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#MacStoriesDeals - Monday
How to Know When Apple Finally Gets iCloud Right→
Gus Mueller:
But how are we going to know Apple has finally fixed iCloud syncing for developers and is really serious this time? And I’m not just talking about Core Data syncing, I’m also talking about the APIs developers are given to push document data back and forth. The broken stuff, the things developers laugh at Apple about and have given up on.
Here’s my short and inconclusive list of things that will let us know iCloud might be ready for real world developer use.
Gus has been trying to work with iCloud for VoodooPad since 2011. Some of the features he proposes have been requested by developers for over a year now.
I don’t think that “the Dropbox way” is a panacea for Apple’s syncing woes with third-party apps, but I do believe developers should get new tools, improvements, and fixes for iCloud.
CriticMarkup in Marked 1.4→
Brett Terpstra:
The initial release of CriticMarkup included a preprocessor for Marked 1.5+, but given the uncertain release date of the next incarnation of Marked, I wanted to make it work with the standard custom processor feature of Marked 1.4. A few adjustments to the existing script and one dependency later it’s good to go.
I use CriticMarkup whenever I need to track changes in a MultiMarkdown document. I launch Marked (from Sublime Text 2) on a daily basis to preview my articles and generate HTML, so it’s good to know the two systems can work together now.
Learning to Love Evernote→
A collection of 10 DRM-free Evernote screencasts by my friend Bradley Chambers. I watched the videos, and I think Bradley did a good job in providing a general overview of Evernote, as well as offering some useful tips on how to use it on OS X and iOS.
An iBooks version for iPad is also available.
iTunes 11.0.3 Supports AirPlay Speaker Control Via AppleScript
Also new in iTunes 11.0.3 is an update to the app’s AppleScript dictionary that adds support for controlling AirPlay speakers. The AppleScript additions contain several options: you can check on an AirPlay device’s name, activity, availability on the network, kind (computer, Apple TV, other AirPlay device, etc), network address, and even if it supports audio or video.
This is a particularly welcome addition as it has been requested by users willing to script iTunes’ speakers for years now. Previously, the best option was to rely on GUI scripting to enable/disable speakers; as I wrote in December, it’s good to see Apple is still actively supporting AppleScript on OS X.
Doug Adams has already put together a basic AirPlay script for iTunes 11.0.3.
iTunes 11.0.3 Brings New App Updates Screen
In the 11.0.3 update for iTunes released today, Apple included a new “Updates” area for iOS apps. As noted by MacStories reader Graham Robson, the Apps area of iTunes now comes with a new “Updates” tab that lists available app updates (if any); if there are no updates, the screen will say “All Apps Are Up to Date”. As with previous versions of iTunes, you can press Command+R to check for updates both in the main Apps area, as well as the new Updates tab.
When updates are available, iTunes 11.0.3 will display a red “Update” ribbon on an application’s icon, similarly to how iOS displays a blue ribbon for “New” apps on the Home screen. In iTunes 11.0.3, updates are handled by the Updates area without requiring users to open the iTunes Store anymore.
After the launch of iTunes 11 in November 2012, the Updates screen remained surprisingly unchanged. The new app updates system is a welcome change – particularly because it doesn’t force users into an iTunes Store view anymore.
Update: Two more screenshots showing a contextual menu for apps that have an update, and the way iTunes 11.0.3 shows the changelog for an update with the same style of music albums.
Apple Releases iTunes 11.0.3 with Updated MiniPlayer, Various Improvements
Released in late November 2012, Apple today updated iTunes to version 11.0.3. The new version, available through the Mac App Store’s Software Update panel, brings a redesigned MiniPlayer, an improved songs view, support for multi-disc albums, and performance improvements.
The biggest change of iTunes 11.0.3 is the new MiniPlayer. Sporting a progress bar, the MiniPlayer now also comes with a larger artwork view that can be activated by clicking on the artwork thumbnail in the bottom left corner. The new artwork view will turn the MiniPlayer into a widget reminiscent of desktop music controllers like Bowtie and CoverSutra, with the usual controls to adjust volume, hide/view Up Next, and access an additional contextual menu. In the image above, you can see a composited screenshot of the new MiniPlayer views.
iTunes 11.0.3 is available now on Software Update and through Apple’s website.
Pebble Adds Two-Way Communication API for Watchapps to PebbleKit→
For both Android and iOS, Pebble developers can now add two-way communication to their applications for their watchapps through Pebble’s SDK, PebbleKit. The AppMessage API enables Pebble watches to send and receive data from smartphone apps for remotely controlling internet connected devices, receiving scores from your favorite sports teams, and checking in with apps like Foursquare or Facebook. iOS developers utilizing two-way communication, however, will need to have their apps whitelisted through Pebble as a part of the Made For iPhone program. In the future, Pebble plans on making that part of the process easier for iOS devs.
You can find all the details about Pebble’s developer updates, latest firmware, and new watch colors on Kickstarter.
Pixelmator 2.2 Tops 500,000 Downloads In First Week→
Impressive results from the Pixelmator team:
Pixelmator 2.2 downloads have surpassed the previous record downloads and topped half a million making it the most successful release in our history,” said Saulius Dailide of the Pixelmator Team. “Also, the customer response to Pixelmator 2.2 is absolutely incredible. We’ve been overwhelmed by the 5-star reviews on the Mac App Store and the fantastic support we receive from our customers.
Pixelmator 2.2 came out last Thursday with over 100 new features. 500,000 unique Mac App Store downloads (trials are not included) beat the previous record of 250,000 downloads in two weeks.
Pixelmator isn’t new to Mac App Store records. In January 2011, three weeks after the Mac App Store launched, the Pixelmator team announced their app had grossed $1 million in 20 days.