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Blogosphere darling gets more juice

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MacBookApple, a company on a constant honeymoon with the blogosphere it seems, updated their MacBook consumer line today. Nothing fancy really, just more juice when it comes to the Intel Core 2 Duo processors, a bigger hard drive and shipping with 1 GB RAM from the start.

“The MacBook is a huge hit with customers, and is one of the reasons that Mac sales are growing three times faster than PC sales,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “The new MacBook is faster, has even more memory and storage, and is an ideal notebook for customers’ growing library of digital music, photos and movies.”

In other words, the rumors where true and I’m totally biased about it. I would probably buy a smaller MacBook Pro, 15.4″ screen doesn’t rock my boat so I went with the standard one, but this won’t get me to upgrade. It also feels like a poor boost to the standard MacBook given the fact that the Pro range is rumored to be getting the Santa Rosa chipsets and better screens in the near future.

Anyway, that’s it. Have a look in your local Apple Store via apple.com if you’re interested in buying one, or just check out the press release. There’s a Techmeme discussion as well, but that probably doesn’t come as a great surprise, right?

Originally posted on May 15, 2007 @ 11:11 am

What to Expect on the New Apple TV

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Apple may be famous for its computer and mobile gadgets but it has also created a major global impact when it launched its own television. Known as the Apple TV, the so-called hobby device looks very similar to the old model but bigger in size.

The latest Apple TV was formally launched last September but it was released to the market a month after. Now, it can be purchased via the company’s website and other retailers. It took two years for the renowned tech company to come up with a fourth-generation Apple TV after close competitors Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast and Roku launched their recent user-friendly devices.

Main Features

The new Apple TV has two versions – the 32GB model and the 64GB version. The one with the larger storage commands a higher price. The 32GB version, however, will be sufficient is you want to use the TV to stream videos, watch television shows, play music as well as install a few apps and play some games. However, those who plan to do a lot of downloading and use apps and games should consider the 64GB model.

Voice and touch control is one of the major features of this new TV platform. It boasts of a universal voice search capability featuring Siri and sensors that can detect motion as well as keep track of its moves. It comes with two microphones and a button to allow users to toggle on Siri. This makes it different from the third generation model which used an aluminum remote or remote app.

With Siri ever available, the new set-top box can respond to various requests made by the user specifically for the TV. By giving commands, Siri can search for a television show or movie and what’s more, it can search through many different sources. In addition, it can play or pause, rewind or fast forward, and skip back 15 seconds of whatever content you’re watching.

The fourth generation TV now features a new operating system called tvOS. It is linked to an app store that lets users download third party apps from top app development companies for use in video, audio, games and other content. Also, the operating system is based primarily on iOS 9 with its interface and APIs adjusted to support the big screen.

Apps Needed

During the product’s launching last September, Apple CEO Tim Cook noted the fact that many consumers are no longer using cable and broadcast TV. A growing number of them now prefer to use streaming services and interactive experiences.

As a solution to this issue, Cook said Apple is capable of improving this “broken” process of watching TV. Modernizing the experience through the use of apps is an important task of his company, he added.

The first Apple TV was released to the market in 2007. Since then, the device has undergone four updates with the latest model released last October.

The hobby device can be bought from both online and offline retailers including the Apple High Street store except from Amazon. Online retailer Amazon does not sell Apple, Google and other devices that are in competition with its own TV streamlining device.

Originally posted on November 3, 2015 @ 10:20 am

4 Smartphone Apps Every Driver Should Have

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Driving today is far easier than it was in the olden days. With technology ever advancing, drivers can now go to their destinations more safely and faster. They can also have more peace of mind knowing that their vehicles will be safe whether parked in their own garages or in other places.

A recent study by the IHS Automotive published in Apps in the Car 2015 showed that almost 45 percent of respondents said they would use in-vehicle apps that help improve their driving experience. On the other hand, 35 percent of those surveyed said they would be willing to use the apps if they were similar to those installed in their smartphones while 75 percent of them said they won’t mind paying for updates to an app. [Read more…]

Originally posted on September 18, 2015 @ 10:49 pm

Google Hasn’t Submitted a Maps App to Apple

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Google Maps Hybrid
(Photo credit: Telendro)

To say that the new Apple Maps that came with the release of iOS 6 is a disappointment is a vast understatement. I can’t remember the last time Apple even released an unmitigated disaster as its Maps service. If you’ve read the complaints (of which there are many online) then you’ll know what I’m talking about.

Apple’s misstep has led iOS users to demand the return of Google Maps. Not as a replacement to Apple’s Maps app – because that will never happen – but as a separate app that they can download. There were rumors that Google is already close to releasing the Google Maps app on the App Store. But it looks like this not true. [Read more…]

Originally posted on September 25, 2012 @ 10:50 pm

The iPhone 5 is Here

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA - SEPTEMBER 12: The new iPh...

Today, Apple officially unveiled the iPhone 5 at a press conference held at the Yerba Buena Center for The Arts in San Francisco.

The new phone was well received by the audience even though there was really nothing surprising about the phone at this point. The iPhone 5 has been the subject of many rumors and speculations and a lot of the rumors turned out to be true so the official unveiling was a little anti-climactic. [Read more…]

Originally posted on September 12, 2012 @ 10:11 pm