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.
Today, at its Evernote Trunk Conference in San Francisco, Evernote announced a partnership with expensivehigh-quality notebook maker Moleskine. The surprising partnership yielded a new offering called “Evernote Smart Notebook”. Since many people still take notes with pen and paper, it is a partnership that makes sense.
The Evernote Smart Notebook allows people to take notes by hand and then make the notes available online, TechCrunchfirst noted. To upload the notes, a photo of a page from the notebook is taken with the Evernote app. The notes are then saved to a user’s Evernote account where they can be browsed, searched and organized. Special stickers are provided to tell Evernote which virtual notebook to organize the note into.
Both Parallels and VMware announced new versions of their software over the last 12 hours. Which software do you use to run Windows applications, if any? Do you Virtualize Linux or other builds of MacOS X?
Leave comments on your experience.
For the record, I have been using Parallels to deal with @#$% QuickBooks most recently, but off and on for years overall. VMware has also impressed me when I have tried it. Both products are so much better than the slow SoftWindows- type solutions we had in the PowerPC days.
Lumify, a new app launching today for the iPhone, is an Instagram-like social experience for video that allows users to share 20-second montages set to music. The free app analyzes video clips from your device’s camera roll, allows you to select soundtrack music from your iPod library, and then automatically creates a “lumified” montage for you. According to one of the developers, former Senior Product Manager at Google and YouTube Kuan Yong, “Lumify is the first mobile app capable of analyzing and editing 1080p HD videos in real-time, entirely on the iPhone.”
Technically, we are ridiculously fast and easy video editing…We use advanced algorithms to mash up your videos in real-time. We highlight the most interesting parts and pair them with music for a 20-second montage…In the end, we want to help you take video in a new way. Just point and capture each moment as it happens. We take care of the rest.
Angry Birds Space version 1.3.0: Continuing with a consistent line up of new content following the app’s initial release, today Rovio teamed up with NASA to release an updated Angry Birds Space with 20 new levels set on Mars. Also included is two antenna egg levels, a new astronaut pig, and “three hidden rovers and landers to open special bonus levels and discover more about the NASA missions!”
Cut the Rope version 1.9:All the versions of Cut the Rope have been updated today with the new “Spooky Box” bringing 25 new levels that feature “ghosts that morph into different gameplay elements.” Also included in the update is new superpowers allowing players to control candy within the game area and access a fourth star that unlocks additional levels.
ProCamera HD:The full-featured professional camera app previously only available for iPhone has finally made its way to the iPad with the release of ProCameraHD. The app is half off to celebrate its launch.
The iPad is an essential travel companion, especially when it comes to taking videos and photos. With the built-in iPad 5-megapixel camera you can take high-resolution photos and 1080p HD video (720p HD video on iPad 2). The new ProCamera HD app takes pictures and videos better and faster, and helps you get more out of your images with the expert mode and other tools! The SnapTrigger is perfectly adapted to the iPad: You decide where the control bar is located on the screen; this allows you to take photos and videos your way. The new internal library Lightbox allows you to delete, share, and export multiple photos and videos easily.
Doodle Jump version 3.0:A huge update to the popular Doodle Jump game from developers Lima Sky. In its biggest update yet, the game now includes a new Ninja theme with “all-new power-ups, monsters, obstacles (read: BEAR TRAPS), and COINS that you can collect.” The update also includes a ton of other new outfits, abilities, and upgrades.
Well version 1.1:This new social app —developed by former Digg, Blip.fm, and Rackspace engineers— essentially allows users to share their To-Do lists. A few key features include suggestions from friends, and the ability to re-list interesting To-Dos, as well as popular lists for discovering content and more. Visit http://well.io/ for more information.
TV Guide version 3.0:The official TV Guide iOS app received a complete redesign today with a bunch of new features for its over 7 million users. A full list of what’s new is below: Expand Expanding Close
Parallels just announced the availability of its next generation of virtualization software for the Mac. Although details are scant at this point, it is safe to assume it is optimized for Mountain Lion and Windows 8.
Notable: If you purchase/purchased Parallels 7 after July 25 (Mountain Lion’s release date), you are eligible for a free copy of Parallels 8. Not too shabby.
Following a string of teaser videos in recent months, Sony appears to have confirmed its Sound Forge Pro audio editing software will make its way to Mac. MacRumors pointed us to the video above, posted by FinallyOnMac, which shows the software running on a MacBook Pro.
We can see from the video above that the software has been redesigned for OS X, but we still do not know when the production suite will make its way to OS X or for how much. The PC edition of Sound Forge Pro 10 currently sells for around $375. Its obvious competition is Apple’s own Logic Pro 9 suite, which became a $199 Mac App Store app as of last year, down from the its old $499 Logic Studio offering. We are getting our hands on Sound Forge for Mac soon to give you our first impressions.
As always, we’ll update this list throughout the day with notable app news…
Wild Blood: Gameloft has officially released the first full length gameplay trailer for its upcoming ‘Wild Blood’ title. The third person action game, Gameloft’s first powered by Unreal Engine, will feature a single-player campaign, as well as co-op and arena modes. VentureBeat has first impressions from an iPad demo:
Though you’ll start out with just one giant sword, your arsenal increases as you earn experience points; in the demo (shown on an iPad 3), a leveled up Lancelot dual-wields a pair of magical axes and shoots enemies from afar with his bow… Combat leans toward a simple combo system that feels very responsive and smooth as Lancelot dodges and rolles his way through a large group (around a dozen or so) of demons. In a matter of seconds, these creatures became nothing more than a fine bloody mist.
AutoCad WS version 1.5.2: A nice update for Autodesk’s free AutoCAD WS iPad app brings support for the new iPad’s Retina display in addition to a number of bug fixes.
Adobe Photoshop Express version 2.5.1: Adobe’s free Photoshop Express iOS app gets updated today with a new variant of the Film Emulsion border and a fix for a white colour issue with Film Emulsion. Adobe also noted it “emphasized the free Effects and Borders with separate free categories.” Expand Expanding Close
TUAW has a “cautionary tale” of what happens when attempting to move or rename the “Mobile Documents” folder where iCloud documents are stored:
“As if it were a swarm of bees, you should stay away from the SyncServices folder.’ — Apple
The moral of the story that I am about to tell is that Apple’s advice about the SyncServices folder also applies to your iCloud documents. Here is the summary:
Do not move your iCloud folder. Do not touch your iCloud folder. Consider it the digital equivalent of a hand-grenade which has had the pin pulled and which is resting safely on its handle.”
Skype version 4.1: Both Skype’s iPhone and iPad apps were updated today with the ability to send and receive photos (with no file size limit) in addition to a number of other enhancements. Also present is updated privacy settings, a fix for issues related to Bluetooth and calls, and “Minor visual improvements across the app.” Skype also explained how it’s made the app “less battery hungry” and improved overall performance:
We’ve also improved the overall performance of Skype’s mobile apps. We’ve made them less battery hungry when running in the background, so you’ll now be able to answer Skype calls throughout the day when they come in. And, as you’ll be able to keep Skype open, you can respond to or send IMs to friends and colleagues all day long. In addition, we’ve tried to make the app start and contact list load even faster, so you can do all the things you love to do with Skype more quickly.
ooVoo Video Chat version 1.2.0: The free 12-way HD video chat app was updated today with a bunch of notable features including 4 pane video chat support on iPhone 4S, push notifications for chat messages and incoming video, and much more. You can also now send chat messages during a video call, start chats from the IM tab, and view a history of past text and video chats.
Plants Vs. Zombies Sequel: PopCap has confirmed it is working on a sequel to the extremely popular Plants Vs. Zombies title slated to launch sometime in late spring 2013. With the success of its iOS version of the first title, there is no doubt part two will be landing on iPhones and iPads when it arrives next year. We don’t have many details yet, but PopCap said the game will include “a bevy of new features, settings, and situations, designed to delight the franchise’s tens of millions of fans around the world.” We are also promised “hordes of new plant and zombie types.”
“Spring is crullest curlie ungood time, and plantz grow dull roots,” noted an unidentified spokesperson. “So, we are meating you for brainz at yore house. No worry to skedule schedlue plan… we’re freee anytime. We’ll find you.” Expand Expanding Close
For a limited time, Walmart.com is offering a $100 downloadable Apple iTunes/App Store gift card for just $80. These popular gift cards can be used on iBooks, iTunes Movies, Videos, music, Mac and iOS Apps. We’ve heard these do work internationally if paid for with a US source and used in the US iTunes/App Stores.
You are basically getting 20% off every Apple media purchase you make. Also makes a great gift…we imagine.
As always, we will update our list of new apps and updates hitting the App Store and Mac App Store throughout the day:
Angry Birds Seasons version 2.5.0:New content for Rovio’s “Seasons” edition of Angry Birds rolled out today (including the HD version). The update includes 20 new schoolyard levels, bonus levels, a new pink bird, and new theme music for the playground levels.
Amazon Instant Video version 1.1: Amazon’s iPad app provides access to over 120,000 videos from the Amazon Instant Video store and thousands more Prime Instant Video titles, and it was updated today with a couple notable features. First—a new search function has been added to find specific titles from Prime. Also included in the update are an improved navigation bar and a number of bug fixes.
Shazam version 5.0.6: All of the versions of the song recognition app Shazam were updated today with an improved recognition rate and faster application startup time. The update also went to the $5.99 RED edition.
Dunkin’ Donuts version 1.0: Dunkin’ Donuts officially announced the release of its first mobile app today that allows customers to pay from the app using a virtual barcode-based DD card scanned by the cashier. Other features include a store locator, nutritional information for items on the menu, the ability to send virtual DD cards, and Facebook and Twitter integration.
As noted by Twitter user @shahruz_, Apple does not seem to want to show any other Podcast apps besides its own when you search for “Podcasts”. Twelve hours after it was first reported, iTunes still appears to only show Apple’s Podcast app.
We are fairly certain that Apple is not doing this on purpose, but it does not seem to be jumping to fix the error either.
Google+ version 3.1:The universal Google+ iOS app was updated today with a couple of notable features including the ability to open web links within posts in the Chrome iOS app, fixes for an Instant Upload issue, performance enhancements, and access for teens to join and create Hangouts.
PhotoMagic version 1.0: Recently released on the App Store, PhotoMagic is an Instagram-like app for your Mac, allowing you to apply one-click filters, lighting effects, frame styles, and share photos through Facebook, Flickr, and elsewhere. Unlike the Instagram experience, PhotoMagic isn’t limited to only a few filters and packs in 70+ photo effects, 90+ lighting effects, and 90+ frames. The app is currently half off for a limited time.
Silent Film Director/Vintagio:Silent FIlm Director is free starting this Thursday until August 19 in order to celebrate the app’s upcoming update and name change. Silent Film Director will soon turn into “Vintagio”, and users of the old Silent Film Director app will get an update to the new and improved vintage video app for free.
Pinterest updated its entire line of mobile apps today with a completely refreshed design, and it released an all-new iPad app that the developer described as “the best Pinterest experience yet.” As for the iPhone, the app received a new two-column layout, improvements to speed, stability, and an overall refreshed UI. Pinterest walked through some of the new features in a blog post announcing the updated apps. The universal app is available as a free download on the App Store.
iPad owners may have the best Pinterest experience yet. Our new iPad app is perfect for sitting on the couch, on a train, or in bed where users can effortlessly discover, save and organize the things that interest them. The app offers users new ways to engage with pins, whether swiping the screen to resume browsing after viewing a board, or using the embedded browser to see what others are pinning from their favorite sites.
When Microsoft updated Office 2011 for Mac for Mountain Lion late last month, Retina display users quickly noticed Outlook was the only app to receive updated Retina graphics. One user described the remaining Office apps as “very blurry and tough on the eyes” on the new Retina MacBook Pro. Unfortunately, it does not look like Microsoft plans a fix anytime soon. A response from the Office for Mac Team explained Word, Excel, and PowerPoint would continue to run in the same resolution as on non-Retina Macs:
Outlook for Mac 2011 already supports Retina Display and the remaining apps will have the same viewing quality as on any non-Retina device. Unfortunately at this time, we cannot comment on any future updates regarding supporting Retina on Word, Excel or PowerPoint… Hope that helps!
IM+ Pro version 7.1: One of the top IM apps on the App Store received a nice update today that includes new Off-the-Record messaging available via in-app purchase, fixes for bugs with Yahoo! and Windows Live Messenger authentication, and a number of other bug fixes and enhancements. The free version of IM+ received the same update.
Asphalt 7: Heat version 1.0.1: Gameloft’s popular racing title Asphalt 7 was updated today with a bunch of new features and vehicles. On top of the usual bug fixes and optimizations, below is a full list of what’s new in version 1.0.1:
-Drift and jump with the 2013 Hyundai Veloster Turbo
-Enjoy the performance of the 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
-Customize your controls in the options menu
eBay for iPad version 2.1.0: eBay’s iPad app gets a few new features today including the ability to view newly-listed items in saved searches, add and remove search refinements easier, and a refreshed view for sellers.
SimCity for Mac:EA announced today during Gamescom 2012 that it will be bringing SimCity to Mac in February 2013 alongside the new PC version. The Mac version will be available as a digital download via EA’s Origin store and is said to feature the same gameplay experience as on PC, allowing users on both platforms to “compete or collaborate to create a new world, together.”
MindNode Pro version 1.9:Following an update to the iOS apps, the MindNode Mac App Store app was updated today with a ton of new features including support for Retina displays on Mountain Lion, new OS X-like toolbar icons, Share Sheets, new zoom controls, and much more. The free Mac App Store version also received the update. Expand Expanding Close
BBC iPlayer version 1.3.2: BBC’s streaming app for its TV and radio networks received a nice update today that brings updated graphics for Retina iPads, improved video playback performance, enhanced Voice Over controls, and the usual bug fixes and performance updates.
imo instant messenger version 3.2: The popular instant messaging app with more than 700,000 users and 50 million messages sent daily was updated this morning with one big new feature previously only available to Android users: voice calling over Wi-Fi, 3G and 4G. All users running iOS 3.1 and up can now make free calls to their imo contacts with no usage of cell minutes and no data usage over Wi-Fi.
TweetBot version 0.7.0:TweetBot for Mac beta has been given a nice update, adding the ability to edit your Twitter profile within the app, animated .gif support, and Storify support among even more features. Due to Sandboxing issues, you will need to manually install the update.
MOG version 2.1.33: Online music subscription service MOG, home to roughly 16 million songs and 500,000 paid subscribers, was recently acquired by Beats Electronics. Its iOS app received a decent update today, with the ability to create and edit playlists, as well as a new album reviews section, and a “better, stronger, faster interface.”
Adobe Proto version 1.5:Adobe’s prototyping app for creating wireframe prototypes of apps and websites was updated today with a few notable features. A full list of what’s new in the update including email and Dropbox sharing, navigation improvements, and more is below:
EA Mobile gaming is taking up to 80% off some of their hottest iOS titles to celebrate their “back to school” promotion. Use the direct download links below to cash in on the savings before they disappear.
Update: After less than 24 hours since this post, Apple has removed the DiscoRecorder tethering app from the App Store. The developer forwarded along an automated email that he received. He received no specific explanation from Apple.
Since the App Store’s launch, a few developers have tried creative tactics to enable free and unlimited tethering for iPhone users. Most of these tricks either made their way onto the App Store due to an apparently accidental app acceptance by Apple, or by way of a creativity. Some developers have hid the ability to enable unlimited tethering through “easter eggs.”
Today comes another attempt at hiding tethering from Apple in an App Store app. A new app called DiscoRecorder [$1.99] by Michael Leatherbury offers a series of simple steps to allow unlimited and free tethering (aside from the data package you already pay). The app disguises itself as a simple voice recording tool. Here are the steps to enable tethering:
Box version 2.7.7:Box.net’s iPhone and iPad app received a nice update that brings the ability to save photos and video to the Photos.app and improvements to the Box OneCloud service and file uploads.
MindNode version 2.1.3: A decent update goes to the popular task planning and brainstorming productivity app for iPhone and iPad including the ability to opened zipped MindNode files, which provides support for syncing docs from iCloud or share sheets in 10.8. Also included is ” the ability to launch MindNode using a custom URL scheme.”
Klout version 1.6: The iPhone app that tracks influence across social networks was updated today with a new Klout Score graph that allows you to “see an interactive graph of your Klout Score for the past 30 days” from landscape mode in the Profile tab. You can also now connect your social networks from within the app itself.
Animoog version 1.1.0: Moog Music’s first polyphonic synth designed for iPad was updated today with some nice new features including preset categories, MIDI CC mapping, MIDI Out support via in-app purchase, and new expansion packs in the Animoog Store for “METALLIC” and “ACOUSTIC”. The recording limit has also now been doubled, and the update includes fixes that caused the app to crash on past iOS releases.
Today, WordPress has released a major new update for its iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch application. The app is completely redesigned from the ground up, using a new sliding pane interface. Those familiar with the Facebook iOS application or the official Twitter for iPad app will already know how to use the new WordPress app.
The app also includes a new experience for signing up for a WordPress account (for first time users), a new icon, WordPress.com friend finding, and updated colors and graphics.
★ Major UI Refresh!
– New sidebar menu for quick navigation.
– Sliding panels on the iPad for greatly improved navigation and ease of use.
– Updated colors and graphics.
– Improved sign up experience.
– New app icon.
★ Support for Post Formats.
★ WordPress.com Reader and Quick Photo added for the iPad.
★ New Simple post preview feature for the iPad.
★ All-new WordPress.com stats.
★ New WordPress.com Friend Finder feature helps you find your friends blogging on WordPress.com.
★ Landscape orientation support throughout the app.
★ Easy access to your site – view it and access the web dashboard right from the app.
★ Last but not least – many reliability improvements and performance tweaks.
However, the new update also includes a bunch of important power-user features for WordPress.com blog authors and editors. WordPress Reader and Quick Photo uploading, support for new posting formats, WordPress.com page view and link stats, landscape mode, quick access to viewing your sites, and improved previewing of posts are all present.
For those who have been long time users of the app, you may have noticed that the app is sometimes sluggish and unreliable. WordPress says that this new update should alleviate those long-existing problems.
Things 2.0: One of the leading iOS and Mac productivity apps was updated today to version 2.0 with a ton of new features. Included in the update is “Things Cloud”. It is a cloud service that syncs your to-dos across Macs and the iOS client. A new Daily Review feature makes important to-dos appear when you need them, and a “revolutionary scrolling Date Picker makes selecting dates more natural than ever.” The UI has also been updated along with a new engine that provides “blazingly fast Things Cloud performance.” These and other new features and improvements are included in the Things for iPad app.
Things 2.0 (Mac App Store): In addition to free updates to the iOS versions of Things, the Mac App Store client was updated today to version 2.0. The update includes the “Things Cloud” service mentioned above, allowing you to sync across platforms, while other new features include a “Daily Review” that presents important to-dos for the day, full Mountain Lion support, Retina graphics, full-screen mode, a number of other enhancements.
Pixelmator version 2.1: Popular image editor Pixelmator was updated on the Mac App Store today with a much needed Retina-ready UI and image-editing engine, iCloud support to keep projects up to date on multiple machines, as well as a new effects browser containing “new Vintage, Miniaturize, Black and White, Rain, and Snow effects.” Also included in the update is full OS X Mountain Lion support and alignment guides to “quickly position, align, and evenly distribute objects in your Pixelmator compositions with pinpoint accuracy.”
Tweetdeck version 1.5.3:Today’s massive update to the popular Mac Twitter client brings a slew of user-interface enhancements such as the ability to use the Columns button to quickly jump to any position. Users can also navigate the arrow buttons to scroll left and right several columns at a time, use swipe gestures on the trackpad to scroll, access key user and Tweet actions from the new actions menu, and fit more columns on screen by enabling Narrow Columns in Settings. The update also boasts improved animations for tweets and column management, performance improvements, and many bug fixes.
Pomodorable version 1.0: Released on the Mac App Store today, Pomodorable is a task management app that its developers said takes a “fresh approach to managing to do lists” by taking full advantage of Notification Center, Notes, Reminders, and other Mountain Lion features. While at first glance it might appear to compete with Things, the app actually includes support for Things and OmniFocus. It allows you to view tasks from those apps within the Pomodorable, and the app is 50 percent off for a limited time following today’s launch.
PDF Expert version 4.2:Readdle’s PDF Expert app was updated recently with a new “Presentation Mode” that allows you to connect an iPad to a projector ” and make interactive non-linear presentations” with content from PDFs, videos, and images. The update also includes live annotation tools, new annotation colours, and a number of other improvements. Expand Expanding Close
Pulse has been one of the iTunes App Store premier news readers for the past couple of years. The mobile application started its life on the iPad, a device that is reinventing mobile news consumption, and then it was soon re-built for the iPhone, iPod touch, and Android devices.
While iOS device hardware is optimized for convenient news reading, the hardware requires great software to truly create a great news reading experience. Pulse has always fulfilled that with its wonderful and graphical tile-based interface. Users are able to slide their news stories and organize news sources conveniently.
The experience on iOS and Android touchscreen devices has been well-received but Pulse users have been asking for a version of Pulse for computers.
Pulse has come up with a great solution that is not exclusive like a downloadable app. Instead, it is a fully featured web application. Read on for all of the details:
Sing! version 1.0.1: The developers of popular iOS music apps “AutoRap”,”Ocarina”, and “I Am T-Pain have just released its latest social sing-along experience with the new Sing! app. Smule described the app as a “global karaoke party.” The app allows you to select from a large collection of songs, record your karaoke version, and share the results with friends and other users in a format similar to Ocarina and the developer’s other apps.
Features:
-Connect with your friends by giving & receiving comments and likes.
-Share your performances with the community through the globe.
-Join other songs for free and make it a duet or group song!
-Enhance your voice with special voice effects: Pop, Vintage, or SupaTune.
-Easy sharing to the outside community via Facebook.
-And much more!
FlightTrack Free: The developers of FlighTrack, the top-grossing travel app for the last four years, announced today that it would make a free version available to all users starting tomorrow. The free version will also be accompanied by a huge update that includes a redesigned UI with integrated flight maps and details, zoomable maps, and full international coverage for over 1400 airlines. In terms of what is different in the free version, you will not be able to sync with TripIt. However, a full comparison of FlightTrack features is below. The new app will be available for free starting tomorrow in the following languages: Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Brazilian, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, Russian, and Spanish.
