Tag: wwdc

Apple Macbook Air Mid 2013 goes on Sale in India Starting Rs. 67900 (PR)

Apple has officially announced the launch of the Macbook Air in India aswell, starting off the new Macbook Air at a price of INR 67,900 inc VAT.

The 11-inch MacBook Air comes with a 1.3 GHz processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 2.6 GHz, 4GB of memory and is available with 128GB of flash storage starting at INR 67,900 inc VAT (INR 64,666.67 ex VAT), and 256GB of flash storage starting at INR 81,900 inc VAT (INR 78,000 ex VAT). The 13-inch MacBook Air comes with a 1.3 GHz processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 2.6 GHz, 4GB of memory and is available with 128GB of flash storage starting at INR 74,900 inc VAT (INR 71,333.33 ex VAT), and 256GB of flash storage starting at INR 88,900 inc VAT (INR 84,666.67 ex VAT). Configure-to-order options include a 1.7 GHz Intel Core i7 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.3 GHz, up to 8GB of memory and up to 512GB flash storage.

The new generation of Macbook Air from Apple feature Intel’s new Haswell chipsets, designed to be very powerful yet energy efficient. According to Apple, the 13-inch MacBook Air will last up to 12 hours of battery life and up to 10 hours of iTunes movie playback. The 11-inch MacBook Air delivers up to 9 hours of battery life and up to 8 hours of iTunes movie playback.

The new Macbook Air features 802.11ac Wi-Fi for wireless performance that is up to three times faster when connected to an 802.11ac base station. Just to make a point Apple also launched the new AirPort Extreme and AirPort Time Capsule base stations that feature three-stream 802.11ac Wi-Fi technology with a maximum data rate of 1.3Gbps, almost three times faster than 802.11n.

The new AirPort Extreme and AirPort Time Capsule base stations are available today through Apple Authorised Resellers. AirPort Extreme is available for a suggested retail price of INR 14,200 inc VAT (INR 12,511.01 ex VAT). AirPort Time Capsule comes in two models: 2TB of storage for INR 19,900 inc VAT (INR 18,952.38 ex VAT) and 3TB of storage for INR 25,900 inc VAT (INR 24,666.67 ex VAT).

[toggle title=”Press Release”]Apple Brings All Day Battery Life to MacBook Air

SAN FRANCISCO—June 10, 2013—Apple today updated MacBook Air with all day battery life, fourth generation Intel Core processors with faster graphics, 802.11ac Wi-Fi and flash storage that is up to 45 percent faster than the previous generation. The ultimate everyday notebook is now an even better value, with 11-inch models featuring double the storage and 13-inch models starting at a new lower price of INR 74,900. Apple today also introduced completely redesigned AirPort Extreme and AirPort Time Capsule base stations featuring 802.11ac Wi-Fi for up to three times faster performance.

“MacBook Air is the industry leader for thin and light notebooks, and now with longer battery life, we’ve set the bar even higher,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “With faster flash, more powerful graphics and up to 12 hours of battery life, the new MacBook Air packs even more performance into the portable and durable design our customers love.”

The new MacBook Air features power-efficient fourth generation Intel Core i5 and Core i7 processors that give the 13-inch MacBook Air up to 12 hours of battery life and up to 10 hours of iTunes movie playback. The 11-inch MacBook Air delivers up to 9 hours of battery life and up to 8 hours of iTunes movie playback.* MacBook Air now supports next generation 802.11ac Wi-Fi for wireless performance that is up to three times faster when connected to an 802.11ac base station. New Intel HD Graphics 5000 gives MacBook Air up to 40 percent faster performance for gaming and graphics intensive apps, and new flash storage provides speeds up to 45 percent faster than the previous generation and nine times faster than traditional hard drives.**

The incredibly thin and light design features dual microphones, a FaceTime HD camera, a high-speed Thunderbolt port and two USB 3.0 ports. MacBook Air also supports dual displays and video mirroring while simultaneously supporting full native resolution on the built-in display.

Continuing Apple’s commitment to energy efficiency and the environment, the new MacBook Air meets stringent Energy Star 5.2 requirements and achieves an EPEAT Gold rating.*** Each unibody enclosure is made of highly recyclable aluminium and comes standard with energy efficient LED-backlit displays that are mercury-free and made with arsenic-free glass. Apple notebooks contain no brominated flame retardants, are PVC-free and are constructed of highly recyclable materials.

MacBook Air ships with OS X Mountain Lion, bringing Messages, Notification Center, system-wide Sharing, AirPlay Mirroring, Dictation, Game Center and the enhanced security of Gatekeeper to your Mac. With iCloud built into the foundation of OS X, Mountain Lion makes it easier than ever to keep your content up to date across your Mac, iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

Apple also introduced redesigned AirPort Extreme and AirPort Time Capsule base stations that feature three-stream 802.11ac Wi-Fi technology with a maximum data rate of 1.3Gbps, almost three times faster than 802.11n. The new AirPort base stations include high-powered radios and a six-element beam-forming antenna array to maximise range and performance. With setup built right into OS X and iOS, users can create a high-speed Wi-Fi network in just a few clicks, and the intuitive AirPort Utility makes it easy to view and manage a network graphically. Featuring 2TB or 3TB hard drives, AirPort Time Capsule works in conjunction with Time Machine in OS X and is the simplest way to wirelessly backup multiple Macs. Measuring just 3.85-inches by 3.85-inches and 6.6-inches tall, these new base stations can be placed almost anywhere in the home.

Pricing & Availability
MacBook Air is available today through Apple Authorised Resellers. The 11-inch MacBook Air comes with a 1.3 GHz processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 2.6 GHz, 4GB of memory and is available with 128GB of flash storage starting at INR 67,900 inc VAT (INR 64,666.67 ex VAT), and 256GB of flash storage starting at INR 81,900 inc VAT (INR 78,000 ex VAT). The 13-inch MacBook Air comes with a 1.3 GHz processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 2.6 GHz, 4GB of memory and is available with 128GB of flash storage starting at INR 74,900 inc VAT (INR 71,333.33 ex VAT), and 256GB of flash storage starting at INR 88,900 inc VAT (INR 84,666.67 ex VAT). Configure-to-order options include a 1.7 GHz Intel Core i7 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.3 GHz, up to 8GB of memory and up to 512GB flash storage. Additional technical specifications, configure-to-order options and accessories are available online at www.apple.com/macbook-air.

The new AirPort Extreme and AirPort Time Capsule base stations are available today through Apple Authorised Resellers. AirPort Extreme is available for a suggested retail price of INR 14,200 inc VAT (INR 12,511.01 ex VAT). AirPort Time Capsule comes in two models: 2TB of storage for INR 19,900 inc VAT (INR 18,952.38 ex VAT) and 3TB of storage for INR 25,900 inc VAT (INR 24,666.67 ex VAT). Additional technical specifications are available online at www.apple.com/airport-extreme and www.apple.com/airport-time-capsule.

*The Wireless Web protocol testing was conducted by Apple in June 2013 using preproduction MacBook Air configurations. Battery life and charge cycles vary by use and settings. For more information visit www.apple.com/macbook-air.

**Testing conducted by Apple in June 2013 using preproduction MacBook Air configurations. For more information visit www.apple.com/macbook-air.

***Claim based on energy efficiency categories and products listed within the EPA ENERGY STAR 5.2 energy database as of June 2013. EPEAT is an independent organisation that helps customers compare the environmental performance of notebooks and desktops. Products meeting all of the required criteria and at least 75 percent of the optional criteria are recognised as EPEAT Gold products. The EPEAT program was conceived by the US EPA and is based on IEEE 1680 standard for Environmental Assessment of Personal Computer Products. For more information visit www.epeat.net.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.[/toggle]

June 11, 2013
iOS 7 A Quick Review (Recap)

Apple today announced the next version of their popular mobile os platform dubbed simply “iOS 7”. While it is traditional “Apple” to bring out requested changes with a lot of hype, this time around Apple has actually overhauled the entire OS.

iOS 7 actually puts together a great mix of design and usability and the fact that Apple has incorporated features that were missing from the OS makes it a lot more exciting. Lets start off with a few of the highlighted features.

iOS 7 Control Center:

Apple has simply added all you could ask toggles into iOS, Wifi, Bluetooth, Airplane mode, and even brightness can now be accessed by simply swiping from the bottom of the screen. Access Do Not Disturb or Lock your screen’s orientation or Play, pause, or skip a song. Connect to AirPlay-enabled devices. Quickly access your flashlight, timer, calculator, and camera.

This has been one of the most anticipated features on iOS especially after the huge success of the toggles in Android, Apple has created a whole new gesture to access just toggles from the bottom of the screen.

Notification Panel in iOS 7

iOS7 Notification Center : Today

The Notification center in iOS 7 will come with a Today tab, that will only give you notifications that are relevant today; birthdays, reminders, appointments and weather etc. You can access Notification Center from any screen, including the Lock screen. Just swipe down.

iOS 7 Multitasking

With iOS 7 Apple has allowed all App developers to access Multitasking built into the OS, which will now enable better battery utilization and allow apps to run in the background while you focus on other tasks. The good thing is that iOS 7 learns when you like to use your apps and can update your content before you launch them. So if you are up every morning checking up on Facebook and Instagram, the feeds will be updated just before you check daily.

Quitting and managing background apps uses the new card style design. Press the Home button twice to see preview screens of the apps you have open. To quit an app, just swipe it up and out of preview. iOS 7 also automatically schedules updates during power-efficient times. Like when your device is on and connected to Wi-Fi you device will be magically updated.

iOS 7 Camera and Photos

Along with changing the design of the camera interface Apple has added a square picture feature right into iOS 7, allowing users to create those famous 4×4 stills and add filters. Honestly, we can’t wait to try out the new filters.

iOS Photos app has been a long list of clicked images from a camera roll, almost impossible to navigate, and that changes with iOS 7. Apple has added new features into the photos app called Collections, Moments, and Years ; essentially smart groupings of your photos and videos based on time and place. Tap Years and all your shots fill the screen. Each year holds Collections, like your trip to out of town and in that Collection are distinct Moments like from a monument on the trip or even a restaurant. An incredibly wonderful way to use all the meta data collected by the camera.

collections

filters

Photo Streams have also been updated to allow other users to add into your Photostream to allow for one consolidated Photostream between groups or even between 2 people.

AirDrop on iOS 7

iOS 7 AirDrop

Airdrop has been excellent on the Mac, and sharing files is easier than ever. Apple has implemented the same features into iOS and now finally after almost 7 years of existence Apple devices will be able to share files amongst themselves via Airdrop. The feature will allow users to easily share photos, videos, contacts — and anything else from any app with a Share button. This will be available to other developers so they can build it into their apps.

iDevices on iOS 7 are automatically visible in AirDrop to the contacts nearby running iOS 7. But you can also make yourself visible to anyone nearby using iOS 7 or to no one at all, almost like bluetooth, but via WiFi. Recipients can choose to save whatever you send. When they do, the content is saved right where it needs to be and files can be shared to multiple users together.

Safari

iOS 7 Safari

Safari was updated on the new Mac OS X Mavericks and the same features comes to the new Safari on iOS 7. Buttons and bars stay hidden until one scrolls to reveal them, more content is then available on the screen.Browsing is now based on swipes , swipe left or right to go back or forward a page.

Just like with Safari on mac, the URL bar now allows you to search and Safari automatically suggests the closest match to what you’re looking for. The new Safari on iOS 7 lets you scroll your tabs in a new Vertical Cover-flow type UI. Shared links allows users to see all the URLs in theTwitter timeline, who posted them, and what they had to say about them. The new Reading list also enables you to remember something you read about.

However, one of the best features of iOS 7 Safari has to be the integration of iCloud Keychain. iCloud can now remember your account names, passwords, and credit card numbers for you. And Safari can enter them automatically whenever you need to sign in to a site or shop online. It works on all your iOS 7 devices and your Mac computers running OS X Mavericks. This feature makes life a lot easier for everyone, while security may be a concern initially, but one consolidated password vs a hundred makes life easier. Passwords are also suggested by Safari automatically for new signups, but we are unsure if this feature comes to Mobile Safari.

iTunes Radio

iOS 7 iTunes Radio

Apple’s answer to all the streaming music services, iTunes Radio features streaming radio stations directly in the Music App. It personalizes your listening experience as you listen more and more and makes songs play automatically to your preferences from the past. You can access Featured Stations, stations inspired by music you choose or already listen to, and more than 200 genre-based stations. The Ability to create new playlists ; stations while you listen in is great and you can also see a list of all the songs you have heard and instantly purchase them if you like from the iTunes Store. The only downside iTunes Radio will only be available to the US at launch.

Siri on iOS 7

Siri on iOS 7

Siri has been a true driver of sales for Apple, and rebuilding Siri was one of the things Apple was expected to do. The new Siri has a brand new voice, which is less robotic and more fluid. You can also change the sex of the voice from Female to Male and even select between several languages.

Siri is faster at answering questions and checks more sources, such as Bing, Wikipedia, and Twitter. And it takes on extra tasks, like returning calls, playing voicemail, controlling iTunes Radio, and more

The new Siri UI looks good too, when you ask Siri something, audio waves move across your screen, letting you know Siri is listening and processing your request. Answers are now shown directly in Siri, including web search results. You now also get results from Wikipedia and Twitter.

Find My iPhone

iOS 7 Find My iPhone

The biggest most notable change in Find My Phone is the ability to lock the lost device from future activations, making a stolen iPhone a simple paper weight. In case a lost phone cannot be recovered, the person who finds it cannot own it, because turning off Find My iPhone or erasing your device requires your Apple ID and password. Find My iPhone can also continue to display a custom message, even after your device is erased. And your Apple ID and password are required before anyone can reactivate it. Which means your iPhone is still your iPhone.

App Store on iOS 7

iOS 7 App Store

Apple has really played with location based services in the past and with the new iOS 7, the App Store shows you a collection of popular apps relevant to your current location.A special Kids category spotlights the best apps for children based on age. So now selecting apps for toddlers will be easy. iOS 7 also keeps your apps up to date automatically so you don’t need to go into the App store and update them manually.

iOS 7 in Car

While this feature may never reach Indian cars, it is worth noting that this may lead a revolutionary change to the way mobile devices connect with vehicles. I

If your vehicle is equipped with iOS in the Car, you can connect your iPhone 5 and interact with it using the car’s built-in display and controls or Siri Eyes Free. Now you can easily and safely make phone calls, access your music, send and receive messages, get directions, and more. It’s all designed to let iPhone focus on what you need, so you can focus on the road.

Many companies have claimed to offer these features via Bluetooth, and apps within ecosystems of iOS and Android but a total package of in car access would be great to have.

Apple has finally delivered on expectations for a lot of anticipating owners of iDevices. Even though most of the features could have been implemented in previous edition of the mobile OS, Apple’s new iOS 7 brings a refresh to an almost stale OS in desperate need for change. Has Apple managed to woo the audience? We think so! But, how these features actually work will determine the capability of the new iOS 7, because no body would like another iMaps fiasco!

[youtube id=”sqyJrUCxp0k” width=”100%” height=”300px”]

June 11, 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 shows a sneak peak of the next generation Mac Pro (PR)

Apple usually does not do this but when the time came Apple just showed off its next generation of Mac Pro, in a beautiful cylindrical form factor. Almost 1/8th the size of the original Mac Pro with lots of improvements with the most important being a new cylindrical design.

Built around a new thermal diffusion design, the new hardware comes with a 12-core, 256-bit Intel Xeon processor, with 1,866MHz DDR3 Memory and 60GBps performance.

Thunderbolt 2 with 20Gbps throughput and Flash Hard drive. The new Mac Pro will support dual GPUs and will also support upto 3 4K displays simultaneously. With only a preview available, launch dates and prices not announced, we can only wait and watch.

Apple’s answer to those with doubts ” No More Innovation : My Ass”.

[toggle title=”Press Release”]Apple Gives Sneak Peek Into the Future of the Pro Desktop

SAN FRANCISCO—June 10, 2013—Apple today showed a sneak peek into the future of the pro desktop with a first look at the next generation Mac Pro. Designed around a revolutionary unified thermal core, the Mac Pro introduces a completely new pro desktop architecture and design that is optimised for performance inside and out. With next generation Xeon processors, dual workstation-class GPUs, Thunderbolt 2, PCIe-based flash storage, and ultra-fast ECC memory, the new 9.9-inch tall Mac Pro packs an amazing amount of power into an incredibly small package.

“With the latest Xeon processors, dual FirePro GPUs, ECC memory, PCIe-based flash and Thunderbolt 2, all built around a revolutionary thermal core, the next generation Mac Pro is the most radical Mac yet,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “All this performance and expandability is packed into a dramatic new design that’s one-eighth the volume, and best of all, it will be assembled here in the USA.”

The next generation Mac Pro is architected around an ingenious unified thermal core that allows the desktop to efficiently share its entire thermal capacity across all the processors. The result is a pro desktop with breakthrough performance packed into a design that is one-eighth the volume of the current Mac Pro. Next generation Intel Xeon E5 processors with up to 12 core configurations deliver double the floating point performance. With two AMD FirePro workstation-class GPUs, the all-new Mac Pro is up to 2.5 times faster than the current Mac Pro and delivers up to an amazing 7 teraflops of compute power. The new Mac Pro also features PCIe-based flash storage that is up to 10 times faster than conventional desktop hard drives and includes the latest four-channel ECC DDR3 memory running at 1866 MHz to deliver up to 60GBps of memory bandwidth.* With all that power, the new Mac Pro lets you seamlessly edit full-resolution 4K video while simultaneously rendering effects in the background.

The next generation Mac Pro is the most expandable Mac ever built. With six Thunderbolt 2 ports that can deliver up to 20Gbps of bandwidth to each external device, Mac Pro is perfect for connecting to external storage, multiple PCI expansion chassis, audio and video breakout boxes, and the latest external displays, including 4K desktop displays. Each of the six Thunderbolt 2 ports supports up to six daisy-chained devices, giving you the ability to connect up to 36 high-performance peripherals. Thunderbolt 2 is completely backwards compatible with existing Thunderbolt peripherals, and allows you to transfer data between Macs faster and easier than ever.

The next generation Mac Pro will be available later this year. To learn more, visit www.apple.com/mac-pro.

*Performance claims are based on technical specifications of preproduction Mac Pro hardware as of June 2013.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.
[/toggle]

June 10, 2013
Apple Announces Multiple Displays on OS X Mavericks

Apple has updated the Mac OS X and the next version has been named after the California Mavericks.

With three things highlighted, changes: Finder Tabs, Tags and new changes to Multiple displays. With the new multiple displays you can independently run 3 different computers from the same machine.

With individual control spaces and Mission control on each display. The top menu and dock are also independent for each display and can be called on the live display.

When the user shifts through spaces, this will no longer affect all displays, and will only affect the live display.

More features of the Mac OS X Mavericks are being announced and expect a full reload soon.

June 10, 2013
Breaking : Apple Updates the Macbook Air

Apple events are usually unexpected, and at the WWDC 2013 Apple has launched the new Macbook Air. Based on the new Intel Haswell chipsets, Apple is promising full day of battery life.

With the 11 inch you get 9 hours of Battery Backup, and with the 13 inch you get 12 hours of working time on the new Macbook Air.

With prices for the next Macbook Air starting at us $ 999 for the 128 GB and US $ 1199 for the 256 GB

More developing…..

June 10, 2013
Apple Store Down: New Hardware Launches Imminent

The Apple Online Store is down, and this usually only happens – pre event – when Apple is about to launch some new hardware. While iOS 7 and Mac OS X updates are in tow, looks like new goodies also might be headed our way. With only just minutes for the Live event to begin. We just cant wait to see what is up Apple’s sleeve, a new iWatch perhaps?

[Apple Store]

June 10, 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
With Sony Deal Done, Apple To Reveal iRadio At WWDC Today

Apple and Sony Music have reportedly inked a deal, moving Cupertino’s anticipated iRadio service another step forward.

According to All Things Digital — which cited a person familiar with the companies’ negotiations — this means Apple now has the support of all three major music labels, including Warner Music Group and Universal Music Group.

With the record companies on board, Apple plans to announce an advertising-supported service that will compete with Pandora Media for listeners. iRadio will allow users to build custom stations based on an artist or genre that draws on music from the company’s iTunes library. Apple’s agreement with Sony Music was reported by AllThingsD. Sony/ATV Music Publishing, a joint venture of Sony and the estate of Michael Jackson, signed its agreement with Apple, CEO Marty Bandier said in an interview.

The majors publishers had looked like they were going to be the holdout because Apple initially offered to pay them a rate of 4.1% of its advertising revenue, while the publishers had been withdrawing digital rights from the U.S. performance rights organizations BMI and ASCAP because they wanted higher rates. BMG, Sony/ATV, UMPG and Warner/Chappell executives had privately said they were seeking rates of 10%-15% of iRadio’s advertising revenue. But when Apple agreed to a 10% rate, Warner/Chappell last week signed the deal and now so has Sony/ATV.

Google also recently stepped into the streaming Internet radio market with All Access , which launched in May. The search company’s subscription music service is expected to debut on iOS devices in the coming weeks.

Apple is expected to reveal iRadio at WWDC which begins today.

[AllThingsD]

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
Report : Apple To Launch iRadio At WWDC, Inks Deal With Warner Music

The New York Times reports that Apple is still hoping to launch its much-rumored streaming music service at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) next week, pressing to complete deals with record labels that would allow the company to announce the service.

Apple’s service, a Pandora-like feature that would tailor streams of music to each user’s taste, has been planned since at least last summer.

The Cupertino based company successfully signed a deal over the weekend with Warner Music Group and its publishing arm, Warner/Chappell Music, for recorded music rights and music publishing rights.

About a month ago, it signed another deal with Universal Music Group for its recorded music rights. Negotiations are still going on with Sony, which has been going back and forth with Apple over some specifics about features built into Apple’s product.

iRadio streaming music service is said to be a free, ad-supported offering, with the labels reportedly seeking similar revenue rates to that seen from Pandora, although Apple is seeking more extensive licenses to provide more flexibility for users.

The Wall Street Journal has more on Apple’s deal with Warner:

Under the deal, Apple will give Warner Music Group’s publishing arm 10% of ad revenue — more than twice what Internet radio giant Pandora Media Inc. pays major music publishers. Warner’s terms with Apple could pave the way for other major publishing deals to follow.

Apple has indicated to people involved in the negotiations that the service could be announced at its annual developers conference, which begins June 10 in San Francisco.

[NYTimes, WSJ, MacRumours]

June 3, 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 6 and How : Top 6 Features of iOS 6

Apple has just announced the new iOS 6 for their iOS Devices, and incase you have any doubts we have a compiled list of what device gets what features from iOS 6: here. The new iOS 6 has 200 new features. Some are minor, like Mail VIP inbox, and some are intense and exciting, like a brand new Maps app complete with 3D rendering. Now, Apple only showed off ten of the new features and we are taking about the top 6 of those features.

1.Phone

The biggest new improvement to the iOS has to be the Phone app, if you swipe up during an incoming call (much like the Camera shortcut), two small banners will appear at the bottom of the screen right above the Answer and Ignore buttons. These banners will allow you to either remind yourself to call said person back, or text message them.

With options for reminders like, when i leave (current location) or when i reach home, etc. Making the phone a completely different device all together. There are also text replies, which Nokia devices have had forever now, there are a couple quick replies like “I’ll call you later” or “What’s up?” which can be sent with the press of a button.

Apple has also added a Do Not Disturb mode, Users will be able to block out all incoming calls and messages. The messages and notifications will come but the screen will not light up. Also banners, alerts, noises, flashing LED lights will not be a bother. ‘

2. Maps

After acquiring three mapping companies over the past few years, Apple has finally released their own Mapping solution for their iOS devices, and bid Google a fair goodbye. This couldn’t have happened sooner, considering the non-reliable Google Maps especially in countries like India.

Apple designed the whole system themselves, including the cartography, which is why you may notice a differently colored icon for Maps come iOS 6 update time. The app will offer turn-by-turn navigation and, most notably, a 3D “Flyover”, You’ll be able to pan, tilt, zoom, and rotate inside Flyover mode.

Turn by Turn directions are said to be made available globally, hopefully in India as-well. They a spoken aloud in the familiar voice of Siri, the maps will be available to be viewed in 3D mode, and will offer different routes should traffic conditions change up the ETA. Traffic conditions will be monitored by crowd sourced updates, (it is known that these updates are powered by Waze, Getchee, Localeze, Urban Mapping, DMTI, MapData Sciences and, of course, TomTom.)

The Maps will be available full-fledged for the whole world and according to Apple have listings for over 100 million small businesses, with Yelp listings integrated.

3. Facebook Integration

Although it was already known that Apple was going to implement this add-on in iOS, but the sheer method and deep integration has left us in awe of the OS. After signing in once with your username and password, you’ll be able to post instantly to Facebook from anywhere in the new mobile operating system. In fact, if your hands are busy , Siri can do it for you.

Photos, links, locations, Game Center content, “and more” can all be posted straight to the Social Network, and you are now able to “Like” different apps and songs in iTunes and App Store. Apple also opened up a public Facebook iOS 6 API, for developers to include integration in their apps.

All your event and Birthdays from your Facebook are seamlessly synchronized with the calendar app to give you updates and reminders in real time on your personal iOS device.

4. Passbook

Imagine a world where you didn’t have a huge stack of promotional membership cards, discount cards, access cards, tickets etc, Just one simple consolidated pass. That may actually come true with Passbook, Apples new app that allows you to store movie tickets, boarding passes, coupons, and retail loyalty cards in one place. You can scan your iPhone to check in for a flight, get in to a movie, or redeem a coupon.

The App also has geolocations, so the minute you walk into your favorite coffee shop, (example used Starbucks) the card will pop up as a notification, it will display the balance and can be scanned to be redeemed while ordering. Similarly, you arrive at the airport, your boarding pass will appear as a notification on the home screen for easy access.

The Passbook app can even check to see if your flight is delayed or if your gate has changed, and alerts you immediately. If the Gate number is changed it automatically updates on your Passbook.

This service will kick off in the US , but we are pretty sure globally it will become a hit, especially with retailers looking to cut costs. Starbucks, Fandango, Target, Amtrak, United, the Apple Store, MLB.com, and W Hotels are already on board, but none of those are a part of the Indian Businesses list.

We are Hopeful that passbook catches on really fast in India. So all your movie tickets show up in your iOS device.

5. Siri

Siri comes to the world fully, with local searches and total availability. But, thats not the big news. The big news according to Apple is that Siri can now open apps, so if you are like us and have a ton of Apps on the iOS device. Then you will constantly find yourself searching for the App in spotlight, iOS 6 eliminates that by allowing Siri to open these Apps. Now all you need to do is say ” open Temple Run” and the game starts playing. But , do we really need that?

Siri advancements include access to sports, restaurant, and movie information, with the ability to look up Yelp reviews, ratings and prices along with making reservation on Open Table. Now again most of these features remain US centric, but hopefully they come our side soon. You could then probably look Up IPL rankings by just asking Siri.

The most interesting reveal was possibly the “Eyes Free” link. This will allow car manufacturers to integrate Siri into their Cars system, by a simple button on the cars steering wheel, which would call up Siri but not light up the display of the phone. Then you can make calls send messages all without taking your eyes off of the road, or hands off of the wheel.

The other important fact is that Siri will come to the newest gen iPad (launched this year).

6. Safari

The major chunk of the mobile internet access comes from iOS devices every year, it was only fair that Apple upgrade their browser, to become even better. iCloud Tabs keeps track of which pages you have open on your devices, so you can start browsing on one device and pick up right where you left off on whatever device is handy.

Safari now saves web pages, not just links, in your Reading List, so you can catch up on your reading even when you can’t connect to the Internet. The best addition according to us is the ability for the browser to upload images from the photo gallery, when you want to create a listing on Ebay etc, or wanna share a photo on Facebook from the browser.

You can take photos and video, or choose from your Camera Roll, without leaving Safari. When you really want to see the whole picture, turn your iPhone or iPod touch to landscape and tap the full-screen icon to view web pages without distractions.

iOS 6 was released as a beta yesterday, but the final version will ship “This Fall”. iOS 6 will also allow FaceTime calls over cellular (Read – 3G – 4G) and new accessibility features, that will allow you to lo

What is your favorite feature of the new iOS?

June 13, 2012
iOS 6 announced at WWDC, launch apps with SIRI, Facebook integration, Apple Maps (PR)

Apple at the World Wide Developer Conference 2012 has unveiled a new revision to their most popular OS, calling it iOS 6. Siri has been updated with more ability, most notably Siri will now launch Apps, talk about sports, restaurants and movie times, it’s also coming to iPad 3rd Gen. Apple is also finally expanding Siri’s local search functionality from just the US to no less than 60 difference countries which includes India.

Siri will also even come to cars via Apple’s new Eyes Free integration, but this is at least a year away.

There’s better Facebook integration with photos, websites, maps and instant share option. Other tweaks on the phone side of things let you dismiss incoming calls with swipe, or send a pre-written SMS, even set it to give you a reminder once you change location.

iOS 6 will also get the new version of Apple’s own Maps, Google maps is dropped from the equation. The new maps app is based on a vector base so is more vivid, Maps gives you turn-by-turn spoken directions and interactive 3D views.

We like “Do Not Disturb” which holds off all those notifications, You’ll still get them, but the won’t alert, or light up the screen. For FaceTime lovers, they will be happy to know that it will be now available over 3G and Cellular as well.

Apple has Social networking built right into the new iOS 6 with Photo Streams — choose the pictures, choose the friends and send. The new iOS 6 is supported by iPhone 3GS through iPhone 4s, that includes the second and third generation iPads, plus fourth-gen iPod touches.

Beta is going out today, with a full release in the fall.

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Apple Previews iOS 6 With All New Maps, Siri Features, Facebook Integration, Shared Photo Streams & New Passbook App

Available to iPhone, iPad & iPod touch Users This Fall

SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Apple® today previewed iOS 6, introducing over 200 new features to the world’s most advanced mobile operating system, and released a beta version to iOS Developer Program members. iOS 6 will be available to iPhone®, iPad® and iPod touch® users this fall as a free software update. New iOS 6 features include: an all new Maps app with Apple-designed cartography, turn-by-turn navigation and an amazing new Flyover view; new Siri® features, including support for more languages, easy access to sports scores, restaurant recommendations and movie listings; Facebook integration for Contacts and Calendar, with the ability to post directly from Notification Center, Siri and Facebook-enabled apps like Photos, Safari® and Maps; Shared Photo Streams via iCloud®; and Passbook, the simplest way to get all your passes in one place.

“iOS 6 continues the rapid pace of innovation that is helping Apple reinvent the phone and create the iPad category, delivering the best mobile experience available on any device”
“iOS 6 continues the rapid pace of innovation that is helping Apple reinvent the phone and create the iPad category, delivering the best mobile experience available on any device,” said Scott Forstall, Apple’s senior vice president of iOS Software. “We can’t wait for hundreds of millions of iOS users to experience the incredible new features in iOS 6 including the new Maps app, expanded Siri support, deep Facebook integration, Shared Photo Streams and the innovative new Passbook app.”

iOS 6 includes an all new Maps app with vector-based map elements that make graphics and text smooth, and panning, tilting and zooming incredibly fluid. New turn-by-turn navigation guides you to your destination with spoken directions, and the amazing Flyover feature has photo-realistic interactive 3D views. Real-time traffic information keeps you updated on how long it will take to get to your destination and offers alternate time-saving routes if traffic conditions change significantly. Additionally, local search includes information for over 100 million businesses with info cards that offer Yelp ratings, reviews, available deals and photos.

Siri, now available for the new iPad as well as iPhone 4S, includes language support for English, French, German and Japanese, and adds support for Spanish, Italian, Korean, Mandarin and Cantonese. Siri is optimized for use in 15 countries and helps you get even more done with just your voice, whether it’s finding the latest sports scores or making restaurant reservations. You also can ask Siri to update your status on Facebook, post to Twitter or launch an app. Additionally, Siri takes hands-free functionality even further with a new Eyes Free mode, enabling you to interact with your iPhone using nothing more than your voice.

Built-in Facebook integration is the best ever in a mobile device, allowing you to sign in once and post from Notification Center, Siri and Facebook-enabled apps, including Photos, Safari and Maps. Your Facebook friends’ information is kept up to date across all your iOS devices, automatically updating details in Contacts when they change, and scheduling events and birthdays in your Calendar. You can also “Like” content directly from the App Store™ and iTunes® and see what your friends recommend.

With more than 125 million users already enjoying iCloud, iOS 6 introduces new ways to share photos with friends and family using Shared Photo Streams. Simply select the photos you want to share, pick which friends you want to receive the album, and the Shared Photo Stream album is instantly available on their iOS devices, iPhoto® and Aperture® on their Mac®, via the web or even through Apple TV®. You and your friends can leave comments on or “Like” any photo in a shared album.

The new Passbook app is the simplest way to get all your passes in one place, such as boarding passes and baseball tickets. Passbook lets you scan your iPhone or iPod touch to use a coupon, get into a concert or check into your hotel. Passbook automatically displays your passes on your Lock Screen based on a specific time or location, so when you walk into your favorite coffee shop your loyalty card appears and you can scan it to buy a coffee or check your balance. Passbook can even alert you to last minute gate changes or flight delays at the airport.

Building on Apple’s commitment to provide innovative solutions for education and accessibility, iOS 6 introduces Guided Access. This new feature allows a parent, teacher or administrator to disable hardware buttons to lock an iOS device into a single app, especially useful for test taking or helping someone with a disability stay focused on learning. Guided Access also includes the ability to confine touch input to certain parts of the screen.

Additional new iOS 6 features include:

• enhancements to Safari, the world’s most popular mobile browser, such as iCloud tabs, offline reading lists, photo uploads and full screen view;

• support for FaceTime® calls over cellular networks;

• the ability to set up a VIP Mailbox, making it easier to quickly view messages from important people you designate as VIPs;

• the option to decline incoming calls with a quick message, set a callback reminder and enable a new Do Not Disturb option; and

• a whole new set of improvements and services specifically for iOS users in China, such as improved text input and built-in support for popular Chinese services including Baidu, Sina Weibo, Youku and Tudou.

Availability

The iOS 6 beta software and SDK are available immediately for iOS Developer Program members at developer.apple.com. iOS 6 will be available as a free software update for iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, the new iPad, iPad 2 and iPod touch (fourth generation) this fall. Some features may not be available on all products.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.

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June 12, 2012