Amazon has launched its FreeTime Unlimited subscription for iOS. The service was, at one point in time, limited to only Amazon's tablets. The company later launched it for Android, that paving the way for today's expansion: iOS devices. As on the other platforms, the FreeTime Unlimited for iOS subscription brings a vast quantity of kids content.
MacBook Pro and MacBook owners with sticky or unresponsive butterfly keys will get free repairs, Apple has quietly confirmed today. The new Keyboard Service Program for MacBook and MacBook Pro is Apple's first real acknowledgement that some of the low-profile keyboards on its latest notebooks haven't been quite as successful as initially promised.
The next version of the iPhone will probably have a Lightning USB cord with USB-C on the other end - but after that? Imagine a world without cords. Now that we've got the ability to transmit power from one device to the other without cords, with wireless charging pads, what's left for reasons to keep cords at all? Surely only speed - since we can also transfer all the data we'd like with technologies like Bluetooth.
When you are slapped with a patent lawsuit, one of the best ways to turn the tables is to have those patents invalidated. It is definitely easier and perhaps cheaper than arguing in court that you didn’t infringe on them anyway. Apple is no stranger to that tactic and is now pulling the same strategy on Qualcomm over four of the chip maker’s patents. Those same patents are, of course, the ones that Qualcomm is suing Apple for.
Apple has released an update for GarageBand, its audio recording and editing application. The software is popular amongst both amateur musicians and podcasters, and will no doubt hold its appeal as Apple has made it even better: there are 1,000 new loops, among other things. This update brings the software to version 10.3.
Apple's AirPower wireless charger could launch in September, sources claim, after the challenge of making a multi-device charging pad proved more of a technical headache than the Cupertino firm expected. The accessory was announced alongside the iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus last year, as Apple finally embraced wireless charging in its smartphone.
We put almost everything inside our phones, from our personal data to our money. So why not our car keys as well? After all, smart homes can already be locked or unlocked using our mobile devices anyway. That’s the future, frightening or otherwise, that car manufacturers are already building. Now the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) is working together to create an open standard around that, called the Digital Key specification, which is now marking its 1.0 release on the road towards seamless mobile device-to-vehicle connectivity.
Following its recent partnership with Oprah Winfrey, Apple has struck another agreement that underscores its push into original content. The company has signed a deal with Sesame Workshop, the organization behind the popular children's show Sesame Street. Under this deal, Sesame Workshop will create original children's shows for Apple.
Inching closer to its massive Fall rollout, Apple released the second developer beta of all of its four operating systems. Of course, most of the new features have already been revealed at WWDC earlier this month so there are few surprises here, if any. That said, it’s still reassuring to see those promised features come to life and hopefully remain there as developers help hunt bugs and iron out the kinks.
The University of Alabama has embraced the Apple Watch in a big way: students who own one can use it to replace their student ID card, at least in certain circumstances. The university announced the new change this week, explaining that users can use Apple Watch to access dorms, buy dinner, enter the library, and more.
As Apple revealed at WWDC 2018, iOS 12 is getting a lot of handy new features, but one in particular could be a real life saver. Apple has announced that iOS 12 will automatically share your location with emergency services when you call 911, allowing those who respond to your call to locate you faster. The entire process is automatic and secure, and it's based on Apple technology that has existed for a few years now.
It's been some time since we've heard about Apple's code-named Project Titan, the autonomous driving project that is believed to have originally included development on an actual vehicle but was scaled back several years ago to focus on self-driving software. It seems work on the project is still moving forward at a somewhat steady pace, and it may even have gotten a nice boost with Apple confirming that it's hired a senior engineer from Waymo, Google's autonomous vehicle division.