Federico Viticci

10863 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.
@[email protected]
@viticci.macstories.net
viticci@macstories.net

Beats Launches New Solo2 Wireless Headphones in iPhone Colors→

Juli Clover, reporting for MacRumors:

Apple-owned headphone company Beats by Dre today announced the launch of several new Solo2 Wireless headphones, in colors that match Apple’s iPhone, iPad, and new MacBook. Available in Gold, Silver, and Space Gray, the headphones are otherwise identical to the company’s existing Solo2 Wireless headphones.

I don’t think it’s surprising that Apple hasn’t rushed to redesign the Beats product line – Beats headphones are clearly popular as they are, and I suspect they would make for a good complementary purchase once the company’s new rumored streaming services launches, presumably later this year.

The timing of the new colors is spot-on – I bet those headphones would look good next to a new gold MacBook or while controlling music from an Apple Watch.

(Note how the Beats link says “Apple Color”, not “iPhone Color”. Silver, Space Gray, and Gold are increasingly becoming the colors of modern Apple devices.)

Permalink

Photo Flashback 1.4→

Pictured above: Clips, Do Button, Hue, and Photo Flashbacks widgets.

Pictured above: Clips, Do Button, Hue, and Photo Flashbacks widgets.

I’ve mentioned Photo Flashback on MacStories before – a simple utility for iPhone and iPad, this app lets you easily find photos taken on the same day in the past. Unlike web services like Carousel or Timehop, Photo Flashback is entirely local to your device, as it looks for photos that match the current date in your photo library.

Photo Flashback works well with iCloud Photo Library (I have nine years of photos in it) and today’s version 1.4 makes it even better. Soon, you’ll be able to check flashbacks on your Apple Watch (clever idea, considering the presence of a Photos app for the device) and the Today widget now takes you directly to a photo in the app. If a photo you tap in the widget is stored in iCloud, Photo Flashback will download it for you.

I know that Timehop supports photos from the local photo library as well, but I’ve never needed all the other social features of Timehop, and I like how Photo Flashback works for me.

Rediscovering memories through old photos can be hard, and I’m glad that something like Photo Flashback exists for iOS. The app is $0.99 on the App Store.

Permalink

Connected: Crazy Uncle Figure→

With Myke back from vacation, the trio returns to action to discuss MacBook and Apple Watch reviews before tackling “Becoming Steve Jobs.”

On this week’s Connected, Myke and Stephen also help me through my MacBook issues, although the conclusion of said discussion is quite sad. You can listen to the episode here.

Sponsored by:

  • 1Password: Put passwords in their place.
  • Igloo: An intranet you’ll actually like, free for up to 10 people.
  • Wealthfront: The automated investment service that makes it easy to invest your money the right way.
Permalink

Steven Aquino on Apple Watch and Accessibility→

Steven Aquino got the opportunity to meet with Apple for a hands-on briefing of the Watch and its accessibility features:

There are two accessibility features of the Apple Watch that stand out to me: Extra Large Watch Face and Zoom. Regarding the Large Watch Face, it does what it says: shows the time in a ginormous font. It’s very well done, although for my needs, I’m confident that I can get by just as well with Large Dynamic Type. Overall, however, Large Watch Face will be great for those who need the clock to be extra big in order to read it. Likewise, the Zoom feature was helpful for me in identifying icons on the Home screen, as they’re a tad small at normal size. I found that Zoom works best for me using the digital crown, as the two-finger pan was more difficult to do using my partially-paralyzed right hand (caused by my cerebral palsy).

As he suspected, Force Touch could play an important role for people with disabilities.

Permalink

The Apple Watch’s Many Faces→

Wired’s David Pierce, writing again about the design of Apple Watch:

Yet what Dye seems most fascinated by is one of the Apple Watch’s faces, called Motion, which you can set to show a flower blooming. Each time you raise your wrist, you’ll see a different color, a different flower. This is not CGI. It’s photography.

“We shot all this stuff,” Dye says, “the butterflies and the jellyfish and the flowers for the motion face, it’s all in-camera. And so the flowers were shot blooming over time. I think the longest one took us 285 hours, and over 24,000 shots.”

I never thought I’d read a story about jellyfish and say “Wow, that’s cool”.

Permalink

iOS 8.3 Released

Apple released iOS 8.3 earlier today, bringing a variety of bug fixes (with some of the most detailed release notes I’ve ever seen in an iOS update), new diverse emoji with skin tones, and various improvements to Siri and CarPlay. Josh Centers has a good overview of the changes at TidBITS.

I haven’t had much time to check out iOS 8.3 (I installed the developer beta on a loaned iPhone 6 Plus earlier this week), but, so far, everything seems a bit faster and generally fine on my iPad Air 2 (which I’ve been using all day for work).

I like the new emoji keyboard because it makes it easy to find different categories with a new scrollable UI (reminiscent of the excellent Emoji++, which I’ve uninstalled to take Apple’s new keyboard for a spin). The new emoji keyboard is especially nice on the iPad, with big previews and category icons at the bottom. Third-party keyboards seem to be faster when switching between them (but they’re still not as responsive or integrated as Apple’s native ones) and I’ve noticed no rotation problems on the 6 Plus so far.

iOS 8.3 appears to be the equivalent of iOS 7.1 last year – dozens of important fixes, nicely wrapping up most of the work on iOS 8 before WWDC.

Joanna Stern on What the Apple Watch Does Best→

Joanna Stern reviews the Apple Watch, with a good mix of thoughts on fashion, notifications, and fitness.

There are so many things the watch can do, so many menus and features you must spend time figuring out, that for better or worse, you end up shaping your own experience. Some may find usefulness in hailing Ubers with a tap on the wrist, or transmitting a heartbeat to a beloved. My colleague Geoffrey Fowler explored the Apple Watch as a gateway to the iPhone for many quick activities. I sought a simpler experience, turning it into a stylish watch to keep me on schedule and a workout companion to keep me moving.

Also: don’t miss her Apple Watch video. Easily the best video review you’ll watch today.

Permalink

Liz Plosser on Apple Watch and Fitness→

SELF’s Fitness Director Liz Plosser has another solid review of the Apple Watch, with a focus on fitness (she gave birth to a baby boy five days before getting a Watch). Make sure to read until the end, though, because her conclusion is surprising and smart.

I began testing the Apple Watch five days after giving birth to a baby boy—not a traditional fitness event like a marathon, but an exhausting physical experience nevertheless. And since strapping on the coveted gadget, my “workouts” have consisted of walking to and from my baby’s bassinet at all hours of the day (and night) and pushing him in a stroller to his pediatrician’s office a half-mile away for newborn check-ups. But Apple Watch gives me credit for that stuff (as it should!). Even when the Watch’s Workout app isn’t open, its accelerometer, along with GPS from your phone, measures all of your physical movement. The three-ring interface keeps tabs on the minutes you spend in each category (exercise, movement and standing), and is so intuitive that even my four-year-old twins understand how it works. Plus, I love that all it takes is a flick of my wrist and a quick glance to enjoy the instant gratification of knowing how much activity I’ve logged—I don’t need to sync it to my laptop or wait for an app to load on my phone.

Permalink