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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 Introduces iPhone 6s Smart Battery Case

Apple today introduced the new iPhone Smart Battery Case for the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6. Available in White or Charcoal Gray, the Smart Battery Case includes a built-in battery which will boost your iPhone’s battery life for talk time up to 25 hours and internet use up to 18 hours on LTE.

You charge the Smart Battery Case and your iPhone simultaneously and the amount of charge left in the case is displayed on your iPhone’s normal battery indicator.

The Smart Battery Case is available to purchase from today for $99. The case’s exterior is silicone whilst the interior is a soft microfiber lining. It also features a “soft elastomer hinge design”, which Apple claims will make it easy to put the case on an iPhone and take it off.

For the time being, the Smart Battery Case is only available on the 4.7” iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s, it is not available for the iPhone 6s Plus or iPhone 6 Plus.

[via AppleInsider]

Apple Maps Used “Three Times As Often As Its Next Leading Competitor”→

In an article from Associated Press, Anick Jesdanun gets a comment from Apple regarding the popularity of Apple Maps:

Apple says its mapping service is now used more than three times as often as its next leading competitor on iPhones and iPads, with more than 5 billion map-related requests each week. Research firm comScore says Apple has a modest lead over Google on iPhones in the U.S., though comScore measures how many people use a service in a given month rather than how often.

…

“We are fast learners and we are fast at fixing things,” said Greg “Joz” Joswiak, an Apple vice president who oversees product marketing for iPhones and related services. “We learned the maps business incredibly fast.”

It’s abundantly clear that Apple Maps has improved significantly in just three years, but at least in my experience, it still has a way to go before it is up to the standard of Google Maps, globally.

Which is why I thought it was odd that Apple would publicly reveal, in an almost boastful manner, that Apple Maps is used “more than three times as often as its next leading competitor” (read: Google Maps). At first glance that sounds impressive, but Apple Maps has been automatically installed on every single iOS device since 2012. If someone wants to use Google Maps they need to actively take steps to find it, install it, and avoid using Apple Maps when tapping address links or using Siri.

I wonder what the statistics are for some of Apple’s other default, automatically installed, apps? How many people use Safari, or Apple Mail or Apple Calendars rather than the “next leading competitor”? I would put money on those other default apps being way more than just three times as popular as the third party alternatives.

https://twitter.com/zkahn94/status/674081643141988353

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Apple Raises iTunes Match and Apple Music Library Matching Limits to 100,000 Tracks→

MacRumors reported over the weekend that Apple Music and iTunes Match libraries can now manage libraries with up to 100,000 tracks:

Over the past couple of days, MacRumors has received several reports from users who have been able to upload music libraries of greater than 25,000 tracks to iTunes Match or Apple Music’s similar scan-and-match feature, and Macworld’s iTunes expert Kirk McElhearn has also noted a number of reports on his personal blog.
…
Update 12:08 PM, December 6: Eddy Cue has confirmed to MacRumors that Apple has indeed “started rolling out support for 100k libraries.”

It has taken some time, and longer than expected, but those of you with iTunes Match or Apple Music and large music libraries can now upload up to 100,000 tracks to the services, up from the previous limit of 25,000. Eddy Cue, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services, first mentioned on Twitter in late June that Apple was working to “get to 100k [tracks] for iOS 9”. Apple missed that deadline, but Cue subsequently told MacRumors that Apple was working on it and that he expected it would be released “before the end of the year” - and indeed it now has.

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Apple Airs New ‘Ridiculously Powerful’ and ‘Hey Siri’ iPhone 6s Commercials

Apple shared two new iPhone 6s commercials last night, once again focusing on the more powerful hardware of this year’s iPhone model and hands-free Siri activation via voice.

In the first ad, titled ‘Ridiculously Powerful’, Apple highlights a number of apps and system features that are faster or more capable thanks to the 6s’ hardware. From 3D Touch and games to multitasking, Apple Pay, and camera improvements, the ad follows the style of the company’s “The only thing that’s changed is everything” campaign with a quick rundown of apps and use cases that are more efficient on the new hardware. Notably, the ad features Jon Favreau and closes to what resembles a Siri command for HomeKit lights, which turn off at the end of the video.

The new ‘Hey Siri’ commercial is shorter and it includes a few examples of how Siri can be activated without pressing the Home button to reply to messages, look up information on the web, play music, and more. The ad also features actress Penelope Cruz asking a question to the virtual assistant with ‘Hey Siri’.

You can watch the videos below.

Read more

iBedside and Prop ’n Go [Sponsor]

iBedside is an elegant bedside caddy for storing and charging your iPad and iPhone overnight. A magnetic shelf flips down with a flick and 3 full-size pockets hold most any gadget or book. Two discreet side holes and inner loops keep charging cables out of sight and right in place every night. iBedside starts at $30 and is available in 5 different color options.

Prop ’n Go is a comfortable stand for iPads and MacBooks with 14 easily adjustable angles. Wrapped in cozy memory foam, Prop ’n Go is perfect for keeping gadgets at just the right angle while lounging on the couch or laying in bed. It starts at $30 in 7 different colors.

Both iBedside and Prop ’n Go are in-stock and shipping for free worldwide via Amazon US, CA, and EU, and make for great holiday gifts. Made in Seattle by crafters making liveable wages.

Our thanks to Padded Spaces for sponsoring MacStories this week.

Apple Posts ‘Someday at Christmas’ Ad Featuring Andra Day and Stevie Wonder

Apple uploaded a new holiday commercial today (just ahead of Thanksgiving in the United States) featuring soul singer Andra Day and Stevie Wonder playing Wonder’s 1967 classic ‘Someday at Christmas’.

The ad is notable for a couple of reasons. First, it’s not focused on any particular Apple product, although MacBooks and Apple Watches make a brief appearance. The theme of the ad is Day and Wonder playing and singing together – the ad immediately highlights VoiceOver integration in GarageBand for Mac, one of the Accessibility features that Wonder uses to interact with OS X and manage recorded tracks in the app.

Earlier this year, Apple was honored as a recipient of the Helen Keller Achievement Awards for its implementation of accessible technologies, with a particular mention of VoiceOver by the American Foundation for the Blind.

In a subtle note, the ad closes to a “Love, Apple” message. You can watch the video below.

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 $16 off and buy Automatic at just $63.99. For more information, check out Automatic’s website.

Our thanks to Automatic for sponsoring MacStories this week.

Reeder 3 for iOS Now Available, Adds Support for iOS 9 Split View, Safari View Controller, 3D Touch

Reeder 3 for iOS has just been released today as a free update for existing customers. The new version brings support for iOS 9 Split View, support for the new iPad Pro and 3D Touch capability on the iPhone 6s, amongst a number of feature improvements. Split View support enables you to use Reeder side-by-side with another app, on compatible iPads. Whilst 3D Touch support is currently limited to previewing articles when in the article list - it isn’t yet able to preview links in articles or preview article lists for a particular RSS feed.

Reeder 3 also adds support for the Safari View Controller, an iOS 9 feature which brings the native Safari experience to third party apps. For those familiar with Reeder you’ll be well aware that a key aspect of its design is the use of a number of sliding panes for your feed list, article list, the actual article itself and finally the ‘view in browser’ option. You’ll be glad to know that Reeder implements Safari View Controller in a way that fits within Reeder’s existing design and user interface. So just as you would before, you can swipe left on an article and Safari View Controller will slide in, not pop-up. Dismissing the Safari View Controller can also be done by swiping right from the left edge of your screen.

Some of the other features in Reeder 3 include the ability to add Instapaper as a sync service, options to adjust the font size for the list of articles, and additional UI tweaks throughout the app.

Reeder 3 for iOS is available as a free update for existing customers, and is $4.99 on the App Store for new customers.