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iOS

Apple Announces iOS 7 with Big Changes

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ios7controlcenterWWDC2013

Apple has officially announced iOS 7 and the changes are huge. Changes to the look and feel of the operating system are so drastic it will likely make your phone feel like it’s a new device. Changes include the addition of Control Center, Multitasking, Air Drop and iTunes Radio. There are also major changes to notifications, camera, Safari, and photos.

Control Center

You can now adjust the most commonly used settings on your phone by simply swiping up from the bottom of the screen to access the new Control Center.

Multi-Taksing

You can now switch between apps by simply double pressing the home button and then swiping between open apps, all while seeing the app in it’s entirety and while running

ios7Multitasking
iOS 7 Multitasking

Air Drop

The popular Mac feature is now coming to the iPhone with iOS 7. You will now be able to share photos and more directly to other Apple devices around you instantly all without a wifi router. It’s peer-to-peer wi-fi that allow you to send things like photos to multiple users and multiple devices at once, without bumping phones.

iTunes Radio

iTunes radio will now offer iOS users a way to listen to music for free with ads and with iTunes Match it’s ad-free. The music playing service will be much like Spotify and Pandora.

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iTunes Radio

Notification Center

The Notification Center has seen some dramatic changes that include a cleaner more transparent look and the ability to see the notification center without unlocking the iPhone. The new notification center will also add a new “Today” tab that will give you a summary of all the information you want to see for that day along with a “Missed” tab to catch up.

For a complete look at iOS 7 that includes animations and hi-res photos, head to Apple’s website.

Apple To Live Stream WWDC Keynote

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wwdc2013Logo

Apple will offering a live stream of the WWDC 2013 keynote today on the Apple website. You can also watch the live stream on the newly added “Apple Events” channel on Apple TV.

Live Streaming video requires Safari 4 or later on Mac OS X v10.6 or later; Safari on iOS 4.2 or later. Streaming via Apple TV requires second- or third-generation Apple TV with software 5.0.2 or later. If you’re looking for older videos from Apple’s past events you can find them archived here.

Featured App: Retina Wallpapers & HD Home Screen Backgrounds

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This free app has so many beautiful photos in retina and HD for your iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.

Retina wallpapers, superior experience and direct preview. Accurate category and powerful search function. You can also share the photos on other platforms.

● 20,000+ five-star praised by users in App Store.

● 100+ high-quality wallpapers recommended by editors EVERYDAY.

● 50,000+ HD wallpapers for free.

Get it here at the App Store.

 

retina wallpaper

retina wallpapers1

Video: D11 Interview of Tim Cook

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Apple CEO Tim Cook sat down with Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg of AllThingsD yesterday and you can now watch the entire interview here on the embedded video below.

Apple CEO Tim Cook
Apple CEO Tim Cook (Source:Apple)

Tim Cook discussed quite a few topics during the interview but a few stand out from the rest. One of the more notable moments in the interview was when Tim Cook mentioned that there’s a possibility that iOS could offer a richer API toolset for developers. Apple has received a lot of criticism of being too locked down and developers have long wanted to get deeper access to iOS, which soon could be a reality. Cook did mention that although 3rd parties may gain more access into iOS, they would not do it in such a way that compromises the customer experience.

Of course no major announcements were made, not that we we’re expecting any, but Cook did seem to hint at a few things to come. One of those things is Apple TV, not the little content streaming box but an actual Apple Television. Cook mentioned that it’s an area that needed to be brought up-to-the-times as television hasn’t changed much over the years. Perhaps, Apple could do with TV what it did for the smart phone industry. Here is a quote from Tim Cook on the question about an Apple TV.

 I don’t want to go into detail, but it continues to be an area of great interest for us. The product and relationships we’ve built provide a lot more knowledge than we would have otherwise. And popularity has been larger than we thought, and we aren’t marketing it.” – Apple CEO Tim Cook

During the interview they touched on other subjects like wearable tech, Android, and they even went into taxes, which Apple has recently been under the microscope for, mainly in how it manages it’s finances over seas and how that tax money makes it back, or doesn’t, to the US. Cook does mention that it’s not a situation unique to Apple and it is an area that needs reform.

Thanks to MacRumors for the video link.

Microsoft Heating up the War on Apple

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It’s quite obvious that the iPad is successful but what about the competition? What about the ASUS Vivo Tab RT? We see it but why should we buy it over an iPad? There hasn’t been a lot of companies, including Microsoft, that have been willing to make direct comparisons to the iPad, we don’t see a lot of the “I’m better than you and here’s why” type of advertising. So, you can imagine that it would be kind of refreshing to see an ad like this pop up on TV every now and then, and that’s exactly what’s happening.ApplevMicrosoft

Full disclosure, I own an iPad and love it, but I know, and I’m sure all of you know, that’s it’s far from perfect and it often seems like the competition just completely avoids talking about the iPad and it’s limitations.

You may be thinking, why do we care and as an iPad user why do I care? Well, the simple answer is that we will all benefit from intense competition. The more back and fourth there is the better the products get, it creates an environment that’s favorable for innovation and creativity. Remember the Space Race? Sometimes we even see price drops because of aggressive advertising.

This latest commercial is bold, to the point, and makes a direct comparison the iPad. Will it work? Who knows? but it definitely makes things interesting and can cause these companies to re-think things and possibly add new features just to try to silence the competition. You can see the commercial below.