One of the coolest new features in iTunes 11 is the ability to take a picture of an iTunes gift card on a Mac and have it instantly redeemed in the store. It’s a heck of a lot quicker than manually typing in a 16-character string.
One of the developers who helped work with Apple on iTunes 11 has explained the incredible efforts behind creating this new feature.
Apple started selling its all-new iMac online this morning, and shipping estimates for the 27-inch models have already been pushed back to 3-4 weeks. 27-inch models were shipping in 2-3 weeks only a few hours ago, but demand is already starting to put a strain on Apple’s first batch of inventory.
The 21.5-inch iMac is still shipping in 1-3 business days, but it looks like you may not be getting a 27-incher in time for the holidays.
Apple CEO Tim Cook warned us that the new iMac was going to be constrained in a “significant way” out of the gate, mainly due to the complicated manufacturing process it takes to put together such a sexy piece of machinery. After December, the iMac should start shipping faster in both screen sizes.
Source: Apple Store
Longtime Apple executive Bob Mansfield just had a big pay day, according to a new filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Mansfield just cashed in 35,000 shares of Apple stock valued at $582.21 per share, earning him $20.37 million.
After announcing his retirement but then staying on at Apple to lead the company’s mysterious new “Technologies” group, Mansfield now reports directly to CEO Tim Cook. He’s just as instrumental to the company’s success as ever.
The iPhone 5 is now available for purchase unlocked at an unsubsidized price on Apple’s U.S. online store. Customers should also be able to pick up an unlocked iPhone 5 in U.S. Apple Retail stores as well. Pricing starts at $649 for the 16GB model.
It typically takes Apple a couple months before it starts selling a new iPhone model unlocked. Today a new option has appeared in the online store for selecting an unlocked model without a two-year carrier contract.
Apple and Starbucks have parted with (RED) to help give a little back this holiday season. Buy a $15 iTunes + $15 Starbucks gift card combo online, and both companies will donate 5% of proceeds to help fund AIDS research.
(RED) has been a longtime partner with Apple. If you buy a red colored iPod from Apple, a small percentage of the sale also goes towards the fight to end AIDS. You can order a holiday gift card basket from Apple, Starbucks and (RED) now.
The fine folks at The Iconfactory have put up a teaser page for Twitterrific 5, the next major version of their popular Twitter client. Version 5.0 will run on the iPhone and iPad, which hints at development of Twitterrific for Mac winding down.
As Twitter continues to make it harder and harder for third-party devs to support traditional clients, only a few apps like Twitterrific remain. Considering that Twitterrific was the first real Twitter app, we hope to see it live on. The Iconfactory seems to be committed as ever (at least on the iOS side).
Twitterrific 5.0 for iOS drops next Thursday, December 6th. We’ll have a full review when it goes live in the App Store.
Source: The Iconfactory
Apple unleashed a slew of software updates this afternoon, including an iOS update for the second and third-gen Apple TV. Today’s 5.1.1 update brings full support for iTunes 11 and a number of stability improvements.
iTunes 11 has a music queuing feature called “Up Next,” and the Apple TV can now interface with Up Next to show what’s about to play. The new iOS Remote app also lets you manage your queue from an iPhone or iPad.
When Flexibits launched Fantastical on the Mac back in May of 2011, I started actually using iCal to make sense of the hectic mess that is my daily schedule. Fast forward to today, and Fantastical is an app I still can’t live without. I was ecstatic when Flexibits sent me an early copy of Fantastical for iPhone to try out, and I’m pleased to report that it is everything you would expect and more. Apple’s Calendar app just got dethroned again.
iTunes 11 has become the mythical unicorn of the Apple world in recent weeks. Apple promised that it would ship the new version of its popular media player last month, but unknown issues caused the release to be pushed back to sometime in November. As this month comes to a close, we’ve all been waiting with eager anticipation each day for Apple to unleash iTunes 11.
According to a new report from The Wall Street Journal, Apple should debut iTunes 11 to the world tomorrow!
Adobe announced a major update to its Photoshop Touch iPad app today. Version 1.4 of Adobe Photoshop Touch brings a number of improvements, most notably iPad mini optimization and pressure-sensitive stylus support. As a premiere content creation tool for Apple’s tablet, the addition of stylus support means that artists can edit and manipulate images in greater detail.
Vimeo has released version 3.0 of its iPhone app, and the update brings a simpler, more intuitive interface with new features. You may remember that Vimeo for iPhone 2.0 went live in the App Store back in February, and today’s update is a significant upgrade. Vimeo has gotten rid of the cluttered in-app video editor and introduced a completely new look.
This is the first time that Vimeo itself has completely designed its own app, and it should be a huge hit for Vimeo users.
Like many of you, I love Instagram. It’s one of my top 5 most used iPhone apps. Lately I’ve started to get tried of Instagram’s user interface. While the app’s design has certainly evolved over the years, the overall aesthetic has stayed the same since 2010. I really like the minimalist, Metro-ish design taste, and apparently so does a concept designer named Stephen M. Levinson.
Stephen has uploaded a short video of how he has re-imagined Instagram, and it looks awesome. “I redesigned parts to be a bit more intuitive to gestures, removed the top menu bar that felt unnecessary, and I wanted to make the shots look like actual polaroids,” he told TechCrunch.
I’m not sure about all of Stephen’s design choices, but I love the idea of Instagram having a more gesture-driven interface. What do you think?
Source: Vimeo
Via: TechCrunch
“Man, I really wish I had an iPhone 5-sized pocket in my pants!”
If you’ve ever thought that before, then you’re in luck. The appropriately named “WTFJeans” is now selling denim that has been specifically designed to cradle Apple’s newest smartphone and protect your manly parts at the same time.
This Italian denim not only includes two iPhone 5 pockets, but also two hidden USB stick holders. Now you can be the fashionable nerd you’ve always dreamed of becoming.
The holiday season is upon us, and for many that means winter temperatures. Every iPhone user should have a solid pair of touchscreen gloves for when it gets chilly outside. Mujjo recently started selling touch-sensitive knitted gloves, and now the Dutch company has unveiled its premium leather gloves that work beautifully with touchscreens.
You may have forgotten, but Microsoft actually owns a search engine. It’s called Bing. Today Microsoft released the top Bing searches from 2012, and the results include events like the birth of Beyonce’s baby alongside celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Justin Bieber.
Interestingly, the top news story of the year wasn’t the U.S. presidential election or the summer Olympics. It was the iPhone 5. Microsoft must be so proud.
Gene Munster, everyone’s favorite Apple analyst, spoke at Business Insider’s IGNITION Conference today in New York City. One of the topics Munster hit on was the Apple TV. For years, Munster has been one of the biggest proponents of Apple releasing a literal TV. His most recent prediction pushed the product’s announcement to the end of next year, while last year he predicted that Apple would start shipping in early 2013.
Apple’s real plans for the living room remain to be seen, but today Munster explained his reasoning for why Apple didn’t announce a HDTV this year.
If there’s anything more illusive than the iPhone 5 jailbreak, it’s the third-gen Apple TV jailbreak. While real progress is being made on cracking Apple’s latest smartphone, hackers are having a harder time jailbreaking everyone’s favorite living room hockey puck.
Like Spotify, Rdio offers unlimited music streaming for a monthly subscription fee. Today Rdio unveiled a completely redesigned iOS app in the App Store, and it’s available now as a free download for subscribers.
Clean and simple design has always been a plus for Rdio, and the new iPhone and iPad apps reflect that design taste.
Two months after Apple released the iPhone 5 and iOS 6, Google Voice has finally been updated. Google’s official iOS app received support for the newest iPhone’s taller display and iOS 6 today.
About time.
CultCast listeners know that I have a particular fondness for Christopher Walken. Sometimes he even likes to make an appearance on the podcast. It’s truly magical.
My love for Walken means that I couldn’t be more excited for an upcoming iOS app called Cowbell Hero. With the app, I’ll be able to relive the infamous Saturday Night Live skit in all of its glory. I gotta have more cowbell. I really do.
Mozilla released another public beta of its Firefox browser today. Version 18 beta 1 brings a number of new features and improvements, most notably Retina display support for Apple’s 2012 MacBooks. When this version of Firefox becomes official, the once-popular browser will join the ranks of Google Chrome, Opera and other third party browsers that have already received Retina support.
The current Apple TV set-top box just doesn’t cut it. We all want more from Apple, and hopefully we’ll get the perfect TV experience one day. Until then, there’s only the imagination.
Content distribution and management is a convoluted mess right now, especially in the living room. That’s why I’m floored by the beautiful simplicity of this Apple TV concept:
I swore that I would never put a case on my iPhone 5. Then I accidentally nicked the shiny antenna frame. Ever since that dreadful moment, I’ve been on the search for the perfect iPhone case. That’s how I stumbled onto Grove.
For about two weeks, I’ve been using Grove’s bamboo case for the iPhone 5, and it has been a bittersweet experience.
Apple is saying that the new iMac is having production problems overseas, and it’s looking like the new computer will barely be ready for Christmas. Demand for Apple’s latest desktop has spawned a Chinese knockoff called the “lavi.” Powered by Windows 8, the 21.5-inch model costs 3,350 yuan (about $540) with a 500GB hard drive.
Created by “Mr. Hong,” this knockoff has a 1920×1080 display, 4GB of RAM, and an Intel i3 dual-core or i5 quad-core CPU. A 128GB SSD can be installed for an additional fee.
Hip startup Studio Neat announced the original Glif on Kickstarter back in 2010, and the innovative iPhone tripod/mount hybrid became a huge success. Today Studio Neat announced that the iPhone 5 version of the Glif will start arriving to customers next week.
The regular Glif sells for $20, while the Glif+ with tripod lock and keyring loop costs $30.