Posts in Linked

Glenn Fleishman On Newsstand For Publishers→

Glenn Fleishman, writing for TidBITS:

Put bluntly, Newsstand is a ghetto. Readers complain to me regularly about forgetting to read The Magazine, even though we use iOS notifications for each issue. If readers don’t read immediately and don’t remember to tap the Newsstand icon later, they forget about us entirely.

His article comes in response to Marko Karppinen, who writes:

The segregation of Newsstand apps into the Newsstand folder wasn’t ever a positive aspect of Newsstand, but we were optimistic and thought that perhaps readers would form new habits around it. As an industry, we decided to give it a go. Apart from some early successes, attributable to a first-mover advantage, that was a mistake.

As users, many of us complained about the old Newsstand’s folder nature and the inability to hide the app, but publishers aren’t so happy now that it’s possible with iOS 7. I’m curious to see if more publishers will chime in on this.

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Testing The iPhone 5s In Patagonia→

This iPhone 5S beats out the 5 in every camera test and in many ways I prefer it to my DSLR. Sure it has its pros & cons… but for the first time ever, I didn’t bring my Canon 1DX and I didn’t regret it one bit. That’s saying a lot.

Austin Mann (via Shawn Blanc) went to Patagonia to properly test the new iPhone 5s camera, and he came back with some amazing photos and videos. Even better, he provides explanations and comparison shots between the iPhone 5 and 5s, showing how the 5s takes better pictures better suited for processing. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to take pictures as good as Austin’s, but the fact that Apple is hiding complex technology behind the software gives me hope that, when I’ll get my 5s, I’ll enjoy features like SloMo and better Panoramas without having to care about their settings.

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A Ship In Troubled Waters→

Ben Kuchera:

These numbers should serve to show you the power and nearly limitless earning potential of Nintendo franchises, and this is why you should never take anyone seriously when they suggest that Nintendo games should come to iOS or Android devices as a way to boost revenue. Anyone who thinks Nintendo would be better off selling $3 versions of games that now move 10 million units at $40, often selling multiple copies to the same family, is insane.

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YouTube 2.2→

The official YouTube app for iOS received an update earlier today. You can now choose the quality of videos you want to stream (tap the new icon on the video player); unfortunately, after two months, the app still isn’t built for iOS 7.

Previously, YouTube announced that an update set to be released in November will add a new feature to download videos for offline watching.

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Nike+ Move App For the iPhone 5S to Arrive on November 6th→

Announced alongside the new Fuelband SE was an update to Nike+ Running, and the new Nike+ Move app which Phil Schiller showed off during September’s iPhone 5c + 5s Keynote. The Nike+ Move running app is a sort of “Fuelband lite”, being previously detailed by Engadget as being an introductory experience into the Nike+ ecosystem. From today’s press release:

Nike+ Move App

Launched by Apple at their recent event, the Nike+ Move App is an introductory NikeFuel experience for iPhone 5S users. Nike+ Move measures when, where and how you moved and uses NikeFuel to motivate you. Nike+ Move then lets you compare your movement with that of your friends or other Nike+ Move users around you.

The Nike+ Move app will be free to download on the App Store.

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Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts to Join Apple as Senior Vice President of Retail and Online Stores→

Late last night, Apple announced that Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts will join Apple in the spring of 2014 in the newly created position of Senior Vice President of Retail and Online Stores. The position of SVP of Retail was vacant since John Browett’s departure from the company last year.

I am thrilled that Angela will be joining our team,” said Cook. “She shares our values and our focus on innovation, and she places the same strong emphasis as we do on the customer experience. She has shown herself to be an extraordinary leader throughout her career and has a proven track record.

As noted by Macworld’s Jason Snell, the hire won’t likely come cheap for Apple:

Last year she was the highest paid CEO on the London Stock Exchange’s FTSE 100, with total pay of roughly $27 million. (That included stock options; her current Burberry salary is reportedly just under $11 million.) But Apple’s retail presence is amazingly lucrative and clearly needs to remain a focus for the company.

Below, a video of Ahrendts discussing her past eight years at Burberry with Chairman Sir John Peace and future CEO Christopher Bailey.

And last, a video of Ahrendts discussing “Human Energy” at her TEDxHollywood talk from April 2013.

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Play Games Using The iPhone 5c Case→

Speaking of Australia, how cool is this game by Stuart Hall and Dave McKinney? It is a variation of the classic four-in-a-row game that uses the iPhone 5c’s case as a grid, cleverly taking advantage of the case’s dots to show interface elements and let you tap on the screen.

The game is called Flipcase and it’s free on the App Store. It also uses UIKit Dynamics for some delightful animations and physics effects. Very clever.

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