iOS 7 First Look: Camera & Photos

With iOS 7, iPhone 5 owners (and its subsequent successors) will have the ability to edit photos with filters built directly into the Camera app.  Within the camera app, the new feature will give users access to nine image types before they take the picture, much like the functionality that has made third-party apps like Instagram so popular.  Owners of the iPhone 4 or 4S will have the ability to apply filters after the fact within the Photos app.  Users will also have the option to swipe between video, panorama shots, standard still shots, and squared-off shots, with an indicator near the bottom of the screen providing assistance in navigating between options.

Next up is the Photos App.  The new Photos app leverages metadata tagging technology already built into the iPhone in order to easily organize photos.  Pictures are now automatically grouped according to date and location, making it easier to navigate to a specific photo set and subsequently find a desired photo.  Pinching a set closed will expand to view a wider time frame, with photos categorized in miniature by the year in which they were taken. This year view still retains location information, showing two or three locations and indicating when more places were included in a given year.

Notably, Apple included an option to "scrub" to a particular picture or time frame when in the year view by touching and dragging along the tiny icons. When passing over a picture, it expands, giving the user a better view of which image it is.

All in all, the updates are not something revolutionary but still very much welcome.  :)

iOS 7 First Look: Improved Multitasking

Full-featured multitasking is something that many iPhone fans desired (especially those who have used an Android device before).  iOS7, Apple’s implementation of it has nothing been short of excellent, even when it is still in beta.  It is obvious that Apple has opted to take a design approach that seems to combine its multitasking implementation from iOS 6, with a very similar approach taken by Android. As usual, though, when others inspire Apple, it repackages their approach giving its implementation a unique flavor of its own. For example, multitasking in iOS 7 also intelligently schedules updates during power-efficient opportunities such as when your phone is connected to a power source, or a Wi-Fi network. It conserves power, while also pre-fetching data from frequently used apps so they are ready when you typically launch them.

As in iOS 6, multitasking in iOS 7 is invoked with a double tap of the Home button. Where that previously revealed a multitasking app tray with simple icons, it now switches into a new and much more sophisticated multitasking view layered over the iPhone’s wallpaper.  Users can then close any of these apps with an upward swipe. Tapping on it naturally takes you directly into that app.

In summary, iOS7's take of multitasking has been impressive with its clean and functional interface.

iOS 7 First Look: Simpler Interface

Since the introduction of iPhone in 2007, iOS has also been known for its simple and intuitive interface.  Can the interface get even simpler than that?  The guys in Apple believe so.

The icons have been stripped of their glossy sheen look and redesigned with a brighter colour palette but a flatter feel.  The new design also introduces thinner typography.  You may find it pretty similar to that of Android and Windows.

Another notable change is the departure of the signature heavy textures on the app icons which used to imitate that of real-like objects like the leather trim on the Calendar app, green felt of the Game Center and the bookshelves of the Newsstand and iBooks.

Mr Jonathon Ive, who leads the latest visual update has this to say.
“True simplicity is derived from so much more than just the absences of clutter or ornamentation,” Ive explains. “It’s about bringing order to complexity.”

iOS 7 First Look: Control Center

This is the first of my personal review of iOS 7 new features.  Today we will be checking out something that should be ranked as one of the most sought after features by die hard apple users - Control Center.

The Control Center is a panel that allows you to access common settings such as WIFI, Bluetooth, Screen Brightness, etc.  In addition, it also provides shortcut to the camera, calculator, timer and yes, for the first time ever we are seeing a Flashlight app by Apple.  This is definitely long overdue considering we have seen so many flashlight apps already in the app store.  To access the Control Center, you simply do a swipe up action from the screen bottom.  Simple?  Yes.  Useful?  Hell yes!

Anki Drive

During the WWDC, an interesting tech demo was introduced right at the start of the conference.  Anki is a new company that centres around artificial intelligence and robotics.

The product uses smart robotic toy cars powered by Bluetooth to drive on a track.  The cars know their location and they are able to react to their surroundings in real time.  They can see the track up to 500 times a second to analyze their surroundings and they are equipped to handle a multitude of situations on the printed race track.  Players can also control the cars via the iPad or the iPhone through an accompanying app that is available for download now.


The full Anki Drive experience, which is described as a "video game in the real world," is coming to Apple Stores this fall


You can learn more about Anki here.

The app is also available for download here.

How To Install iOS 7 beta

Can't wait to have the latest iOS on your phone?  If so, please read on.

It is recommended that you install it on a development device rather on your personal device. Reason is that beta version can be extremely unstable and it is not trivial to restore/downgrade back to the current version.

Note:  Your device must be a registered device in your iOS development account.

Let's get started.  =)

1.  Go to your iOS development portal and download the appropriate version of iOS 7 beta.  There are different versions for different generations of iPhone.

2. Open the DMG file and you will find a .ipsw file in it.  This is the file that you need to install the iOS 7 beta.

3. Connect your device to your Mac and launch iTunes.

4. Backup your device if you have not done so.  

5. Click on the iPhone button in iTunes and it will show a page with some basic stats of your phone.  Hold the option key and press the Restore button.  A file chooser dialog window will appear for you to select the .ipsw file (step 2).

6. Installation will begin.  Total installation time should not take more than 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Apple Releases iOS 7 Beta 1, Xcode 5 Preview to Developers

Apple has released the first build of the iOS 7 Beta to developers, ahead of what is likely to be a long summer of beta testing.

The first build, number 11A4372q, was released for the iPhone 5, 4S and 4, along with the fifth-generation iPod Touch and new betas for the Apple TV and a beta of Find My iPhone. Apple also released the first build of the Xcode 5 Developer Preview.

Devices should be backed up using iTunes or through iCloud prior to installation of iOS 7, and following installation, can be restored through either process.

As usual, Apple warns developers that "pre-release versions of iOS are considered Apple Confidential Information and are subject to the terms of your iOS Developer Program License Agreement. Unauthorized distribution or disclosure of Apple Confidential Information is prohibited."

You can download them at your iOS developer portal.  I will give my first impression of iOS 7 soon once I get it loaded on my iPhone.  Stay tuned!

Apple unveils its latest desktop operating system: OS X Mavericks

That's right.  No more big cat naming.  It has instead given a California theme release, Maverick, paying homage to the giant wave surfing spot.  (I thought Sea Lion sounds cool too.  :p)

Here are some of the highlights:

New Finder

The Finder gets updated with a tabs feature much like what you can do in a web browser.  Just add a tab by clicking plus in a window. You can also finally take the Finder full-screen.

File Tagging

You can tag files based on location and other details, making them much searchable. There's a tagging sidebar that'll let you view them all in one handy place.

Multiple Displays

It allows you to view menus across screens, viewing different apps in full screen mode on each display. You can independently pan on displays as well, and most importantly it works with Apple TV as well. :)

Source

WWDC 2013 Keynote Live Video Stream Available via Apple TV

Yeah.  What a great news.  I will definitely be staying up to watch the live stream.  Hope I don't look too tired at work tomorrow.  :p

Source

Next Version of iOS Will Feature New Look, Photo-Sharing Enhancements

The new design abandons Apple's longtime approach of designing icons and apps to resemble real-life objects, like address books and fabric, in favor of plain solid backgrounds and more white space, these people said. 

Mr. Jobs pushed the original look to help people understand how to use their iPhones when the device came out in 2007, said people involved in the decision at the time. Mr. Jobs died in October 2011. Internally, employees have for years worried that the iPhone's look has become outdated and has a growing number of inconsistencies.

One last rumour before the actual event.

I hope they don't change for the sake of changing.  I like minimalistic design but not to the extent it is not intuitive.

Source

WWDC Banners

Hmm.. What can we tell from the banners?  :p

For Mac OS X

For iOS

Apple Looking to Boost iPhone Sales With New Retail Store Trade-In Program

According to a report in Bloomberg, Apple is starting an iPhone trade-in program this month aimed at getting users to upgrade to the iPhone 5 and turn in older models.

I hope this program is going to be implemented worldwide.  That will definitely encourage users to upgrade more often which is good news for Apple.

Read more here.

Apple files for 'iWatch' trademark in Russia

If this is true, I will definitely grab one provided it is not too expensive.  :)  It will be cool (yet challenging) to be able to develop apps for watch.

Apple has filed for a trademark on the "iWatch" brand in Russia, a new report out of that country claims.
Russian newspaper Izvestia reported on Wednesday that Apple filed for the trademark with the country's patent and trademark office, Rospatent. Not surprisingly, the news has sparked more speculation on when Apple's long-rumored iWatch might finally launch.

Source

MacBook Air refresh looks set for WWDC, potentially with faster Wi-Fi

According to 9to5Mac's source, MacBook Air could possibly get an update to support the new and faster wireless standard. The new retina MacBook Pro could also possibly get a refresh.

If all these are true, will the hardware steal the show in a software event. For now, we can only patiently wait.

5 more days to go!  I am excited and I hope you are too!  . :)

 


Source

Apple releases OS X 10.8.4

This is a minor update before the introduction of the next Mac OS X in WWDC next week.

You can read below for the list of fixes and features that comes with this update.

• Compatibility improvements when connecting to certain enterprise Wi-Fi networks

• Microsoft Exchange compatibility improvements in Calendar

• A fix for an issue that prevented FaceTime calls to non-U.S. phone numbers

• A fix for an issue that may prevent scheduled sleep after using Boot Camp

• Improves VoiceOver compatibility with text in PDF documents

• Includes Safari 6.0.5, which improves stability for some websites with chat features and games

• A fix for an issue that may cause iMessages to display out of order in Messages

• Resolves an issue in which Calendars Birthdays may appear incorrectly in certain time zones

• A fix for an issue that may prevent the desktop background picture from being preserved after restart

• A fix for an issue that may prevent documents from being saved to a server using SMB

• Addresses an issue that may prevent certain files from opening after copied to a volume named “Home"

• A fix for an issue that may prevent changes to files made over NFS from displaying

• Resolves an issue saving files to an Xsan volume from certain applications

• Improves Active Directory log-in performance, especially for cached accounts or when using a .local domain

• Improves OpenDirectory data replication

• Improves 802.1X compatibility with ActiveDirectory networks

• Improves compatibility when using mobile accounts

Apple Adds Ship to Store Option for Refurbished Products

Though the delivery time between home and store delivery is almost the same, I think this option is still pretty good for customers who want to avoid home delivery.

Source

Apple Launches WWDC 2013 iOS App

Apple has launched a new WWDC iOS app which allows attendees to keep track of when and where sessions are taking place.  It also offers up maps to help them find their way around.

As for the unfortunate yet interested group like myself, the app provides a way to watch daily session videos and get other information coming out of the conference.

Wait no more and download it here.

Let's the countdown begin.  :)

Slimmer 13" Retina MacBook Pro, Dual Mic MacBook Air Expected at WWDC

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has proven to have relatively reliable information over the past several years, released a new research note last week highlighting his expectations for changes to Apple's notebook lineup at next week's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). With Intel preparing to launch its latest Haswell processors this week, Apple will be able to make significant upgrades to at least part of its notebook lineup, but additional changes appear to be in store as well. 

If this is true, it will be quite unexpected because WWDC typically is an event that focuses on software namely iOS and Mac OS.

WWDC Invites over the years

Saw someone posted the different WWDC invites over the years.  Quite interesting thus sharing them here as well.

2007 invite:

2008 invite:

2009 invite:

2010 invite:

2011 invite:

2012 invite:

2013 invite:

iPod Touch 5th Generation 16 GB Teardown

The good people at ifixit are really curious about the new stripped down version of the iPod Touch.

If you are as curious as them, do check out their post here.