Apps

6,304 'Apps' stories April 2010 - July 2012

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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.

Apps

iPhoto for Mac updated to version 9.3.1, featuring bug fixes

Jake Smith Jul 12 2012 - 4:15 pm PT

Apple released a new version of iPhoto for Mac, version 9.3.1, which fixes a slew of bugs, along with ”an issue that in rare cases could cause iPhoto to hang when upgrading libraries.” Interested? Go to the App Store to grab the 599.65 MB update. In the mean time, you can checkout the release notes after the break.

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Rupert Murdoch to put ‘The Daily’ iPad app out of its misery in November?

Jake Smith Jul 12 2012 - 3:58 pm PT

From Day One, we were highly critical of the News Corp iPad app, The Daily, which aimed to revolutionize newspapers for the digital age—despite the amount of hype that was built before it launched. From its hay-day, The Daily has been relatively slow to load and present new content, especially considering our fast pace, gimmie-gimmie world. Moreover, its content has not always been hard-hitting. Consequently, The New York Observer reported earlier this afternoon that The Daily could be on the chopping block after the Nov. 6 elections. Murdoch has put the iPad newspaper on watch:

In addition, there are internal rumors that The Daily has been put “on watch.” According to a source the status of the groundbreaking iPad tabloid—which loses $30 million a year—will be reassessed after the November 6 election.

With other solutions like The New York Times’ stunning iPad app, as well as CNN and The Huffington, some users may be looking past The Daily for their news fix. Publisher Greg Clayman and Editor-in-Chief Jesse Angelo better step up their game before they experience the wrath of Mr. Murdoch.

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New Food and Drink category goes live in the App Store

Mark Gurman Jul 12 2012 - 1:36 pm PT

Earlier this month, Apple promised that a new Food and Drink section would be going live in the App Store in the coming weeks. Like clockwork, Apple’s new App Store section has gone live. The new section currently holds nearly 3000 apps that relate to finding food and drinks, recipies, cooking and more, but does not include food subjects like dieting, shopping, and coupons.

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Apps and updates: Sparrow for Mac (On sale for $4.99!), Tap Tap, BBC, and more

Jul 12 2012 - 12:39 pm PT

Sparrow for Mac: Earlier this month, we noted that Sparrow for Mac was updated with Retina Display support, OS X Mountain Lion optimization, and support for Mountain Lion’s Notification Center features. Today, that Sparrow for Mac update has made its way to the Mac App Store as a free update. It was previously only available on Sparrow’s website. The app, for new users, costs ~~$9.99~~, and it has long been regarded as a viable replacement for OS X’s included Mail application. It is $4.99 for the next 3 days to celebrate Retinas!

Steam Summer Sale: Earlier today, we noted that Steam is having a massive summer sale:

Steam cuts up to 88% off a selection of downloadable games for Windows or Mac during its Summer Sale, with prices starting at $2.49. Many titles are at the lowest price we’ve seen. Sale ends July 22. A best bet is downloads of Portal 2 for Windows and Mac for $4.99. That’s $2 under our May mention and the lowest price we’ve seen for this title.

iStack Mac Bundle: Earlier this week, we pointed to the iStack Mac Bundle, a bundle that provides major discounts on some popular applications for the Mac. Parallels 7, SnagIt, Disk Drill Pro, Hands Off , Clarify, Elasty, PaintSupreme, TextSoap, and iGlasses 3 (together valued hundreds of dollars) is just $50 when purchased through this special bundle program.

Tap Tap Revenge Tour: As a followup to its slew of popular music games, Tapulous has released Tap Tap Revenge Tour. The game features a Tour Mode and a Jam Mode, with the Tour Mode being the spotlight feature of the new game. This mode puts you into the position of a music artist, and you go on “tour” tapping in Tap Tap Revenge. It’s a fun new twist to the popular game, one of the first games for iOS.

Bejeweled Blitz: This popular game title received several enhancements such as Game Center support, improved social support, bug fixes, and new brightness control settings.

AmpliTube Fender (iPad): This music-making application for iPhone and iPad (each device has its own app version) was updated with improved mixing and recording, digital in and out audio, MIDI support, audio copy/pasting, and more.

Jay & Silent Bob in: Too Fat To Fly (iPad): This seems like an addicting new and fun game. From its description:

Too Fat To Fly is a challenge-based physics game, where players assist Jay in order to launch Silent Bob through various environments such as a shopping mall or the streets of Jersey. Through the completion of challenges, players have the opportunity to unlock special features and upgrades, including new costumes for Jay and Silent Bob.

BBC Olympics: In addition to the NBC Olympics app that we covered earlier today, BBC’s iOS application for full coverage of the 2012 Summer Olympics has been released.

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Rovio’s Amazing Alex hits the App Store, download now!

9to5 Staff Jul 12 2012 - 6:29 am PT

Along with Tiny Wings 2/HD, Rovio’s follow up to its mega-successful Angry Birds franchise, called “Amazing Alex” (iPhone $.99/iPad $2.99), promises to be the hottest iOS game releases of the summer.

Update: There seem to be some Game Center glitches, as noted by commenters and Tweeters.

[tweet https://twitter.com/sodner2424/status/223430380731105280]

Update 2: 1.0.1 seems to have cleared up any issues

[tweet https://twitter.com/inicolas2/status/223529585642438656]

Bonus: Metal Slug 3, the classic shooter game, is now on iOS. (iPhone/iPad $6.99)

Apps

Tiny Wings 2/HD is rolling out to stores internationally

Seth Weintraub Jul 11 2012 - 4:19 pm PT

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXUiyK1olZ8&feature=plcp]

As we reported earlier this week, Tiny Wings 2.0, which is a free update of the original, is now hitting App Stores around the world.

Additionally, the HD version is now available for iPad. It is also eyeing an ongoing global rollout.

Developer Andreas Illiger had some lovely words for his fans…

Hi Tiny Wings fans! The long-awaited Tiny Wings 2 is finally done! I’ve put a lot of love into creating this major update, and I hope you’ll enjoy it. You’ll be getting a completely new game mode with 15 hand-designed levels, a whole flock of baby birds, fish, and other surprises! And here’s the best part: Tiny Wings 2 is a free update, as a thank-you to my loyal fans (and because I don’t particularly like in-app purchases). :)
Thanks, and have fun!

What’s New in Version 2.0

• A new game mode: “Flight School”
• 15 hand-crafted levels that really “flow”
• A few new additions to the bird family
• Hello shiny Retina Display! Tiny Wings is now as lovely as you are.
• Night flights
• iCloud support (even syncs your game between the iPhone & iPad versions)
• Revised menu
• New languages: German, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch

iPad Description:

You have always dreamed of flying – but your wings are tiny. Luckily the world is full of beautiful hills. Use the hills as jumps – slide down, flap your wings and fly! At least for a moment – until this annoying gravity brings you back down to earth. But the next hill is waiting for you already. Watch out for the night and fly as fast as you can. Otherwise flying will only be a dream once again.

Tiny Wings was chosen as the iPhone Game of the Year in App Store Rewind 2011 in Europe and many other countries. Thank you Apple and a big thank you to all Tiny Wings fans!

Highlights:
• Multiplayer: Play against your friends on a single iPad!
• simple but skillfull “one button” (ok… maybe “one tap”) arcade game about the dream of flying
• the world is changing every day – so it does in this game! Procedural generated graphics will make “tiny wings” look different every day you play
• upgrade your nest by fulfilling tasks
• Three game modes: “Day Trip,” “Flight School,” and “Hill Party”
• Play as the mama bird or one of her four children
• 15 hand-designed levels in the new “Flight School” mode
• iCloud support (even syncs your game between the iPhone & iPad versions)

Quick Review: Tweetbot for Mac finally arrives in public alpha, download now!

Jordan Kahn Jul 11 2012 - 10:08 am PT

: Tweetbot vs Twitter for Mac

: Tweetbot on the Retina MacBook Pro

We reported late last month that Tweetbot for Mac, a desktop version of the popular third-party iOS Twitter client, would likely come soon after the company’s graphic designer, Mark Jardine, tweeted an image of the client running on a MacBook. Today, Tweetbot developers decided to make things official with the release of a public alpha, and we recently got a chance to play around with it. (Blog post here.)

The Tweetbot alpha, which at this point runs on 10.7+ and 10.8 Mountain Lion, has a lot going for it despite warnings of “Bugs! Lots of them.” According to Tapbots, the main goal of the alpha was to replicate the core functionality of the iOS client. Like tapping a tweet in the iPad app, hovering over a tweet in the Mac client provides you with the same Reply, Retweet, Favorite, Share, and Actions button to get access to details, conversations, retweets, and etc.

In addition, like the iPad app, you will find a button to quickly switch lists in the upper right, while a Lists button on the left sidebar will let you manage and edit your lists within the app. The app also bakes in the familiar “Mute Filters” for your main timeline. However, only the ability to mute “Clients” appears to be an option now—with the option for muting keywords greyed out. You will also get Twitter, bit.ly, CloudApp, and Droplr URL shortening options, and all the same image and video-uploading options as on iOS, including: CloudApp, Droplr, img.ly, Lockerz, Mobypicture, Pikchur, Posterous, Twitgoo, TwitPic/TwitVid, and yfrog. Syncing options only feature Tweet Marker currently (iCloud coming soon), while all the Read Later services are present such as bitly, Instapaper, Pinboard, Pocket, and Readability.

We have had a lot to say about the Twitter experience on the new Retina MacBook Pros. The official Twitter for Mac app is unfortunately not Retina-ready and almost unusable on the new Retina displays. Fortunately, we have a Retina update to Twitterific to tie us over, but the Alpha Tweetbot release today is also built for the new Retina display. We have no complaints. It looks great, but Tapbots said further improvements are coming…

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Next Issue for iPad launches, offers bevy of popular magazines for just $10/month [Video]

Élyse Betters Jul 10 2012 - 1:11 pm PT

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sk079o_2FHo&feature=player_embedded]

Next Issue, a subscription-based iPad app for magazines, finally hit the App Store today after first having launched as an Android app on the Google Play store.

The sales pitch is simple: “All the magazines you love. All in one app. All yours for one low price.”

Folks need to visit NextIssue.com to create an account and start a 30-day free trial, and then they can download the app to access a bevy of titles from Conde Nast, News Corp, Hearst, Meredith, Time, and more major publishers. A few of the more enticing magazine titles include: Allure, Better Homes and Gardens, Bon Appétit, ELLE, Entertainment Weekly, Esquire, Fitness, Fortune, Glamour, GQ, InStyle, People, Popular Mechanics, Real Simple, Self, Southern Living, Sports Illustrated, The New Yorker, TIME, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and Wired.

Next Issue offers two subscription types: the $10 monthly plan only provides the top magazines, while the $15 monthly plan boasts the entire catalog with weekly selections. A quick gander through the catalog shows enhanced digital magazines, which are tablet-optimized and feature bonus videos, photography and interactive elements.

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Twitter for iPhone 4.3 released with improved notifications, interactive tweets

Mark Gurman Jul 10 2012 - 11:37 am PT

As leaked earlier this week, Twitter has released a major update to its iPhone application with improved notifications, interactive tweets and more. Here are all of the new features:

– Expanded Tweets: when you view Tweet details containing links to partner websites, you can now see content previews, view images, play videos and more [please note: this feature is rolling out gradually]
– Enhanced experience around selected events with the best Tweets and photos from those involved
– Push notifications for Tweets: choose to receive notifications from people you follow anytime they tweet or retweet
– Ambient notifications: enables you to see brief non-interruptive notifications in the status bar while you are using the app
– Improvements to search autocomplete for users
– Discover: now indicates when new stories are available for you to view
– Tappable avatars that take you directly to user profiles
– Performance improvements
– Support for password entry in app when experiencing authentication issues
– Hungarian language support
– Updated with new Twitter bird
– Many other tweaks, polish, and bug and crasher fixes

You can grab the free update from the App Store here.

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Google+ updated for iPad, adds Google+ Events, Hangouts, and instant photo-uploading

Jordan Kahn Jul 10 2012 - 10:15 am PT

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuC0i4xTyrI&start=4620]

As previously unveiled at Google I/O, Google just released an updated Google+ iOS app on the App Store that includes full iPad support, integration of the new Google+ Events feature, and the ability to attach Instant Upload photos to posts. You can also now start and join hangouts from within the app.

Google made an official blog post announcing the updated app to explain how you can now initiate hangouts from an option on the main menu as well as enable/disable ringing notifications for feature. It also highlighted a few of the new ways users can interact with the app’s UI:

-Pinch and expand posts right in your stream to add your comments

-Use two fingers to drag a post from your stream to easily re-share it

-Start a Hangout from your iPad and stream it to your TV using AirPlay

The full release notes for the app are below, while a demo of the new tablet UI from Google I/O can be seen in the video above.

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Apps & updates: Amazing Alex, Hulu Plus, Weather Channel, Tweetbot, and more

Jordan Kahn Jul 10 2012 - 8:50 am PT

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xk7vezL36IU]

Amazing Alex: (iPhone $.99/iPad $2.99)We recently got a little teaser for Rovio’s new game, but today we get the official launch trailer for Amazing Alex that now has a solid July 12 release date for iOS devices. Also included in today’s list of apps and updates is a refreshed Weather Channel iPad app, and updates to CloudOn and the VLC Remote app.

Weather Channel for iPad v3.3.0: The popular Weather Channel app for iPad was updated today with a number of notable new features and enhancements. Included in the update are improved radar maps, HD backgrounds for the iPad’s Retina display, and improvements to crashes experienced by first-gen iPad users. You can now also refresh data by tapping the Weather Channel logo within the app.

CloudOn v2.0.55: CloudOn allows you to access Microsoft Office on the iPad with DropBox and Google Drive integration, and today’s update brings even more functionality, including: the ability to open password protected Office files, an improved experience for Retina iPad users, and more.

Hulu Plus: Hulu Plus is now offering a free two-month trial opposed to its usual 1-month offering. The Hulu Plus iOS app is available here.

VLC Remote v6.02: The app that controls the VLC Media Player on Macs and PCs received a minor updated today that fixes issues with YouTube browsing and translations in several languages.

Tweetbot v2.4.1: A small updated to the Tweetbot iPhone and iPad client today brings the ability to “toggle smart quotes in the compose view (tap in the text input area)” and various fixes including one related to crashes for Droplr uploads.

Apps

How to get OnLive Desktop running on a Mac, allowing free access to Microsoft Office

Jake Smith Jul 9 2012 - 6:03 pm PT

We have known about OnLive’s awesome Desktop feature since this year’s Consumer Electronics Show. OnLive Desktop allows you to get access to a full Windows 7 client, complete with the ability to use Microsoft Office and other Windows apps. It was introduced as an iPad and Android app earlier this year, coming with 2GB of free cloud storage and paid plans that offer a bit more storage for those looking to get serious. The folks at OnLive promised the release of a Mac app with similar VM functionality, but that day has never come.

Luckily, Snowleo on the OnLiveFans forum posted an unofficial guide to getting OnLive Desktop to run on a Mac. It is a simple process, requiring only a free application called “Bluestacks”. Bluestacks lets Mac users run Android apps on their desktop, and it now allows them to access OnLive’s desktop service with a little side-loading. Only a few steps are required, and you will soon have free access to a full version of Microsoft Office on your Mac. Here’s how:

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Apps & updates, DRM still misbehaving edition: eBay, TED Books, InstaTalks, more

Jordan Kahn Jul 9 2012 - 1:06 pm PT

[tweet https://twitter.com/marcoarment/status/222411178842918912]

A few apps and updates hit the App Store today, unfortunately some are still reporting issues with apps not launching after updates. Let us know if you run into any issues in the comments.

eBay version 2.6.0: ebay’s main iPhone app received an update today alongside a small update to the eBay for iPad app. Unfortunately, eBay has now posted warning on at least the eBay for iPad release notes that some have reported the app is not working. As for the iPhone app, version 2.6.0 includes the following features and fixes:

• Improved selling flow

• Landscape support for easy typing of eBay item descriptions

• Faster bidding experience

• Check auto parts for compatibility before you buy

• Ability to search for items in My eBay

• Add and remove your Favorite Sellers

• Filter Feedback for buyers and sellers

• Payment support for Singapore and Malaysia

• More UI, stability and performance improvements

TED Books: TED, the people behind the TED conferences that are later made available online as TED Talks, released a free app today, which offers paid subscriptions to “Ted Books.” The books are produced every two weeks and “are typically under 20,000 words. They also consist of audio, video, and built-in social features. Subscriptions cost $15 for three months or $2.99 per book for non-subscribers.

InstaTalks: Recently released on the App Store, InstaTalks is a third-party messenger built for Instagram that allows you to exchange private messages and photos with Instagram users. There is no registration required (just an Instagram account), and the app is available for free now.

NBA Summer League: NBA Digital just dropped the official Summer League app, while the NBA Game Time app has also been updated with live video and scoring content for Summer League games.

iOS 6 code points to integration of Apple Maps on Intel-based Macs

Jordan Kahn Jul 9 2012 - 7:47 am PT

Since Apple unveiled its new in-house Maps app for iOS 6, we have discovered bits and pieces of what it has planned for the final release this fall. Apple already showed off Yelp integration, turn-by-turn navigation, and the 3D flyover mode, and it appears to be utilizing a new Avenir typeface. Today, Techpp posted a code dump from the iOS 6 maps app courtesy of developer Cody Cooper who found some interesting evidence of potential Maps integration with OS X:

Our developer friend, Cody Cooper has now stumbled upon an interesting code dump in iOS 6 maps application which hints at the possibility of Apple Maps coming to Macs in the near future.

During his routine investigation of Maps app, Cody found some interesting bits in the file altitude_manifest.xml

In this XML file, there is a reference to a set of Intel based graphics chipsets for which certain features like Shading are disabled.

While this is not solid proof that Apple is working on a full-blown Maps app for Mac, it could hint at possible integration between core apps and features in Mountain Lion and Maps on iOS. For example, location features in iPhoto could integrate with iOS Maps. As noted in the report, the code refers to shading being disabled for older Intel chipsets, which Cooper guessed could likely not support the app’s shading features. We will do some digging, and then update you if we discover anything new. The public release of Mountain Lion is scheduled for this month.
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Keeping daughters off the pole made much harder with Pole Dancer Pro app rated at 12+ years

9to5 Staff Jul 9 2012 - 7:26 am PT

Some interesting debate from the U.K.’s Sun this morning on the new Pole Dancer Pro app aimed at users 12-years-old and older. Says one opponent, “I’m all for encouraging new ways of helping people to keep fit, but do we really want to create a generation of children who are fully equipped in, what the app describes as, the ’art of tease’, ’erotic moves’ and ’seductive eye contact’?

On the flip side, the app’s creators counter, “Forget about social norms, morale and conservative practices that ladies should follow. Nothing is wrong with breaking the rules, if that makes you feel good.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tojBadSr2zI&start=33]

We anticipate Apple will raise the age of this app in the coming hours to the relief of fathers everywhere.

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Major Twitter for iPhone update incoming: more interactive, enhanced notifications

Mark Gurman Jul 8 2012 - 8:47 pm PT

iOS 6’s redesigned App Store has leaked a major forthcoming update to Twitter’s official iPhone application in its update history section. Twitter, in recent months, has come under fire due to potential new changes to its mobile application API and the lack of power-user features in its official mobile device apps. It appears that this controversy may change in the coming days, as leaked release notes show some impressive new changes. Twitter for iPhone 4.3 is incoming and it brings several new features focusing on interactivity, enhanced notifications, searching, performance, and more. You can find all of the new features – summarized from Twitter’s release notes – after the break:
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Tiny Wings 2 coming July 12, here’s the awesome promo video

Mark Gurman Jul 6 2012 - 3:49 pm PT

The sequel to the wildly popular iOS game Tiny Wings is arriving July 12, and the creators have put together an interesting trailer. Tiny Wings has previously been compared to Angry Birds in terms of addictiveness. Enjoy:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXUiyK1olZ8]

Apps & updates: Vimeo, Facebook Messenger, more

Jordan Kahn Jul 6 2012 - 1:11 pm PT

We already told you about a big recent update to Scanner Pro that brings iCloud integration and new iPhone interface, and below is our usual roundup of other noteworthy apps and updates released today. In other app news, sources told VideoGamer that Activision Leeds will be heading development of new new Call of Duty titles for iOS devices, which we can only hope means a full-blown COD game is coming to iPhones and iPads sometime soon. There are also a ton of developers on our list extending their 4th of July day sales into the weekend.

Vimeo version 2.0.5: The universal Vimeo iOS app received a decent update today that “adds initial support for vimeo:// url scheme” with support for projects, camera, featured, my_videos, likes, watch_later, feed, stats, and help. The update also includes fixes for bad localizations and the usual bug fixes.

Facebook Messenger version 1.8.1: Facebook Messenger was updated today with a few small fixes following updates to many of Facebook’s iOS apps in recent weeks. Version 1.8.1 includes a bug fix that was causing profile photos and friend pages to load slowly, something many FB iOS users have been complaining about. You will also now be able to see more of your top friends from within a compose window.

Yelp version 5.9.1: Yelp received a minor update today that includes a fix causing issues for Italian users.

Analytiks 2.0: Analytiks was recently updated to version 2.0. The app is an iOS-based hub for Google Analytics stats, and it provides a unique, stylish user interface unmatched by any other Google Analytics application.

Related articles

Scanner Pro updated with iCloud integration, revamped iPhone interface (9to5mac.com)
Apple launches updated iCloud website for developers with Notes, Reminders, improved Calendar and Find my iPhone (9to5mac.com)
How long does an iOS beta period last? (9to5mac.com)
iOS game, Angry Birds Seasons, (full version) temporarily FREE (9to5toys.com)

Apps

Scanner Pro updated with iCloud integration, revamped iPhone interface

Mark Gurman Jul 6 2012 - 10:32 am PT

Scanner Pro, an intuitive scanner application for iOS, has been updated with iCloud support and a revamped user interface for the iPhone. The scanner application is popular amongst productivity users, the developers tout nearly 500,000 worldwide users, and offers an easy and reliable way to scan documents onto your iOS devices and into the cloud.

The new update brings full iCloud integration. With an iCloud account, a user can scan a document into their iPhone and the document will automatically show up on their iPad running Scanner Pro. The opposite – scanning into your iPad and the document showing up on your iPhone – is true as well. Scanner Pro already integrates with Dropbox, Evernote, and Google Docs to upload documents straight to the cloud.

The new update also features an updated iPhone interface that is more intuitive and more aligned with the recently redesigned iPad interface.

Scanner Pro 4.1 is a free update for existing users. The application costs $6.99 for new users and it is an iPad + iPhone universal binary with Retina Display support.

Apple has fixed the corrupted DRM App issue according to a statement

Seth Weintraub Jul 5 2012 - 6:42 pm PT

Apple just released the following statement on the App corruption issue we reported earlier today:

“We had a temporary issue that began yesterday with a server that generated DRM code for some apps being downloaded. It affected only a small number of users.

“The issue has been rectified and we don’t expect it to occur again,” Apple said. Those who have an affected app can re-download it from the App Store.

The “small number of users” seems to run counter to what Instapaper developer Marco Arment found as he publicized his issues with Apple (along with Good Reader) today.

Apple: This is a serious problem. It’s not isolated. Please fix this.

Sources told Macworld that Apple will be removing one-star app reviews developers earned unfairly because of the company’s server issue.

Apple is pushing out corrupted apps, remains silent on the matter (Update: Apple responds)

Jordan Kahn Jul 5 2012 - 7:41 am PT

Update: Apple has now responded to developers complaints regarding the issue in its Developer Forums and according to TechCrunch told one developer a dedicated team is working on a fix. The following statement is from Apple’s forums:

“We are aware of the issue related to apps crashing after update. We are currently working on resolving the issue. Stay tuned for updates.”

As highlighted by Instapaper developer Marco Arment, Apple appears to be pushing out corrupted updates that cause a number of apps to crash immediately after launching. The issue was first noticed by Arment following an update to version 4.2.3 of Instapaper late last night, and Apple has yet to issue a statement or a potential fix for the problem.

[tweet https://twitter.com/marcoarment/status/220881862271320064]

Arment described the issue and provided a list of known affected apps:

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Former Apple employee discusses the App Store review process

Jordan Kahn Jul 4 2012 - 8:23 am PT

There are many examples of flaws in Apple’s App Store review process. We know Apple is quick to reject apps that mimic the core functionality of iOS, such as Voice Answer, Find My Facebook Friends, or Airfoil, but those developers all made tweaks to their apps and were later accepted into the App Store. Perhaps a bigger problem is apps sneaking their way into the store as offensive or stolen content. We came across an example of each with two apps recently accepted into the App Store: Bulimia Duck (pictured above), which is a Yelp-like restaurant finder with an obviously offensive name, and Dragon Ball Z Jump, which is a hybrid of stolen IPs including Dragon Ball Z and popular iOS title Doodle Jump. These are just two examples of the type of apps making their way into the App Store every week.

Today, we get a bit of insight into what goes on behind the scenes during Apple’s review process. A former senior engineer at Apple, Mike Lee, talked to Business Insider about the app review team:

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Avid sells off its consumer M-Audio brand and video editing apps

Jordan Kahn Jul 2 2012 - 6:40 am PT

Avid is best known for its Pro Tools software, the music industry’s leading DAW used by pros worldwide, and it is the biggest competitor to Apple’s Logic Pro, but perhaps just as popular among Mac musicians is Avid’s consumer M-Audio brand. It offers midi controllers, keyboards, audio interfaces, speakers, and DJ gear.

Today, Avid announced that it will sell off its consumer audio and video product lines to focus on “Media Enterprise and Post & Professional customers and to drive improved operating performance.”

Avid will sell M-Audio to inMusic, the parent company of well-known gear makers Akai, Alesis, and Numark. Its video editing apps, such as the recently launched Avid Studio for iPad, will be sold to Corel Corporation:
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VLC 2.0.2 update includes Retina Display support (and lots more!)

Seth Weintraub Jun 30 2012 - 8:26 pm PT

.

VLC 2.0.2‘s headlining update is support for Retina Displays (yay!). However, the laundry list of features, updates, and fixes seem monstrous—especially for a “.o.2” release. The download link is here, and the full list of updates follows.

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