Articles about iOS

Not too long ago, we were talking about tablets as PC replacements. Consumers were buying them in droves, losing interest in desktops and laptops. Apple's iPads ruled supreme, dominating this space from afar. Fast forward to today and we are talking about the slate as a has been, as it struggles to command the same levels of attention.

For Apple, which was used to posting record numbers every single quarter, it is an especially troublesome trend. The company started the tablet craze, after all, when it showcased the first iPad six years ago, and now sales figures are lower and lower as the quarters go by. However, the productivity-oriented iPad Pro appears to be bucking the trend -- could a smaller version do the same?

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Getting developers to create apps for Windows 10 Mobile is very much a chicken and egg scenario. Developers are hesitant to dedicate resources to a platform with such few users, while users don't want to use a platform with no apps.

To try and alleviate this app problem, Microsoft came up with a scheme called "Bridges", to help developers easily port their Android and iOS apps to Windows. Today, sadly, Microsoft is killing the Windows Bridge for Android. With the iOS bridge being the final exciting "Bridge" attraction, Windows 10 Mobile consumers should probably just buy an iPhone instead. Right?

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Microsoft will join Apple against the FBI and U.S. Justice Department, filing a friend-of-court—or amicus—brief in a case going to court tomorrow. The government wants Apple to create a special version of iOS, referred to by critics as FBIOS, to break into an iPhone 5c security feature. The device manufacturer argues that compliance would set a precedent that would give law enforcement carte blanche with other mobile devices.

Brad Smith, Microsoft's chief legal counsel, says the company "wholeheartedly supports Apple"—a statement that eradicates any potential confusion caused by cofounder Bill Gates. In an interview with Financial Times two days ago, Gates supported the government's demands. I responded, calling his position a "catastrophic occurrence that demands current chief executive Satya Nadella's official response. There needs to be clear policy about government backdoors and the position with respect to the San Bernardino shooting iPhone". The company's position is now unequivocally clear—presuming the legal filing fits with "wholeheartedly".

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If a few years back we were laughing off Microsoft's efforts in the mobile market, today we are looking at the software giant in a different light. That "mobile first, cloud first" mantra that Satya Nadella introduced us to when he became CEO now defines Microsoft, which has quickly evolved into one of the most important players in the mobile space afterwards.

Under Nadella, Microsoft has tackled mobile in a more meaningful way, refocusing its strategy so that it could become a major developer for more than Windows and Windows Phone. Today, the software giant's best services and products are also found on Android and iOS, the most important mobile platforms, and more have been added following high-profile acquisitions like Acompli and SwiftKey. Now, Microsoft adds Xamarin to its mobile portfolio, proving once again that it is dead serious about conquering mobile.

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A new report shows that almost three-quarters of mobile devices returned with problems to mobile network operators and manufacturers in Europe and North America have 'No Trouble Found'.

The quarterly trend report from Blancco Technology Group also finds that in Europe device failures soared during the second half of 2015 -- rising from 14 percent during the third quarter to 29 percent during the fourth quarter.

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As of 24 March, Microsoft's Skype Qik app will be no more. The video messaging app has essentially been swallowed up by its big brother Skype, meaning that it is now surplus to requirements.

Microsoft says that the reason for the closure is that Skype Qik's features are now available in Skype. As a result of this, iPhone, Android, and Windows Phone users who had come to rely on the tool to keep in touch will have to seek out an alternative and take steps to save any messages they want to keep.

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A few months back, I took a look at the iClever Portable Foldable Bluetooth Keyboard and I was impressed. Now iClever is back with an updated version of the keyboard, the iClever Ultra Slim 3 Color Backlight Bluetooth Keyboard.

There are a number of enhancements to the original design, the most noticeable of which is that the keys have now grown to full size. As you'll have guessed from the name, the keyboard is now also backlit, and there are also little kick-out legs to help improve stability.

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Samsung's new Galaxy S7 edge will soon arrive in stores across the globe, giving consumers yet another great option to choose from in the phablet space. Naturally, many of you will also be considering Apple's iPhone 6s Plus for your next big smartphone, so how does Samsung's latest and greatest fare against it?

Unlike the previous comparison between Galaxy S7 and iPhone 6s, which the former flagship won fair and square, it will be much more difficult to find a winner between Galaxy S7 edge and iPhone 6s Plus. The two phablets are much more similar than their smaller counterparts, making for a much closer fight. But, which one is best for you?

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Now that Samsung has taken the wraps off Galaxy S7, and also made it available for pre-order, many of you will be wondering how the new device stacks up against Apple's iPhone 6s. Both are flagships with impressive hardware and top-notch software, and both are offered in the same price range. But, which one is best for you?

With Galaxy S7, Samsung has refined last year's recipe, giving prospective buyers pretty much everything they could hope for. Meanwhile, iPhone 6s, while not all that different to its predecessor in most areas, feels like a bolder step forward for Apple. Choosing between the two will not be easy.

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Apple has a lot of support at the moment for its stance on encryption and refusing the FBI access to an iPhone's contents, but it's only a couple of weeks since the company was seen in a less favorable light. There was quite a backlash when users found that installing an update to iOS resulted in Error 53 and a bricked iPhone.

Apple initially said that Error 53 was caused 'for security reasons' following speculation that it was a bid to stop people from using third party repair shops. iFixit suggested that the problem was a result of a failure of parts to correctly sync, and Apple has been rounding criticized for failing to come up with a fix. Today the company has issued an apology, along with an update that ensures Error 53 won't happen again. But there's more good news.

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GIFs are, sadly, here to stay. We've come a (relatively) long way since the days of animated GIF adverts that adorned countless web pages through the 90s, but the animated image format is still highly divisive -- and I'm not just talking about whether it is pronounced with a hard or soft G sound.

Some people loathe GIFs with a passion that knows no bounds, while for others they are the perfect means of communication. If you fall into the latter camp, Twitter has some good news for you -- a 'GIF search' button is making its way to the web, as well as the iOS and Android apps.

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Great advertising strikes a chord, in this instance quite literally, with consumers. The best compares the primary product to another, effectively evoking emotional connection. Apple's "1984" commercial and "Get a Mac" series are excellent examples. In the former, the IBM PC is portrayed as Big Brother, while in the latter actors represent Mac and PC—the benefits of one and detriments of the other. Both examples use metaphors to simplify complex comparisons and to make lasting impressions rather than to checklist features.

Google spot "Monotune" is a magnificent metaphor—piano of 88 different keys representing Android set against another, portraying iPhone, where all the notes are the same. Music is memorable, and the comparison striking as much for the under current. Apple's brand often is associated with music and also creative individuals.

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Samsung already has a bunch of its apps on iOS, but this year the company plans to bring the majority of its apps to the App Store. In fact, it's quite possible that all of Samsung's apps will be available for iPhones and iPads soon.

To many, this decision comes across as counterintuitive considering Samsung's rivalry with Apple. However, there’s no reason for Samsung not to make money off of Apple. In fact, it’s a smart decision that will support its position on the market, while Apple will likely take a hit, which may not seem quite that obvious.

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There have been a few serious iPhone issues discovered recently. Some phones got bricked by the iOS 9 Slide to Upgrade bug, there was a website that instantly crashed browsers and rebooted iPhones, and -- most recently -- Error 53 bricked devices repaired by non-Apple technicians.

Now a new iPhone-bricking bug has reportedly been discovered. And I say reportedly, because I’m certainly not about to try it.

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Apple has made CloudKit much more appealing to developers by adding a server-side API to its framework. This will allow them to add much more functionality to apps that are powered by the service and to utilize it even when users have not interacted with iOS, Mac, or web apps.

Previously, CloudKit interaction was limited to the APIs that Apple provided in apps. It was useful for developers but did not give them the opportunity to implement more advanced features. Today’s modern apps make use of servers to perform tasks and collect information when a user is not using the app. With CloudKit’s new web API, developers can add these more advanced features into their apps using Apple’s tools instead of having to rely on third party services to do so.

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