Apple Uses Tips App to Promote iOS 11 Features→

We’re less than a week out from Apple’s big September 12 event, when the release date for iOS 11 is expected to be revealed. As part of the lead-up to that release, Apple is now using its Tips app to promote upcoming iOS 11 features to iOS 10 users. Mitchel Broussard reports for MacRumors:

Apple has begun sharing tips to users on iPhone and iPad concerning the newest features of iOS 11…Users on Twitter and Reddit pointed out the new iOS 11 Tips section starting last night, noticing a few push notifications that encouraged them to read up on tips for Control Center, Siri Translate, the new iPad Dock, and more.

This news makes sense considering the how-to video series Apple surprisingly launched last month to explain iOS 11 features like the Files app and the iPad’s new dock. While those videos focused on iPad features, the items seen in the Tips app so far have been iPhone related as well. Clearly, Apple wants to get people excited about upgrading to iOS 11 while simultaneously helping prepare users for the changes that update will bring.

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Soulver Updated with Split View Support and File Management Features

The iOS version of the calculator-replacement app, Soulver, received a big update today. The app, which combines elements of a text editor with a calculator, lets you work out problems the way you would describe them in writing. The latest version of Soulver, released earlier today, adds some key features for iPad users, greater cloud storage flexibility, and a host of other improvements.

For iPad users, Soulver has added support for Split View and Slide Over. Soulver is the perfect app to put in Split View as you reference other apps to collect numbers. I expect to get a lot of use out of this feature alone.

You no longer need to pick between storing your Soulver documents in iCloud or Dropbox. The app can now access documents in both cloud services and move items between them. If you enable support for both services, you can set one as the default in the app’s settings. You can also migrate documents from one service to the other from settings.

Soulver now supports importing from any file provider on your iOS device by long-pressing the plus button in the navigation bar and can recover deleted files from the trash by tapping the folder icon. Shake to undo, which is a nice trick, but not very discoverable, has also been abandoned in favor of a dedicated button in the navigation bar.

Flexibility is necessary for utilities like Soulver to remain relevant. With Split View support and more file management options, Soulver has laid a foundation for iOS 11 and beyond.

Soulver is available on the App Store.

Moleskine Launches Paper Planner That Syncs Appointments to Cloud Calendars→

Image Source: TechCrunch

Image Source: TechCrunch

Today Moleskine unveiled its latest work in the area of integrating physical and digital methods of note taking: the Smart Planner. Matt Burns, writing for TechCrunch:

Like other Livescribe systems, the Smart Planner as it’s called uses paper embedded with sensors that can read and sync anything written by the Moleskine Pen+. Meetings and appointments written on the planner part of the paper are synced automatically to the user’s Google or Apple account and placed appropriately on their calendar.

Both the pen and the paper are required for this system to work.

The system will be available worldwide on September 12…The set will cost $199 or $29 for just the planner.

Moleskine’s reputation in the area of physical notebooks is top-notch, and its work in the digital space with apps like Timepage is excellent as well. It should come as no surprise, then, that a company with expertise in both physical and digital realms would put that skill to use creating a system that seamlessly blends both worlds.

I prefer to avoid handwriting anything if I can help it, but for the huge market of people who love their handwritten notes – in this case, handwritten calendar appointments – but also want the benefits of keeping that data in the cloud, Moleskine is building an exciting system here.

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HomeKitty: A Crowdsourced HomeKit Database Written in Swift

Recent days have seen an increasing number of HomeKit accessories released, making it more difficult to keep up with all the products currently on the market. Enter HomeKitty.

HomeKitty is a new site created single-handedly by developer Patrick Balestra as a hub for all things HomeKit. It was written entirely in Swift, and contains basic information about every currently available HomeKit accessory. Thanks to the site’s categorical listings, you simply select a category of device – such as lights, outlets, or thermostats – to view all available products of that type.

Alongside a product’s image, HomeKitty displays its name, price, maker, and a link to either the product’s official manufacturer site or its listing in the Apple Store – that’s it. Rather than include detailed listings and ratings/reviews for HomeKit products, HomeKitty keeps things clutter-free and serves as a sleek, easy-to-navigate database that can help point prospective shoppers in the right direction.

HomeKitty was designed to serve as a crowdsourced site, so anyone can submit a product for inclusion in its database. Once approved, the product will be displayed alongside existing entries; currently over 80 products are listed. For now, every listing is restricted to products currently available for purchase, but in the future Balestra plans to add announced-but-unreleased products as well.

The Apple Music Festival Comes to an End→

Apple confirmed to Music Business Worldwide that the Apple Music Festival is coming to an end. The event, which was originally called the iTunes Music Festival, debuted in 2007. Over the course of 10 years the festival showcased some of the biggest names in music, as well as up-and-coming acts:

Artists who played the event over its decade-long run included Adele, Oasis, Mumford & Sons, Paul Simon, Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, Lady Gaga, Arctic Monkeys, Kendrick Lamar, Pharrell Williams (pictured), The Weeknd, One Direction and Beck.

The 2016 line-up included Elton John, The 1975, Chance The Rapper and Alicia Keys.

Music Business Worldwide says it expects Apple will concentrate on one-off concerts in the future and that ending the Apple Music Festival does not signal the end of the company’s involvement in live music events. I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Apple-sponsored live shows either, but I will miss the Apple Music Festival, especially streaming it to my Apple TV.

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Pixelmator Pro Announced

Just before WWDC, the Pixelmator team teased a Mac app they’ve been working on for five years. The big reveal came today with an announcement that Pixelmator Pro will be joining the Pixelmator family of image editing apps this fall. Reimagined and rebuilt from the ground up, Pixelmator Pro promises a whole new level of power and ease-of-use.

According to the announcement:

“Pixelmator Pro provides every tool you could ever need to create, edit, and enhance your images on a Mac in an incredibly intuitive and accessible interface”, said Saulius Dailide, one of the founders of the Pixelmator Team. “And with its GPU-powered, machine learning-enhanced tools, it’s truly one of the most advanced and innovative image editing apps on the planet.”

I haven’t tried Pixelmator Pro yet, but judging from the announcement, I expect we’re in for a treat. The most noticeable thing about the new app is its striking UI. Gone are the floating toolbars, replaced by left and right-hand side panels that fade into the background, so the image you’re working on dominates your workspace. I like the one window approach a lot, if for no other reason than I know exactly where my tools are at all times. The combination of a minimalistic toolbar, sparse chrome around the panels, use of transparency, dark interface, and ability to hide UI elements give Pixelmator Pro an expansive feel that emphasizes the image in your workspace instead of the tools.

https://vimeo.com/231354647

The changes announced go much deeper than just a redesign, though. The Pixelmator team has taken the opportunity to incorporate the latest Apple technologies and harness Machine Learning. Pixelmator Pro’s editor takes advantage of a Mac’s GPU using Metal 2, the graphics framework announced at WWDC that will debut with macOS X High Sierra. CoreML, also announced at WWDC, will drive much of Pixelmator Pro’s editing engine according to the announcement. There’s also support for the new HEIF image file format.

Also, editing in Pixelmator Pro will be non-destructive:

Pixelmator Pro’s color adjustments, effects, styles, and layouting tools are completely nondestructive, giving users the freedom and flexibility to go back and modify or delete individual changes at any point in the editing workflow. Thanks to the new presets feature, you can create endless combinations of multiple adjustments, effects, or styles, save them to your favorites and reuse them in any of your images. Drag-and-drop sharing also makes it a breeze to share presets with others.

I expect the ability to share combinations of effects, styles, and adjustments will be especially popular.

Pixelmator Pro will be available exclusively from the Mac App Store this fall alongside the current Pixelmator app.

Third-Party YouTube App ProTube Pulled from the App Store→

ProTube, a YouTube power-user app that I reviewed last year, has long had features that the official YouTube doesn’t have or was slow to implement. Features like background audio playback, support for 4K video at 60fps, Split View support, Picture in Picture, and a URL scheme for automation, put Google’s YouTube app to shame. However, as the YouTube app began to implement some of ProTube’s unique features as part of its $10/month YouTube Red service, I wondered what might become of ProTube. Unfortunately, it looks like the answer came late last week when Apple pulled ProTube from the App Store.

According to developer Jonas Gessner,

YouTube first requested Apple to remove my app well over a year ago, initially just stating that my app violates their Terms of Service. This was a generic takedown request they sent to many YouTube apps at once. They later started going into more detail, even stating that I could not sell the app as that alone violates their ToS. They basically wanted me to remove every feature that made ProTube what it is – that includes the player itself that allows you to play 60fps videos, background playback, audio only mode and more.

The app, which was pulled from the App Store on September 1st is no longer available for sale and will no longer receive updates, but remains available to re-download if you previously purchased it.

It’s a shame to see ProTube go. It implemented features Google didn’t care, or want, to add but that a subset of YouTube users wanted as demonstrated by the top charts numbers in Gessner’s post. However, ProTube also implemented features that YouTube wanted to reserve for paid subscribers and the result, while disappointing, is one of the risks of building an app on top of someone else’s service.

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Apple Introduces Wireless, Noise-Cancelling Beats Studio3 Headphones

Today Apple introduced the latest addition to its Beats lineup of premium headphones: the Beats Studio3 Wireless Headphones.

The Studio3 headphones differ from the existing Solo3 option in two primary ways. First, they sit over your ears rather than on them – an important distinction for prospective buyers. Second, related to the over-ear design, they include Pure Adaptive Noise Cancelling (Pure ANC), which works to shut out external noise while also optimizing audio for the precise fit of the wearer and calibrating music to top-quality.

These wireless headphones join the existing lineup of Beats options that adopted Apple’s W1 chip late last year. Also seen in Apple’s AirPods, the W1 chip provides improved connectivity and power efficiency. With Studio3, the W1 chip enables battery life of up to 22 hours with Pure ANC enabled, and up to 40 hours without it. The Studio3 headphones also charge quickly, with up to 3 hours of playtime after a 10-minute charge.

The last noteworthy design note is that on-ear controls allow you to control playback directly from the Solo3 hardware, enabling audio control and even Siri activation.

You can order the Studio3 headphones today in a variety of colors for $349.95, but they won’t ship until mid-October.

Stay Connected to Your Files With Remotely [Sponsor]

Remotely is an iOS app that lets you leave your Mac at home with the peace of mind that you can get at the files on it anytime with just a few taps. Everything about Remotely is fast. Setup couldn’t be easier. Just run a helper app on your Mac, connect using Remotely and you’re ready to go with a direct, encrypted peer-to-peer connection and no confusing network setup.

Remotely’s speed doesn’t stop after you’ve got it up and running. Its unique user interface gives you a portal into your Mac’s file system without having to mirror your Mac’s Desktop like other apps do. The result is a simple, native file browser that’s lightning fast.

As soon as Remotely is connected to your Mac you can start browsing your files or use the app’s search functionality to find exactly what you want. You don’t even have to be on the same network. Remotely is free to use for browsing your Mac’s Documents folder. Preview tons of different file types from within Remotely, and when you find the file you want, you can download it to work on it on iOS and share it using the system share sheet. To explore beyond your Documents folder, you can subscribe to Remotely for $2.99/month or $30/year.

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Our thanks to Remotely for sponsoring MacStories this week.