Tuesday, May 19, 2015
LifeProof launches first Touch ID compatible waterproof case for iPhone 5s
There is no shortage of waterproof cases for the iPhone 5 (or 5s, given that its dimensions are the same), but LifeProofs new protector is the first that is fully compatible with Touch ID, allowing fingerprint sensing through the waterproof layer. But for premium protection youll be paying a premium price: The iPhone 5s nuud case will set you back a cool $89.99US.
Data source: via TUAW (By Mike Wehner)
Origine source: LifeProof
To get one: LifeProof Store
Origine source: LifeProof
To get one: LifeProof Store
Monday, May 18, 2015
Henri Lamiraux Apple’s top iOS Engineering Vice President leaves company after 23 years
Henri Lamiraux, Apple’s top Vice President of Engineering for the iOS iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch operating system has left the company, according to a source and corroborated by his LinkedIn profile.
Lamiraux confirmed his departure to me via email. He says that he retired from Apple a “couple of weeks” ago, following the release of iOS 7.0.3. Lamiraux decided a “little while ago” that iOS 7 would be his last release…
Sources within Apple’s iOS division say Lamiraux is respected and he was in charge of developing the applications that come with iOS. The executive also led feature-implementation across the operating system, and he managed both bug-fixing processes and feature distribution to consumers. He also managed the frameworks within the operating system that power features and allow developers to build applications…
With Craig Federighi becoming the Senior VP of both iOS and OS X last fall, Lamiraux’s role became more critical than ever. He was essentially the “head of iOS” while Federighi managed all software, according to descriptions from sources. Before working under Federighi, Lamiraux was a top lieutenant to Scott Forstall, working alongside design, testing, and wireless software vice presidents.
Last year’s executive shakeup moved around some of these vice presidents, but sources say that Apple has since slowly moved VPs back to the iOS division. For example, with Bob Mansfield’s recent role reduction from the executive team, wireless software engineering has moved back to Federighi’s domain.
Lamiraux started his career at Apple in the form of a Mac software engineer. Over the course of his over-two-decade-tenure at Apple, he worked his way to the top via positions as a Mac software engineering manager, director of software engineering for iOS, and senior director of engineering for iOS. Lamiraux moved to the iOS team around 2005, making him one of the few engineers to work on the iPhone project from the beginning. He worked at Apple for 23 years.
Outside of Apple, Lamiraux was known to App Store developers as he frequently appeared in developer sessions and videos at WWDC conferences. Additionally, in 2012, he led the keynote address for developers following the consumer and media presentation.
At a time where Apple’s software engineering division is moving out of almost-decade-long influence from the leadership of Scott Forstall, Lamiraux’s departure as being one of the top leaders of Apple’s arguably single-most-important product, is a significant loss for Apple. It’s unlikely that consumers will see additional changes within iOS because of the departure, and Apple is moving strong with the future of iOS under the guide of Jony Ive and engineering prowess of Craig Federighi.
Apple’s Software Engineering division is already working on the follow-ups to OS X Mavericks and iOS 7. OS X 10.10, codenamed “Syrah,” is expected to feature a redesigned user-interface, while iOS 8 is said to include additional software-integration for the new iPhone and iPad M7 motion chip and new features for Apple’s built-in Maps app.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Data source: via 9To5Mac (By Mark Gurman)
Sources within Apple’s iOS division say Lamiraux is respected and he was in charge of developing the applications that come with iOS. The executive also led feature-implementation across the operating system, and he managed both bug-fixing processes and feature distribution to consumers. He also managed the frameworks within the operating system that power features and allow developers to build applications…
With Craig Federighi becoming the Senior VP of both iOS and OS X last fall, Lamiraux’s role became more critical than ever. He was essentially the “head of iOS” while Federighi managed all software, according to descriptions from sources. Before working under Federighi, Lamiraux was a top lieutenant to Scott Forstall, working alongside design, testing, and wireless software vice presidents.
Last year’s executive shakeup moved around some of these vice presidents, but sources say that Apple has since slowly moved VPs back to the iOS division. For example, with Bob Mansfield’s recent role reduction from the executive team, wireless software engineering has moved back to Federighi’s domain.
Lamiraux started his career at Apple in the form of a Mac software engineer. Over the course of his over-two-decade-tenure at Apple, he worked his way to the top via positions as a Mac software engineering manager, director of software engineering for iOS, and senior director of engineering for iOS. Lamiraux moved to the iOS team around 2005, making him one of the few engineers to work on the iPhone project from the beginning. He worked at Apple for 23 years.
Outside of Apple, Lamiraux was known to App Store developers as he frequently appeared in developer sessions and videos at WWDC conferences. Additionally, in 2012, he led the keynote address for developers following the consumer and media presentation.
At a time where Apple’s software engineering division is moving out of almost-decade-long influence from the leadership of Scott Forstall, Lamiraux’s departure as being one of the top leaders of Apple’s arguably single-most-important product, is a significant loss for Apple. It’s unlikely that consumers will see additional changes within iOS because of the departure, and Apple is moving strong with the future of iOS under the guide of Jony Ive and engineering prowess of Craig Federighi.
Apple’s Software Engineering division is already working on the follow-ups to OS X Mavericks and iOS 7. OS X 10.10, codenamed “Syrah,” is expected to feature a redesigned user-interface, while iOS 8 is said to include additional software-integration for the new iPhone and iPad M7 motion chip and new features for Apple’s built-in Maps app.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Data source: via 9To5Mac (By Mark Gurman)
Sunday, May 17, 2015
How to avoid big international iPhone data charges
Taking an iPhone on an international trip can be a harrowing experience. Every time you post a status update to Twitter or check your email, you imagine your wireless carrier charging you a fortune in international data roaming fees.
But there are ways to stay connected while youre traveling without freaking out about the cost. Taking advantage of some new features in iOS 7 and following a few savvy data-roaming strategies can ensure that at least that aspect of your trip is worry-free.
Close the data spigot
 |
| Turn off Roaming and youll use no data at all. |
The most important iPhone setting when you travel internationally is found in the Settings app, in the Cellular section: Data Roaming. Turn this switch off, and when you leave the country, your iPhone will just stop using data entirely, even when it’s on the local phone network.
But that’s a real all-or-nothing proposition. You’ll still be able to get phone calls and texts, and youll get data whenever youre on a Wi-Fi network. But your iPhone will never transmit or receive data on the local cellular network. You’ll be free from data charges, but you’ll also be free from data.
 |
| Use the Cellular portion of the Settings app to restrict which apps can use data and to monitor their usage. |
Even better, in this same section, underneath each app, you’ll see the amount of data it uses when you’re on a cellular connection. If you want to carefully monitor your usage while you’re out of the country, scroll down to the bottom of the Cellular section and tap Reset Statistics. Now you’ll be able to see exactly how much data you’re using while you’re gone.
Talk to your carrier
Before you leave the country, talk to your wireless carrier (or visit its website) to see what international plans it offers. It may be cheapest and easiest to buy a very small amount of (expensive) international data rather than paying roaming fees, especially if you’re going to severely limit your data usage or if you’re only going to be out of the country for a few days.
If you’re an AT&T customer, you may also want to ask about unlocking your phone. If your phone is more than two years old (or if you have an older iPhone laying around), you can ask AT&T to unlock its SIM-card slot. If you do so, you can then pop out your iPhone’s identity card when traveling overseas and replace it with one from the country you’re traveling to—and save a bundle on data in the process. (More on this in a little bit.)
If you’re a Verizon or Sprint customer, you’re in luck. Your iPhone has a card slot, but in all likelihood that slot is already unlocked. (If you’re not sure, call your carrier and ask.)
Buy a prepaid SIM card
 |
| For €20, I had unlimited data for a week. |
When I recently went to Ireland, I visited a Three store and bought a prepaid card for €20. I was in and out of the store in five minutes, about half an hour later my iPhone was on the local 3G network, and I had unlimited 3G data for my entire stay. I was shocked at how easy the entire process was.
Offers differ from country to country, so it’s worth doing a little research before you travel. I was able to identify the right carrier, the right deal, and even the location of the store I needed to go to before I had even left the States.
Keep in mind, for this to work your iPhone needs to have an unlocked SIM slot. I used a Verizon iPhone 5 and it worked just fine, and it worked in an unlocked iPhone 5s as well. Also, once you switch SIM cards, you won’t be able to receive calls at your old phone number until you switch back: Your phone will have a new, local phone number. (Internet-based stuff like iMessage and email will all still work as normal, it’s just your phone number that will have changed.)
I only ran into one problem with this approach: I tried to log into my Facebook account, and it detected that I was logging in from an unusual location (Ireland). It wanted to do a two-factor authentication to verify who I was, by sending a text to my U.S. cellphone number. For that to work, I’d need to switch back to my old U.S. SIM card.
If your iPhone’s not unlocked
If you’re on AT&T and your phone’s not at least two years old, you can’t buy a prepaid SIM card. Do you have a cellular-enabled iPad or (even better) iPad mini? Those devices are already SIM unlocked, so they should be able to accept a local SIM card just as easily as your phone. Toting an iPad mini around foreign streets might seem a little silly, but it could be a nice workaround if there’s just no other way. You could also consider buying or renting a portable Wi-Fi router that connects to the local broadband network—stick it in your pocket and connect your U.S. devices on Wi-Fi.
If you’re planning on traveling internationally in the future, you might want to consider holding on to your old iPhone when you buy a new one, and having your carrier unlock it. If you travel a lot, consider buying an unlocked model or using Verizon or Sprint. My wife’s former boss splits the year between the U.S. and New Zealand, so she bought a Verizon iPhone 5 and uses a local New Zealand SIM card when she’s down there. It works perfectly.
Travel safe
This should all work better than it does. At least T-Mobile is making some strides in this area, offering free 2G international data to its customers. For the time being, carriers seem content to overcharge international travelers for data, so it’s up to the savvy traveler to find ways to cut costs. If you’re using your existing carrier’s roaming plan, turn off data access for all but the most vital apps and turn off data entirely when you don’t need it. If you want to roam free, buy a prepaid SIM card from a local carrier and stop stressing out.
Data source: via Macworld (By Jason Snell)
Friday, May 15, 2015
Apples iWatch Said to Arrive in October 2014 with Wireless Charging
Sixth-generation iPod nano with watch face
According to Chinese site C Technology [Google Translate, via GForGames], Apple is planning to release its long-rumored iWatch alongside the next iPhone in October 2014, with the company having tested two iWatch prototypes. However, the report also states that Apple has not decided on the final screen size of the device, with the prototype units being powered by a 100 mAh battery. The iWatch is also said to include wireless charging capabilities which will allow the device to charge from up to a meter away.
The report questions the reported inclusion of a 100 mAh battery, noting that it seems far too small to allow for significant battery life. Samsungs Galaxy Gear watch contains a 315 mAh battery and has received criticism over poor battery life.
Battery life has previously been reported as being an issue for Apple, with iWatch prototypes lasting only 1-2 days on a charge and the company hoping to find ways to extend that to 4-5 days. C Technology notes that wireless charging would be one way to reduce the burden of frequent charges, but it is unclear exactly how it would be implemented by Apple. A 100 mAh battery in the iWatch would roughly match the 105 mAh battery seen in the sixth-generation iPod nano that was designed in part to be able to be used as a watch.
In contrast, a report last month from Digitimes stated that the iWatch would be released in Q2 2014, with component makers having started pilot production for the device. The report also stated that low part yields have pushed back mass production of the device from an internal target date of Q1 2014 to Q2 2014, with Apple suppliers Quanta, Inventec, and Foxconn said to be competing for iWatch production orders.
iWatch reports have surfaced throughout the past few months, with Apple rumored to be releasing both 1.7 and 1.3-inch display sizes of the watch for men and women. NPD DisplaySearch analyst Paul Gagnon also noted that Apple appears to have put its major television product plans on hold for the time being in order to focus on wearables such as the iWatch.
C Technologys rumor track record is mixed, with the site being a frequent source of accurate iPhone 5s and 5c photo leaks leading up to the launch of those devices but also sharing several inaccurate pictures claimed to be of iPads in gold and/or with Touch ID prior to the introduction of the new tablets.
The report questions the reported inclusion of a 100 mAh battery, noting that it seems far too small to allow for significant battery life. Samsungs Galaxy Gear watch contains a 315 mAh battery and has received criticism over poor battery life.
Battery life has previously been reported as being an issue for Apple, with iWatch prototypes lasting only 1-2 days on a charge and the company hoping to find ways to extend that to 4-5 days. C Technology notes that wireless charging would be one way to reduce the burden of frequent charges, but it is unclear exactly how it would be implemented by Apple. A 100 mAh battery in the iWatch would roughly match the 105 mAh battery seen in the sixth-generation iPod nano that was designed in part to be able to be used as a watch.
In contrast, a report last month from Digitimes stated that the iWatch would be released in Q2 2014, with component makers having started pilot production for the device. The report also stated that low part yields have pushed back mass production of the device from an internal target date of Q1 2014 to Q2 2014, with Apple suppliers Quanta, Inventec, and Foxconn said to be competing for iWatch production orders.
iWatch reports have surfaced throughout the past few months, with Apple rumored to be releasing both 1.7 and 1.3-inch display sizes of the watch for men and women. NPD DisplaySearch analyst Paul Gagnon also noted that Apple appears to have put its major television product plans on hold for the time being in order to focus on wearables such as the iWatch.
C Technologys rumor track record is mixed, with the site being a frequent source of accurate iPhone 5s and 5c photo leaks leading up to the launch of those devices but also sharing several inaccurate pictures claimed to be of iPads in gold and/or with Touch ID prior to the introduction of the new tablets.
Data source: via MacRumors (By Richard Padilla)
Thursday, May 14, 2015
iOS 7 Adoption Already As High As 35 In One Day Apple And Developers Reap The Rewards
Apple’s big iOS 7 update rolled out to devices yesterday, around 1 p.m. ET, and while many users encountered a lot of frustrating server errors trying to get it, the numbers show that a lot of people were successful in updating. Like, a whole lot.
We’ve gathered results from a number of mobile publishing firms to find out what the numbers look like after 24 hours, and the trends indicate a very rapid rate of adoption. Chitika says that iOS 7 generated just over 18 percent of traffic from North American users on their platform over the past 24 hours, which beats out the iOS 6 first day update stats. Their study covers around 300 million page views from devices in the U.S. and Canada, and revealed that a day in, there were more users on iOS 7 than there were one day into the iOS 6 launch by about three percentage points.
Mobile web and app analytics provider Mixpanel has been watching the iOS 7 uptake in real time, and has found that within the first 24 hours, devices running iOS 7 hitting its network reached 35 percent. The firm also found that many people updated during the workday (with 22 percent on iOS in the 10 hours following its launch), and that many more were updating late into the night Pacific time, with another 10 percent coming on between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. PT. Predicting adoption based on the current rate, Mixpanel says iOS 7 could exceed iOS 6 activity on its network by this time tomorrow. Android, by comparison, still sees Jelly Bean (all versions) accounting for only 57 percent of traffic on the Mixpanel network, a full 450 days after the first version’s launch.
Mixpanel’s data is coming from nearly 2 billion impression records, distributed equally among all of its clients so as not to skew the data by relying too heavily on, say, an iPhone or Apple-focused blog’s mobile website or app.
Mobile and tablet website optimization company Onswipe has also been watching the numbers on its platform, and their sample size of around 1 million unique iOS devices reveals that around 31.27 percent of users are already on iOS 7. iPhone adoption is slightly ahead with 34.04 percent of total traffic coming from iOS 7, while on iPads visitors with the latest OS represent 26.12 percent of the pie. Both are up from last year and iOS 6, when 14.18 percent of iPads and 27.04 percent of iPhones had updated to iOS 6 24 hours in, making for a total of 24.77 percent of users across all devices.
“iOS 7 is getting such rapid adoption because it’s like getting a brand new phone instantly and for free,” Onswipe CEO Jason Baptiste told me via email. “Its adoption is also being accelerated by developers pushing a brand new iOS 7 redesign to their large user bases.”
This adoption is definitely unmatched by any other platform and its updates, mobile or otherwise. Apple has a key advantage here not only because it issues updates over-the-air, meaning users can get them wherever they’re connected to a Wi-Fi network instead of having to tether to their computers, but also because of Apple’s unprecedented and unmatched relationship with its carrier partners.
There’s a side benefit for developers who jump on early, too: Users new to iOS 7 are hungry for software that complements it, and those app makers who’ve made the switch to iOS 7-specific designs are seeing big download boosts thanks to both consumer interest and promotional efforts from Apple. The iPhone-maker has been highlighting iOS 7-ready apps and updates in its iPad and iPhone App Store ever since the update went live, and some of those apps, like OminiFocus2 and NBC, have seen their chart positions rise as a result.
In short, Apple’s adoption rates aren’t suffering because of the big changes in iOS 7, as some had suspected, and in fact the shift seems to be drawing in a more eager crowd with a very healthy appetite for apps. We’re just a day into this, however, which means that so far the numbers could reflect an outsized portion of early adopters anyway. We’ll be watching these numbers to see if they continue to mirror or exceed previous adoption trajectories for new iOS updates, or if there’s any indication the wider public is more update-shy.
Additional reporting by Matthew Panzarino.
Data source: via TC (By Darrell Etherington)
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Apple airs new holiday ad Misunderstood featuring iPhone 5s and more
We wont spoil the emotional twist of the ad, but the title -- combined with early scenes of a teenage boy who seems to be distancing himself from the celebrations around him by burying his nose in his iPhone -- may give you a hint where this is going.
You can check out Apples annual tearjerker below.
Data source: via TUAW (By Michael Grothaus)
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
The Production of 4 7 Inch iPhone 6 Begin in May to Release this Fall while the 5 5 Inch Model Will Be Delayed
iPhone Air concept
Earlier this week Rueters reported that according to their sources Apple’s suppliers will begin mass production of the 4.7-inch display to be used in the iPhone 6 this May in preparation for the devices general release this fall.
The report also notes that the much rumored 5.5-inch version of the iPhone expected to start several months later, after the initial production of the 4.7-inch displays due to difficulties with in-cell touch technology for the 5.5-inch screen. Apple had introduced the technology with the iPhone 5.
Japan Display Inc, Sharp Corp and South Koreas 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.
Japan Display will be the first supplier to start production, at its flagship plant at Mobara, east of Tokyo, as early as May, the sources said. The others are due to begin output around June.Contrast to this Last week a report from Japanese business newspaper Nikkei stated that the iPhone 6 could launch as early as September with 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch display sizes. It is Known that both screens will be larger than iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c’s 4-inch screen, and many iPhones owners consider that 4-inch is a suitable size.
Read also:
- iPhone Air Concept Features 17% Larger Display but the Device Just 8% Larger (Video)
- iPhone Air Concept Promo Video
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)