In iTunes 11, Apple gave us the ability to redeem iTunes and App Store gift cards using the FaceTime camera built into our Macs, and it is bringing the same functionality to our iOS devices with iOS 7. Instead of typing in lengthy codes, just point your camera at the gift card to redeem it.
With every new OS X release comes a fancy new wallpaper, and for Mavericks, Apple has provided us with a beautiful shot of an ocean wave. And it’s even more beautiful when you put it on a high-resolution display, because it was a whopping 5120×2880 resolution. In fact, it’s the perfect size for a 27-inch Retina iMac or Thunderbolt display.
Last week, a story about the NSA’s top-secret PRISM program broke. According to leaked documents, PRISM is a program in which the NSA is directly able to survey all data stored on the servers of pretty much every tech company under the sun, including Apple.
Apple has firmly denied even hearing about PRISM, but intriguingly, they might be required by law to do so.
Either way, it was only a matter of time when the first class-action lawsuit suing Apple for its participation in PRISM hit the courts.
iOS 7 is a bold, radical departure from Apple’s previous design aesthetic, and as such, there’s a lot of controversy right now as people struggle to figure out what they think of the new look. It’s only natural that we’re in such flux to come to terms with what we think about iOS 7: what could be more personal than the interface of the one gadget with which we have our most personal connection?
One person who has no such reservations about the design of iOS 7, though, is Susan Kare, the woman who designed many of the original Macintosh operating system’s timeless and most beloved icon.
Despite being so huge and heavy that it’s barely possible for one person to lift, some folks still manage to take the regular-sized iPad out of the house for extended periods of time. And if you’re doing that with the Retina iPad, you’ll know that once the battery has run down you’re looking at three to four weeks to recharge it, even if you were to plug it straight into the high-tension power lines overhead (hint: Do not do this).
That’s why the Justin Ultra-Slim Power Case was invented.
Apple could add a third color option to its iPhone lineup this fall when the Cupertino company launches the iPhone 5S. According to a “trusted” source, the device will be available in gold as well as black and white, while the low-cost iPhone that will launch alongside it will be available in 5 different colors inspired by Apple’s iPhone 4 Bumper cases.
Yahoo has bought the developer of the fantastic iOS apps PhotoForge and KitCam. Ghostbird’s software team will now work for Yahoo, helping to make Flickr even better. And – as ever with these things – development on both apps will stop.
Do you like the look of the new iOS 7 AirDrop feature that lets you beam things from iDevice to iDevice? Me too. But even if you have iOS 7 installed, you still can’t beam things to and from a Mac, which is arguably a more common need for basement-bound, friendless nerds like you and I.
Enter BeamApp, which does what it says on the virtual, HTML-based tin.
While competing smartphone manufacturers are producing devices in a whole host of different sizes, Apple’s iPhone has had only two screen sizes in its six-year history. But according to four sources with knowledge of Apple’s plans, who have been speaking to Reuters, the Cupertino company is “considering” iPhones with 4.7-inch and 5.7-inch displays.
It is also said to be working on a cheaper iPhone that will come in a range of different colors.
Pentax’s new Q7 has been styled to look like it was put together by somebody in shop class when told to “make a camera” out of whatever wooden offcuts were laying around the place. It can even be had in 120 different color combos, presumably all hideous.
But the Q7 does add one thing that’s worth noting: A bigger sensor. And judging by how the lenses now match that sensor in terms of 35mm equivalence, it looks like this was the plan all along.
You know what’s great? Magnets. You know what’s equally great? Filtered photos. Which makes this little DIY project – using both magnets and homemade filters – double great, right? Right guys?
It looks like the new photo filters in iOS 7 are lossless. That is, the original, untouched image file is saved as is, and the effect is applied on-the-fly. This is how non-destructive editing apps like Lightroom and Aperture do their thing.
iOS 7 has been released in beta form to those who have paid for a developer account with Apple, but the rest of the general public will have to wait. Apple plans to ship iOS 7 to the world later this fall, so for now you’re limited to seeing screenshots online and the occasional GIF.
Unless you have a jailbroken iPhone, that is. Here’s how to create iOS 7 on iOS 6.
The tablet is more than a device that can be used to consume content from the web. Sure, it can also be used to create and communicate, but it can also be used consume the latest in digital magazines. This Cult of Mac Deals offer caters to the magazine lovers out there as we’ve got 2 months of unlimited access to Next Issue – for free!
“Apple made this?” That’s the first thing I asked myself when iOS 7 was unveiled to the world at WWDC on Monday. It’s so different from anything Apple has ever done design wise that it’s hard to wrap your head around as a longtime fan of the company.
If you’re still in shock at the randomness and general weirdness of iOS 7 like I am, this tidbit of info helps clear things up: Apple’s own designers weren’t in charge of creating the OS’s icons. A new report reveals the disjointed process that Jony Ive led behind the scenes to create iOS 7 at Apple.
During Apple’s trial against the U.S. Department of Justice it was revealed that Apple now controls about 20 percent of the U.S. ebook market, thanks the growth of Apple’s iBookstore.
The news came during director Keith Moerer’s testimony in court on Tuesday. Moerer was called as a government witness in the U.S. vs Apple case where Apple stand accused of working with publishers to fix the price of ebooks when the iBookstore launched in 2010.
Apple has posted a new 10-minute video on its YouTube channel titled, “Making a difference. One app at a time.” The video highlights several stories about how iOS apps are making a profound impact on peoples’ lives around the world. “Each iOS app offers remarkable — and often delightful — possibilities,” reads the description. “But the most powerful iOS apps ever are ones that change people’s lives in ways they never imagined.”
Some of the stories include a health nurse in Kenya who uses an iPad app to diagnose patients and an amputee rower who uses an iPhone app to program her robotic legs. In classic Apple fashion, the video is beautifully shot and inspiring.
iOS has undergone a ton of small changes over the last six years, but never we have we seen as drastic changes as Apple has made with iOS 7. Don’t think iOS 7 is that big of change? Take a look at the image above that shows the evolution of the iOS home screen.
Jailbreakers have been able to customize their phones to look similar to iOS 7 now, but this is the first time that Apple is breaking away from some of the UI design principles that have made iOS so successful. The high res version can be viewed here.
Source: Reddit
Wandering between public Wi-Fi networks and never having your service interrupted, the same way you can walk in and out of the range of local cellular towers and never have your signal drop. That’s the dream for Wi-Fi, and with iOS 7, Apple’s going to help make it happen.
Ever since the iPhone came out in 2007, users have always had to slide a finger along the bottom of the screen to unlock it. With iOS 7, Apple’s still has the ‘slide to unlock’ message at the bottom of the lockscreen, but rather than having to drag a little square across the screen to open your device, now you can swipe pretty much anywhere.
You can slide to unlock from the bottom, top, middle; you can even swipe from the top left corner down to the bottom right corner and iOS 7 will still unlock your screen.
It’s one of the most convient little features in iOS 7, so Gizmodo created a handy GIF to show all the new ways you can swipe to unlock, check it out below:
One of the neat new features of iOS 7 is that the background moves ever so slightly when you tilt your iPhone up and down. The effect makes it look like your pictures are nearly 3D, but if you want to really be impressed, set your iPhone homescreen picture as a panorama and spin around.
Jeff Shin discovered that if you take a panoramic photo and set it as your background, the image will move with you as you spin around. Here’s a video of the hidden feature:
We’ve already told you why you probably shouldn’t install the new iOS 7 beta; it’s not just that the icons suck, but there are good reasons why beta releases should be avoided if you’re not a developer — particularly if you plan to use them on your primary device.
But if you went ahead and did it anyway, and now you’re looking for a way back, look no further. Despite what Apple says, iOS 7 can be downgraded to iOS 6 — and it’s pretty simple. Here’s how to do it in just two steps.
iAd has not been a big hit for Apple. Although the service was launched with a lot of fanfare about ads that you truly want to play around with and unheard-of levels of engagement, iAds hasn’t really taken off.
Part of the issue was Apple’s strategy: they focused on targeting large companies and demanded they make huge minimum buys-in. There was no dipping a toe in iAd: you either didn’t use it at all, or plunged right into your neck for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Apple’s waffled on that before, allowing ad developers to start hocking their own apps on the iAd network starting in 2010. Today, however, Apple has added an iAd Workbench, making it even easier (and way, way cheaper) for developers to advertise with the network.
You know what’s lacking in the modern, virtual version of Monopoly? If you answered “Game features to stop you from getting bored” or “Please God no, not another game of Monopoly,” then you’d be right. But those aren’t the answers I’m looking for. The answer I’m looking for is “dice.”
Now, this is (almost) fixed. The SmartRoll is a pair of dice [1] which communicate with your iPad using Bluetooth and let you roll real dice for virtual board games.
One thing’s for sure: once you have iOS 7 installed, OS X Mavericks sticks out like a sore thumb. iOS 7 is where Apple’s software design is headed, and OS X Mavericks is what Apple’s software design aesthetic is fleeing from.
Clearly, OS X Mavericks was left alone this year because Apple couldn’t concentrate on two design overhauls at once. Instead, Ive & Co. simply satisfied themselves with stripping out some of OS X’s more Forstallian flourishes, like the Corinthian leather and gray linen textures.
But what about next year? What would OS X 10.10 look like if brought in line with the design of iOS 7? DeviantArt user Ohsneezeme‘s concept, while not perfect — he hasn’t touched the icons or the dock — is a strong guess.
I like it. What about you?
