All posts by Macmint

iPad

iPad Air 2 may feature 2GB of RAM

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According to a report out of Taiwan, the next generation iPad, commonly referred to as the iPad Air 2 (most probably will be known by Apple name as simply the iPad Air), will feature 2GB of RAM. That is double the amount of RAM found in the current generation iPad Air. The current generation iPad mini with Retina Display also features 1GB of RAM.

According to the rumor, the second generation iPad Mini with Retina Display will still be stuck at 1GB of RAM.

Memory Does Not Matter to Apple

As many Apple enthusiasts know, Apple rarely plays the specs game. Instead they focus on keeping the cost of the device low so that they can keep their profit margins high.

That means that instead of getting away with shoddy software design, Apple has to constantly reconfigure and optimize their operating systems for the amount of RAM that they are putting in the device. This is why it is often said that Apple’s devices run better despite their failure to compete on specs.

RAM is a big deal however, even for Apple. Apple has, since the iPad’s launch in 2010, placed a lot of capital in the device as being a great gaming machine. Indeed it clearly beats Android when it comes to depth, quality, and quantity of game titles. By increasing the RAM in the next generation iPad Air, Apple will allow developers to do much more when it comes to graphics and processing. That means better and bigger games.

In iOS 8, Apple has created a newly designed software stack called Metal, which will eliminate the processing time between request and execution. In layman’s terms, it allows the game to get closer to the CPU and GPU, which means games will operate faster. By adding extra RAM to the iPad Air 2, Apple gives developers even more power to play with.

As is always the case, Apple has to take certain things into account before they can increase specs like RAM. For example, more RAM means a bigger impact on both battery life and heat output.

Another reason why more RAM makes sense for Apple, is that rumors point towards a new multitasking function that will allow users to run apps side by side. Additional RAM will make that process smoother and more enjoyable for users.

iPad Air 2 Rumors

As Apple get’s closer to the anticipated release of their next generation iPads, several rumors have leaked out. Including the inclusion of Touch ID, a slight redesign, and a anti-glare screen. It is rumored that Apple will announce the new iPad Air 2 in October (based on previous year’s iPad launches).

News

iMessage is being overrun by spammers

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iMessage, Apple’s popular messaging service for iOS and OS X has been overrun by spammers, according to a new report from security researching firm Cloudmark. That isn’t that huge a surprise given that spam has been a huge problem on traditional SMS for many years.

According to the report, spam has been reported from designer fashion brands like Ray-Ban, Oakley, and Michael Kors. The report suggests that the reason why iMessage is being used is because anyone with a lot of free iCloud accounts can send a ton of messages easily and cheaply.

imessage-spam — Example of spam seen on iMessage

The study suggests that nearly 28 percent of all iMessages were spam in July 2014. To compare, in North America only 1% of all SMS messages are spam. Though in Asia that number is 30%. It’s also worth noting that the number of text messages sent everyday using SMS technology is in the tens of billions, much more than the amount of iMessages sent every day.

iMessage Technology Causing Problems

One of the problems, according to the report, is that the way iMessage allows for “read receipts” allows for spammers to build huge lists of legitimate phone numbers. They can then sell that list to other spammers for huge amounts of money. Read receipts allow iPhone and Mac users to tell the sender when a message has been read.

This, however, isn’t an exclusively “Apple Problem”. SMS alternatives have become a huge business over the last few years. Earlier in 2014, Facebook purchased WhatsApp for $19 billion. WhatsApp is the largest mobile messaging platform behind SMS. One of the things that set these platforms apart from SMS, beyond pricing, is that they are able to offer technology like read receipts. The study suggest that Apple’s iMessage platform isn’t the only one that is seeing the influx of spam.

Users worried about being added to one of these spam lists can turn off read receipts by going into the settings app under iMessage and turning the “Send Read Receipts” option to off.

Hacking is Another Problem

While spammers are able to sign up for free iCloud accounts, the researchers found that nearly 60% of the spam sent over iMessage in May and June 2014 was sent from Apple IDs with Chinese Domains. In July most of the traffic came from Apple IDs associated with Hotmail addresses. The researchers suggest that these aren’t actually mass registered iCloud accounts, but are instead hacked accounts.

The report also found that the United States was by far the biggest target of the iMessage spam. That isn’t unexpected as the United States has the largest market share of Apple products.

OS X

Preview: Quick look at the all new OS X Yosemite

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For the fourth straight year, Apple is releasing a major update to its desktop operating system, OS X. This year the release is named Yosemite, continuing Apple’s new naming scheme based on California landmarks (last year’s update was labeled Mavericks after a California surfing hotspot).

OS X Yosemite may be one of the largest updates to the Mac OS since OS X was released in 2000, at least in terms of visual changes. Last year Apple released iOS 7 which brought a completely new design to the mobile OS; this year a lot of that same design has been implemented on the desktop. What’s new in OS X 10.10 Yosemite?

Redesigned Interface

The most major change in OS X Yosemite comes from the visual changes. The design is now much more iOS-like, taking the flat and translucent design from its mobile sibling. New icons adorn the classic Mac Dock; while a new dark option gives users the ability to make OS X a little less bright.

The main theme of the new interface is translucency. The dock, the menu bar, and the title bars of all the apps are now translucent, allowing the user to see “underneath” the app. Apple says this gives users the ability to sense depth in their applications.

Outside of the main interface, you’ll notice a redesigned Notification Center, which can now be equipped with third party widgets.

Updated Apple Apps

In addition to the main interface, all of Apple’s pre-installed applications have been updated to fit with the new look and feel of OS X Yosemite. For example the Mail app has a new look as well as some new features like in-message markup. Messages received the biggest update; it has a new look as well as allowing users to group message using iMessage.

Continuity

For people who have both a Mac and an iOS device, Apple has created a new service called Continuity. Continuity allows users to start doing one thing on their Mac (or iPhone) and continue doing it on their other device. For example, if you start browsing the web on your Mac, you can then pick up your iPad and continue browsing the same page there.

This is accomplished with a new icon that will pop up on both devices when Continuity is available. In the example above, a Safari icon would appear on the lockscreen.

Continuity also allows users who own an iPhone to take calls and send SMS messages on their Mac.

Swift

Swift isn’t something that most users of the Mac will care about. It’s a new programming language that will allow developers to code Apple applications with less code and less experience. From an end-user experience, this should mean faster applications.

Bottom Line

These are just the major updates to OS X Yosemite, there are many more under the hood. One of the biggest changes Apple has made is that it is allowing 1 million people to try the software before it is officially released in the fall with their Public Preview. This is a major change for Apple, which usually keeps its beta software under lock and key until it is polished enough for public consumption.

OS X

OS X Yosemite developer preview 6 released by Apple

Image 08/19/2014 Macmint Leave a comment

Apple has released the sixth beta of its highly anticipated next generation Mac operating system, OS X Yosemite. This comes about two weeks after the release of the previous developer preview. The new OS, touted because of its redesigned user interface, was first announced at WWDC in June.

The beta, known as a developer preview, has the build number 14A3429f. As of the time of publication, this new release is only available to registered developers, not participants of Apple’s public beta, which opened in late July.

In addition to a brand new beta for OS X Yosemite, Apple has released a dictation Language update and has brought Xcode 6 up to beta 6. Apple has since removed Xcode 6 beta 6 from the developer center.

In addition to a flatter interface, OS X Yosemite brings several other improvements that users are looking forward to. Many of the bug fixes since the first beta release in June have been pointed towards these new features, specifically the features that both OS X and iOS 8 share, Continuity and Extensions.

Each beta has brought slight tweaks to the user interface. Most of these changes have been minor, just bringing icons and tool bars closer to the new flat design used throughout the rest of the interface.

Changes in OS X Yosemite Developer Preview 6

Similar to previous beta releases, Developer Preview 6 has several minor interface tweaks:

– The System Preferences pane received a newly designed top bar in Developer Preview 5. In DP 6, Apple has redesigned the icons in System Preferences to match the rest of the operating system.

– They have included a brand new Battery Icon.

– The new Developer Preview also comes with several Yosemite related wallpapers for the first time.

– In Developer Preview 4, Apple for some unknown reason removed the Do Not Disturb toggle from the Notification Center. In DP 6 it has returned.

– It’s not known how long Dashboard will live now that OS X can have third party widgets in the Notification Center, but in this beta they’ve updated the design to make it fit in with the rest of the operating system.

– Developer Preview 6 also includes several updates to System Icons, including the standard hard drive icon, Font Book, Mission Control, Terminal, Script Editor, and Notes.

– Other changes include a redesigned color picker and Inspector in apps that use them. Noticeably, the Get Info window is still using previous designs. Additionally an all new Diagnostics Page is show on start up, as seen below.

While it is currently unknown when Apple will release the final version of OS X Yosemite to the public, it is fairly well known that these major releases are sent out in October during their second fall event, which is usually iPad and Mac themed. In normal situations, Apple releases the final bits to consumers a few days before the event; occasionally the day of.

What are you looking forward to in OS X Yosemite? Feel free to comment and let us know.

News

Samsung and Apple end patent disputes outside the USA

Image 08/18/2014 Macmint Leave a comment

According to Bloomberg, Apple and Samsung have dropped all patent disputes outside of the United States. The companies, two of the largest technology companies on Earth, agreed to drop lawsuits in Japan, South Korea, Japan, Germany, France, Italy and the United Kingdom.

No statement was made on any licensing agreements, and the two companies are still embroiled in battle in the United States. In a joint statement, the two companies write:

“Apple and Samsung have agreed to drop all litigation between the two companies outside the United States. This agreement does not involve any licensing arrangements, and the companies are continuing to pursue the existing cases in U.S. courts.”

The two companies have a “rich” history of litigating against each other over perceived patent infringements. Back in 2012 Apple secured a $1 billion victory over Samsung; and in 2013 both companies were found to have infringed on competing infrastructure patents.

Over the last year both companies have shown a willingness to resolve these battles out of the courtroom. Apple resolved all patent disputes with Google and Motorola Mobility in May 2014. In June 2014, Apple agreed to stop seeking injunctions on some Samsung devices, which is a change of attitude in the tech giant.

Some analysts are expecting the two companies to come closer together on these patent issues, as Samsung has started to see significant competition from lower-end Android manufacturers. Despite the signs of peace, every attempt at agreeing on a licensing deal has been met with resistance on both sides.