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6,295 'Apps' stories April 2010 - June 2014
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Learn about the latest news for iOS, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV apps

Apps for iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS power our modern world. 9to5Mac will update you on the latest news, review, and updates for all types of apps. “There’s an App for that”.

The term came became part of our vocabulary when Steve Jobs announced The App Store as part of the iPhone 2.0 software update in 2008.

Over the years, the term has become as common as kleenex for describing applications on all of our devices. Apple’s platforms have apps for just about anything from finance, banking, sports, social media, podcasting, music, and more. We have a guide for helping you discover the best ones as well. Apps are now on everything from our TV, to our smartphones, on our laptops, and all the way down to our wrists.

As new ones are released or existing ones have major updates, the team here at 9to5Mac will bring you the latest news and reviews. If you want to follow along with video footage, be sure to follow 9to5Mac on YouTube. Scroll down below our latest updates on all things relating to applications on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Watch.

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Apple announces new iCloud pricing: 5GB free, 20GB for $1/month, 200GB for $4/month, up to 1TB

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jun 2 2014 - 11:23 am PT
8 Comments

Apple just announced new iCloud pricing coming soon to compliment a ton of new cloud features unveiled for iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite today.

The new pricing starts with the same free 5GB for all users and introduces a new 20GB for $1/month tier as well as a 200GB for $4/month tier. Currently Apple offers 5GB for free and charges $20.00 for an extra 10GB, $40 for an extra 20GB, or $100 for 50GB per month.

Apple didn’t say exactly when it would be flipping the switch on the new prices, but it did confirm that tiers up to 1TB will be available under its new pricing scheme.

Apple officially introduces iOS 8 “Healthkit” platform & “Health” app

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jun 2 2014 - 11:13 am PT
7 Comments
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Following our reports earlier this year that exclusively revealed details and screenshots of Apple’s Healthbook app, Apple today just officially announced the app confirming the details of our reports. Apple’s new platform, codenamed Healthbook, will be officially known as ‘HealthKit’ on the developer side of things, and will come with an accompanying app for iOS 8 called ‘Health’.
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Apple’s OS X 10.10 WWDC banner appears to point to ‘Yosemite’ or ‘El Capitan’ name

Avatar for Jordan Kahn May 30 2014 - 2:07 pm PT
54 Comments
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We’ve been watching as banners go up at Moscone West in preparation of Apple’s WWDC developer conference on Monday, and now the company appears to have revealed “Yosemite” as the name for its next OS X release. The image, however, appears to be of El Capitan, a rock formation in Yosemite and another name Apple has reportedly trademarked as “El Cap”. For that reason, there’s a possibility Apple could go with either the El Cap or Yosemite name for 10.10 on Monday”

The banner above (Via The Verge) shows an image of what appears to be a section of Yosemite National Park in California, as pointed out by our own Michael Steeber:
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1Password iOS app gets automatic backups accessible in iTunes, item printing, more

Avatar for Jordan Kahn May 30 2014 - 10:13 am PT
3 Comments

Popular password manager app 1Password received a nice update today for iPhone and iPad that introduces a few notable new features and the return of one previously removed. Version 4.5.2 of the app now includes automatic backups of data that users can access via iTunes. It also sees the return of item printing, bug fixes and more.

The app also makes some overall performance improvements. Developer AgileBits notes “Sync is now much sync-ier” and “That pesky flickering while viewing an item’s details is no more.”

Version 4.5.2 of the 1Password app for iPhone and iPad is available on the App Store now.

What’s New in 4.5.2

◆ 1Password now keeps automatic backups of your data that are accessible via iTunes
◆ Item printing is back, baby!
◆ Sync is now much sync-ier
◆ That pesky flickering while viewing an item’s details is no more
◆ The report of bug deaths is *not* an exaggeration

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9to5Toys Lunch Break: Samsung 32″ smart HDTV $260, GoPro HERO3+ Black $330, Giveaway winners announced, more

Avatar for Justin Kahn May 30 2014 - 10:07 am PT
0 Comments

Be sure to follow 9to5Toys to keep up with the best gear and deals on the web: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Giveaways presented by SlickWraps: Apple TV, $100 iTunes gift card, $50 SlickWraps gift card, more

The above contest is now over, congratulations to our winners: @Jemarch86, @austinkeith and @robertburnspr – stay tuned for more great giveaways…

Samsung 32-Inch 1080p 60Hz Smart LED HDTV $260 shipped (orig. $499)

GoPro HERO3+ Black 1080p Cam w/ WiFi: $330 shipped (Reg. $400)

Take $100 off any Verizon smartphone priced $200 or more with a new 2-yr agreement

Other new deals:

More deals still alive:

New products/useful info:

Microsoft/Google/Android:

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Google Play Music iOS app updated with editable playlists and more

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy May 30 2014 - 6:26 am PT
0 Comments

The iOS version of the Google Play Music app has been updated, allowing you to edit playlists directly in the app rather than having to login to the website to do it.

Google has also introduced a few more goodies: Shuffle Artist, which does exactly what the name suggests, and a filter to show only the music you’ve actually downloaded – handy when you want to narrow your selection to your favourites.

Google Play Music is a free download from iTunes.

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BlackBerry announces upcoming BBM for iOS update with easier signup and friending

Avatar for Mike Beasley May 29 2014 - 6:26 pm PT
2 Comments

BlackBerry has announced an upcoming release of its BBM client for iOS devices that includes an easier signup flow and an improved process for adding new contacts.

The new simplified registration process will request only a name, password, and email address, as opposed to the current app which requires much more information. The update will also improve the process for adding new contacts. Currently users who get an invite need send their own PIN back to the other party so they can be mutual contacts. In the new version that step will be automated. Tapping the invitation link in the email will complete the entire process.

The update also adds new emoticons to the app’s existing selection. BlackBerry Messenger 2.2 will be available on the iOS App Store in the coming days.

Beats Music streaming service worth less than $500M of $3B Apple paid for whole company

Avatar for Jordan Kahn May 29 2014 - 4:47 pm PT
5 Comments
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With most agreeing that Apple was mostly interested in the talent behind the Beats Music streaming service rather than the headphone business, there has been lots of speculation about just how much that part of the business is worth. According to a new report from The Wall Street Journal, it’s actually around $500 million of the total $3 billion ($2.6B in cash and $400m in equity) that Apple paid for the company.

The report notes that the $500 million valuation for the streaming service unit of Beats is actually considered generous considering the young service’s still small subscriber base. It has just 250,000 paying subscribers at $10/month contributing to the $1.3 billion the business as a whole brought in during 2013:
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Rdio music streaming service adds push notifications to iOS app

Avatar for Jordan Kahn May 29 2014 - 2:54 pm PT
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Subscription music streaming service Rdio updated its iPhone and iPad app today with one notable new feature for version 2.5.9: Push Notifications.

The new push notifications feature will allow you to get notified for a number of different activities within the app such as music that’s being shared with you, subscribers to your playlists, new followers, and more. You’ll also be able to select which notifications you’d like to receive if you, for example, only want to know when users share new music with you and not every time someone subscribes to one of your playlists.

The app also includes “various UI improvements and minor bug fixes” in the latest release.

Version 2.5.9 of the Rdio app for iPhone and iPad is available on the App Store now.

What’s New in Version 2.5.9

– Push Notifications. Get notified on your mobile device about the activities of your choice, such as music shared with you, new followers, subscribers to your playlists and more.
– Various UI improvements and minor bug fixes.

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Rumored Microsoft smartwatch to be OS agnostic, might land this summer

Avatar for Stephen Hall May 29 2014 - 1:29 pm PT
5 Comments

According to a new report from Forbes, Microsoft’s rumored smartwatch is going to be compatible with not only the Redmond, Washington corporation’s own Windows Phone operating system, but Android and iOS as well (via The Verge). Other details from the report include a release date for the watch potentially slanted for this Summer, as well as battery life that lasts upwards of two days.

Microsoft has been rumored to be working on a smartwatch for quite some time, but today’s report corroborates some information that was previously assumed, and adds a few details that we haven’t yet heard. The device will apparently be a sensor-rich device (as is expected from Apple’s iWatch as well), featuring a heart rate sensor that synchronizes data to the above mentioned variety of devices.

Supposedly, Microsoft is pulling some engineers from the Kinect side of the company to make sure this feature is running 24 hours a day. Microsoft was already rumored to be working on a health rate monitor called the “Joule” in 2012, so it shouldn’t come as any surprise that it’s taking advantage of Xbox experts to help put this product together.

The report suggests that the device may land as early as this Summer, but Forbes — as might be expected — says that the timeline is “unclear.”

Image: The Independent

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9to5Toys Last Call: iPad mini w/ Retina 32GB $430, Infinity Blade II FREE, HDTV Indoor Antenna $20, more

Avatar for Justin Kahn May 29 2014 - 10:03 am PT
0 Comments

Be sure to follow 9to5Toys to keep up with the best gear and deals on the web: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Last Call Updates:

iPad mini w/ Retina display 32GB WiFi $430 shipped (Reg. $499)

Infinity Blade II goes free for a limited time (Reg. $7)

Winegard FlatWave HDTV Indoor Antenna w/built-in amp (refurb): $20 shipped (Reg. $100)

Giveaways presented by SlickWraps: Apple TV, $100 iTunes gift card, $50 SlickWraps gift card, more

Other new deals:

More deals still alive:

New products/useful info:

Microsoft/Google/Android:

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Crowd-sourced crime-reporting and safety app Tapshield goes public

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy May 29 2014 - 7:16 am PT
0 Comments

A crowd-sourced crime-reporting and safety app trialled on selected university campuses has now been rolled out to everyone. Tapshield allows real-time viewing of crime stats and suspicious activity in an area, and allows you to summon help when in trouble.

An award-winning mobile safety app and response dashboard, TapShield uses collaboration and crowd-sourcing to build safer communities & improve response times. Think of TapShield as your social safety network with you wherever you want to go.

The way the app works is that users can report crimes in progress and anything else they spot that concerns them, and those locations and incidents are then automatically shown to other Tapshield users in the area.

When a crime is reported, Tapshield sends a message to campus security when used within one of the participating colleges, and dials 911 when used elsewhere. You also have the option of sending a non-emergency alert to police when you see something that concerns you but which doesn’t justify an immediate emergency response – such as a bunch of street lights out, leaving a path in darkness.

If you have to make a journey that concerns you, you can specify your route and ETA and allow family and friends to follow your journey remotely, raising the alarm if you go off-route or don’t reach your destination when expected.

Finally, the app has a ‘yank’ mode, which automatically sends an alert if headphones are forcibly pulled from the device, such as when your phone is snatched by a thief.

Tapshield is a free download from iTunes.

Via TheNextWeb

Readdle’s PDF Expert goes universal, adds even more power in version 5.1

Avatar for Mike Beasley May 29 2014 - 7:00 am PT
5 Comments
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PDF Expert, the powerful PDF viewing and editing application from Readdle, got a big update today that features few new features and tweaks to make it even more useful along with a big speed boost.

The big news, though, is that PDF Expert is a universal app for the first time. Where previous versions were device-specific for the iPhone and iPad, PDF Expert 5.1 brings both interfaces together in one app. To accommodate the change, the old iPhone version has been retired. Version 5.1, which was formerly iPad-only, will now work on the iPhone as well, with all features supported across both devices.


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RSS client Reeder 2 for Mac now available on the Mac App Store

Avatar for Zac Hall May 28 2014 - 8:15 pm PT
7 Comments

After a brief public beta period, the popular RSS client Reeder is out with the first update to its Mac software since Google Reader broke support Reeder last year.

The new version supports a number of RSS services that have proven popular since Google Reader ended (like Feedbin, Feedly, and Feed Wrangler), and it now serves as a standalone RSS client without syncing so you won’t have to depend on an RSS service to use the app in the future.
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HockeyApp app testing platform gets big 3.0 update w/ Team Management & more

Avatar for Jordan Kahn May 28 2014 - 7:49 pm PT
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HockeyApp, one of the last big independent, cross-platform app testing platforms after Apple acquired TestFlight (and pulled Android support) earlier this year, gets a big update today with version 3.0. The full change log includes a long list of new features, enhancements, and fixes, but the company ran through a few of the most notable new features in a blog post. One of the most requested new features is Team Management:

You asked for it, you (finally!) got it. You can now create and manage users in teams with HockeyApp. Once a user has accepted your team invite, you can add this team to apps without sending further invites. Our new User Control Center shows you which teams and users have been added to the app, which device are not provisioned, and which users have applied to become a tester.

The release also includes a new feature for adding Organizations that are owned by multiple people, a new notification system, feedback attachments, and a much improved user interface and overall user experience. In addition, you’ll find updated pricing plans and more details on the company’s website here.

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Beats Music iOS app drops yearly pricing to $99, extends free trial as Apple confirms deal

Avatar for Jordan Kahn May 28 2014 - 1:37 pm PT
9 Comments

Right as news is breaking that the Apple and Beats deal is finally official for $3B, the Beats iOS app has just been updated with new pricing and an extended free trial for all users.

Up from the previous free 7-day trial offered by the service, Beats Music now offers a “no strings attached trial” for 14 days to all users. Most notable in the update, however, is the fact that the service is slashing pricing from $119.88 a year to $99.99/year:

We’ve dropped price of our yearly subscription to $99.99, down from $119.88.

The service will continue to charge $9.99/month for users not purchasing a yearly subscription. The Beats Music website FAQ has been updated to reflect the new pricing and also continues to list $15/month family plans and extended free trials offered to AT&T customers.

Apple also confirmed today that it will continue to operate Beats Music as a separate service including Android and Windows phone apps.

Version 2.1.0 also includes “tons of bug fixes so the whole experience runs smooth as silk.”

What’s New in Version 2.1.0

● We’re stoked to announce that our no strings attached trial has been extended to 14 days to ensure everyone gets ample time to explore the full Beats Music experience.

● We’ve dropped price of our yearly subscription to $99.99, down from $119.88.

● To top it off, we pushed tons of bug fixes so the whole experience runs smooth as silk.

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Apple tweaks Top Charts in App Store on iOS

Avatar for Jordan Kahn May 28 2014 - 11:23 am PT
0 Comments

TechCrunch notes that Apple has quietly made some changes to the App Store Top Charts by reducing the top 300 apps previously listed across Paid, Free and Top Grossing categories to just 150. It’s what I expect will be a welcomed change that shows Apple is attempting to clean up the App Store ranking system, but it’s not one that most users are likely to notice. As noted by app tracking company Appsfire in the report, “most users don’t even get to that part of the ranking – except industry watchers. If there’s any good reason to remove this part, it’s because it’s not used.”

It is, however, still up for debate if this will have any impact on the mostly smaller developers that will get booted from the top charts as a result. The change so far is only on the App Store on iOS.

It’s a sign at least that Apple is attempting to improve the App Store charts and app discovery in general, something it’s been doing behind the scenes on a regular basis. The change won’t do much to combat the shady tactics used by some developers to game the charts, but hopefully Apple has some bigger changes in store for iOS 8 that we’ll see at WWDC early next month.

In other App Store news, mobile analytics firm App Annie, which is often the best source around for tracking App Store related data that Apple doesn’t provide, announced today that it is acquiring competitor Distimo. With the acquisition, the company is now tracking more than 600,000 apps and has 270,000 registered business users. That includes “90 percent of the top 100 app publishers by revenue.” 

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Chrome iOS app gets improved Omnibox, revamped search results page

Avatar for Jordan Kahn May 28 2014 - 10:05 am PT
1 Comment

Google updated its Chrome app for iPhone and iPad today with a few minor features to make the browsing experience more comfortable. First up is right-to-left Omnibox support for Arabic and Hebrew after adding initial autocomplete support for right-to-left languages in the previous update. The company said the update also brings the ability to “Easily refine your search queries and view more results” thanks to a slightly revamped search results page.

In addition, Google will now let you “see your search term in the omnibox, instead of the long search query URL.” That means when you enter a search query and land on a Google search results page, you’ll no longer see a long, confusing URL in the omnibox but rather just your search term much like in Apple’s Safari iOS app.

What’s New in Version 35.0.1916.38

• Added right-to-left support to the omnibox for Arabic and Hebrew
• See your search term in the omnibox, instead of the long search query URL
• Easily refine your search queries and view more results on the search results page
• Stability improvements and bug fixes

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9to5Toys Last Call: iPad 2/3/4 Smart Cover $8, WD 4TB desktop HDD $130, iPad mini 64GB $349, more

Avatar for Justin Kahn May 28 2014 - 9:51 am PT
0 Comments

Be sure to follow 9to5Toys to keep up with the best gear and deals on the web: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Last Call updates:

 

Apple Original Smart Cover for iPad 2, 3, and 4 (New, open box) $8 shipped (Reg. $17)

Western Digital 4TB My Book USB 3.0 desktop drive $130 shipped (Reg. $160)

Apple iPad mini 64GB WiFi in Black or White $349 shipped (Reg. $629)

Media: X-Men & the Wolverine Collection w/ Days of Future Past code for $25, iTunes movies $10, more

Giveaways presented by SlickWraps: Apple TV, $100 iTunes gift card, $50 SlickWraps gift card, more

Other new deals:

More deals still alive:

New products/useful info:

Microsoft/Google/Android:

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Apple releases iTunes 11.2.2 with fix for unexpected podcast downloads

Avatar for Zac Hall May 28 2014 - 9:14 am PT
2 Comments

Apple today has released yet another stability patch to iTunes 11.2 on OS X. The latest version, iTunes 11.2.2, specifically addresses an issue with unexpect podcast episode downloads, according to Apple. The software update also includes stability improvements.

Apple first released iTunes 11.2 alongside the release of OS X Mavericks 10.9.3; a subsequent update followed with the release of iTunes 11.2.1 with a security fix.

 

The update is available via Software Updates in the Mac App Store.

Vesper 2 for iPhone adds sync support for backing up notes (Vesper for Mac next)

Avatar for Zac Hall May 27 2014 - 6:39 am PT
2 Comments
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Update: Brent Simmons write on his blog that Vesper for Mac is indeed next.

Vesper received a major feature update overnight bringing one of the most requested features to the note-taking app: support for sync. Vesper, the project of John Gruber, Brent Simmons, and Dave Wiskus under the name Q Branch, was released almost a year ago for the iPhone and decidedly lacked iCloud sync (due to reliability) or any alternative. Simmons has since been journaling his experiencing with building an in-house sync solution for Vesper on his Inessential blog if you are interested in reading the behind-the-scenes work that goes into such a project…


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Google-owned VirusTotal releases Mac-compatible version of malware detection app

Avatar for Mike Beasley May 26 2014 - 4:25 pm PT
7 Comments
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Google-owned VirusTotal today released a version of the VirusTotal uploader application (via The Next Web) compatible with Mac OS X. Previously the software was only available for Windows-based machines.

VirusTotal Uploader works in conjunction with the VirusTotal web service to check files and links for malware. Google hopes that the release of the software for the Mac will help users more easily detect attacks on Apple’s platform. From the VirusTotal blog:


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