Apple has acquired one of my favorite apps: Workflow. Matthew Panzarino of TechCrunch got the scoop:
Apple has finalized a deal to acquire Workflow today — a tool that lets you hook together apps and functions within apps in strings of commands to automate tasks. We’ve been tracking this one for a while but were able to confirm just now that the ink on the deal is drying as we speak.
I hope this means we’ll see even more integration and automation advances in iOS in the near future.
Apple have released a new version of iTunes which finally lets you watch your rental movies across multiple devices:
The new ‘watch anywhere’ feature for rentals appears to require iOS 10.3 and tvOS 10.2 however, although iOS is currently in developer and public beta and tvOS is only available in developer beta previews. Both software updates are likely coming soon for all users based on previous beta cycles as well as this iTunes release.
Apple announced some new things this morning, including a new Product(Red) iPhone:
“Since we began working with (RED) 10 years ago, our customers have made a significant impact in fighting the spread of AIDS through the purchase of our products, from the original iPod nano (PRODUCT)RED Special Edition all the way to today’s lineup of Beats products and accessories for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO.
And a new lower priced iPad:
Starting at $329 for the 32 GB Wi-Fi version and simply called ‘iPad’, the new device appears to be a lower-cost replacement for the iPad Air line as the company’s iPad lineup now includes iPad mini 4, the new ‘iPad’, and the iPad Pro in existing 9.7″ and 12.9″ configurations. Neither iPad Pro model received any update this morning. The iPad mini 4, on the other hand, now offers more capacity for the same price: the 128 GB Wi-Fi model is now priced at $399, while the 128 GB Wi-Fi + Cellular is available at $529.
And some new Apple Watch bands:
Amongst the hubbub of today’s announcements, one thing went unmentioned: new Apple Watch bands! (Well, new colors, anyway.) You can now grab a $49 Sport Band in Camellia, Pebble, or Azure; $49 Woven Nylon bands in Orange (and blue), Berry, Red (and yellow/gray), and, uh “Pollen” (blue/yellow/green). Also, the Nike+ Sport bands in Anthracite/Black, Pure Platinum/White, and Black/Volt, are now available as $49 options—previously, you could only get them by buying the Nike+ edition of the Watch.
Chance the Rapper has posted on Twitter a little more about his deal with Apple:
I wanna clear things up. @apple gave me half a mil and a commercial to post Coloring Book exclusively on applemusic for 2 weeks
Damn.
Apple has announced details about their new campus, “Apple Park.”
Steve would have turned 62 this Friday, February 24. To honor his memory and his enduring influence on Apple and the world, the theater at Apple Park will be named the Steve Jobs Theater. Opening later this year, the entrance to the 1,000-seat auditorium is a 20-foot-tall glass cylinder, 165 feet in diameter, supporting a metallic carbon-fiber roof. The Steve Jobs Theater is situated atop a hill — one of the highest points within Apple Park — overlooking meadows and the main building.
Rogue Amoeba has released their new Mac app SoundSource:
From SoundSource’s menu bar icon, you can instantly configure the audio devices your Mac uses for Input, Output and Sound Effects. In seconds, you can adjust the volume for each of your audio devices or switch between connected devices. SoundSource can also enable the soft play-thru of audio from input devices. Use the Play-Thru window to monitor any connected input, such as a microphone, right through your headphones or other output.
Joanna Stern, at the Wall Street Journal:
Apple has added an alarm to help find earbuds in proximity. Tap “Play Sound” in the iOS app and the AirPod will start chirping. In the app, you can specify which AirPod you’d like to sound. Only problem? If the AirPod’s battery runs out, it’ll remain silent.
In regard to losing these little suckers, I agree with John Gruber:
In short, the best way not to lose them is to treat them as easily lost, valuable objects. I’ve misplaced my AirPods in my house far more often than I’ve come close to actually losing them — that’s the feature I’m looking forward to with AirPods support in Find My iPhone.
I spoke in more detail about the AirPods on last week’s podcast, but, in short: I love these things and don’t think I could go back to any other type of in-ear headphone.
Logic Pro X for macOS and GarageBand for iOS have both been updated today. MacStories has a good rundown of the new features:
Logic Pro X 10.3 adds Touch Bar support to the app for the first time, implementing it in a number of ways. The Touch Bar can serve as an instrument, allowing users to tap out a drum beat or play a piano keyboard. Power users will appreciate the ability to keep some of their favorite controls on the Touch Bar, as it can be configured with different keyboard shortcuts to suit each person’s needs. There is also the option to navigate audio waveforms using the Touch Bar.
Ten years ago today Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone. That’s still got to be one of the greatest product introductions of all time. The Telegraph put together a collection of reactions after the initial launch, I liked this one:
The problem here is that while Apple can play the fashion game as well as any company, there is no evidence that it can play it fast enough. These phones go in and out of style so fast that unless Apple has half a dozen variants in the pipeline, its phone, even if immediately successful, will be passé within 3 months.
There is no likelihood that Apple can be successful in a business this competitive.
I’ll admit that I didn’t understand what made the iPhone special or different from my BlackBerry until I used one for the first time. That’s when I knew it was going to be an absolute game changer.
Backchannel also has an interview with Apple executive Phil Schiller:
“That undervalues how earth-shattering the iPhone was when it first came to market, and we all first got them and fell in love with them,” he says. “iPhone made the idea of a smartphone real. It really was a computer in your pocket. The idea of real internet, real web browser, MultiTouch. There were so many things that are core to what is the smartphone today, that created a product that customers fell in love with, that then also demanded more stuff on them, more apps.”
Read More “Ten Years Ago Today Steve Jobs Introduced the iPhone”
Joe Coscarelli interviewed Jimmy Iovine and Larry Jackson of Apple Music for The New York Times:
We wanted to work with Frank Ocean. We had a deal—we were working with Frank Ocean, and he controlled where his music came out. Why would it be in our interest to be part of a fast one, a slow one or any one? We were getting the record no matter what. Whatever happened with him and Universal is really between him and Universal. It has nothing to do with us. Nothing.
Federico Viticci, over at MacStories, has a killer article about using the iPad Pro for a year and how it’s become his favorite computer of all time:
Much of the iPad’s strength lies in iOS and its app ecosystem. If Apple were to stop making iPads, I’d still prefer to work on a device that runs iOS rather than macOS. iOS is where app innovation happens on a regular basis with developers one-upping each other in terms of what software can achieve; I also prefer the structure and interactions of iOS itself. The iPad Pro is the purest representation of iOS: it’s a computer that can transform into anything you need it to be.
And:
There’s an important difference between the old iOS automation kin and the modern wonders of Workflow. Four years ago, URL schemes were the only way to turn an iPad into a passable work device for advanced tasks. Automation was an escape hatch from Apple’s limitations and the immaturity of iOS. Today, iOS is a stronger, more capable platform that, for many, is superior to macOS. There’s still work to be done, but, for the most part, iOS automation today is an optional enhancement – a way to speed up tasks and make them more accessible. In four years, and largely because of iOS 8 and iOS 9, iOS automation has evolved from a workaround into a creative optimization.
The entire thing is full of great insights and it got me playing around with some new automation techniques on iOS. I realized I haven’t been using Workflow and Launch Center Pro to their full capacity.
I don’t have an iPad Pro but the DraftTable from ElevationLab looks quite clever. If I ever upgrade to an iPad with Apple Pencil support I’d probably think about one of these.
P.S.: Their Elevation Dock, my favorite iPhone dock, is currently also on sale.
Super Mario Run is now out on iOS.
Apple’s new wireless AirPods are now available for purchase.
Spark, an email client I’ve often recommended on iOS, has come to the Mac today. MacStories has a good review of the app:
It’s good to see Spark come to the Mac and I’m sure fans of the iOS app will be pleased that Readdle brought many features of the iOS version to macOS. Despite some rough edges and quirks in version 1.0, Spark’s clean design, email management tools, and ability sync with the iOS version using iCloud make it a solid choice, especially for users of Spark for iOS.
I haven’t given it a spin yet, but the screenshots look good.