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Launch Center Pro Coming to Apple Watch→

Launch Center Pro, my favorite utility to launch actions and apps on iOS, is coming to Apple Watch. As shown by Contrast’s David Barnard, Launch Center Pro for the Watch will feature a list of actions with a simplified interface in line with Apple’s guidelines for the new device.

I’m excited about the potential of bringing discrete automation to the wrist. And I’m curious to see how Contrast will slim down the experience to make sense on the Watch. The actions in the screenshot seem to be primarily web-based (likely powered by IFTTT) and they can work well with one-tap interactions and dictation, but I’m wondering if the more complex workflows of Launch Center Pro for iOS could have Watch counterparts as well.

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Designing for Humans→

The last hundred years or so have brought us a very, very long way. From the invention of the telephone and the automobile to telephones you can use to… order an automobile, technology has empowered and enabled not just gadgets and toys, but massive changes in the way we design, create, and produce objects of every size and shape.

And there are roughly seven billion people on this planet right now. So… who is all this stuff for?

The latest video in Dave Wiskus’ excellent Better Elevation series reflects on designing experiences for more diverse audiences. This is an important message for any type of designer, and one that I should follow more often for the accessibility of MacStories.

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BitTorrent Sync 2.0→

I used version 1 of BitTorrent Sync for many months, and started using version 2 as soon as it reached beta. Having used BitTorrent Sync regularly, I now find Dropbox to be incredibly slow, especially when syncing large files or even a large number of files. In some ways, BitTorrent Sync version 2 feels like the version they really wanted to make (akin to the iPhone 3GS or the second-generation MacBook Air).

From the official announcement:

We’re now ready to take the beta tag off and deliver a final product. All of the core functionality we introduced in version 1.4 last August still exist in 2.0, letting you securely share folders across all platforms, with visibility into who has access. A bunch of new functionality has been added, from enhanced user interfaces across desktop and mobile platforms to a new certificates-based security model with even greater control and ease-of-use.

Version 1 was good, but version 2 is great. How great? I plan to drop my paid Dropbox account when it expires, not just because BitTorrent Sync is cheaper, but because it’s so much better.

BitTorrent Sync has often attracted critics who complain that it isn’t open source. That’s true, it isn’t. For those who demand such things, other options exist. If you like building things from source, Java, or pre-alpha software, good luck and Godspeed. However, if you prefer to avoid those things, and are more interested in design, features, stability, usability, and an app you can use today (instead of something that seems like it might be good someday), I highly recommend BitTorrent Sync.

All of its new pro features are available for free for 30 days. After that, they will cost $40/year (that’s “per person” not per device). Don’t want to pay? BitTorrent Sync’s free version is still faster option than Dropbox, with no storage limits, and no limits on file sizes or transfer speeds.

Get BitTorrent Sync for Mac, Windows, Linux and FreeBSD. (Mobile apps for iOS, Android, Windows Phone, and Amazon Kindle Fire should be available later today.)

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Apple Highlights ‘Shot with iPhone 6’ Gallery on Apple.com Homepage→

People take incredible photos and videos on iPhone 6 every day. And here are some of our favorites. Explore the gallery, learn a few tips, and see what’s possible with the world’s most popular camera.

Apple has launched a ‘Shot with iPhone 6’ mini-site today. The iPhone 6 truly has an incredible camera, which is extremely portable and has a large selection of apps (which Apple also highlights). Great shots.

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Connected: The Color of Myke’s Eyes→

This week, the boys discuss the iOS setup process and the possibly-confusing nature of the Apple Watch’s multiple variations before Stephen and Federico share their thoughts on the iPhone 6 Plus.

This week’s Connected has some of my early thoughts about the iPhone 6 Plus I’m trying (plus the usual follow-up and news commentary goodness). You can listen to the episode here.

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Virtual: Alto’s Adventure, with Ryan Cash→

This week Federico and Myke get excited for some upcoming game releases, and speak with Ryan Cash, from Snowman, about their game ‘Alto’s Adventure’.

On this week’s episode of Virtual, we interview Ryan Cash of Snowman about the excellent Alto’s Adventure (my review) – the making of the game from concept to early demos, pricing, player feedback, and more. You can listen to the episode here.

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Tapbots Relaunches Website, Working on Tweetbot 4.0 for iOS→

The fine folks at Tapbots have relaunched their website today, focusing on the apps they’re currently selling on the App Store as well as details on upcoming updates. From their blog post:

Welcome to the new tapbots.com! We hope this long overdue refresh is a better place to stay up to date with our apps. Our goal this year is to not only ship updates on a more regular basis, but also provide more insight into what we are currently working on. So lets get on to the important bits of information.

With the refresh, Tapbots has pulled Convertbot from the App Store (its core functionality is built into the newly released Calcbot 2), removed Pastebot, and set Weightbot free.

On the homepage, Tapbots confirms that a major update to Tweetbot for iOS (version 4.0) is in the works with iPad and landscape support, a redesigned profile view, and more. Tweetbot 3.0 was a fantastic take on Tapbots’ Twitter client (and it stacks up well to other Twitter apps on iOS) and, between this and Tweetbot for Yosemite, I’m excited to see more Tapbots software in 2015.

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Apple Highlights Final Cut X Usage in Hollywood Film ‘Focus’→

Jefferson Graham, USA TODAY:

Apple’s Final Cut Pro X is finally ready for its big close-up.

The software, derided by many professional video editors when it launched in 2011, was just used for the first time in a big Hollywood production: Focus, starring Will Smith and Margot Robbie.

This is an important showcase for Apple’s FCPX (which had a problematic debut in 2011) and the company has launched a dedicated mini-site with a lot of photos and details on the production.

Apple writes:

Using Light Iron’s Live Play app, the production team could view same-day H.264 versions of the dailies on iPad from anywhere on set. And editing began just hours after the camera rolled. Metadata markers allowed the edit crew to quickly find and use the best shots. “When you’re cutting a movie, it’s a struggle for clarity,” says Requa. “You get fatigued and you get really tired of your footage, and you need access to a new point of view. A lot of times, the metadata provided an insight into what we were thinking when we shot it.”

Between Focus and Modern Family, Apple seems to be getting momentum back among professionals in the entertainment industry (at least in terms of public acknowledgment). Check out Apple’s website for links to the gear and plugins used in Focus, and watch the trailer with footage from the movie below.

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How Modern Family Filmed an Episode Entirely with iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks→

Last week, ABC announced that today’s episode of Modern Family has been entirely recorded using iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks. BuzzFeed has the details on how it was done, including exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and an interview with show co-creator and executive producer Steve Levitan. I won’t spoil it, so go watch the video here.

This bit was interesting:

And while the episode many seem to stray from the show’s traditional format, Levitan explains that over the ABC comedy’s six seasons, certain scenes have been shot on iPhones for a variety of reasons, but viewers most likely didn’t notice the difference between something shot with a sophisticated digital camera and an iPhone camera. For example, “there was a scene where Manny (Rico Rodriguez) was dressed as a mascot at a basketball game, so rather than recreating a whole basketball game, I quickly shot my son’s basketball game on my iPhone,” Levitan told BuzzFeed News in an email. “Then we filmed Rico against a green screen, and inserted the shot into the episode.”

Pretty incredible that TV shows can be shot using a phone and you won’t even notice.

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