Apple Expands Access to iAd Workbench, Introduces Short Videos for Mobile Ads

Apple is making it easier for anyone to create an ad campaign using its iAd Workbench mobile advertising tool. As noted by Ad Age, the company is now allowing any person with an Apple ID to open an iAd Workbench account and create an ad campaign, a feature previously restricted to registered developers. The changes will make it simpler for advertisers, small and large, to create ads for the platform.

At the onset of its mobile-ad business, Apple extended olive branches to a select group of brands, promising premier reach. But advertisers pushed back against its pricey offerings. Now, it appears Apple has concluded money in mobile ads comes from a wide net; in short, it’ll look more like Google.

Apple is also introducing new features to Workbench, its web-based platform used for tracking and launching campaigns. Users can now include short videos in an ad, which will be displayed full screen on the iPad and the iPhone, as first described earlier this year. Previously, iPhone ads were limited to less obtrusive banners that needed to be tapped before a video would play. Video iAds are also able to send viewers to websites or promoted iTunes content, rather than just mobile apps.

At the current point in time, the iAd Workbench expansion is limited to mobile ads and does not extend to iTunes Radio. Ad buyers are able to pay based on cost-per-click or cost-per-thousand impressions.

The company is likely hoping to attract new advertisers to the iAd platform with the introduction of videos and the simplification of account creation. Since its 2010 debut, iAd has been largely unsuccessful gaining advertising partners, but Apple has been aiming to revive iAd since the introduction of iTunes Radio.

Several major advertising partners, including McDonald’s, Nissan, Pepsi, and Procter & Gamble signed up for iAd when iTunes Radio debuted and Apple has managed to increase iAd revenue to $260 million in 2013 from $38 million in 2011.

Engadget giveaway: win an iPad mini Retina courtesy of ClickMeeting!

The modern workforce is a global one, but you still need to get in some face time with co-workers and associates far and wide. ClickMeeting want’s to help one lucky Engadget reader keep that personal connection and spread their message by offering an iPad mini and six months of its ClickWebinar service. This will help you make presentations to your team or dole out advice to interested clientele, and with mobile apps for iOS, Android and BlackBerry, the software lets you do it from any location. So whether it’s slurping down civet lattes at the corner cafe or direct from your kitchen table, you can get your message to the masses — and they don’t have to know you’re still wearing pajama bottoms. Simply head down to the Rafflecopter widget below for up to three chances at winning this iPad mini and ClickWebinar combo.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

• Entries are handled through the Rafflecopter widget above. Comments are no longer accepted as valid methods of entry. You may enter without any obligation to social media accounts, though we may offer them as opportunities for extra entries. Your email address is required so we can get in touch with you if you win, but it will not be given to third parties.
• Contest is open to all residents of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Canada (excluding Quebec), 18 or older! Sorry, we don’t make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so direct your anger at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
• Winners will be chosen randomly. One (1) winner will receive one (1) Apple iPad mini Retina (ME279LL/A – Silver, 16GB) and six (6) months of ClickMeeting’s ClickWebinar service (which supports up to 50 attendees per meeting).
• If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of being contacted. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Make sure that the account you use to enter the contest includes your real name and a contact email or Facebook login. We do not track any of this information for marketing or third-party purposes.
• This unit is purely for promotional giveaway. ClickMeeting, Apple and Engadget / AOL are not held liable to honor warranties, exchanges or customer service.
• The full list of rules, in all its legalese glory, can be found here.
• Entries can be submitted until April 2nd at 11:59PM ET. Good luck!

Filed under: Announcements, HD, Mobile, Alt, Apple

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Apple Buys iFixit, and Other 2014 April Fools’ Jokes

Today is April Fools’ Day, which means readers should be wary of what they read online as much of it will be a gross hyperbole created in the name of fun. Today also marks Apple’s 38th anniversary, with the company having been founded on this day in 1976 by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.

Among the popular April Fools’ Day jokes making the rounds today are the following:

Apple Acquires iFixit

Based on the number of tips we’ve received, iFixit wins the award for the most believable Apple-related April Fools’ prank for 2014. The popular device repair company changed its entire website to announce that it is being acquired by Apple.

It’s finally here. We’re thrilled to announce that we are joining forces with Apple starting this summer. It has been an exciting adventure for all of us at iFixit, and we can’t thank our dedicated community enough. Let’s start our next chapter together.

BookBook for iMac

Twelve South, which offers a popular line of book-themed iPhone, iPad, and Mac notebook cases, has introduced its largest version yet: BookBook for iMac.

SwiftKey “Flow Hard” for Physical Keyboards

Popular alternative keyboard SwiftKey, which recently began experimenting on iOS, announced “Flow Hard”, a version of its gesture-input technology for physical desktop/laptop keyboards. The new Flow Hard is guaranteed to increase your typing speed and your overall productivity.

Nest and Virgin America Team Up on Personalized Airline Seat Climate Control

The now Google-owned Nest partnered with Virgin America to bring Total Temperature Control to airlines, allowing users to customize their own seat environment.

SelfieBot by Orbotix

Orbotix today unveiled the SelfieBot, a camera-equipped drone that hovers around you, capturing the best selfie moments you would normally miss. Always ready to snap a picture, the SelfieBot can be controlled by your smartphone or operate independently.

Google Chrome for iOS Adds Emoji Translation

Google has added support for emoji translation to its popular Chrome browser for iOS and Android. Instead of boring and bland text, users can capture the sentiment of each page through efficient and emotive illustrations.

Today we’re announcing Google Translate support for Emoji, built directly into Chrome for Android and iOS. You can now read all your favorite web content using efficient and emotive illustrations, instead of cumbersome text. Our translation algorithm interprets not just the definition of the words on a webpage, but also their context, tone and if appropriate, facial expression. It then distills text into articulate, meaningful symbols so you can get more out of every screen.

MacRumors has not participated in April Fools’ Day prank news stories on its regular news pages in past years, and has no plans to break from that tradition this year. All news stories posted on our front page, iOS Blog, and Mac Blog today are real.

Apple’s Mac Pro Shipping Estimates in U.S. Move to 5-6 Weeks [Mac Blog]

Apple updated the shipping estimates for its new Mac Pro desktop, with the US store now providing a shipping target of 5 to 6 weeks for new orders with either stock or custom configurations. International stores still report April as an estimated ship date, but these dates are likely to change now that the month has officially started.

This is one of several recent changes Apple has made to Mac Pro shipping estimates, with the company showing both March and April shipping targets earlier this year. The change from a monthly window of approximately seven to eight weeks to a weekly window of five to six weeks suggests the company is starting to move toward a balance of supply and demand after the initial buying rush at launch.

We may hear more about the Mac Pro and its supply constraints later this month when Apple announces its earnings for the second fiscal quarter (first calendar quarter) of 2014. Apple will hold its quarterly earnings conference call on April 23 at 5:00 PM Eastern / 2:00 PM Pacific. MacRumors will provide coverage of both the earnings report and conference call at that time.

New Details on Razer’s ‘Kazuyo’ Controller Reveal Remappable Buttons, Slim Design, Companion App [iOS Blog]

New details on Razer’s Kazuyo controller have been shared by MacFormat, giving insight on the accessory’s unique features, including fully remappable buttons and a slim hard-shell case design. Although not pictured, the report also suggests that the final version of the controller will come with full-sized analog sticks for enhanced control.

While photos of the accessory were originally leaked last month, the controller appears to have gone through a slight redesign since then, now featuring a more rounded design which appears to surround an iOS device with a more secure fit.

Furthermore, the report also notes that Razer will ship an accompanying app with its controller that will act as a storefront for compatible games and allow users to tweak various settings, namely button assignments and sensitivity. The app will also be able to act as a unified interface for a user’s purchased games and offer promotions and listings for special deals.

The Razer Kazuyo will join a growing market of iOS game controllers, which currently includes the SteelSeries Stratus, Logitech PowerShell and MOGA Ace Power, and will soon include Mad Catz’s C.T.R.L.i controller as of later this month.

At the current point in time, multiple games offer iOS 7 controller support, including titles like Rayman Fiesta Run, Bastion, and Asphalt 8: Airborne. Additional developers have also pledged to build controller support into their apps now that hardware is available to consumers, as more iOS games appear to be receiving updates that enable it.

Apple to Reportedly Release 4.7-Inch iPhone 6 This Fall, 5.5-Inch Version Delayed

Apple is set to begin mass production of the 4.7-inch display to be used in the iPhone 6 this May in preparation for the device’s general release this fall, according to a new report from Reuters.

Citing supply chain sources, the report also states that the much rumored 5.5-inch version of the iPhone could be delayed due to difficulties with in-cell production technology, and is likely to commence several months after the initial production of the 4.7-inch displays.

Japan Display Inc, Sharp Corp and South Korea’s LG Display Co Ltd have all been tapped to make the screens, said the sources, who asked not to be identified.

…But due to difficulties with in-cell production technology for the larger 5.5-inch size, one of the sources said, a decision was made to begin mass production with the 4.7-inch version alone.

Production of 5.5-inch screens is expected to start several months later, with the possibility of a shift to a film sensor instead of in-cell technology for that size, the source said.

A report last week from Japanese business newspaper Nikkei stated that the iPhone 6 could launch “as early as September”, and will be offered in 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch display sizes. This contrasted a claim from UBS analyst Steve Milunovich, who also said that the 4.7-inch version of the iPhone 6 might be the only model to launch later this year, with a timeframe for the larger 5.5-inch version unclear.

In addition to a larger display, Apple’s next-generation iPhone will likely feature a durable, sapphire screen, and a thinner, bezel-free design in addition to expected camera and processor upgrades.

AnyFont Allows iOS Users to Install Custom Fonts for Use in a Variety of Apps [iOS Blog]

AnyFont, a recently released app from developer Florian Schimanke (via TUAW) allows iOS users to install custom TrueType and OpenType fonts to an iOS device for use in a multiple applications, such as Pages, Numbers, and Keynote.

According to the developer, the fonts are installed to an iOS device via a configuration profile after being added to an app’s storage in iTunes, which is a new feature introduced with iOS 7.

[AnyFont] takes the fonts that are added to the app’s storage by the user via iTunes file sharing or the ‘Open in…’ dialog and creates a configuration profile from it so it can be installed on the device. AnyFont hands over the newly created profile to Safari which then takes the user to the installation process. When finished, the user is then taken back to AnyFont.

To use the app, .ttf or .otf font files must be installed to the AnyFont app using iTunes. Alternatively, fonts can be installed via Dropbox or Mail, by opening a file in those respective apps and choosing the “Open in…” option for AnyFont.

Once a font is added to the AnyFont app, a single tap will install it to a configuration profile on the device, which then allows the font to be used within other apps in the font selection menus.

While this is handy for creating documents on iOS devices with fonts that are typically unavailable on iOS devices, it is also useful for viewing documents or presentations created on a Mac or PC, as fonts can be preserved. The developer has created a tutorial that explains the entire font installation process, which is fairly easy using Dropbox:

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

iPad Air and iPad mini w/LTE Cellular Launch in China [iOS Blog]

Apple has launched TD-LTE capable models of the iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display in China, adding to existing iPad models that support other cellular networks in China.

Apple® today announced TD-LTE capable models of iPad Air™ and iPad mini™ with Retina® display, bringing high-speed LTE performance* to iPad® customers in China, are available starting today. The new iPad models give customers the ability to connect to today’s most advanced cellular data networks at blazingly fast speeds, so users can surf the web or download email and apps even faster.

iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display models supporting TD-LTE also accommodate the TD-SCDMA mobile standard, and join existing iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display WLAN + Cellular models in support of Personal Hotspot connectivity and other advanced cellular technology (GSM/EDGE, DC-HSDPA, HSPA+) to provide customers in China fast cellular access in whichever iPad model they choose.

China Mobile began selling the iPhone 5s and 5c on its new 4G/TD-LTE network back in January, with these iPads capable of working on the same higher speed network.

Apple’s A7 Processor Truly ‘Desktop Class’, iOS Apps Don’t Take Full Advantage

Anandtech provides a detailed analysis of Apple’s A7 (ARM-based) mobile processor which was introduced in the iPhone 5s. The latest information and analysis comes from Apple’s own code changes to the LLVM Compiler project.

While Anandtech goes into great detail on the architecture of the A7 chip and how it compares to the A6, they conclude that the A7 chip is indeed — as Apple claimed — “desktop class” and “the rest of the players in the ultra mobile CPU space didn’t aim high enough”. In fact, they found that there are almost no iOS apps that take full advantage of the A7 processor. The processor even seems overpowered for the current devices in both RAM bottlenecks and battery consumption.

Qualcomm chief marketing officer originally described the 64-bit A7 as a “marketing gimmick” but Qualcomm later backtracked on that statement. Another Qualcomm employee then said that the 64-bit Apple chip “hit us in the gut.”

“Not just us, but everyone, really. We were slack-jawed, and stunned, and unprepared. It’s not that big a performance difference right now, since most current software won’t benefit. But in Spinal Tap terms it’s like, 32 more, and now everyone wants it.”

Any reference to “desktop class” Apple processors may remind readers that there have been recurring rumors that Apple has been testing ARM processor based MacBook Airs. Apple even threatened that they would stop using Intel chips due to concerns over power consumption. AMD or even ARM were speculated to be possible alternatives.