Apple That

So Apple users out there! In case you have been living under a rock for the past few days, the new iOS 8 update has finally released. Naturally, with just about any update from Apple, we can expect a menagerie of different things that we don’t like or problems that we encounter. Luckily, there haven’t been too many issues that have caused a lot of headlines. Usually after every iOS update, we can expect an X.0.1 update to fix whatever ailments are being discussed over the internet. Regarding this new update however, Apple seems to have gotten things under control more so than usual. That being said though, there are still some aspects of the new iOS 8 update that people are not necessarily enthused about.

Texting

Let just take some time to talk about the one thing that we use our phones for the most; Texting. We’ve all seen plenty of memes involving the horrors of autocorrect. There is now something else that we can worry/laugh about involving our texting habits. As if autocorrect wasn’t enough, now there’s now something called “QuickType” that we can concern ourselves with. For any Android users out there, you are more familiar with this than us Apple users. “QuickType” is essentially a feature to replace the autocorrect that we’re used to. Instead of you just hitting the “space” button in order to have your correct place, now there are a myriad of words that the texting app predicts that you could mean. All you need to do is hit that word and it will take it’s place in the text you’re righting. It’s not the worst thing, but we can expect some of the word suggestions to be annoying or funny enough that we’re all waiting for the funny Facebook pictures to surface.

The Overall Download

Whenever we Apple users have downloaded our new updates, we’ve known that they’ve been pretty huge, but this new update is a bit ridiculous. Just from the few people that I know that have downloaded this new update, I’ve heard many a horror story of deleting hundreds of pictures, different videos, and even some of their favorite apps. This new update only requires 1.2 GB of free space on your phone. That being said, then why does it require you’re phone have 5.7 GB of free space??? What the heck Apple? This is where things don’t really make sense in an over-the-air download. Mind you, that if you decide to use your computer to download the update, you can sync up your iPad or iPhone and it won’t take up any space on your mobile device. It will just download. *I would highly suggest this option. It’s much better than dealing with all of the deleting that you’d have to do.

The Infamous “Privacy Problems”

This biggest talk of the new update is the “Key Contacts”. This feature allows you to double tap the Home button and see all of the people you’ve recently had a conversation with.  This could be good on one hand. Mainly just to make things a bit quicker in the long run. That being said, it could definitely make things a bit… complicated. What I mean by this is it could cause some problems. Allow me to paint a picture for you. You’ve recently broken up with an ex. You double tap the home button to close an app, and you see that you just recently were texting her, even though the deleted the conversation. Now all those feelings rush back, and you’re tempted to talk to that person again. That and then there is the “Recently deleted photos” issue. Instead of having the photos that you delete be, well… deleted, there is now a “Recently deleted photo” album in your “Pictures” app. Thanks for the reminder Apple, but if we deleted the picture or text conversation, it was more than likely for a reason.

This app is still a welcome update, as the iOS 7 update has been out for a while now, and having this new update accompany the OS X Yosemite update just makes sense. There are still plenty of aspects to love about the new update, but just in case Apple is reading this, these are our complaints. An iOS 8.1 update fixing the issues mentioned would be very welcomed.

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Despite the hype, 2013 was actually a pretty calm and quiet year for Apple. 2014 should be a much different and bigger year for the company, who says they have big plans in the works.

During the earlier part of 2013, Apple kept dropping strong hints about new product categories and expanding on the smartphone and tablet market as well. In the last part of 2013, we did see lots of new improvements on older products, but nothing that we could really call new. So, what are these huge new plans that Apple has in store for us? Is a new invention going to turn the whole industry upside down like the original iPhone did?

The iWatch

This isn’t really what I would call “big news”, considering the rumors of this product were floating around for months before it was even officially announced that they were in production. Companies like Samsung have already put out smartwatches (and have seen them fail), so how could this be the big new invention that has Apple so excited? Well, although I think something bigger may be in store, let’s face it… Apple is the kind of company that makes sure their products are perfect before they release them, to the point that it will make people wonder why other companies even tried. When the iPhone came out, cell phones had already been out forever. It wasn’t even the first smartphone, at all. But, it changed the way we looked at phones and smartphones forever. It was so inspiring that it almost felt like cell phones never even existed before that point. Could Apple’s iWatch be the next iPhone?

New, Larger iPhone models

It’s been rumored that Apple is working on iPhones with up to 5-inch screens, and according to The Wall Street Journal, they could even be working on 6-inch iPhones. This is a tough spot for Apple to be in because other smartphone companies are putting out phones with way larger screens, and now, the screen size has become the number one complaint from iPhone users. But that problem is not so simple to fix. Apple would have to find a way for app developers to redesign their apps for use with the new phones, or find a way to program the apps to be responsive to different screen sizes. But chances are, they already have it under control.

Other expected new products

Apple Television? Neat, but hardly a contender.  Moving on: There has been word on an iPad Pro coming soon. Adding the word “Air” to their last iPad seems like a hint toward things to come with newer models. But at the end of the day, consumers aren’t ready to turn to tablets for their everyday computing needs. It seems highly unlikely that this is the new and exciting product that Apple has been hinting at since April of last year, unless it ends up being some sort of super tablet that can do anything a MacBook Pro could do. That would be nuts, but it’s highly unlikely.

So, we already know about some new and exciting things to come from Apple this year, and we will have to keep our eyes peeled for what else is to come. My money on the iWatch though. It may not seem like a big deal now, but it might just change everything you thought you ever knew about watches or smart-gadgets.

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On what is supposed to be a triumphant week for Apple with the release of their new flagship iPhone 5 and the updated iOS 6, there is one glaring problem that has many of Apple’s customers up in arms, the updated Maps app for iOS 6. Since the release of iOS 6 to the public on Wednesday, there has been criticism from all over the globe decrying Apple’s new mapping application, which takes the place of the standard Google Maps app that has existed on the iPhone from the very beginning.

The replacement of the standard Google Maps application by an app that was built and designed by Apple themselves is just another stage in the ever continuing war between Apple and Google for domination of the world’s mobile market. Apple, with this update to iOS, is attempting to cut as many ties to Google as possible, most notably with the new mapping application and the removal of the standard YouTube video app, which of course is owned by Google.

Much of the criticism of the new mapping application has been about missing locations, such as the Statue of Liberty, and the lack of public transit directions. While the new mapping application offers iOS users free, voice guided turn-by-turn navigation for the first time, a feature already included on android phones, it does not necessarily make up for the many omissions that exist. Part of the problem is the fact that Apple is relatively new to the “mapping game” and that compared to what is arguably the industry standard, they come up a bit short. Apple is confident however that the more people use the iOS 6 application, the better its mapping system will get, just as Google maps improved with millions of users’ input. In the meantime, however, customers of Apple’s popular mobile operating system are not pleased and are demanding Apple fix the problems that exist.

Ultimately it remains to be seen how Apple will update its new Maps application, and if it will indeed improve to the standard that Google Maps has set. It is rumored that Google may release a standalone app that, like they did with YouTube, may satisfy the needs of iOS users. While this will assuredly prolong the war between the two giant tech companies, it may satisfy the customer base that just wants to know where they are going.

Fresh off its $1.05 billion patent lawsuit victory over Samsung, Apple is turning its sights on another tech giant, this one a little bigger than Samsung, however. After suing the crap out of Samsung for patent infringement, Apple CEO Tim Cook is reportedly in talks with Google CEO Larry Page about numerous intellectual property matters, including those at the center of the ongoing patent disputes between both companies.

These talks, which have taken place sort of secretively, began last week over the phone and will continue in the coming weeks. In addition to that, discussions involving lower-level executives for both companies are also being conducted. Cook has always said that these patent suits, including the one against Samsung, weren’t about attacking Android, which the late CEO Steve Jobs vowed.

Instead, Cook claims that the suits are to protect Apple’s properties. However, there is a fear now that the ruling laid forth last week has set the stage for additional lawsuits against other Android device makers. According to a statement from Google about the Apple-Samsung verdict, “The court of appeals will review both infringement and the validity of the patent claims.”

Google also added, “Most of these don’t relate to the core Android operating system, and several are being re-examined by the US Patent Office. The mobile industry is moving fast and all players — including newcomers — are building upon ideas that have been around for decades. We work with our partners to give consumers innovative and affordable products, and we don’t want anything to limit that.”

However, Google and Apple are discussing infringement issues in private. One possible scenario, according to sources, that is being contemplated by the two companies could be an actual truce involving disputes over basic Android features and functions. Unfortunately, it is still unclear if the two CEOs are discussing a broad settlement covering a wide array of disputes or are focusing on a more limited set of issues.

With the recent win over Samsung, Apple may be feeling pretty good about itself, which could be why it has decided to take on Google. The problem here is that Google is a little more powerful than Samsung. I’m curious to see if Apple will be able to give a one-two punch right to the face of Android by taking down Google right after defeating Samsung.

Source: Tom’s Hardware – Google and Apple CEOs Talking Over Patent Issues

Apple’s iPad has become a popular device for watching things like Netflix and streaming television shows through various apps and services. However, the iPad isn’t particularly great at the discovery of the streaming shows, which have a tendency to be scattered about. But fear not, because the latest version of the Fanhattan app takes a small, albeit needed, step toward helping iPad users find and stream their favorite television shows.

The one thing devices like the iPad are missing is a better centralized search-and-discovery dashboard. The Xbox 360 realized that when it added Bing, which allows shows to be found through any of the console’s available video apps. Fanhattan on iOS has been offering a similar functionality with the its database of movie and TV show information, along with a launchpad for video on different services like Netflix, iTunes and Hulu Plus. The only downside is that the selection of video apps that Fanhattan has access to isn’t quite as extensive.

Fanhattan’s latest installment, available on the Apple App Store, adds HBO, Cinemax, NBC and The CW to its repertoire, displaying show availability in searches along with launching the apps from within Fanhattan. While the change is small, it is still important and helps make the app a better catch-all video search tool. In addition to that, the app update adds a personal Watch List feature that tracks show and movie availability.

With this update the total number of video services that Fanhattan can discover increases to 12 and includes: Netflix, iTunes, Hulu Plus, HBO Go, PBS, YouTube, ABC/ABC Family, Cinemax, NBC, Lifetime, Crackle and The CW. However, users are upset at the lack of other services, like EPIX, Adult Swim, Vudu, and Amazon Instant Video.

Bing on the Xbox 360 is still an all-around better service for finding all your favorite television shows and movies, though you need an Xbox 360 for that. If you like to watch your favorite movies and television shows on your iPad then Fanhattan is an app you should definitely look into. The app itself is far from perfect but it is the best offering for iOS devices currently available.

Source: CNET – Fanhattan for iOS adds HBO and Cinemax, still trying to be iPad’s perfect video app

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