activate the device. It also provides instructions on how to remove Activation Lock from a used device, which requires contacting the previous owner.

Anyone who is purchasing or selling a used iOS device should find Apple’s new tool very useful, as it can be used before a transaction takes place to ensure the iOS device will be usable by the new owner.

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iOS 8 Translator Keyboard Introduces Easy Access Language Translation Capabilities [iOS Blog]

With iOS 8 bringing support for system wide third-party keyboards for the first time, developers have been coming up with creative ways to introduce new functionality to the keyboard, beyond simply making it quicker to type.

Translator Keyboard is a new third-party keyboard designed to allow users to quickly translate their text from one language to another, without the need for a separate translation app.

Translator Keyboard is able to provide a much simpler experience than the copy-paste workflow that many translation apps have had to settle for in the past. As well as making translation quicker and more convenient, Translator Keyboard is the perfect tool for bite-size translation, such as iMessaging colleagues abroad, participating in online chat or discussions in another language, or skypeing with those from another country.

To use Translator Keyboard, users simply need to select the language they plan to type in and a second language to translate to. A small bar above the keyboard displays what’s being typed as it as entered, and when a sentence is complete, hitting the return button will submit it to be translated.

Translation from one language to another takes just a few seconds and the translated text is inserted directly into the text field. In Messages, for example, a user could type a sentence like “Hello, how are you?” in English, translate it to Spanish using the keyboard, and the person receiving the message would see only “Hola, ¿cómo estás?”

The app allows users to translate to 44 different languages and translate from 30 different languages, and switching between languages is done with a simple swipe on the keyboard.

Translator Keyboard is built using the Microsoft Translate API, and for that reason, it requires users to enable “Allow Full Access” because typed text is submitted for online translation. A privacy section within the app states that all text submitted for translation will be kept private and will not be stored or shared.

The app has built-in autocorrection that allows users to tap on a word that has been miscorrected to pull up a list of other possible word suggestions, which can be useful when attempting to type a word that needs a special character. More often, though, autocorrect makes it difficult to type in a language that is not English as every other word has to be fixed, slowing typing considerably. Disabling autocorrect is not currently possible, but according to the developer, the option will be added in a future update.

Along with autocorrect issues, there are a few minor problems with the keyboard, such as its inability to allow users to backspace or delete content in the main text field (deleting something that’s been entered requires switching to another keyboard), but it provides a useful way to conduct a conversation in two different languages via an app like Messages or make quick translations in an app like Notes.

Translator Keyboard can be downloaded from the App Store for $1.99. [Direct Link]

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