Apple's decision to keep OS X and iOS as close to each other as possible when it comes to the underlying technology that powers them both has been beneficial to the firm in the past. Unfortunately that also means that some security holes found in one are likely to also be evident in the other, meaning both will require patching. Conventional wisdom says that if you have two platforms with the same security problem, you patch them both at the same time, but it seems nobody told the folks at Apple, leaving one security researcher to lay into the company over the matter.
Apple's Q2 FY14 earnings call on Wednesday revealed that the sales figures of certain products have not been as strong nor impressive as in previous years, with the iPad numbers in particular having faltered year-on-year. But given the growing number of competitors in both the tablet industry and the emerging "phablet" market, this is perhaps to be expected, and even the popularity of the all new iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina Display haven't prevented sales of the Apple slab from dipping somewhat.
We thought things had gone a little too far when we heard that Apple had introduced an app section within the iOS App Store dedicated to taking selfies. The practice of taking a photo of yourself has - for one reason or another - grown immensely popular in the last six months, leaving Apple with no option but to try and capitalize on it by curating a selection of the finest selfie based apps out there. If, like us, you thought that things couldn't get any crazier, then allow us to introduce you to S.E.L.F.I.E, the world's first magical mirror that can capture your photo (read: selfie) and post it to Twitter.
Thanks to extensions, browsers like Firefox and Chrome can be tailored to suit the needs of the individual users. Once a mere component of the wider computing experience, our browsers are like an OS unto themselves, and every element – irrespective of whether it may be aesthetic or function-related – can be adjusted by means of the many thousands of extensions available.
The fact that Dropbox forked out a cool $100 million to acquire Mailbox last year is a testament to how highly regarded the app is, but while it's now seen as the go-to email solution for those rocking an iOS device, the fact that it's only available on the iTunes App Store is very limiting. But when a company pays such vast sums of money to acquire something, expansion is generally forthcoming, and as such, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Dropbox has released the Mailbox app for Android, as well as announcing a desktop version.
We had a rough idea that this year's Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) would kick off in June because, well.. it nearly always does. But with the Cupertino company having last week finally put any ambiguity to rest by officially announcing the WWDC 2014 event, we're now firmly fixated on what will be uncovered from June 2nd. Adding to the melting pot of information we already have regarding iOS 8 and OS X 10.10, more intriguing tidbits have emerged with regards to what Apple might have in store for this summer and beyond.
Apple is famed across the land for making beautiful products with a premium look and feel. The iPhone and iPad range are beautifully put together and instantly stand head and shoulders above the competition in that respect. Accessories like the Time Machine, Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad have clearly had a lot of design research applied to them. Even the Apple TV is beautiful in its own simplistic kind of way. That leads us nicely onto the company's range of Mac computers. The MacBook and iMac are stunning to look at, but what if we had the option to purchase a sleek and mysterious looking black version of the MacBook Air?
It's an accepted fact that lithium-ion batteries - by their very nature - will degrade over time. Even if you buy a smartphone and it manages to live up to the outlandish, exaggerated claims made by the manufacturer with regards to how long it can run between charges, we know that after a year or two, retention will decrease considerably. A new power bank, which goes by the name of the BatteryBox, aims to change the current state of play with a revolutionary, energy efficient 'BatteryOS' that prevents degradation and keeps powering your devices efficiently - even five years after you begin using it.
When Apple decided to ditch Google Maps as its iOS mapping software of choice it caused quite the stir. With Google's mapping technology almost ubiquitous at this point, and with us all being so familiar with it, the thought of losing it on iOS was rather worrisome. As it turned out we didn't have to wait too long before Google brought Maps to iOS as a standalone app, but all the hooks inside iOS still point to Apple Maps, for better or for worse.
Over the last few weeks we have seen a lot of attention being paid to the future of Apple's mobile hardware and software. The annual speculation surrounding the next iteration of iOS has inevitably reared it's head ahead of this year's Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco. We've also been hearing about a number of possible inclusions that could form part of the next-generation iPhone. However, if mobile isn't your thing then a new post on Weiphone that outlines the purported future of Apple's MacBook lineup could be of extreme interest.
