We’ve received word that starting tomorrow Best Buy is going be offering the 16GB iPhone 6s, normally $199 on-contract (and often on sale for $99), for just $1. Head below for details…
Expand
Expanding
Close
IBM has today unveiled their first public effort towards Swift, with the introduction of the IBM Swift Sandbox website. You can type lines of Swift code into the text editor on the left and then run the code on a Linux server, posting the output in the right column. This is all made possible by the fact that Swift is now open source, supporting Linux alongside iOS and OS X.
You can use the core Swift language as well as the standard library functions, so writing a formulaic mathematical problem (like the Fibonacci example above) is well within the scope of the web application. The concept is similar to the CodeRunner app from the Mac App Store, except it runs entirely off a cloud infrastructure.
While Black Friday often gets the most promotion, the deals aren’t over. Some of the best deals aren’t available until today, Cyber Monday, as many retailers offer the same or even deeper discounts in order to help move as much stock as possible ahead of the Christmas holidays.
Below we’ve done the dirty work for you, compiling the best of the best deals on accessories, software, and more for all of your iPhone, iPad, Macs, and other Apple products.
Expand
Expanding
Close
Earlier today, a keyboard with much better support for the supposed iPad Pro, a device that has been rumored for some time now, was shown off thanks to the iOS 9 code. Steve Troughton Smith and Hiraku Wang now suggest that the iPad Pro will feature a resolution of 2732×2048, which at 12.9-inches, comes out to 263 pixels-per-inch.
Following the discovery of reference to new iMac models in OS X, Macbidouille has found code in the new OS X Yosemite developer preview that points to Retina resolutions for the yet to be announced product. Specifically, the file points to scaled resolution modes like those available for Retina MacBooks including, according to the report, 6400 x 3600 (probably a 3200×1800 HiDPI), 5760×3240 (2880×1620 HiDPI) 4096×2304 (2048×1152 HiDPI) resolutions. The report notes that the native resolution of the machine appears to be missing from the file as it only lists resolution of the various scaling modes.
Much like the Retina MacBook Pro with a native resolution of 2880 x 1800 is capable of scaling assets at 3840 x 2400 down to 1920 x 1200 and producing sharper, clearer images in the process, the report speculates the 6400 x 3600 resolution would be scaled down to 200×1800 HiDPI.
Apple has long been testing Retina resolution iMacs and rumors last year and earlier this year suggested the company could also release a new lower-cost iMac sometime this year. Apple last refreshed its iMac lineup in September of last year adding updated processors and more storage at the same price point with the same slim, redesigned exterior introduced in the previous generation. Apple’s current iMac lineup includes a 27-inch model with a resolution of 2560-by-1440 and a 21.5-inch model with a resolution of 1920-by-1080.
Starbucks, this week, updated their iconic Pick of the Week promotion to take advantage of iOS 7’s ability to use the device’s camera to redeem iTunes gift cards. Before that, customers had to pick up a physical card featuring a promo code to redeem the Pick of the Week app and manually type the code into the iTunes Store. Earlier this year, Starbucks began offering the promotion via an App Store app. The pick of the week promotion allows customers pickup cards from participating Starbucks locations and download an app or other piece of iTunes media for free:
PayPal is releasing an updated iPhone app today that on top of introducing a redesign for iOS 7 also introduces a few new features.
You’ll notice a number of UI tweaks in the new app and a redesign that fits in with the look and feel of iOS 7, but you’ll also now be able to withdraw money from your PayPal balance to your bank account within the Wallet tab. Also new is the ability to pay by scanning QR and bar codes a select retail partners:
Paying just got even easier! Scan a QR or bar code to pay at select merchants
In addition, version 5.2 of PayPal for iPhone includes the ability to choose your home screen for fast access to the features you use most.
5.2
• Need to withdraw some cash from your PayPal balance to your bank? You can do that in your Wallet
• Check out our new iOS7 look and feel
• Paying just got even easier! Scan a QR or bar code to pay at select merchants
• Choose your start screen for fast access to the info you need
• We’re still hard at work finding and fixing bugs
We’re always listening, so please send comments, suggestions, and any words of encouragement to mobile-apps@paypal.com.
Update: Bloomberg reports Apple has now won an order granting its request for Google to provide more information about its process of turning over documents in an ongoing lawsuit with Samsung:
U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul S. Grewal in San Jose, California, ordered Google within two days to disclose what terms it’s using to find documents Apple has requested in pretrial information sharing, and to tell Apple which Google employees those documents came from. Google had argued the collection of information would be too burdensome.
“The court cannot help but note the irony that Google, a pioneer in searching the Internet, is arguing that it would be unduly burdened by producing a list of how it searched its own files,” Grewal wrote in his order.
Bloomberg reports that Apple has requested Google turn over documents related to Android’s source code in an ongoing patent-infringement lawsuit with Samsung in California. According to the report, Apple took issue with Google’s process of turning over requested pretrial documents claiming Google is “improperly withholding information” and that Android “provides much of the accused functionality” in the infringement claims related to several of Samsung’s Galaxy products:
Expand
Expanding
Close
The Things to-do management app for Mac OS X, iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch has been updated today with speed improvements for both the actual application and for downloading and syncing with the Things Cloud service.
We’ve identified the resource hogs and improved performance in key areas that were troublesome in the past. Below are some measurements we took before and after these improvements. Overall, the app now feels much more responsive, especially when you perform an action on multiple items at once.
Additionally, the application’s time zone support has been improved.
For this release we’ve been through and carefully adjusted all the date-related functionality in Things. It’s been a considerable amount of work, but these improvements – which affect scheduled dates, due dates, repeating tasks, local notifications, and the Daily Review – are a good and necessary foundation going forward.
I’ve been testing out the app updates for a couple of months now, and the improvements seem to live up to Cultured Code’s (the developer) claims.
Things is meant for users with many to-dos that need to sort their work into projects. With that in mind, the suite is a bit pricier than applications in the same category: Things for Mac (49.99), Things for iPad ($19.99), Things for iPhone/iPod touch($9.99). The three apps sync with a free Things Cloud system.
Release notes below:
via macgasm.net
Starbucks today launched the next iteration of its iconic Pick of the Week promotion.
Previously, customers could pick up a physical card featuring a promo code to redeem the Pick of the Week app, but starting today customers have the additional option to make a free Starbucks account and redeem the app directly from the free Starbucks for iPhone app, circumventing a trip to a physical location.
The promotion showcases and gives away a paid app from the App Store, much like Apple’s own App of the Week campaign.
Check out 9to5Toys for the latest App of the Week, Angry Birds Star Wars.
Apple is preparing to soon release new Mac computers that support super-fast 802.11ac Gigabit wireless, according to code-findings inside of Apple’s latest OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.4 beta seed to developers. The code was located by a tipster inside of the operating system’s WiFi-frameworks folder. As you can see in the image directly below, the 802.11ac code is not found in OS X 10.8.3, which is the latest public release of Apple’s Mac operating system.
Previous reports have claimed that Apple is working with wireless chipmaker Broadcom to produce 802.11ac chips for future Macs. Now, it appears, Apple’s software is ready to support the new wireless technology as well. More details below…