Science! A 14-year-old girl has discovered that a regular old iPad Smart Cover can “accidentally turn off” a person’s implantable deibrillator… a device that might be the only thing keeping them alive.
There’s been a lot of hullyboo about skeuomorphism in the Mac and iOS community right now. Ever since the debut of iOS, Apple’s software has become increasingly ornamented with unnecessary textures and details that many people consider tacky, such as the fake Corinthian leather in Calendar or the green felt background in Game Center. This style of design is called skeuomorphism, and outed ex-Apple VP Scott Forstall was one of Cupertino’s main proponent for its wide spread use in iOS and OS X.
All signs point to Jonny Ive getting away with a lot of skeuomorphic details in iOS 7, adopting instead a more modern, ‘flat’ design.
The way people talk, though, it’s like skeuomorphism is a unique problem of the digital age. It’s not. In fact, the ancient Greeks had a problem with skeuomorphism too. So before you revile Scott Forstall for using it too much, keep in mind, it’s a design technique as old as civilization.
Last year, there was a lot of debate about whether the iPhone 5 (the sixth iPhone at the time) would be called the iPhone 5 or the iPhone 6, and the same happened the year before as people bickered about whether Apple should call the iPhone 4S the iPhone 5.
As the seventh-generation iPhone approaches, the debate is opening up again: what should Apple call it? Ex-Apple ad man Ken Segall has raised convincing arguments saying that Apple is shooting itself in the foot with the “S” series naming convention, signalling to consumers that every other year, you get a half-baked iPhone instead of a fresh new one.
Now, some slim evidence is pointing towards the notion that Apple might be listening to their former advertising prodigy, and that the next iPhone might be called the iPhone 6.
If you want proof Apple is planning a ‘budget’ iPhone to address untapped markets, look no further than a new report which says that Apple’s suppliers are going on massive hiring sprees… and citing the imminent arrival of a new, cheaper iPhone as the cause.
Another potential component for the iPhone 5S has popped up, a small section of circuitboard that seemingly governs the upcoming iPhone’s rear camera.
It’s not uncommon to see early versions of upcoming iOS and Mac releases pop up in server logs — we’ve seen occasional blips from iOS 7 and OS X 10.9 for a while now in our own server logs — but what is less common is actually looking over an iOS 7 beta tester’s shoulder and checking out what they’re interested in.
Yet that’s just what mobile site conversion company OnSwipe was able to do, analysing iOS 7 beta tester’s reading habits to get a better grip on what people at Apple are interested in.
On a vacation with his wife and kids recently, Paul Deas opened his suitcase and found a rude surprise: his MacBook had been stolen. Not only that, but the thief had helpfully left him a note inside, telling him exactly who had robbed him: TSA Agent 5414.
We’re big fans of Clear, a simple and elegant to-do app by Realmac Software that has set entire new design standards across iOS apps thanks to its intuitive, easy-to-use swiping system.
The app itself is only $2, and worth every penny, but Realmac Software has teamed up with Starbucks this month to make the app free to all. Just follow the link below to get the app for free. Nice way to start the day, isn’t it?
Source: Starbucks
Via: Lifehacker
https://youtu.be/h2Scc6fGz9o
T-Mobile’s latest iPhone 5 ad is thoroughly in “The Internet is a series of tubes” territory. It’s kind of weird.
The advertisement shows fluorescent gak blasting from two massive PVC sewage pipes. These pipes are meant to represent “the Internet” while the gak itself is supposed to be, I guess, the brightly colored slime of the Internet’s data streams. T-Mobile says more electric kool-aid sewage can spray through their pipes because they aren’t as clogged up.
I guess what I find so weird about this ad is that not only does it pick a visual metaphor for data that was widely mocked when Senator Ted Stevens used it to describe the way the Internet works, but T-Mobile’s whole argument here seems to be: “No one subscribes with us, so you’ve got our whole LTE network all to yourself.”
Doesn’t exactly inspire a lot of confidence, does it?
A lot of companies right now are banking on the notion that wearable fitness computing is going to be big business, and no company is taking that more seriously than Nike. Nike’s always been interested in blending mobile technology and fitness in various ways — consider the Nike+ functionality built into every iPhone and iPod — but the Nike Fuelband, released late last year, took that dedication to a new level.
The Nike Fuelband was a cool product that not only looks like a little bit of 2001 on your wrist, but helps you quantify your daily activity into a more objective picture of your overall health. But it had a few shortcomings, which Nike is now reportedly addressing. Get ready for the Nike Fuelband 2.
Every time Apple makes a new iPhone, it needs to go into production earlier and earlier to accomodate the bonkers-go-nuts launch demand for the latest Jesus phone.
No wonder, then, that iPhone 5S mass production is starting to kick off, with a new report saying that Sharp, one of Apple’s major panel providers, is revving up its engines to mass produce IPS LCD displays for the iPhone 5S, starting as early as next month.
https://youtu.be/WPkByAkAdZs
This great new Audi commercial featuring two generations of Spocks — Leonard Nimoy and Zachary Quinto — smack talking, swearing, racing and singing “The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins” is awesome for a lot of ways, but for iPad enthusiasts, the cream on top is at the very beginning, when Old Spock and New Spock play 3D Chess against each other on their iPads.
Sadly, the app itself doesn’t actually seem to exist. How have you overlooked doing a proper 3D Chess app, devs?
It might just be the dozen-odd years I was spent chained to the wall in my grandmother’s basement, a stain on the orange shag carpet my only friend, but I have a natural affinity for slapping wood panneling on any gadget I have. Especially Apple products.
One of the companies that has helped me in this quest of mine is RAW BKNY, a Brooklyn-based woodworking and laser-etching shop which has put out some really bitching wood veneers for the iPhone and Macbook.
Now they’ve got a new Kickstarter, and I’m super psyched about it: how’d you like wooden keys for your Mac?
I want to call Kenny Jahng right now, didn’t you?
Source: Tim Cox’s Instagram
Remember when people were wandering around idiotically saying the iPhone was a total failure in Japan?
Yup, pretty stupid, but it’s true that, at first, the iPhone didn’t catch on in Japan, and that was a problem for Apple, because Japan is the country where gadgets rule.
So what changed Apple’s fortunes in Japan? Women!
To anyone who has been paying attention to the dismal plunge in PC sales, this should serve as further proof that we are firmly in the post-PC age: tablet shipments will outnumber laptop shipments for the first time ever in 2013. Not bad for a category that was launched by a gadget that PC makers not only scoffed at when it debuted, but is less than four years old.
Update: And it looks like Ran Avni, the guy taking credit for this video, might have stolen it from Isaac Royo over at Device Station. We’ve replaced the video.
This lovely burble of a concept video isn’t just as soothing as a new-age noise machine, it shows off a new concept for a new multitasking system in iOS 7.
It looks pretty, and no doubt many of you would like to see this on your iPhone, but just to tamp expectations down into a low-burning dottle, Apple’s never going to release something like this.
Adobe announced a lot of changes to their core creativity suite today, CS6, as well as a massively overhauled Photoshop, but forget features, here’s the real thing you need to know. Adobe Creative Suite 6 is the last app suite Adobe is ever going to let you buy. From now on, you’ll have to rent your Adobe apps.
If you’re in the market for an iPhone 5, this is intriguing: Twitter user evleaks, who has good sources on upcoming Android devices and carrier deals, is saying that Verizon will start offering the iPhone 5 for $100 off starting in the middle of this month. That means that instead of paying $199 upfront for a 16GB iPhone 5 on two year contract, it would only cost $99. Not a bad deal at all, if true: we’ll let you know when and if the deal goes live.
Source: Twitter
Via: iClarified
Do you use Google Drive? Here’s a nice little addition to Google’s online file storage and syncing service: you can now share a file just by right clicking on it in your Google Drive folder, selecting Google Drive and then clicking Share….
To download the Google Drive software for Mac, click here.
Source: Google Drive
There was a time when every hotel room had a 30-Pin Dock Connector in it somewhere, but eight or nine months after debut, Lightning — the 30-Pin Dock Connector’s successor — still hasn’t really taken off, outside of a few docks and battery cases. Sure, it’s a new standard, and Apple was famously very slow in issuing MFi deals to accessory makers who wanted to support Lightning… but even so, it seems companies have been slow to pick up the new standard.
Why? Once bitten, twice shy, it appears. In the aftermath of Apple’s Lightning transition, more and more companies are opting to embrace cheap, open wireless standards like Bluetooth instead of Lightning. And that’s probably costing Apple revenue.
Want to hear one of the smartest minds in tech opening his mouth and saying something eye-rollingly dumb? Check out Bill Gates telling CNBC that the iPad is being “held back” by its lack of physical keyboard and, of course, Microsoft Office.
Last year, Apple was ranked 17th in Fortune’s annual list of public U.S. corporations as ranked by their gross revenue. This year? Despite Wall Street skepticism that has seen share prices tumble, Apple is now ranked number 6 in the Fortune 500. Boom.
I’ve never been convinced by Martin Hajek’s iWatch concepts. They’re beautifully done, but the stitched leather band is hideous and very un-Apple-like, and I can’t help but feel that whatever the iWatch is going to be, it isn’t going to be an unusably small iPod touch strapped to your wrist.
That said, Hajek’s just unveiled a number of high-quality renders of his iWatch concept that he did for MacUser, and if you’re a fan of his take on Apple’s upcoming smartwatch, there’s a lot here to get you salivating. A lot more shots, after the jump.
The iPad mini is the best iPad Apple has ever released, except for one damn thing: the screen. Even if you love your iPad mini, everyone agrees that the inferiority of the screen compared to other tablets like the Nexus 7 — let alone the 9.7-inch iPad — is the only thing that is holding it back. The iPad mini needs a Retina display.
Sadly, hopes of getting a Retina iPad mini this year have recently been dashed by reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who poured water on the rumor of a Retina iPad mini launch by saying that that the Retina Display needed for a higher-res iPad mini won’t even start manufacturing until later this year, ruling out an October launch.
So what’s Apple’s plan? According to a new report, pretty much what you’d expect: they’ll release a spec-bumped iPad mini in the second half of this year, possibly at WWDC, then follow it up with an iPad mini with Retina Display in Q1 of 2014.
