With its MacBook Pro lineup tightly tied to Intel's chip release schedule, Apple will be pleased to learn that the chip maker has launched an update to its Haswell line of CPUs.
It's been a busy day for software-in-progress over at Apple today, and as well as rolling out OS X Yosemite 10.10 Developer Preview 4 and iOS 8 Beta 4, the Cupertino giant has also made iTunes 12 Beta available as part of Yosemite. As well as some serious design tweaks, there are also quite a few new features packed into this release, and as ever, you can check the details - as well as some first-hand screenshots - right here.
Keeping your Apple ID safe and secure has never been more important. Not only does it have your payment details locked in, meaning anyone with access to your account can start downloading apps, video or music, but it also plays host to your emails if you use an @icloud.com email address. Strong passwords are a must - you do have a strong password, don't you? - but sometimes a little extra security must be in order.
Even though developer Dong Nguyen pulled his immensely popular Flappy Bird game from the App Store and Google Play Store earlier on this year, the cult following it garnered has since spawned various tribute acts and spin-offs. But while most of these clones have been pushed out by opportunistic developers looking to cash in on the title's success, one Apple enthusiast has come through with a port for the Apple II, and surprisingly, it works like a charm. Having released a clip of his creation, aptly named Flapple Bird, in action, he seems to have replicated the graphics and gameplay down to a fine art, and as I think you'll agree once you see the clip, the result is simply awesome.
At this year's Worldwide Developer Conference, Apple delivered quite a few surprises with regards to OS X 10.10 Yosemite, but one feature we had been almost certain of many months prior to WWDC was that of the appearance. We knew, given the significant alterations made with iOS 7, that the Cupertino's thirst for uniformity would spill over to the Mac, and so it proved with the showcasing of a decidedly flattened-out Yosemite. Even though, as ever with such drastic visual changes, it's probably going to take some developers weeks - even months - to update their apps in compliance with the new look, some eager folk have already been trying to imagine what the icons of some stock and third-party apps may look like when given the Yosemite treatment.
Intel's Haswell chip, with its credentials as a very power-efficient processing infrastructure, has done wonders for Apple's Mac range, and in particular, MacBooks, which have seen significant battery life increases over the fleet of machines running on the preceding Ivy Bridge. The next-generation Broadwell chips were thought to be headed to Macs at some point this year, but with Intel apparently beset by delays, we could be waiting until the middle of next year before we can get our hands on the new Broadwell-powered machines.
Apart from the third beta of iOS 8, Apple has also seeded Developer Preview 3 of OS X Yosemite. Details on how and where to download it from can be found right here.
Apple has passed on the message to developers that it will be removing all CloudKit data from its servers as of Monday, July 7th. This is not out of the ordinary, and in fact, regularly occurs around the time that iOS and OS X betas arrive, and anybody running iOS 8 beta or OS X Yosemite Developer Preview with data stored in the iCloud Photo Library, Mail Drop or iCloud Drive will need to retrieve it over the next couple of days.
Apple has once again launched its Back To School promotional program, offering great deals to students looking to invest in a new Mac, iPhone or iPad. Those qualifying can expect a $100 Apple Store gift card with any Mac purchase, although this excludes the Mac mini, while students can also score themselves a $50 gift card when buying an iPhone or iPad. Whereas, in previous times, Apple has offered iTunes Store cards of similar value, this deal means that a user can spend the credit on peripherals, software, cases, and other such effects.
Although we've been largely sidetracked with the goings on of OS X 10.10 Yosemite and iOS 8, Apple is still working on improvements for the current software line-up, and in conjunction with the release of iOS 7.1.2 for those rocking an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, the company has also rolled out OS X Mavericks 10.9.4. As implied by the build number, the update is a rather rudimentary one, with fixes to Wi-Fi and a slight bump for Safari, among a couple of other tweaks, and below, we've got a full round-up.
