Adobe ‘Doubling Down’ on Lightroom in Wake of Apple’s Aperture Announcement
Following Apple’s announcement that it plans to cease further development on its professional photo editing software, Aperture, Adobe has released a statement encouraging Aperture users to check out its Creative Cloud plan or its standalone Lightroom app, a longtime Aperture competitor. The company says it is committed to helping former Aperture and iPhoto customers transition to Lightroom.
Put simply we’re doubling down on our investments in Lightroom and the new Creative Cloud Photography plan and you can expect to see a rich roadmap of rapid innovation for desktop, web and device workflows in the coming weeks, months and years. We also continue to invest actively on the iOS and OSX platforms, and are committed to helping interested iPhoto and Aperture customers migrate to our rich solution across desktop, device and web workflows.
Known as Aperture’s biggest competitor, Lightroom is another solution for professional photo editing. Adobe has a Creative Cloud subscription plan aimed specifically at photographers, offering access to both Photoshop and Lightroom for $9.99 per month. While this plan used to be temporary, Adobe recently made it a permanent addition to Creative Cloud. Adobe also offers access to its full suite of Creative Cloud apps, including Lightroom, for $49.99 per month.
Adobe has developed Lightroom mobile apps for both the iPhone and the iPad, both of which seamlessly connect to the desktop version of Lightroom, allowing users to edit and manage their library of photos on any device.
While both Aperture and Lightroom offer similar professional photo editing capabilities, Lightroom has enjoyed regular updates as part of Adobe’s Creative Cloud, while Aperture has been falling behind for quite some time now. Lightroom received an update earlier this month, while Aperture was last updated in November of 2013.
Buyer’s Guide: Discounts on New iMac, iPhones, iPod Touch, and More [Mac Blog]
There are some great deals on Apple-related software and accessories this week, as well as some decent discounts on the iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, and the new iMac.
For the next day, customers can get the new low-end 21.5-inch iMac for just $830 from Best Buy with a $120 discount on the iMac itself combined with a $150 discount on all Macs for students with an .EDU email address, a total price drop of $269. Students can also get a $150 discount on all iMacs and MacBooks through July 12.
The 16GB iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s are available for $29 and $99, respectively, from Walmart. Walmart’s new prices are permanent, and offer $79 off the iPhone 5c and $100 off the iPhone 5s.
Following the introduction of new 16GB iPod touches for $199, Best Buy has discounted the original 16GB iPod touch with no rear facing camera to $170.99, $58 off its original price and $29 less than the new iPod touches. Best Buy is also offering a slight discount of $12.50 on the 32GB iPod touch, selling it for $237.49, down from $249.99.
As far as accessories go, Best Buy is offering discounts on several different iPad mini Smart Covers. Light Gray, Dark Gray, and Pink, for example, can be purchased for $16.99, a $23.00 discount from the standard $39.99 retail price. Green and Red are available for $19.99.
New users of the Hotel Tonight app, which is designed to find deals on last minute hotel bookings can get a $25 credit by entering the promo code “TONIGHT” during account sign-up.
The Incase Hard-Shell Case for the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro is available for $14.99 from Groupon, a discount of $35 off the regular $50 price tag.
Before making a purchase of a Mac or iOS device, make sure to consult our Buyer’s Guide to find out if it’s a good time to buy. For example, since a new iPod touch variant was recently released, it’s unlikely another update is in the works for the near future, making it a good time to buy.
MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors.
Apple puts Aperture out to pasture, moving users to new Photos app
Apple’s pro photo editing suite Aperture is coming to the end of its life. In 2005 Cupertino decided to take on the entrenched powers in that field, including Adobe, but clearly the company has decided there are better uses for its resources. Instead, with the next version of OS X, will be ushered towards a new app called Photos. Apple will even provide a tool for seamlessly moving your existing library to Photos. While it may pack some of the more advanced editing features of Aperture, the new app is actually aimed more at replacing iPhoto (which will also be getting the boot). Users that are unwilling to give up Aperture can rest assured that will provide compatibility updates for OS X Yosemite, but there will be no other changes to the software. For those that would rather move over to the Adobe family, there’s always Lightroom, which is part of the Creative Cloud suite and has proven popular. Of course, that means paying a $10 monthly subscription. It’s less than ideal, but at least Lightroom has a history of frequent updates.
Update: This story originally stated that Apple was building a tool to aid those looking to transition to Lightroom. Instead the tool is for moving users to Photos. Apple is, however, working to provide documentation for those that wish to move to Lightroom.
Source: TechCrunch
Apple Ending Development on Aperture as Upcoming Photos App for OS X Will Replace iPhoto
Apple will no longer continue development on its professional photography application, Aperture, reports The Loop. Instead, the company is working on the Photos app for Mac that it introduced during the Worldwide Developer’s Conference.
“With the introduction of the new Photos app and iCloud Photo Library, enabling you to safely store all of your photos in iCloud and access them from anywhere, there will be no new development of Aperture,” said Apple in a statement provided to The Loop. “When Photos for OS X ships next year, users will be able to migrate their existing Aperture libraries to Photos for OS.”
The Photos app, which was shown off only briefly during WWDC, will combine with iCloud Photo Library, replacing both Aperture and iPhoto. While Photos will allow users to store, search, and edit photos via the cloud on Apple devices, it is unlikely to include the more robust, professional-oriented tools found in Aperture.
Aperture, which has long lagged behind competing software like Lightroom from Adobe, saw its last major version update to 3.5 on October 22, 2013, and since then, the software has seen just one last minor update. One of the major complaints about Aperture has been its infrequent updates, and many users have wondered if and when Apple would release Aperture 4. With no plans to continue development, professional photographers will want to find another solution, such as Lightroom.
According to TechCrunch, Apple will continue to provide compatibility updates to allow Aperture to run on OS X Yosemite, but development will stop. Apple is also working with Adobe to create a transitionary workflow to help users shift to Lightroom.
Audi to Introduce CarPlay Compatible Cars in 2015 [iOS Blog]
Audi has announced plans to integrate Apple’s CarPlay system into its Audi Multi Media Interface, and new Audi models supporting CarPlay will become available to customers beginning in 2015. Audi says that its development lab in Silicon Valley is in an “intensive dialog” with Apple as it works to integrate CarPlay into Audi cars.
Our customers want to be ‘always on’ and use the services they know from their smartphones in cars as well,” says Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Board Member for Technical Development at AUDI AG. “In this regard, we are working closely with leading companies like Google and Apple. In the future, customers will be able to use the functions available to them on their smartphones via the operating systems in their cars as well.
Designed to overlay an iPhone’s display on a car’s in-dash infotainment system, CarPlay allows users hands-free access for functions like getting directions, making phone calls, sending messages, and more, using Siri voice control. CarPlay also includes support for several different iPhone apps like Spotify, Beats Music, iHeartRadio, and MLB at Bat, among others.
Audi joins a number of other manufacturers that have partnered with Apple, including Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, BMW, Ford, Hyundai, GM, and Honda, with the first CarPlay-supported cars becoming available later this year. Several aftermarket consoles from companies like Alpine and Pioneer will also support CarPlay before the end of the year.
Teardown of New 16 GB iPod Touch Reveals Same Internals and Layout as Larger Capacity Models
The teardown experts at iFixit have promptly torn down Apple’s refreshed 16 GB iPod touch, a day after the device was announced and went on sale. The $199 iPod touch is Apple’s new entry-level touch model, adopting the camera and color options of the existing fifth-generation models.
The teardown analysis of the 2014 16 GB model found no significant changes from Apple’s current 32 GB and 64 GB iPod touch models, which were released in 2012. This “refreshed” device includes the same components as the existing 32 GB iPod touch variant, but with half the storage.
At least, that’s the way this camera-laden, 16 GB iPod Touch came to be. We delved inside Apple’s “refreshed” device and found the same components we’d seen in Touches of yesteryear, but with 16 GB of on-board flash memory. So it’s not really that this 16 GB variant gains a camera — instead, it loses half of its 32 GB of storage.
Apple has on occasion taken the opportunity of minor product updates to test out new components, but there is little evidence of that occurring with the new iPod touch. Several of the chips have slightly different part numbers than seen on the original fifth-generation iPod touch teardown, but it is not uncommon for such components to be tweaked at times over a product’s lifetime. Overall, the layout of the logic board components on the new iPod touch appears identical to that of the original fifth-generation model, providing no evidence of any significant internal changes.
Besides hardware components, the 16 GB iPod touch also shares the same poor repairability of its higher capacity counterparts. As noted in iFixit’s original teardown of the fifth-generation iPod touch, the device received a 3 out of 10 repairability score because of its non-removable battery and linked components that must be replaced in groups.
Apple’s fifth-generation iPod touch is recognized for its ultrathin form factor and its bright color options, but the hardware is more than a generation behind, with an A5 processor and 5-megapixel iSight camera that put the device’s internals on par with the iPhone 4s.
Even with the relatively dated hardware, however, it is unclear when we should expect a more substantial upgrade for the line. Apple traditionally uses its September event to unveil new iPod hardware, but with iPod sales in decline and this recent refresh and price drop to rekindle interest in the device, it is unlikely that Apple will make further changes to its iPod touch lineup in the immediate future.
Apple Rolls Out Section for ‘Best New Game Updates’ on App Store [iOS Blog]
Apple has added a section for the “Best New Game Updates” on the App Store, allowing users to view recently updated titles from a number of developers. Notable updates to games were previously included in the “Best New Games” section which now includes more recently released titles.
Titles listed under the new section include Plants vs. Zombies 2, FarmVille 2, and Maleficent Free Fall, which recently received updates that added new enemy types, new animals, and new stages, respectively. Apple also appears to be showcasing a mix of titles from both major developers such as EA and smaller indie developers.
Last month, Apple rolled out a new monthly App Store section highlighting the best apps, games, and updates, joining the other highlighted sections for “App of the Week” and “Editor’s Choice”. Apple also debuted an “Indie Game Showcase” section on the App Store in March which showcases the best games from independent developers.
Walmart dropping iPhone 5c to $29, 5s to $99 beginning tomorrow
If you’ve been holding out for reduced pricing on Apple’s latest smartphones, you’re in luck. Walmart is planning to make both models a bit more affordable beginning tomorrow, according to a spokesperson. The 16GB iPhone 5c will be available in stores for $29 with a two-year contract (down from $49), while the 16GB iPhone 5s is expected to retail for $99, a 50-dollar savings. The retailer ran a similar promotion earlier this year, but this week’s move is permanent and should take effect beginning at 9 tomorrow morning (local time), available only in stores. We don’t have specifics for the 32GB versions, but pricing will be reduced for both of those models as well.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple
Walmart Permanently Discounts iPhone 5c to $29 and iPhone 5s to $99 [iOS Blog]
Walmart will begin selling the 16 GB iPhone 5c for $29 and 16 GB iPhone 5s for $99 with two-year contracts starting tomorrow, according to Engadget.
The retailer says that the price drop is permanent, unlike similar price drops the company has made for both the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s. Walmart has discounted the phones before, dropping the price of the iPhone 5c from an initial $79 to $49 and the iPhone 5s from $199 to $149. The new price cuts discount the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s $20 and $50, respectively, from Walmart’s current prices.
Pricing will also be reduced for the 32 GB variants of both phones, but it’s not yet known how much they could be discounted. Walmart price cuts will take effect tomorrow at 9 am local time.
Apple’s ‘Podcasts’ App Crashing on Launch
Apple’s Podcasts app appears to be malfunctioning for many users, crashing directly after being launched on both devices running iOS 7.1.1 and devices running iOS 8 beta 2. Multiple reports of the crashes have surfaced on Twitter, and MacRumors‘ own testing also revealed the same crashing-after-launch issue.
While the app will temporarily open after being tapped, it closes automatically just seconds later. The Podcasts app was last updated to version 2.1.2 with minor bug fixes on May 29, so it is unclear what is causing the app to crash.
Podcasts is one of Apple’s most poorly rated apps and has been widely criticized for performance issues, with users complaining about syncing problems, podcasts being deleted, and more. Apple attempted to resolve some of these issues with Podcasts version 2.1, which introduced improved episode browsing, Siri integration, and syncing fixes, but the app continues to have a two star rating in the App Store.
As of iOS 8 beta 2, Podcasts is a default iOS app that comes pre-installed on iOS devices, meaning it can no longer be deleted. This change is expected to make its way into the public release of iOS 8, coming later this year.
The crashing issue appears to have begun this morning and it is unknown when a fix might be available.
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