Good news, developers, you can finally respond to user comments on Apple’s App Store. The promised feature rolled out quietly on Monday while the company was pushing out operating system updates for pretty much everything they make.
News
Samsung Plans to Refurbish and Sell the Recalled Note 7
Now that Samsung has collected all those Note 7 explode-a-phones, what to do with them? How about put them back out on the market as refurbished. That’s exactly what Samsung is doing thanks to pressure in part from the environmental activist group Greenpeace.
watchOS 3.2 Adds Theater Mode, SiriKit
Apple was busy, busy, busy on Monday rolling out operating system updates for the Mac, iPhone and iPad, Apple TV, and also the Apple Watch. watchOS 3.2 is a welcome update because it adds Theater Mode and SiriKit to everyone’s favorite smartwatch.
Password Protection Comes To Pages, Numbers, Keynotes on iOS, Mac, iCloud
Apple updated its suite of iWork apps across iOS, macOS and iCloud web apps. The feature that stands out the most is the ability to add password protection to your documents using Touch ID. Andrew Orr takes us through the features.
Apple TV Remote Update Adds iPad Support, More
Apple’s slew of updates on Monday also included Apple TV Remote 1.1, which finally adds iPad support to the Apple TV remote control app. Previously, the app was limited to the iPhone and iPod touch.
Apple Releases macOS 10.12.4 with Night Shift, Cricket Scores, Enterprise Features
Apple released macOS 10.12.4 Monday, an update that adds a couple of new features and some other minor improvements. The biggest new feature is Night Shift, technology that shifts your Mac’s display towards the red at the end of your day. The update also adds cricket scores for Indian Premier League and the International Cricket Council to Siri. Apple also added a slew of enterprise-specific features.
Apple Releases tvOS 10.2 with Watch Anywhere Video Rental Support
Along with iOS 10.3, Apple released tvOS 10.2 on Monday. The update for the fourth generation Apple TV added support for renting an iTunes movie on one device and watching it on another.
Apple Ships iOS 10.3 with Find My AirPods, More Siri, Apple File System, More
Apple shipped iOS 10.3 Monday, a significant update to the company’s mobile operating system. Major features include the ability to find your AirPods under Find My iPhone; new Siri integration with third party apps; new CarPlay features, including daily curated playlists from Apple Music; and perhaps most importantly, the official rollout of Apple File System.
Developers: WWDC 2017 Ticket Lottery Opens Today
If you’re a registered Apple Developer Program member and want to go to this year’s Worldwide Developer Conference in San Jose, today is the day to toss your name into the ticket lottery. Apple is opening the ticket lottery at 10 AM pacific time, and it’s the only way to get a conference ticket.
Steve Wozniak Accepts Award from Startup World Cup, Says 'This One's for Apple'
Steve Wozniak spoke at the Startup World Cup Finale Friday, where he talked about Apple’s early days, his own even earlier days, startup value, and some of the lessons he’s learned along the way. At the end of his keynote, he was presented with a miniature version of the Startup World Cup itself, which he accepted saying, “This one’s for Apple.”
A Robotics Competition You Should Totally Check Out
If you love robots, there are a bunch of robotics competitions happening across the United States right now. Jeff Butts has all of the details about this steamworks-themed event pitting high school students against the clock and their opponents.
Coming Soon To Your iPhone: Over 70 New Unicode 10 Emojis
Unicode 10 will be launched in June and it will include a bunch of new, awesome emojis. There are 69 new emojis in total, and some or all of them may eventually make their way into iOS 11. Someone made mockups on Emojipedia in Apple’s style, let’s check them out.
If You Haven't Changed Your iCloud Password in the Past Two Years do it Now
Trying to extort money out of Apple by threatening to wipe out iCloud accounts and reset iPhones is a business model the Turkish Crime Family hacker team will likely learn is flawed at best, but there it is a great reminder to change your online passwords regularly. The list of iCloud logins the group has looks to be at least two years old, so if you haven’t changed your password more recently than that, it’s time right now.
Apple Store Online, (PRODUCT)RED iPhone 7, New 9.7-inch iPad Available Now
As expected, Apple’s online store is back up and running, and you can buy the new (PRODUCT)RED iPhone 7 and 9.7-inch iPad today. That doesn’t, however, mean you can get one in your hands today—unless you’re looking for the red iPhone and can get to your local Apple retail store.
Apple Online Store Down Ahead of (PRODUCT)RED iPhone 7, New iPad Launch
Apple’s online store was replaced with a note saying “We’ve got something special in store for you” Friday morning, which is no surprise since today is they day the (PRODUCT)RED iPhone 7 and new 9.7-inch iPad go on sale. The online store will reopen at 8:01 AM pacific time.
Apple May Charge $30 to Rent Movies Still in Theaters
Apple is reportedly negotiating with studios to offer iTunes rentals for movies while they’re still in theaters. Movies would be available for rent within a couple weeks of opening in theaters for about US$30, and that sounds like a pretty good deal.
GameMaker Studio 2 for Mac in Closed Beta
The game engine from YoYo Games—GameMaker Studio—got a big update today with the release of the second version. It lets developers easily create video games for mobile, console and desktop. Plus, the Drag and Drop system (DnD™) lets people with limited coding skills use it too. You can download a free trial of it too.
Apple: iCloud Extortionists Haven't Hacked into Our Systems
Hacker group Turkish Crime Family says it’s going to wipe out over 300 million iCloud accounts on April 7th if Apple doesn’t pay US$75,000 as ransom. Apple says the group hasn’t broken into its servers, so that means the logins they claim to have probably came from old hacks into other company’s services.
Here are the Features Apple Cut from Workflow
When the news broke on Wednesday that Apple bought the iOS automation app Workflow that was a good sign the company is serious about having some sort of official AppleScript or Automator-like system for the iPhone and iPad. Unfortunately, that comes with a catch: some of the services the app supported on Tuesday were gone on Wednesday.
Apple Acquires Workflow App and Developers, Makes Workflow Free Download
Apple recently acquired popular iOS utility Workflow in a deal that includes both the app and its developers. While many apps get pulled by Apple after an acquisition, Workflow remains on the App Store, and is now free.
Hackers Threaten to Wipe Out Millions of iCloud Accounts if Apple doesn't Pay $75K
A group of hackers are trying to extort Apple with the threat of wiping out thousands of iCloud accounts and remotely resetting iPhones. They say they’ll follow through if Apple doesn’t pay up US$75,000 in Bitcoin or Ethereum by April 7th.
iPads, other Electronics Banned on Flights to US from Several Islamic Countries
If you’re planning on working on that big project on a flight to the U.S. from several airports in Muslim-dominant countries, think again because the Trump administration just banned anything larger than a smartphone in the passenger cabin. The ban restricts iPads and other tablets, Kindle ebook readers, laptops, and other larger electronic devices to checked luggage over terrorism concerns.
iTunes 12.6 Lets You Watch Rental Movies Across All Your Devices
While Apple was painting iPhones red and rolling out new iPads on Tuesday, it also released an update for iTunes that lets you watch movie rentals on any of your devices. iTunes 12.6 for the Mac adds what Apple dubbed “rent once, watch anywhere” which is exactly what it sounds like: You can watch a movie on any of your devices, not just the one where you made the rental.
Here Are 14 New Apple Watch Bands Announced Tuesday
Apple launched several new Apple Watch bands Tuesday for Spring 2017. The collection includes new Striped Woven Nylon and Sport bands, standalone Nike Sport bands, and new flavors of Apple Watch Hermès bands. At the same time, Apple has sharply limited the number of out-of-the-box choices for new Apple Watch Series 2 purchases. Here’s what they look like.