iOS 9 Built-in Apps

Apple is improving built-in apps that iOS already has and even bringing new default apps to iOS 9. Every-time the company expands functionality of some of its existing apps or introduces new apps it tends to disrupt the business of some of the third-party apps.

News

In iOS 9 Apple is all set to introduce News which will bring personalised news stories based on the type of articles you read and the topics you are interested in. Sounds a bit like Flipboard right? Apple will be releasing special set of tools to enable publishers to create content for the News app. This content will include immersive design, interactivity and beautiful typography.

These special print style layouts would be great for editorial and in-dept articles.

Notes

The Notes app in iOS 9 is getting a lot of love from Apple. The updated app will allow you to do more than just note taking. It now includes creating a checklist, adding photo, map or a URL to your note. Another addition to the app is the ability to sketch with your finger.

I use Notes app a lot and even though my devices have many third-party apps I’ve always gone back to the default Notes app in iOS. These new features would certainly make Apple’s Notes app a whole lot powerful and iCloud syncing will support all these features between OS X and iOS.

Maps

Ever since Apple and Google’s maps licensing ended, the company has been hard at work to improve its mapping solution. Apple Maps were initially criticised for inaccuracies and limited features. In iOS 9 Apple is bringing Transit vier with routes and directors. The new maps app will also include Nearby search to find local businesses from categories such as Food, Shopping, Fun, and more.

Wallet

Passbook has been renamed to Wallet app in iOS 9. It will not just store credit cards you use but also include reward and loyalty cards. You will be able to use Apple Pay to redeem rewards or apply offer.

CarPlay

Apple has pulled the cord from CarPlay for the new cars that support wireless connection to your iPhone. You can have your iPhone in the pocket never take it out and still access CarPlay. The updated app will also support apps developed by car manufactures so that you can use the car’s features without leaving CarPlay.

iOS 9 for iPad

With iOS 9 Apple has taken multi-tasking on the iPad to a whole new level. The upcoming software update will support slide over, split view and picture in picture which will utilise the true potential of the iPad. Apple has also improved the QuickType feature introduced in iOS 8.

Multitasking

Slide Over allows you to quickly take action in another app without ever leaving the first one. Split View allows you to have work in two apps simultaneously. Picture in Picture takes any video content and floats in on the screen when you press the home button.

QuickType

Selecting text, copying and pasting while these tasks have been very easy to do on iOS. However, for getting some serious work done receptively selecting text, copying and pasting involves constantly lifting your finger from the keyboard the tap and hold on the screen to have controls appear on the screen. All this is changing with iOS 9. Two finger tap on the new keyboard in iOS 9 for iPad transforms it into a trackpad allowing you to move the cursor and then use dedicated keys for cut, copy, paste, text formatting and adding attachments.

Intelligence

Siri received a major upgrade in iOS 8 and now with iOS 9 it is getting much better. Apple is allowing Siri to search built-in apps to source answers, deliver results faster and even offering suggestions proactively.

Siri can now offer you quick access to different apps depending on the time of the day and your location. It can automatically create events when it detects invitations in an email and much more.

Foundation

Apple has made a number of under-the-hood refinements to iOS 9 to make its performance faster and even improve battery life.

One of the biggest hurdles in users upgrading to iOS 8 was the amount of free space the software requested for over-the-air update. In iOS 9 Apple has reduced it by more than 70%. A new developer API called App Thinness will allow the App Store to download assets for the app that match the users screen density.

Security has also been improved in the OS. The devices will now require a six-digit passcode. Two-factor authentication will be required when you sign in from anew browser or on a new device.

Conclusion

iOS 9 brings many features that will enhance users productivity in performing day to day tasks. Intelligence and improved multitasking are certainly some of the best new features in iOS 9.

The public beta will be available in July followed by final release this Fall.

During the special event today Apple announced the worldwide availability of OS X Mavericks. The tenth major release of OS X brings technological advancements, new apps and battery enhancements to the Mac.

Apple is beginning a new pricing model for its software updates of OS X with the release of Mavericks. Today Apple announced that OS X Mavericks will be available for free as a digital download from the Mac App Store.

The tenth major version of OS X brings iBooks and Maps app to the Mac for the first time. Users will now be able to read and buy books from their Macs. Maps app provides directions, street view and integrates with Calendar app.

Safari includes shared links from your social networking accounts like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. It also bring significant speed and performance improvements to the browsing experience.

OS X Mavericks brings new ways to organise your files by assigning tags to each file. Multiple tags can be assigned to a single file to make it easier for you find a file and organise your work flow. Finder now also includes tabbed browsing to avoid the clutter of multiple Finder windows taking up your screen space.

One of the most notable features in the new software update is iCloud Keychain. This allows you to upload your log in details from the KeyChain Access app to iCloud and autofill your username and passwords. This would also be available to iOS devices in a new update.

Advanced technologies included in the update make it more energy efficient and make your Mac more responsive even as you use more apps. One of the ways the company has accomplished this by introducing App Nap and Safari Power Saver. These features allot more resources to the app in the forefront while slowing the apps in the background.

OS X Mavericks is now available for download for free from the Mac App Store. Follow the download link here. The update comes at 5.29GB.

With Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) under intense criticism over the past several months, it is not surprising that the company’s CEO, Tim Cook would come out and regret some of the steps they took in the past. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has been seeing its stock in a tailspin, analysts worrying about gross margins, and many claiming that the company is lacking in innovation.

On Tuesday, during Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s Q2 2013 earnings call, Cook admitted that Apple should have waited until 2013 to release the new redesigned iMac. The new iMac uses a new screen lamination process that caused many problems when it was introduced in late 2012, and the radically thin design appeared to be slightly bold for something was to be released within weeks of its announcement.

The new iMac was released into a mass of customers that hadn’t seen any new products in months, and as a result, expectations were high. Unfortunately, the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) delayed the iMac, which resulted in a decline in sales for the holiday quarter. Mac sales slipped to 4.1 million, mainly because of the failure of iMac’s launch. Cook admitted during the earnings call that this was a mistake and commented on the situation:

We felt our customers had to wait too long. In retrospect, yes, I sort of wish we had done it after the turn of the year. Customers wouldn’t have had to have waited as long as they did.

Tim Cook’s apology is a sign of the type of leadership that the company is now under, with Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s former CEO, Steve Jobs rarely offering up an apology for any mistakes made. Jobs simply found a way to prove the company right or make amends through actions. Cook has already apologized for the failed Maps app in iOS, as well as for its subpar handling of warranty issues in China.

{Via AppleInsider}

Google appears to be getting back at Apple for introducing its own Maps application and removing Google’s data from the iPhone. Following major issues with Apple’s Maps application for iOS, Google introduced its own application for the iPhone. Now, Google has updated the Maps for iOS SDK, which allows developers to replace Apple’s Maps app in their own apps. Google updated the SDK, and added ground overlay support.

The update also made API keys available to all developers through the Google API Console, which operates differently than before. Previously, developers had to wait for access to the keys, which are now openly available. With the keys now readily available, developers can easily switch from Apple’s Maps and add Google Maps into their applications.

Some developers are allowing users to choose, however, it is likely that many developers are much more comfortable with Google Maps particularly because it was native to iOS in the past. Developers who have not fully grasped the use of API keys can download a sample application included in the SDK as well as a video (above) which highlights some of the features.

{Via MacRumors}

According to German site, iPhone-Ticker, Apple is planning to release iOS 6.1.2 as early as next week. This comes only a few days after the Cupertino, California based company released iOS 6.1.1 to the public, which addressed 3G issues on the iPhone 4S. iOS 6.1.1 only addressed the 3G issue, so it is likely that the other features noted on the beta version of iOS 6.1.1 which was released to developers will arrive in 6.1.3, as this update also addresses specific issues.

Some of these features include updates to the Maps application for Japanese users such as updated freeway color to green and updated icons for some location categories including fire. The iOS 6.1.2 update is expected to address an Exchange bug and a lock screen passcode issue affecting iOS 6.1 users.

By releasing updates in increments, it allows Apple to quickly push out updates to the public while working on bigger issues with iOS at the same time. Apple is now being very thorough with its iOS updates, after experiencing major issues with Siri and Maps, which partly led to the ousting of iOS chief Scott Forstall.

iPhone-Ticker has a proven track record with reporting on iOS updates, having accurately reported on the iOS 6.1.1 update. The site’s report notes that the iOS 6.1.2 update will likely release before Wednesday, February 20th.

{Via MacRumors}

Apple removed Google services from its iOS software with iOS 6, shedding both the native YouTube application, as well as Google Maps. Apple replaced Google Maps with its own Maps application, and included new features such as FlyOver and Turn-by-Turn directions. According to a report from TechCrunch, Apple is looking to improve its Maps, by acquiring turn-by-turn navigation company, Waze.

Waze brings a number of social features to navigation, allowing users to add in their own information as they travel. The service then learns from the routes traveled and provides routing and real-time traffic updates to others. Waze is already a partner in Apple’s Maps application, however, an acquisition would make the current Maps app much better. Apple’s Maps application launched to intense scrutiny after the service failed to locate some areas improperly and removed highly utilized features such as public transportation information.

TechCrunch’s own MG Siegler believes that it is unlikely that Apple is looking to purchase Waze and mentions that the two companies are likely in low-level discussions, having worked together prior to these reports.

Apple has been reported to be hashing out a deal with Foursquare for its Maps app. However, TechCrunch’s earlier report notes that if Apple were to acquire Waze, it would benefit the company more than data from Foursquare as it would not only be cheaper but because “Check-In” apps tend to not be as accurate as navigation apps.

Because Waze maps are built on the location of moving cars, it’s far more accurate than check-in apps. Outside of Google’s project to map cities with Streetview cars – something which has taken years to complete – and the real-world mapping undertaken by volunteers on the Open Streetmaps open source project, there has been little to match Waze’s approach. Waze turned mapping into not only a game, but also a way for drivers to be social, reporting road obstacles, traffic and police traps. It is properly useful.

Waze has about 30 million users and is available for iOS, Android Windows Mobile, Maemo, Symbian, and BlackBerry OS (beta). It is also listed as one of the alternative apps for users unhappy with Apple’s Maps after Apple CEO Tim Cook compiled a list to address user complaints.

{Via MacRumors}

Apple has posted a new iPhone 5 TV ad, highlighting the new “Do Not Disturb” feature in iOS 6. The feature allows users to decide whether they want to schedule silent hours at different times of the day. The feature also allows calls from a certain group of people to come through, while rejecting calls and messages from all others.

Repeat calls from one person will come through on the second attempt despite them not being on one of the selected lists. Apple’s ad for the feature, called ‘Dream’ stars professional tennis players Serena and Venus Williams. The ad is from the point of view of the narrator who is having a dream where he is winning a ping pong match against the two sisters.

Ever had a really cool dream? I’m having one right now. I don’t want to be disturbed. And I won’t because before I went to sleep, I set this. Now my iPhone knows not to ring unless its important. Cause disturbing this would just be… Wrong.

This is the first time that Apple has promoted an iOS 6 feature, other than Siri, with celebrities. Apple’s iOS 6 has been plagued with issues since its release, mainly with Siri and the company’s new Maps application, which also led to the ousting of iOS chief Scott Forstall. In a strange twist, ‘Dream’ was posted on the same day ‘Do Not Disturb’ failed to turn off for thousands of users. It is unclear whether this glitch was because of the New Year and when it will return to normal.

Even so, Apple is beginning to focus on some of the other features in iOS 6 as it works to fix Maps, Siri and other bugs that are affecting the latest version of the software.

{Via MacRumors}

On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported that Apple Inc. (AAPL) has fired the manager of the iOS 6 Maps team, Richard Williamson. Williamson lead the team that created the new iOS 6 Maps, which many users complained was not very useful, and was not entirely accurate in providing directions. In many cases, the Maps would display a location in the wrong city or country, and sometimes even in the middle of the ocean.

Following a major management shake up at AAPL, which removed Scott Forstall as SVP of iOS Software, Eddy Cue took over the role of managing Maps. Forstall was also reportedly involved “internal politics” at Apple, which also added to the decision for Forstall to be removed. This was one of Cue’s first major changes in his new position, looking for outside assistance now to help move Maps on iOS forward.

A team at Apple has been working to fix the mapping mistakes, focusing first on some of the most glaring problems, one person said. The satellite imagery over the U.K. has been improved and labels for popular U.S. landmarks such as the Washington Monument have been corrected.

The Maps application included in iOS 6 was essentially a 1.0 version, meaning that the Maps team was under an intense time crunch, and was not able to work out many of the kinks generally associated with any new application. Bloomberg also notes that the Maps team is working to fix many of the known issues, while Apple will likely begin searching for a new manager, capable of leading the existing Maps team.

{Via iMore — Image Credit: Apple}

On Thursday, Google added Street View to its new web version of Google Maps. The update allows smartphone users on multiple platforms to get walking and transit directions, and now street view. The update allows iPhone 5 and iOS 6 users to once again use Google Maps on their iPhone, with Apple CEO Tim Cook suggesting that users can open Google Maps in Safari and then save it as a web clip.

The update was likely released early in the morning, as it took a while for it to show up for all users. The new feature began to show up in the United States and parts of Canada at first, followed by countries all around the world. Users can now pan around in 360 street view after Apple replaced it with their own iOS Maps application, complete with their own cartography.

Currently, it appears that Google is adding major cities to the “web app” and is stil working on it. According to AppleInsider, the web version is not fully stable and closing the app resets the page fairly quickly.

Google’s move to implement a web based maps is a very bold one and shows the leverage that they have in cloud based operations. Many of these features will also likely be optimized for an iPhone app in the near future and is being tested on the web version.

iOS 6 was released to the public a little more than a week ago already complaints have flooded the internet over the fact that Apple’s new iOS Maps app does not offer walking and transit directions like Google’s Maps. Other complaints included Maps getting directions and places wrong, with one user claiming that there was a city that Maps located in the middle of the ocean.

Apple CEO Tim Cook finally addressed the complaints by issuing an open letter, noting that as users begin to use Maps more, the better it’ll get. The full letter can be seen below.

To our customers,

At Apple, we strive to make world-class products that deliver the best experience possible to our customers. With the launch of our new Maps last week, we fell short on this commitment. We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better.

We launched Maps initially with the first version of iOS. As time progressed, we wanted to provide our customers with even better Maps including features such as turn-by-turn directions, voice integration, Flyover and vector-based maps. In order to do this, we had to create a new version of Maps from the ground up.

There are already more than 100 million iOS devices using the new Apple Maps, with more and more joining us every day. In just over a week, iOS users with the new Maps have already searched for nearly half a billion locations. The more our customers use our Maps the better it will get and we greatly appreciate all of the feedback we have received from you.

While we’re improving Maps, you can try alternatives by downloading map apps from the App Store like Bing, MapQuest and Waze, or use Google or Nokia maps by going to their websites and creating an icon on your home screen to their web app.

Everything we do at Apple is aimed at making our products the best in the world. We know that you expect that from us, and we will keep working non-stop until Maps lives up to the same incredibly high standard.

Tim Cook
Apple’s CEO

Several hours after Cook published the letter, Apple updated the App Store with a new feature sections called “Map Apps”. In his letter, Cook mentioned to users that they can download free apps such as Waze and MapQuest until iOS Maps improved.

The new sections includes a range of different map applications from companies such as Waze, Mapquest, Garmin, Bing, and MotionX, offering transit directions, walking directions, as well as separate turn by turn navigation apps. With Cook’s letter and the addition of the new App Store section, it show’s that Apple is taking criticism of its iOS Maps very seriously and is looking to correct the issue momentarily until their own mistake is corrected in the long term.

{Via MacRumors}

Apple Inc. (AAPL) has had yet another successful iPhone launch, topping previous years launch weekend sale by one million. As a matter of fact, the iPhone 5 sold 5 million units during the first weekend it was on sale surpassing the iPhone 4S sales which sold 4 million units in the first 3 days of release.

Although the sales for the iPhone 5 are higher and pre orders reached 2 million in 24 hours, it did not meet the expectations of Wall Street analysts who predicted that AAPL would sell over 8 million units.

Alongside the news of the 5 million iPhone 5s sold, Apple also announced that over 100 million iOS devices have been updated to iOS 6, bringing the company’s new Maps application to older devices, as well as a number of other features such as Do Not Disturb and Passbook. Apple CEO Tim Cook commented on the sale of 5 million iPhone 5 units:

Demand for iPhone 5 has been incredible and we are working hard to get an iPhone 5 into the hands of every customer who wants one as quickly as possible. While we have sold out of our initial supply, stores continue to receive iPhone 5 shipments regularly and customers can continue to order online and receive an estimated delivery date. We appreciate everyone’s patience and are working hard to build enough iPhone 5s for everyone.

Many users who preordered still have not received their iPhone 5 as demand for the product exceeded initial supply, leaving users with shipments slated to arrive in October. It normally takes Apple several weeks to meet up with the initial demand for its products, regulating shipping dates as sales come in. With the iPhone, shipping dates generally drop to 1 week or less after the first 4 weeks of initial sales.

The 5 million figure for the iPhone 5 accounts only for the units Apple was able to ship to its customers. Its possible that the pre-order numbers could be much higher however, due to supply constraints the company was unable to account for those units that have not been delivered yet. The quarterly financial report that the company is expected to announce would give a better picture of the devices sold. As the holiday season approaches Apple could set yet another record sales as nearly all of its products have been completely redesigned for this year.

{Via AppleInsider}

Apple announced iOS 6 during the company’s annual WWDC conference, and showcased some of the main features of the new update including a revamped Maps application and Siri improvements. The Cupertino company released an initial beta to developers directly after the conference, allowing developers to test the new features on the their devices and then released iOS 6 beta 2 in late June.

On Monday, Apple released iOS 6 beta 3 to developers, fixing bugs and adding a number of new features. This latest beta comes comes as Build 10A5355d, about three weeks after the last with Build 10A5338d. Some of the features of iOS 6 beta 3 include:

• Roadwork and traffic accidents showing up in Maps app
• Answer and Decline buttons for FaceTime calls have returned
• iMessage on iPad now accepting phone number as valid contact info
• Greater 3D Flyover coverage in Maps
• Glyphs for bookmarks, Reading List, and history in Safari
• Auto-brightness changes gradually

One of the other main features noticed was a change under the Navigation settings, giving users the option to measure distance in kilometers or meters, adjust the volume of the navigation voice, and providing map labels in either normal or large that can display in a local language or strictly English.

Apple’s iOS 6 betas continue to improve with each release and give developers the chance to test each feature and use it with their own apps. Apple is expected to release several more betas before the final public release, which is expected during the September / October timeframe. It is also likely that the public version of iOS 6 will release alongside the next generation iPhone 5 which is also expected during the same timeframe.

{via MacRumors — Image Credit: 9to5Mac}

Earlier this week, a report from Bloomberg mentioned that Apple is likely integrating Yelp check ins directly into the Maps application. This would allow users to easily track their location in Maps and then check in to the restaurant or venue they go to, right away.

At this point, neither Yelp nor Apple have confirmed that this feature is in fact part of the Maps update in iOS 6. However, if Yelp Check-In is added to Maps, it can also be assumed that other features such as Facebook Places may become part of Maps with iOS-wide Facebook integration being one of the big features.

Other location services such as Foursquare can also be integrated, although Yelp is currently the only service rumored to be part of the redesigned Maps application in iOS 6. Yelp has been part of Siri on the iPhone 4S since its introduction last year and will expand to give more information on reviews, prices, and locations. With Yelp Check-In and Yelp on Siri, discovering new restaurants and venues will likely be simplified over voice commands.

The final public release of iOS 6 is expected to be released during the same October timeframe of the next generation iPhone 5, as both will likely be released together.

{Image Credit: 9to5Mac}

During Apple’s WWDC keynote event on Monday, the company introduced iOS 6 with a redesigned Maps application, built entirely from the ground up. Rumors that Apple was looking to abandon its reliance on Google’s Map data for its Maps app were around for quite some time, and now it has been confirmed.

The new and improved Maps application in iOS 6 adds a number of features not seen in the Google version included in iOS since the introduction of the iPhone in 2007. All of the cartography was done by Apple, with images taken from airplanes from above for the 3D mapping portion of the data.

The new Maps app is based entirely off a Vector engine, providing smooth scrolling, panning and zooming when navigating maps. Features of the new Maps application include, turn-by-turn directions that can also be operated with Siri, local search for millions of businesses,, a crowd-sourced traffic service for real time updates on accidents and traffic issues, Yelp integration, and 3D mapping called ‘Flyover’. The Turn by Turn navigation is presented with street names, smooth, and can switch quickly from an overhead map to navigation.

Apple’s 3D Flyover feature is an excellent replacement for Google’s own Street View and allows users to pan, zoom, tilt, and rotate an almost real time 3D image. The 3D images allow for a 360° view of buildings and allows direct interaction with the picture, unlike the current version which can only be moved horizontally or vertically and is restricted at some points.

iOS 6 will be released publicly sometime during the fall timeframe of iPhone 5. Apple issued iOS 6 beta 1 to developers during the event on Monday and will release several betas before the public release.

{Image Credit: Apple}

There are plenty of little jailbreak tweaks for iPhone 4S that come along, while they are very nice they don’t change your life. Aloud is not one of those tweaks, ok, it may not change your life but, it can certainly change they way that you use your iPhone.

At first it seems that Aloud is a fairly straight forward tweak, it simply reads aloud your notifications for you using Siri’s distinctive tones, however, you don’t have to stick to the voice set for Siri, you can instead choose from one of over 30 different voices, some of which can be very funny if you don’t think it’s thinly veiled racism! However it’s the depth of Aloud that makes it fully functional and usable in your everyday life.

Enabling Aloud is simple, once downloaded from Cydia a new option is added to your Settings and the full app can be either enabled or disabled. At this point all notifications will be read aloud to you as soon as they appear on your screen. This means that you don’t have to be looking at your iPhone to know whats happening.

This may be a little overkill though, having every notification read out to you may be too much for you, let alone everyone else that will also be able hear your notifications, including the text message from your significant other telling you that they love you, if not worse!

Help is at hand though as there are multiple options to control which alerts are read and when. You can set which apps don’t speak aloud by turning them off via the Application setting for that app completely but then you can also limit them based on whether your device is locked or not, only when you are wearing headphones, while you are on a call, on certain wi-fi networks or when certain apps are running. The options are endless, although there’s no way to only speak the personal text messages from your significant other as mentioned previously.

The latest update to Aloud will even read a full email to you, again, that may be a little to much to handle, although if you’ve enabled the Stop Speaking Activator method you can immediately stop the notification being spoken by completing one of the many Activation methods, in my case a double click of the Home button.

The features keep on coming though and now Aloud can even announce map directions for you from the default maps app. This could be the difference between spending big on a full fledge navigation app or not.

If you only buy one Jailbreak app then this is the one, it’s the reason why people jailbreak. Aloud is available in the Cydia Store now for just $1.99.

Gallery

Apple is once again looking to add to its team of super-clever people, this time with a view to improve the company’s Maps development team. AppleInsider has discovered not one, but two new listings on Apple’s own job site for an ‘iOS Maps Application Developer’.

Listed as two full-time positions, the jobs come complete with suitably (for Apple at least) cryptic descriptions, though Apple’s new ‘post PC-era’ catchphrase is there in full effect!

Come work for the team that revolutionized the mobile technology industry as it continues to define what computing looks like in a post-PC era. The Maps team is looking for a proactive and hardworking software engineer to join our team. Along with excellent skills in object-oriented software design and programming, the successful candidate will have real-world experience developing sophisticated user interfaces. Excellent communication skills are also a must, as you will be collaborating closely with Apple’s peerless human interface team to add new and innovative features.

Apple’s current Maps iOS applications use Google’s map tiles, but when Apple bought Google competitor Placebase in 2009 it was widely rumoured the Cupertino outfit was looking to sever ties with the people behind the then fledgling Android OS. Those rumours didn’t come to fruition however.

The word on the street these days is that Apple’s MobileMe will be seeing an overhaul sooner rather than later, with a new location-based feature to be integrated. Could the new job listings be related to this in some way?

Of course there’s always the possibility somebody left Apple and they just need to fill seats.

{via AppleInsider}