Posts in news

Camera+ 2.1 Now Available: Faster, UI Refinements, Improved Effects

MacStories staff favorite Camera+ by taptaptap was updated a few minutes ago to include several interface refinements and optimizations to make the app faster, more stable and responsive overall. Since the release of the much anticipated version 2.0 (which marked the comeback of Camera+ in the iOS App Store), the developers have focused on improving the animations of the app when switching between the camera and the Lightbox, as well as providing a more intuitive UI design that now makes it easier to always jump back to the camera no matter where you are. Put simply, there are many camera shortcuts now. What I really appreciate though, performance improvements aside, is the possibility to automatically save pictures to the Camera Roll as they’re taken.

You can now get info on photos in the Lightbox without zooming (it was quite annoying before), set more sharing options. Taptaptap also improved the look of many effects, like Pinhole and Vintage Borders. After a first test (performed on the iOS 4.3 beta), this looks like a really solid update that builds upon the features introduced in Camera+ 2.0.

Camera+ is available at $0.99 in the App Store. Full 2.1 changelog below. Read more

iWork ‘11 Event At Mexican Best Buy on February 19th?

Previously rumored to debut with the Mac App Store and then spotted several times on Apple’s website, iWork ‘11 is apparently nearing release. As noted by Apple Bitch, a webpage on Best Buy Mexico website points to an event on Sunday, February 19th at 7 PM to learn the basics and see what’s new in iWork ‘11.

An AppleBitch reader has spotted a new page on the website of Best Buy Mexico which suggests that iWork ’11 will be arriving on February 19th at 7pm. The webpage describes an event where you can “visit Best Buy on February 19th and find out what you can do with iWork ’11″. While this is obviously not an official announcement from Apple, this event is a good indication that iWork ’11 is nearing release. We hope it is at least, otherwise there’s going to be a fairly unhappy crowd at a Best Buy in Mexico on February 19th.

The problem with February 19th is that it’s a Saturday, not really the usual day for an Apple software release. It’s also unclear whether this is a Best Buy event for the launch of the suite, or just something to see what’s new in iWork ‘11 – not necessarily to be released this Saturday. In that case, does this mean iWork ‘11 is coming this week? But then again, it might just be an error on Best Buy’s end.

Update: Best Buy pulled the page. The link to the event is gone from the homepage as well.

Washington Post Postpones iPad App Paid Subscription

In November, we reported the launch of the official Washington Post iPad app came with a nice free subscription until February 2011. An account was required, but there was no need to submit payment information. Now that we’re well into February, you’d expect WP to release an update to the app that brings subscriptions in – but apparently they’re delaying it.

The latest update, version 1.2, adds offline reading (finally, you could say, and it works both for articles and entire sections) and “complimentary full-access subscription still provided for a limited time”. What does that mean? Washington Post is clearly playing the waiting game, and now that Apple has announced App Store subscriptions it makes sense. The Daily extended its free promotion as well, and it looks like other may follow as well. Publishers are buying themselves time before rolling out real paid subscriptions on the tablet. Or, they need more time to update their apps to include Apple’s new billing system.

You, on the other hand, don’t have to buy anything as the app is available for free here with a free subscription ready to be activated. [iTunes via TUAW]

Publishers To Implement Subscriptions by June 30?

Following this morning’s news that Apple is officially launching App Store subscriptions for all developers, All Things Digital reports that a memo sent to publishers earlier this year indicates a June 30 deadline for developers to implement subscriptions in their content-based apps:

For existing apps already in the App Store, we are providing a grace period to bring your app into compliance with this guideline,” it reads. “To ensure your app remains on the App Store, please submit an update that uses the In App Purchase API for purchasing content, by June 30, 2011.

As John Paczkowski notes, this leaves 4 months to services like Hulu and Netflix to rebuild their apps to follow Apple’s rules and implement the new iOS subscriptions at the same price (or less) for all customers. Similar rules seem to apply to ebook reading applications: developers will need to update the apps to integrate Apple’s in-app purchases, where Apple takes its usual 30% cut. It is unclear, however, whether the memo refers to in-app purchases for single downloads (example: books in the Amazon Kindle books) or recurring subscriptions announced earlier today.

Apple Launches Subscriptions for Apps

It’s official: Apple has announced subscription for App Store apps. Billing happens automatically through your iTunes account, and Apple keeps 30% of revenue if they bring a new subscriber to the app. If the publisher brings a new or existing subscriber to the app, the publisher keeps 100%. Publishers can provide alternative payment methods (outside of the app) and login systems for existing subscribers, but iTunes subscriptions must be offered as an option into the app at the same price or less. Plus, publishers can no longer insert links to external payment methods inside their apps. Here’s the gist:

Publishers who use Apple’s subscription service in their app can also leverage other methods for acquiring digital subscribers outside of the app. For example, publishers can sell digital subscriptions on their web sites, or can choose to provide free access to existing subscribers. Since Apple is not involved in these transactions, there is no revenue sharing or exchange of customer information with Apple. Publishers must provide their own authentication process inside the app for subscribers that have signed up outside of the app. However, Apple does require that if a publisher chooses to sell a digital subscription separately outside of the app, that same subscription offer must be made available, at the same price or less, to customers who wish to subscribe from within the app. In addition, publishers may no longer provide links in their apps (to a web site, for example) which allow the customer to purchase content or subscriptions outside of the app.

As for privacy policy, customers “will be given the option” to provide publishers with information, although the use of information will be under the publisher’s privacy policy. Here’s everything you need to know about subscriptions. Press release embedded below.

Read more

Apple To Outsource A4 and A5 Production? iPad 2 With “Enhanced” A4?

A second report from Digitimes this evening suggest that Apple might outsource the production of the A4 chip and the rumored Cortex-A9-based A5 to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, TSMC. Apple is reportedly concerned about leakage of production techniques and specs now that Samsung is directly competing with them in smartphone and tablet market, and TSMC already provided A4 production when Samsung was unable to meet demand last year.

Apple is reportedly looking to outsource the production of its A4 processor as well as the next-generation ARM Cortex-A9-based A5 processor to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), according to industry sources. The Apple A4 processor is currently exclusively produced by Samsung Electronics, and the previous S5PC100 used in the iPhone 3GS was also developed and manufactured by the Korean company.

TSMC declined to comment on the report.

Digitimes also reports the iPad 2 will feature an “enhanced” version of the A4 chip, while the iPhone 5 will come with the brand new Apple A5 processor. A number of reports surfaced in the past indicated Apple was working on a CPU for the next iPhones and iPads, although it is unclear at this point which one will get the new A5. Several pundits also speculated Apple will adopt dual-core processors and implement RAM up to 1GB in the iPhone 5, which will likely come with a universal GSM / CDMA antenna as well.

iPhone 5 To Feature 4-inch Screen?

With rumors about a smaller iPhone floating around since last week, the latest report from Digitimes surely is interesting. According to the publication, Apple might expand the next generation iPhone’s screen to 4 inches, mainly to compete with various Android handsets that come with displays larger than the iPhone 4.

Apple reportedly will change the screen size of iPhone to 4-inch for its fifth generation iPhone to compete with the Google Android platform in the 4- to 7-inch smartphone market, according to upstream component suppliers.

The component suppliers noted that the production lines for Apple’s next generation iPhone have begun testing, and Apple is interesting in expanding the screen size to 4-inches to support the tablet PC market as the vendor only has a 9.7-inch iPad in the market.

A bigger iPhone screen would raise questions on the resolution of the device, which is currently dubbed as “Retina” thanks to its DPI on the current 3.5-inch display. Another report from last week suggested Apple might adopt Samsung’s Super LPS screen technology, which offers greater viewing angles and brightness. Engadget reported in January that the iPhone would come with a radical new design which, if the rumors are to believed, would play well with this 4-inch screen theory. Digitimes has a good track record on Apple’s production chain reports, and admittedly a slightly bigger display would be pretty cool in our opinion.

In the past months, other rumors pointed to Apple building an iPhone with NFC capabilities for easy mobile payments (although iOS-to-iOS communication would be interesting, too), dual-core processor and LTE for a summer launch “at the earliest”. Earlier today, a new report suggested Apple has been considering three different iPhone 5 models with one of them featuring a slide-out physical keyboard – again, to possibly compete with Android devices. Last, the iPhone 5 is rumored to be a worldphone with integrated GSM / CDMA antennas.

Real Page Numbers Come to iOS Kindle App

The official Kindle app for iOS (universal, free) was updated a few minutes ago to introduce a new feature recently launched on the physical Kindles: real page numbers. Page numbers (currently available for thousands of Kindle books, more coming soon) allow you for instance to make proper citations that other people using Kindle can follow along. It’s a very welcome addition to the app.

The 2.6 update also brings Google and Wikipedia lookup without leaving the app, reading percentage for iPhone and reading progress on the iPhone and iPad Kindle homescreen through the list view.

Kindle 2.6 is available as a free update here. The app was last updated in January to add features like multitasking and iTunes file sharing support.