Tag: iOS 7

Apple Debuts Game Controller APIs In iOS 7, Will Support Third Party Controllers

Physical controllers for iPhones and iPads have long been left to the ThinkGeeks and the Kickstarter projects, due to the lack of support. But that’s going to change with iOS 7.

Playing traditional console style games on a touchscreen has always been difficult, especially when the developer has not tailored their game enough to a touchscreen. Now gamers do not have to worry about that problem if their favorite games support Apple’s game controllers API.

A slide (pictured below) indicated that the iOS 7 SDK would support MFi game controllers, a reference to Apple’s licensing program for third-party hardware add-ons.

TouchArcade points to a vague guide that Apple posted to its developer site yesterday that has basic guidelines on how game controllers should be used.

The one on at the top looks like your typical iPhone game controller, with a large opening in the center that allows you to view your handset’s display. And the one right below is obviously more of your standard, standalone-type gamepad.

Game Center will also get a visual overhaul with the latest update to Apple’s iconic mobile operating system, iOS 7, it was revealed during WWDC today. Apple aims to curb cheating through more secure game scores and support for ranking-style leaderboards. It’s also added a new Sprite Kit tool to help developers create games

[Via, Via]

June 12, 2013
Apple Announces iOS 7

Apple has just announced “the biggest change since the launch of the original iPhone” ; iOS 7. The new interface is beautifully designed with a new layer of colors and icons. Transparency plays an important role here, along with gestures.

Folders have pages, for multiple apps and the Game Center now does not have any green felt.

Notification center has a today view and can be accessed from the lock screen. But the most awaited feature : control center has been made available , simply swipe from below and all your quick toggles are front and center even from the lock screen.

Multitasking is available to all Apps now, allowing better battery life.

Apple Apps

reading

game center

Notification center

control center

App updates

dialer and phone

iOS now features Air Drop, allowing sharing of files through wifi just like on mac. Select multiple people by tapping, “no need to run around the room bumping your phone” hah.

The new features of Safari from Mac have been brought to the iOS, tabs reading lists, auto fill keychains and passwords.

The new Camera allows square cropped photos with filters for apps like Instagram, along with new Photos app which features moments and collections for better organization of photos. Of Course sharing of

Siri now has been updated to look great and do more functions, Siri also has a new voice in both male and female tones.

Siri can now Increase Brightness and toggle functions.

more developing..

June 11, 2013
Apple WWDC iOS 7 and MAC OS 10.9 Event happens today : What to Expect

Its 2013, and what has been almost 6 years from the announcement of the original iPhone back in 2007, Apple will today announce a new version of iOS deemed “iOS 7”. WWDC or the Worldwide Developer Conference is Apple’s yearly conference with its developers to show off what the company has designed for the developers to make functional apps in the oncoming year.

Apple iOS 7

Apple’s prized possession; the mobile os to power their extremely popular portables, has led the company for over 5 years into undeniable success. This year around John Ive’ design philosophy takes over that of Scott Forstall, which makes the design exceptions of the iOS 7 a lot flatter vs the skeuomorph designs of Forstall.

Apple may also change their closed nature towards third party apps allowing them to be set as default apps (eg. presently default browser cannot be changed from Safari), this might make the experience of iOS 7 a lot more personal.

Apple removed all Google based apps from the default apps list on iOS, including Youtube and Maps to replace with their own, this time around we are hearing of partnerships with Yahoo to provide Flickr integration along with Tumbler posting, possibly directly from the notification panel, a spot presently secured by Facebook and Twitter.

There is a also a possibility of Apple integrating quick toggles in the Notification panel or even as direct apps, something that would be widely appreciated.

Apple has also signed a deal with Sony Music among other major music companies, enabling the possibility of “iRadio” a music streaming service directly from Apple. As “the Guardian” points out a mix of iRadio and Genius playlists would put Apple in the forefront of all competition simply because the Genius playlists would automatically play music like the music you already like listening to.

Mac OS X (10.9)

Apple will also announce the next version of Mac OS dubbed 10.9 and will also include a Lion in its commercial name, this iteration of the OS for their portables and desktop is expected to be midway between a tablet and a pc, allowing more direct availability of Apps.

Apple is also expect to update key features of the OS, including notification center and Siri Integration within the OS.

Other Expectations and Rumors

iWatch : Apple wearable control device which has been heavily rumored ever since Apple changed the design of the multitouch iPod Nano from the Square watch band friendly to a vertical more media player-esque design. Although a wearable Apple product sounds interesting, many previous editions have failed to grab market attention.

Apple TV: Apple has also been toying with the TV industry for years hinting at a piece of hardware that will revolutionize the Television industry. Whether this “Jesus TV” will ever be launched is unknown. But Apple will need to update its current gen Apple TV (box), so atleast a refresh of the 100 $ TV is expected.

App Ecosystem: Rumors have suggested in the past that Apple will launch a better App Store allowing more flexibility in a way a user buys an app. Possible examples could include renting of Apps and even trial periods as seen on Windows Phone.

While it is almost always impossible to know what Apple has up its sleeve, it is almost certain that no new iDevice hardware is expected to be launched at WWDC, no new iPhone, iPad or even iPOD is expected. But, with everything so well under wraps, the world might just be shocked as Tim Cook walks onto stage with a shiny new hardware, that may set to create yet another category in the buying space. We will get you all the details during the launch.

June 10, 2013
Apple Puts Up ‘7’ And ‘X’ Banners Ahead Of WWDC

When Apple crossed over the 50 billion app download mark last month a press release hinted that they’ll show the world “new versions of iOS and OS X.” The much anticipated iOS 7 recently appeared in a GFXBench database and confirmed its presence.

Banners have been going up outside Moscone Center in San Francisco this week and the latest is a simplistic design showing the number 7, which basically confirms that we’ll see Apple finally unveil iOS 7. Other banners stated that WWDC is “where a whole new world is developing.”

Jony Ive, Apple’s SVP of Industrial Design, is the man behind the new foray into iOS 7. This has been rumoured to be “black, white, and flat all over.”

Image Courtesy : Apple Insider

Apple is rumored to announce upgraded MacBooks featuring Intel’s new Haswell processors at the event. More specifically, KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has been reliable in predicting Apple’s product announcements, expects a slimmer 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro model with upgraded FaceTime camera, and a dual microphone MacBook Air, to be introduced.

Apple’s official WWDC 2013 app for iOS is already available. WWDC 2013 is scheduled to run from June 10 to 14, with a keynote slated to kick off the event on Monday. We’ll bring you all the details as WWDC 2013 unfolds.

[Apple Insider]

June 8, 2013
Jony Ive’s iOS 7 To Be “Black, White And Flat All Over”

Apple’s new iOS 7 will be unveiled at the upcoming WWDC on June 10th. Rumours are that the OS will receive a complete “software overhaul” and scrap the “realistic images” in favour of a “flat” design. 9to5Mac, who’s been incredibly reliable over the years, has written an in-depth piece from insider sources about the upcoming features within iOS 7.

The site reports that the OS will come with a few new features, but mostly sport design enhancements that will see it be “black, white, and flat all over.” Apparently Jony Ive, Apple’s SVP of Industrial Design, wanted to shed the “texture-heavy” iOS of past years (designed by Steve Jobs and former iOS chief Scott Forstall) by making “his mark on every corner of the operating system.”

Some other notable takeaways are that the lock screen will “drop the shiny, transparent time bar on the top of the Lock screen in exchange for a shine-free, black interface. Additionally, the square-grid for entering a pin code has been replaced with round, black buttons with white text and white borders.” In addition, the drop down notifications will be changed to a dark grey/black colour with white text.

As 9to5Mac reports, in software design meetings with Apple’s iOS designers, accompanied by Apple’s Human Interface vice president Greg Christie, Ive has shared his reasoning behind his distaste for the texture-heavy (skeuomorphic) interfaces heralded by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and former iOS chief Scott Forstall.

Ive stated that software designs filled with physical metaphors do not stand the test of time, according to a person familiar with the design meetings.

According to the report.

The iPhone’s Notes app has replaced the yellow notepad design for a flat white look. Apps such as Mail, Calendar, and Maps have also gained a more uniformed look with flat white textures.

While the core elements of those apps are mostly white, each app has been given a unique button color. Essentially, each app has a white base with a respective color theme.

For example, the Calendar app could potentially have red buttons, while Messages could have green controls.

Apple is apparently also testing new panels/widgets that could see easy access to WiFi, Airplane Mode, and Bluetooth (like on Android).

[9to5Mac]

May 24, 2013
iOS 7 To Bring About “Dramatic Changes” To Email And Calender App

More details of iOS 7 continue to emerge ahead of Apple’s WWDC 2013 event in June. The latest information comes from Bloomberg, confirming that Apple has been overhauling the visual aesthetics of the user interface and even tweaking several core applications. Most notably, the publication hints towards redesigned email and calendar apps in iOS 7.

Bloomberg says that the design lead on the iOS 7 changes, Jony Ive, has been “exploring more dramatic changes to the e-mail and calendar tools.” It’s unclear if any major changes will make it into the final release, however. 9to5Mac recently stated that Apple would change the icons of its core apps, for instance, but didn’t mention any significant usability changes in those crucial apps.

Insiders say that Ive is now encouraging more communication between hardware and software teams, which previously – such as under former CEO Steve Jobs – would have been kept in isolation. That interaction also apparently includes bringing some members of the Mac team on to help the mobile software redesign, a temporary measure which has some history given Apple did the same thing in the run up to the original iOS release.

The worry is that drastic changes to applications and functions that have remained relatively stagnant since 2007 — things like email and calendars – could push back the release of iOS 7. While the revisions will move away from lifelike images and shift towards a “flatter” design, there will also be a greater emphasis on cleaning up software interactions. Ive and co. are also exploring new forms of gesture control for the next iteration of the iPhone and iPad operating system.

Apple is expected to announce iOS 7 at the world wide developer conference next month.

[Bloomberg, Recombu]

May 1, 2013
iOS 7 To See Major UI Overhaul, Running Behind Schedule

There have been some whispers floating around the web tonight that hint that Apple may be having trouble preparing for an iOS 7 launch down the road. Multiple rumors put the debut of iOS 7 some time this summer at Apple’s Worldwide Developer’s Conference with a launch a couple months later, but Apple could be struggling to meet that deadline.

In a Branch chat, which at the time of this writing is still going on, Daring Fireball’s John Gruber says, according to what he’s heard, iOS 7 is running behind schedule and that it will bring a significant user interface (UI) refresh.

What I’ve heard: iOS 7 is running behind, and engineers have been pulled from OS X 10.9 to work on it. (Let me know if you’ve heard this song before.)

Gruber went on to say that he’s heard that iOS 7 is a “significant system-wide UI overhaul” and the iOS engineers who are allowed to carry around devices with iOS 7 on them even have special privacy filters on their devices which reduces viewing angles. This is to prevent others from accidentally getting a glimpse of the new iOS design.

Back in 2007, Apple delayed the release of OS X Leopard to concentrate work on iPhone. Gruber claims that since iOS 7 development is “running behind,” it has promted OS X 10.9 engineers to be pulled from their work to lend a hand in getting the mobile OS ready in time for launch.

Rene Ritchie of iMore adds, “Ive’s work is apparently making many people really happy, but will also apparently make rich-texture-loving designers sad.”

As for what could be on the iPhone 5S, both Siegler and Panzarino say they’ve heard a lot about biometrics on the new device. The feature would apparently be used for payments and identification. Panzarino notes it wouldn’t be surprising to see AuthenTec’s biometric technology in Apple devices so soon after Apple purchased the company last July because of the urgency of the deal.

[MacRumours]

April 3, 2013