Alongside the second iOS 8 beta released earlier today, Apple also released a new version of the Apple TV software. The two updates appear to have laid the groundwork for Family Sharing, as there's a new section for "Family Purchases" in the iOS App Store's Purchased tab and a new iCloud Family setting for the Apple TV.
As noted by 9to5Mac, Family Sharing on the Apple TV (and on the App Store) is not yet functional, but as described by Apple during the Worldwide Developers Conference, it allows users to share purchased content across accounts.
Image courtesy of 9to5Mac
Families of up to six people with iTunes accounts that use the same credit card can share content like apps, iBooks, music, movies, and more, across all of their devices using iCloud. Family Sharing also lets families share photos, videos, a calendar, reminders, and more, to keep everyone in the family connected.
On the Apple TV, it is likely Family Sharing will let users access TV shows, movies, and music that has been downloaded by family members.
Today's Apple TV software update was only available for the third-generation Apple TV (and Rev A), so it is unclear if features like Family Sharing will be limited to those devices, excluding second generation Apple TVs.
Though it is not yet available, Family Sharing will be implemented before OS X Yosemite and iOS 8 are released to the public this fall.
Popular game developer Halfbrick Studios has made its entire catalog of apps free to download, which means titles like Fruit Ninja, Fish Out of Water, Monster Dash and Age of Zombies are all free.
While some of these titles, like Fruit Ninja have been free many times in the past, other titles, like Colossatron and Fish Out of Water have not been offered for free. As noted by our sister site TouchArcade, Halfbrick has not commented on the sale, so it is unknown whether the change is permanent or temporary.
A full list of the free apps can be found below, along with download links.
Facebook today launched a new app called Slingshot, which is designed to compete with popular ephemeral messaging app Snapchat. A video and photo messaging app, Slingshot allows users to send media to friends, who are unable to view it until they share something back.
Shots taken with the camera can be edited with captions and doodles, and then sent to multiple friends or a single friend. Slingshot requires a phone number to sign up, but it does not force users to sign up with or use Facebook. When a message is received, it is "locked" until a user sends a shot of their own, a feature Facebook hopes will encourage more active sharing.
Slingshot lets you quickly share moments--little and big--with lots of people at once. Shoot a photo or video of what you're up to and sling it to a bunch of friends. They won't be able to see your shot until they sling something back. Tap on a shot to react, or simply swipe it away.
As with Snapchat, pictures and videos are deleted shortly after they are viewed, though the app does allow users to take screenshots of content.
Slingshot is not Facebook's first attempt at a Snapchat competitor. Back in 2012, while Snapchat was still in its infancy, Facebook company introduced Poke, allowing users to send ephemeral messages. The unsuccessful app was removed from the App Store in May 2014.
Slingshot was initially released and then pulled earlier this month by mistake, but it is now officially available from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]
OS X Yosemite's dark mode, which was demoed on stage at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, has yet to make it into the beta as an available setting. It is, however, possible to get a glimpse of dark mode with a Terminal command, as discovered by iOS developer Hamza Sood.
To enable the somewhat functional dark mode:
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/.GlobalPreferences AppleInterfaceTheme Dark
— Hamza Sood (@hamzasood) June 17, 2014
The command enables an early version of dark mode, which is clearly not yet complete, likely explaining why it is not yet officially available in the beta. Users should, of course, use caution when deciding whether or not to try this feature for themselves. Dark mode can be undone with a second Terminal command.
The second beta of OS X Yosemite was released to developers earlier today, bringing several new changes like the return of Photo Booth and a new look for Time Machine. The public release of the software will likely come in the fall, after several more beta iterations.
Apple is offering discounts on several popular e-books from Hachette Book Group, the publisher currently embroiled in a dispute with Amazon. As noted by Re/code, Apple is promoting a sale on several Hachette titles under a "Popular Pre-Orders: $9.99 or Less" section in the book section of the iTunes Store, which includes upcoming titles from major authors like James Patterson, Michael Connelly, and J.K. Rowling (under pen name Robert Galbraith).
While Apple does not specifically mention the books on sale are published by Hachette, every book in the 26-book section is indeed a Hachette title. An Apple PR representative confirmed the promotion to Re/code, but declined to discuss pricing or other details.
For those unfamiliar with the dispute, Amazon and Hachette have been at war for the last month, after negotiations over profit-sharing failed. Amazon has since refused to take pre-order sales of Hachette books and has also ceased discounting existing Hachette titles, leading to much higher prices, in an effort to get Hachette to agree to better terms.
An Apple PR rep confirmed the promotion, but wouldn't discuss the pricing or any other details. So we have to assume that either Hachette is lowering wholesale prices on its own titles to help Apple tweak Amazon, or Apple is lowering the retail price on its own, and losing margin in order to tweak Amazon.
Amazon released a public statement in May, noting that it was not optimistic about resolving the disagreement with Hachette in the near future. That means Amazon customers must pay more for Hachette books and must wait for books to be launched to make a purchase, a situation that benefits Apple as it is still able to offer customers pre-orders on popular titles.
Apple today released the second beta of iOS 8, which brings a number of improvements, changes, and bug fixes to the beta software that was introduced on June 2.
iOS 8 beta 2 also includes several minor interface tweaks and modifications that make the beta feel both faster and more polished. We've gathered a list of the enhancements that have been bundled into the release below.
Podcasts: Following iOS 8 beta 2, the Podcasts app is a default iOS app that comes pre-installed on iOS devices. This means it can no longer be deleted.
Safari: According to the release notes, Safari will now block ads from automatically redirecting to the App Store without user interaction. Safari also includes a new pinch to tab view.
App Store Purchases: Apps in the App Store's purchased tab are once again sorted by purchase date. In iOS 8 beta 1, they were sorted alphabetically. It's also possible to leave reviews in the App Store again, a feature unavailable in beta 1 due to a bug, and the App Store now displays Family Purchases.
QuickType Keyboard: Apple's QuickType keyboard is now available on the iPad as well as the iPhone, but does not appear to be available on the iPad 2.
Brightness: In beta 1, the Brightness toggle in the Settings menu under Wallpaper and Brightness was broken. It is now functional again.
Messages: Icons for the camera and the microphone in Messages are now gray rather than blue and there's a new setting to mark all messages read.
Settings: There's a new "Raise to Listen" setting for Messages.
Privacy: There's a new Home Data section within the Privacy menu of the Settings app.
iCloud Photos: When entering the Photos app, there's a new "iCloud Photos" popup that activates Apple's new iCloud Photos feature, replacing a user's existing Photo Stream settings.
Notifications: There's a new "Allow Notifications" setting available for each app, which works as a sort of global mute to let users to mute notifications from an app on an individual basis. Previously, there was only an option to disallow apps from showing notifications in Notification Center.
Battery Usage by App: The Battery Usage by App menu in the Settings menu now includes a setting that lets users know how much battery their phones used when no coverage was available.
Handoff: According to several of our forum members, Handoff between iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite is now far more functional.
Additional features in iOS 8 beta 2 will be added here as they are discovered. Apple is likely to continue pushing regular updates to iOS 8, bringing minor performance boosts and changes ahead of the operating system's public release, which is expected to come in the fall. For more information on iOS 8's features, big and small, make sure to check out our roundups.
Alongside iOS 8 beta 2, Apple today released a new version of OS X Yosemite, just over two weeks after initially introducing the operating system at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference.
The update, Developer Preview 2, has a build number of 14A261i, and can be downloaded from the Mac App Store or the Mac Dev Center.
OS X Yosemite brings a flatter, more modern look to OS X, with an emphasis on translucency, along with a slew of new features, including improved integration with iOS 8 through Continuity. It also includes a new "Today" view in Notification Center that offers integration with third-party apps, a retooled Spotlight search that offers new data sources, and several new features for apps like Mail, Safari, and Messages.
OS X Yosemite is currently only available to developers, but Apple plans to offer a beta version of the software to Mac users at some point during the summer. A public release of OS X Yosemite is expected in the fall, after several additional beta iterations.
New Features:
- Photo Booth: Photo Booth, which was missing from the first Yosemite beta, has now returned. - Time Machine: Time Machine has a redesigned interface that removes the stars. (via 9to5Mac).
- Screen Sharing: Screen Sharing has been updated to version 6, allowing users to block incoming screen share requests.
- AirDrop: AirDrop now offers a notification directly on the screen when a file is incoming, so it is no longer necessary to open Finder to receive a file (via 9to5Mac).
Handoff: According to several of our forum members, Handoff between iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite is now far more functional.
System Information: There's a new field for Continuity support in the Bluetooth category of the System Information app, which lets users know if their machines support features like Continuity and AirDrop.
Apple today released the second beta of iOS 8 to developers, just over two weeks after unveiling the new operating system at its Worldwide Developers Conference. The update, build number 12A4297e, is available through Apple's over-the-air updating system on iOS devices and will also be available via the iOS Dev Center.
MacRumors forum users are tracking new changes and features found in Beta 2 in this thread.
Apple has also released Xcode 6 beta 2, new beta software for the Apple TV (for 3rd gen (+ rev a) only), and OS X Yosemite Update 1.0.
iOS 8 introduces a range of new features, including improved integration with OS X through Continuity, a Health app, Family Sharing features, interactive notifications, a new QuickType Keyboard and improvements to several apps like Safari, Mail, and Messages.
iOS 8 is only available to developers at the current point in time, but it is expected to be released to the public this fall after several additional beta iterations. Based on past history, iOS 8 will likely be released alongside new iPhones, and possibly the much-rumored iWatch.
The second iOS 8 beta includes several tweaks to the operating system, such as a permanent Podcasts app that now comes pre-installed and QuickType for the iPad. Safari is also able to block ads that redirect to the App Store, and there's a new iCloud Photos popup that replaces Photo Stream when the Photos app is opened for the first time. For a full list of changes to iOS 8 in beta 2, make sure to check out our beta 2 tidbits post.
Direct links (You must be a paid registered Apple developer to access these links.)
Longtime GPS navigation leader Garmin is expanding its app portfolio with its newly-announced navigation title, Viago. The maps company hopes to compete with free navigation apps such as Apple Maps by offering Viago with an affordable price tag and a robust set of core navigation features.
Viago sets itself apart from the competition with a set of standard navigation features that are not usually available in free apps, such as lane assist, speed limit display, weather information, photo-realistic junction views and more. Customers who want more than these base features can opt to purchase advanced options a la carte via in-app purchases. Additional paid features include real-time traffic with automatic rerouting, urban navigation with public transportation, downloadable maps and more.
“Garmin víago offers the best navigation technology available from Garmin, helping drivers to reduce stress and save time on the road,” said Joern Watzke, vice president world-wide mobile business at Garmin Wuerzburg GmbH. ”The comprehensive feature set goes far beyond simple turn-by-turn directions and assists drivers like no other navigation app. Premium in app purchase options allow users to fully customize their navigation experience and only choose the features they want.“
The app also features Garmin Real Directions (in-app purchase), which allows the driver to receive descriptive driving directions that include notable landmarks, traffic signs and traffic light status that make it easier to drive an unfamiliar route. Viago also is compatible with Garmin HUD, a standalone Bluetooth device that projects driving directions into the driver's line of sight using a transparent film on the car windshield or an attached reflector lens.
Garmin Viago [Direct Link] is available now at a launch price of $0.99 (normally $1.99) until July 13, 2014. In-app purchase packages range from $4.99 to $19.99 with Maps to Go and Traffic Live now discounted 50 percent during this promotional period.
Automatic today announced a major update for its Automatic app and connected driving platform, introducing a significant app overhaul with a revamped UI designed to be "lighter, faster, and more modern."
Along with a new look, the Automatic app now provides data on fuel level and gives low fuel warnings. In supported cars, fuel level will be displayed directly in the iPhone app, along with an estimate of the miles left in the tank based on driving habits. Users are able to set an alert to be warned when they're low on gas.
Automatic's new fuel data is only available to approximately half of cars using the Automatic system, as many cars do not report their fuel level through the diagnostic port. Automatic recommends checking whether a car supports fuel data on its website.
With the new app update, consumers will also be able to change the speed at which Automatic delivers alerts for driving too fast. Previously set at 70 MPH, users will now be able to choose a custom speed, which is useful for states with higher or lower speed limits. Along with customizable speed thresholds, Automatic is also improving how customers are warned when driving too fast, cutting down on the number of warning chirps.
Now, consumers will only hear the chirp once when you cross the threshold. The chirp won't repeat for the rest of the trip unless a person dips below the threshold and crosses it again.
The Automatic Link, which plugs into a car's data port, can be purchased from the Automatic website for $99.95. The Automatic app can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]
While Apple is widely expected to expand use of its Touch ID fingerprint sensor to the iPad Air and iPad mini later this year, new photos of an alleged "perfect replica" of the second-generation iPad Air shared by Nowhereelse.fr [Google Translate] hint that there may be a few additional changes in store for the device.
The replica, which is making the rounds in China and Japan, unsurprisingly depicts a Touch ID home button for the device, but also shows some tweaks to physical features around the edges of the device, including a new speaker grille with a single row of larger holes on each side of the Lightning port as opposed to the current double row of smaller holes on the iPad.
Another difference lies in the volume buttons which are shown slightly recessed into the edge of the case, compared to the current design that sees buttons protruding slightly from a flush holes machines in the device's shell. Nowhereelse.fr mentions that the mute switch is also missing, although there is a small hole where the feature is usually located. Unfinished protoype and mockup parts sometimes feature these pilot holes to guide machining of the final hole.
Updated iPads are expected to launch later this year, with October being Apple's usual timeframe for such launches over the past couple of years. The latter part of 2014 is expected to be a busy one for Apple, with rumors of launches for the iPhone 6, new iPads, the iWatch, and perhaps some Mac updates such as the company's rumored 12-inch Retina MacBook Air.
With conflicting opinions about whether Apple and partner GT Advanced Technologies will have enough sapphire crystal production ramped up for both rumored iPhone 6 models and the iWatch, Taiwan's Economic Daily News is now weighing in [Google Translate, via G 4 Games] with its own claims that only the larger 5.5-inch iPhone 6 model will include a sapphire display due to production limitations.
According to the report, the smaller 4.7-inch model will continue to use Corning's Gorilla Glass and represent the bulk of shipments for the new iPhone. From G 4 Games:
The source also claims that the 4.7 inch iPhone 6 will hit the market with Gorilla Glass in tow. The main screen suppliers allegedly are LGD and JDI, and in anticipation of the handset’s success, the company expects to ship 60 million units (we assume that by the end of 2014). [...]
As far as the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 goes, it will allegedly be built in limited quantities due to low sapphire yield, leading to a limited supply in 2014, therefore contradicting a recent report which claimed that Apple will have enough sapphire for both iPhone 6 models AND the iWatch.
The report also addresses Apple's rumored iWatch, claiming that LG Display has been struggling to meet Apple's demand of nearly zero energy use in standby mode for the device's display. From G 4 Games:
Reportedly, Apple has constantly pushed back the gadget’s release date because the device failed, in the past, to meet the company’s expectations. One of Apple goals with the iWatch is for the smartwatch’s display to draw almost no power when in standby, but this has proven to be a big challenge. And speaking of the display, the device will reportedly feature an OLED screen (between 1.3 and 1.6-inches in size) which will be supplied exclusively by LG Display, just as it’s been reported back in January 2014.
Sources for the report reiterate previous claims that Quanta will be handling the bulk of iWatch production, although Inventec will reportedly also be helping out.
According to today's report, the iPhone 6 and the iWatch will be introduced at the end of the third quarter, roughly in line with rumors and Apple's recent iPhone launch history putting this year's introductions in the September-October timeframe.
FiftyThree announced today (via TechCrunch) that its "Pencil" iPad stylus will be updated with a new Surface Pressure feature when iOS 8 debuts later this year. This feature allows users to change the thickness of the lines they create by controlling how much of the pencil tip comes in contact with the iPad screen.
Pencil’s tapered tip was inspired by the expressive richness of real pencil points, which allow creators to change the character of the line with the angle of the tip. With Surface Pressure you’ll be able to control the lines you create based on how much of Pencil’s tip or eraser is in contact with your iPad. Use the point for fine details or the angled edge for broad strokes. Surface Pressure unlocks new capabilities for each of Paper's tools—fill faster as you draw, shade as you sketch, or carve away in varying widths as you erase.
This Surface Pressure option is made possible by iOS 8's variable touch sizing, which lets developers interpret touch along a range of point sizes that vary from a single point to a broad circle. The ability to adjust line thickness on the fly will provide a significant advantage to Pencil users, who now must control thickness via an in-app setting that is changed manually.
FiftyThree released the Bluetooth Pencil stylus last November as a companion to its popular Paper drawing app. It is available in either Graphite (US$60) or Walnut ($75) for consumers who live in the US or Canada. Surface Pressure will be included in a free Pencil software update, which will be released this fall following iOS 8.
According to a letter filed in the Southern District Court of New York, Apple has reached an out-of-court settlement with both class action lawyers and state district attorneys over e-book price-fixing, reports Bloomberg.
Settlement details remain sealed and must be approved by the court. If approved, this agreement will end litigation ahead of a potentially costly damages trial that was slated to begin July 14. Apple faced more than $800 million in damages in this class-action antitrust lawsuit involving both consumers and states.
Steve Berman, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs, said by phone that all the U.S. attorneys general and consumers settled the case. Berman said he filed a memorandum of understanding with the court under seal, which prevents him from describing the agreement.
In an earlier decision, Apple was found guilty of conspiring to fix e-book prices in a lawsuit brought by the U.S. Department of Justice. As part of its preparations for launching the iBookstore alongside the iPad in 2010, Apple sought to weaken Amazon's hold on the industry and change the business model that governed the sale of e-books, an effort that resulted in higher prices for consumers. Apple filed an appeal in that case earlier this year.
As it has done in prioryears, Apple will once again be offering free summer camps for kids 8 to 12 at its retail stores, with this year's sessions focusing on filmmaking with iMovie and interactive storytelling with iBooks Author. The classes will run for three days with each class going for 90 minutes.
The iMovie workshops will provide lessons on filmmaking with iMovie on the Mac and creating an original soundtrack in GarageBand for iPad. Meanwhile, the iBooks classes will teach kids how to draw illustrations using an iPad and how to add sound effects as well as Multi-Touch features using iBooks Author for Mac. The third day of each camp will also end with an Apple Camp Showcase so campers can share their finished projects.
The first sessions begin in mid-July and go through early August. While some stores have already filled their slots for both workshops, others have many spots remaining.
Nearly three months after it was pulled from shelves over safety concerns, Nest has restarted sales of its Nest Protect app-enabled smoke detector with a lower price tag of $99, reportsThe New York Times.
The company, which was acquired by Google in January for $3.2 billion, stopped selling its smoke detector after testing revealed that the Nest Wave feature could be disabled unintentionally. The Nest Wave allows users to silence alarms by waving at the detector as opposed to pressing a physical button. While the glitch hasn't been fixed, the company noted that it will issue a software update to do so in the near future.
The Nest Protect is available to purchase from Nest's official website for $99, and comes in colors of black or white.
Parallels has updated its Parallels Access app, which allows iPad users access their Mac or Windows desktops on their tablets, with iPhone support, allowing iPhone users to also access their desktops on the go.
“Parallels Access received a tremendously positive reception from iPad users, and now we are extending our solution to millions of Android and iPhone users. While traditional remote desktop products are trying to show a large desktop on a small mobile device, we worked hard to make remote access from mobile devices a truly simple and effective experience,” said Jack Zubarev, president of Parallels.
The update also includes the ability to use an iPhone or iPad's microphone remotely for desktop apps that may require them, the ability to change the screen resolution, the ability to wake a sleeping remote computer, Facebook login integration and a new file browser. The browser allows users to browse and open files on their iPad or iPhone.
Users must download the free Parallels Access app on both their desktop of choice and iPad or iPhone. They can then launch their desktop apps in "full-screen mode" via a SpringBoard-like App Launcher. While the apps are free, users must subscribe to the service, which costs $19.99 a year for up to five remote desktops. Parallels also offers a two-week free trial.
The Unicode Consortium today announced version 7.0 of the Unicode Standard, which will see the introduction of approximately 250 new emoji that could be included in future versions of the Android and iOS operating systems.
According to the Unicode Consortium, the new emoji characters are primarily derived from characters used in the Wingdings and Webdings fonts, as seen in an example image:
As noted by The Verge, Unicode member platforms like iOS and Android will need to implement support for the new standard and create pictographs to represent the emoji, which are only described by Unicode in plain text.
A full list of the new emoji names can be found on Emojipedia, which includes descriptions for each future emoji. A few examples are posted here:
- "white sun behind cloud" - "man in business suit levitating" - "derelict house building" - "chipmunk" - "flying envelope" - "reversed hand with middle finger extended"
Earlier this year, Apple began working with the Unicode Consortium to introduce more characters to its emoji offerings, adding diversity to the character set, but this update does not seem to focus on people emoji.
The Unicode update will also see the addition of new currency symbols for the Russian ruble and Azerbaijani manat, 23 lesser-used and historic scripts, plus many other symbols.
According to 
