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Introducing Safari Technology Preview →

March 30, 2016 · 21:25

Ricky Mondello:

Starting today, there’s a new, convenient way to see what features and improvements are coming to Safari and other applications that use WebKit. Safari Technology Preview is a version of Safari for OS X, distributed by Apple, that includes a cutting-edge, in-development version of the WebKit browser engine. It’s a great way to test upcoming WebKit features and give feedback to the people building them when it’s most useful — early in development.

Safari Technology Preview is a standalone application that can be used side-by-side with Safari or other web browsers, making it easy to compare behaviors between them. Besides having the latest web features and bug fixes from WebKit, Safari Technology Preview includes the latest improvements to Web Inspector, which you can use to develop and debug your websites. Updates for Safari Technology Preview will be available every two weeks through the Updates pane of the Mac App Store.

Using iOS 9’s Universal Links (And My YouTube Rant) →

March 30, 2016 · 12:14

Ben Collier:

If you don’t know, Universal Links allow a website and iOS app to be linked together so following a link opens up the app (with the right content) instead of the website. For example, following a link to a Vine video can open up straight in the Vine app; where the video looping experience is much better than the website.

Universal Links are great and I love them, but there is one app that totally screws this up — YouTube. Perhaps this changed recently, but up to about a month ago, I had to use the YouTube app after clicking any YouTube link to watch a video (embeds were exempt from this) — this completely broke down when using Tweetbot or Twitter, breaking my flow and forcing me to jump between apps. I finally uninstalled the app.

This caused one more huge problem. The YouTube app does not offer every setting and option that their website does, especially in terms of managing my own videos. Normally I would just open the desktop site in Safari, but because of Universal Links, it would switch me over to the app every single time that I tried to do so. Unacceptable.

 

Jason Snell Review’s the Smart Keyboard for 9.7-Inch iPad Pro →

March 30, 2016 · 12:08

Jason Snell:

While the reduced dimensions of the 9.7-inch iPad Pro add complications in some ways, they offer benefits in others. This new Smart Keyboard has to cover a screen that’s 60 percent of the surface area of the larger model, meaning that it’s much lighter and less bulky. On the 12.9-inch iPad Pro (which is already 9.8 ounces heavier), using the Smart Keyboard as a cover felt bulky and burdensome. The smaller Smart Keyboard, on the smaller iPad Pro, doesn’t feel that way at all.

Whenever I want to use my iPad Pro 12.9″ for anything other than writing, I take the Smart Keyboard off. It’s too bulky. But the larger screen is gorgeous! Everything in life is a compromise, and it’s up to us to make the right choices.

Federico Viticci Tested Apple’s 29W USB-C Power Adapter and iPad Pro Fast Charging →

March 29, 2016 · 21:24

Federico Viticci:

The 29W USB-C power adapter with fast charging on the iPad Pro isn’t only capable of quickly charging an iPad Pro while its screen is turned off – most notably, it can both sustain and power the device considerably while it’s working hard used at full brightness. The 29W adapter is remarkably consistent in battery gains in a variety of conditions and it dramatically reduces the amount of time required to charge the iPad Pro.

I could guess Apple’s motivations for selling the 29W power adapter as a separate accessory (one could argue that fast charging for the iPad Pro wasn’t ready to ship last year). In an ideal world, however, the 29W adapter and USB-C to Lightning cable should be included in the 12.9-inch iPad Pro box.

The difference is insanely huge! I expected a difference, but not this.

Make sure to check out Federico’s charts.

Ben Collier’s Recipe to Fix the Safari/Mail Link Bug →

March 29, 2016 · 18:12

Ben Collier came up with a new ‘recipe’ to fix the iOS 9.x link bug plaguing iOS users:

If you’ve been hit by the iOS 9.3 broken links you can follow these steps to fix the issue whilst we wait for a full update from Apple. Unfortunately you’ll need to hook your iPhone or iPad up to your computer and sync with iTunes.

You may need to try this a few times for it to work, it seems like a specific timing needs to occur for the correct caches to clear.

If you tried mine, and it didn’t work, make sure to give his a run.

9.7″ iPad Pro — the Bad and the Ugly →

March 29, 2016 · 15:13

Andrew Cunningham, reviewing the 9.7″ iPad Pro, noticed a discrepancy in memory bandwidth when compared to the 12.9″ iPad Pro:

We’re not sure what to blame for the reduction in memory bandwidth. The memory bus could be narrower (the 12.9-inch iPad uses a 128-bit memory interface, as opposed to 64-bit in the iPhone), but the scores are still substantially higher than they are in the iPhone 6S, and we’d expect them to be lower if the memory interface had actually been scaled back. The smaller Pro could be using DDR3 RAM like the iPad Air and Air 2 did instead of DDR4, but every A9-equipped device has used DDR4 memory, and the A9 and A9X memory controller might not even support the older DDR3 standard. We’ll need to wait for additional insight from iFixit or Chipworks before we have enough information to say for sure.

This is the third thing that surprised me, after I learned that Apple’s Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter only supports USB 2 speeds on the smaller of the two iPad Pros.

If this A9X had shown up in an iPad Air 3 and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro didn’t exist, it would have blown us away. It still represents a tangible improvement over the A8X in the Air 2. It’s only next to the full-fat, 4GB-of-RAM A9X in the big Pro that this one looks a little disappointing.

While ‘only’ 2 GB of RAM wouldn’t impact me personally, I don’t quite understand why Apple wouldn’t want to future-proof the most popular iPad size category, especially since its sales are declining over the past few quarters. Four gigs could actually be a valid selling point, especially since people seem to keep their iPads for years. I realise that I partially answered my question, but raising the ASP should account for something, right?

Apple’s 40 Years of Selling Macs →

March 29, 2016 · 10:27

Horace Dediu:

In Apple’s first 40 years it shipped 1,591,092,250 computers.

This shipment total is higher than any other computer company in its first 40 years. Actually there are no PC makers that are 40 years old. One computer maker (IBM) is older but they only sold PCs for 24 years and what they still sell they don’t sell in high numbers.

IFTTT’s Dick Move →

March 29, 2016 · 07:21

Maciej Cegłowski:

Imagine if your sewer pipe started demanding that you make major changes in your diet.

Now imagine that it got a lawyer and started asking you to sign things.

You would feel surprised.

This is the position I find myself in today with IFTTT, a form of Internet plumbing that has been connecting peaceably to my backend for the past five years, but which has recently started sending scary emails.

Bullying 101.

Apple’s Statement on Closing of the San Bernardino Case →

March 29, 2016 · 07:20

Rene Ritchie posted Apple’s statement on iMore:

From the beginning, we objected to the FBI’s demand that Apple build a backdoor into the iPhone because we believed it was wrong and would set a dangerous precedent. As a result of the government’s dismissal, neither of these occurred. This case should never have been brought.

We will continue to help law enforcement with their investigations, as we have done all along, and we will continue to increase the security of our products as the threats and attacks on our data become more frequent and more sophisticated.

Apple believes deeply that people in the United States and around the world deserve data protection, security and privacy. Sacrificing one for the other only puts people and countries at greater risk.

This case raised issues which deserve a national conversation about our civil liberties, and our collective security and privacy. Apple remains committed to participating in that discussion.

Though this particular case is over, the war goes on, and I’m certain this issue will appear in the news sooner or later.

Apple’s San Bernardino Fight Is Over as FBI Gains Access to iPhone →

March 29, 2016 · 05:52

Russell Brandom:

After months of work, the FBI finally has a way into the San Bernardino iPhone. In a court filing today, prosecutors told the court the new method for breaking into the phone is sound, and Apple’s assistance is no longer required. “The government has now successfully accessed the data stored on Farook’s iPhone,” the filing reads, “and therefore no longer requires assistance from Apple.” The filing provides no further details on the nature of the new method. Still, the result effectively finishes the court fight that has consumed Apple since February.

Question is: will they now go after Congress to ban encryption, or try to weaken it by law?

Sony’s More Powerful 4K PS4 to Be Announced Before PlayStation VR Launch →

March 28, 2016 · 21:48

Michael McWhertor:

Sony’s more powerful version of the PlayStation 4 — also known as the “PlayStation 4.5” and “PlayStation 4K” — is expected to be announced prior to the launch of PlayStation VR this October, according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal.

The upgraded PS4 will reportedly be able to play 4K resolution content, according to the report, and deliver “a richer gaming environment, including a high-end virtual-reality experience.”

The New 29 Watt Charger Should Be Bundled With the 12.9″ iPad Pro →

March 26, 2016 · 14:08

Benjamin Mayo:

This higher-wattage charger should come bundled in the box with all new 12.9 inch iPad Pros sold. I don’t care that it didn’t exist at first. The current charger Apple ships is mediocre, bordering on unacceptable. It barely does the job: you can’t use the iPad whilst charging and expect the battery percentage to go up. Apple should not punish new Pro customers with the 12 watt charger just because it shipped a 12 watt charger initially. Now that something better is available, include that in the box. Enough said.

Harsh, but I agree.

Jake Phelps — Editor of the ‘The Bible’ →

March 26, 2016 · 09:56

Willy Staley:

I had spent only a few minutes with Jake Phelps before someone called him an asshole. It was a balmy October morning in San Francisco, at the tail end of the city’s reliably tardy summer. I found Phelps outside of a corner store at 24th and Valencia at the appointed time, dressed like half of a magazine editor: On top, he wore a crisp white oxford and a gray sweater vest, chunky black glasses, and a few days’ worth of graying stubble. But his pants sagged to mid-ass; his shoes had pentagrams stitched into the tongues. At his side he held his skateboard, which had dried rivulets of blood in the griptape.

The Chrome Distortion: How Chrome Negatively Alters Our Expectations →

March 26, 2016 · 09:29

Chris Thoburn:

Chrome has taught us to idealize features for so long that we’ve become blind to its many glaring faults (…)

I’ve learned the hard way that Chrome is the new IE. I’ve learned that you have to architect an application well from the beginning for it to work well on all platforms. I’ve learned you can ship large ambitious JS apps to mobile, but it takes dedication and experience, and every trick you know to do it well for Android. I’ve learned that Apple loves the web, probably more than Google, and has invested heavily in ensuring we have a high quality platform upon which to build apps.

But most of all, I’ve learned that we’re wasting a ton of effort right now trying to fix Chrome from the outside. We’re dancing around the issue; pretending that universal rendering, service workers, app-shell architecture, and keeping more of our applications on servers (where they don’t belong) is more than just a workaround for how bad Chrome is. Yes, these ideas have uses, merits, and probably are the future; however, our need and love of them right now is because our performance expectations have been badly distorted by the situation Chrome has left us in.

Apple’s First Foray Into Original TV Is a Series About Apps →

March 25, 2016 · 08:48

Emily Steel:

Apple announced on Thursday that it was working with the entertainer Will.i.am and two veteran TV executives, Ben Silverman and Howard T. Owens, on a new show that will spotlight the app economy.

Whenever I see Will.i.am next to a technological topic, I cringe.

Mr. Cue said that the new series did not signal a broader ambition by the company to greatly bolster its presence in original productions and streaming video. Last year, Apple was rumored to be exploring options for original programing and held talks with a number of big TV companies about offering a streaming television service.

“This doesn’t mean that we are going into a huge amount of movie production or TV production or anything like that,” Mr. Cue said. He added that the company would continue to explore exclusive projects similar to the series about apps or its push into music programming.

Still, I wonder if Apple (or the people in charge of the project) will contact “normal” developers to get their stories, instead of celebrities.

iPhone SE — Better Battery Life Than a 6S →

March 25, 2016 · 07:58

Geoffrey A. Fowler:

The standout news is battery life. Unlike many other recent Apple products, the iPhone SE’s is a significant improvement over its predecessors’. In my lab stress test, which cycles through websites with uniform screen brightness, the SE lasted 10 hours—more than two hours longer than both the iPhone 6s and iPhone 5s, and nearly three hours longer than the Galaxy S7.

This is huge! I’m so tempted…

San Francisco in the Great Depression: Photos by Dorothea Lange →

March 25, 2016 · 07:57

Michael Zhang:

In 1918, photographer Dorothea Lange left New York on a trip to travel the world. That ambitious trip was cut short by a robbery, and Lange ended up settling in the San Francisco Bay Area and opening a studio there. During the Great Depression, Langue took her camera out of the studio and onto the streets to document the country for the Farm Security Administration.

ColorSync Is Supported on iOS 9.3 →

March 24, 2016 · 22:28

Craig Hockenberry on Open Radar:

Additionally, starting with iOS 9.3 ColorSync support was added to UIKit.

I’ve noticed that it works correctly for both UIColor in a UILabel and with a UIImage in a UIImageView. Are there any other places where ICC profiles are used?

In a conversation with Apple engineers, I also learned that some older devices do not match color. That’s fine, but devices should be listed so our apps can adapt gracefully to this situation.

iOS is catching up, but it needs to speed things up considerably. Some basic OS X features are still missing. And while external keyboard support for my iPad Pro has improved, it’s not yet on par with Apple’s desktop OS.

Best iPhone Tripods and Mounts for Photographers →

March 24, 2016 · 20:27

Allyson Kazmucha:

Over the past several months I’ve been milling around Amazon looking for the best iPhone tripods and mounts I can find. I’ve ran several through their paces and I’ve made my final decisions.
When it comes time for our trip, these are the tripods and mounts that will make it into my (very light) gear bag alongside my Olloclip and a few other travel accessories.

A nice list of decent smartphone mounts. I think I’ll get the Shoulderpod myself.

A Discussion About the Breaking of the Internet →

March 24, 2016 · 12:38

Mike Roberts:

Kik has been around for a while and we thought that the name “kik” on Azer’s NPM package could have caused confusion. In fact, once Azer had made it clear that he wasn’t going to change the name, we decided to use a different name for an upcoming package we are going to publish to NPM. We did hope that Azer would change his mind, but we were proceeding under a different package name even when we were told we could have the name Kik.

They reached out to Azer, using extremely friendly wording in their email:

We don’t mean to be a dick about it, but it’s a registered Trademark in most countries around the world and if you actually release an open source project called kik, our trademark lawyers are going to be banging on your door and taking down your accounts and stuff like that — and we’d have no choice but to do all that because you have to enforce trademarks or you lose them.

Yeah, I don’t take lightly to threats either.

15 Year Zoe Olson Uses Her iPad Pro and Apple Pencil to Illustrate a Book; Tim Cook Complements Her Work →

March 23, 2016 · 18:14

Zoe Olson:

Before getting my hands on the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil, I didn’t even know that I wanted to be a professional artist! Real paints were too messy and frustrating, and a Wacom Cintiq was too bulky and expensive for a career in art to be worth it to me. The iPad Pro has eliminated all excuses. It is the best of both worlds.

Her skills are amazing!

A Look Back at the Events Held in Apple’s Town Hall →

March 21, 2016 · 08:20

Jason Snell and Stephen Hackett:

Located at 4 Infinite Loop on Apple’s main campus, the Town Hall conference center was probably designed more for in-company meetings than for major events covered by worldwide media. And yet on numerous occasions over the years, it’s been exactly that.

Monday’s event in Town Hall could very well be the last hurrah for the old 300-seat venue, given that Apple is constructing a 1,000-seat auditorium in its new campus, due to open next year. Before it goes, here’s a look back at key public events in Town Hall, starting in late 2001.