Apple just delivered a huge update to users with the release of iOS 8.3 last week, now it’s giving developers a preview of it’s upcoming redesign of the Music app with iOS 8.4 beta 1.
The new iOS 8.4 beta is available now in the iOS Dev Center and includes new Music app with an all-new design that makes exploring your music collection “easier and more fun.”
We’ll let you know what new features we find. In the meantime, here’s Apple’s description of the new Music app:
Apple scored a huge win for Apple TV by making it the only platform your can watch HBO Now on for the next three months, and according to a new report, Apple might be rewarding HBO by taking a much lower cut on subscription fees than cable companies.
Apple has been taking a 30 percent cut anytime a company signs up a customer for a service through an iOS app. Publishers bristled at Apple’s policy when it was introduced in 2011, however, when it comes to subscriptions purchased through Apple TV, Apple has decided to reduced its take by 50%.
Arganalth, a 23-year old engineer from Lille, France gives old computer hardware a second life by creating electrical orchestras in a suitcase.
His latest masterpiece plays Nirvana’s “Smell’s Like Teen Spirit,” only instead of strumming the cords on a Fender Mustang, all the distortion and rock is provided by a couple floppy disks and hard disk drives, with a Raspberry Pi as the conductor. It’s one of the most popular new music videos on YouTube right now, and it doesn’t take like to appreciate why.
Listen to the full performance below:
Apple gave its video editing software Final Cut Pro X a big new update this morning that includes new features like 3D titles and GPU-accelerated RED RAW processing. A number of updates were also added to Final Cut Pro X’s companion apps Compressor and Motion.
The Final Cut Pro 10.2 release is the 15th update since Apple drastically overhauled its video editing software in 2011, bringing more professional features to draw in more video producers. Perhaps the biggest features is the addition of iTunes Store Package to Compressor that makes it easier than ever for movie makers to package and sell an films on iTunes.
“From Hollywood blockbuster directors to first time movie makers, Final Cut Pro X is changing the way we edit movies today,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “The updated Final Cut Pro X, Motion and Compressor make it even easier to edit, title and package everything from short videos to feature-length films.”
Here’s some of the changes coming today:
Tim Cook was spotted at the Apple Store in Palo Alto this morning, greeting customers who had come in to get a first look at the Apple Watch.
The Apple CEO said he was impressed with the enthusiasm behind Apple Watch, stating “customers have been giving us great feedback and orders have been great, as well.” Apple Watch pre-orders sold out within hours this morning, with all units now not shipping until June.
Before Cook left he gave fans a glimpse of the stainless steel Apple Watch he’s been wearing with a custom red Digital Crown. Check out in the video below:
The gold Apple Watch Edition is expected to be big in China, but if the first hour of pre-orders are any indication, Tim Cook’s going to need to order up a lot more gold.
Within the first hour of pre-orders going online the Apple Watch Edition has already sold out in China.
You can finally pre-order the Apple Watch of your dreams, but if you want one ASAP skip the Space Gray or fancier models.
Shipping times for the Apple Watch have already slipped into May for the Apple Watch Sport, while some of the Apple Watch and Apple Watch Edition models won’t ship until June or even August.
Apple Watch pre-orders just went online, but if you’d like to go try-on Jony Ive’s amazing timepiece before you buy it, you can now schedule a one-on-one appointment to go through the different models.
Apple Stores have been outfitted with new viewing tables and demo stations for the pre-order launch. Reservations only last 15 minutes, (unless you’re buying the Apple Watch Edition), but that should be enough time to find the right case and band combo to match your style. Some readers overseas have sent us pictures of their Apple Watch try-on sessions.
Take a look at the store makeover:
It’s officially April 10th on the West Coast, which means the Apple Store is now open for Apple Watch preorders.
The Online Apple Store is still down for some visitors, but we were just able to place an order for the Apple Watch Sport 42mm Silver Aluminum Case. Shipping estimates are already slipping into May so you may want to hurry and get your order in sooner rather than later.
The Apple Store iOS app seems to be the easiest way to get an order in right now while the website is down. You can also schedule a try-on appointment to try on watches through the website or iOS app.
The construction of Apple Campus 2 came under fire earlier this week, after the Mercury Times reported that Apple had a blanket ban on hiring ex-felons. However, Cult of Mac has learned that such a ban never existed.
“We believe in opportunity for everyone, and Apple has never had a blanket ban on hiring people with felony convictions,” an Apple spokesperson told Cult of Mac.
Some ex-felon applicants were turned away within the past seven years, because of a part of the background process. Those restrictions are now being lifted though, as Apple says it’s recognized that “that this may have excluded some people who deserve a second chance.”
Here’s the full statement from Apple:
To make the most personal device ever, Apple is using sapphire glass for the Apple Watch to make its display more durable. None of the reviews we read yesterday complained about scratches on their Apple Watch, but iPhoneFixed managed to get its hands on a 38mm Apple Watch display and put it through a barrage of tests.
Apple Watch’s glass stood strong during tests with keys, sandpaper, and even a hammer. Then the crazy nerds busted out a power drill to and throttled it on the glass. The results might shock you.
Check out the glass after the test below:
We’re eagerly counting down the last few hours until we can preorder the Apple Watch, but I think I may have found a new love for my wrist: The Apple II Watch.
The brilliant folks over at Instructables unveiled a retro Apple Watch styled after the Apple II computer. If Apple made a smartwatch back in 1985, this would be it. The amazing device actually works and you can make one yourself.
Check out its incredible features:
The new MacBook goes on sale this week, and while the first reviews have raved about its incredible design, unbelievable thinness and jaw-dropping display, it’s probably not for you.
While early critiques might have alleviated concerns that the new MacBook’s CPU is about as powerful as a 2011 netbook, there are a few other issues you should know about before you rush to the Apple Store to snap up a shiny gold MacBook.
These are the new MacBook’s 10 biggest flaws:
Apple Watch has been hogging so much of the tech spotlight lately that you could be forgiven for forgetting that Apple is also about to release a revolutionary new computer.
The first reviews of the new MacBook landed on the web to remind us that the first gold MacBook will be available to order tomorrow, too. According to the experts, it’s the most beautiful computer ever created. But should you buy it?
Here’s the good and the bad of the new MacBook.
The Spock emoji is here — sort of. Apple added support today for the Vulcan salute emoji, the Star Trek-inspired emoji approved as a new Unicode symbol last year.
The new emoji, described by Emojipedia as “a raised hand, with the fingers separated between the ring finger and the middle finger,” is now visible to users on iOS 8.3 and OS X 10.10.3. However, you can’t actually pick the Vulcan salute out of the emoji character sheet just yet.
There’s no word on when Apple will officially add the Spock emoji to the keyboard, but you can start using it right now by following these quick steps.
The first wave of Apple Watch reviews landed this morning with the consensus that Apple has created the best smartwatch ever. Now whether you actually need a smartwatch is still being heavily debated, but the early Apple Watch reviews have highlighted some pretty compelling cases.
Reviews from tech news sites have praised Apple Watch for its innovative UI and incredible design. After slogging through the first reviews though, the most interesting insights I found about Apple Watch came from non-tech sites. What will it be like for normal, non-tech nerds to use Apple’s timepiece?
Here’s everything new I learned about Apple Watch from reading all the reviews:
Apple released the third major update to iOS 8 today with the public launch of 8.3, which brings a host of new features to iPhones and iPads.
The iOS 8.3 update is available as an over-the-air update or via iTunes. Some of the new features include racially diverse emoji, two-factor authentication for Google, new Siri languages, and tons of bug fixes.
Here’s a run down of the biggest features you’ll find:
Just three days before Apple’s smartwatch will be on display in stores around the world, new pictures have revealed what Apple Watch packaging will look like.
Images of the Apple Watch box, which doubles as a charging stand, were posted on Instagram today. With the first review units already out in the wild, we’re learning new details about the Apple Watch nearly every day, like how Apple Watch bands will be packaged.
Here’s a glimpse of the Apple Watch band boxes:
Sony is planning to invest $376 million dollars to boost capacity for chips used in smartphone camera sensors, including the iPhone. The company announced today that this will be the second boost to capacity made this year to meet demand.
The iPad mini 3 was a bit of a disappointment because Apple really didn’t make any improvements other than adding Touch ID. Big changes could be in order for 2015, though, according to a video of an alleged 4th generation iPad mini rear shell that shows Apple’s smallest tablet is about to get an iPad Air redesign.
Watch the full hands-on video below.
HBO finally unleashed its Netflix-killer today with the HBO Now app for iOS and Apple TV. The company is already having a hard time keeping up with demand on the streaming service, but according to a profile on HBO CEO Richard Plepler CEO, the original plan was to launch it at the end of 2016.
Today’s launch may not have happened it if weren’t for Apple executive Jimmy Iovine, who sparked the connection between HBO and Apple. After Fox CEO Rupert Murdoch made a hostile bid to takeover of Time Warner last year, Plepler says he knew he need to pivot the company. So he called up his old buddy Jimmy and asked if Apple would be interested in an HBO Now deal.
“I think that’s the shit,” Jimmy said.
Apple’s secret electric car project won’t be hitting highways for at least another five years (if ever), but that’s not stopping concept artists from dreaming up what a Project Titan vehicle might look like.
The folks at Freelancer held an Apple concept car contest this week, with the winner taking home a $1,500 prize. Top honors went to this semi-autonomous electric car concept from Aristomenis Tsirbas that oozes with Apple’s traditional minimalist design. Other features include custom LED head and tail lights, and discreet hatch doors that open laterally.
Here’s a look with the doors open:
HBO Now has finally landed on Apple TV, giving users access to stream HBO’s entire catalog of shows and live programming for just $14.99 per month. Apple TV owners can start using the service immediately with a free 30-day trial period.
Today’s HBO Now launch comes just in time for the Game of Thrones Season 5 premiere this Sunday. If you haven’t caught up, there might be enough hours left in the week to stream the past four seasons.
Update: Samsung has denied the report, claiming that all invitees were “formally invited to the Shanghai Culture Square where the event took place.”
Samsung is trying to match the iPhone 6 in every way with the launch on the Galaxy S6. That includes pre-launch hype with over 1,000 people at events clamoring for a look at the new flagship phone, but in Samsung’s case, it has to pay for fans to show up.
Over 500 fake fans were paid to attend Samsung’s launch event for the Galaxy S6 in China on Friday. The total attendance reached around 1,000, but with the meager $4.80 Samsung shelled out to anyone under who looked like a student under 30, and could sit through one hour of the keynote.
We can’t wait for Game of Thrones to make its fifth season debut next Sunday filled with all the mystery, violence and betrayal that have cemented the fantasy epic as one of TV’s best shows.
We don’t recommend letting your kids tune into the newest episodes, but Sesame Street gives kids the next best option with a funny parody of the hit HBO show that pits Joffrey, Daenerys, Tyrion and Cersei in a serious Game of Chairs contest. Ned Stark does the officiating without managing to lose his head, and Grover makes a surprise power play at the end that could forever change Westeros.
Watch the full clip below.