support

Apple released an EFI firmware update (version 2.9) for the mid-2011 MacBook Air last week to address problems the computer could have while waking from sleep, but recently users have started to report on the company’s support forum that the software was failing to install on their machines, and in some cases leaving them with completely non-functional computers, as first noted by MacRumors.

While some users report that their MacBook Airs shut down for several hours only to suddenly spring back to life, others claim that their machines still won’t startup. In other cases, users are finding that the Mac App Store prompts them to re-install the update over and over. So far there aren’t any reports of a successful resolution to the issue, even through AppleCare channels.

If you haven’t already installed the update, it may be best to sit this one out until Apple has fixed whatever problem seems to be plaguing users at the moment.

Apple will soon (finally) share its master list of MFi controller-enabled iOS games

Jordan Kahn Jun 5 2014 - 1:44 pm PT

We’ve learned Apple finally has a way for users of Made-For-iPhone/iPad game controllers to view a master list of supported games from the App Store, but it will first require the controller makers to issue firmware updates to their controllers.
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MLB At Bat mobile apps adding Chromecast support today for Premium subscribers

Jordan Kahn Apr 17 2014 - 8:15 am PT

5 Comments

Google announced today on its Chrome blog that Major League Baseball is adding support for its $35 Chromecast streaming stick through the MLB At Bat app for Android and iOS. That means that users with the app and an MLB.TV Premium subscription will be able to stream live and on-demand video content from the app (or from a browser tab in Chrome through MLB’s site) to a Chromecast connected TV. You’ll also be able to use the phone or tablet you’re streaming from as a second-screen experience to “check scores, stats and news” while watching the game on the bigger screen:
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Firefox 28 released w/ Mac OS X Notification Center support for web notifications

Jordan Kahn Mar 18 2014 - 12:34 pm PT

5 Comments

Firefox today released the latest version of its desktop browser for Mac, Linux, and Windows and in the process added one much welcomed feature for Mac OS X users: support for Notification Center. This means that web apps and sites taking advantage of Firefox’s web notifications feature will now also appear for Mac users in the Notification Center.

Version 28 of Firefox also introduces a few new behind the scenes improvements including VP9 video decoding, volume control for HTML5 audio/video, and a number of other fixes.

Firefox 28 for Mac is available to download from the Mozilla website now.

Sprint MVNO ‘Ting’ will add support for iPhone 5 on its usage based plans next week

Jordan Kahn Feb 25 2014 - 11:34 am PT

Update, March 11: As expected, Ting just confirmed official iPhone 5 support. It expects support for the iPhone 5s and 5c to come by September. Full details in our original article below:

Soon users will be able to activate their unlocked Sprint iPhone 5 on Ting, the Tucows-owned Sprint MVNO offering no-contract wireless service and usage-based billing. Late last year we reported that the company had made a deal with Apple and Sprint to begin supporting iPhones. At the time the bring-your-own-device support was limited to the iPhone 4 and 4S and sources told us iPhone 5 support was held up by Sprint, which doesn’t typically offer popular devices to its smaller carrier partners until they are at least a generation or two behind. Now, with the iPhone 5s & 5c on the market for almost half a year, sources say Sprint and Apple are finally ready to give Ting the go ahead for iPhone 5 support.
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Phonejoy app provides complete list of App Store games compatible w/ MFi controllers

Jordan Kahn Feb 5 2014 - 8:52 pm PT

One of the complaints about Apple’s new MFi game controllers has been the lack of an App Store section that lists games updated with support. Some of the manufacturers are maintaining lists of their own online, but it would be nice to be able to browse the App Store and easily find games that work with the controllers. That’s why I’m pleased about a new app called Phonejoy that offers a slick UI to browse around 100 iOS 7 games and counting that are compatible with the MFi game controllers. It’s also listing games that support the popular iCade controllers and other gamepads released before Apple’s new MFi program.

Over the last month we’ve seen the first few Apple authorized game controllers released by manufacturers through Apple’s new MFi program hitting the market. While the program’s aim to implement a standardized controller framework brings a lot of potential for gaming on iOS, we’ve covered in detail how the first few controllers have had a bit of a rough start. On top of lack of support from developers and users not being able to easily find content, consumers also rebelled against the $99 price point leading several manufacturers to drop launch prices as low as $70.

We’ve covered some of the issues with Apple’s new MFi game controller program and also reviewed the first few to hit the market from Logitech, Moga, and SteelSeries.

The Phonejoy app is available on the App Store for free now and the company also has a Kickstarter project for its own controller that it plans to ship in March.

Review: Logitech PowerShell iPhone controller has game if developers embrace it

Jordan Kahn Dec 20 2013 - 12:23 pm PT

10 Comments

Following the introduction of Apple’s new MFi game controller frameworks at WWDC in June, well-known accessory makers this month have released some of the first Apple-certified, Made for iPhone gaming controllers. Today I’m taking a look at one of those controllers with the new Logitech PowerShell, followed by some details on exactly how it differs from the new MOGA controller and exactly what to expect from Apple’s new controller experience as we wait for developers to update games with support.
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Updated report graphs Apple’s dedication to supporting older iPhones vs. Android

Jordan Kahn Dec 3 2013 - 7:29 am PT

22 Comments

We hear a lot about adoption of iOS updates vs the fragmentation that Android users are forced to deal with, but just how far behind are the top Android devices compared to iPhone when it comes to getting support? To answer that question, Fidlee.com has updated a chart that it first put together a couple years back in order to see if Android has become any better in recent years. It hasn’t.

In the chart above we see that many once flagship Android devices— the Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy S3, LG G2 etc— have still not received the latest Android 4.4 KitKat update. Most of the devices on the list have been an upgrade or two behind since launch or not long after. In comparison, only the iPhone 3GS fives years after its release doesn’t support iOS 7. We also get a look at how much longer Apple devices generally stay available for sale and continue receiving support– nearly twice as long as Android in most cases.

Not only did Apple claim iOS 7 was “the fastest software upgrade in history” with more than 200 million devices installing the OS less than a week after launch, but analytics firms also noticed adoption was much higher than previous releases. Currently iOS 7 sits at about 77% of users, according to the latest data from Fiksu’s iOS Usage Monitor. While the chart above is only for devices released last year, things aren’t much better for newer Android devices. In comparison to iOS 7 adoption, Google reports that its latest release, Android 4.4 KitKat, is at just 1.1% weeks into launch. The previous release, Android 4.3, is at just 4.2%, while the majority of users remain on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean first released in July 2012.

A couple more charts below from Fidlee showing just how bad things are on Android:
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How Google manages over 40,000 Macs…without much help from Apple

Jordan Kahn Nov 27 2013 - 4:03 pm PT

23 Comments

During a talk at the LISA ’13 conference in Washington D.C earlier this month, a couple members from Google’s Macintosh Operations team explained how the company has been forced to develop its own set of tools to manage its fleet of roughly 43,000 Macs. The reason, according to Google engineers Clay Caviness and Edward Eigerman, is that Apple isn’t doing a great job at supporting its enterprise management tools. As the first slide of the presentation (pictured above) puts it, “While Apple won’t do much for you, there are tools out there you can use to keep your machines secure, up to date and useful.”

“We don’t use any of Apple’s tools to manage the Macs. Apple arguably produces two tools, Mac OS X server… and Apple Remote Desktop. It kinda breaks down when you get it over 50, 100, 200 machines that you’re managing… we’ve sort of lost their attention as far as enterprise management tools.”

During one slide (pictured above, right), Google uses the red line to represent the release of the iPhone while noting Apple’s remote desktop “hasn’t had a major revision to it since 2006.” To avoid using Apple’s management tools, Google has either developed its own tools or is using open source tools for everything from configuration, to package management, monitoring system levels and more. Google announced during the talk that one of the imaging tools it developed, CanHazImage, will soon be hitting open source.
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FreedomPop expanding free wireless plan to all Sprint smartphones, iPhones included

Jordan Kahn Nov 19 2013 - 5:59 am PT

4 Comments

FreedomPop, the wireless service provider offering free and cheap no-contract plans on Sprint’s network, today announced it’s now allowing customers to bring their old Sprint phones to activate on its $0/month wireless plans. We’ve confirmed with the company that will also soon include iPhones.

The company has been around since 2011 with various hotspot products and recently launched its first smartphone direct to customers alongside the world’s first completely free mobile service. A guaranteed 500 MBs of data, 500 text messages, and 200 anytime voice minutes for free each month would sound enticing to anyone, but previously customers would have to pay $99 for an almost two-year old HTC Evo Design to get it. Despite that, FreedomPop says it “immediately sold out” of stock when it launched last month.

That’s about to change today as FreedomPop will now let Sprint customers bring their own device to activate on its free and cheap plans. Although there is no mention of it in the carrier’s press release and some are reporting iPhones aren’t supported, we’ve confirmed FreedomPop will support the iPhone 4 and 4S as well as 20 other Sprint devices initially. Stephen Stokols, FreedomPop’s CEO, tells us it will be another few weeks before the iPhone is compatible, and eventually all Sprint smartphones will be supported. Around 600 devices, including iPhones, will be supported by the end of the month.
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Apple says fix incoming for 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro trackpad & keyboard issues, offers interim solution

Mike Beasley Oct 30 2013 - 4:52 pm PT

Apple has published a new support article detailing an issue with some new 13-inch Retina MacBook Pros that debuted alongside the iPad Air earlier this month. The issue can lead to the computer’s keyboard or trackpad becoming unresponsive.

There have been numerous reports of the issue in a 67-page thread on the Apple support forums. Apple’s statement:

New iWork & iLife apps go for simplicity, upset power users all over again

Jordan Kahn Oct 25 2013 - 9:33 am PT

119 Comments

Following the introduction of Apple’s new iWork apps at its iPad Air event earlier this week, an increasing number of users have taken to Apple’s support forums to voice concerns over the removal of features as the apps receive new simplified user interfaces that bring them more in line with the iOS versions. Several pages of complaints from users in Apple’s forums point out that many features, those mostly used by power users, have been removed from Apple’s new redesigned version of Pages:

Why does Apple get rid of so many useful features in new pages? iWork 13 has been a huge disappointment and nothing more than a downgrade to match the capabilities of the iOS iWork apps. If Apple simply made performance upgrades to iWork 09 I would have been happy. I hope there is a way to get back to the most up to date version of iWork 09.

—

It comes down to this. Apple has discontinued Pages in its entirety. You can no longer download it or purchase it, and Apple won’t support it. Apple has simultaneously introduced a completely new and different product, also called Pages, that is designed for different users and different use cases. Despite the name, it is not a successor to Pages (old), except in the licensing terms, it is completely a completely different species of animal. Those of us who depended on Pages (old) cannot use Pages (new). We have to save all our Pages files in a widely used format and import them into a new word processor that supports the formatting.

Pages isn’t the only app, users are also hitting Apple’s forums to list features that have been removed from the redesigned versions of Keynote, Numbers, and iMovie:
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AppleCare+ launch in UK, Italy, Spain, Germany, France, & Switzerland ‘imminent’

Mark Gurman Aug 30 2013 - 11:25 am PT

In line with a rumor from earlier this week, we’ve heard from our sources that AppleCare+ is indeed set to soon launch in Europe. AppleCare+ is Apple’s premium support service, and it provides customers with technical support for both the iPhone and iPad for two years from the original purchase date. AppleCare+ also provides support for up to two instances of accidental damage.

We understand that the launch is “imminent,” but no formal launch date has been announced internally. Apple, this week, has begun training its AppleCare support and Apple Store Genius Bar employees on the upcoming launch of the support initiative. At first, the European launch will occur in the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Germany, France, and Switzerland…

Apple launches more intuitive AppleCare support website, 24/7 chat

Mark Gurman Aug 26 2013 - 4:47 pm PT

3 Comments

Earlier this month, we reported that Apple would soon introduce significant changes to its online AppleCare support portals. In line with our report, Apple has begun rolling out a redesigned AppleCare website to provide support and has also begun rolling out 24/7 live chat support.

Apple opens graphics card replacement program for some mid-2011 iMacs

Mark Gurman Aug 16 2013 - 5:04 pm PT

46 Comments

Apple has opened up one of its rare replacement programs for the graphics card in some mid-2011 iMac configurations, according to a notice issued to Apple Support employees. The iMac in question is the model released in May 2011 with Sandy Bridge processors and Thunderbolt ports. This iMac was sold between that month and October 2012 when Apple launched thinner models with new internals. Apple says that AMD Radeon HD 6970M cards (both 1GB and 2GB configurations) in select versions of these 2011 iMacs could fail:

Pebble smartwatch app for iOS updated with email notification support

Mark Gurman Aug 1 2013 - 11:40 am PT

2 Comments

Pebble smartwatch users running iOS 6 won’t have to wait until iOS 7 to get email notifications: the company behind the watch has issued an update for its iOS app to support email alerts.

The update supports Gmail via a login through Google, while other IMAP email accounts are supported via a login-system within the app. Non-IMAP accounts (like POP) are not supported.

For those who receive a lot of email, Pebble has included an option to temporarily pause email notifications:

Once it has been successfully set up, you will see the account listed on the Email Notifications page. A blue bar means that the account is active. If you would like to temporarily disable the notifications, simply tap the bar once to turn them off; it will appear grey when the notifications are disabled. Tap the bar again when you wish to re-enable the notifications.

Pebble also has troubleshooting instructions on its support page. Of course, Apple is working on its own smart watch. The Pebble recently went on sale at Best Buy.

Apple job listing hints at iOS keyboard support for additional languages & scripts

Jordan Kahn Jul 30 2013 - 11:37 am PT

5 Comments

Apple currently supports over 50 languages and varying script systems with its system-wide keyboard in iOS, but a new job listing hints that it is working to add support for additional languages and writing systems. Apple is looking to add engineers to its iOS keyboard and text team, and its UIKit Frameworks team, to “work closely with international teams and native speakers to accommodate all the world’s script systems.”

Apple has done a lot of work on the iOS keyboard in terms of language support in recent years, and most recently announced that “improved Chinese input including handwriting recognition for multiple Chinese characters” would be arriving in iOS 7.

iOS currently supports the over 50+ languages listed below, but users continue to request other unsupported languages and script systems. For example, Maltese, Afrikaans, and the Persian or Perso-Arabic alphabet are just a few not yet supported.
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Popular ‘Dots’ iPhone game updated with iPad support, new multiplayer mode, more

Jordan Kahn May 30 2013 - 6:58 am PT

The extremely popular ‘Dots: A Game About Connecting’ title for iPhone, which happen to hit around 100 million games played in just a couple weeks after its launch last month, today received an update that brings the title to the larger screen with support for iPad.

Not only is Dots coming to iPad users today, developer Betaworks One is also rolling out a new multiplayer mode that allows users to pass their “iOS device between friends to compete on the same board.”

The iTunes release notes also mention that “Shrinkers now 5 / 500 dots to balance gameplay.” One thing to keep in mind: One commenter warns that on iPad dots are “so tiny now you can barely see the dots never mind connect them.”

A future update to the app will also include a new “Timeless mode.”

The update includes a couple other performance improvements as well:

What’s New in Version 1.7

What’s New
· iPad Support!
· Multiplayer mode! Pass your iOS device between friends to compete on the same board.
· High-contrast color options for color blind players

Heads Up
· Shrinkers now 5 / 500 dots to balance gameplay

Bug Fixes
· No more repeating colors dropping
· Fixes to the high score system
· Ability to disconnect from Twitter/Facebook

Apple updates iAd Producer with support for iBooks Author widgets, iTunes LPs, iTunes Extras, more

Jordan Kahn Apr 23 2013 - 1:29 pm PT

Apple’s iAd Producer tool for creating HTML5, CSS3, and Javascript ads for its iAd platform gets updated to version 4.0 today and adds a number of notable new features on top of some performance enhancements that Apple outlined in a knowledge base article. The updated app now allows users to create iBooks Author widgets, iTunes LPs, and iTunes Extras. Apple provides more information on the new features, such as creating an iBooks Author Widget for iBooks Author projects on the iAd Producer support page:

You can create an iBooks Author widget for use in your iBooks Author projects. For example, you can create a widget that allows users to stream video from the Internet, draw using their finger, or interact with a timeline.

A full list of what’s new in iAd Producer 4.0 including: folder-based organization support, new HTML, Stack, Drawing, and Panorama objects, in-app quick previews, CSS filter support for objects, and much more below:

New in iAd Producer 4.0

This release contains a number of new features and improvements

Improved Object library interface
Improved Actions library interface
Support for folder-based organization in the asset library
New HTML, Stack, Drawing, and Panorama objects
New actions for adding and removing CSS classes, animating background position, animating image masks, and text slide-in animation
Support for applying CSS filters as well as image and gradient masks to objects.
In-app quick preview
Project-wide search in the Code Editor
Better export performance
Improved menu layout
Improved font support, including support for OpenType fonts
Improved rulers and alignment guides
Enhanced inspectors, with pop-up color pickers, and gradient sliders that now represent opacity
Support for QuickLook previews in iAd Producer project files
Support for iTunes LP, iTunes Extras, and iBook Author widget project types
Other fixes and improvements

(via MacStories)

Logitech announces Mac OS support for G Series gaming accessories

Jordan Kahn Apr 22 2013 - 11:36 am PT

Previously available to Windows gamers only, Logitech today announced Mac OS X software making its recently unveiled revamped lineup of G gaming accessories available to Mac users too. Ranging from approximately $50 to $200, the G gaming products include the G700 wireless gaming mouse, G510 gaming keyboard, as well as a selection of mice, gaming headsets, and the G13 Advanced Gameboard controller.

Today, we are excited to share that Logitech Gaming Software (LGS) has been updated to support Mac OS for our full keyboard and mouse lineup. Now Mac gamers can enjoy the same great personalization and customized control our PC customers have come to reply on. You can download the latest version of LGS from the Logitech support page for each compatible product.

You can check out the full G Series of Logitech gaming accessories here and download the Mac OS X software here. As usual, Amazon has some of the best prices on the current G series accessories, while the revamped lineup will be available through Logitech later this month.
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Algoriddim’s ‘djay’ apps get Audiobus support alongside new features & enhancements

Jordan Kahn Apr 3 2013 - 5:32 am PT

Following Apple’s decision to update GarageBand with support for the inter-app audio routing system known as “Audiobus”, the popular djay apps by developer Algoriddim have been updated with Audiobus support alongside a long list of new features.

On top of support for the Pioneer DDJ-WeGO and DDJ-ERGO controllers through the Pioneer DJC-WeCAi iPad Connection Cable for the iPad version of the app, both the iPhone and iPad djay apps get the following new features and enhancements:

What’s New in Version 1.6.4

✔ Introducing Audiobus support: Now you can stream live audio directly to other Audiobus-compatible apps! See http://audiob.us for more information
✔ Added support for Pioneer DDJ-WeGO and DDJ-ERGO controllers (requires Pioneer DJC-WeCAi iPad Connection Cable, sold separately)
✔ “Shuffle” setting is now also applied to Automix Queue
✔ Pause audio when disconnecting headphones or dock audio
✔ Gain is no longer reset when “Reset EQ” setting is off
✔ Allow sliding crossfader up after tapping to leave it centered
✔ Improved handling of iOS audio system errors
✔ Improved caching
✔ Improved Vestax Spin 2 mapping: allow tempo fine-adjust using Shift & +/– buttons
✔ Changed ION iDJ 2 Go jog wheels to scratch during playback (the previous pitch-bend behavior can be enabled using “Jog Pitch Bend Mode” in the MIDI settings)
✔ Fixed playback issue after loading error with specific files
✔ Fixed audio distortion when using Key Lock with Bluetooth audio
✔ Fixed lock screen audio controls starting both turntables
✔ Fixed possible crash when editing Automix Queue while Automix is active
✔ Bug fixes, performance and stability improvements

djay for iPhone is available on the App Store now for $0.99, and the iPad version is available for $4.99. The free, LE versions of the app also gained Audiobus support today.

Algoriddim even updated its vjay apps that allow users to mix music and videos with many of the new features—minus Audiobus support—included in the djay updates.

Growing number of iCloud users experiencing Mail delivery errors

Jordan Kahn Mar 7 2013 - 9:19 am PT

Apple appears to be experiencing issues with its iCloud Mail service today, as a growing number of users report receiving a delivery error message from postmaster@mac.com for every email received (as pictured above). Most users report still being able to receive emails but also receiving the above error report for each email, while others claim the problem is only happening on specific accounts. An Apple support thread has been started with an increasing number of posters experiencing the same issue since this morning.

Reason: Error in sieve filter: Notify mailto: recipient is not a valid address Action: delivered Status: 2.0.0 (Error in sieve filter: Notify mailto: recipient is not a valid address).

There are also several users on Twitter complaining of the same error, but Apple ha yet to update its system status page to reflect the problems with Mail.

Anybody else using http://t.co/yMNQlQaozp email addresses getting mail delivery error messages after receiving actual emails? It’s annoying!

— Subtle Code Switch Traits (@Tabbulous) March 7, 2013

https://twitter.com/datasaur/status/309705896399863809

Anybody else have 'Problem during delivery processing' from postmaster@mac.com ? #iCloud #Mail #Alias #fail

— John Stoll (@jstoll) March 7, 2013

Apple is keeping mum of their iCloud mail problems, but the infamous "Error in sieve filter" is their issue | http://t.co/9zGxrHVO4K

— cteodor (@cteodor) March 7, 2013

https://twitter.com/arumandox/status/309717313265999874

Evasi0n jailbreak 1.4 coming later today with official support for iOS 6.1.2 (Updated)

Jordan Kahn Feb 19 2013 - 1:22 pm PT