Mike Beasley

During the 2014 WWDC keynote, Apple demoed a very early build of its upcoming Photos application for Mac. The app will be available next year for OS X Yosemite, but for now all we really know is that its arrival will bring about the end of both iPhoto and Aperture. That news drew the attention of everyone who uses either of those applications, with many saying Apple no longer cared about pro-level users.

In an attempt to quell the outrage, Apple released a statement to ArsTechnica saying that Photos for Mac would still support pro features, but what exactly constituties a “pro-level” feature in Apple’s eyes? According to the statement, Photos will feature support for third-party plugins, library search, and advanced editing. If that sounds a little vague to you, it’s probably because Apple doesn’t really want to answer the question.

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Nuance, the company that originally created the backend for the Siri mobile app that would later become the built-in virtual assistant in the iPhone 4S, has powered the speech recognition for the service ever since it launched. However, a new report suggests Apple may be looking to replace the company’s technology with a newer, faster system that could provide more accurate results.

A new Wired report cites several recent Siri-related Apple hires as evidence that the company is working on something big for the system’s next update. This isn’t really a new idea: rumors have been swirling since 2011 that Apple was investigating its own speech-to-text solution. That same year, Siri co-founder Norman Winarsky (not to be confused with current Siri Speech Manager David Winarsky) told 9to5Mac:

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Image via Bloomberg

Bloomberg has published an interesting look at audience responses to Apple’s recent in-house advertising efforts compared to ads produced by the company’s long-time agency partner TBWA Media Arts Lab. As you can see from the graph above, Apple’s two most popular recent ads were both outsourced, though the in-house “Chicken Fat” (or “Strength,” as Apple called it) manages to come in at a close third. The data doesn’t include the company’s latest ad, “Parenthood…”

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It appears Apple has started rolling out support for two-factor authentication on its iCloud.com website. The feature initially rolled out to the Apple ID management website in the United States and then in several other countries soon after.

Under the new setup on iCloud.com, users can only access Find My iPhone without verifying their identities. Mail, Contacts, and other “apps” require you to enter a passcode that can be texted to any phone number or sent to the Find My iPhone app on properly configured devices.

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Last week a team of developers released the first untethered iOS 7.1.1 jailbreak, dubbed “Pangu.” At the time, the application only ran on Windows and the entire interface was in Chinese. However, a Mac version of the software was promised, and today that promise has been kept.

Pangu 1.1 was released on the dev team’s website earlier today and brings a handful of changes. Most importantly, the software now supports Mac OS X and sports a new English UI. The update goes deeper than just the desktop app, though. Bug fixes have been made to the jailbreak itself to fix issues such as a boot loop on certain devices that was being reported by those who had used version 1.0.

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When Apple launched its first-party mapping software alongside iOS 6, users immediately discovered that there were a significant number of issues with the map data. Apple eventually issued an apology and said that the release was not up to the company’s standards. A new Reddit post today seems it point to the fact that Apple is finally ready to start making serious changes to how it corrects Maps data.

Ever since the app debuted, it has had an option to report incorrect POI data to Apple. Until recently, however, it seemed that those reports were simply going to an unmonitored inbox to make users feel like they’d done something to help.

Just over a week ago, Reddit user “heyyoudvd” noticed that a number of incorrect data points in his area had been corrected—more than had ever been fixed in the previous two years, and many of which he had reported. Now “heyyoudvd” says he’s noticed an even bigger change…

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Earlier today Apple made a significant change to the iPod touch lineup. Aside from a few small hardware improvements to the lowest-end model, the company has—for the first time—started to close the price gap between storage tiers.

When the iPod touch first launched, there was a $70 gap between the 8 GB and 16 GB models. Jumping from 16 GB to 32 GB would cost an extra $100. However, with the launch of the second-generation iPod touch, the gap between the lowest two tiers increased to $100, and it’s stayed there ever since.

Until today, that is. Now, for the first time since the debut of the first iPhone in 2007, there is a mere $50 gap between all three capacities of an iOS device. Is this a sign that Apple is ready to give in and drop the ridiculous $100 pricing tiers on future big ticket premium devices when the actual Flash storage and controllers only cost Apple a few bucks? Or will we continue to see a $100 price gap between iPhones when the next-gen model is revealed this fall?

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It seems Costco has once again started selling specific Apple products several years after it dropped the company’s wares over Apple’s decision to not let the retailer carry the iPad. Not every model, carrier, capacity, or color are represented in Coscto’s stock, and all of the devices are only available online (except for the T-Mobile versions, which aren’t available online at all).

The 16 GB iPhone 5s on AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon will run you only $77.99 through Costco, saving you about $120. As noted above, the T-Mobile model is only available through “select Costco wireless kiosks.” All of the color and carrier combinations are available except for one: the gold iPhone on T-Mobile.

The iPhone offering is rounded out by a a blue AT&T iPhone 5c, also only available in 16 GB, for $99.99.
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A new research note from KGI indicates that the 4.7-inch model of the iPhone 6 won’t support optical image stabilization due to constraints in the production of VCM suppliers. The larger 5.5-inch version is expected to support the feature, while the smaller device will employ a cheaper motor that’s similar to the one found in the iPhone 5s.

Rather, we predict it will use a middle-mount type of open-loop VCM updated from the one used in the existing iPhone 5S. The 5.5” iPhone 6 is more likely to be equipped with OIS VCM due to lower estimated shipments and the need for more product features to differentiate itself from the 4.7” iPhone 6.

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Apple updated the beta version of its Pages, Keynote, and Numbers for iCloud suite today with a few new features and improvements. Notably, each application will now remember the last document you opened and settings like which interface elements were enabled or disabled (such as alignment guides and the zoom setting).

The apps will also automatically suggest your most recently used nickname when editing shared documents, improved image masking, and keyboard shortcut hints in contextual menus. These changes—especially the ability to remember your document settings between launches—more closely mirrors the functionality of the desktop software.

You can try the updated web apps on the iCloud website. The full statement from Apple is below:

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Last night we noted a report from a Taiwanese news outlet which claimed in part that Apple would be putting the next-generation iPhone into production in July. Now, Bloomberg has confirmed that the company will indeed be starting production on two different models of the upcoming smartphone next month.

The iPhone 6 is expected to be available in two sizes: one with a 4.7-inch display and a larger 5.5-inch design. Both are larger than the current iPhone 5s which features a 4-inch display. iOS 8 has introduced useful changes for developers that seem to indicate a larger screen is coming (possibly with a resolution of 1704 x 960), and leaked dummies and parts have given us an idea of what the phone will look like when it officially launches. Both models will reportedly sport curved glass and rounded edges…

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Apple’s new retail chief Angela Ahrendts has written a blog post on LinkedIn sharing some of the insight she has gathered while making the transition from Burberry to to the Cupertino company. The post opens with advice on how to avoid being overwhelmed with the stresses of a new position:

First: “Stay in your lane.” You’ve been hired because you bring a certain expertise to the team and the company. Try to resist putting additional or undue pressure on yourself trying to learn it all from day one.

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iPhone manufacturing partner Foxconn is in the process of hiring 100,000 new workers in order to ramp up iPhone 6 production, according to a new report from Taiwanese Economic Daily. Another iPhone manufacturer, Pegatron, is also said to be ramping up hiring in anticipation of the new smartphone.

Hiring frenzies like this are not uncommon as new iPhone models prepare to enter production, but in the case of Foxconn the figure represents a new record number of jobs.

According to the report, Foxconn is reportedly responsible for producing 70% of iPhone 6 orders. The report claims that the device will enter mass production in July. Leaked dummies have already given us an idea of what the phone will look like, including the LCD for the rumored 5.5-inch model.

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Skype has announced that it will discontinue support for older versions of its desktop clients, including Skype for Mac.” An exact date for the change hasn’t been given, but the company says it will happen “over the next few months.” Mobile clients like Skype for iPhone won’t be affected by the change.

The specific versions being phased out are 6.14 and older (the current version is 6.18). The change is being made to ensure feature compatibility across the versions of the software in use and enable the developers to continue building on that foundation. The current version of Skype offers several features not provided in older versions, such as the option to send messages to offline users.

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