Federico
AppStories Episode 81 - Mac and iOS App Convergence
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This week, Federico and John consider what the new Marzipan apps in Mojave may mean for the future of apps on all of Apple’s hardware platforms.
Apple Releases Materials for the Everyone Can Create Curriculum
Last March, Apple held an education event in Chicago where it unveiled a 9.7-inch iPad with Apple Pencil support and a new curriculum called Everyone Can Create. Since then, Apple says over 350 schools worldwide have begun working with the program. A complement to its Everyone Can Code initiative, Everyone Can Create is designed to help teachers and students use iPads in creative pursuits such as drawing, music, photography, and filmmaking.
Today, Apple announced that as part of the Everyone Can Create initiative, it has released four student guides and a teacher guide that are available in Apple’s Books app.
“We believe Apple technology can help unleash every child’s creative genius,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Working closely with teachers, we have built the Everyone Can Create curriculum to help bring creative expression and the arts into the classroom, and to help students stay engaged through creativity and ultimately be more successful.”
Each student guide, which is free to download in the Books app, includes projects designed to help students learn new creative skills progressively. There is also a teacher guide with over 300 lesson ideas that can be used in a variety of subjects.
The curriculum includes projects that use third-party apps like Tayasui Sketches School as well as Apple’s apps too.
Although the Everyone Can Create guides are being released after many students are already back in school, teachers have had preview materials since the summer, which should help them incorporate the new materials into their lessons if they’d like. Everyone Can Create extends Apple’s curriculum offerings beyond coding, which I like because it should reach a broader group of students. It’s also designed to fit with existing subjects taught in schools, which I expect will make the iPad more valuable to schools that have adopted them.
The Everyone Can Create books are available as free downloads in Apple’s Books app.
Google Maps Adds Commuting Features
Google has announced that later this week, it will add several new features to its Maps app for iOS and Android commuters. The update includes live, personalized traffic data, support for ‘mixed-mode’ commutes, real-time bus and train tracking, and integration with Apple Music, Google Play Music, and Spotify.
The update will include a dedicated ‘Commute’ tab in the Maps app. After users identify their commute, Google Maps will provide live traffic data about the route. The Android app will also include notifications about delays as they happen so you can adjust your trip.
Google Maps will also support mixed-mode commutes. That means, for example, commuters who travel by car, train, and on foot will see commute information relevant to each leg of their journey. Real-time bus and train tracking is being added in 80 cities worldwide too.
Playback controls for Apple Music, Spotify, and Google Play Music is coming to Google Maps. Spotify users on Android will also be able to browse and select content from inside the app.
As someone who used to commute by train every day, I particularly appreciate the focus on public transportation. Google hasn’t said, but hopefully, these new features are included as part of Google Maps’ CarPlay integration too.
Google Maps is available as a free download on the App Store.
Making Of: The macOS Mojave Review
The first difficulty I faced as I began thinking about this year’s MacStories review of macOS Mojave was how to test it. I’m more comfortable installing iOS betas than I am macOS betas. That’s because, between third-party peripherals and apps purchased outside the Mac App Store, there are more opportunities for things to go...
Q&A
Question: I’m getting tired of having to use the Google Drive app to transfer files between my two separate drives, to say nothing of team drives. I thought that Files was supposed to show multiple accounts; am I missing something or has Google dropped the ball? (Benjamin, @benjaminjex)
RyanIndeed, Files does offer the ability...
Textor
I use plain text editor Textor more for what it isn’t than what it is. Textor doesn’t autocomplete Markdown syntax or include inline photos, writing goals, word counts, spell-checking, or any number of features available in many text editors and word processors. As Ryan explained in his review earlier this year, the app handles...
App Debuts
Alto’s Adventure Alto’s Adventure, one of my all-time favorite iOS games, is now available on the Mac. The game experience is so good on iOS that I can’t say I’ve felt like I’ve needed Alto’s Adventure on the Mac, but I’m glad that it’s now available nonetheless. On a bigger screen and with good...
AppStories, Episode 80 – Our Favorite Apps with iOS 12 Features (Part 2)→
On this week’s episode of AppStories, we discuss more of their favorite iOS and watchOS app debuts and updates highlighting iOS 12 and watchOS 5 features.
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AppStories Episode 80 - Our Favorite Apps with iOS 12 Features (Part 2)
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Waze Adds CarPlay Support
Today, Waze, which is owned by Google, updated its iOS app with CarPlay support, which Google Maps received last week. I took Waze out for a few errands over lunch and in my limited testing was impressed.
The first stop was the bank to pick up some cash. As I passed through a busy intersection, Waze warned me that there were stoplight cameras ahead, which I knew about, but it was good to see Waze did too.
Next, it was off for some steak tacos to celebrate finally finishing my Mojave review. On the way, Waze said there was an object in the road. Sure enough, there was a piece of plywood straddling two lanes not too far ahead. Waze also alerted me to heavy traffic just ahead of my turnoff.
With each alert, the CarPlay UI displayed a notification with two choices: ‘Thanks!” and ‘Not there,’ with big buttons to allow me to help train the Waze database. I flipped back to Overcast, and as I approached my next turn, Waze announced it, momentarily pausing the audio, and displayed a notification that I could tap to return to the map of my route.
For people who use Waze regularly, those sorts of alerts and notifications will be familiar. Apple Maps still has the advantage of Siri integration with the hardware buttons on my steering wheel because like Google Maps, Waze can’t access Siri. That’s a shame because it’s easier to press a dedicated steering wheel button than it is to poke at a CarPlay screen in the center of your dashboard to do a voice search, but from a parked position in a bank parking lot the voice command I gave it was recognized immediately and I was on my way to the correct location.
I’ve only used Waze for this one trip, but my first impression was that the app is solid and should be well-received by its users. Especially for commuters that want traffic and other real-time, crowd-sourced data, Waze is a great option.