WWDC 2015 Starts June 8, New Versions of iOS & OS X Expected

Apple has announced their annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) will take place June 8 through June 12 in San Francisco, California. Though WWDC is a developer centric conference, Apple typically unveils new versions of iOS and OS X on the first day of the event, making it notable for regular Apple product users as well. The assumption is that a successor to OS X Yosemite versioned as 10.11 will be unveiled alongside iOS 9. Occasionally, Apple also unveils new products at WWDC as well, and there is ongoing speculation that a new Apple TV with an App Store could arrive during the event.

Tickets to attend WWDC 2015 are $1599 and require applying to be randomly selected to purchase and attend the event. Scholarships are also available.

WWDC 2015 Starts June 8, New Versions of iOS & OS X Expected

Those interested in learning about about WWDC can find added details on the official Apple website

The official press release from Apple promoting the event is found below:

“CUPERTINO, California—April 14, 2015—Apple® today announced that it will hold its 26th annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) June 8 through June 12 at San Francisco’s Moscone West, with more sessions than ever before streamed to developers. At WWDC, Apple’s renowned developer community will come together to learn about the future of iOS and OS X®, helping them continue to create the most innovative apps in the world. WWDC will feature more than 100 technical sessions, over 1,000 Apple engineers, hands-on labs to help developers integrate new technologies and fine tune their apps, as well as the Apple Design Awards which showcase the best new apps in the last year.

“The App Store ignited an app ecosystem that is simply amazing, forever changing the lives of customers and creating millions of jobs worldwide,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “We’ve got incredible new technologies for iOS and OS X to share with developers at WWDC and around the world, and can’t wait to see the next generation of apps they create.”

Developers can apply for tickets via the WWDC website (developer.apple.com/wwdc/tickets) now through Friday, April 17 at 10 a.m. PDT. Tickets will be issued to attendees through a random selection process, and developers will know the status of their application by Monday, April 20 at 5 p.m. PDT. There will also be up to 350 WWDC Scholarships available, giving students and members of participating STEM organizations around the world the chance to earn a free ticket (developer.apple.com/wwdc/scholarships).
WWDC 2015 activities include:
• more than 100 technical sessions presented by Apple engineers on a wide range of topics for developing, deploying and integrating the latest iOS and OS X technologies;
• over 1,000 Apple engineers supporting more than 100 hands-on labs and events to provide developers with code-level assistance, insight into optimal development techniques and guidance on how they can make the most of iOS and OS X technologies in their apps;
• access to the latest innovations, features and capabilities of iOS and OS X, and best practices for enhancing an app’s functionality, performance, quality and design;
• the opportunity to connect with thousands of fellow iOS and OS X developers from around the world—last year more than 60 countries were represented;
• a series of get togethers for attendees focused on particular topics with special guest speakers and activities;
• engaging and inspirational lunchtime sessions with leading minds and influencers from the worlds of technology, science and entertainment; and
• Apple Design Awards which recognize iPhone®, iPad®, Apple Watch™ and Mac® apps that demonstrate technical excellence, innovation and outstanding design.
Select Worldwide Developers Conference sessions will be live streamed throughout the week via the WWDC website (developer.apple.com/wwdc/videos) and the WWDC app, giving more developers around the world access to the latest information in real time. Videos from all technical sessions will also be available by the end of each day.
Visit the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference 2015 website (developer.apple.com/wwdc) to apply for a ticket, as well as for updates and more information.
Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.”

OS X Yosemite GM 3.0 Released to Developers

Apple has released OS X Yosemite Golden Master 3.0 to Mac users registered in the Mac Developer program. At the moment, there is no accompanying update to the Pubic Beta version. The latest build is versioned as 14A388, and considering the timing and expectation of a public release next week, is possibly the final version.

OS X Yosemite GM 3.0 Released to Developers

The third GM build can be downloaded as a small delta update, ranging from 40MB to 100MB, right now from the Mac App Store. If the update doesn’t appear, refresh the Updates tab by hitting Command+R to make it show up. Developers can also choose to download the Yosemite installer from the Mac Developer Center website through the redemption code process if they haven’t done so yet.

Yosemite GM 3.0 presumably focuses primarily on bug fixes, though the release notes accompanying the update in the App Store are short as usual with the beta releases, simply saying “This update is recommended for all users.”

The rapid release of GM 3.0 is interesting to note, as the prior version of OS X Yosemite, versioned as Golden Master 2.0, was pushed out to developers just a couple of days ago. That release was accompanied by Public Beta 5 for Mac users participating in the OS X Yosemite Beta effort.

iOS 7.0.2 Update Available with Bug Fixes

Apple has released iOS 7.0.2 for compatible iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch keyboards, a minor update that apps that is primarily a security release. The update resolves a series of bugs that could have potentially allowed someone to bypass the lock screen passcode on iOS 7 devices, and it also reincludes Greek keyboard support for passcode entry.

iOS 7.0.2 Update Available with Bug Fixes

The update is recommended for all iOS 7 users to install because of the security bug fix. The brief release notes contained within the OTA update are as follows:

• Fixes bugs that could allow someone to bypass the Lock Screen passcode
• Reintroduces a Greek keyboard option for passcode entry

The build number for iOS 7.0.2 is 11A501. It is unlikely such a minor release addresses any of the perceived performance or battery life issues that some iOS 7 users have experienced, but we’ll let you know if we notice any meaningful improvements in either department.

Download iOS 7.0.2 with OTA

iOS 7.0.2 is a very small download and is quickly obtained through OTA. You will need to be on a wi-fi network to be able to use Over The Air updates:

• Open “Settings” and go to “Software Update”, choose “Download and Install”

Once installed, the device will reboot and be running the latest version.

Users can also install the update through iTunes, either letting iTunes update a compatible device automatically upon connection, or by using the firmware files listed below. Note that using IPSW is typically considered more advanced and not the best solution for most users.

iOS 7.0.2 IPSW Direct Download Links

These IPSW files are hosted on Apple’s servers and are intended for manual installation through iTunes.

1. iPhone 5 (CDMA)
2. iPhone 5 (GSM)
3. iPhone 5c (CDMA)
4. iPhone 5c (GSM)
5. iPhone 5s (CDMA)
6. iPhone 5s (GSM)
7. iPhone 4s
8. iPhone 4 (GSM Rev A 3,2)
9. iPhone 4 (GSM)
10. iPhone 4 (CDMA)
11. iPod touch (5th gen)
12. iPad 4 (CDMA)
13. iPad 4 (GSM)
14. iPad 4 (Wi-Fi)
15. iPad mini (CDMA)
16. iPad mini (GSM)
17. iPad mini (Wi-Fi)
18. iPad 3 Wi-Fi
19. iPad 3 (GSM)
20. iPad 3 (CDMA
21. iPad 2 Wi-Fi (2,4)
22. iPad 2 Wi-Fi (2,1)
23. iPad 2 3G (GSM)
24. iPad 2 3G (CDMA)

You may want to right-click and choose “Save As” when attempting to download the direct firmware files, note they should always save with a “.ipsw” file extension.

Online polls find many prefer iOS 7 icons over iOS 6

After Apple unveiled the new look of its iOS 7 mobile operating system earlier this month, many in the design world criticized the platform. But a series of online polls this week show many users like the icons featured in the upcoming operating system more than those in iOS 6.

A series of polls on Polar show many users prefer most of the icons found on Apple’s upcoming iOS 7. (Polar / June 25, 2013)

The polling service Polar is hosting a series of polls comparing icons on iOS 6 with their iOS 7 counterparts. In most of the polls, users are choosing the new operating system, and when votes from all of the polls are added up together, more go for iOS 7.

Out of the 289,000 votes cast so far, 66% favor iOS 7 icons, according to Polar. In total, 26 icons are compared, and iOS 7 icons win in 20 of the polls.

PHOTOS: The hidden gems of iOS 7

In the case of the iTunes, Weather, Compass, Phone apps and a few others, iOS 7 wins in a landslide.

“What this might tell us is that the new icons are an improvement on the old,” said Luke Wroblewski, chief executive of Polar’s parent company, Input Factory Inc. “But that’s only when you are comparing icon to icon, not when you are looking at [or using] the complete operating system.”

The testing is only, at this point, on individual icons.

Apple doesn’t plan to release iOS 7 to the public until this fall. For now, only developers have access to a beta version of the new operating system, so Apple still has time to make changes.

Given the voting in the poll, Apple should probably look at changing the icons of the Game Center, Safari and Camera apps, all of which had more votes for their iOS 6 versions than iOS 7.

iOS 7 Release Date Scheduled for September?

Apple is intending to release it’s next-generation iOS 7 mobile operating system in September, with an initial preview release shown to developers this June at WWDC 2013, according to a series of new reports from Bloomberg and AllThingsDigital.

This release schedule is despite some internal delays, according to AllThingsD:

While the company still expects to release iOS 7 on time as soon as September, internal deadlines for submitting features for testing are being set later than past releases, people said.

The deadline shifts are said to be a result of redesigning significant interface elements of iOS. Both reports suggest that iOS 7 is a major overhaul that will focus on a more flat design, much of which is directed at removing interface elements that have come to be known as ‘skeumorphic’ by design, that is, onscreen interface elements that are intended to look like realistic images. Prominent examples of skeumorphism are the green felt tables of Game Center, wooden bookshelf design of Newsstand and iBooks, and the ruled writing paper like styling of the Notes app. The intention is to design that “favors simplicity over flash” according to AllThingsDigital. A side effect of this major iOS overhaul is that Apple is apparently pulling engineers off of the OS X team to work on iOS 7. Apple has done this in the past, which led to delayed releases of prior Mac OS X versions, and this may indicate that OS X 10.9 could be released later than originally expected as well.

ios 7 logo

There has been open speculation that the WWDC 2013 logo offers some indication of the new ‘flat’ interface. AllThingsD seems to go further with that theory by drafting the mock-up iOS 7 logo seen at the top of this post, which appears based based upon the WWDC hints. Otherwise, not much is known about the interface changes, though the well-connected folks at 9to5mac reported earlier in the week that iOS 7′s interface will be “very, very flat”, citing their own sources that offered comparisons to the Microsoft Windows Metro interface that appears in Windows 8 and Windows Phone OS.

Though many people have speculated that iOS 7 would be out sometime in the summer of 2013, these are the first set of release date rumors reported by traditionally reliable sources. It’s important to note that both Bloomberg and AllThingsDigital phrase the expected schedule the same, stating the public release of iOS 7 could be “as soon as September”, indicating there is a chance the release schedule could slip further out into the Fall. Nonetheless, a public unveiling at WWDC should offer a clear look at the interface changes that we can all expect to see later on our iPhones, iPads, and iPods.

WWDC is scheduled from June 10-14.

Apple Worldwide Developers Conference june 10-14, San Francisco

Apple Worldwide Developers Conference june 10-14, San Francisco

Get an in-depth look at what’s next in iOS and OS X, and learn how to take your
apps to the next level. With over 100 sessions, extensive hands–on labs, and
engaging events, you’ll connect with Apple engineers and fellow developers
for an incredible week of inspiration.

 

Apple Sells Three Million iPads in Three Days

November 5, 2012 Apple Report

Apple today announced it has sold three million iPads in just three days since the launch of its new iPad mini and fourth-generation iPad — double the previous first weekend milestone of 1.5 million Wi-Fi-only third-generation iPad models. The Wi-Fi + Cellular versions of both iPad mini and fourth-generation iPad will ship in a few weeks in the U.S. and in many more countries later this year. Read more: apple.com/ipad