Apple’s iOS 9 has been adopted by users at a pretty rapid rate, one that’s faster than even iOS 8 enjoyed.
Apple just updated its developer information page, claiming that iOS 9 is now on 75 percent of all iOS devices out there. This is four percent more than it was just a month ago, showing steady, if slower, growth than the first few weeks after the iOS 9 release.
We think Siri’s been holding out on us. It turns out that Apple’s digital assistant has been quietly working on a skill that we only recently discovered.
It’s not very useful, but it should give you a smile: A simple request will make Siri beatbox for you.
We were a little skeptical (and sarcastic) when we heard that Apple was trying out a feature in iOS 9.3 and watchOS 2.2 that will let Apple Watch owners pair multiple devices to one iPhone, but some new details have us rethinking our position.
The feature, reportedly called “Auto Switch,” does exactly that, and based on what we’ve heard, it could very well not just be for developers.
It was only six years ago that Skype video calling premiered on mobile phones, setting one-to-one video calls free from the laptop or desktop.
Now, you’ll be able to group video chat via Skype on Android, iPhone, iPad and Windows 10 Mobile. Here’s a cute video Skype created to celebrate.
Internet Explorer is dead, and some nerdy designers are taking their good-riddance to Kickstarter.
The campaign will produce classy, poster-sized screen prints of a fictional speech that perfectly captures how little anyone will actually miss the maligned web browser. It’s seeking a measly $500 to start production, with extra money going toward making the prints available in additional languages.
Finally, the play any video everywhere convenience of super-video app VLC is coming to your new Apple TV.
As the go-to video player app on OS X and iOS, it’s about time we see it on the big screen, considering it was planned last September.
Once you search for and download VLC on your Apple TV, you’ll be set to play any videos you can possibly throw at it, whether stored locally, on a local media server, or even right from your browser.
Companies have designed shoulder bags exclusively for iPads, but let’s face it — most of us just toss them in whatever bag we have. Sure, we’ll spend on a hard cover or even a protective sleeve, but the iPad’s size and sleekness don’t demand that we dedicate a separate bag.
But the iPad Pro changes things a bit. It’s larger, is best utilized with an attachable keyboard and, if you live the creative life, you need a place to stow that Apple Pencil.
If you’re looking for some amazing new Retina-display-quality images to wallpaper your Mac, iPhone or iPad, you might want to head over to Apple’s “Start Something New” campaign web page.
The sub-site — part of an ongoing advertising campaign highlighting how creative you can get with Apple products — has a bunch of amazing images that zoom around when you mouse a cursor across them.
Here’s how to get them to spruce up your device.
If you’re not already subscribed to Amazon Prime, you’re missing out on what might be the best deal on the planet. And today it gets even greater, because Amazon is now giving all Prime subscribers 20 percent off pre-order and newly-released video games.
Understanding what your favorite rapper is saying is finally going to get a lot easer, if you’re a Spotify user.
Spotify revealed a new feature going out to users, starting today, that allows you to look a song’s lyrics, as well as the meaning behind them. Songs will be compiled into a weekly ‘Behind the Lyris’ playlist that utilizes Genius’ collection of rhyme translations.
Ever wonder what life would be like if you were Instafamous with millions of followers blasting your pics with likes?
Seeing your feed blow up with thousands of likes moments after posting is usually reserved for people named Kardashian, but that’s just another day in the office for the creator of the Instagram profile 433. The football feed has amassed over 8 million followers thanks to its fantastic curation of the most epic football content on the web.
Demy de Zeeuw uploaded a video showing what an iPhone’s push notifications look like when you have that many eyeballs eager to double-tap your pics right after posting.
Watch the push notifications pile up:
If you are on a budget and routinely trash your headphones, JLab Audio’s Flex is just what you have been looking for: a decent pair of cans built to withstand regular abuse.
The Flex headphones come folded down compactly into their included case, and for $70 deliver pretty impressive sound quality.
Twitter is using its subsidiary streaming service, Periscope, for a direct assault on your attention. That’s the only conclusion we can reach, anyway, as the social-media giant’s mobile app now supports both live streams and replays of content from Periscope.
And it’s hitting iOS first, with the feature rolling out today.
Meet one of the smallest drones in its class to also sport a camera for shooting photo and video. It also keeps the best qualities of quadcopters, with omni-directional controls perfect for the dips, dives, and barrel rolls of modern day barnstorming (probably a gingerbread barn, but still). It’s a feature-rich flier that you don’t have to be rich to play with — right now this drone and a bonus 2 gigabyte micro SD card are just $34.99 at Cult of Mac Deals.
We’re used to hearing about iPhone thefts to the point that one method for measuring interest in Apple launches is to see whether or not there’s an appropriately-timed spike in muggings around launch day.
But with the Apple Watch still finding its way in the world, we haven’t yet heard too many stories about thefts of Apple’s debut wearable device. Until now, that is!
Apple has never reported a decline in iPhone sales. That may be about to change, however, with seven top Apple analysts all predicting that the company is either experiencing — or on the verge of experiencing — a drop in the number of iPhones being bought.
Apple’s analytics tools are invaluable to developers who want to gain better insight into who is downloading their apps and how well they’ll be monetized. They’ve previously been available to iOS and Mac developers, but tvOS devs were second-class citizens, with no analytics tools to draw on.
Now Apple is finally making its App Analytics dashboard available to Apple TV devs as well.
The Apple Car has its share of skeptics, but there’s at least one person who believes it is coming, and he should know: Tesla founder Elon Musk says it’s an “open secret” that Cupertino is working to become Coupe-rtino. Get it?
3D Touch gets a big boost in iOS 9.3, the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system.
On top of the various other “what to expect” features we’ve told you about, the iOS update, which arrived yesterday, also adds a host of new shortcuts you can use from the home screen for all standard pre-installed apps. Check out our list below.
The last version of iOS 9 that was successfully jailbroken was iOS 9.0.2. Now, we’re up to iOS 9.2, and now Apple says iOS 9.3 will be coming soon. So when will the jailbreakers catch up?
Unknown, but it shouldn’t be too far away, with a prominent jailbreak hacker showing off video of an iOS 9.3 jailbreak exploit today.
Photos have surfaced online showing work underway on Apple’s first retail store in Singapore.
The photos show that Apple is taking its regular security measures by covering the windows in order to keep the work inside a secret, ahead of the grand opening later in 2016.
Apple’s enterprise mobility head for the India region has quit to set up a new Indian smartphone company, selling Android devices.
Sharad Mehrotra joined Apple in October 2007, the year that Apple launched the iPhone. Since then he has worked to build Apple’s brand in India, which the company has been particularly keen on pushing over the past several years.
Apple’s finally getting specific about how well adoption of its CarPlay protocol is going.
A list appeared on the company’s website today confirming that over half of the manufacturers it has partnered with have announced specific models of vehicles that will receive the functionality.
If you’re wondering which cars have CarPlay, you have over a hundred to choose from. Here’s what we know so far.
A new Apple TV app promises to give you all the insane, free content you can handle, and it delivers.
Rewinder is a free download in the Apple TV App Store, and it’s crammed full of the educational films, classic-TV anthologies, and questionable B-movies you didn’t know you had to see. If you’re a fan of shows like Mystery Science Theater 3000, which delight in the overly earnest and misguided, it’s exactly what’s been missing from your weekend viewing parties.
The Google Chromebook has moved past Apple to the head of the class for sales of tech products in the K-12 market.
Chromebook sales surpassed 51 percent, up from 40 percent, for the first time, according to third quarter figures for 2015.