Apple?s App Store Marks Historic 50 Billionth Download
Apple has announced that customers have now downloaded over 50 billion apps from the App Store. The 50 billionth app ? Say the Same Thing by Space Inch, LLC ? was downloaded by Brandon Ashmore from Mentor, Ohio, who received a $10,000 App Store Gift Card to commemorate the milestone. ?The App Store completely transformed how people use their mobile devices and created a thriving app ecosystem that has paid out over nine billion dollars to developers,? said Eddy Cue, Apple?s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. ?We?re absolutely floored to cross this milestone in less than five years.?
published on Thursday, the 16. May 2013, apple-hot-news
Ailing UK School Makes Dramatic Turnaround
A new video profiles Essa Academy, a once struggling school in one of the most disadvantaged areas of England. New principal Showkat Badat has reinvented the school as a hub of technology-assisted learning, and helped incorporate an ecosystem of Apple products, including iPad, Mac, and iTunes U, into the classrooms. The students? excitement about the technology and direct access to information is reflected in dramatically improved test scores. Since adopting the technology, Essa went from a 28 percent pass rate to 100 percent. ?I don?t see technology as an add-on, a nice option to have,? says Badat. ?It?s what enables learning and creates an environment that sparks creativity.?
published on Thursday, the 2. May 2013, apple-hot-news
Prevent Google Now from depleting iOS batteries
Google has added Google Now to its Google Search app for iOS. This provides local traffic information, weather data and more. Unfortunately, this also keeps GPS on permanently on an iOS device, depleting its battery. After installing the new Google Search app, I had noticed that my iPhone's Location Services icon was on permanently. I quit all apps that could be using GPS or location services, but it was still visible. I restarted the phone, and it was still visible. It turns out that it was Google Now, and I resolved the issue by deleting the Google Search app. You can also just turn off Google Now, in the Google Search app's settings. (See this screenshot by Dave Hamilton.) If you want to use Google Now, be aware that it will drain your battery, and remember to turn it off when you don't need it. ...
published on Wednesday, the 1. May 2013, macosxhints
Apple Is Tops When It Comes to Computer Tech Support
According to the latest Consumer Reports reader survey, Apple tops the list of brand-name computer manufacturers for the quality of its tech support, far surpassing other large companies. The report points to ?ease of contacting staff, clarity of advice, technical knowledge, patience, and time for follow-up? in the phone and online support areas. Service at the Genius Bar rates equally highly. In addition, Apple improved on its own scores from last year?s survey.
published on Tuesday, the 30. April 2013, apple-hot-news
Sync files across computers with BitTorrent Sync
BitTorrent Labs has released BitTorrent Sync, a tool for syncing files across computers, using the BitTorrent peer-to-peer protocol. This app lets you choose a specific folder (or folders) to sync, and have it automatically synced on one or several computers. It runs on OS X, Windows and Linux. I find this an interesting tool. While I use Dropbox regularly, and depend on it for collaboration, and to sync a number of files between my two Macs, there is a limit in the amount of space available. (With the free version, it's 2 GB; paid subscriptions are available if you want more storage.) But also, Dropbox requires that anything you sync be put in its own folder. You can use symbolic links in a Dropbox folder, but if you want to sync the contents of a specific folder on your Mac to another Mac, this gets a bit complicated. ...
published on Tuesday, the 30. April 2013, macosxhints
Keep your keyboard's keys from getting worn out
If you type a lot, you may find that the letters on the keys of your Mac's keyboard will slowly fade away. In my case, not only do they fade away, but one key - the D key, which, since I use a Dvorak layout, is the E key - actually has some of the plastic worn away. And this is on a wireless Apple keyboard that's only about a year old. (Note that since I touch-type, it really doesn't matter whether I see the keys or not…) Topher Kessler, writing at CNet, posted an article with some ways to keep the letters from fading. He suggests possibly using a silicone keyboard cover, but I don't think that would be comfortable. But he also recommends using standard cellophane tape, cut into squares that cover the keys. You probably wouldn't want to do this to all the keys on your keyboard: the most commonly-used ones are those most in need of protection: E ...
published on Monday, the 29. April 2013, macosxhints
How to show or hide panels in Adobe Acrobat Pro XI v.11.0.2
Sometimes clicking the "Show or hide panels" (the top-right icon on right pane for Tools or Comments) in Adobe Acrobat Pro XI v.11.0.2 on OS X 10.8.3 does no work. Clicking it does nothing. Here is the fix: 1. Select View > Read Mode. 2. Select View > Full Screen Mode 3. Press the Escape key [kirkmc adds: I don’t have Acrobat Pro, so I can’t test this.]
published on Friday, the 26. April 2013, macosxhints
Apple Worldwide Developers Conference to Kick Off June 10 in San Francisco
Apple announced that it will hold its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) June 10 through June 14 at San Francisco?s Moscone West. At the five-day conference, developers from around the world will learn about the future of iOS and OS X. WWDC will also feature more than 100 technical sessions presented by over 1,000 Apple engineers and hands-on labs to help developers integrate new technologies. And the popular Apple Design Awards will showcase the most outstanding apps available through the App Store and Mac App Store. Tickets for this year?s WWDC go on sale Thursday, April 25, at 10 a.m. PDT.
published on Wednesday, the 24. April 2013, apple-hot-news
Apple Reports Second Quarter Results
Apple announced financial results for its fiscal 2013 second quarter ended March 30, 2013, posting revenue of $43.6 billion and quarterly net profit of $9.5 billion, or $10.09 per diluted share. During the quarter, Apple sold 37.4 million iPhones, compared to 35.1 million in the year-ago quarter. And it sold 19.5 million iPads during the quarter, compared to 11.8 million in 2012. ?We are pleased to report record March quarter revenue thanks to continued strong performance of iPhone and iPad,? said Tim Cook, Apple?s CEO. ?Our teams are hard at work on some amazing new hardware, software, and services, and we are very excited about the products in our pipeline.?
published on Tuesday, the 23. April 2013, apple-hot-news
Quickly type domains for different countries in iOS
You may be familiar with the fact that, when typing on iOS, you can press and hold the . (period) key, or the .com key, to get a popup with a handful of top-level domains, such as .com, .org, .edu, etc. If your iOS device is set up with a country other than the US, you'll have these, plus others, such as .co.uk if you're in the UK, or .de if you're in Germany. OS X Daily recently pointed out that you can also quickly type other top-level domains by simply adding international keyboards to your iOS device. To do this, go to Settings > General > International > Keyboards, then tap on Add New Keyboard. Tap the keyboard for the country you want to use. When you next go to type text, you can press and hold the . (period) key in, say, Mail, or the .com key in Safari, and access additional top-level domains. Interestingly, when I did this, I found a surprising change. I added a UK keyboard to b ...
published on Tuesday, the 23. April 2013, macosxhints