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}

According to a research report from RBC analyst Capital Markets analyst Amit Daryanani, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) rumored lower cost iPhone may not carry a Retina Display. Daryanani cited supply chain checks for his report and mentioned a June/July timeframe for both the iPhone 5S and the lower cost iPhone.

Our supply-chain checks indicate that AAPL is working to launch multiple new phones in the June/July time-frame this year. Specifically, AAPL will launch the iPhone5s and a more affordable but lower-end iPhone at the same time, in either late CYQ2 or early Q3. The low-end iPhone will have the same 4″ form factor as the iPhone5 but will have plastic casing and no retina display. With a lower price-point, AAPL will be able to target a growing and important part of the Smartphone market (sub-$400 price-band).

It is possible that a lower-cost iPhone could omit the Retina Display as that would allow for a better battery life and a cheaper price tag for consumers. However, Daryanani’s report note about the iPhone not carrying a Retina Display conflicts with earlier reports from KGI securities analyst Ming Chi-Kuo who reported that the low cost iPhone would carry a 4 inch display with 326 pixels per inch. This is the same number of pixels on every iPhone model since the release of the iPhone 4 and on every iPod touch since the 4th generation iPod.

Although the lack of a Retina Display does make sense to reduce costs, it is unlikely that Apple will take a step back on its iOS devices and strip away a feature that should be standard on every device. The new display is currently seen on devices in Apple’s iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch lineups and is even rumored to be included in the next generation of the iPad mini.

The Retina Display is also included on the iPhone 4, which is currently free with a two year contract in the United States. Since the release of iPhone 4, the Retina Display has been a standard feature on iOS devices, much like FaceTime on the company’s new releases.

Apple has required all developers to make their applications compatible with the iPhone 5’s and 5th generation iPod touch’s 4 inch Retina Display. This means that the company is making sure that all apps on the App Store are compatible with the current lineup of devices, as well as future devices.

{Via MacRumors}

Rumors of an next gen iPad mini have been on the web for several weeks now, and many reports are suggesting that the new device would include a Retina Display as one of the many new features. However, according to market researchers, the inclusion of a Retina Display would bump the price of the second gen iPad mini by up to 30%. This means that each iPad mini would cost Apple $12 more per unit to produce, and would subsequently cause a price increase for consumers.

According to Digitimes, this addition of $12 per unit would raise the total price of the iPad mini above $200 for production. A Retina Display would tack on a number of new costs, including a new LED backlight for the higher pixel density. Overall, this would total up to a 30% increase in price for production. The most expensive part of an iPad mini is the screen, which is $80 per unit. A teardown by research firm IHS iSuppli in November estimated that the iPad mini internals cost Apple $188 to produce.

Although analysts are expecting a price increase for consumers, it is likely that Apple will find a way to retain the current price point as they did with the 3rd generation iPad after it received a Retina Display. It is unclear exactly when Apple plans to introduce a iPad mini with Retina Display, however, other issues such as retaining the same form factor and battery life may also present an issues alongside the price.

{Via AppleInsider}

On Monday, a press release from News Corp noted that their news and entertainment division would be spitting up and there would a new CEO for the publishing division. In this separation of businesses, News Corp has proposed a plan to entirely shut down its iPad-focused newspaper, The Daily.

The Daily launched on February 11th last year, in an attempt to focus on online publishing, specifically for tablets such as the iPad. The news division will keep the name News Corps, while News Corp’s entertainment division will split and be named Fox Group. Also in the separation the editor-in-chief of the Daily,Jesse Angelo will become publisher of The New York Post. Angelo was Executive Editor at the New York Post, and will now be moving up.

As part of a digital restructuring initiative, the company will cease standalone publication of The Daily iPad app on December 15, 2012, though the brand will live on in other channels. Technology and other assets from The Daily, including some staff, will be folded into The Post.

From its launch, The Daily was a bold experiment in digital publishing and an amazing vehicle for innovation. Unfortunately, our experience was that we could not find a large enough audience quickly enough to convince us the business model was sustainable in the long-term. Therefore we will take the very best of what we have learned at The Daily and apply it to all our properties. Under the editorial leadership of Editor-in-Chief Col Allan and the business and digital leadership of Jesse, I know The New York Post will continue to grow and become stronger on the web, on mobile, and not least, the paper itself. I want to thank all of the journalists, digital and business professionals for the hard work they put into The Daily.

The Daily was a sort of test to try out digital publishing aimed specifically at tablets, however, it seems that it has not yet reached the level of popularity as expected by News Corp. News Corp notes that much of its staff and technology from The Daily will be moved over to The Post, which will allow the company to retain its employees and the ideas proposed with The Daily. With this split, and major transitions, it will be interesting to see what News Corp plans to do in the future as their next big project.

{Via iMore — Image Credit: TabTimes}

The FAA issued iPads for pilots to use as replacements for paper charts and has received positive feedback from pilots and other flight crew suggesting that it is a viable replacement. Now, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is planning to expand the usage of the iPad during flights and even for its employees. The administration is also planning to create its own App Store to accompany the new widespread adoption. According to a report from AvWeb, 1,100 FAA employees use the iPad, and with the expansion, that number will increase, with mechanics and lawyers receiving most of the units.

The FAA allows employees to do basic actions on the iPad, such as checking email, and sending messages, however, does not allow access to FAA networks. This may be because of the iPhone’s and iPad’s numerous unstable security measures, which have been criticized in the past. If the FAA builds their own App Store, they would be able to tailor their services for their employees and would be able to extract far more usage out of the iPads, and make them viable replacements for a notebook computer. Tailored apps would include aeronautical maps and charts which are consistently used during flights by pilots, who must be able to access information quickly and efficiently.

The FAA’s manager of Architecture and Applied Technology pegged a timeframe for 2014, where employees will be able to request an iPad as a replacement for a laptop computer. Last December, American Airlines became the first airlines to fully adopt the iPad as a replacement as an electronic flight bag. The iPad is very lightweight and could advance to become an integral part of the FAA if they remove a rule banning the use of electronics during take-off and landing.

{via AppleInsider — Image Credit: 9to5Mac}

With Apple dominating all the recent headlines with there launch of the new iPad and the new Apple TV many other significant iOS news worthy items have fallen by the wayside and one of those is the latest update to Angry Birds Seasons.

The Cherry Blossom update adds an additional 15 levels + 2 bonus levels all to celebrate the Cherry Blossom festival in Japan while not as many as previous updates it should keep you entertained at least until you get your new iPad or the new Angry Birds: Space that is due to be released on March 22nd.

Both the iPhone and iPad versions of Angry Birds Seasons received this update recently and at 99c and $1.99 respectively continue to provide some of the best value for money in the App Store today.

Go and grab your update now and continue to rescue those eggs from those pesky pigs!

Are you still playing Angry Birds and if you are what to you think of this latest update? Let us know in the comments below or tweet me at @4forkssake.

In a report from think broadband, it was revealed on Wednesday that a privacy flaw in UK carrier O2’s handling of web traffic on mobile devices released phone numbers of their customers to websites. Any customer who used a 2G or 3G network from O2 to browse the internet had their phone numbers sent to the websites, embedded among the website’s coding.

If you’re reading this news article using your O2 mobile phone, you’ll be pleased to know that O2 have already sent us your mobile phone number within the HTTP headers which normally contain information about how content can be displayed on your device. These headers are not normally seen by users, and usually not logged by most websites, but the flaw allows malicious sites to get more personal information about you than you may be willing to share.

For example, if you open an e-mail which includes references to external images, the mere action of opening the e-mail would divulge your phone number. This could be used by anyone undertaking a phishing attack or other scam to get more information from you. The opportunity to abuse this is potentially endless.

The flaw was discovered by Twitter user @lewispeckover who set up a website to see what information users were releasing while visiting the website. He noted after a few hours, perhaps after O2 fixed the glitch, that the mobile number stopped appearing on the website while accessing from his O2 device.

This issue is not exclusive to the iPhone and may affect all smart phones on the network, which is the second-largest carrier in the UK. O2 was the exclusive carrier of the iPhone back in 2007 during its initial launch.

The carrier appears to have fixed the issue, however, privacy issues continue to be a concern. Although mobile phone numbers are not necessarily private to the carrier, it is a matter of concern when there is a chance it may be released to websites and to the actual public. O2 has not released any statements on the privacy issue to the press or to its customers.

{via MacRumors}

It’s with this in mind that an article from iPhoneWorld becomes very interesting. A video has been found on YouTube using the same visual style and musical synchronization we have come to know from Apple’s iPhone commercials. It displays a completely redesigned iPhone with a larger screen and rectangular speaker and home button. As the phone flips around through the course of the commercial we see the rear of the device has two openings where one would assume is a camera and flash. Probably one of the most interesting aspects of the commercial though starts at the 19 second where it purports to show a video call. If you pause the commercial and look closely you see a small opening embedded in the far right hand side of the reshaped speaker. Front facing camera perhaps? If they’re demonstrating video calling it would be a must. It all ends by informing us the new device will be called the iPhone HD and that it’s “The most social iPhone yet”. Watch the full video below. More after the break.

Pretty compelling isn’t it? Even if this is the greatest KIRF in the history of iPhone KIRF’s, this is the iPhone Apple needs to make. A larger, presumably HD, screen with combined with a forward facing camera would bury the Nexus One and reestablish the iPhone as the preeminent smartphone. Mix in improved hardware under the hood and software features like the much desired multitasking and iPhone popularity would rocket into the stratosphere.

Is this the iPhone you’ve been waiting for? Would it make you drop your Nexus One, Droid, or even 3GS to climb on the Apple bandwagon? Is this the most glorious KIRF in history? Drop us a comment and let us know.

EA Mobile, MonkeyGods and The Dreamhive Animation Studio today announced that SNOOD is coming soon (August, 2009) to the iPhone and iPod touch – and featuring Facebook connectivity!

• SNOOD With Friends ─For the first time EVER, play SNOOD in LIVE head-to-head Multiplayer or invite friends to play later in Challenge
  Mode Multiplayer!
• Show Your SNOOD Skillz ─Share your achievements, post your high scores, and launch SNOODs onto your opponent’s screen to slow them down!
• Exciting New 3.0 Features ─Send and receive challenge notifications and access the iTunes® library to play your own music while you SNOOD!
• Expanding Your SNOOD World ─ Challenge your Facebook friends to play with you from your iPhone™/iPod™ touch!
• Match Your SNOOD-MOOD ─Chill in Classic Mode with no time limits, get to know the SNOODs in Story Mode, beat the clock in Time Attack, and test your thinking skills in Puzzle Mode.
• Customize Your Game─Experience challenges for newbies and experienced SNOOD-Herders alike. Featuring 5 levels of difficulty from Easy to Evil!
• The SNOOD Family Has Grown ─Introducing new characters like DaBomb, Wildcard and the Joker, each with their own unique features.
• Re-Designed For The Times ─Featuring all-new 3D graphics for a hipper SNOOD experience! And if you’re feeling nostalgic, you can still play within the Classic SNOOD characters.
• Get noticed ─Collect rewards for tricky bank shots and good aim with Style Point Multipliers. Earn Achievements and Rankings and compare yourself against your Facebook Friends and the World!
• Endless SNOOD Possibilities ─Enjoy over 100 unique puzzles!
• Ready-Aim-SNOOD! ─Hit ‘em with your best shot using effortless touch & swipe action, giving you more control when it’s time to LAUNCH!

SNOOD for iPhone Pre-Release Trailer

F1 may be going through one of its most turbulent times at the moment off the track, but on the track things are being turned on there head by the flying start of Jenson Button and the Brawn-Mercedes team while the powerhouses of Ferrari and McLaren-Mercedes bring up the rear. If you are still reading this the chances are you are a fan of Formula One and therefore this app could be just for you.

Go Go Go! – F1 Live 2009 is contains everything that a F1 fan would need to have. News is brought to you by a RSS feed of news from various F1 news sites and is updated on a regular basis, in fact reviewing the last few days of news there are multiple news items from each and everyday, enough for any F1 fan to keep up to date. Driver and Team Standings take pride of place on the news screen so access to the latest standings are close and hand.

Information on each and every race of the F1 calender is spilt into 6 distinct areas and provide enough information for the must hardened of fans. An overview of every race gives you information about the date, time and circuit down to the level of how many right and left corners there are. An interactive map allows you to zoom in and around the course while the Qualifying, Grid and Race Results are also covered.

The best feature of the race information though is the Live Update. During race time the Live Update is updated a couple of times every minute with commentary of the race allowing you to keep track of the race as they happen, meaning that if you are away from a TV screen you can still keep yourself in the know.

We’ve only just scratched the surface of the content in this feature pack app though. The Teams page lest all of the current F1 Teams and provides more information than any F1 Geek could ever want, from basic information such as Drivers and the Team Principal to technical details like the specifics of the chassis and Transmission. Each Team profile page also contains high quality photos of the team cars and history. While the Driver pages don’t go into quite so much detail together with the Team pages they still contain enough information to help you through any F1 pub quiz.

The final piece of the Go Go Go! – F1 Live 2009 is the Videos section which a little surprisingly is hidden under the More section of the app. Once found though there is a treasure chest of new and archive videos that run full screen, YouTube style. I particularly enjoyed reliving some classic videos of Senna, Prost, Mansell and Andretti and as you can tell from that list of drivers there should be something here for everyone.

With the Live Updates during the race and the stats and news keeping you up to date in the weeks between them this app is a great resource for all F1 fans. The fact that the title of the app includes the season ‘2009’ leads me to believe that Go Go Go! – F1 Live 2010 will need to be re-purchased again next season, which at $6.99 may put a few people off.

If your a fan of F1 and want to be able to access all your news and information in one place then this app is for you, if you a fan of the oval race or not of motoracing at all you’d best steer clear.

Price $2.99

Go Go Go! – F1™ Live Feeds, News, Videos, Stats & Info 2009 Screenshots

Game Description

Kill All Bugs is an intensely fun tower defense game coming to the Apple App Store in June 2009.

Kill All Bugs drops the player into a frenzied battle to save humanity from scores of mutant bugs! As the armys newest recruit, it’s your duty to construct a gauntlet to keep the nasty creatures at bay. At your disposal is a slew of heavy weapons, high tech defenses and fearsome air strikes.

Do you have what it takes to save humanity?

Published by Sonic BOOM, Inc. and developed by Bight Games.

Teaser

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