In Apple's just-released iTunes 11, users visiting the iTunes Store to redeem gift cards have a new option allowing them to simply take a photo of the code on the back of the card with their computer's camera in order to redeem their cards.
The option, which requires a card containing a box around the code to assist with recognition, allows users to quickly and easily redeem gift cards without having to worry about accurately typing in the unique 16-character code. Users are also still allowed to enter their codes manually for redemption.
Apple has updated the Apple TV's software as well as the Remote app for iOS, presumably adding support for iTunes 11 and the new iCloud features introduced within it. The Apple TV release has a build number of 10A831.
The Apple TV can be updated directly on the unit by going to the Settings menu, then General, then selecting Update Software. The last Apple TV update was released back in September.
iTunes Up Next
Adds support for Up Next with iTunes 11 or iTunes Match. See upcoming songs when playing music on your Apple TV. Add new songs and edit what's queued with your Remote or with the Remote app.
Stability and performance
Includes performance and stability improvements with the iTunes Store, AirPlay, Netflix, iTunes Match, and wired Ethernet connections.
The Remote app has been updated with a new view for iPad as well, one that looks almost identical to iTunes 11. It allows users to control iTunes or the Apple TV using their iPhone, iPad or iPod touch over a Wi-Fi network.
Remote is simpler and easier with new ways to browse your library and see and edit upcoming songs with Up Next. A redesigned experience for the iPad shows all the songs in an album with the Expanded view and a more powerful search delivers results as you type.
In line with yesterday's report, Apple has just released iTunes 11 to the public. The new software brings a number of enhancements including a redesigned store, simplified player, and new iCloud features.
- Completely Redesigned. iTunes makes it more fun to explore and enjoy your music, movies, and TV shows. You'll love the beautiful edge-to-edge design, custom designs for each album, movie, or TV show in your library, and getting personal recommendations any time you click in the Store.
- A New Store. The iTunes Store has been completely redesigned and now features a clean look that makes it simpler than ever to see what's hot and discover new favorites.
- Play purchases from iCloud. Your music, movie, and TV show purchases in iCloud now appear inside your library. Just sign-in with your Apple ID to see them. Double-click to play them directly from iCloud or download a copy you can sync to a device or play while offline.
- Up Next. It's now simple to see which songs are playing next, all from a single place. Just click the Up Next icon in the center display and they'll instantly appear. You can even reorder, add, or skip songs whenever you like.
- New MiniPlayer. You can now do a whole lot more with a lot less space. In addition to showing what's playing, MiniPlayer now includes album art, adds Up Next, and makes it easy to search for something new to play - all from a smaller and more elegant design.
- Improved search. It's never been easier to find what you're looking for in iTunes. Just type in the search field and you'll instantly see results from across your entire library. Select any result and iTunes takes you right to it.
- Playback syncing. iCloud now remembers your place in a movie or TV show for you. Whenever you play the same movie or episode from your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Apple TV, it will continue right where you left off.
The software is currently available through Software Update in the Mac App Store, and Apple should be updating its iTunes pages shortly.
With Apple said to be launching its revamped iTunes 11 "as soon as" today as the company rushes to meet its already-postponed goal of a November release, 9to5Mac reports that AppleCare support representatives are currently being seeded with prerelease versions of the new software.
It is unclear if these builds point to a release today, as the WSJ predicted, and if they are the final versions. Either way, with AppleCare employees getting their hands on the new app, we’re expecting a launch soon.
The new iTunes brings a substantial overhaul, including a revamped player, a redesigned store based on the layout currently seen in on iOS devices, and new iCloud features for streaming media and syncing progress.
While the first official third-party accessories supporting Apple's new Lightning standard have just started hitting the market, MacRumors has also been following the efforts of unauthorized accessory manufacturers such as iPhone5mod who have been cracking the standard to produce their own chips and connectors.
iPhone5mod has already released a series of cables, docks, and adapters based on the Lightning standard as they continue refining their processes, and the company today announced its third-generation Lightning connector that is "almost identical" to Apple's implementation.
Furthermore, iPhone5mod has posted an inside look at its new production facilities, which are three times larger than its previous facilities and now support as many as 40 workers alongside increased automation. A video overview of the facility and a series of photos provide an interesting glimpse at what goes into production of these cables and other accessories.
Apple is keeping tight control over official Lightning connectors, and we've heard that supplies are currently limited to just a handful of third-party vendors with many others having to wait until next year to receive access to the connector hardware. Those tight supplies and Apple's relatively slow progress on its own and third-party accessories have left it open to companies such as iPhone5mod seeking to meet customer demand.
Fantastical, the excellent calendar app for the Mac, has finally been ported to the iPhone. The app has been totally redesigned for the smaller screen, rolling out a new feature called the 'DayTicker'
The Verge and The Next Web both have extensive reviews of the new app. TNW's Matt Panzarino had this to say:
I’m not what you’d call a productivity guru. I don’t use any interesting methods or cool combinations of software to do what I do. My philosophy is more along the lines of ‘start doing and stop when you’re dead’.
That’s one of the reasons that I love Fantastical for the Mac so much. It’s a small icon that sits in my menu bar and allows me to quickly dash off appointments and reminders in plain english. It’s blazing fast and it helps me avoid all of the nit picky fields and tick boxes that infest calendar apps, including Apple’s poor built-in option. No fussing, no scripts, no precariously balanced suite of productivity apps that eat up half my day just maintaining.
Today, Fantastical comes to the iPhone bearing that same spirit of no-nonsense calendar management, but with an additional intuitive layer of greatness.
The app features the same natural language parsing engine as it does on the Mac, with the addition of a feature called the DayTicker. The DayTicker is at the heart of the reason Fantastical for iPhone has replaced Calendar for me. It’s a ribbon-shaped display of your current day and the surrounding days that makes it incredibly fast to see what you’ve got coming up at a glance.
Fantastical for Mac is available as a free trial download from the developer's site, or directly from the Mac App Store for the temporary sale price of $9.99. [Direct Link]
Fantastical for iPhone is available through the App Store for $1.99. [Direct Link]
Flexibits is also the company that we've hired to develop the MacRumors iOS app, currently in the works.
Fortune reports on a new research note from Merrill Lynch analyst Scott Craig claiming that T-Mobile USA may be preparing to announce at its analysts day next week that it will begin offering the iPhone. The claim does not, however, appear to be based on any specific information, as Craig simply notes that "speculation is heightening" about such a move.
Now Merrill Lynch's Scott Craig is out with a note reporting that "speculation is heightening" that Deutsche Telecom (DT) will announce a deal to bring the iPhone to its U.S. subsidiary at next week's analysts day (12/6-7).
It makes sense. The carrier recently beefed up its iPhone-compatible high-speed HSPA+ network in 10 metropolitan areas, allowing some of the 1.5 million T-Mobile customers already using unlocked iPhones to enjoy something better than GSM download speeds.
As T-Mobile has worked to refarm its spectrum to move its fastest data services over to iPhone-compatible frequencies, the carrier has started a "Bring Your Own iPhone" program to help users move their unlocked iPhones to the carrier.
T-Mobile previously stated that the spectrum refarming would make the carrier ready for the iPhone by the end of 2012, and has acknowledged on a number of occasions that its lack of the iPhone has cost it customers and revenue.
But while it seems clear that T-Mobile would like to carry the iPhone and has been reconfiguring its network to be able to support it, there has been essentially no direct evidence or sources claiming that the device will be coming to the fourth-largest carrier in the United States.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the iPhone 5 has received its final certification from Chinese regulators, opening the door to a launch on Apple's carrier partners China Unicom and China Telecom.
Vendors in China often start selling new handsets within weeks of approval by China’s Telecommunication Equipment Certification Center. [...]
The regulator said in two posts on its website that it had approved licenses for an iPhone supported by China Telecom and one supported by China Unicom.
China Telecom chairman Wang Xiaochu had previously stated that the iPhone 5 would be launching on the carrier by early December, and the carrier has reportedly started taking pre-orders in recent days.
Apple has been placing a strong focus on the Chinese market, which now accounts for 15% of the company's revenue and and saw revenues rise 78% to $23.8 billion in fiscal 2012.
Still, Apple's product launches in China have typically lagged behind those in the company's other major markets, leading to a booming gray market for devices brought in from Hong Kong and elsewhere while also leaving the company more vulnerable to competitors. But with Apple's goal of bringing the iPhone 5 to at least 100 countries before the end of 2012, the company is clearly working hard on compressing its worldwide rollout timetables.
In an interview with BBC, Tony Fadell claims that former Apple senior vice president of iOS Scott Forstall “got what he deserved,” when he was forced to leave Apple.
Fadell is widely known as the godfather of the iPod, and he formerly served as the senior vice president of the iPod division and as a special advisor to Steve Jobs.
After Fadell left Apple in 2008, there were rumors that Forstall and Fadell butted heads on more than one occasion. A 2011 profile of Forstall suggested that he was difficult to work with and had fought with Fadell over the operating system for the iPhone, which eventually led to Fadell’s departure from the company.
The interviewer asked about Forstall’s personality and personal problems that Fadell had with Forstall, but Fadell declined to comment further and simply reiterated his previous statement.
“I think what happened just a few weeks back was deserved and justified.”
When asked about Apple, Fadell said that he thought the company was in a “great place” but mentioned that there had been cheering in Cupertino when Forstall was ousted.
Currently, Tony Fadell is the CEO of Nest, the company that has created the popular Nest Learning Thermostat. Scott Forstall is serving as an advisor to Tim Cook and will be leaving Apple in 2013.
The Nomad Lightning Cable for iPhone 5 and iPad mini is a 3" Lightning to USB cable that's trying to become a real product via social crowd funding website Kickstarter. The cable is designed to attach to a keyring and uses an Apple certified lightning connector.
Kegan and Roberto, the duo behind the Nomad, say in the pitch video on their Kickstarter page that having bought unofficial Lightning connectors and having them not work inspired them to buy their connectors directly from Apple-certified manufacturers. Recently, there have been a number of unofficial lightning cables springing up.
The prototypes were built by a Chinese manufacturer that produces iPhone accessories, according to the Kickstarter page. The duo will choose one of three Chinese manufacturers to produce the final products once funding is complete.
The project is about $16,000 away from its $29,000 goal with about 20 days to go to become a reality. Kegan and Roberto are taking pledges starting at $1 for the project. Backers who pledge $5 or more receive a Nomad, although the lower-end pledge tiers are sold out ($5, $9, $10 and $15 tiers at the time of this writing). Pledging support for the Kickstarter project is more like an investment and does not always mean that you'll receive the final product, as there's no guarantee that the project succeeds and becomes a reality. Pledges aren't charged unless they hit their target goal.
Google has updated their Chrome for iOS mobile web browser with Passbook support, the ability to open PDFs in other apps and more.
What's New in Version 23.0.1271.91
- Open PDFs in other apps - Save your boarding passes and tickets with Passbook - Seeing garbled characters? Turn on text encoding detection in settings. - Stability and security improvements - Many bug fixes
The browser will prompt the user to add a ticket or boarding pass to Passbook if the site supports Passbook and .pkpass file types. Chrome for iOS is the mobile version of their full featured Google Chrome web browser for desktops and is available for free for both iPad and iPhone in the App Store. [Direct Link]
The Wall Street Journal has published a profile of Apple's senior vice president of Internet Software and Services, Eddy Cue, which includes hints about the release date of iTunes 11.
The newest version of iTunes was expected to be released at the end of October. Instead the software was delayed with a new release date pegged at the end of November, and The Wall Street Journal believes it will come out as soon as tomorrow. The reason for the delay was reportedly due to engineering issues.
This week, Mr. Cue faces a test of how well Apple can keep up in online services with the launch of a new desktop version of iTunes, which is expected as soon as Thursday.
The new iTunes has been delayed a month by engineering issues that required parts to be rebuilt, according to people who have seen it.
iTunes 11 is expected to feature a redesign of the user interface in addition to enhanced iCloud integration.
The article goes on to detail Mr. Cue's role as "Mr. Fix-It" at Apple. Cue has taken over some of the most troubled projects at Apple, most recently taking responsibility for Maps and Siri.
The Oakland Tribune is reporting that Apple has closed a deal with developer Peery Arrillaga for a custom two-building campus in Santa Clara, California, just a short distance from their headquarters in Cupertino.
Apple and Peery Arrillaga declined to discuss the development and leasing deal. However, multiple sources with direct knowledge of the transaction told this newspaper that Apple has leased nearly 296,000 square feet from Peery Arrillaga in a deal that included demolition of existing buildings.
The campus would include two six-story office buildings that would hold 1,200 Apple employees. The first building, which is 188,000 square feet, is expected to be completed in mid-2014. The second building doesn't have a starting construction date yet, but will be 108,000 square feet. Recently, Bloombergreported that Apple's "Spaceship" campus would be completed in 2016.
Following last month's launch of new Mac mini models, a number of users in the MacRumors forums and Apple's support forums have cited issues with flickering on external monitors connected to their machines via HDMI. Connections via Thunderbolt/Mini DisplayPort are not affected.
The issue seems to be a known one related to the Intel HD 4000 graphics used in the Mac mini, and Intel has now acknowledged the issue in the Mac mini and indicated that a fix is on the way. A timeframe for a fix delivered through Apple is, however, so far unknown.
We are aware of the flickering issue, and there will be a fix provided in the future. The overall flicker issue is also being addressed here; http://communities.intel.com/thread/32932
Your OEM (Apple) will provide the driver with the fix when they are done configuring our driver (that has the fix). An ETA on this is currently unknown.
Apple has begun developer seeding of OS X 10.8.3 with an emphasis on graphics drivers, but it seems to be unclear at the present time whether the current beta version of OS X 10.8.3 contains the specific fix for this issue.
Adobe has updated Photoshop Touch for the iPad, adding pressure-sensitive stylus support as well as a slight redesign for the iPad mini. The app also has new support for sharing to social sites and a few other miscellaneous things.
Pressure-sensitive stylus support for iPad
We added support for three of the most popular pressure-sensitive styli in this version of Photoshop Touch: the Pogo Connect, Jot Touch and JaJa Stylus. Using the special capabilities of these devices, users can draw, paint and retouch their work in Photoshop Touch with a more natural look and feel. At this time, these styli support iOS only. We’ve also improved our brushing engine to make smoother strokes with or without a special stylus.
Adobe Photoshop Touch is available on the App Store for $9.99. [Direct Link]
Realmac's decision to price the Mac version of its popular todo app Clear at $15 raised some eyebrows, with the company choosing to launch at a much lower price point and raising the price later.
Like most of us, when it comes to parting with my hard-earned money I’m an advocate for being prudent. To help decide on the value of something, I tend to use a “beer strategy”. While trying to decide if I really wanted something I would work out how many pints I could get with the same money, then by missing 1 night out I’d make a guilt and hangover free purchase. By applying this strategy to our latest release of Clear for Mac for example, £6.99 could just about get you 2 pints. So for a piece of software that will increase my productivity, that I’ll use every day skipping those two pints is an easy decision.
Now how about those Hiut Jeans I’ve been thinking about for a while? 40 pints. That’s a few nights out, so I best start saving! I’ve chosen both our app Clear and Hiut Jeans for a reason. Both have a story, have had many months of development, and been built by people with a passion for what they do.
[…]
There are other todo list apps available which are cheaper, free even. There are apps which have way more features, and those that cost much, much more. So how does that change our perception of value? In our opinion, it doesn’t. You won’t find the same user experience with any other apps. The use of gestures is unique, and the simple approach to task management is unparalleled. The care we put into making sure the user experience is the best it can be is evident in every element of the app.
Now lets apply that thought process to the Hiut Jeans, why would I spend £130 on a pair of Jeans when I can pick up a pair for £20 on the high street? Because of the fit and finish. Because they were made by a “Grand Master” seamstress, using a sewing machine in Cardigan Bay, Wales. Because of the story. Because of the way they would make me feel. Because of sustainability. Just because software is a less tangible product, doesn’t mean that the making behind the scenes differs in any way.
Following up on last week's report that Black Eyed Peas star Will.i.am would be launching a new camera accessory for the iPhone, The Telegraph reports that he has introduced the "i.am+" accessory.
£299 V.4 "Vintage Look" for iPhone 4/4S
The product, which will be available in £199 C.4 "contemporary" and £299 V.4 "vintage" models for the iPhone 4 and 4S, also contains a slide-out keyboard on the V.4 and launches on December 6. The C.4/V.4 versions use the existing iPhone camera and contain interchangeable lenses for standard, fish-eye, and zoom photo capabilities, while the more advanced C.5/V.5 models for the iPhone 5 that will come with a dedicated 14-megapixel sensor and flash won't launch until next year.
A companion iTunes app turns the hardware in to what the celebrity calls “a social photo experience”. It will also offer easy access for users to store In their individual i.am account.
As with other apps and accessories, on on-screen controls allow users to change shooting modes, apply real-time filters, control the in-built flash and edit pictures or add caption.
£299 V.4 "Vintage Look" for iPhone 4/4S
£199 C.4 "Modern Look" for iPhone 4/4S
The new devices will also integrate with an online service called i.am for photo sharing similar to Instagram.
Update 11:24 AM: Engadget has posted an image gallery and video showing the new camera accessories, including several photos of non-functional prototypes of the iPhone 5 products with dedicated 14-megapixel sensors set for launch early next year.
Mac Otakara notes that Adobe's promotional materials for its upcoming Create Now Live event on December 11 appear to show a 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro running Photoshop CS6 in high-resolution Retina mode.
Adobe announced in late August that it would be bringing Retina display support to Photoshop CS6 "this Fall", with the company's other applications also receiving updates "over the next few months". Several of those updates have already appeared, but Photoshop will be the most popular of the company's applications to receive the upgrade to Retina resolution.
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