Uncategorized

OMG I used to be this guy.

.

Ars Technica:

The final version of the software won’t be available for a few months, but Apple developers (and, for the first time ever, one million public beta testers) can download and install the first Yosemite beta version now. Developers will be used to the process of testing new OS X versions on their hardware, but those people in the public beta may be wading into uncharted waters.

This guide is for those people, the ones who want to test the new OS X beta without wrecking their Mac—you never want to put your data at risk by installing beta software on your main partition. This way, you can play with all the shiny new features without risking the comfortable, stable, non-beta OS X installation you need to get all your work done.

You don’t want to install the Developer Preview or the beta on your main machine without doing something similar to this.

Apple:

“I think a developer would look like a geek – nerdy, plaid, unshaven, glasses, spiky hair beard…

Another typically well done video from Apple. This is the same video that played at the 2014 WWDC Keynote yesterday.

I’ve spent the last couple of days walking the halls of Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, talking to developers about the announcements yesterday. One common theme emerged from those discussions: Possibilities. […]

.

Re/code:

This morning, Instagram is rolling out the sixth version of its mobile photo-sharing app, loading it up with 10 creative tools, including the ability to manipulate images in a variety of new ways like saturation, sharpening and highlighting.

The new version for the 200 million monthly active users of the Facebook-owned service will be available for both Apple iOS and Google Android, adding a number of tools that users pay for when using other photo apps.

Are you an “Instagrammer”? Are these new features of interest to you?

Flappy Bird done using Apple’s new programming language. I just love developers.

The AltBeard Bash, done in conjunction with AltConf, is happening tonight in San Francisco from 7-11 pm at the Children’s Creativity Museum at Moscone.

Interest from developers has been overwhelming. Be aware that entry to the party is on a first come, first serve basis—it doesn’t matter if you received an invite or not—those that are at the venue first will get in first.

We will also be supporting Home To Stay Dog Rescue at the party. This is my wife’s project to help save, vet, and find new homes for dogs in need. If you have a few extra dollars in your pocket and see her walking around, please consider donating to help the dogs.

We’re grateful to have two sponsors for this year’s AlBeard Bash: Microsoft Azure and Sling Media. Sling is offering $50 off a Slingbox for The Loop readers.

Imagine if poring over your finances were as easy as using your favorite app, or smartphone. – “The Apple of finance,” Quartz.

Now it is, with Betterment.

Betterment is a groundbreaking automated investment service, with over 35,000 customers already benefiting from Betterment’s integration of technology and years of investment expertise, combined in one elegant online application.

Betterment’s UX and UI are adored by tech and design enthusiasts, without the red tape of other investment providers. Betterment is delightful on the outside, with killer technology under the hood, and our free iPhone and Android apps help you stay connected to your diversified portfolio at all times.

Betterment has eliminated the unnecessary costs and complications of investing intelligently. It’s straightforward investing for all, whether you have $10,000 or $10 million.

Ready to invest? We’re excited to offer readers of the Loop up to 6 months of Betterment automated investment management for free.

.

Stacksocial:

License purchased is good for 1 year of service, upon expiration, the Backblaze service can be renewed for $5/month or $50/year.

These services (Crashplan is another) are very dependent on the amount of data you have and your upload speeds but, if you can take advantage of it, it’s a good deal even at the full price. I always tell people you need multiple backups in multiple places. Having an online backup is an option for some.

.

TIME:

The story behind Robert Capa’s iconic shot of a soldier in the surf at Normandy, one of the most celebrated pictures of the Second World War, is nearly as complex as it is incredible.

The D-Day anniversary is June 6th. Watch the video on the site for more of this incredible story.

.

Ole Begemann:

With the release of the beta versions of iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite at WWDC 2014 yesterday, Apple has also updated the legal agreements for registered iOS and Mac developers. I am not a lawyer, but if I am reading this correctly, it means that beta version of the operating systems and SDKs are still under NDA, but Apple allows developers to discuss new APIs and features that have been introduced at WWDC in public. That should cover pretty much all the new stuff in iOS 8, Yosemite and the Developer Tools.

Apple has always had very restrictive NDAs (I’ve signed some Apple NDAs that say I can’t even say I’ve signed an NDA with them!) but they have historically ignored all the sites, rumour and otherwise, who have “broken” NDAs for the developer program. Good to see them loosening the reins a little bit to reflect reality.

.

Ars Technica:

The downside of new Apple software is that it usually displaces old Apple hardware. With rare exceptions, new versions of iOS and OS X usually don’t make it to a handful of older iDevices and Macs, leaving owners of those gadgets stuck with old software or pushed into upgrading.

Luckily, most iOS and OS X users are getting off easy with iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite. Any Mac that can run OS X 10.8 or 10.9 can also run 10.10, a list that includes Macs from as far back as 2007. Here’s the full list.

Always happily surprised to see how far back Apple provides compatibility for the latest and greatest OS.

.

Geek:

Aspiring animators, listen up! Pixar’s working on a brand new version of Renderman, the in-house software they use to render (duh) all their awesome digital creations. There are a slew of improvements coming, but the big news is that there’s a version you can download for free.

That’s a pretty amazing giveaway — Renderman is a $500 piece of software. Between Autodesk offering students a free download of Maya and the new Renderman v19 being completely free, young amateur animation enthusiasts have access to two of the tools that power some of the highest-grossing animated features in the history of cinema.

No guarantees you’ll create something amazing but at least the tools are getting cheaper for animators.

. Apple:

Recognizing apps that raise the bar in design, technology and innovation.

The list includes the usual mix of games, productivity and information apps ranging from free to $5 – but all good.

.

TUAW:

Apple spent a whole lot of time talking about photos today during its WWDC 2014 keynote address. From iCloud Photo Library to smart image adjustments, there is clearly a lot to be excited about for iOS shutterbugs. But there is one feature that wasn’t mentioned on-stage, yet it has appeared on Apple’s iOS 8 teaser page: time-lapse videos.

I don’t know about “awesome” but it does go to show there’s lots of things Apple is rolling out that they didn’t have time to mention in the Keynote. Expect to see more of these little tidbits as developers get their hands dirty with the new OS.

There are a few things that struck me during the WWDC keynote presentation this morning. The first, and perhaps most important, is how much fun the Apple executives were having on stage. I’m not talking about the normal smiles and jokes, I mean they genuinely looked like they were having a good time. […]

. If you are a registered Apple developer (and not at WWDC), you might want to tune in to the WWDC “State of the Union” and get “deeper info on Xcode and OS API changes”. Thanks to Eric for the link.

Apple:

Watch streaming video from this special event and learn more about our exciting announcements.

Apple now has the downloadable version posted.

.

Vox:

Apple kicked off the event by announcing major upgrades to both of its flagship operating systems: Mac OS X, which powers Macs, and iOS, which powers iPhones and iPads. The releases included a slew of new features. Here are the most important among them.

Good overview of what developers are looking at right now and what the rest of us will see later this year. Some very exciting stuff coming.

.

PetaPixel:

Apple has really opened the door for developers to go crazy when it comes to creating and improving camera apps.

Developers can now access manual controls for the camera.

This is one of those things a lot of people don’t get about WWDC. It’s not for consumers – yet. But developers (and photo app users like myself) are very excited about these kinds of “hooks” Apple is giving them access to.

.

Apple:

Thoughtfully redesigning OS X meant going deep into every aspect of the interface and focusing on details large and small. There are obvious changes to big things, like translucency in windows and streamlined toolbars. And there are more subtle changes to a lot of small things, like the buttons, icons, and font you see throughout the system. The more you use your Mac, the more you’ll notice, and the more you’ll love it.

Given that few (if any) of us have used it yet, what are your initial thoughts about Yosemite? Overall, I’m excited to use it.

.

Apple:

Swift is a new programming language for creating iOS and OS X apps. Swift builds on the best of C and Objective-C, without the constraints of C compatibility. Swift adopts safe programming patterns and adds modern features to make programming easier, more flexible, and more fun. Swift’s clean slate, backed by the mature and much-loved Cocoa and Cocoa Touch frameworks, is an opportunity to reimagine how software development works.

Of all the announcement Apple made today, this might turn out to be one of the biggest.

. Technologizer:

Once a year, Apple kicks off its World Wide Developer Conference with a keynote presentation. Many people seem to think they’re famous for involving Apple dazzling consumers with an array of new products, to the rapturous approval of everybody involved.

Which is weird, because that’s not the point at all.

While Apple will announce new hardware on Monday, the focus will be on software – specifically iOS 8 and the next version of Mac OS X.

. The Verge:

Apple’s 25th annual developers conference kicks off next week, and as usual, the company’s spent the past week putting up large, colorful banners all over the Moscone West building in San Francisco. That includes large Apple logos to the two sides of the three story building, as well as product banners on the inside of the building.

One of those is a banner with a large 8 on it, the first indication of iOS 8, which is expected at the show.

Join me in saying, “Duh.”

. Sports Interaction:

The World Cup returns to Brazil, the home of the beautiful game, o jogo bonito, for the first time in sixty-four years this year. It’s the 20th playing of the greatest sports tournament in the world, bigger even than the Olympics, with TV viewership in the hundreds of millions all across the globe.

All the pressure is on Brazil – hosts, favorites, winners of five World Cups and all-too-aware that the last time Brazil hosted the World Cup, neighboring Uruguay beat them 2-1 at the Maracana to claim Uruguay’s second and last title. Spain try to become the first team to win four major international tournaments in a row, the Germans are overdue, Argentina looks to Messi while Portugal, Belgium and Columbia dream of a first-ever World Cup title. Add in the Netherlands, previous champions Italy, England, France and Uruguay and all the ingredients are there for one of the best World Cups of all time!

Go Italia!

But we didn’t stop there. To make it super easy for you to have your promo codes with you and and ready to share in Moscone and its environs, we’ve added Passbook support to Tokens.

Add the campaign pass to your Passbook and when you want to share a promo code with a new friend, they simply scan the barcode using Passbook on their phone. We then vend them an individual pass that’s valid for a single promo code. That token is marked as shared and reserved for the person who scanned it.

I love this app.

The AltBeard Bash, done in conjunction with AltConf, is getting close. Next Tuesday, we’ll be rocking San Francisco from 7-11 pm at the Children’s Creativity Museum at Moscone. Everyone is invited, so I hope you can all make it.

Be aware that entry to the party is on a first come, first serve basis. It doesn’t matter if you received an invite or not—those that are at the venue first will get in first.

We will also be supporting Home To Stay Dog Rescue at the party. This is my wife’s project to help save, vet, and find new homes for dogs in need. If you have a few extra dollars in your pocket and see her walking around, please consider donating to help the dogs.

We’re grateful to have two sponsors for this year’s AlBeard Bash: Microsoft Azure and Sling Media. Sling is offering $50 off a Slingbox for The Loop readers.

.

Re/Code:

A few hours after announcing their $3 billion deal, Apple SVP Eddy Cue and Beats co-founder Jimmy Iovine came to the Code Conference to talk about what brought them together, and what they want to do next. You can watch their conversation with Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher

Always interesting to see what is (and isn’t) said during these interviews.

I pre-ordered my copy.

Good article by Bradley Chambers. Personally, I like Apple’s Photo Stream—it works well and does what I need it to do.