This Week's Sponsor:

Collections Database

A Powerful Database with iCloud Sync

Apple Starts Decorating Moscone West with WWDC 2014 Banners

Apple's WWDC 2014 banner at Moscone West. Click image for full-size.

Apple’s WWDC 2014 banner at Moscone West. Click image for full-size.

WWDC 2014 is kicking off on Monday, June 2, and Apple has started decorating Moscone West today with promotional banners for the event.

Every year, Apple decorates the convention center in San Francisco with two different sets of banners: the ones carrying the event’s graphics already available on the WWDC website, and others showing the names and logos of new versions of iOS and OS X for the first time. This year, Apple is expected to unveil iOS 8 (the successor to last year’s major redesign of iOS) and OS X 10.10, the latter rumored to introduce a dramatic redesign of the Aqua interface.

Today, we’ve received the first set of photos, showing WWDC 2014 banners going up inside Moscone West with the “Write the code. Change the world” tagline. With preparations now well underway, Apple will continue to decorate Moscone West with new banners in the next few days, possibly showing official logos for iOS 8 and OS X 10.10 later this week.

We will update this post with more photos throughout the week; you can follow @MacStoriesNet on Twitter or our WWDC 2014 hub for updates.

Our thanks goes to Alex Novosad (creator of Choosy) for providing the photos and helping us with coverage from San Francisco.

Read more

Apple To Live Stream WWDC 2014 Keynote on June 2

As first noted by 9to5mac, Apple has confirmed they will live stream the WWDC 2014 keynote on June 2. Speakers haven’t been revealed yet, but, considering the company’s history over the past few years, CEO Tim Cook will likely kick off the keynote, with SVPs Federighi, Schiller, and Cue assigned to announcing new versions of iOS, OS X, improvements to iCloud and iTunes, or new hardware. According to the company’s website, “exciting announcements” will be revealed during the special event, which will start at 10 AM PDT.

Read more

Vesper 2.0 with Sync→

Vesper, Q Branch’s note-taking app for iPhone that I reviewed last year, added sync support with version 2.0, available today on the App Store. Q Branch is calling the (optional) service “Vesper Sync”, but right now it’s primarily intended to serve as a backup for your notes because Vesper is still iPhone-only (of course, there are also people who use two iPhones).

I’ve been following the development of Vesper Sync through the excellent Vesper Sync Diary series on Brent Simmons’ blog. It sounded like Q Branch wanted to ship fast, reliable, and invisible sync with the app and that’s exactly what they did. I like how Vesper Sync updates in (almost) real-time and how it doesn’t feel like something that you have to manage inside the app – you only see a network spinner for a second in the status bar and then sync disappears in the background. It’s a pretty sweet and elegant implementation, and it bodes well for Vesper’s likely future availability on more platforms.

Vesper 2.0 is available on the App Store as a free update.

Permalink

Reeder 2.2→

Reeder 2.2 for iOS, out today on the App Store, fixes one of the major annoyances that I mentioned in my original review: lack of background app refresh on iOS 7. I find having content from feed readers or podcast clients ready when you launch an app is a great experience, and now Reeder can download articles in the background on a per-account basis (smart choice).

In the update, Silvio Rizzi also switched to new authentication methods for Pocket and Pinboard (nice), updated Messages sharing (much better now), and increased gesture support for navigation inside the app.

Reeder 2.2 is available on the App Store.

Permalink

The State of the Apple Developer Ecosystem→

There’s no denying that WWDC 2013 was one of the most exciting in recent years - however, for all the new technologies Apple announced the thing that struck me most - the thing that excited me most as someone building things for the Apple ecosystem - was a single phrase in many of the sessions: “Also available on the Mac”.

A thoughtful article by Nik Fletcher, who takes a look at the state of developer technologies for iOS and OS X. Better developer tools typically equal less time spent working around OS limitations or outdated web interfaces, resulting in leaner development workflows, more apps, and faster updates – which is what everybody wants. Nik offers some great suggestions.

Permalink

Igloo Introduces Social Task Management→

Igloo, the intranet you’ll actually like, is about to get better.

Igloo’s next release, Unicorn, is coming this summer. With it comes social task management, a brand new feature fully integrated throughout the Igloo platform, providing the perfect balance between project management and getting your day-to-day work done.

You can manage projects with task lists, optimized for large groups of people; assign tasks from any piece of content, like requesting changes be made on a document; and you can create personal tasks that are assigned to you or another person. And you can see all your tasks in one unified view.

Learn more at Igloo’s Unicorn landing page. Or come see Unicorn in person – Igloo is hosting an event in Toronto on June 12, with customer presentations by Hulu and Nextel International. Register today as seating is limited.

Our thanks to Igloo for sponsoring MacStories this week.

Permalink

Apple Debuts Two New ‘Your Verse’ iPad Adverts

Apple last night posted two new iPad adverts as part of their ongoing ‘Your Verse’ series. The two adverts feature travel writer Chérie King and composer/conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen. Like Apple’s previous ‘Your Verse’ adverts, they tell a story about how people use the iPad in different ways.

My iPad lets me share my journey with the world. Other deaf people tell me they’re traveling more now because they see it’s possible. (Chérie King)

In the advert with Esa-Pekka Salonen, Apple features the apps The Orchestra, Pianist Pro and Notion. Apple has also made available a live performance from Salonen free on iTunes (if you are in the US).

Meanwhile, WordPress, BabelDeck, AroundMe and Fotopedia are just some of the iPad apps featured in the advert with Chérie King.

iPad is the best tool I’ve seen to write down the first impulse. Those moments when your mind is open, free. And then you think, what if? (Esa-Pekka Salonen)

You can view the full adverts below or on Apple’s website, where you can also read the full ‘Your Verse’ stories from Chérie King and Esa-Pekka Salonen.

Read more

Osmo - A Gaming Experience for iPad That Merges the Real and Virtual World

iPad gaming is big business and sometimes it’s difficult to find your niche if you’re a developer because the app community is gigantic. In my opinion, there aren’t enough interactive and educational learning games for kids; I get tired of seeing my kids play Plants vs. Zombies and Jetpack Joyride all the time.

The Osmo is blending the virtual world of the iPad with the real world to defy the boundaries of play. The Osmo is a device that snaps over your iPad’s front-facing camera and, using its reflective AI and built-in mirror, recognizes and responds to real-world activity. It also includes a dock to hold your iPad upright and off the playing surface. It’s kid-tough and doesn’t require batteries, electronics, or an Internet connection to play.

Read more