Author

Jordan Kahn

Dir. Partnerships

9to5Mac / 9to5Google / 9to5Toys / Electrek.co / DroneDJ / SpaceExplored

Jordan manages the internal Partner Program for sponsorships and partnerships across the 9to5 network’s media brands including 9to5Mac, 9to5Google, 9to5Toys, Electrek.co, SpaceExplored and DroneDJ.com.

Jordan also writes about all things Apple as a Senior Editor of 9to5Mac. He covers Google for 9to5Google.com, the best gadgets and deals on 9to5Toys.com, and EV and solar news on Electrek.co. He also co-authors 9to5Mac’s Logic Pros series and makes music sometimes.

Contact Jordan with partnership inquiries and long-winded complaints:

Connect with Jordan Kahn

jordankahn

Add Russian, Brazilian Portuguese, & Thai to the list of Siri languages Apple is working on

Jordan Kahn Jun 23 2014 - 3:43 pm PT

7 Comments

Back in 2012 we noted that Apple was hiring engineers to help localize Siri into a number of languages the feature does not yet support. Those included Arabic, Norwegian, Dutch, Swedish, Finnish, and Danish, and recently Apple has added job listings for three more languages: Russian, Brazilian Portuguese and Thai. Apple also posted more recent job listings for the languages it first started hiring for back in 2012.

While Apple didn’t announce any new languages for Siri coming in iOS 8 when it previewed the new operating system earlier this month, it’s always a possibility languages could be added in time for its release this fall.

Apple is yet to add support for the languages mentioned above that it started hiring for a couple years back. Currently, Apple lists the following languages and localizations as supported by Siri:
Expand
Expanding
Close

Microsoft offers $650 to trade in MacBook Air for Surface Pro 3

Jordan Kahn Jun 23 2014 - 11:09 am PT

55 Comments

MacBook-vs-Surface-3

Remember when Microsoft took the wraps off its new 12-inch Surface Pro 3 while comparing it to a MacBook Air last month? Microsoft is hoping that argument was convincing enough to at least some MacBook users with a new trade-in offer allowing MacBook Air owners to get up to $650 off a new Surface Pro 3. All they have to do is hand over their MacBook Air and hop on the productivity train with their new Windows 8 hybrid tablet/ultrabook.

With the trade-in discount, the $799 base model Surface Pro 3 comes to just $150.

Surface-Pro-3-Macbook-trade-in-offer

We’re assuming the full $650 trade-in value will be for the latest Air models in good condition, and the deal will require you to hunt down a Microsoft retail store by July 2014 to complete the trade-in. Any takers?

Civilization Revolution 2 developed exclusively for mobile arrives on iOS July 2

Jordan Kahn Jun 23 2014 - 6:39 am PT

6 Comments

Update: 7/2/2014 6am: Civilization Revolution 2 is now available in the App Store

2KGMKT_CIV_REV2_ANNOUNCEMENT_BANNER_1600X300_US

2K Games has announced a brand new iteration on its popular world domination, 4X franchise with Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution 2 for iOS and Android. Despite its name, Revolution 2 is actually the first title in the franchise designed specifically for mobile from the ground up. The current Civilization Revolution title available on iOS is actually a port of the 2008 console title and never made it over to Android devices.

The game will combine the core tactical elements of the series with intuitive controls and a friendly user interface – designed specifically for mobile gamers on touch-pad devices. Civilization fans will also recognize the 16 historical leaders found in the first game, including Abraham Lincoln, Gandhi and Napoleon, alongside leaders such as Churchill and Kennedy, who are making their appearance in the series for the first time

Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution 2 will be available on July 2 for iPhone and iPad and arrive shortly after that for Android users.

Why Apple switched from Yahoo to Weather Channel for Weather data in iOS 8

Jordan Kahn Jun 20 2014 - 12:53 pm PT

26 Comments

When Apple unveiled iOS 8 earlier this month, it didn’t take long for beta testers to notice it had replaced Yahoo with The Weather Channel as the source of data in the stock iOS Weather app. While recent reports suggested Yahoo was trying to get Apple to put even more of its services on the iPhone including search, we now have a bit more of the story behind why exactly Yahoo got the boot for weather in iOS 8. Re/code reports that the deal was made by Weather Channel CEO David Kenny who also happened to be a former Yahoo board member:

The situation Yahoo finds itself in is due to a very crafty deal engineered by former Yahoo board member and Weather Channel CEO David Kenny, who has essentially shoved Yahoo off the key smartphone to be replaced by a new offering that he has been developing since he took over the weather news and information service last year. With it, he has unseated Yahoo from its important perch.

It’s worth pointing out that Yahoo has always powered its weather services with data from The Weather Channel. With that in mind, it’s unclear if Apple possibly had plans to drop Yahoo and go straight to the source before Kenny started developing the new and improved weather service referenced above. More from Re/code on why Apple made the switch:
Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple still finalizing support for Continuity features on older Macs, Bluetooth LE adapters a possibility

Jordan Kahn Jun 20 2014 - 10:06 am PT

25 Comments

Handoff

Some Mac users, specifically those with Macs that don’t support Bluetooth LE, weren’t too happy to find out that meant they would likely not get to use Apple’s new Handoff feature to seamlessly switch between apps across Macs and iOS devices. To be clear, Apple has not yet confirmed details of device compatibility for most Yosemite features, but some users have reported that only Mid 2011 MacBook Airs, Mid 2012 MacBook Pros, late 2012 iMacs, and 2013 Mac Pro or newer models– the Macs that include Bluetooth LE– appear to support the feature. We’ve learned from people with knowledge of the matter that Apple is still testing the feature and yet to finalize which Macs will be capable of supporting it.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Community

Another iWatch UI concept

Jordan Kahn Jun 20 2014 - 9:28 am PT

2 Comments

If you’re one of those weirdos that thinks iWatch will be a shrunken down iOS-like UI, you’re probably thinking of…

T-Mobile: 12k consumers (9 per min) signed-up for free iPhone 5s network trial in 24 hrs

Jordan Kahn Jun 20 2014 - 8:21 am PT

16 Comments

After announcing its new “Test Drive” feature allowing customers to trial an iPhone 5s for free on the T-Mobile network, the carrier is already sharing some stats on the new initiative. According to T-Mobile, “More than 12,000 people have already signed up to start cheating on their carrier.” That means around 500 consumers per hour (or almost 9 per minute) from T-Mobile’s competitors have signed-up to take home an iPhone 5s for a free week-long trial on the T-Mobile network. If T-Mobile’s plan works it could convince at least some of those consumers to make the switch for good.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Kanye West complains Apple trades iTunes placement for live appearances instead of paying artists (Video)

Jordan Kahn Jun 20 2014 - 6:46 am PT

28 Comments

Kanye West hasn’t been shy when it comes to expressing his opinions about Apple. Earlier this week he sat down for an interview with AdWeek and noted he thought Samsung’s deal last year with Jay-Z might have influenced Apple to invest in pop culture through its purchase of Beats. Above, Kanye expands on that thought in an interview with Bloomberg during the Cannes Creativity Festival. In the interview, while explaining that he thinks Apple didn’t see the value in investing in pop culture before the Samsung deal with Jay-Z, Kanye drives the point home by noting Apple offered artists “extra space on the iTunes page” instead of paying them to perform at the iTunes Festival.

We already knew that Apple wasn’t paying artists to perform at its iTunes Festival, which arrived in the U.S. for the first time this year during the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas. Kanye previously called out Tim Cook during one of his usual onstage rants earlier this year, but we didn’t know Apple was offering artists prime real estate on the iTunes store in exchange for their performances.

Kanye’s full quote is below:

“It showed, now that Steve has passed… It showed a number one company the importance of connecting with culture. And I know you might of heard about this thing where I was on stage calling Tim Cook out and saying why do you have these guys performing at SXSW and you don’t want to pay them. You just want to give us extra space on the iTunes page and stuff. Meanwhile, Samsung realized, the whole point of what we’re saying, is that no you have to go and pay these guys. And that culture and creativity is worth something. The best thing about the fall of Blackberry and the rise at Apple is the win for creativity…

Nike+ FuelBand app gets push notifications for challenges, upcoming events, more

Jordan Kahn Jun 19 2014 - 4:21 pm PT

0 Comments

Nike-Fuel-Band-01 Nike updated its Nike+ FuelBand companion app today with one notable new feature: the ability to receive push notifications for a number of different features within the app. Those include things like challenges, upcoming Nike events, exclusive video content, and more.

The new push notifications, along with bug fixes and some other minor improvements are available now in version 2.3 of the app. Nike might be planning to get out of the hardware side of its FuelBand business in the near future, but for now the FuelBand is still available for sale and the update a welcomed one by users.

What’s New in Version 2.3

• You can now stay connected to Nike via push notifications – receive the latest info on challenges and upcoming Nike events as well as exclusive video content.
• Bug fixes and other improvements.

Apple redesigns Support Communities website

Jordan Kahn Jun 19 2014 - 3:13 pm PT

6 Comments

Apple-Support-Communities-04

Earlier today we reported that Apple was preparing to introduce new enhancements to AppleCare, Apple IDs, and a redesign to its online support sites in addition to a number of other support related improvements. Now, Apple appears to have just flipped the switch on its redesign for at least the Apple Support Communities forums where users can go to discuss problems and troubleshoot products through Apple’s website.

The updated Apple Support Communities design has a much cleaner and more streamlined look and feel and extends through the entire Support Communities site including individual forum pages. In addition to a redesigned user interface, Apple is also building in new social features and an improved search engine into the Support Communities site. The search bar now displays similar questions as users type and combines the “Submit my question” button for those searching for something without any relevant results (pictured above).

As for the new social features, Apple has a quick links to “Activity” at the top of the redesigned site making it easy to keep on top of forums you’re interested in and view likes from other users. Another quick link to the “People” tab, which allows you to search for forum members with links to redesigned profile pages for each.

A gallery showing off the redesign is below:

AAPL Company

Apple’s Campus 2 Project gets 3D flyover rendering

Jordan Kahn Jun 19 2014 - 12:10 pm PT

6 Comments

[vimeo 98560323 w=800 h=300]

The 3D rendering above comes from Technology Integration Services. The company isn’t actually affiliated with Apple, but decided to put together this render of the company’s currently under construction Campus 2 building using publicly available designs. We have already seen a lot of renders straight from Apple of what the building will look like, but the flyover view in the render above gives us some perspective on the surrounding area, the courtyard area in the middle of the building, and the rest of the campus.

Earlier this month we noted that construction on Apple’s Campus 2 project was well underway when photos of the foundation walls surfaced online. Apple said previously that it expects the new campus to be complete for employees to move in by mid 2016 following a few delays.

Hundreds of businesses in London are about to flip the switch on payments via iBeacons

Jordan Kahn Jun 19 2014 - 8:11 am PT

9 Comments

iBeacon-Brixton-Pound-payment

In Brixton, South West London, hundreds of businesses will soon integrate iBeacons as part of one of the first real-world networks for mobile payments using Apple’s Bluetooth LE iBeacon tech.

In Brixton, businesses introduced a local currency in 2009 that eventually switched from paper into mobile payments by text. Around 250 businesses in the area accept the currency, which is meant to keep the money in the community and support smaller independent local businesses. By the starting of next month, the currency will have its own mobile app called Brixton Pound, and iBeacons will make it easy to automatically prompt users for payments. The Brixton Pound organization teamed up with Dingo for the payment solution and kontakt.io for the iBeacon hardware and integration:
Expand
Expanding
Close

Disney launches ‘Star Wars Scene Maker’ iPad app

Jordan Kahn Jun 19 2014 - 6:32 am PT

5 Comments

With hype building surrounding the filming of the latest Star Wars reboot, Disney is taking advantage by launching a new iPad app called ‘Star Wars Scene Maker’. The app allows users to create Star Wars scenes by selecting from various 3D assets like characters and environments, camera angles, dialogue (you can also record your own), musical scores, and more:

MAKE STAR WARS YOUR OWN!

Become the master of your own Star Wars video universe! Create your own scenes, choose your favorite characters, control their actions and dialogue, record your masterpiece, and share your Star Wars story! The Force of your imagination is with you!

FEATURES:

· Create your own Star Wars universe and bring it to life with imaginative play and countless options.

· Select from 3D environments with 3D models of your favorite characters, weapons, and ships.

· Use dialogue straight from the Star Wars films, or record your voice and apply a Darth Vader, Rebel Pilot, or Storm Trooper filter to put your words into any character’s mouth!

· Switch between three cameras, each of which can track or follow the action, to record your scene from multiple angles!

· Chooose a musical score taken from the Star Wars films, write your own iconic Star Wars “Title Crawl” and end credits, and share your finished scene with your friends!

Star Wars Scene Maker is available as a free download for iPads running iOS 7 and up (Disney says it’s “most compatible with the newest generation of iPad”), but you will find some paid in-app purchases and Disney ads within.

Jony Ive on new materials, software design, Tim Cook’s leadership

Jordan Kahn Jun 16 2014 - 1:28 pm PT

33 Comments

Jony Ive via Telegraph.co.uk

Following a few quotes from a Jony Ive interview with The New York Times appearing in a longer piece about Tim Cook over the weekend, the publication has now published a longer transcript from the interview. In the interview, Ive was asked about working with Cook, how things have changed post Steve Jobs, and he also gave some insight into his daily work routine. “We meet on average three times a week. Sometimes those meetings are over in his space, sometimes here in the design studio. We all see the same physical object. Something happens between what we objectively see and what we perceive it to be.”

Ive described his new role leading software design at the company as “some leadership and direction in terms of user interface – a subset of software,” and most interestingly seemed to hint at using new materials for products that the company hasn’t worked with before. Naturally, Ive would have loved to say more but couldn’t: “I would love to talk about future stuff – they’re materials we haven’t worked in before. I’ve been working on this stuff for a few years now. Tim is fundamentally involved in pushing into these new areas and into these materials.”
Expand
Expanding
Close

Domino’s Pizza launches voice ordering in mobile apps powered by Nuance

Jordan Kahn Jun 16 2014 - 9:31 am PT

4 Comments

Dominos-ipad-app

Dominos announced today that its launching a new voice ordering feature in its iPhone and Android apps that is powered by Nuance’s Nina Mobile voice speech recognition, speech synthesis and natural language understanding technology. The company says the feature will provide “a human-like, conversational customer service experience that allows users to speak an order and quickly add items to their cart.” Imagine opening the app and placing your order by saying, for example, “I’d like a large pizza with extra cheese, pepperoni and onions” or “I’ll take a 14-piece order of Hot Wings”.

“There will be a day where typing on keyboards or with thumbs on mobile devices will come to a close; we want to be the ones who continue to advance the technology experience – hand-in-hand with our customers,” said Patrick Doyle, Domino’s Pizza president and CEO. “Our mobile app users who are a part of this launch are truly helping set the foundation for the innovations of today, that will soon enough become the standards of tomorrow.”

The platform, in partnership with Nuance, will redefine technology convenience – and puts Domino’s at the forefront of an intuitive ordering method that is a true first within both traditional and e-commerce retail.

With the updated app rolling out today, you’ll also be able to browse menus, coupons and navigate through the app using your voice. The feature rolls out in beta today and is available in the updated Domino’s Pizza app for iOS now.

iBeacons in retail stores blowing up app usage, ad engagement

Jordan Kahn Jun 16 2014 - 7:13 am PT

26 Comments

cp-zatarains

One of the big debates regarding iBeacons, the tech that allows iOS apps to receive location-aware notifications over Bluetooth LE, is whether or not the experience will become intrusive for users. Imagine having your local grocery store’s app installed. Once the store has installed a few beacons, you could soon find yourself overcome with notifications as you walk around without ever even opening the app. You run the risk of users getting frustrated and potentially avoiding or deleting the app entirely. However, that hasn’t been the case when it comes to the iBeacons installed by inMarket in grocery stores across the country. It tells us app and ad engagement has skyrocketed since rolling out the platform:
Expand
Expanding
Close

Ahead of Apple’s HealthKit, WebMD app now tracks health & fitness data from connected accessories

Jordan Kahn Jun 16 2014 - 6:22 am PT

4 Comments

WebMD today launched “Healthy Target”, a feature within its iOS app that lets users track health data from a variety of sources like activity trackers, glucose meters, and other iPhone-connected health and fitness accessories. The feature lets users set goals, track habits, get easy to understand summaries of biometric data, and also provides progress reports and inspiration along the way. WebMD says the feature “will provide valuable assistance to individuals looking to manage chronic conditions like Type 2 diabetes and obesity, as well as to a broader audience interested in achieving their fitness goals or more generally living a healthier lifestyle.” The feature acts a lot like Apple’s new Health app, which is about to launch alongside its new HealthKit platform for developers this fall with iOS 8.
Expand
Expanding
Close

AAPL Company

AT&T says personal customer info taken in security breach by smartphone unlocking service

Jordan Kahn Jun 13 2014 - 1:50 pm PT

0 Comments

att-sign-28

IDG News Service reports AT&T has experienced a security breach that allowed employees working on behalf of a smartphone unlocking service to access personal information, call records and Social Security numbers of customers.

The breach took place between April 9-21, but was only disclosed this week in a filing with California regulators. While AT&T wouldn’t say how many customers were affected, state law requires such disclosures if an incident affects at least 500 customers in California.

“Employees of one of our service providers violated our strict privacy and security guidelines by accessing your account without authorization,” the company said in a letter to affected customers. “AT&T believes the employees accessed your account as part of an effort to request codes from AT&T than are used to unlock AT&T mobile phones in the secondary mobile phone market.”

The second-hand unlocking market, which sees services like Chronic Unlocks charging to remove software locks on devices preventing them from being used on other carriers, continues to be somewhat of a grey area. Earlier this year the US House of Representatives passed a bill that reversed an earlier decision by the Library of Congress to make unlocking a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, but it received criticism from the Electronic Frontier Foundation and other industry watchers. The bill made unlocking allowed for individuals, but not “for the purpose of bulk resale.” Many carriers unlock devices if requested by the customer, but policies vary from carrier to carrier and country to country.

[tweet https://twitter.com/chronic/status/477571317244256256]

iOS 8 lets apps access Safari AutoFill credentials for quick & easy login

Jordan Kahn Jun 13 2014 - 8:45 am PT

22 Comments

In iOS 8, Apple is making the process of logging into apps a much smoother experience by allowing native iOS apps to access usernames and passwords stored in Safari. The new feature, which works by letting iOS apps tap into Safari’s AutoFill & Passwords feature, will allow users to login to apps with a simple tap rather than having to type login info. Imagine your username and password are stored in Safari’s AutoFill for Facebook, for example. When launching the native Facebook iOS app, the feature will let users select from passwords stored in Safari to quickly login (as pictured above with Apple’s demo “Shiny” app).
Expand
Expanding
Close

Watch the 2014 FIFA World Cup on your iPhone or iPad

Jordan Kahn Jun 12 2014 - 1:25 pm PT

13 Comments

World-Cup-BBC The 2014 FIFA World Cup is officially kicking off today and, while Google might have you covered for updates through search or Google Now, you’ll need one of a few other iOS apps if you plan on streaming live audio or video of all the upcoming games. Head below for our full list of options for video and audio including options for both those in the US and abroad. Most on the list below have streams on TV and online, but you’ll need to download some apps if you want to tune in on your iPhone or iPad:

US: For video you’ll need to download the WatchESPN apps, which will require you to sign into a supported cable provider to access all 64 games being streamed live on the network. That includes streams in English, Portuguese and Korean, but for a Spanish broadcast Univision has streams also available through its app for iPhone and iPad. Support cable providers for Univision include AT&T, Bright House, DirecTV, Optimum, Cox, Dish, Time Warner Cable and Verizon.

If audio will suffice, iTunes Radio is live streaming games from the ESPN station and TuneIn Radio is aggregating all 64 games from ESPN Radio in its iPhone and iPad app.

UK: The BBC and ITV will be broadcasting the games in the UK, which will also be available in their iOS apps including the iPlayer BBC app and the ITV Player app for iPhone and iPad.

Australia: SBS On Demand will have the games to watch in its iOS apps for Australia, but it doesn’t appear to be offering live streams.

Canada: CBC has all 64 games live through its iOS app and doesn’t require users to sign into a cable provider.

A full list of who has broadcasting rights in which countries this year is here. If there are streams in your country, they will likely be through the broadcaster’s iOS app. FIFA has a full match schedule on its website here.

Amazon Prime music streaming service lands on iOS, Cloud Player app now “Amazon Music”

Jordan Kahn Jun 12 2014 - 6:39 am PT

7 Comments

Following the launch of Amazon’s new streaming music service on the web last night, Amazon has now updated its iOS app with the feature, which also gets renamed from Amazon Cloud Player to the much more suitable Amazon Music. Also along for the ride is an updated icon and revamped design for the app.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Google Search iOS app adds World Cup Google Now cards ahead of event

Jordan Kahn Jun 11 2014 - 12:08 pm PT

1 Comment

Google-Now-World-Cup Google has been adding StreetView, Maps, and new search features specifically for the upcoming 2014 FIFA World Cup, and today it brings new Google Now cards to the Google Search app for iOS. The new cards for the Google Now feature in the app will present the latest on World Cup news including “scorers, match statistics, group standings and more.”

Also new for this year’s tournament, you don’t even have to search to get updates on your favorite teams—just open Google Now. You’ll be given an option to start seeing cards with stats about each match that you can tap for more detail… Make sure you are signed in to Google, and have your Google Now turned on in your settings. Swipe up to see your Google Now cards and follow your favorite team!

The updated Google Search app for iOS is available on the App Store now.

Apple responds to EU investigation into tax practices: “Apple pays every euro of every tax that we owe”

Jordan Kahn Jun 11 2014 - 11:52 am PT

3 Comments

Tim-Cook-02-Senate-taxes

Following a report yesterday that the European Commission was about to launch a formal investigation into Apple’s tax practices in Ireland, the EU has now officially announced the investigation at a press conference. Bloomberg reports that the investigation will include not just Apple, but also Starbucks and Fiat Finance & Trade SA and will look at “whether the tax deals in Ireland, the Netherlands and Luxembourg are illegal state aid.”

“Special secret deals should be outlawed across the EU,” Chas Roy-Chowdhury, head of taxation at the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, said in an e-mailed statement. “All tax breaks and reliefs should be openly available for qualifying businesses.”

“We need to fight against aggressive tax planning,” Joaquin Almunia, the EU’s competition commissioner, said at a press conference in Brussels. He said it’s “still too soon to anticipate” possible recovery if the EU finds the tax rulings to be illegal.

Apple responded with a statement to Bloomberg following the news claiming that it “pays every euro of every tax that we owe” and that it “received no selective treatment from Irish officials.” Apple’s full statement is below:

“Apple pays every euro of every tax that we owe,” the company said in an e-mailed statement. “We have received no selective treatment from Irish officials. Apple is subject to the same tax laws as scores of other international companies doing business in Ireland.”

Apple last year faced a U.S. Senate hearing on its offshore tax practices in which it denied taking advantage of any tax loopholes in Ireland. The SEC also closed its own investigation without establishing any wrong-doing in October of last year.

Cannes Lions Festival app will use iBeacons to let attendees network

Jordan Kahn Jun 11 2014 - 10:21 am PT

2 Comments

Cannes-iOS-app Like it did for SXSW, Tribeca Film Festival, and the Olympic Games, event app platform Eventbase will be in charge of rolling out iBeacons at the upcoming Cannes Lions 2014 Festival that will provide attendees with unique features via the event’s official iOS app. This time around, rather than speeding up check-ins or interactive audience features, the company is allowing attendees to network with an “Around Me” feature in the event’s app that displays nearby attendees using iBeacons. The festival is the same one that Apple’s Jony Ive and Bono will appear at on June 21 for a rare interview about the (RED) charity organization.

The feature will integrate with LinkedIn profiles and allow attendees to send messages and connect instantly if they’ve opted in. The app will also be sending out other targeted notifications using iBeacons:

Eventbase co-founder Jeff Sinclair says the Cannes Lions app combines the power of iBeacon technology with tight LinkedIn integration to allow attendees to see who is around them, read their profile and immediately reach out to them through the app… “We’re excited to be pioneering the use of iBeacon technology for attendee-to-attendee networking,” says Sinclair. “The ability to find out more about the people around you and instantly connect has the potential to transform the event experience entirely.” Eventbase is partnering with mobile relationship management platform Urban Airship to deliver highly targeted and relevant messages via iBeacon-triggered push notifications to attendees during the event, including those visiting the festival’s Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) Tent — a showcase for mobile, creativity and marketing innovation.

Last week Apple introduced some new features that it hopes will improve the iBeacon experience including indoor mapping features coming for developers in iOS 8. The company explained the new indoor navigation and indoor positioning features will make for an even richer iBeacon experience by allowing, for example, event spaces to guide users to iBeacon-powered exhibits using the indoor location features.