Apple unveils its most affordable iPad yet, with Pencil support
Apple has today been hosting an education-focused event at the Lane Tech College Prep High School in Chicago, and as expected it has taken the wraps off a brand new iPad. The new device is designed to take on Google’s Chromebooks in the classroom, but will no doubt find an appreciative audience outside of the education system.
The new 9.7in iPad, Apple’s most affordable, works with the Apple Pencil, the first non-Pro device to do so. Pages, Keynote, and Numbers have all been updated with Pencil support too.
Apple proposes new emojis depicting disabled people
Apple has pitched the idea of introducing more than a dozen new emojis with a focus on disabilities. In a submission to the Unicode Consortium, the iPhone maker suggests 13 new emojis depicting a guide dog, wheelchair users and prosthetic limbs.
The company says that the current batch of emojis do not represent people with disabilities, and it would like to redress the balance. For now, just a limited number of disability-focused additions have been suggested, but Apple says that this should just be the starting point.
Apple announces education-themed spring event -- what new products will we see?
It's been a while since Apple introduced a new product and it looks like the wait will soon be over, as today it announced its first major event of the year. It'll take place later this month and it focuses on education, one of the company's core markets.
The location for the spring event is a bit unusual, given that Apple has a perfectly good venue in its spaceship campus in Cupertino. It'll be held in Chicago, at the Chicago High School, Lane Tech, on March 27. Given the theme, we're likely to see new hardware aimed at educators and students.
Apple announces plans to acquire digital magazine service Texture
Today Apple revealed that it is to acquire the digital magazine subscription service Texture. The iPhone-maker says that it has signed an agreement about the acquisition but does not say when it will complete.
The company says the move is part of its commitment to "quality journalism from trusted sources," and it has already shown its appreciation of Texture by featuring it in the App Store's "best of" selections.
Apple reveals redesigned MFi logos
Apple has unveiled new logos for its MFi Program. The Made For iPhone/iPad/iPod Program is a certification program used to indicate that third-party accessories meet Apple's standards for quality.
Having launched a new set of simplified logos, Apple is giving manufacturers 90 days to switch to the new designs. The change may seem minor, but there are three tweaks worth noting.
Please, smartphone makers, don't copy the iPhone X
The iPhone X is the best iPhone that you can get right now, but it's most certainly not the best looking. You can probably tell where I'm going with this: the notch. It may set it apart from other smartphones, but it's a pain to look at on a $1,000 device.
Apple probably had its reasons when it decided to go with that design and, I believe, this will be improved upon in future iterations. Trouble is, other manufacturers think it's something worth copying, not avoiding like the plague. The New ZenFone 5 comes with a notch and it is not the only one. By the looks of it, the upcoming Huawei P20 will follow suit.
Apple iCloud now powered by Google Cloud, not Microsoft Azure
Public Cloud is a massive business for tech giants like Amazon, Microsoft and Google. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is currently the clear leader, with 62 percent share, followed by Microsoft Azure, on 20 percent, and Google on just 12 percent.
However, Google has scored an important win over Microsoft, replacing its rival as the cloud infrastructure service Apple relies on for its own iCloud services.
Predictions #8-10: Apple, IBM & Zuckerberg
It’s time to wrap up all these 2018 predictions, so here are my final three in which Apple finds a new groove, IBM prepares for a leadership change, and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg gives up a dream.
Apple has long needed a new franchise. It’s been almost eight years since the iPad (Apple’s last new business) was introduced. Thanks to Donald Trump’s tax plan, Cupertino can probably stretch its stock market winning streak for another 2-3 years with cash repatriation, share buy-backs, dividend increases and cost reductions, but the company really needs another new $20+ billion business and it will take every one of those years to get a new one up to scale.
Apple to store iCloud keys in China, sparking privacy fears
There are only days until Apple begins storing the data of Chinese iCloud users within China, and concern is mounting about the human rights and privacy implications.
A new data center is due to open in China at the end of this month as Apple moves to comply with Chinese authorities. It means that iCloud data such as text messages, photos and emails will be stored in China -- as will the cryptographic keys required to access the data. These keys had previously been stored in the US.
Welcoming PWAs: Apple now supports service workers on Safari
With Safari 11.1, Apple will introduce service workers to both macOS and iOS. Service workers are a crucial ingredient for Progressive Web Apps and will, therefore, bring a host of new capabilities and features to developers and Apple fans.
Google has been a big supporter for quite some time, but until recently, it looked like Apple was not on board. It seemed Apple would use it to draw a line in the sand between how it was going to do things and how Google wanted things to go. Apple introducing service workers to their OS platforms is beneficial to everyone, from business owners and developers to everyday app users.
iPhone beaten in performance race by 1970's Apple II and other even older computers (and a mechanical calculator)
It’s a fact that today’s mobile phones boast way more computing power than the systems used by NASA to put a man on the moon in the 1960s.
The iPhone 6, released in 2014, is 32,600 times quicker than the speediest Apollo-era computers and capable of performing instructions a whopping 120,000,000 times faster. So in a race against seven computers from the past 75 years, you’d imagine the iPhone 6 would wipe the floor with an Apple II from 1977, a 1990s PC running Windows 98, and a £12.99 BBC Micro:Bit, right? Wrong.
Twitter kills its Mac app, and that's a good thing
In 2016, I bought my very first Mac -- a beautiful MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. Since then, the laptop and I have been inseparable. The computer comes with me when I go to, say, a coffee shop, but it also serves as my desktop when I am home by connecting to a large monitor, keyboard, and mouse. In other words, I love the computer, but also, I really admire macOS.
When I first began using the Mac, I downloaded a bunch of software I thought I would enjoy. As a big Twitter user, I obviously installed the official app for that social network. You know what? It sucked. I tried to make it work, but ultimately, using a web browser was just a much better experience. On any desktop operating system, users are wise to use a browser. Let's be honest -- Twitter apps are best saved for smartphones and tablets. Twitter the company apparently agrees, as today, it officially kills the Mac app.
Apple says it is totally normal for HomePod to ruin your furniture
As someone that typically loves Apple products, I was initially interested in HomePod. After all, it is gorgeous and designed for use with Apple Music -- my choice for a streaming music service. Once common sense set in, however, I realized it was not something I wanted. Why? Well, the $350 asking price is just too high compared to competitors. I'd actually be willing to pay a premium for a quality product, but Siri just cant compare to Alexa at this time. And so, I passed on HomePod.
And thank God that I did. You see, there have been reports from people that HomePod was ruining wood furniture. Consumers were claiming that both the white and grey versions of the cylindrical speaker were leaving white rings on some wood surfaces. Sadly, this was not a hoax or rumor, as Apple has now acknowledged it is aware of the "problem." The company will be issuing a recall, right? Oh no -- that would make too much sense. Instead, Apple hilariously states this is totally normal ("not unusual")!
Apple videos show how to get the most from its HomePod speaker
The launch of the Apple HomePod was delayed last year, but the iPhone-maker's smart speaker was finally released a couple of days ago. Reviews are -- generally speaking -- positive, but early adopters have a few quibbles.
Whether you're thinking about jumping on the bandwagon, you already have a HomePod, or you just want to know more about them, Apple has released a series of videos that serve as a handy combination of tutorials and an introduction to its latest hardware.
Apple HomePod: 'wow' but 'uh-oh'
HomePod arrived yesterday at 9:40 a.m. PST; thank-you UPS for prompt delivery of my preorder. My initial reaction: Wow and uh-oh. The wow harkens back to the original iPod, which Apple released in October 2001. The company's design ethic treated the overall experience as the user interface: Attach FireWire cable to Mac and device, music syncs. iTunes manages music on the Mac; for iPod, a simple scroll-wheel navigates tracks displayed on a small screen. The uncomplicated and understated approach defied the UX of every other MP3 sold by all other manufacturers.
HomePod is a defining, roots-return that's well-deserving of the portion of name in common with its forebear; both share in common emphasis on music listening as primary benefit.
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