Posts Tagged
apple
Last June, Apple released a standalone podcasts management app with the rather simple moniker, Podcasts. To say the app was met with little fanfare is putting it quite mildly. In my original review of Podcasts, I too found the app to be underwhelming, with a list of issues and very few features for power users.
Recently, Apple released version 1.2 of Podcasts, bringing with it an all-new Now Playing view, custom stations, and a host of supposed syncing and stability improvements. Aftering putting Podcasts through its paces, I’m ready to give each and everyone of you fine readers the inside scoop on what these updates have to offer. (more…)
A few weeks back, Apple had a pretty big shakeup in their management structure. Out is Scott Forstall, and in his place is Craig Federighi, who will handle both iOS and OS X. But the big news is Jony Ive’s expanded role. From the official press release:
“Jony Ive will provide leadership and direction for Human Interface (HI) across the company in addition to his role as the leader of Industrial Design. His incredible design aesthetic has been the driving force behind the look and feel of Apple’s products for more than a decade.”
Understand that although Ive isn’t in charge of iOS directly, because he’s handling direction for Human Interface, he will have an impact on the way OS X and iOS looks in the future. Many are theorizing that this means we’ll lose the felt in Game Center and the leather padding in Calendar, but we want to know what you think. Will Jony Ive help make his mark on iOS, or will his touch be more subtle? Let us know in the poll to the right!
Well, wouldn’t you know it. Just a few days before my podcast management app roundup went up, in which I stated that “the system of downloading podcasts in iTunes and then jumping over to the Music app to listen to them isn’t very simple or intuitive,” Apple released their own dedicated podcast management app for iOS. Boy, don’t I look foolish.
However, even with the release of Podcasts, Apple hasn’t necessarily guaranteed users an podcast management app that rivals the experience found in third-party apps (e.g. Instacast, Downcast and Pocket Casts). Hit the jump and find out if Podcasts has what it takes to unseat the competition from your iOS device. (more…)
No matter what generation of Apple TV you own — first gen, 720p or 1080p — the preferred method of input has always been this tiny remote that’s as minimal as you can get. Sure, it’s great to work with and all that, but if you’ve got a decent sized collection of movies and television shows to navigate through, things can get a bit tricky.
Remote solves that problem and more, plus does it all from your iPhone or iPad. Don’t believe me? Then sit back and find out how Remote takes the Apple TV and kicks it up a notch. (more…)
Last week, Apple dropped a few big products our direction. We saw a new AppleTV, 1080P video for true HD content, a new iPad and even more. And then there was iPhoto, the latest and greatest piece of software for the iPad that allows you to edit your pics right there on the device. Oh, and it’s a universal app too, so it’s on the iPhone! Yay!
But how would an app that’s built to perform well on the expansive screen of the iPad work with the iPhone? Let’s file down those fingertips and find out. (more…)
Years ago, the iPod won the digital media player wars. It wasn’t really a fair fight; the iPod had Apple and the record companies behind it, pushing for people to purchase music and providing a smooth, streamlined way to do so. The iPod’s dominance continued for years, and when Steve Jobs announced the first iPhone, he also said that it was the finest iPod that the company had ever made.
Now the iPhone is a product category unto itself, and it’s left the iPod’s legacy in the dust. While you can still listen to music with your iPhone, you can now do something that no iPod ever could: create music. While there are many apps out there that make this possible, my favorite is GarageBand, sold directly through Apple. (more…)
I’m used to reviewing apps. I’ve reviewed quite a few over the past months, and I plan on reviewing many more. I purchase each application that I end up reviewing (as well as many others), so I spend a lot of time in the App Store.
Using the App Store has been more painful than I would first imagine. If you only use it every once in a blue moon I’m sure that it’s fine, but for someone like myself, Apple’s marketplace is sorely lacking. Today I want to look at what the App Store could improve upon in order to create a compelling, enjoyable experience.
When the iPhone 4S was announced, Apple also introduced quite a few other products including Cards, which made everyone tilt their heads slightly to the left and say, “Huh?” It didn’t make a lot of sense to most people, but to me, I got it. I tweeted this right away:
New Cards app for iOS. My mother will buy this today, guaranteed. Make your own greeting cards on your iPhone.
Apple has sold greetings cards for a long time now through iPhoto, but this will take it up to the next step. Get ready to see lots of Apple cards in your mail this holiday season.
On October 4th, freshly-appointed Apple CEO Tim Cook took the stage to headline his first Apple event, and announced the release of the iPhone 4S and iOS 5. Under all of the exciting features that were covered that day were a few new Apple-designed apps. Apple doesn’t publish its own apps for download on the App Store very often, and when they do, the apps tend to be small companion apps and utilities (Remote or Find My iPhone) or productivity apps (Pages, Numbers, Keynote). But on that day, Apple announced a few full-featured, standalone apps. One of those was Find My Friends.
When I sat down to spill out my heart about Find My Friends, I wasn’t sure whether to review it proper or to simply share some thoughts, given that the app was developed by Apple. After some time, however, I decided to give it the review treatment, because I think that there are distinct pros and cons that should be considered in the context of other apps with similar functions. For those of you who weren’t able to watch the announcement and demonstration, allow me to recap some of the features first.
It’s true that we review a lot of productivity apps over here on iPhone.AppStorm. There are apps that offer a new form of syncing, apps that keep your to-do lists in different ways or boast a new interface that the developers believe will help you get things done. Wading through the App Store can be hard, and Apple is here to help with your need for a to-do app.
Meet Reminders, the brand new app that is included with every install of iOS 5. With advanced features and a familiar interface, Apple is hoping that Reminders will be simple enough to be used by anyone, but powerful enough to be used by everyone. Have they produced an app worthy of being placed on every install, or did they forget to make Reminders worthwhile? Read on and find out.
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