Wwdc2011
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Full keynote & iOS 5 preview videos for your enjoyment
In a rapid turnaround, Apple's posted the link for QuickTime streaming of the entire WWDC keynote. Watch and enjoy! If you've got "Greg Joswiak" and "Scott Forstall" written on the inside of your locker, you'll also be thrilled to know that Apple's software mavens are hosting the video overview of iOS 5, covering most of the features announced today. What looks good to you? Personally I'm looking forward to the new notifications UI, location-based reminders (never forget the milk ever again) and system-level Twitter integration. Oh, and AirPlay Mirroring for the iPad. Mmm.
MobileMe stays live through June 30, 2012
Apple's new iCloud service is a full, free replacement for MobileMe. But iCloud won't officially launch until iOS 5 debuts this fall. What does that mean for existing MobileMe subscribers? Not long ago we advised our readers not to pay for a MobileMe upgrade if their accounts were about to expire. Not to brag or anything, but it looks like that was some pretty sweet advice. Current MobileMe subscribers have had their accounts extended until June 30, 2012, over a full year of additional service. Apple isn't accepting new MobileMe subscriptions right now, and you're also unable to upgrade your current subscription to a Family Pack or purchase additional storage. If you already have a Family Pack, however, you are still able to create new family member accounts. If you took our advice and didn't pay to upgrade your account, you should have had full access restored by now. My MobileMe Family Account technically expired in the last week of May, but none of my services were ever restricted, and I've also been granted the same additional year of service as subscribers in good standing. If you didn't listen to our advice (or didn't hear about it) and recently upgraded your MobileMe account, you can contact Apple for a refund. The refund terms sound a bit ornery, though; Apple only specifically mentions refunds being offered if you have a MobileMe box with an unused activation code. On the other hand, if you paid for an upgrade or started a new account within the past couple of weeks, if you plead your case to Apple (nicely), there's a pretty good chance the company will give you at least a partial refund. MobileMe was down for about an hour this morning for some people (myself included), but the service is back up and running now. MobileMe's replacement, iCloud, will go live later this year, and unlike the US$99/year MobileMe service, iCloud will be free.
Engadget's post-WWDC keynote broadcast, live!
This morning we had a little fun prognosticating about what we'd see at today's WWDC keynote address. We'll, now we've seen it, so join us for some post-event analysis from just outside the event center. We'll be starting shortly, so click "Play" above when things go live. Update: We're done, and we didn't even break UStream this time. If you missed it, or want to relive the experience, however, we'll have a saved version of the video up shortly. Update 2: And it's up! Check out the video after the break.
Apple site updated with exciting news from the WWDC keynote
The Apple website has been updated to show all of the wonderful new features that we'll be seeing in the next few months. iOS 5 "in the fall," Mac OS X 10.7 Lion "in July," and iCloud "concurrently with iOS 5." Each of the major images on the home page points to a new landing page. For iCloud, you see a full explanation of the service and how it's going to rock your world. The Mac OS X 10.7 Lion page touts the $29.99 price tag for all of the computers in your house, while the iOS 5 page describes all of the new features. It's worth browsing these pages to pick up details. What's your favorite feature so far? Tell us in the comments.
Apple unveils iTunes Match for $25 per year
Apple introduced its iTunes in the Cloud solution, which lets users access their iTunes music purchases in the cloud and share them among devices. That's all well and great, but what happens when you have a song that you ripped and did not buy from iTunes? Thanks to the new iTunes Match service, you can scan and match the songs on your computer. If a match in iTunes is found, the cloud service will automatically add it to your library. It does not upload the song, it just pulls it from the online library of iTunes music. If iTunes cannot find a match, you can upload the song manually. All songs are upgraded to 256kbps AAC DRM-free as part of this process. The service will cost $24.99 per year and will require iOS 5 on the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPod Touch (3rd and 4th generation), iPad, iPad 2, a Mac with OS X Lion or a PC with Windows Vista or 7. Uploads are limited to 25,000 songs, but iTunes purchases do not count against this limit.
iTunes moves to the iCloud, re-download of purchases now possible
Apple announced iCloud today at WWDC and with it the ability to re-download your previously purchased music. Re-downloading of 256 Kbps AAC tracks is now possible for the first time from iTunes, meaning that you can purchase your music once and download it to every device you own (up to 10 devices total), without any additional charge. Like apps and books, music also doesn't count against your 5 GB iCloud storage space. You simply search through your purchased music in iTunes and hit that cute little cloud icon to initiate the download. What's more, Apple has included Automatic Downloads for iOS in the mix, meaning that free and purchased music will be automatically pushed to any device you have connected to the Internet. Buy it on your iPhone and have it pushed to your iPad. Simple. We'll be going in-depth into the new iTunes Match subscription service in a few minutes.
Photo Stream brings new power to your camera roll
It's not just documents and apps that will be using iCloud. Apple has just announced Photo Stream, which will sync the camera roll on your iPhone or iPad to the cloud, then keep your other devices updated, including your Macs, using iPhoto or even a PC where your photos and videos will show up in the pictures folder. Of course, Apple TV 2 will support Photo Stream as well. Your last 1,000 pictures will be stored in the cloud, but only for 30 days. Apple doesn't intend to replace all your local storage, but instead, provide a robust syncing service. So take a photo on your phone. In an instant, it is on your iPad, in your iPhoto library and available for big screen display on your Apple TV connected set. Go on vacation, and your pictures will be home before you are. Apple is talking about Wi-Fi, so no word on if the service works over 3G.
iWork gets SaaS-y with Documents in the Cloud
Apple detailed its cloud service and released some new features that begin to rival Google Docs and Microsoft 365. Say hello to Apple's new Documents in the Cloud feature that lets you sync documents in the cloud and share them across devices. If you are editing on the iPad, you can save the doc to the cloud and open it on the iPhone. It will even remember the slide or page that you were working on. It's compatible with Pages, Numbers and Keynote and is already available in the versions Apple just released last week. Documents in the Cloud will work across iOS devices and Macs/PCs. Apple will also release a set of APIs for developers so that third-party developers can use this cloud storage system. The only thing missing is a web interface for editing, which Apple did not mention in its WWDC presentation.
Apple announces iTunes in the Cloud, iTunes Match
Apple has just announced its long-awaited cloud-based music service: iTunes in the Cloud. While not a streaming music service as some had speculated, it will let you download any music you've purchased to all of your devices at no additional charge -- something Steve Jobs notes is a first for the music industry. All new music you purchase can also automatically be downloaded and pushed to up to ten different devices -- and, as with the other apps that make up the broader iCloud service, it's completely free, with a beta version available today (in the US only, unfortunately). What's more, Apple has also announced a complementary iTunes Match service that will let you put your existing collection of ripped CDs in the cloud. That's done by scanning your library and matching songs to the versions Apple already has (a DRM-free 256kbps AAC file), rather than uploading everything -- a process Apple notes takes "minutes," not "weeks" -- although songs will be uploaded in cases where there is no match. It will run you $24.99 a year (for up to 25,000 songs, apparently), and promises to give you all of the "same benefits as music purchased from iTunes" when it launches sometime this fall.
New iOS 5 features beyond the top ten
While Apple demoed ten huge new iOS 5 features at WWDC earlier today, it also mentioned several more in passing that are worth looking at. By far the biggest deal is Wi-Fi syncing to iTunes -- you no longer have to plug your iPhone or iPad into your Mac to sync your content. The iPad can now wirelessly mirror all of its onscreen content over AirPlay, and it's also getting some new multitasking gestures. Some other new iOS 5 features that only got mentioned on a single Keynote slide: Set tones for voicemail, mail and calendar alerts (no mention of SMS tones, unfortunately). New iPad music app Smart Playlist sync from iTunes Option to speak text selection iTunes Tone Store Built-in dictionary Emoji emoticons Personal dictionary Alternate routes in Maps Improved FaceTime video quality These are just some of the more than 200 features Apple says are coming in iOS 5, which is expected this fall.
iCloud named as successor to MobileMe, will be free service
Steve Jobs unveiled the new iCloud service at WWDC today. iCloud stores a user's content in the cloud and wirelessly pushes that content to all devices. The services will be free with no ads and be completely integrated with the apps found in MobileMe -- and they've all been rewritten from the ground up. Contacts and calendars that are created or modified on one device are pushed to the cloud, and the changes propagate on all other devices instantly. Calendars have also had sharing features added so that you can send them to friends or coworkers. iCloud also allows users to propagate app and iBooks purchases across devices. Purchase an iBook on your iPad, tap the new iCloud button, and the same book will be downloaded on your iPhone, for example. iCloud also features deep backup sets and automatically performs daily backups over Wi-Fi. Backups include music, books, apps, camera roll, device settings and app data. iCloud also features an app called "Documents." When you create a new document in Pages, Keynote or Numbers, that document is automatically pushed to all the devices the user has Pages, Keynote or Numbers on. The iCloud Documents APIs will be made available to developers so that they can build the feature into their apps. Another new feature: in the Photos iOS app there is a new album called Photo Stream, which allows any photos taken on any devices to be pushed to your other devices automatically. The last 1,000 photos will be stored on the cloud for 30 days and then be deleted from the cloud. In that time, you have the option of permanently saving any of those photos to any device you own. Finally, Apple has extended iCloud capabilities to iTunes. You can re-download (for free) any song you have previously purchased in iTunes on up to 10 devices that you own. "We're making it free, and we're very excited about it. So that's iCloud. It stores your content and pushes it to all of your devices, and it's integrated with all your apps," Steve Jobs told the packed theater at WWDC.
Apple announces Game Center changes at WWDC
iOS 5 will introduce a number of exciting changes to Game Center, including profile photos, game discovery (and purchasing), achievement points and more. Here's a brief look at what's new. Apple's 50 million Game Center customers (!) will find achievements supplemented with points. The bragging rights are nice, but why not out-score your friends on the achievement board and the battlefield? Speaking of friends, you'll see the people your friends are following (Apple calls them "friends of friends") and even receive friend recommendations, though we're not sure how that'll work. Plus, everyone gets to add a pretty profile picture to their account. You'll also find game recommendations and an opportunity to buy games right from within Game Center. It looks like fun, and we'll see it in action soon enough. Get ready, gamers!
iCloud unveiled at WWDC, free for all 9 cloud apps, MobileMe RIP
Apple tipped its hat early, but now we have the details from the man himself. "iCloud stores your content in the cloud and wirelessly pushes it to all your device. It automatically uploads it, stores it, and pushes it to all your devices." And by "automatically," he means it: in addition to every day content, such as purchased music, iBooks, photos and videos, device settings, and app data that will be automatically backed up over WiFi, Documents in the Cloud will effortlessly sync Pages, Numbers, and Keynote data between all of your iOS devices. There will be no advertising (contrary to previous rumors), and calendar, mail, and contact sync is free (for up to five gigs). Also in store is the new Photo Stream cloud feature, which is essentially a gallery in Photos that exists on all of your iOS devices, Apple TV, your OS X and even your Windows PCs, and syncs through the cloud. Take a picture on your iPhone and it appears on your laptop and your iPad, and it's stored in the cloud for thirty days. And no, your Photo Stream pics do not count towards your 5GB total. iCloud will be released concurrent with iOS 5 this fall. If that isn't enough, Apple has announced iTunes Match, a $25 per year service that scans your iTunes library library and populates your iTunes in the Cloud account with any of your previously bought and ripped music -- in handy 256Kbps AAC, DRM-free files (as long as the titles already appear in the iTunes store). Last but not least, MobileMe is no more. If you're a current member, you can still access everything as usual through June 30, 2012 (according to Apple), but there will be no new enrollments. And if your subscription has auto-renewed recently? Well, we've received plenty of tips from readers who have received refunds this morning. So at the very least you have that to look forward too!%Gallery-125471% p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px 'Lucida Grande'}
NewsStand built into iOS 5
iOS 5 adds NewsStand, which is going to be huge for readers and publishers. Demoed at WWDC today, NewsStand looks just like the iBooks app, but this is for magazines and daily papers. Working a bit like the Kindle magazine system, NewsStand will update your magazines when they are published without any fiddling around by users. Magazines can be read offline, and Apple has apparently signed up a boat load of magazines and newspapers. The whole newspaper and magazine feature of iOS got off to a bit of a rocky start, with publishers not too happy about the Apple rules. It isn't clear if the rules have changed, but having the majority of your daily reading available in one place with auto downloads is a big step forward.
Apple's iOS 5: all the details
Scott Forstall has just taken the WWDC 2011 stage and details about the changes and improvements in iOS 5 are flowing thick and fast. Keep one tab in your browser locked to this post as we update it with all the new features, and throw another one open for our liveblog where you'll get to see and read the very latest as it happens. We've now put together the full list of highlights from the WWDC presentation, which you'll find after the break. iOS 5 will be made available this fall, with compatibility promised for the iPhone 4 and 3GS, iPad 1 and 2, and iPod touch 3rd and 4th generation.
Apple unveils iMessage, its BBM competitor, at WWDC
It's here, the moment BlackBerry owners been waiting for since the original iPhone launched: iMessage. Apple has just announced its new data-based push messaging service at WWDC, which looks to be a full-on competitor to the venerable BBM. This service works on an iOS device of any flavor, and lets you send text messages, photos, videos, and contacts to anyone else with one too. It also supports group chats and integrates with the new Notification Center in iOS 5. According to Scott Forstall, it "works over WiFi or 3G, in case you were wondering," which is yet another blow for RIM. The final nail in the coffin for those of you who simply 'can't live without BBM:' delivery and read confirmations. Boom. Developing...stay tuned to our liveblog for the latest. %Gallery-125462%
Apple iOS 5 adds instant camera access from lock screen and shutter release to volume-up button
Apple's just announced that iOS 5-enabled iPhones (and likely iPads and iPods, too) are getting a camera shortcut on the lock screen and a shutter button in the form of the volume up key -- a feature that got Camera+ temporarily banned from the App Store last year on the grounds that it used unauthorized APIs. Also new to iOS: the ability to tap and hold to lock focus and exposure on a subject. Rounding out the list, Apple also added an optional grid to help frame photos, and a new photo editor with a basic feature set that includes cropping, rotating, red-eye reduction, auto-enhance features, and the ability to create albums on the device. %Gallery-125437%
Apple touts impressive iOS numbers at WWDC
Scott Forestall took the stage during this morning's WWDC keynote address to share some extremely impressive numbers regarding iOS and the App Store. For starters, get this: Apple has sold over 200 million iOS devices. If you think that's impressive, hold on to your hats, as it's only the beginning. Forestall claimed that that huge number makes iOS the number one mobile operating system with more than 44% of the market. How about that iPad 2? Apple sold 15 million in the first 14 months of availability. Also, Apple is now the number one retailer in the world and has seen over 130 million books downloaded for the iBookstore. Want some more numbers? There are 425,000 apps on the App Store; 90,000 iPad apps 14 billion apps have been downloaded by Apple customers Apple has paid out $2.5 billion to developers There are 225 million iTunes accounts with credit cards That's amazing. We'd wish Apple luck in the future, but we're not sure it'll need it.
Apple brings deep Twitter integration to iOS
Apple's just announced that it's bringing deep Twitter integration to all of its iOS-based devices, and to many of its own apps, including Camera, Photos, Safari and Maps. That integration also, of course, extends to Contacts, where you'll be able to link your contacts to their Twitter handle and keep their information updated accordingly, much like Android. You'll also only have to sign into Twitter once (in Settings), and then simply share those credentials with any app that requests them. %Gallery-125432%
Mail gets major overhaul in OS X
It's the app we probably use the most, and Mail is getting some big-league features in Lion. Attendees at WWDC only got a brief glimpse of the new Mail app, but it's loaded with new and compelling features. The app has been completely redesigned, with a new multi-column view that looks a bit similar to Mail on the iPad. The app can intelligently select recipients as you type, and even suggest subjects as it parses your older mail. There are threaded conversations, and those can be easily saved outside of Mail. Threads even contain attachments. We'll have more on Mail as we learn more, but with Lion itself selling for US$29.99, the Mail upgrade alone seems like it's worth that.
