Apple Seeds Second iOS 8.3 Beta to Developers Posted: 23 Feb 2015 10:04 AM PST The beta is available as an over-the-air update to those who installed the first iOS 8.3 beta and it can be downloaded from the iOS Developer Center. It includes Xcode 6.3 and a new version of Apple's programming language, Swift. While iOS 8.2 appears to bring only minor bug fixes to the operating system along with the WatchKit SDK and support for the Apple Watch, the first beta of iOS 8.3 introduced several new features including support for wireless CarPlay connectivity, a new emoji picker, support for Google 2-step verification, and Apple Pay support for the China UnionPay network. It also removes the "beta" label from iCloud Photo Library. iOS 8.3 will be released following iOS 8.2, which is expected in March, so it may be a few months yet before we see a public iOS 8.3 launch. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
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Apple Seeds Second OS X 10.10.3 Yosemite Beta to Developers Posted: 23 Feb 2015 10:02 AM PST The new beta, build 14D87h, is available for registered developers through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store and through the Mac Dev Center. OS X 10.10.3 brings several new features to Yosemite, including the new Photos for OS X app. Photos is designed to serve as a replacement for both iPhoto and Aperture, and is on track to see an early 2015 launch. Early reviews have suggested that while Photos is a suitable replacement for iPhoto, with more advanced tools and performance optimizations, it may leave professional users disappointed, at least in its initial incarnation. The first beta of OS X 10.10.3 also brought a new emoji picker that consolidates emoji into a single page with clear labels, and support for Google 2-step verification when setting up accounts in System Preferences. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
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Apple Looking to Hire Samsung Battery Experts and Other High-Tech Employees Posted: 23 Feb 2015 06:31 AM PST The report, citing unnamed officials at the South Korean tech giant, also claims that Apple has expanded its recruitment efforts to focus on Samsung personnel with expertise in battery technology amid rumors that it is working on an electric vehicle project.
Apple has reportedly assembled an automotive team with hundreds of employees working at a "top-secret research lab" near its Cupertino, California headquarters. Apple appears to be recruiting battery experts from multiple companies to join the team, as the company also faces a lawsuit for poaching key battery engineers from A123 Systems. That lawsuit also listed Samsung as one of the companies that Apple has been poaching battery engineers from.
Earlier this month, multiple reports from credible sources claimed that Apple is working on an electric and possibly autonomous vehicle that could enter production in 2020. Some other reports, however, downplay the rumors by claiming that Apple is working on expanding its dashboard presence through CarPlay. Any electric car project at Apple is likely in the early stages of research and development at this time. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
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Apple Spending $2 Billion to Build Two New Data Centers in Europe Posted: 23 Feb 2015 04:18 AM PST
The data centers will be powered by 100% clean and renewable energy sources, with each having the lowest environmental impact yet for any Apple data center. Apple will also work with local partners to develop additional renewable energy projects derived from wind and other sources for future usage.
The 166,000-square-meter data centers are expected to be begin operations by 2017 and help support nearly 672,000 jobs in Europe, a large portion of which relate to the development of iOS apps. Apple claims that developers have earned more than €6.6 billion through app sales since the App Store launched in 2008. Apple hired former NV Energy VP Bobby Hollis to serve as its Renewable Energy Manager in April 2014, just over two years after outlining that it achieved 100% renewable energy usage at its data centers in its 2012 environmental responsibility report. Last year, the iPhone maker reached a deal for a third solar farm at its North Carolina data center and expanded its Reno data center with several new data cluster buildings. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
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Toyota Currently Has No Plans to Support CarPlay or Android Auto in U.S. Posted: 22 Feb 2015 04:09 PM PST
While Toyota is ruling out the U.S. market for CarPlay support for the time being, the company has not made any firm announcement about support in other countries. Shortly after Apple's CarPlay announcement, Toyota's UK division briefly posted a blog entry claiming CarPlay would be coming in 2015, but the company quickly backtracked on the claim. Today's report from The New York Times focuses more on Android Auto than on CarPlay, likely due in large part to Apple refusal to comment for the piece. Still, it offers a glimpse of the struggles auto manufacturers have had developing in-car systems and their reluctance to turn that experience over to Apple and Google. With consumer preference driving the market, however, many manufacturers now see little choice but to support both CarPlay and Android Auto. Vehicles supporting both systems are expected to be hitting showrooms in the near future, with Hyundai likely one of the first out of the gate. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
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Apple's Oscar Ad Shot Entirely on an iPad Posted: 22 Feb 2015 03:12 PM PST Apple debuted a new iPad ad to air during tonight's Oscar's. Apple highlights the new ad on their website which features students at Los Angeles County High School, using the iPad to write, produce, shoot, score, and edit films. It features a voiceover from Martin Scorsese and is called "Make a film with iPad". Mashable reports that the ad itself was filmed entirely on an iPad Air 2. Apple created a special section in the App Store highlighting the various apps used by the students for their filmmaking. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
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Monday, 23 February 2015
MacRumors : Mac News and Rumors
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