On the other hand, iOS 9 and iOS 8.4 also take on challenging third-party developers who currently offer apps in 5 thriving app store categories. Many developers behind the apps in these categories are venture-backed and now Apple has become their competitor.

Here are the 5 categories that will be deeply impacted by iOS 9 and iOS 8.4.

Music

Apple Music will be available on June 30 as a part of iOS 8.4 update. The revamped music app on iOS will feature Apple’s latest music streaming service. There are three parts to the new service from Apple.

• It will allow subscribed users to stream and download unlimited songs from iTunes music catalog which boasts more than 30 million songs.
• Beats 1 Radio will be available to all users. No subscription is required to access the live 24/7 global radio.
• Connect will allow users to follow their favourite artists, watch acoustic versions, video rehearsals, music videos, lyrics, photos and much more.

The service will be priced at $9.99 per month and $14.99 per month for family plan.

Apple Music will directly compete with streaming giants like Spotify, SoundCloud, Rdio, iHeart Radio, Pandora Radio, TuneIn Radio, and even Vevo to name a few.

News

iOS 9 will replace Newsstand with all new Apple News app. It allows publishers to create unique experiences by providing engaging content with brilliant typography, animated objects, transitions and more.

Users will be able to find articles and stories relevant to their interest, bookmark and view recommended content. The new app will support iAd advertising for publishers.

News app in iOS 9 will directly compete with Flipboard.

Productivity

In iOS 9 Apple is going after productivity apps that let you take rich notes with the all new Notes app.

The updated app allows you to add photos, scribble on your note, insert checklists, embed links and maps. It also has a new Attachments Browser that “organizes all the items attached to your notes in one simple view, so it’s easy to find what you’re looking for.”

It will also support a share extension so that you can take notes within apps like Safari, Maps, and many more.

Notes in iOS 9 will compete with Evernote, Google News, Feedly, and many more.

Navigation

Apple has been working on transit direction for iOS since a long time. The company is now ready to launch its own transit directions in iOS 9 Maps app. It will feature public transit information with routes and directions.

Since the Maps app works on both iOS and OS X, you’ll be able to plan your trip on the Mac and follow in on the way on your iPhone or iPad. It’s worth noting that Transit will be available only in select cities in the US for the time being,

The new Maps app in iOS 9 with transit information will compete with Moovit.

Health & Fitness

Apple announced its Health app as a part of iOS 8 last year. In iOS 9 the Health is receiving an update to track “Sexual Activity”. In the updated Health app users will be able to record the date and time you had sex and whether you used contraception or not.

With a special focus on women, the Health app will now be able to track menstrual cycles and help in monitoring physical changes.

This update will now put many third-party apps on alert. Some of the apps that help in tracking mensural cycles include Glow, Ovia Fertility, Clue and many more.

{via CB Insights}

When the Apple Watch was launched it supported third-party apps however, those could only work as long as you were connected to your iPhone. watchOS 2 will now bring native apps to the Apple Watch along with many other refinements, performance improvements and features.

watchOS 2 includes 3 new types of watch faces: Photo, Photo Album and Time-lapse. With the new update even App Store developers will be able to add support for complications.

Time Travel allows you to turn the Digital Crown to view complications (events, weather, car charge etc.) as it would change in future or see how it was in the past.

All new Nightstand mode is a very handy feature which is activated when you charge your Apple Watch. The display comes illuminates when you touch the screen, digital crown or the side button. You can even turn off the alarm by pressing the side button or press the Digital Crown to snooze.

Native apps on Apple Watch will bring better performance and even more capabilities. Third-party developers will now be able to use the taptic engine, digital crown, accelerometer, heart rate sensor, speaker and microphone to create unique experiences.

Apple’s built-in apps have also been updated in watchOS 2. Mail app can now be used to reply to emails by either dictating, sending an emoji or selecting relevant preset replies.

With the new update adding more friends has become easier. The Apple Watch now allows you to add multiple Friends screens, each of which can hold upto 12 contacts.

Sending hand-drawn messages to friends who also have an Apple Watch has become more colourful. The new update makes it possible to use different colors to sketch your message.

Just like in iOS 9 Maps app received new transit feature, watchOS 2 also includes Transit navigation. Apple Pay on Apple Watch has gained support for loyalty and reward cards.

Lastly, Apple has brought activation lock to the Apple Watch. In order to activate your watch in case it gets lost or stolen the watch will prompt you to enter your iCloud Apple ID and password.

watchOS 2 brings many new features to the Apple Watch. Some of the biggest enhancements include native apps, third-party complications, and activation lock. The update will be available for free for all Apple Watch users this fall.

In our review we said:

… The user interface of Affinity Designer for Mac is everything you’d expect from a modern app. While there is instant familiarity with the workspace from Illustrator, the user interface is more beginner friendly and is very intuitive. The software takes a more visual and gesture based approach rather than features being hidden deep inside menus.

Apple has published their own review of the app on its Awards page and the company echoes our views:

… This is an excellent example of what a state-of-the-art Mac app should be …

Affinity Designer is optimized for Retina Display and OS X Yosemite, and has a flexible and intuitive user interface that’s highly contextual, offering you the tools you need when you need them … Affinity Designer is localized in German, Spanish, French, and English, and is a modern, well-designed, highly capable, and extremely responsive design tool that’s a perfect match for today’s latest generation Mac hardware.

The developers of the app, Serif (Europe) Ltd., are extremely elated with this recognition but they didn’t forget to thank their fans for its success.

This is the stuff of dreams, and we want to thank Apple and all our fans that have made this a reality for us.

Affinity Designer is making great progress with regular updates that improve existing functionality and offer new features. The latest update supports Force Touch trackpad on the MacBook and MacBook Pro. With the new technology users can use pressure sensitivity to paint on the canvas.

We are very happy for Affinity Designer and look forward to future updates and wish them great success.

Congratulations!

Affinity Designer for Mac is now available for a 20% discount to celebrate the award.

Apple today announced an all new version of upcoming software update for OS X 10.10 called OS X Yosemite. The new version of the update will be available for users this Fall however, Apple has opened its Beta Program for the first one million users who sign up to receive the beta version of OS X Yosemite.

Users can test-drive the features Apple announced today at the WWDC 2014 keynote event by downloading the beta version of OS X Yosemite and help Apple by providing feedback. This is the first time Apple has encouraged non-developers to test-drive an upcoming software update at such large scale.

Apple today unveiled the future of OS X, the new version called Yosemite features a completely new design, a number of new features and many enhancements. The company has refined almost every aspect of the OS including spotlight, mail, safari, messages and more. There are some exciting new features that Apple is introducing for the first time like iCloud drive, Handoff, Instant Hotspot, and receiving phone calls and sending SMS from your Mac.

It appears that the company set out on an aggressive mission with OS X Yosemite to blur the boundaries between iOS and OS X devices. With the upcoming update Apple’s ecosystem of devices and software will be more connected than it has ever been.

AirDrop will now work between OS X and iOS. You can access the files you began creating on your iOS using a third party app and carry on with the work on your MacBook Pro or MacBook Air. Your Mac will now be more aware of the proximity of your iOS devices and will let you complete actions using any device rather than having to unlock your iPhone.

The fact that now you can make calls from your Mac while your iPhone is charging or send SMS using the Messages app will increase productivity and make your workflow much easier.

OS X Yosemite Beta Download will be available shortly after you sign up for the beta program here. A stable version of the software will be available via the Mac App Store for free later this fall.

Apple will kick off its WWDC keynote event at 10:00 AM Pacific Time at Moscone West convention center in San Francisco today. Live video streaming of the WWDC keynote event will be available on Apple’s website and Apple TV. Live streaming requires Safari 4 or later on OS X v10.6 or later; Safari on iOS 4.2 or later. Streaming via Apple TV requires second- or third-generation Apple TV with software 5.0.2 or later.

At this years keynote event we will see Apple introduce iOS 8 and OS X 10.10. iOS 8 is expected to focus on health and fitness with new Healthbook app, revamp iTunes Radio service with a standalone app and bring other improvements. Apple has shown interest in wearables and the CEO Tim Cook has referred to the wrist as an area of interest.

With Healthbook app Apple could be preparing for the introduction of new smart watch hardware later this year. iPhone 5S shipped with a dedicated M7 coprocessor designed specifically to measure motion data from the accelerometer, gyroscope, and compass. This allows the device to know when you’re walking, running, or even driving. Many third party apps available in the App Store have used the available developer API’s to enhance their fitness apps. It seems obvious that Apple would like to build a dedicated service and enter into the fitness category to pave way for its smart watch device.

OS X 10.10 expected to be called OS X 10.10 Yosemite is rumoured to revamp the user interface and bring even more compatibility with iOS features. Apple made OS X Mavericks a free update for all users and the company is expected to follow the same free “pricing” model for this years update.

Apple recently announced that they acquired Beats Music and Beats Electronics for $3 Billion the announcement coming in just before WWDC gives some evidence of music related announcements during the live keynote event. Declining sales of iTunes music downloads and customers increasing adoption of streaming music service could result in Apple making iTunes Radio a standalone app and announce upcoming improvements to its streaming service.

In recent past Apple has focused on announcing only software updates during WWDC, however some rumours have pointed towards introduction of new Mac mini, iMac refresh and 8GB iPhone 5S. It is highly likely that Apple could update the hardware lineup with minor refreshes and not announce any new hardware during WWDC live keynote event.

Live video streaming of Apple’s WWDC keynote event will be available here and later a video podcast will available for download through iTunes. What are your expectations from this years event? Are you expecting any new hardware? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Apple’s highly anticipated mobile software iOS 7 was unveiled during the headline keynote event at WWDC on Monday. The keynote began with a video about Apple’s design philosophy which gave a clear indication of some drastic changes we were about to witness.

iOS 7 was introduced with a video where Jony Ive, SVP of Design, shared the concept behind the look and feel of the next major version of iOS. As the video revealed photos of iPhone 5 running iOS 7 it showed a whole new direction the company was heading towards. This new direction was about getting rid of unnecessary ornamentation and about bringing a sense of focus and purpose to the OS.

From the lockscreen to the homescreen to the native apps, the design screams one word, “flat”. iOS 7 no longer features the heavy wooden, linen or leather textures. The design brings focus to the features of the app and what you can accomplish by utilising every pixel on the screen to deliver content to users.

The use of translucent overlays for control center, share sheets, keyboard and even Siri helps bring about a sense of understanding the functional hierarchy of features rather than hiding the unseen screen space with skeuomorphic textures. This also brings a fresh new look to your phone every time you change the wallpaper as the overlays reflect the colors underneath it.

Every element on iOS 7 has been redesigned from the fonts to the icons and even a new color palette. iOS 7 is a bold move from Apple, a move that shows the company’s ability to “think different”. It’s a well known fact that Steve Jobs was the one who was in favor of ornamentation and heavy textures. But, with Jony Ive as the head of software and hardware design the company has taken a whole new direction and whole new perspective of how iOS should be designed.

Tim Cook in an interview shared that Steve Jobs told Cook to never run Apple thinking “what Steve would have done” rather he advised Cook to do what was right for Apple. The introduction of iOS 7 is a perfect example of Cook’s leadership taking Apple to a different level.

iOS 7 doesn’t “revolutionise” the existing mobile OS, it didn’t showcase any features that haven’t existed on other mobile platforms however, it does show that Apple is willing to let go of the “old” to make way for what’s “better”.

I have never been against the use of ornamentation on iOS. In fact, it gives Apple’s iOS an exclusive elegance that has a “wow” factor. The wooden bookshelf in Newsstand and iBooks tries to connect technology with real life and brings about a sense of bridging the gap between the real and the virtual. However, I can clearly see how the leather stitched Notes app on the iPad takes away a lot of functional screen space. I think iOS had reached a point where balancing the real and the virtual ornaments had become an argument about design over functionality and focus.

With iOS 7 Jony Ive has tried to bring back the focus on functionality by simplifying and getting rid of the unnecessary. However, it’s worth noting that iOS 7 doesn’t let go of its connection with the real world. The OS now responds to motion to create a sense of depth as you tilt your device it shows the underlying content. Even as you change your wallpaper the reflection of the colors of the photo you choose has a very noticeable impact on the entire OS.

Apple didn’t deliver any breakthrough features in iOS 7 but, it has begun a new design journey which is modern, simplistic and unobtrusive in every sense. First look at iOS 7 may create a sense of unfamiliarity but, the more you look at it the more you understand the purpose behind such profound changes.

Apple will unveil the new music streaming service rumored to be called iRadio at WWDC 2013 keynote event according to a new report published by The Wall Street Journal.

Apple has been long rumoured to enter the music streaming business, since they acquired an online music company, LaLa in 2010.  iRadio is expected to be a free to use service supported by iAds that will display image ads and stream audio ads. The music streaming service will support options to buy tracks that users wish to download from the iTunes music store.

The service will launch for customers in the US. Details about international rollout remain unclear at this point. Offering a free streaming service as opposed to offering a paid subscription is quite interesting since Apple has always refrained from the ad supported model.

The company has taken quite long to enter the music streaming business even as other services that began by offering apps on the App Store have become hugely popular. Many believe that establishing deals with the record labels was the biggest hurdle in rolling out the service and the company waited until the terms were favorable. Eddy Cue, Apple’s SVP of Internet and Software services, is believed to have played a major role in getting all major record labels. One of the major points of differences in negotiating the deal had been been compensation for songs skipped by users, according to the report.

The highly anticipated new service—expected to be available only in the U.S.—will allow users to stream a radio-like channel of music based on their interests. It will be supported by text and audio ads from Apple’s iAd service, people familiar with the matter said. It will feature “Buy” buttons to drive downloads, they added.

The WSJ also reported on sources confirming the rumors about iOS 7 redesign featuring a new “flat” look. Apple is also looking at introducing new ways to share photos and videos.

The new iOS will also include new ways to share photos and videos with other iPhone users and other enhancements, these people said.

WWDC 2013 keynote event goes live today at 10 AM (Pacific Time) where the Cupertino, Calif. based company will unveil the future of software for iOS and OS X.

Over the weekend the banners for iOS 7 and the next major version of OS X went up at the Moscone Center where Apple’s WWDC 2013 keynote event will be delivered.

This is the first time we are getting a preview of any promotional material for iOS 7 and OS 10.9. The banner for iOS 7 shows the number 7 written on a plain white background. The number 7 appears to be “flat” devoid of any 3D textures or imitating real life elements. This design language seems to confirm rumors and reports about Apple’s next major mobile software release to be “flat” in design and feature a complete re-design of the OS. The font used in the banner appears to be Helvetica Neue Ultra Light, which is a very thin variant of the popular Helvetica font.

The banner for the next release of OS X, mentions “X” in Helvetica Neue Ultra Light font but features a colorful “wave” background. After viewing these banners it is easy to assume that in addition to the new features the software release will introduce a re-design of the UI elements and the user experience.

Apple’s WWDC 2013 keynote event will go live today at 10 AM (Pacific Time) as Tim Cook will take the stage to announce the future of mobile and desktop operating systems.

{via 9to5 Mac}

Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC 2013) will kick off on June 10 with a keynote presentation by Tim Cook. At this years WWDC Apple will announce the next major software updates iOS 7 and OS X 10.9.

The company has decorated the venue Moscone Center with banners of the event. These banners are similar invite that Apple sent out to the developers. The photo of the banner had a tagline saying “Where a whole new world’s developing”.

More than 5000 developers attend the conference every year and Apple uses this as a platform to announce the latest mobile and desktop operating systems. In addition to previewing the future of iOS and OS X Apple will also share beta versions of the software with the developers to test the upcoming updates.

According to the rumors and reports we’ve reported in the past Apple is widely expected to unveil a redesigned version of iOS with a flatter design that lacks glossy look and 3D textures. The company could also announce new MacBook Air and Pro models during the keynote.

We’re not expecting any new iPhone during the WWDC as the focus of the entire conference will be software related. It’s not clear if Apple will live stream the event however, we will be bringing you all-in-one live feed of the keynote event as it goes live on June 10.

{via 9to5 Mac}

Apple’s next major mobile software release, iOS 7, is expected to receive a complete redesign of the user interface. Under the leadership of Jony Ive, the SVP of Industrial Design iOS 7 will get a “flatter” look.

An image recently posted by iDownloadBlog could possibly be the home screen in iOS 7. The photo appears to be taken of an iPhone running iOS 7 where the app icons look different when compared with iOS 6.

When you look at the current state of stock apps icons, it seems that all of them were designed by different teams. Most of them have a different look. They don’t have unified features that tie them all up together. Some of them have a gloss effect. Some of them don’t. Some of them have borders. Some of them don’t, etc…

From what we’ve seen, we believe Jony Ive’s touch on iOS 7 will homogenize the look of Apple’s stock apps icons.

While the authenticity of the photo could not be established, 9to5 Mac did note that the photo is of an early build of iOS 7 and added that the design has changed a lot since then.

It’s been widely reported that there was an internal divide in Apple over the use of skeuomorphic design elements. Jony Ive has been leading the hardware design at Apple and his focus has been clean minimalistic design. As he takes over of the human interface design of iOS many expect the user interface to be just like the hardware, clean and simple, without the glossy effect and the 3D textures.

iOS 7 will be unveiled at WWDC 2013 keynote presentation and will be released to users later this fall.

According to a new report iOS 7 will feature AirDrop wireless sharing between iOS devices and OS X. AirDrop for iPhone and iPad could make file sharing between devices much easier.

AirDrop has been a part of OS X Lion and was introduced to share files between Macs without the need for a WiFi network.  9to5Mac reports that AirDrop for iOS 7 could be integrated into the iOS share menu and allow sharing of files between iOS devices or even a Mac.

The feature will make it easier than ever to transfer, for example, a photograph or document from one person’s iPhone to another person’s iPad.

There are a few third party apps available in the App Store that allow sharing of photos, contacts, videos between iOS devices and Macs however there is no native solution to make sharing between devices easier.

When Apple introduced iCloud, it did try to resolve the issue of syncing photos across the devices you own however, sharing of individual files between friends’ or other devices is not easy. Android has a host of sharing features and with iOS 7 Apple could be looking at introducing some new ways to share files on iOS.

iOS 7 will be unveiled during WWDC 2013 keynote presentation. The next major iOS software release is expected to receive a major redesign under the leadership of Jony Ive.

Apple will showcase the next major release of OS X during WWDC 2013 keynote event and according to a new report OS X 10.9 will focus on power-user features. OS X 10.9 has been widely reported to be internally codenamed as “Cabernet” which won’t bring a complete UI change to the operating system but will improve the overall performance and functions of the OS.

In a new report 9to5 Mac details the upcoming features of OS X 10.9 highlighting tags and tabbed browsing mode in the Finder. A new version of Safari is also reported to be in the works that will feature a “redesigned backend for improved page loading, speed and efficiency”. Another pro-user friendly feature that could be introduced is the ability to open different full-screen apps in a multiple monitor setup.

The report further details a new multi-tasking system for OS X that could be similar to iOS and also bring app pausing for background apps to OS X. This could bring more efficiency, performance and battery improvements to the MacBook lineup.

Siri for OS X has been rumoured to be in the works since the introduction of speech dictation in OS X Mountain Lion. The report suggests that it’s possible that Apple may launch Siri only on next gen products.

Apple’s WWDC 2013 press release also clearly mentioned that the company will showcase “advances in software technologies and developer tools” which suggests that we will see a preview of Xcode 5.0 as well.

Last year, Apple previewed Mountain Lion before WWDC and then released it in July. This year due to management shakeup in the iOS department the teams from OS X were brought over to work on iOS and thus the company had to push the OS X 10.9 preview to June.

It will be interesting to see if Apple would still launch OS X 10.9 in July or if it will push the release of iOS 7 and OS X 10.9 to later this fall.

Apple’s WWDC 2013 keynote event will kick off on June 10 where the company is expected to preview OS X 10.9, iOS 7 and now according to a new report we may also see next gen MacBook Pro models. The company in the recent years has used WWDC as a platform to showcase the latest advancements in its software and has made efforts to schedule hardware announcement events separately.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in his report about Apple’s WWDC 2013 mentions that the company will introduce new models of MacBook Pro and MacBook Air that will be based on Intel’s latest Haswell processors. Kuo also believes that Apple will continue to offer non-Retina MacBook Pro models which is contrary to the claims made earlier.

Contrary to our previous projection, we now think Apple will continue to make the MacBook Pro alongside the MacBook Air and Retina MacBook Pro because the 13” MacBook Pro remains the most popular product in the MacBook line. Also, there is still demand in emerging markets, where Internet penetration isn’t advanced, for optical disk drives.

Kuo is his predictions for WWDC 2013 notes that updated non-Retina MacBook Pro models could ship “very soon” after WWDC but, the new Retina-MacBook Pro models may ship at a later date.

MacBook Air lineup is also expected to be refreshed however, the analyst believes that we may not see a Retina MacBook Air just yet and cites “cost, thickness and production concerns” as the top issues.

{via MacRumors}

On Wednesday, Apple scheduled its WWDC 2013 conference for June 10-14 and noted that tickets would go on sale early Thursday morning. When tickets went on sale at 10:00am on Thursday, it took only two minutes for the tickets to sell out. During ticket sales of WWDC 2012, it took two hours and Apple scheduled a separate date for sales in order to make sure that all developers have a fair chance of purchasing tickets.

However, Apple has set a new record of two minutes which will likely cause employees over at Apple to rethink how to issue tickets to developers for next year’s WWDC. WWDC tickets have sold very quickly for the past few years, with the company’s products becoming more and more popular. It is likely that tickets sold out so quickly because there has been pent up demand for Apple’s next versions of iOS and OS X, with iOS 6 facing intense scrutiny since its release.

This is the sixth straight year that Apple has had WWDC tickets sell out, with WWDC 2010 selling out in eight days, 2011 selling out in under 12 hours, and 2012 in 2 hours. Apple has been called on to increase the size of the conference but is restricted by the number of engineers that it has available to assist developers with their applications. This raises new concerns about future WWDC events and brings into question if Apple will be willing to hire more engineers with the increasing number of developers attending each year.

{Via MacRumors}

On Wednesday, Apple announced that annual WWDC conference is officially scheduled for the week of June 10-14. The WWDC 2013 conference will be held in the Moscone West convention center in San Francisco where the Cupertino, California based company held all of their other previous conferences. Apple has priced tickets for the conference at $1599 for each developer that attends. The company is also reportedly giving away 150 free WWDC tickets to student developers. Apple is calling the student promotion the WWDC 2013 Student Scholarship.

We look forward to gathering at WWDC 2013 with the incredible community of iOS and OS X developers,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Our developers have had the most prolific and profitable year ever, and we’re excited to show them the latest advances in software technologies and developer tools to help them create innovative new apps. We can’t wait to get new versions of iOS and OS X into their hands at WWDC.

Last year, for WWDC 2012, Apple posted up the sale of tickets alongside of its announcement which caused all of the tickets to sell out within two hours. As a result, the company is putting some time between the announcement and sale of the tickets and is giving all developers an equal chance of purchasing tickets. Developers who are “underage”, meaning between the ages of 13 and 17 must have their tickets purchased by a parent or guardian who must also a member.

Apple is limiting the tickets to one per person and five per organization. There is no doubt that the tickets will sell out once again, due to pent up demand for the company’s new products. However, Apple has created a more leveled and fair purchasing process by selling the tickets one day after it announces the date for the event. Developers who do not attend the event or are not able to purchase a ticket will be able to watch the session videos, which became free last year. Apple will be posting the session videos as the event is happening to ensure that all developers get a chance to watch as WWDC is carried out.

{Via MacRumors}

With the introduction of iCloud during last year’s WWDC conference, it was clear that Apple was taking a new path with their offering of cloud services. Steve Jobs, who was CEO at the time of the introduction, admitted that the MobileMe services offered up as cloud features were definitely not the best product that Apple had offered its users. Since then, Apple has gradually been winding down operations associated with MobileMe, making the normally $99 a year service into iCloud.

iCloud offers users an initial 5GB of free storage and then begins to charge based on GB of storage. Earlier this year, Apple gave users the option to remove their files and even offered discs of the Snow Leopard software through MobileMe accounts for users to make the transition to iCloud as smoothly as possible. Apple is still allowing users to transfer their files from iDisk and images from Gallery, but is doing so on a final notice, as the website now displays a red sign that reads, “MobileMe is Closed”.

Apple is offering users the option to transfer their iDisk and Gallery files because both of those features as well as iWeb publishing did not and will not carry over to iCloud. Apple’s replacement for Gallery is likely the new PhotoStream feature and iDisk is being replaced by the variety of storage options offered in iCloud.

The Cupertino company has yet to mention a specific date as to when MobileMe would be permanently shut down, but it will likely be shut before the public release of iOS 6.

{via MacRumors}

Apple introduced the iPad 2 early last year, and with it, the Smart Cover. The Smart Cover was an accessory for the iPad that covered the screen, could be converted into a stand and automatically woke the iPad from sleep mode when opened. During the Apple’s 2012 WWDC conference, the Smart Cover was silently updated and added to the Apple Online Store.

The Smart Case is an updated version of Apple’s Smart Cover, and adds a polyurethane hardshell on the back for protection. It is available in the same six colors of the original Smart Covers (Light Gray, Dark Gray, Blue, Green, Pink, and a special (PRODUCT) RED edition. The Smart Case can be engraved for free when purchased.

The Smart Case adds a nice sense of style, and adds protection to what was otherwise the reason for a lot of broken iPad screens. The Smart Case is currently on sale in the Apple Online Store for $49.00, roughly $20-$30 cheaper than the Smart Cover and is eligible for gift wrapping and engraving.

Apple introduced Siri with the introduction of the iPhone 4S last October. During the company’s WWDC keynote event, SVP of iOS Software Scott Forstall took the stage to announce new updates to the personal assistant, Siri, to be included in iOS 6. The software update includes improved features such as asking Siri for sports scores, history of college and professional sports teams, as well as stats, and detailed info on other professional athletes. It also provides up to the minute updates on live sports games.

With Siri on iOS 6 now being able to provide sports information, users will no longer have to go to websites to see updates and scores. Apple also improved on Siri’s abilities to access applications on the device, by allowing Siri to open applications via voice command. Upon a command, Siri does not pull up a menu or navigation menu of any sorts and instead, jumps directly into the app and begins to run it.

The Cupertino company also improved on Siri’s movie and restaurant search capabilities. With restaurant searches, Siri on iOS 6 utilizes data from Yelp, giving information on prices, and reviews and is also connected with OpenTable for quick reservations. Siri is also hooked up with Rotten Tomatoes for movies, giving users direct access to reviews of the movie and the option to watch the trailer without closing the queue. Siri can now also provide quick access to information about directors of movies, actors, actresses and a variety of other details.

Other features include Eyes Free and Facebook integration. Apple introduced Eyes Free by teaming up with a number of car companies to directly build Siri functionality into new models of their cars. The feature can be directly accessed via a button on the steering wheel and will not switch on the screen of the iPhone but will entirely operate through voice commands. Facebook integration operates similarly to Twitter on iOS 5 and allows users to post photos, web pages, and other forms of media through a pop-up menu anywhere in the OS. The company also released this feature as a public API to give developers the option to build this feature into their own apps.

Forstall introduced these updates, and following the explanation of all of the features, mentioned that Siri would now also be coming to the new iPad as well, following the public release of iOS 6 later this year. iOS 6 will be introduced later this year, during the same fall timeframe that the next generation iPhone is expected.

Apple’s WWDC keynote event is only a few hours away, where Apple is expected to introduce new MacBook models as well the next version of the company’s mobile operating system, iOS 6. On Friday, a number of images of iOS 6 banners were posted by CNet, all of which were being set up in Moscone West, the building where Apple’s WWDC  2012 keynote event is being held.

With the images as proof of iOS 6, it is confirmed that Apple will be previewing features of iOS 6 during the keynote event. The images depict banners reading “iOS 6, The World’s Most Advanced Mobile Operating System” being put up by workers in the entrance hall of Moscone West. iOS 6 has long been rumored to be making an appearance at WWDC 2012, with the software showing up in web logs and running on an iPad.

The ‘6’ on the banner appears to have a background of water ripples, likely continuing Apple’s water theme, previously water droplets on glass in iOS 5. This means that the background and other promotional items will likely ship with this new background once iOS 6 is finally announced and later issued for public release.

Apple’s WWDC keynote event begins on June 11th and it is clear that iOS 6 will be a part of it, although specific details as to what will be included in the update is unknown. Other products such as new MacBooks are also expected to be announced. Stay tuned, we’ll keep you updated.

Apple is expected to release its next iPhone 5 later this year, and a number of reports have suggested that the screen is going to be made taller to accommodate up to 4 inches. These rumors were entirely speculative until a recent report from japanese site Macotakara, which posted images and a video showing what appears to a taller iPhone 5 screen, with an overall design that looks very similar to the current iPhone 4S screen. The front panel also had a relocated FaceTime camera, now above the earpiece of the iPhone and centered on the device, similar to the iPod touch.

This is the first time that a part capable of being for the next gen iPhone 5 has surfaced and is likely not only taller, but from the images, wider as well. With iOS 6, Apple will likely expand the existing apps on the App Store, in order to fit the new screen size without compromising the number of pixels per inch. Earlier in the month, reports that Apple was purchasing 4 inch screens from a number of suppliers surfaced. Suppliers included LG Display, Sharp, and Japan Display Inc., which also supply Apple with screens for a number of its other iOS products.

The iPhone’s screen size has remained the same since the introduction of the original iPhone in 2007, only experiencing a major change during the release of the Retina Display. This would be the first time that Apple would change the 3.5 inch display in any way, and it appears in good fashion too, making it much taller than the current display. Apple has not changed the width, and has emphasized in the past that this would cause issues with resolution and users being able to text with one hand.

Apple’s next gen iPhone 5 is expected to be released during the same October timeframe as the iPhone 4S and will likely be released alongside iOS 6 after a developer preview of the new software during Apple’s WWDC conference from June 11-15.

{via AppleInsider — Image Credit: Macotakara}

The next version of Apple’s iOS operating system, iOS 6, is expected to be released during the company’s WWDC 2012 conference starting on July 11. Various reports in the recent past have mentioned that the next software update will bring a number of features, including major updates to Siri, Apple’s personal assistant software.

Now that Siri is running on the iPhone 4S and the new iPad 3 has gotten voice dictation, there is every reason to believe that Siri might in fact be coming to Apple’s popular tablet computer. On Monday, a report from 9to5Mac mentioned that Apple may be bringing Siri over to the iPad 3 with iOS 6, allowing users to access all of the features by holding down the home button on the iPad, the same way it currently operates on the iPhone 4S (mock up of potential Siri design).

Siri on the iPad is activated by a quick hold of the home button, just like on the iPhone 4S. The interface slides up from below the display with a clever animation. Siri is built into the iPad as a small window on top of whatever interface the user is currently interacting with. This Siri window with rounded corners sits at the bottom center of the display, as you can see in our mockup above. The Siri iPad interface takes very little space over the iPad interface currently in use, and is designed with the same linen texture as on the iPhone 4S. Siri for iPad also works from the lock screen.

It is unclear if Apple will announce the feature during the company’s annual WWDC conference or hold off until the public release. During the conference, Apple generally provides developers with an early preview of the software and allows them to test out the new features prior to its release several months later. It is also unclear whether developers will get access to Siri on the iPad 3 prior to any public release.

{via MacRumors — Image Credit: 9to5 Mac}

Rumors of Apple abandoning Google Maps in iOS 6 have been around for quite some time, however, Google recently announced an event to discuss the next dimension of their Google Maps design.

In a report from 9to5Google, it was revealed that Google is looking to unveil “The Next Dimension of Google Maps”, only about a week prior to Apple’s own WWDC 2012 keynote event, where they are expected to release the details on the next version of its iOS platform.

At this invitation-only press gathering, Brian McClendon, VP of Google Maps and Google Earth, will give you a behind-the-scenes look at Google Maps and share our vision. We’ll also demo some of the newest technology and provide a sneak peek at upcoming features that will help people get where they want to go – both physically and virtually. We hope to see you there.

Apple has been reliant on Google’s Maps technology since the launch of the original iPhone in 2007. According to a number of reports over the course of several months, the Cupertino company has been working on its own map technology for quite some time and will finally be moving away from Google Maps.

Apple and Google have been competing over the mobile space for a number of years, with Apple accusing Google of stealing their ideas and calling Android fragmented, and Google stating that iOS is tightly controlled and too closed. Google’s timing to release new updates is likely in response to Apple’s transition to inhouse operations on Maps technology, and to soften the blow of such a sudden loss in the mobile space, with Apple getting Google a large percentage of its mobile users.

{via MacRumors}

Following rumors that Apple would be opting for a 3.9 inch screen for its next generation iPhone 5 come new rumors and images that reveal iPhone 5 cameras as well as what appears to be a 4.1 inch iPod touch. Photos of the leaked parts show a taller screen, very similar to the face of the iPod touch, leading to outright claims that this is in fact the new iPod that will come to fruition later this year.

Alongside the claims of the new iPod touch, images of new camera parts and home buttons have surfaced, believed to be parts of the next generation iPhone 5. The iPod touch is the most popular iPod in Apple’s lineup and brings a multitude of features over from the iPhone, over to a cheaper and thinner device. Apple is expected to release the new iPhone in the same October timeframe as the iPhone 4S, with a taller screen, faster A5X chip and possibly better cameras (on the front and back).

The iPod touch will likely also make an appearance around the same time as it normally does in a September event, bringing a number of new features to the iPod. To top off the upcoming iPhone and iPod touch, Apple is expected to release the next version of iOS with an updated Maps application at the WWDC to be held on June 11th-15th in San Francisco.

{Via CNET — Image Credit: MacRumors}

Apple’s next iPhone 5  is expected to be released later this year, most likely in the October timeframe when the iPhone 4S was released this past year. Late last week, Apple won the domain iPhone5.com from a small online forum that operated under the name.

The Cupertino company filed a claim with the World Intellectual Property Organization earlier in the month, to secure the iPhone 5 name. Although there have been no credible reports that the next iPhone would in fact be called “iPhone 5″, Apple is just keeping its options open and would reroute the domain back to the iPhone page on Apple.com.

Apple had trouble securing the domain iPad.com as well as iPhone.com in the past, but is looking to acquire any and all possible names for the next generation iPhone, so as to avoid any confusion. Apple’s WWDC conference is coming up next month on June 11, and iOS 6 is expected to be announced and maybe even a developer preview is made available.

The next generation iPhone 5, slated for an October release is rumored to include a larger 4 inch screen, a micro dock connector, LTE connectivity and perhaps even LiquidMetal offerings either on the bezel, stainless steel frame or on the back. Names for the next iPhone remain unclear, even with a number of rumored features, and at this point, iPhone 5 is the best bet until an official announcement is made.

{via iMore}

On Monday, a report from Bloomberg suggested that Apple is expected to release a thinner Macbook Pro at this year’s upcoming WWDC 2012. Rumors that Apple would be discontinuing the 17” Macbook Pro and introducing a thinner model have been on the web for quite some time, but no credible sources have produced any solid information as to when the public would see the new Macbooks.

According to the report, the new thinner models of the Macbook Pro would be adopting a number of features from the current Macbook Air, including the flash storage in order to give it a faster startup time and help to extend the battery life. The Macbook Pro line has not had a redesign since 2008, but has received upgraded internals, including the new i5 and i7 chips from Intel.

Bloomberg also mentioned that Apple may announce the release date for the latest OS X Mountain Lion that the company issued a developer preview of earlier this year. Apple has focused its attention on making its products as portable as possible, first with the iPhone, followed by the iPad, and did the same with the Mac starting with the Macbook Air. Apple’s WWDC conference, when the thinner Macbook Pro is expected to be announced is going to be held from June 11-15 in San Francisco.

{via MacRumors}