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WWDC ’14: Women in Technology and Apps for China events as most labs remain secret

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Besides a slew of events focused squarely on the technical side of developing and designing applications for iOS 8 and OS X 10.10, Apple, this year, will be holding a pair of interesting events over the course of the first week of June at WWDC.

On Wednesday June 4th from 4:30 to 5:30 PM Pacific Time, an event called Women in Technology Get Together will take place. This important event will discuss “the increased participation of women in technology,” the schedule in the updated WWDC app reads. Apple is making a point to further involve women in the conference this year, even announcing that the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) will provide scholarships for women to attend WWDC:


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Apple confirms WWDC 2014 keynote to be held Monday, June 2nd at 10 AM PT; new hardware likely

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Apple’s Craig Federighi (Getty)

This morning, Apple revealed the schedule for next month’s Worldwide Developers Conference. To start things off, an Apple keynote will be held from 10AM to 12PM on Monday, June 2nd at Moscone West. Apple typically holds keynote addresses to kick off WWDC, but this schedule serves as the first direct confirmation from Apple. The event will likely be led by Apple CEO Tim Cook with assistance from Senior VPs Craig Federighi and Eddy Cue, who have some new software and services announcements, respectively…


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Apple updates WWDC for iPhone and iPad with new design and conference schedule

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With WWDC less than two weeks away now, Apple has released WWDC 2.0 for iPhone and iPad today on the App Store. The update revamps the user interface to reflect the design changes introduced with iOS 7 at last year’s WWDC conference. The update also includes a new icon to reflect the design changes: from dark purple to bright orange. The update also includes the latest schedule for this year’s conference (or as much as it will reveal) so developers attending the conference will want to download and reference it soon.


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Here’s a good look at the first MFi iPhone game controller from Logitech

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After teasing its first iOS controller that would work with Apple’s new MFi standard for game controllers, today we get what appears to be an official press shot of Logitech’s upcoming gamepad for iPhone that first leaked at WWDC earlier this year (via @evleaks).  We noticed that Logitech left space for the rear camera, which is nice for augmented reality apps and other games that utilize the iPhone’s camera.

Apple will offer 2 types of game controllers through its MFi program and two configurations all with pressure sensitive buttons and consistent layouts. The first type of controller is the form-fitting controller (much like Logitech’s above), which allows your iOS device to be docked right into the controller. The second will be a standalone controller that connects over Bluetooth. Above we’re looking at Apple’s standard layout, but there will also be an Extended layout for MFi controllers that adds dual thumbsticks and an extra set of shoulder buttons.

Others rumored to be creating new MFi iOS game controllers include ClamCase and Moga. 
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One prominent analyst expects new Haswell-based iMacs this month or next

We’ve heard nothing of new Haswell iMacs in the pipeline but prominent Apple Analyst Mingchi Kuo from KGI securities thinks they are on the way:

What’s new
We forecast iMac shipments to be 650k units in 2Q13, down 63% from 1.75mn units in 1Q13. We expect shipments to pick up in 3Q13 as Apple (US) launches Haswell iMac and peak season arrives. Full-year shipments are set to reach 4.7mn units.
Analysis
We attribute the shipments decline to the fact that new product shipments have peaked and due to the arrival of the consumer slow season. But we believe iMac shipments troughed in 2Q13. Apple is expected to upgrade iMac processor to Intel’s (US) latest Haswell processor in June or July. Meanwhile, the consumer peak season has arrived. Thus we expect shipments to reach 1.1mn units in 3Q13, up 69% QoQ. Full-year shipments are forecast to be 4.7mn units, up 31% YoY.

Even a July launch, if the analyst is correct, could warrant a mention at today’s WWDC. Apple did announce the current iMacs months ahead of schedule but Tim Cook subsequently told analysts at an earnings call that he regretted the decision citing some variant of the Osborne effect hurting sales.

When Apple first launched the all new, slimmed down iMac lineup leading up to the holidays in October of last year, Tim Cook quickly confirmed that Apple would run into some significant component constraints and delays for the product. The months following launch saw major delays with customers ordering the product having to wait weeks to receive their shipments and some models pushed back as far as December.

Kuo has been accurate enough in the past to warrant mentioning but his weakness has been his timings of releases so let’s keep the expectations low.

We’ll be covering every aspect of today’s WWDC so stay tuned.

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AT&T slips in some bad news ahead of WWDC: Upgrade eligibility moved from 20 to 24 months

Not a bad PR move on AT&T’s part: While everyone is getting hyped for WWDC, Ma Bell throws the same curve ball that Verizon threw at us in April. You must now wait the full 24 months to be eligible for phone upgrades rather than getting in at 20 months as you could have previously.

Today, we’re announcing a 24-month upgrade policy across all of AT&T’s wireless products and services.  This aligns device upgrade eligibility with our standard two-year wireless agreement and it applies to any customer whose agreement expires in March 2014 or later.

The move shouldn’t be a huge deal for iPhone customers who are used to two year cycles who can plan ahead to 2014.

MacBook Air refresh looks set for WWDC, potentially with faster Wi-Fi

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Apple appears set to release new versions of its MacBook Air notebook computer at next week’s Worldwide Developers Conference, according to information provided by a source. Earlier this week, we reported that Apple is planning to release four new Mac models at WWDC, and we narrowed this down to either new MacBook Pro with Retina display models or MacBook Air models.

Today, we have received specific pricing for the aforementioned SKUs, and the price-points correspond to Apple’s current pricing for the 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air models. We have yet to receive pricing information that points to the imminent availability of new MacBook Pros (as some had hoped), but perhaps the next refresh to Apple’s Pro portables will arrive in the coming months. Supply constraints to the Retina MacBook Pro line seems to imply that…


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Not able to register for WWDC? Apple’s bringing the conference to you with Tech Talks 2013 Fall Tour

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WWDC 2013 sold out in a matter of minutes likely cutting out a few developers who wanted to head to San Francisco for the show. For those who who missed out or who can’t make the trip to San Francisco, Apple will again be offering Tech Talks this Fall in a number of cities. (Apple will also be offering videos of WWDC session videos as they unfold.)

 In 2011, Apple’s Tech Talk hit 9 cities though it is far from certain that Apple will be hitting the same places this time around:


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T-Mobile 1900MHz crowdsourced maps will tell you where you will see fast iPhone speeds

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Since T-Mobile is being cagey (likely for regulatory reasons) about the locations of its re-farmed, iPhone-compatible HSPA+ network, a group at Airportal.de has filled us in. The 3G/4G locales are submitted by iPhone 3G and newer owners (or non-AWS 4G phone users) who are seeing 3G/4G on T-Mobile. T-Mobile claims its HSPA+ network shows speeds up to 70 percent higher than AT&T’s network.

The map appears to be filling out and goes way beyond T-Mobile’s stated Las Vegas, Seattle, Washington, DC, and New York metro area rollouts. We first discovered T-Mobile’s 1900MHz network at Moscone center in San Francisco ahead of WWDC this year.

[tweet https://twitter.com/milanmilanovic/status/253543640134197248]
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Apple adds Avenir typeface to iOS 6 in Maps

[tweet https://twitter.com/NathanBowers/status/212803875114201088]

Apple seems to now feature the Avenir typeface in iOS 6.

An interesting Reddit discussion popped up about the discovery of the font in both Maps and Siri, check it out:

Avenir is completely new to iOS, because it does not appear in Apple’s font list for earlier versions of the mobile operating system. According to Fonts.com, designer Adrian Frutiger first released the sans-serif typeface nearly 25 years ago.

What do you think of the typography choice?


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Facebook working on ‘major update’ to its SDK for iOS, acquires Face.com

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Facebook just teased more iOS integration in a short post on the company’s Developers page amid buzz that it bought another successful company with an iOS app at its core.

According to the social network, it is working on a “major update” to the Facebook SDK for iOS that will launch soon:

We’re very excited about the Facebook integration in iOS 6 that Apple announced last week at WWDC 2012. We’re working on a major update to the Facebook SDK for iOS that will launch in the coming weeks. It includes significant new features and enhancements that make it easier to add Facebook to your iOS apps, along with support for the Facebook integration in iOS 6. Stay tuned!

There are no details on the update, but TheNextWeb speculated it involves the Open Graph, “allowing iOS developers to easily hook into your Timeline and its News Feed and Ticker products has become a way to send an app’s growth into the stratosphere.” The publication also wondered if the update would help developers launch apps in the App Center more easily.

Integration between Apple and Facebook unveiled last Monday for both iOS 6 and Mountain Lion during the Worldwide Developers Conference.


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Previously jailbreak only, Apple allows iOS Display Recorder app into App Store

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Update 2, July 03, 2012: It looks like Apple has now pulled the Display Recorder app from the App Store.

The ability to record your iOS display was a functionality previously limited to a Cydia app for jailbroken iPhone users that is called “Display Recorder.” As noted by JBN, Apple has allowed an app of the same name, and with even more screen recording functionality, into the App Store. The App Store version of Display Recorder, released by Bugun Software, allows you to export to YouTube or your Camera Roll, adjust video and audio settings, and settles for recording and merging audio picked up by the built-in microphone.

It appears the app might take a succession of screenshots to compile the video. Apple does not allow third-party screen capturing apps for even screenshots into the App Store (apart from third-party browser apps), because it would mimic the native screenshot functionality in iOS. It is possible Apple will pull the Display Recorder app, but it is still available in at least the U.S. and Canadian App Stores for $1.99. A video of the app in action, courtesy of JBN, is below. We will let you know if Apple decides to pull it.

[tweet https://twitter.com/rpetrich/status/214745592310661121]

Update: The developer of the original Cydia Display Recorder app, Ryan Petrich, confirmed in a tweet (above) that he is not affiliated with the new app. He also filed a complaint with Apple.


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Neon Trees to perform at WWDC Bash on Thursday

Apple just revealed to developers via email that pop-rock band Neon Trees will put on a show at its Worldwide Developers Conference on June 14:

An amazing week just got better. Neon Trees will perform at Thursday night’s WWDC Bash. The party starts at 6:00 p.m. at Yerba Buena Gardens.

The WWDC Bash is intended to give developers’ coding skills a break. Apple told attendees on its website: “We’ll bring the food, the drinks, and the tunes. Just bring yourself and get ready to rock the night away.”


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Andy Hertzfeld: The only thing that’s still high-end about [Mac Pro] is the bloated price

[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5mac/status/212275242318561281]

Update: MacRumors received a tip from a reader who claimed Apple’s CEO Tim Cook responded to his email to confirm new Mac Pros are coming next year. We received a tip last year detailing a similar email exchange between a Pro customer and the late chief Steve Jobs. Cook’s response to the reader is below:

Our pro customers are really important to us…don’t worry as we’re working on something really great for later next year.

We were not too shocked when Apple quietly updated its Mac Pro lineup following its WWDC keynote yesterday. We had previously revealed the spec-bumped Mac Pros, but many were skeptical Apple would release such a minor refresh for the product that otherwise had not received an update in two years.

Was it really an upgrade, or did Intel simply run out of the older CPUs? USB 2 and no Thunderbolt seem like a bad joke to high-end Mac Pro users.

Not surprisingly, many are calling out Apple for its decision to not release a major refresh to the Mac Pros. Perhaps most notably is former Apple engineer and current Google employee Andy Hertzfeld. In a Google+ post, Hertzfeld congratulated Apple on its new Retina MacBook, while expressing disappointment in the new Mac Pros:

The next generation MacBook Pro announced today at WWDC looks fantastic. I ordered one immediately and can’t wait to start using it. Unfortunately, the euphoria was negated by my deep disappointment with the meagre, lame update that was silently bequeathed to the Mac Pro today… The specs for the “new” Mac Pro had hardly changed, except for a tiny, inconsequential processor clock bump. Still no Thunderbolt, still no USB 3.0, no SATA III or RAM speed improvements – it seems like it’s stuck in time in 2010. The only thing that’s still high-end about it is the bloated price… Even though I’m well aware that Apple’s future lies increasingly with mobile iOS-based devices, it still makes no sense to drop the ball on your high end desktop Mac so thoroughly, and to utterly disappoint your most loyal customers like yours truly.

As for complete refreshes for the iMac and Mac Pro lineups, David Pogue for the New York Times claimed an Apple executive confirmed they are in development and likely set for a 2013 release:

Many Apple observers also wonder if Apple thinks that desktop computers are dead, since not a word was said about the iMac and Mac Pro. An executive did assure me, however, that new models and new designs are under way, probably for release in 2013

Apple shows off new Passbook card/ticket management app

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During its Worldwide Developers Conference keynote, Apple demoed a new app called “Passbook” with its unveiling of iOS 6. The app allows you to manage boarding passes, movie tickets, store cards, and other passes that have QR codes, barcodes, or visual, scannable codes. Scott Forstall demonstrated how the feature is integrated into the iOS 6 lock screen by allowing cards or tickets to be displayed when—for instance—walking by a movie theatre. The cards are also live, so things such as boarding passes or show tickets will update live with cancellations or show times.

Forstall noted that Apple would make templates available to developers to make it easy for companies to offer their cards and tickets through Passbook. Apple’s press release described the app:


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Apple announces Mountain Lion ships in July for $19.99

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After giving a demonstration for some of the new features in Mountain Lion today, Apple confirmed during its Worldwide Developers Conference keynote that Mountain Lion would ship in July for just $19.99. That price is good for Lion and Snow Leopard users who want to upgrade all their personal Macs. Apple also noted it would be free for all developers attending WWDC. Apple will ship a developer preview today.

Stay tuned to our live blog for the latest updates.

Two new Apple iOS apps to be announced today: Organize.app and…

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Fox News’ Clayton Morris tweeted today that he got word there will be two new iOS apps revealed today:

[tweet https://twitter.com/ClaytonMorris/statuses/212195055782469632]

We detailed one called Organize.app:

Get Organized… with an all-new app from Apple?

iOS 6 will likely feature everything we’ve reported thus far (above: Siri on iPad, a 3D Apple-based Maps application, and features from OS X Mountain Lion), but there has been one possible feature that we’ve been hearing whispers about, but not full, concrete details like we heard for other features. Apple is working on a new in-house application for iOS called “Organize,” but we’re not sure if Organize will be announced with iOS 6 at WWDC, or if it is a future App Store app from Apple, a future iOS enhancement, or something scrapped all together. The application is said to be a virtual pocket, and the app’s purpose is to be able to replicate a person’s pocket and store things such as coupons, travel information, credit card info and more. We speculate that Apple will be using the neat camera-based scanning software that we reported to be in development for the scanning in of business cards, receipts, and using that to provide virtual items that get used when shopping and travelling. We can’t help but think that this application will eventually tie into the rumored Apple wallet/NFC service at some point in the future.

So, what is the other app?
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Retina Mac apps begin appearing in App Store ahead of Apple’s WWDC unveiling

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As noted by The Next Web, at least one developer has updated its Mac App Store app to include high-resolution “Retina graphics” for the new lineup of Retina display Macs that we revealed last month (here and here).

The Mac App Store app is Folderwatch. It was updated today with several new features, one of which is “Retina graphics.” We are not ready to speculate that the developers know something we do not, but Apple obviously allowed the update. It is likely we will begin to see Mac Apps updated with high-resolution artwork leading up to Apple’s introduction of Retina Macs at the Worldwide Developers Conference next week.

Some have pointed to the unusually high number of to-be-announced sessions on the WWDC schedule as proof of the introduction of a new app platform, but we noted that many of these sessions could relate to Retina Mac apps.


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Twitter to host WWDC session, tickets available now (Update: sold out/rescheduled)

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Update: Tickets are now sold out, but the website noted: “Pending tickets are currently with other customers. They may become available, so check back soon”

Update 2: Looks like they might be looking for a bigger venue – it says now lists ‘rescheduled’

With Apple’s WWDC just around the corner, and many TBA sessions still on the latest schedule, you can at least now get tickets for Twitter’s WWDC Open House set to include “tech talks, food and beer with our iOS and native applications engineering team!” There is only 50 or so tickets still available at the time of this writing for the session that—among others—will include talks on “Patterns for Mobile-Friendly API Design,” and “how the Twitter for iPhone team ships code.”

@TwitterMobile and @TwitterEng invite you to an evening of tech talks, food and beer with our iOS and native applications engineering team! Register as soon as you can as we anticipate hitting our capacity very quickly. If you’re planning to bring a +1, please see below (#questions) so you can get in touch with us to let us know their name and info.

Twitter’s session is set to take place the opening day of WWDC on June 11 at 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

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Gruber: TBA sessions on WWDC schedule could point to apps for Apple TV

In a post where he admittedly overanalyzed the recently released schedule for WWDC 2012, Daring Fireball’s John Gruber speculated that the high amount of “To Be Announced” sessions could indicate the launch of a new developer platform. His bet? Apps for Apple TV:

To me, this is what a preliminary WWDC conference schedule would look like if Apple were set to announce a new developer platform, like, say, apps for Apple TV. Apps for Apple TV is just a guess — I’ve heard not a single whisper about such a thing from any Cupertino area little birdies. (Cf. the aforementioned Tim Cook quote about Apple doubling down on secrecy.) But it’s one of the few things I can imagine would that would be big, new, and different enough to warrant that much attention at WWDC.

This tidbit follows reports from this morning that claimed Apple is set to introduce a new Apple TV OS and APIs, which could work with the unconfirmed Apple HDTV. We noted this morning that a new Apple TV OS raised questions, especially because Apple introduced a revamped Apple TV UI in March. We will have to wait a couple weeks to find out for sure, but we are expecting to see at least thinner, redesigned MacBook Pros, iOS 6, and Mountain Lion. Some of the TBA sessions could be for Retina Mac apps.

Apple will kick off WWDC with its keynote presentation at 10 a.m. PST on June 11.

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