Federico Viticci

10775 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

Apple Publishes Best of 2015 App Store Lists for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV

Early this morning, Apple unveiled the 2015 edition of their annual Best of App Store lists – a collection of the best apps and games released on the App Store over the past 12 months. This year, in addition to iPhone, iPad, and Mac apps, Apple has added editorial picks for the newly launched watchOS and tvOS platforms, highlighting the best apps and games released by third-party developers on Apple Watch and Apple TV.

We debated. We argued. Everyone had favorites, but to make this list of 2015’s finest, there could be no doubts. What you see here made the cut—they’re the most visionary, inventive, and irresistible apps and games of the year. After you’ve browsed our selections, don’t miss the titles that topped the charts in 2015.

In this year’s Best of App Store, Apple has picked Periscope, The Robot Factory, Affinity Photo, HBO Now, and Dark Sky as apps of the year on its five developer platforms. On iOS, Apple also features special mentions for most innovative apps (Workflow on the iPhone), best app on the iPad Pro (uMake), and best app on the iPhone 6s (Instagram). On Apple TV and Apple Watch – the most recent additions to the App Store ecosystem – Apple hasn’t picked any runner-ups, but instead they’re simply showcasing the best apps and games. The iOS section includes apps that dominated the top charts as well, with Minecraft, Trivia Crack, Messenger, and Snapchat unsurprisingly in there.

Overall, Apple’s picks offer a good mix of big budget titles and smaller, indie studios such as DeskConnect, Readdle, or The Soulmen. You can find Apple’s complete Best of 2015 on the front page of each App Store today; a recap of all the winners and runner-ups (from the US App Store) is available below.

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Apple Airs New ‘The Future of Television’ Apple TV Ad

Apple aired a new one-minute Apple TV ad today, once again highlighting the device’s new Siri features and native app platform.

Your favorite TV shows, movies, games and more are on Apple TV. The future of television is apps.

The commercial – unlike the company’s recent iPhone ads – doesn’t feature any voiceover; instead, it draws from Apple TV’s selection of apps and content to show brief snippets of popular movies and TV shows from Netflix and iTunes, footage from the NBA app, scenes from The Simpsons and Pixar’s Inside Out, and more. As for apps, games such as Asphalt and Guitar Hero Live make an appearance alongside icons of other apps from the Apple TV Home screen.

The commercial is an extended version of Apple’s shorter Apple TV videos and is part of a campaign that also includes billboards reminiscent of the company’s iconic six-color logo. You can watch the video below.

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tvOS 9.1 Brings Remote App Support for Apple TV→

Among the software updates rolled out by Apple today, version 9.1 of tvOS for Apple TV users has also been released with enhancements to navigation and Siri. Most notably, the update restores support for Apple’s Remote app for iOS and it brings Siri integration with Apple Music.

Zac Hall, writing for 9to5Mac:

tvOS 9.1 does indeed add Siri support for Apple Music to all users. Apple’s Remote app also works with the new Apple TV for the first time. Apple released the first software update to the new Apple TV, tvOS 9.0.1, in mid November. The update delivered no new features or visual changes, instead likely focusing on bug fixes and performance improvements.

I was surprised to see that these features weren’t available at launch on the new Apple TV – typing passwords and any other text on tvOS without the Remote app was especially painful. I’m glad tvOS 9.1 has been released before the end of the year.

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Apple Releases iOS 9.2

Apple released iOS 9.2 today, bringing a host of bug fixes, improvements to system apps, and optimizations to Safari View Controller, the system’s new unified web view based on Safari.

Introduced in iOS 9, Safari View Controller enables third-party apps to implement a native web view that presents webpages with the same engine and interface of Safari, accessing features such as iCloud Keychain and auto-fill. In iOS 9.2, apps updated for the new OS will be able to implement a swipe gesture from the left edge of the screen to dismiss Safari View Controller (a feature that had already been done in a custom fashion by apps like Tweetbot) – a more comfortable way of dismissing it than tapping a ‘Done’ button at the top of the screen. Also new in iOS 9.2, Safari View Controller’s refresh button can be long-tapped to reveal additional reload options (just like in Safari) and action extensions can be used without issues on the currently open webpage. This will allow extensions such as 1Password and Workflow to run in Safari View Controller, which wasn’t possible before.

Among other improvements in today’s release, Apple lists minor but welcome changes to Apple Music (create a playlist when sharing a song, new download indicators for offline songs), a new Top Stories section in Apple News, the ability to 3D Touch in iBooks to peek and pop pages from the Table of Contents, and Mail Drop support in Mail for large attachments.

iOS 9.2 is available now via Apple’s Software Update.

Tim Cook and Siri in Cerebral Palsy Foundation Video→

Nice video featuring Tim Cook and Siri for a very important initiative:

It’s a joy to have Tim Cook add his voice (and Siri’s) to our campaign. Tim’s combination of keen mind and kind heart is displayed every time that he communicates his vision to the world. We’re thrilled that his outreach now includes the “Just Say Hi” campaign.

Here’s Steven Aquino:

As someone with cerebral palsy, this is a topic close to my heart. I get many stares and questions about my disabilities, and “Just Say Hi” sends a great, simple message for how to best handle these questions.

Bravo to Apple for yet again raising awareness of and advocating for the accessibility community.

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Automatic: A Smart Driving Assistant on Your iPhone [Sponsor]

There’s a mountain of data inside your car waiting to be unleashed, and all you have to do is plug in a quick little connector and download a mobile application.

Automatic is a smart driving assistant that plugs into your car’s data port and lets you connect your smartphone (either iPhone or Android) with your car. By  talking to your car’s onboard computer and using your smartphone’s GPS and data plan to upgrade your car’s capabilities, Automatic will allow you to easily diagnose your engine light, never forget where you parked your car, and save hundreds of dollars on gas.

Automatic learns your driving habits and gives you suggestions through subtle audio cues to drive smarter and stop wasting gas. Thanks to a map view available on your phone, Automatic can display a trip timeline after every driving session, showing you how you’re doing with a Drive Score; the app can even track local gas prices and tell you how much you’re spending.

In case of engine problems, Automatic can decipher what the “check engine” light means and show you a description of the issue with a possible solution. And thanks to a feature called Crash Alert, Automatic can detect many types of serious crashes and automatically alert local authorities as well as your loved ones when you can’t.

Automatic is currently available in the US for iPhone and Android devices, with a 45-day return policy and free shipping in 2 business days.

MacStories readers can go to automatic.com/macstories to get $19.99 off and buy Automatic at just $80. For more information, check out Automatic’s website.

Our thanks to Automatic for sponsoring MacStories this week.

Apple’s Updated Lightning to SD Card Camera Reader Supports iPhone, USB 3 Speeds on iPad Pro→

As first noticed by iDownloadBlog, Apple quietly updated its Lightning to SD Card Camera Reader alongside the release of the iPhone Smart Battery Case adding support for iPhone (previously, the accessory was limited to iPad users) and faster USB 3 transfers via the iPad Pro’s Lightning connector.

Apple writes:

The Lightning to SD Card Camera Reader supports standard photo formats, including JPEG and RAW, along with SD and HD video formats, including H.264 and MPEG-4. It supports data transfer at up to USB 3 speeds on iPad Pro, and up to USB 2 speeds on all other iPad and iPhone models.

Apple previously confirmed that the iPad Pro would support USB 3 transfer speeds, and the updated SD card reader appears to be the first product to take advantage of it. Last week, John Gruber speculated that the different Lightning port of the iPad Pro could also open up to USB-C functionalities in the future; I’m curious to see which other accessories will implement these iPad Pro optimizations in the next year.

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iSkelter’s Canvas Smart Desk for iPad Pro→

Neat idea by iSkelter, via Yanko Design:

The Canvas Smart Desk for the iPad Pro and the Surface Pro revolves around the word “Pro”. Designed to make any flat space (or even your lap!) an instant and effective workstation, the smart desk allows you to dock your tablet, a smartphone, and even a paired stylus (The Microsoft Pen or the Apple Pencil).

The Canvas comes in two variants. The Canvas Creator is a more compact desk meant for the serious and swift professional. The Canvas Pro is a larger variant, offering a little extra space for your notepad/coffee/portable-speaker.

While I tend to either hold my iPad or prop it up with the Smart Cover, the Canvas surface looks nice for a combined iPhone + iPad + Pencil setup. It costs $68 for the Creator and $100 for the Pro version from iSkelter’s website.

Also “interesting”: they’re using my iPad Home screen in their product shots.

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