IOS 5

Over 100 million Apple devices now have iOS6

Apple, this morning announced that there are 100 million iPhones, iPads and iPod Touch devices that are using the latest version of its iOS – version 6, that was released last week. That is an incredible uptake, especially when compared to the previous version iOS 5.0.

Quick tip: Use Notification Centre as an app launcher

One of the jailbreak features I really wish would come to the platform legitimately is the ability to use launchers to quickly start an app without digging through multiple home screens. Luckily, you can mimic the behavior of a quick launcher with iOS 5’s Notification Centre.

Apple says it dumped Carrier IQ software in iOS 5

Apple admitted on Thursday it has used and supported in the past CarrierIQ software, but it says it hasn’t used it for tracking keystrokes or messages. The company says it stopped supporting this software “in most” of its products with iOS 5.

An oversight in iOS Newsstand: No free subscriptions

The team behind TRVL, a free iPad-exclusive digital travel magazine, was very excited about the prospect of Newsstand; after all, recent numbers show that some publishers are seeing their products reach as many as 268 percent more subscribers. But there’s a problem: Newsstand doesn’t do free.

iMessage 101: Group messaging

iMessage, the new free messaging service introduced in iOS 5, is easy to set up, but group messaging can be a bit harder to work out straight away. There are a couple of limitations to know about, but generally, group messages work really well with iMessage.

Apple brings Tech Talks back, coming to 9 cities

Apple launched a new page today that announces the Tech Talk World Tour 2011 for iOS 5. These developer-focused events haven’t been put on by Apple since 2009, before the introduction of the iPad. Apple previously held Tech Talk World Tours in 2008 and 2009.

What’s still missing from iOS 5, iCloud and OS X

While Apple delivered an overwhelming batch of updates, new features and new software in recent weeks, there are still some loose ends it could stand to tie up. Read on to discover why features like iMessage, Siri and AirPlay mirroring still feel somewhat incomplete.

What the iOS 5 update did to ISP traffic

The uptake of the iOS 5 update for Apple customers was fast and far-reaching. But what did that look like to the ISPs who provide the bandwidth for Apple customers to update? Here’s a chart that shows what Sonic.net saw.

iOS 101: Set up and restore from iCloud backup

With the arrival of iCloud backups we are free from needing to attach your iOS device to iTunes to have it backed up. Gone are the annoying delays when you just want to sync something quick, but need to suffer through “Backing up…” first.

iOS 5 has turbocharged our growth: Twitter CEO

Twitter has only just begun to see the effects of its integration with Apple’s iOS 5 operating system. But just days after iOS 5’s debut last week, Twitter’s CEO says it has already started to see a big lift from the partnership.

Apple puts family first with iOS 5 and iCloud

A common theme of questions I’m seeing about iOS 5 relates to how the update plays well with shared family devices and Apple ID accounts. People obviously love using iOS among family, and that will probably only become more the case with iOS 5 and iCloud.

iOS 5: How to add words to the auto-correct dictionary

Before iOS 5, getting auto-correct to ignore strange or unfamiliar words was difficult and tedious. Now, however, there’s an easy way to not only add terms to the auto-correct dictionary, but also to create handy shortcuts for quickly typing out commonly-used phrases.

How to create iCloud-stored iWork files on OS X

When I wrote about Documents in the Cloud, one of my chief complaints was that the only way to upload and download files on my Mac was through the iCloud web interface. Turns out there is a way, thanks to an easy backdoor trick I discovered.

iCloud 101: Apple IDs and your iOS device

Configuring your iOS device to take advantage of new iCloud services is resulting in confusion and frustration for many. At the core of this confusion is the Apple ID. Here’s a thorough explanation of your options using Apple IDs with the iTunes Store, and with iCloud.

iOS tip: Put Newsstand in a folder

Despite appearances to the contrary, the new Newsstand app in iOS 5 can in fact be stored away in a folder with some easy trickery, and without the need to jailbreak.Very useful if you don’t use it and don’t want it cluttering up your home screen.

iOS 5 and iCloud: Your questions answered

Thursday, I guest-hosted a live Q&A session at The Washington Post. The topic was upgrading to iOS 5, and also included questions about how iOS 5 and iCloud work, what features they offer, and how to transition to iCloud from other services.

iOS 5: Documents in the Cloud

Of all the iOS 5/iCloud announcements made during this summer’s WWDC, the one that excited me the most was Documents in the Cloud. Unfortunately, it’s also turned into the one that disappointed me the most at launch, thanks to a number of issues.

iOS 5: Photo Stream, warts and all

With iCloud, Apple introduced Photo Stream, a new feature that automatically syncs your photos across iOS devices, Macs and Windows computers. It makes transferring photos absolutely painless, but comes with one big caveat: Synced photos can’t be deleted from iCloud as of right now.

Benchmarking the iOS 5 update

Sure, there are plenty of new features with iOS 5, but at what cost? Sometimes, the cost for software updates comes in the form of degraded performance of day-to-day core features that you may depend upon. Let’s see if that’s the case with iOS 5.

iOS 5: The best of the rest

Amazingly there are more things to discover with the iOS 5 than we can reasonably cover here in individual posts. The following is a list of ten such features that, while relatively small, add a lot of value and warrant a closer look.

iOS 5: Newsstand

Along with many other changes, iOS 5 ushers in Newsstand, Apple’s centralized hub for dealing with subscription-based digital newspapers and magazines. Many existing iOS apps already support Newsstand, so you may already have noticed it at work.

iOS 5: Mobile Safari

With each major iOS update, one of the stock apps that keeps getting better is Apple’s Safari Mobile web browser. More features and faster browsing are regular and welcome additions. With iOS 5, the latest improvements to mobile Safari are well worth mentioning.

iOS 5: Camera and photo editing

It’s an old adage: The best camera is the one you have with you. For photo editing, the adage may soon be: The best editor is the one can you have with you. With iOS 5, the photo editing capabilities of your iPhone are greatly improved.

iOS 5: Reminders

Reminders, new in iOS 5, is a very simplistic task management app that syncs automatically between devices with iCloud. While it isn’t particularly complex or involved, it’s probably all the task management the average iPhone or iPad user needs.

iOS 5: iMessage

A big part of iOS 5 is iMessage, Apple’s new unified messaging platform for communicating between iOS 5 devices. It’s a great tool, but new users might have a hard time setting it up, since it’s tied so closely to the existing Messages app. Here’s how.

iOS 5: Notifications and Notification Center

iOS 5 is the biggest update yet to Apple’s mobile operating system. Along with over 100 other features, it brings Notification Center, an improved way to manage push notifications on your iPhone or iPad. Read on to learn how to get started using Notification Center.

iOS 5, iCloud now available to all

Apple promised that iOS 5 and iCloud would be available Oct. 12, and as of 10 a.m. PDT, both are open to the general public. You can download iOS 5 for your device by plugging it into your computer and checking for updates in iTunes.

Measured by Internet use, iPad has no competition

The iPad dominates tablet Internet traffic, according to a new comScore study. Apple’s slate accounts for 97.2 percent of all tablet data use in the U.S., meaning the iPad is still the device tablet users prefer for accessing mobile data services, despite eroding sales share.

iOS 5 arrives Oct. 12, brings many new features

Apple previewed iOS 5 in July, so it isn’t exactly a surprise announcement at today’s event. But we did nail down a firm release date for Apple’s next major mobile operating system update, and got a better look at how some of its features will work.

iCloud, OS X Lion and iOS 5: State of the betas

The leaves are changing color, there’s a chill in the air, and some stores already have Christmas merchandise on shelves. Fall is basically here. So what’s the status of iCloud and iOS 5, which should be arriving during the season, according to Apple at WWDC 2011?

Adobe publishing tools will support Newsstand in iOS 5

Adobe announced early Wednesday that it would be bringing full support for Apple’s Newsstand feature in iOS 5. Newsstand is a centralized location through which users can find new digital magazines to subscribe to, as well as browse and manage their existing collection of subscriptions.

Dorsey dangles the Apple carrot for Twitter devs

How do you make amends with a development community after taking away some of their tools and rendering at least a few of their products unusable? Try offering them the keys to a much bigger kingdom, for starters: namely, the sizeable pool of iOS device owners.

Early earthquake warning pops up in iOS 5 beta

A new feature has appeared in iOS 5 in Japan: It’s a built-in notification system tied to Japan’s sophisticated early-earthquake-detection service, which can provide between a few seconds and a couple of minutes of advance notice prior to an earthquake’s actually hitting.

Text-to-speech could be Apple’s next mobile trump card

Over the weekend, Apple released iOS 5 Beta 5 to developers, and some intrepid digging has revealed that it contains a text-to-speech system powered by speech-recognition experts Nuance. This is just the latest example of Apple raising the stakes in the feature race with Android.

Apple iCloud upgrade fees revealed

All iOS 5 and Mac OS X Lion users can get 5 GB of storage in iCloud for free, but those who need more storage can pay $20 per year for 15 GB, $40 per year for 25 GB, or $100 per year for 55 GB.

Newest iOS 5 beta adds gestures, may replace buttons

One of the latest additions in iOS 5 is gesture support that can replace various button functions and help navigate the user interface. While Assistive Touch appears for accessibility reasons, it could signal that future iOS hardware has fewer buttons or loses the Home button altogether.

Apple marches forward on iOS 5 beta 3, available now

The iOS 5 beta pot is still simmering, with Apple today releasing the third edition of its mobile platform, along with a corresponding new beta of iTunes 10.5. Here’s a quick peek at the most notable new fixes, updates and issues in the latest software version.

Why Apple’s obsolescence effect is overblown

Not long after Steve Jobs’s keynote, a lament went out about apps and services iOS 5 and iCloud will render obsolete. However, after reviewing early reports of iOS 5, I’d argue that many “threatened” apps will still hold a place in the hearts of users.

What developers think of the WWDC 2011 keynote

WWDC 2011 revealed a number of enhancements to OS X, iOS, and iCloud. I polled several independent developers ranging from long-time Mac mainstays, one-man shops, and large shops that cover both Mac and iOS development to get their reactions to the many changes.

Apple Announces June 6 Start Date for WWDC 2011

Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference will be held beginning June 6 this year at Moscone West in San Francisco. While Apple makes no mention of it in its press release, the company typically unveils its annual iPhone hardware refresh at the keynote for WWDC.

iOS Notifications: Problematic or Primarily Perfect?

Some think Apple is poised to makeover notifications in iOS 5, which could be unveiled at tomorrow’s special press event. Once again, Kevin and I find ourselves at loggerheads when it comes to this debate. Here’s how our exchange went down:

iOS 5 Wish List

If you own an iPad, you’re probably still enjoying all that iOS 4.2 gave (and lamenting what it took away), but the rest of us are already looking ahead to the future and dreaming of what the next major revision of iOS might bring.