Apple's decision to revamp and revitalize the rather disheveled iChat app was undoubtedly a decision that was needed to be made, but the execution of that decision has left more than a lot to be desired. OS X users have been more than happy to let Apple know that the Messages app on their platform isn't up to scratch, but while we wait for the Cupertino overlords to do something about it let's take a look at a new Messages concept that totally overhauls the app with the aim of actually appealing to those who use the service.
EBooks and other book offerings through the Kindle or iBooks remove a lot of that publishing overhead and allow readers to quickly get access to great content wherever they are. The next step in that progression is to remove the need to actually read the book yourself and have it auto-read out loud by the system.
Both of Apple's major operating systems - iOS for mobile and OS X for Mac - have been the subject of heavy updates these past couple of months. The introduction of iOS 7 and OS X Mavericks has meant that many apps, including the iWork family of utilities, have been altered rather significantly. But while some have been pleased with the changes made to the Cupertino company's famed productivity suite, which consists of Keynote, Numbers and Pages, many of the purists have been bemused with the apparent decision to omit some long-standing key features. As ever, they've been inundating the Support Forums with their complaints, to the point at which Apple has now announced some of the important features and changes to be made to iWork in the near future.
Technology enthusiasts are always interested in experiencing new and innovative solutions that make daily life that little bit easier. The majority of us usually carry our phones around with us and the growing popularity of OS X means that more and more people are interacting with Macs on a daily basis. Security is generally high on everyone's agenda when using our static and mobile devices, but where is it written that a secure computer has to be a tedious one? The new Knock app is aiming to put an end to that tedium by letting users unlock their Macs by simply 'knocking' on their iPhone.
Users all over the world are having their say about the relatively recent revelations of spying and stealth information capture that seems to be standard practice within certain departments. That heightened sense of awareness hasn't been helped by the fact that a keen eyed programmer came across a block of code in Apple's new OS for the Mac - OS X Mavericks - that suggests that the Californian giants are watching us. As we expected, it turns out that jumping to an initial conclusion without all of the evidence generally ends up with the wrong assumption being reached.
Apple, like all of the big tech companies, is always filing new patents and ideas with the USPTO, and one published this week suggests that the company could be looking into solar-based charging options for both the MacBook and the iOS device range. Such technology is already available, but its use is extremely limited, and with solar charging peripherals often bulky and impractical, Apple is looking for a simplified way to charge devices without he use of an inevitably hard-to-find plug socket.
Apple has officially published their latest financial results that give a thorough insight into how the Cupertino based company has performed in the last fiscal quarter. Many technology analysts and industry insiders have been using the days running up to the Apple Earnings Conference Call to declare their predictions that the company would fall short of projections due to lackluster demand for the iPhone 5 because new devices were on the verge of being announced. With posted revenues of $37.5 billion it seems that Tim Cook and his executive team can take a lot of positives from the financial performance.
Want to install Mac OS X Mavericks Hackintosh on your PC? Thanks to the latest UniBeast release which adds support for Mavericks, you can now have best of both worlds (Windows and Mac) on your Intel-based PC.
Apple's Mac Pro is something of a looker even in its standard shiny black guise, and if you're hardcore enough to stump up the minimum $3,000 price of entry there's little doubt that you'll be getting a good looking computer as well as a mighty powerful one. But everything can always be improved.
The imminent arrival of Sony's PlayStation 4 and all associated accessories is already reason enough to be excited as we head into the vastly important holiday shopping season. Getting our hands on and experiencing the PS4 - as well as Microsoft's Xbox One we might add - will be one of the highlights of the year as far as anticipated technology goes, but it's always great to find out that the hardware is capable of a little more than we first thought. In the case of Sony and the PlayStation 4 it seems that the accompanying DualShock 4 controller is actually compatible with a range of other platforms.
