AT&T Announces New Limited Data Rollover Feature for Mobile Share Value Customers Posted: 07 Jan 2015 08:11 AM PST  Following T-Mobile's recently announced allowing customers to roll over unused data to subsequent months, AT&T today announced it will launch a similar data program later this month. The new feature will be available at no additional charge to the 50 million users on the carrier's Mobile Share Value plans.
AT&T's new Rollover Data feature does differ in one important respect from T-Mobile's program. While T-Mobile's rollover data expires after 12 months, AT&T customers can roll over unused data for only one month, with users tapping into the rollover data only after their normal monthly allotment has been exhausted.
AT&T will automatically enable the rollover feature on all Mobile Share Value plans starting January 25. Customers can track their rollover data using the MyAT&T mobile app [Direct Link] or on AT&T's website. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
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iOS 8 Now Installed on 68 Percent of Active iOS Devices Posted: 07 Jan 2015 07:56 AM PST  Since launching in September alongside the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, iOS 8 has seen its adoption rate grow to 68 percent of compatible iOS devices, according to new numbers posted on the Apple Developer Support page.With Apple updating data publicly every few weeks, this latest data point represents a four percentage point bump in adoption since the last update on December 23. The significant increase highlights Apple's strong performance in device activation numbers over the holidays to add to the company's iOS 8 user base. Over the longer term, installation numbers are up 5 percentage points over the past month and up 12 percentage points in the past two months. iOS 7 usage has seen an understandable decline as its successor has gained ground, with the older operating system dropping from 33 percent in December to 29 percent in January. Earlier iOS versions represent just 4 percent of the current App Store user base. Apple initially faced multiple issues following iOS 8's launch, including what has progressed to a lawsuit over storage space needed to install the OS on smaller GB devices, but the adoption rate has steadily increased as users have decided to upgrade and purchases of devices with iOS 8 preinstalled have increased. Apple has brought a number of bug fixes and addressed some more significant flaws with recent updates such as iOS 8.1, iOS 8.1.1, and iOS 8.1.2. The company is also continuing to work on iOS 8.2, seeding a third beta to developers in mid-December. In addition to bug fixes and other improvements, iOS 8.2 will include support for integrating with the upcoming Apple Watch. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
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Strong iPhone 6 and 6 Plus Sales Lead to Smartphone Market Share Growth for Apple Posted: 07 Jan 2015 06:53 AM PST The latest smartphone sales data released today from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech highlights good news for Apple on the strength of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus launch, with Apple gaining share year-over-year in every country surveyed except for Japan. The report, focusing on the September-November 2014 period, points out that Android market share dropped in most European markets and saw its first decline in the U.S. since September 2013. In the surveyed period, Apple reached 42.5 percent of UK sales, up 12.2 percentage points from the same time in 2013.
Apple's strong performance is being attributed in part to enthusiasm for the redesigned bodies and larger screens of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, with the iPhone 6 leading the smartphone pack during the time period.
Despite declines in many markets, Android remains the dominant platform in Europe with 69.9 percent of the market, although that number is down 3.2 percentage points from the same period in 2013. Kantar also notes that customers switching from Android to iOS remained at a steady 18 percent from 2013 to 2014, suggesting Apple's larger-screened phones have yet to represent significant motivation for switchers. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
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CES 2015: Reach79's iPhone 6 Case Claims to Double Signal Strength and Improve Battery Life Posted: 06 Jan 2015 05:33 PM PST At CES 2015, Antenna79 announced a new brand of cases called Reach79 , which claims to boosts signal strength and performance up to two times for iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.
Reach79 says that the stronger signal strength provided by its cases can improve battery life as the phone woudln't have to work as hard to pick up a signal. Additionally, the company says it improves user experience with less dropped calls and faster download speeds and greater signal coverage. The cases also come with military grade drop protection. The cases contain antenna technology that pairs with the antenna in the smartphone, granting increased signal strength for the device. Reach79 says the cases have been tested at CETECOM, a CTIA accredited facility that verified the cases can improve signal strength at an average of 1.6 times normal strength, with a peak performance of 2 times normal strength. However, the company does warn that user experience also depends on device, carrier and location. The Reach79 cases can be purchased starting today at the company's website. The iPhone 6 case is priced at $59.99 while the iPhone 6 Plus version is priced at $69.99. The cases currently come in black only, but Reach79 says additional colors are on the way in the first quarter of 2015. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
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Apple Targeting March for Apple Watch Launch, Retail Training Begins Next Month Posted: 06 Jan 2015 12:51 PM PST While Apple has yet to publicly announce a specific launch date for the Apple Watch beyond "Early 2015", sources speaking to 9to5Mac say the company is currently planning for a March debut in the initial wave of countries. Sources in the retail segment indicate that select store employees will undergo centralized Apple Watch training the week of February 9, with those employees in turn training others at their individual stores in the days leading up to the device's launch.
The report indicates Apple has been continuing to refine various aspects of the Apple Watch since its September unveiling, focusing mostly on software but also tweaking such components as the inductive charging mechanism. Developers are currently working with Apple's WatchKit tools and iOS 8.2 betas to build apps for Apple Watch, starting with lightweight Glances, actionable notifications, and iPhone-based apps that project portions of their interfaces to the watch. More powerful apps running directly on the Apple Watch will be possible later this year. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
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Apple's 12-Inch Retina MacBook Air Shown in Artist's Renditions Posted: 06 Jan 2015 11:46 AM PST In a set of artist renditions, 9to5Mac offers a look at Apple's long-rumored 12-inch Retina MacBook Air. The renditions and details shared in the report are consistent with previous reports on the machine, although plans do sometimes change during the development process.
Comparison of 12-inch Retina MacBook Air (left) with current 11-inch MacBook Air (right) As part of Apple's effort to reduce the thickness of the MacBook Air, the new 12-inch model will do away with nearly all of the ports currently found on the machine, including the usual USB and MagSafe ports. Instead, the machine's sides will include only a headphone jack, a pair of microphones, and a USB Type-C port that appears set to handle both connectivity and charging. Apple's new Retina MacBook Air is expected to run on new Broadwell Core M to allow for the thin, fanless design and perhaps come in multiple color options similar to the company's iPhone and iPad lineups. The machine has been rumored to be entering production as soon as this month, although it is unclear whether Apple may wait until its Worldwide Developers Conference in June to launch the device or introduce it earlier in the year. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
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