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.

Facebook is beginning to introduce a new feature in the Facebook application for iOS devices that automatically uploads all photos taken on the iPhone, iPad or iPod touch to a private photo album on Facebook. After this, the user can then access all of their iOS images directly on Facebook and can choose which ones to share directly through their web browser as opposed to uploading individual images.

Facebook posted a page on their website, detailing the features of Photo Sync and how it works. Facebook uses background uploads directly through the Facebook application, entirely sidestepping Apple’s iOS 6 integration and special API’s. All users get a complimentary 2GB of storage to upload photos online.

This new feature allows users to manage their photos entirely online, with images being stored privately until the users chooses to share. The feature is not automatically enabled as that may cause controversy among iOS users, but gives users the option to enable it if they choose to utilize the Photo Sync service.

{Via MacRumors}

Earlier this month, Apple seeded the first beta of iOS 6.1 to developers that included new features allowing developers to integrate iOS Maps into their applications, as well as fixes for boarding passes in Passbook as well as changes in Safari. Now, Apple has seeded a second beta of iOS 6.1 to developers with a build number of 10B5105c, as opposed to the build number of 10B5095f for the first beta of iOS 6.1. it is unclear what changes the second beta has brought to the update.

It is likely stability improvements for the iOS Maps and Passbook features. It is unclear exactly when Apple will release iOS 6.1 to the public but Apple will likely identify other bugs and include them in the final update, perhaps even releasing another beta before finally releasing it.

Alongside the second beta of iOS 6.1, Apple also released a beta of the Apple TV software, as well as Xcode 4.6 Developer Preview 2. Developers who are registered to receive these updates can go and download the beta software through Apple’s Developer page.

{Via MacRumors}

Earlier this week, reports suggested that Apple updated Siri in iOS 6.1 to add movie ticket purchases. This would allow users to voice navigate movie theatres, times, prices and ultimately purchase the tickets. Now Apple is working backwards and connecting Siri to its already existing applications. Apple has released an update to the Apple Store app, adding support for Siri and the ability for users to email PassBook enabled gift cards through the app.

Although the two new features appear to be included in the Apple Store app, they have not yet been enabled yet. It is possible that Apple is waiting to include the features in iOS 6.1 alongside the movie ticket purchasing feature. With Siri integrated into the Apple Store app, users can now ask questions such as, “How much is the Macbook Pro?” and Siri will automatically route them to that specific section in the app and will pull up the product page for the Macbook Pro.

What’s New in Version 2.4

– Buy new gift cards and email them to friends and family right from the app. These gift cards are easily integrated with the new Passbook app (U.S. only, iOS 6 required).

– Ask Siri to help you find prices and shop for Apple products. (Siri-enabled device required.)”

The Apple Store app with the new update is now available on the App Store [Direct Link].

{Via MacRumors}

Apple released an iOS 6.1 beta to developers recently, and features that are expected to be in the new update are now being shown off online. One of these new features in iOS 6.1 is the ability to purchase movie tickets through Siri. Apple is bringing movie ticket purchases to Siri, allowing users to simply tell Siri to book them tickets for a specific showtime, as Siri can already look up the showtimes and the movie theatre that it is located in.

Developers testing 6.1 on their iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch say that the feature operates on Fandango and Siri describes the commands in the information menu. A user can simply ask Siri to buy any number of tickets for any movie. Siri will then bring up local movie theatres that are playing the movie.

You can also manually go through each window, first choosing a movie theatre, then a movie, time etc. The feature is currently available only in the United States and not all theatres are supported. Supported theatres have a tiny movie tickets icon that tells the user which one they can buy tickets from. With this new feature, Siri has become more useful and is now more interactive with some of the features introduced with iOS 6.

{Via 9to5Mac}

Sprint has already confirmed that they will not charge extra and will continue unlimited data and Verizon is stilll unsure what to charge. However, AT&T announced on Friday that customers will need a new Mobile Share plan in order to enjoy FaceTime over cellular. Although the company did not initially mention anything about the change, they are now publicly addressing the new plans:

AT&T will offer FaceTime over Cellular as an added benefit of our new Mobile Share data plans, which were created to meet customers’ growing data needs at a great value. With Mobile Share, the more data you use, the more you save. FaceTime will continue to be available over Wi-Fi for all our customers.

With almost every carrier except Sprint introducing tiered data plans, there is no doubt that FaceTime would use up incredible amounts of data, more than some networks can handle. Some iOS developers have noted that when trying to use the service in the beta, they were urged to call and activate it.

AT&T is forcing its customers to purchase the new Mobile Share in order to use the new feature, while Sprint is already laid out. Verizon is now the only carrier yet to introduce any pricing, although it may be waiting to see a response from both Sprint and AT&T customers before introducing anything.

{via iMore}

Apple’s next version of OS X, Mountain Lion came out early Wednesday, adding over 200 new user features including Messages, Notification Center, Notes, and iCloud. Alongside some of the iOS like features introduced in the update, Apple also released a new feature via a firmware update in OS X 10.8 called Power Nap. PowerNap was previously announced at Apple’s WWDC 2012 and allows any Mac running the feature to receive email, update software, and syncing the calendar while the computer is sleeping.

Apple released a support document, highlighting the full abilities of OS X Mountain Lion. Full features of the update include: Syncing Mail, Calendar, Contact and Reminders as well as downloading software updates and Time Capsule backups. The Power Nap feature is currently only available on Mid-2011 Macbook Air and beyond as well as the new 2012 Retina MacBook Pro, both of which operate on SSDs (Solid State Drive).

Flash storage is a requirement for the feature as it can operate faster and more efficiently, using less power. The update was brought to 2011 MacBook Air via a firmware update and is expected to appear on the Retina MacBook Pro, likely through another firmware update.

{via MacRumors}

Apple’s popular iPhone has been on the market since 2007 and has picked up a number of new features since then, including video chat capabilities, and even Siri, a voice controlled personal assistant. However, even with a variety of innovative technology, the iPhone always fell short when it came to emergency notifications or access. As a result, Apple is now working in tandem with the national government to provide users with automatic alerts in the case of a national emergency in iOS 6.

The new feature in iOS 6, named “Government Alerts” will provide any information regarding national security as well as any major announcements from the local, state, or federal governments. The feature is even being utilized by the National Weather service which will be allowed to issue whether emergency notifications directly to iOS 6 users, and is expected to be up and running later this month.

Users can opt out of receiving the notifications, which can be switched off in the Settings app although it is unclear whether the feature is already running when the device is purchased. The new feature will be available in the iOS 6, and will work on all iPhone models capable of running the next iOS software update, including the iPhone 3GS and the iPhone 4.

{via AppleInsider}

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}

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 released the iPad 3 only a few days ago and already it has been a big success. The company recently announced that they have already sold 3 million of the new devices under 4 days. The new iPad was considered by some to be only a minor upgrade with the 5 megapixel camera, new Retina Display and 4G LTE.

The Cupertino company called this the “strongest iPad launch yet.” This puts the New iPad as the most successful iPad launch ever. Apple continues to improve upon its products every year and reaches a higher number of sales each quarter.

CUPERTINO, California―March 19, 2012―Apple® today announced it has sold three million of its incredible new iPad®, since its launch on Friday, March 16. The new iPad features a stunning new Retina™ display, Apple’s new A5X chip with quad-core graphics, a 5 megapixel iSight® camera with advanced optics for capturing amazing photos and 1080p HD video, and still delivers the same all-day 10 hour battery life* while remaining amazingly thin and light. iPad Wi-Fi + 4G supports ultrafast 4G LTE networks in the US and Canada, and fast networks around the world including those based on HSPA+ and DC-HSDPA.**

“The new iPad is a blockbuster with three million sold―the strongest iPad launch yet,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Customers are loving the incredible new features of iPad, including the stunning Retina display, and we can’t wait to get it into the hands of even more customers around the world this Friday.”

With the launch of the iPad 2, Apple did not report the first weekend sales, however, the company sold over 300,000 of the original iPad with the first batch of one million taking 28 days to move and ship. Apple also experienced a massive success with the iPhone 4S, with customers experiencing long  queues.

One of, if not the, most popular Twitter client’s for iOS has been updated today in anticipation for the new iPad (3rd generation) which will be released on Friday 16th March. While some deveolopers may have been happy just to update the graphics to take advantage of the high resolution display of the new iPad Tapbots have bundled another great feature and a few of tweaks into this update.

Some of the more minor tweaks include restricted the new tweet alert sound to mentions, DM’s and new tweets via pull to refresh and double tapping the timeline tab at the top of the screen will initially take you to your last read tweet before going to the top.

The major new feature though is the streaming feature that will automatically load and scroll through your timeline as new tweets arrive. The feature works great and allows you to leave Tweetbot for iPad running as your iPad sits on your desk top as the updates to your timeline automatically scroll by in real time.

The update is only available for the iPad version of Tweetbot at the moment as is currently available as a free update to those who already own it. If you are new to Tweetbot it’s $2.99 and worth every cent.

There’s been a double dose of great news for Twitter, and more specifically, Tweetbot fans today as not only were Tweetbot users rewarded with a huge update but also got the news that many of them were waiting for in the form of the release of Tweetbot for iPad.

Tweetbot 2.0 for the iPhone list of updates include in-line thumbnails of images, 5 minute auto-refresh of your timeline and much more. A full list of the new features can be read here and are included as a free update to those who have already purchased Tweetbot.

This version comes with many significant improvements to the Timeline and Direct Messages. Here are the major changes in more detail:

• Updated timeline view
• Image thumbnails in timeline
• Links now colored and single-tappable
• “Retweeted by” bar now integrated and tappable
• Cell colors adjusted for better contrast
• New direct message view.
• Redesigned “New Tweets” bar (Can be dismissed by tap and configured in Settings > Display)
• Timed auto-refresh (timeline, mentions, and DM’s will refresh every 5 minutes)
• Readability added as mobilizer service
• Much improved tweet replies view
• Links in user’s bio now tappable
• “Huge” font size option in Settings > Display
• Improved scrolling performance

The even bigger news is the immediate release of Tweetbot for iPad which brings all of the wonderful personality of the iPhone version to the big screen. It’s not a universal app so if you already have the iPhone version you’ll need to pay out another $3 for the iPad version but after just a few hours use I can definitely say that it’s worth it.

On Monday, Apple released iOS 5.1 beta 3 to developers for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, adding on the previous beta versions released late last year. Apple released iOS 5.1 Beta 2 on December 12 with Build number 9B5127a. The current beta now uses build number 9B5141a.

iOS 5.1 beta 3 restores a sought after feature by many users, Enable 3G. The Enable 3G toggle allows users to completely shut off their cellular data, something that is currently unavailable. iOS users who use WiFi at work and home, experience heavy battery loss due to the fact that 3G and WiFi are running simultaneously. With this new feature, users can simply switch off 3G and use WiFi and can switch on WiFi just as easily. Apple noted under the toggle feature, that “3G offers faster data speeds but uses more battery power than EDGE”.

The new beta 3 is now available on Apple’s iOS developer program portal and is available to developers to download via OTA update. Apple also released Xcode 4.3 Developer Preview 3 and Apple TV Software Beta 2, as they have with all other beta updates in the past. It also appears that Apple has posted a new API to help developers flag app content that should not be backed up. The addition of these two new features and other security updates may not be the last of the updates, just yet.

iOS 5.1 introduces a new API to mark files or directories that should not be backed up. For NSURL objects, add the NSURLIsExcludedFromBackupKey attribute to prevent the corresponding file from being backed up.

With a beta 4 or the final release, Apple may add more features to help conserve battery life and improve stability.

You can activate the flashlight in iPhone OS 4 by tapping the sleep/wake button thrice. If this turns out to be a new feature then all the flashlight apps you bought from the App Store would become useless.

Is this a feature or a bug? Let us know in the comments.