Realmac Consolidating ‘Clear’ iOS Apps, Limited Free Offer to Migrate Coming Soon [iOS Blog]

Last year, Realmac launched Clear+, a universal, iOS 7-compatible version of its task manager that was meant to replace the original iPhone-only version. The original version of Clear was discontinued, but consumer backlash over having to pay again for a new copy of the task manager prompted Realmac to continue updating the iPhone app. After months of maintaining two versions of the app, Realmac has reversed course yet again and is now returning to its original version of Clear, which has been updated with iPad support.

We’re going to be returning to just one, universal version of Clear for iOS, with the original version of Clear gaining iPad support. If you already own a copy of Clear, you don’t need to do anything as we’ve just launched an updated version of Clear with iPad support.

To appease customers who purchased Clear+, Realmac is offering the universal version of Clear for free so users can migrate to the only supported version of the app. This promotion will be offered twice and will be available for 24 hours at a time. Users can sign up to be alerted via email when the app is made free.

Clear is a universal app that is available from the iOS App Store for $4.99. [Direct Link]

Apple Debuts New Mountaineering ‘Your Verse’ iPad Story [iOS Blog]

Apple has released another story in its current “Your Verse” ad campaign for the iPad Air that showcases the extraordinary use of the tablet in a variety of situations. This latest edition shows how mountaineers Adrian Ballinger and Emily Harrington have used the iPad when scaling some of the world’s most renowned mountains.

Ballinger and Harrington are shown using the iPad from base camp to summit, documenting their trip with photos and blog posts. Instead of waiting weeks to share their adventure, the pair used the iPad to provide expedition details as they happened. The iPad was also used for terrain mapping the terrain and route planning through treacherous mountain regions.

“Not long ago, they relied on outdated or inaccurate paper maps to inform their plan of attack. Sometimes maps of these areas didn’t even exist. But now with iPad and the Gaia GPS topography app, they can see remote mountain regions in great detail.”

“Five years ago, it was hard to even get a paper map of some of these places. Now with the iPad it’s remarkable how much we can plan ahead,” said Ballinger.

Mountain expeditions are only one of several stories highlighted by Apple. An earlier documentary shows how the iPad was used by biologist Michael Berumen to study underwater coral reefs, while other shorter profiles that encompass a variety of disciplines were summarized in the recent “Your Verse” ad. The “Your Verse” series is a continuation of the “Life on iPad” ad campaign that Apple kicked off last year.

iTunes Radio recording comes to Mac via DoubleTwist

While you could use an Android device to capture iTunes Radio streams before, DoubleTwist’s latest AirPlay Recorder update brings that functionality to Cupertino’s desktops. Based on the walk-through that the outfit lists on its blog, the Mac app seems pretty simple to implement too. First, select the app as an AirPlay device and then start playing a song or station. That’s it. While some might scoff at the price ($10), convenience doesn’t always come free.

Filed under: Desktops, Apple

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Source: DoubleTwist

Concept Video Shows a 13-Inch ‘iPad Pro’ Running a Full Version of OS X [iOS Blog]

A concept video of a 13-inch “iPad Pro” running a full version of OS X has been posted by Italian consulting company SET Solution (via Funky Space Monkey). The iPad in the video is depicted as having a large form factor with very thin bezels, and is shown displaying OS X Mountain Lion with touch controls. The video also shows off the ability to easily connect an Apple Wireless Keyboard and Magic Mouse to the iPad, enabling a full desktop-like environment.

The possibility of Apple combining OS X and iOS into one unified platform has been a popular topic of discussion recently, as both have begun to share a common sense of design principles. However, an interview with Apple executives Phil Schiller and Craig Federighi in Macworld last month revealed that the company sees the combination iOS and OS X as a “non-goal”, with the former saying that the effort would be a “waste of energy” and the latter saying that Apple is focused on building the best products for unique purposes.

Despite this public dismissal, J.P. Morgan analyst Mark Moskowitz predicted earlier this month that Apple is indeed working on a platform that combines OS X and iOS, which is termed as “iAnywhere.” Specifically, the analyst states that the combo operating system would work in tandem with an iOS device docked to a secondary display, running as a full-blown computer. Various other companies have experimented with dual operating systems and other hybrid solutions in the past, but mostly to no acclaim from the general public.

Overall, it is unlikely that Apple will debut a tablet running a full version of OS X as seen in the video or a combo operating system anytime soon. However, recent reports do point to Apple releasing a 12.9-inch iPad running a next-generation version of iOS sometime in the future, with a launch projected for late this year or early next year.

Apple Introduces Updated iTunes Connect Sales Dashboard for Developers [iOS Blog]

Apple has updated the iTunes Connect portal that developers use to track and manage App Store apps. The site has a new Sales and Trends section that allows developers to track sales across certain time periods, sales groups, and more, as well as estimate total revenue amounts, iMore reports.

The lack of modern, useful reporting tools has been a source of developer complaints since developers have been able to complain. Given the size and value of the App Store, and the quantity of both developers and apps, iTunes Connects deserves the attention, and more. Hopefully this is just the beginning.

Many larger developers have forgone iTunes Connect entirely because of its lack of features for more advanced analysis. App Figures and App Annie are two of the more popular app analytics platforms, with many large developers using them to track sales figures across a vast array of categories.

Apple also has an iTunes Connect Mobile iOS app, but it was not updated along side the website today. [Direct Link]

Apple Seeds OS X Mavericks 10.9.2 Build 13C62 to Developers [Mac Blog]

Apple today seeded build 13C62 of OS X 10.9.2 to developers, marking the seventh beta iteration of 10.9.2. The release comes five days after the sixth OS X 10.9.2 beta, build 13C59, and nearly two months after the first OS X 10.9.2 beta.

The update is available to registered developers through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store and should be appearing in the Mac Dev Center soon.

Apple continues to ask developers to focus on mail, messages, graphics drivers, VoiceOver, VPN, and SMB2. Earlier betas of OS X 10.9.2 began allowing Mac users to block people on iMessage and FaceTime, as can be done in iOS 7, and also introduced FaceTime Audio.

‘AirPlay Recorder’ App Lets Mac Users Save Songs From iTunes Radio [Mac Blog]

doubleTwist, the company behind the popular multi-platform iTunes-compatible doubleTwist Media Player, today brought its new AirPlay Recorder app to the Mac, allowing iTunes users to capture and save streaming audio for offline use.

First introduced for Android in January, AirPlay Recorder is designed to record audio, such as streaming songs from iTunes Radio, using AirPlay. After downloading and installing the app, it will appear as an AirPlay device within iTunes and will record audio after being selected from the AirPlay device list.

The app will record any audio or radio stream played within iTunes to a “Recorder” folder within the Music folder for offline playback. Recording audio is done in real time, which means a four minute song will take four minutes to record, and a reliable Internet connection is necessary because the app checks recording quality.

Apps like to AirPlay Recorder, such as Audio Hijack Pro have been previously available, but at a higher price. The legality of AirPlay Recorder and similar apps is unclear, but according to doubleTwist co-founder Monique Farantzos, who spoke to Engadget back in January, the company is unconcerned about the app’s legal status.

“Recording has been around for decades, from audio cassettes (remember mix tapes?) to TuneIn radio’s recording feature. Given that Apple built their iPod empire on letting millions of people rip CDs based on fair use, we don’t see how they could object to this app.”

Along with Farantzos, doubleTwist also boasts Jon Lech Johansen as a co-founder, the man who released DeCSS, a computer program able to decrypt content on commercially produced DVDs. Johansen was prosecuted in Norway back in 2002 for developing the software, but was later acquitted.

doubleTwist’s AirPlay Recorder for Mac can be downloaded for free from the doubleTwist website. The free version allows users to record 10 second samples while full recording capability can be unlocked for $9.99.