Federico Viticci

10880 posts on MacStories since April 2009

Federico is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of MacStories, where he writes about Apple with a focus on apps, developers, iPad, and iOS productivity. He founded MacStories in April 2009 and has been writing about Apple since. Federico is also the co-host of AppStories, a weekly podcast exploring the world of apps, Unwind, a fun exploration of media and more, and NPC: Next Portable Console, a show about portable gaming and the handheld revolution.
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@viticci.macstories.net
viticci@macstories.net

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Byline 3.0 for iPhone: It’s All New

When it comes to iPhone and RSS applications, the situation gets really interesting. Not because there aren’t great apps out there and one is always looking for a good one, quite the opposite actually: there are plenty of great Google Reader clients in the App Store.

Not good ones, great ones. In the past we’ve reviewed Reeder, MobileRSS Pro and Newsprint and trust me when I say that each one of them is a great app, in its very own way. They say that the best RSS app it’s the one that’s always with you though (ok, maybe this was for cameras), so I’d say Reeder it’s the best feed reader app for me. It’s got a custom, yet consistent and elegant user interface, it’s fast as fast can be, comes with the right features at the right place. Reeder is probably the best RSS application for iPhone I’ve ever had.

But you know, what’s so great about the App Store is that there might always be someone behind you who’s coming up with a great app. Byline has been out for quite some time now, and I know many users who have been using the 2.0 version for months without even thinking of moving to another app. Byline had its flaws, but its dedicated user base never left it.

Now that the 3.0 is out for free, can Byline aim even higher? Like convince Reeder aficionados to give it a try?

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iPhone 4G To Be Available on June 21st?

MobileCrunch reports that AT&T has changed the upgrade elegibility dates for the next iPhone to June 21st:

“Not sure if anyone [..] has noticed this same thing, but my Upgrade Eligibility date on my AT&T account switched from 11/21 to 6/21 in the last day or so. I bought a 3GS on launch day last year, and my upgrade date read 11/21 since then. A few other folks in my office have noticed the same changes happening to their accounts as well.”

Does that mean that the next iPhone will be available by that day? As MobileCrunch also notices at the end of the post, Apple usually releases new iPhones on Friday, considering that people work less on weekends and have more time to go out and buy stuff.

So is it coming on the 21st? Not likely. But still, I guess it’s a given that you american guys won’t get rid of AT&T so easily.

Steam for Mac Launch Details Revealed

Valve has just posted a press release revealing the last details about the launch of Steam for Mac, which is scheduled for tomorrow. First, you’ll be able to see the “Steam Play” feature in action, which allows you purchase a game once and play it on every platform that supports Steam.

Also, Torchlight from Runic Games will be available tomorrow.

You can read the full press release after the break.

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The MacStories Things Giveaway for Mac, iPad and iPhone

That’s right folks, thanks to Cultured Code we’ve got three copies of Things up for grabs. For those who don’t know, Things is simply the best GTD application available on the Mac, iPhone and iPad, featuring an elegant and beautiful interface and a feature set which allows you to quickly enter and organize your tasks in areas, tags, people and projects.

Giveaway details:

  • 1 copy of Things for Mac, our review here (worth €49.95)

  • 1 U.S. promo code of Things for iPhone (worth $9.99)

  • 1 U.S. promo code of Things for iPad, our review here (worth $19.99)

We’ll pick up one winner for each version on Friday, May 14th. To enter the contest, be sure to follow @macstoriesnet on Twitter and leave a comment here including your Twitter username and the reason you’d like to win a copy of Things. Have you tried other GTD apps before? Do you think Things can fit in your workflow? Just let us know.

As always, good luck!

iPad Wifi Issues Will Be Fixed With a Software Update

Remember when there was so much talking about the iPad having problems with wifi connections and disconnecting from networks?  Some U.S. colleges even banned the device due to these problems with wifi. Apple has finally updated a support document about the issue including some “workarounds” to get wireless connections working properly on the iPad:

- Verify your Wi-Fi router firmware is up to date.

- If your router’s security encryption is WEP, try WPA or WPA2, as WEP can cause intermittent disconnects with the iPad which requires retyping a password.

- Make sure the iPad screen brightness is not at the lowest level.

- Obtain a new IP address by going into Settings, Wi-Fi, accessing the settings of the current network, and choosing “Renew Lease.”

- Finally, if these steps do not work, users are recommended to try turning Wi-Fi off and back

Also, the issues will be fixed with a Software Update. I can see OS 3.2.1 coming by the WWDC.

The “iPhone OS 4.0 For iPhone 2G” Project

Some hackers are trying to port iPhone OS 4.0 to the original iPhone “2G”, which was released back in 2007 and Apple decided to keep away from the OS 4.0 goodness.

“We are rewriting the 4.0 beta firmware released by Apple to create a custom firmware that can run on devices iPhone 2G which is no longer available. To do this we studied the architecture of the firmware previously released by Apple on the device trying to understand how is it different from the released versions on other devices, in particular that of the iPhone 3G device, which is what most resembles the smartphones.”

You can follow the development here or follow the project on Twitter as @RebuildingGroup.

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Estimate: Apple Will Make $40 Million A Year with iWork Apps for iPad

People want to be productive with their shiny new iPad, and so they spend on good productivity apps in the App Store. But if a developer has to deal with Apple’s revenue and such, what about Apple’s own paid apps - Pages, Keynote and Numbers?

According to the latest estimate reported by 9to5mac, Apple could make more than $40 million a year with the iWork apps for iPad.

“How did they work it out?

- They estimate the top paid iPad app does about 7,500 unit sales on a Saturday or Sunday, and about 2,500 unit sales on a weekday.

- All the iWork apps have been in the top ten since the iPad launched, with Pages at number one.

- They estimate: “7,500 downloads per app x 2 weekend days, and 2,500 downloads per app x 5 weekdays, = about 27,500 weekly unit downloads per app.”


They estimate Apple’s making $825,000 per week on these sales.”

Impressive, isn’t it?