Apple adds a dedicated selfie section to its iOS App Store
A new App Store section. Not the app store section we needed, but the app store section we deserved.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Apple
Via: 9to5Mac, @Viticci (Twitter)
Source: iTunes
Apple Seeds OS X Mavericks 10.9.3 Build 13D17 to Developers [Mac Blog]
Apple today seeded build 13D17 of OS X 10.9.3 to developers, one week after releasing the first OS X 10.9.3 beta, build 13D12. The beta is available through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store as well as through the Mac Dev Center.
Apple is currently asking developers to focus on Graphics Drivers and Audio. As was discovered last week, 10.9.3 adds new support for 4K displays, offering “Retina” resolutions that improve readability. The beta also includes a 4K display option for 60Ghz output from the Retina MacBook Pro.
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Twelve South Introduces ‘Rutledge’ BookBook With New Leather Coloring Technique [Mac Blog]
South Carolina-based accessory maker Twelve South has introduced a new version of its popular BookBook MacBook case called the Rutledge. Though it has the same basic design as previous BookBook for MacBook cases, the company is proud of a new leather coloring technique that it developed that involves adding and removing color multiple times to enhance the natural look of the leather.
It’s so unique that the company’s leather expert didn’t think it could be done when they began developing the process. Also new is a case specifically designed for the 13″ MacBook Pro with Retina Display, which is 7% smaller than it’s non-Retina brother. Twelve South is introducing a new version of the classic BookBook to fit that machine as well.
BookBook Rutledge Edition is the most distinctive version of our unique BookBook family. The Rutledge is tailored from premium leather and each mesmerizing cover is a unique work of art. No two look exactly alike. Like our other BookBook models, this beauty features two hardback covers, a rigid spine and a velvety soft padded interior to protect your MacBook. While the case protects your MacBook, the design protects your unique sense of style. The Rutledge Edition is available for MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and MacBook Pro with Retina Display.
The Rutledge ($100), made in India, is aimed at a slightly more premium market than the standard BookBook ($80). It is available from Twelve South’s website in four different sizes for the 11″ MacBook Air, the 13″ MacBook Air/Pro, the 13″ MacBook Pro with Retina, and the 15″ MacBook Pro with Retina.
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Apple Expands Animated iPhone 5c Ads Beyond Tumblr
After debuting a range of playful iPhone 5c ads on Tumblr in early March, Apple has expanded its campaign to the The New York Times and the front page of Yahoo.com. The Yahoo homepage currently features an ad block on the right side hand of the page that houses eight different iPhone 5c ads with the tagline “Find your colors.”
Each ad features a short animation, mirroring some of the original Tumblr ads. There’s a spot called “Catwalk,” for example, which features a series of lens flashes, “Baaaa,” which mimics a herd of sheep, and “99 Luftballoons,” which offers floating red dots with music from the popular song.
In each video, a series of dots are depicted in different arrangements that eventually come into line as the same dots on the back of the iPhone 5c case, which then zoom out to show the full iPhone 5c. Apple has approximately 17 different animated iPhone 5c ads that are being displayed on the web, both on Yahoo’s properties and on The New York Times site earlier this week.
According to a Times representative, Apple’s grid-based ad was a customized format offering “a transparent overlay to depict a rich brand experience” that was indeed designed by the company though it featured a Sprint logo.
Apple has aggressively advertised the iPhone 5c since its release, but the move to social media sites like Tumblr is new territory for the company, which typically sticks to billboards, television commercials, and other types of traditional advertising formats. Web ads are not new for the company, however, as Apple has recently shown its Your Verse ads on a range of websites.
It appears that the campaign on the Times website may have ended, but it is likely that Apple will expand the animated advertisements to other websites as well in an effort to further market the iPhone 5c to a wide range of consumers.
During the company’s Q1 2014 earnings call, Apple revealed it had seen lower than expected sales of the iPhone 5c due to high demand for the flagship iPhone 5s. Some reports indicated that the iPhone 5s was outselling the iPhone 5c by a two-to-one margin and Apple scaled back production of the mid-tier phone shortly after launch.
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First Images of Official Family Guy iOS Game Surface [iOS Blog]
Fox and development house TinyCo have today unveiled the first images of the upcoming Family Guy iOS game, which is slated for release next month.
The game features an original story “influenced by the show’s 212-episode catalogue as well as current events.” It will be free-to-play, likely supported by in-app purchases or virtual currency.
As can be seen in the screenshots, the game features the same locations and characters that are in the hit television show, with Mort, Peter, Quagmire, and Chris outside The Drunken Clam in one shot and Peter and Joe outside the Quahog police station in another shot.
“We’re working closely with Fox Digital Entertainment and 20th Century Fox Television production to guarantee an authentic FAMILY GUY experience that makes you laugh your ass off,” said Andrew N. Green, head of business development and business operations at TinyCo.
While there is no official launch date in place for the Family Guy game, it is set to be released in April of 2014. More information can be found on the game’s Facebook page.
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Apple Explores Adding a Lens Mounting System to the iPhone
Apple’s granted patents and patent applications over the last couple of months have revealed a significant interest in camera lens systems that attach to the iPhone’s existing camera, enhancing its photo taking capabilities much like third-party lens attachment solutions from companies like Olloclip.
In a newly published patent application (via Patently Apple), Apple explores a bayonet lens attachment mechanism to fix a separate lens to an iPhone. Bayonet is a type of pin-based of lens mount that is designed to precisely align the mechanical and electrical features between a lens and a body in a traditional camera, preventing the components from rotating.
According to Apple, this attachment method is superior to other solutions such as a separate case that lenses can be mounted to or a magnetic attachment system that may not be strong enough to keep a lens attached while in motion. Apple describes both a case and a magnetic mount as “undesirable” and “unsightly.”
Detachable lenses from third-party manufacturer Olloclip
The application explains in detail how a lens can be mounted to an iPhone or other device through a bayonet attachment, with the iPhone or other device possessing a cavity that the can attach to a lens and the bayonets being located around the aperture of the lens. It also describes quick release methods, should a device with a lens attached by dropped or otherwise damaged.
Attachment mechanisms are provided. The attachment mechanisms may be configured to couple accessory devices, such as lens devices to an electronic device. For example, a lens may be coupled to the exterior of an electronic device with first and second attachment mechanisms.
While there are a range of third-party add-on lenses for the iPhone and the iPad, none of the available solutions are able to use an attachment method as Apple describes due to the fact that such a system would have to be manufactured directly into the iPhone. Instead, they use magnets, cases, or other less than ideal attachment solutions that would be unable to compete with a native solution from Apple, should the company choose to pursue camera enhancements in the form of lens attachments.
A drawing of Apple’s lens attachment method
Apple has also explored other attachment methods in recent years, including a magnetic lens attachment system that was detailed in a patent granted in January and a similar lens attachment system that worked with a removable back panel used to swap in different lenses, unveiled in 2012.
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Titanfall Creators in Talks With Aspyr, Mac Version May Be in the Works [Mac Blog]
Titanfall, the multiplayer first-person shooter developed by Respawn Entertainment exclusively for Windows, Xbox 360, and Xbox One, may be coming to the Mac in the future.
In a post on Twitter last night (via Polygon), Respawn Entertainment co-founder Vince Zampella said the company is in talks with Mac game publisher Aspyr over possibly bringing Titanfall to Mac. “We are talking to Aspyr,” he told a fan asking about a Mac version. “They should do it.”
Back in February Zampella expressed similar sentiments, telling fans that he would like to see a Mac version happen after the game launched for Xbox and PC on March 11.
In Titanfall, players fight in six-vs-six online multiplayer matches, controlling mech-style Titans and pilots to complete team-based objectives. The game won more than 60 awards when it was revealed at E3 and has received largely positive reviews.
Crafted by one of the co-creators of Call of Duty and other key developers behind the Call of Duty franchise, Titanfall is among the most highly anticipated games of 2014, having been shrouded in mystery for nearly three years. The visionaries at Respawn have drawn inspiration from their proven experience in first-person action gaming, and are building on that pedigree by taking a new approach to game design and creating an all-new universe with Titanfall.
Aspyr has published multiple major gaming titles for the Mac, including Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Bioshock Infinite, Borderlands 2, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic, and more. There is no word on when a Mac version of Titanfall might be released.
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iOS 8 Screenshot Reveals New Healthbook, Preview and TextEdit Icons
A screenshot of an iOS 8 homescreen with the new Healthbook, Preview and TextEdit icons was posted to China’s Weibo microblog and spotted by 9to5mac. The source of the screenshot cannot be verified, but insiders close to 9to5 claim the icons represented in the image are legitimate.
Healthbook is Apple’s rumored fitness app for iOS 8 and its icon revealed in the screenshot loosely matches earlier descriptions. It may connect to the iWatch and track vital health and fitness parameters such as calories burned, heart rate and potentially other statistics like hydration and blood glucose levels.
Preview and TextEdit may debut in iOS later this year as part of an expansion of Apple’s iCloud service. Their icons mirror those of their OS X counterparts, which is unusual as Apple uses different icons for its OS X and iOS apps. This suggests the icons are placeholders and may change before the apps are released. Tips is an unknown app, and its role in iOS 8 is not certain.
Overall, the screenshot shows the iOS 8 design appearing essentially identical to that of iOS 7, although this may change over time as work continues on the next-generation operating system. Apple is expected to unveil iOS 8 later this year at WWDC 2014 and release it publicly sometime this fall. Besides underlying improvements to services like Maps and Siri, it also is expected to include health and fitness features that will integrate with Apple’s iWatch wearable device.
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Report: This is what iOS 8 looks like, at least right now
Apple’s next version of its mobile operating system, iOS 8, looks an awful lot like the iOS you’ve already got on your iDevice. At least that’s according to screens leaked on Chinese microblog site Weibo and lent credence by veritable Apple site 9to5Mac, which show what is supposedly iOS 8 in action. Yes, square icons with rounded edges are back, but that design is wrapped around some new entrants in the app world: TextEdit, Preview and Tips. It’s easy to guess what the first one might be (a potential replacement for the Notes app), but Preview and Tips? Given the icon’s distinct resemblance to the application of the same name in OS X, we’re guessing this serves a similar function: viewing documents and PDFs. As for Tips? Well, that’s probably just a solution for introducing new users.
iOS 8 isn’t an official product just yet, but logic and history dictate it’ll be part and parcel of the next iPhone refresh. We’ve previously heard that health will feature prominently in the next version of iOS, with both an application named Healthbook and some form of integration with the M7 chip already built into the iPhone 5S. Of course, Apple’s staying mum for now, and, again, history dictates it’ll be a few more months before Cupertino’s ready to talk.
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds, Software, Apple
Via: 9to5Mac
Apple’s iPod Nano Pedometer Patent Application Sparks iWatch Speculation
Apple has been rumored for some time to be working on an “iWatch” featuring biometric sensors and integration with other iOS devices, and a recently published patent application (via AppleInsider) addressing pedometer functions is being presented as evidence that the company is indeed working on a wrist-worn fitness device.
In some implementations, optimizations for detecting steps when a pedometer is worn at a user’s wrist are described. In some implementations, a threshold crossing step detection method can be enhanced for wrist locations by counting the number of positive peaks between comparison threshold crossings, adjusting a minimum peak-to-peak threshold for qualifying threshold crossings, and inferring a second step based on the amount of time between threshold crossings. In some implementations, the pedometer can automatically determine that the pedometer is being worn on a user’s wrist.
The problem with this interpretation is that Apple already offers a product with a built-in pedometer and which is frequently worn on the wrist or arm: the iPod nano with Nike+ integration. Also supporting the idea that this research was pursued with the iPod in mind is the fact that the sole inventor listed on the patent, Yash Modi, is open about his work on iPod pedometer functionality during his time at the company. Modi left Apple in March 2012 to join Nest.
While such pedometer functionality is likely to make its way into the iWatch given rumors of emphasis on biometric sensors for the device, Apple’s patent application is by no means a smoking gun given that the technology has been in use for a number of years already. The built-in pedometer debuted in the fifth-generation iPod nano introduced in September 2009.
Still, Apple’s “Wrist Pedometer Step Detection” patent offers an interesting glimpse at how Apple has worked to optimize algorithms for detecting steps when a device is worn on the wrist. Unlike standard pedometers that are worn on the waist and provide consistent step data, the wrist adds complexity to step measurement because its motion is not always tied to actual forward movement. Algorithms analyzing wrist movement data must isolate actual steps from the background movement when users are typing, driving or performing other common tasks.
Apple’s filtering method of step analysis accurately measures this movement and has the added benefit of being able to analyze movement from a device that is worn anywhere on the body. The software powering the device also can determine when a device is worn on the wrist or another body part and will adjust its analysis based on the device’s location.
Apple is expected to unveil its iWatch wearable later this year with health and productivity features that connect the device to a user’s iPhone or iPad via Siri and iOS 8′s Healthbook app.
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