Apple statement:
We discovered a bug that prevents us from making HealthKit apps available on iOS 8 today. We’re working quickly to have the bug fixed in a software update and have HealthKit apps available by the end of the month.
I’m sympathetic, but Apple should never have allowed this to happen. This isn’t good.
All the ingredients are there. One person with an iPhone on the train to record the runner leaving and await his return, and a GoPro camera on the runner’s head to record the actual run. Loved this.
If you haven’t already, take a few minutes to step through Apple’s iOS 8 what’s new web site. Once you make your way through that main page, click on the icons at the top of the page to explore changes that came with Messages, Photos, etc., and topics like Continuity, Family Sharing, and QuickType.
iOS 8 is an incredibly rich upgrade. Stepping through these pages will give you a sense of the major new capabilities so you can take advantage of them.
When you upgrade to iOS 8, most of the options are ones you’ve seen with past upgrades. But one option, asking if you’d like to upgrade to iCloud Drive, is new, and the choice you make here matters.
When you upgrade to iOS 8, you need to ensure that you choose the right iCloud Drive option to ensure that Clear for iOS continues to sync with Clear for Mac (and any older devices that may use iCloud Documents and Data). If you upgrade to iCloud Drive, you will only be able to sync with devices running iOS 8 or OS X Yosemite. As OS X Yosemite is still pre-release (and not yet available) upgrading to iCloud Drive will prevent you from syncing with Clear for Mac until both OS X Yosemite is released and you upgrade to OS X Yosemite.
Bottom line, consider holding off on the upgrade if you store documents in iCloud, or use apps that do.
This is a beast of a review, lots to digest. To start things off:
“Huge for developers. Massive for everyone else.”
That was Apple’s tagline for iOS 8 when the software was announced at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference back in June. Overuse of hyperbole is a pet peeve of mine, but after using iOS 8 for a couple of months, I have to say that they’re warranted in this case. iOS 7 was a comprehensive makeover for an operating system that needed to reclaim visual focus and consistency. iOS 7.1 improved stability and speed while addressing the new design’s worst shortcomings and most egregious excesses. And iOS 8 is the update that turns its attention from the way everything looks to the way it works.
What’s huge for developers is the fact that Apple has opened up much of the OS for customization.
Apple still holds the keys to many aspects of the iPhone and iPad user experience, but compared to past versions of the software iOS 8 represents an opening of floodgates. Don’t like Apple’s software keyboard? Replace it. Want sports scores and updates on your eBay auctions in your Notification Center? Here’s a widget, throw ’em in there. Want to use a social network or a cloud storage service that Apple hasn’t explicitly blessed and baked into the OS? Cool. Here are some APIs for that.
As you make your way through the various reviews, keep in mind that the best of iOS 8 is yet to come. As developers wrap their heads around what’s possible, clever bits of code that leverage your iOS experience will start to emerge. That’s when the true value of iOS 8 will become apparent.
In a nutshell, you now have the ability to restrict an app from accessing your location data while running in the background.
Apple:
I want to be absolutely clear that we have never worked with any government agency from any country to create a backdoor in any of our products or services. We have also never allowed access to our servers. And we never will.Our commitment to protecting your privacy comes from a deep respect for our customers. We know that your trust doesn’t come easy. That’s why we have and always will work as hard as we can to earn and keep it.
I await similar letters from every other company we trust with our data.
Last year Apple stripped iOS bare in order to redefine how we do things. This year they build atop everything that came before in order to redefine what we can do.
I always love reading Rene’s reviews.
I really like the new interface myself. You can update directly from your Apple TV by going to Settings. This is what it looks like now.
A bug quietly reported on September 1 appears to have grave implications for Android users. Android Browser, the open source, WebKit-based browser that used to be part of the Android Open Source Platform (AOSP), has a flaw that enables malicious sites to inject JavaScript into other sites. Those malicious JavaScripts can in turn read cookies and password fields, submit forms, grab keyboard input, or do practically anything else.
I’m shocked. Shocked, I tell you.
iOS 8 is, by any measure, a big update. A lot of it is refinement to last year’s drastic design overhaul, but there are also a lot of notable new features. Sitting amongst those refinements and big new features are little nuggets of delight in which Apple has designed or implemented something (whether it be a feature, design flourish or a shortcut) that you might not notice until one day you stumble upon it accidentally.
As usual, Federico Viticci, Graham Spencer and the crew at MacStories put together a great set of tips for the new iOS.
With Dan still out, Shawn fills in and talks to Jim about his iPhone 6 and 6 Plus review, where the Apple Watch will be sold and “is U2 the New Nickleback?”
Sponsored by MailChimp (Send 12,000 emails per month, to 2,000 subscribers, forever).
Fast Company:
The mobile version of Safari will now let you change the default search engine to DuckDuckGo, the privacy-obsessed Google alternative that has seen a sharp uptick in activity since Edward Snowden became a household name. By default, DuckDuckGo does not track its users’ search activity or even log their IP addresses.
Choice is always good and this is a pretty easy switch to make.
I love the apps that Cabel Sasser and the guys from Panic make. I’ve been using Transmit on my Mac for years and now there’s Transmit iOS.
With all of the ridiculous things being written about Apple giving away a U2 album, I thought it was time for a good laugh. I laughed at this.
Daniel Eran Dilger for AppleInsider:
Every new product Apple unveiled last week has ignited vocal, public derision from a series of threatened competitors, including Samsung, luxury watch maker LVMH and PayPal. However, their attempts to direct attention away from Apple may likely backfire, just like earlier attempts to demonize Siri, Maps, iCloud and Touch ID.
Fear is not a great motivator, but it’s one that can easily be spotted.
From Reuters:
Apple Inc (AAPL.O) is set to launch two new iPads and release the next version of its Mac operating system at its next event on Oct. 21, a Daily Dot report said, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Nope.
The Verge:
Over the last decade we all made an enormous effort to transform Macworld editorial from a magazine mentality to a web site mentality. And honestly, it worked: By the end, the magazine was essentially a curated collection of the best stories from the web site, cut down and copy edited and with nice photographs. The economics of the business just didn’t make it possible to continue.
The demise of print is a sad but understandable result of the age we live in. That being said, the demise of Macworld is sad in a completely different way.
Take a captivating ride through nearly 150 years of entertaining history and present-day story of the world’s largest family controlled brewer.
Instant Oscar winner!
Businessweek:
Almost everything else on Apple’s campus in Cupertino, Calif., is different. The executive wing once radiated nervous energy, with handlers scurrying to anticipate the whims of Apple’s temperamental co-founder. Now there’s tranquility in the hallways, a reflection of the new boss’s calm Southern demeanor. Downstairs, the cafeterias are packed—the workforce has almost doubled. A mile away, behind a ring of fences, construction crews are building the massive foundation for the circular “spaceship” campus that will accommodate 12,000 workers when it’s completed in a few years.Until Sept. 9, all the other changes at the world’s most valuable and scrutinized company were largely invisible to the public. Then Tim Cook took the stage at the Flint Center for the Performing Arts and laid out much of what Apple has been working on over the past three years.
Along with the Charlie Rose videos, we are seeing more and more inside Cook’s world.
It’s a big day, iOS 8 is available to download from Apple. Just go to Settings > General > Software Update on your iOS device.
Baseball fan? Last night, something very rare happened. Two teams in the same neck of the woods, the Washington Nationals and the Baltimore Orioles, clinched their respective divisions on the very same night. Huge parties, much fun for the fans.
To honor this achievement, I present Bryan Cranston’s magnificent one-man Broadway show, his homage to post-season baseball.
Last week, Tim Cook did a two hour interview with Charlie Rose. The editors split the interview into two halves, running part one last Friday evening (here’s a link, if you missed it). Part two is embedded below. Fantastic interview. I found it riveting.
Wallet Hub put together a cell phone contract calculator, then used that calculator to analyze the cost of owning an iPhone 6 on various carriers, both with an without a contract.
If you find the numbers a little hard to understand, this article by CBS Money Watch’s Kathy Kristof does a nice job of explaining the implications.
Start by reading Jim’s review, then move on to these.
This bit, from Walt Mossberg’s iPhone 6 review, caught my eye:
Apple says the new iPhones have faster Wi-Fi and faster cellular LTE. In my tests, I found the iPhone 6’s Wi-Fi speeds — both downstream and upstream — were roughly double those of the 5s, and about 25 percent faster than those of the Samsung Galaxy S5.
Double the wifi speed of my iPhone 5s? That’s a huge improvement.
I’ve been using the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus for a week now. I picked them up from Apple after the event ended on September 9 and have been switching back and forth for the last seven days.
One thing has become very clear over the last week: The choice over which of these to buy will be the most personal decision that iPhone owners have ever had to make when choosing a device.
I find it interesting that Apple’s naming convention for the iPhone 6 models changed slightly from the previous generation. Currently we have the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C, which gives you the feeling that there is a lower-end model. I don’t think that worked too well for Apple.
With the new iPhones, we will have the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. To me that indicates that Apple has a high-end model and a higher-end model. There is no low-end model anymore. It’s a very small change, but I think it fits Apple’s image much better.
As with all of my reviews, I will give you my opinions based on how I use the iPhones, not on the specs.
iPhone 6 is probably the easiest and most satisfying upgrade an iPhone owner will ever have. It looks like an iPhone, it feels like an iPhone, and it comes with a new design and new features.
Of course, the biggest new feature that everyone will notice is the larger 4.7-inch screen. It is stunning. Large enough to be impressive, but a subtle enough of a change that it’s not overwhelming for switchers of the latest generation iPhones.
This isn’t just a larger version of the iPhone 5S display—this is a new Retina HD display. You can see the difference just looking at it. It seems brighter and more vivid to my eye.
While in comparison, the design of the iPhone 5s is a bit boxy, the iPhone 6 has smooth, curved corners, that make holding the device very easy. It fits perfectly in my hands and allows for mostly one-handed access to the entire screen.
I’ve said before that one-handed use is important to me. I often use my iPhone while drinking a coffee (or Heineken), or walking through an airport, or so many other scenarios where using one hand is a must, so being able to control the device with one hand is significant.
It is tough to reach the far top edge of the screen, but I can do it with a little stretch. It’s easier to shimmy my hand up the phone and touch the far edge, if I need to, but to be honest, holding the iPhone in my left hand, there isn’t much on the far right side that I ever need to touch. Of course, I could always use Reachability, a new feature for the new iPhones, but that seems more useful on the iPhone 6 Plus.
iPhone 6 fits easily in my pocket, which is another thing I really like. I typically don’t use a case with my iPhone, so I don’t have any extra bulk to worry about, but I did wonder if it would be comfortable walking around with, and it was.
With the larger size of the iPhone 6, Apple did make one change that makes sense, but has been hard to get used to—the Sleep/On/Off button has moved from the top to the side of the iPhone. When I hold the device in my hand, the button is perfectly situated on my index finger, which makes it easy to put the iPhone to sleep. If they kept the button at the top, I would have needed to adjust my grip or use two hands to put it to sleep. That was a smart change.
This is the iPhone I think most people would find to be a perfect fit for their lifestyle, whether they are coming from another manufacturer or a previous generation iPhone.
“Wow!”
That’s what I said when I first got my hands on the iPhone 6 Plus. It’s big—bigger than I expected, even after seeing it on screen at the keynote.
After handling the iPhone 6 Plus, I was sure it was a device that I wouldn’t use long term. However, the more I used it, the more I found myself wanting to use it.
The 6 Plus was awkward for me to use at first—it was kind of like using a smaller version of the iPad mini, but it was a phone. I had a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of using it on an ongoing basis, but the larger screen eventually won me over.
I wear reading glasses now because text on Web pages and email is getting more difficult for me to read. The iPhone 6 is certainly an improvement for me, but the iPhone 6 Plus was perfect.
Text on the Plus is clear, big, and easy to read, every single time you pick it up. I think that’s why I began using it more as the week progressed.
There is certainly a convenience factor in having a smaller phone and being able to tuck it in a pocket and continue on with your day. However, being able to properly use the device will outdo convenience every time for many people.
The other thing I really enjoyed with the iPhone 6 Plus is using the larger screen when taking pictures. I’m not a photographer, but I do enjoy taking pictures when I go places. In recent years, those pictures have become more blurry, mostly because I can’t see the screen when I snap the shot. The 6 Plus solved that issue for me.
The larger screen also allowed Apple to make alternate views of Mail, Messages and other apps, similar to what you get on an iPad, when you turn it to landscape mode. Personally, I like that because you get more information on the screen, which means less tapping back and forth.
My fear was that Apple would make a larger screen iPhone, but not do it right. When doing a larger device like this, you have so many more details to worry about. Some of those details are aimed squarely at users like me that like the one-handed use of smaller iPhones.
Apple addressed this by implementing a new feature called Reachability. This allows you to double-tap the Home button on the iPhone, which makes the entire screen drop down, giving you access to touch items that were too far away to reach. It works on every screen and it works very well. That doesn’t fully address the side-to-side stretch, but it does help.
Of course, the easiest way to use the iPhone 6 Plus is with two hands. My experience with the 6 Plus became much more enjoyable after I gave up trying to see how it worked with one hand and used two. One-handed operation can be done, two-handed is optimal.
Surprisingly, I could fit the iPhone 6 Plus in my pocket. It wasn’t as comfortable as the iPhone 6, but it can be done without any issues.
I still can’t imagine walking around with a device as big as the iPhone 6 Plus to my ear, talking on the phone. That would just look silly. I’ve said it about other devices this size in the past and my opinion on that hasn’t changed. Maybe a Bluetooth ear piece would be a nice add-on for the iPhone 6 Plus.
There is no doubt in my mind that iPhone 6 Plus will be hugely successful, because clearly there are people out there that want a larger screen device. There are markets in the world where people like to use only one device and having a phone this large is a benefit.
For me, I think the iPhone 6 will be the perfect upgrade for people in the U.S. that haven’t embraced larger screen devices yet. It’s the perfect size for almost any hand.
Both devices are very fast and with the help of Apple’s iCloud services, they can be setup and ready to use in under two minutes.
I found nothing significant in my week of use with either iPhone 6 model that would lead me to any other conclusion than to recommend both. Choose the one that fits your lifestyle the best and be happy.
Photoshop maker Adobe Systems forecast disappointing revenue for this quarter and reported lower quarterly sales at its digital media business, which includes the Creative Cloud software suite.
Adobe shares fell nearly five percent in extended trading.
That’s not good. No reason to panic though.
Macworld:
If you’re upgrading to iOS 8 on Wednesday, you must resist the urge to upgrade to iCloud Drive if you want to continue to sync your phone to your Mac. Why? Well, iCloud Drive only works with iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite. And you all know which OS we’re still waiting on.You can go back and upgrade at any time, but unless you want a file-syncing nightmare on your hands, you’ll wait for Yosemite’s official release.
Good advice.
The AMS RMX16 was the world’s first microprocessor-controlled, full-bandwidth, digital reverberator. Heard on hundreds — if not thousands — of seminal recordings from the 1980s onward, the RMX16 is still found in nearly every major recording studio the world over.
I can’t wait to try this out.
Apple:
Ready to make the switch to iPhone? Here are some tips for moving your photos, music, documents, and more from your Android phone to iPhone.
Awfully helpful of the nice boys and girls at Apple to assist Android users like this. Samsung should be copying this in about 15 minutes.