Apple is focusing its attention on integrating the iPhone with automobiles, according to a recent blog post on 9To5Mac. The article said we might see something yet this year.
It makes sense. iPhones are incredibly powerful and intelligent devices, so why not develop a system where iPhone content is displayed on say, a car mirror, or perhaps receives a video-out signal? 9To5Mac says Apple is working on a system whereby Apple Maps would appear on the car's display (instead of the sort of proprietary GPS systems currently found in cars).
When you think of it, it's amazing all the things that have to come together in order to get a new phone and a new version of the software out the door — with millions of people waiting with baited breath all the while and investors chastising Apple for not coming out with new stuff.
While we all pay close attention to rumors regarding the next iPhone and iPad, perhaps of even greater interest for most iDevice users is news of the forthcoming iOS 7 interface. Apple will introduce the new version of the software in June at its Worldwide Developer Conference, and will likely be available for download soon after that.
A leaked Japanese document posted on the French website Nowhereelse.fr indicates pre-orders for the forthcoming iPhone 5S will begin June 20 and will be available by July. The document appears to be the sort of "cheat sheet" cellular store employees receive when a new Apple product launches.
Google's "predictive search" technology enables your device to intuit what you need and search for it without your even having to ask. That technology debuted last year on Android devices, and as of today, it's available on the iPhone and iPad in the free Google Search app. Google's biggest competitor to Siri, Google Now senses what you need and automatically gives it to you on a "card" that pops up from the bottom of the screen. For example, if you're heading to work, it will automatically pop up a card with a traffic update. Or if you're planning to take a flight, it will automatically pop up a card if there are changes to your flight. Google's tagline for the app is, "Right info at the right time."
Every iPhone and iPad user occasionally has questions about using his or her device. Often a quick Google search will answer the question. But if not, then consider getting help online. I'm always impressed by the online communities of people who are sincerely eager to help you with any question or problem you might have. In Apple's support forums, questions are often answered within minutes. In this post I want to encourage you to get help whenever you have the slightest question and to direct you to some of the most helpful communities. You'll get so much more out of your device if you get in the habit of asking questions.
Yesterday's quarterly earnings report from Apple was mixed. And, oddly, how one views the news depends a lot on one's biases. The naysayers point to the fact that Apple's earnings per share declined compared to last year's March quarter — the first time in 10 years Apple has seen a decline. Apple boosters, on the other hand, saw a lot to like, including record year-over-year iPhone and iPad sales, and record revenue from the iTunes Store. Apple is clearly still growing and expanding its markets and services. And Tim Cook was resolute. Bully for him.
According to a news story on CNET, a new family plan bundle from Cricket gives you service for two iPhones for just $80 per month. Plus, it's also just lowered the cost of its individual plan from $55 to $50 per month. Its basic plans come with unlimited calling, text messages, and 1 gigabyte of full-speed data. Cricket is a no-contract carrier, meaning that you pay the full cost of the phone up front, but then aren't locked into a contract.
New Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, who had previously been a key player at Google, sees mobile devices as central to re-energizing her moribund company. And the new version of the Yahoo app is definitely a positive sign of good things to come. Just released today, the new version lets you quickly scan your favorite news topics, while training it to find those items of greatest interest. If this sounds familiar, it may be because these features characterized the very popular Summly app, which Yahoo purchased less than a month ago. The company has now integrated the features of Summly into Yahoo.
Bitcoin has been in the news in recent weeks. The virtual currency was trading for $15 earlier this year and rocketed up to $260 earlier this month. It's now trading at about $120, up from around $50 a few days ago. Now that's volatility.
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