More than ever before, our connected world is becoming a mobile one. What good is a strong web presence if it isn’t optimized for use with mobile devices? That’s where having your own app comes into play. It allows your audience to connect with you in a way that is personalized to them.

The Complete iOS 8 Course With Swift will teach you the skills necessary to create iPhone and iPad applications using Swift, the new iOS developer language, as well as the platforms of iOS 8 and XCode 6.  iOS 8 is coming soon and this deal is almost over.  Lock in now at Cult of Mac Deals for a limited-time price of $79 and get in on the iOS 8 ground floor.

As much as Apple wants the tech press on its side, tech writers aren’t the only journalists being invited to Cupertino’s September 9 event, where it’s heavily rumored the iWatch will be unveiled for the world to see.

Lending even more credence to the idea that Apple is set to announce its entry into the world of wearables, the company has reportedly been inviting unprecedented numbers of fashion editors and bloggers to the event.

“I assume it’s because they are unveiling a wearable,” Lea Goldman, features and special projects director for Marie Claire magazine told Reuters. “This suggests Apple is serious about tapping into the fashion world, which often sits on the sidelines.”

Details of the iWatch’s features have been trickling out the rumor mill in the lead up to next week’s event shedding light on the new fitness, homekit, and payments features Apple’s first wearable will include, but according to a report from The Information, all those special features are going to take a big toll on the iWatch’s battery.

After speaking with sources inside Apple, Jessica Lessin writes that iWatch battery life might be “disappointing.”

From alleged wireless charging to circuit boards the “size of a postage stamp,” there are plenty of rumors about the features Apple is supposedly cramming into its eagerly-anticipated wearables debut, the iWatch.

Unlike the iPhone 6, however, which has seen enough leaked parts that you could practically build your own working model, the lack of clues regarding the actual design of the iWatch has left everyone none the wiser.

That’s why talented graphic designers are stepping into the breach, to show us what they at least hope Apple has up its sleeves.

One such designer is Fuse Chicken‘s Jon Fawcett, whose concepts blur Pebble-style notifications and health tracking with a classic rounded watch face.

More pictures after the jump.

Would you find it easier to get out of bed in the morning if you had to have a chat with a random stranger? Then you need Wakie, a new smartphone app that provides wakeup calls from people you’ve never met.

I’m a massive fan of nostalgic 2-D platformers, so the sight of Goblin Sword has me buzzing. An entirely new iOS action platforming game, the title nonetheless borrows its inspiration from classic 8-bit platformers of the NES era of gaming, with cartoony sprites and highly detailed pixel-rendered backdrops.

Frankly it looks gorgeous, and the promise of a whopping 48 levels, 6 bosses, multiple weapons and suits of armor, and (arguably best of all) utter lack of in-app purchases just makes it sound all the more promising.

Apple’s September 9th event is nearly here, and you know what that means: last-minute rumors galore.

The New York Times weighs in today with several new tidbits, including details about the iWatch. Not only will Apple’s wearable sport a curved sapphire glass display, but it will reportedly power up via wireless charging.

Apple will unveil not one, but two different iWatch sizes when it takes the stage at the Flint Center next week, and according to the Wall Street Journal, Apple’s wearable will make mobile payments as easy as a tap on the wrist.

The new device is unlikely to launch this year, but the report claims that along with tracking your health and fitness data, the iWatch will feature a battery efficient OLED display, and an NFC chip an secure enclave to store all your credit cards for mobile payments.

Los Angeles teachers union president Alex Caputo-Pear has called for L.A. Schools chief John Deasy — the man who helped orchestrate the ill-fated $1.3 billion tech deal designed to give an iPad to every student — to report to “teacher jail” while the program is under investigation.

“Teacher jail” refers to district offices which house instructors who are facing allegations of misconduct.

In Deasy’s case, the alleged misconduct relates to apparent inappropriate dealings with Apple and education publisher Pearson that may have influenced the bidding process for the massive deal, which has now been abandoned. Deasy claims there was nothing inappropriate about his relationship with either company.

Forget Spotify, Pandora and Beats Music. I’ve tried them all, and for my money, Rdio is the best streaming music subscription service out there. It has the best app design and, for my tastes, the best music selection. But you have to pay.

An update, though, is trying to make Rdio much more palatable to free users, as well as help all users find new music faster. It’s making the service free to everyone, emphasizing ad-supported stations for free users (with up to 15 times as many tracks as competing services), and new, smart social services for paid users.