Apple and World AIDS Day 2015

Apple is no stranger to letting app developers celebrate World AIDS Day by featuring apps that theme their apps the color red for the day and donate some of their proceeds from that day. This year, Apple teamed up with popular developer Supercell to celebrate the day. Supercell's apps are themed red and have special in-app purchases that benefit AIDS research. So the next time you open up Clash of Clans, be sure to buy a "(Pile of Gems)RED" for $4.99 before the offer expires on December 4th. There's no shame in buying in-app purchases if it's for a good cause...

Image Credit: MacRumors

New MacBook Airs Coming in 2016?

After the announcement of the new MacBooks earlier this year, I figured that they would replace the current MacBook Airs, as the MacBooks are much thinner than the MacBook Airs. This seems redundant. With Apple's term "air" meaning thin, light, and simple, some continuity should be present among the naming of its products. There's the MacBook Air, iPad Air, and AirDrop. MacBook Air doesn't really fit into this anymore. However, a new design for it may be in next years WWDC event. Perhaps it will be even thinner than the MacBook? Probably not, since the MacBook ditched almost all ports except a USB-C port and, ironically, the headphone jack. This is an early rumor, but more will probably surface around late Spring next year. Stay tuned!

iPhone 7 Won't Have A Headphone Jack

Mac Otakara, a reliable rumor source (unfortunately), says that the iPhone 7, the next iPhone, will not have a headphone jack. Instead, it will use the Lightning connector as a port for wired audio. This probably means that we will see Lightning EarPods and Beats when the iPhone 7 comes out next year. While this is a let down to many, there is a slight upside. The iPhone 7 could potentially be 1mm thinner, about 6.1mm instead of 7.1mm (iPhone 6s).

Amazon Prime Video Coming To The New Apple TV

A while back, I talked about how Amazon stopped selling the Apple TV on their site because it didn't have the Amazon Prime Video app. This may change soon. Thanks to Dan Bostonweeks, we now know that an Amazon Prime Video app is in development for tvOS. It could potentially be out in the coming weeks according to the tweet. The tweet is embedded below.

I sent feedback to Amazon via the Amazon Instant Video iOS app about supporting tvOS. They say it’s in development. pic.twitter.com/52fYUgtgNs

— Dan Bostonweeks (@danimal) November 28, 2015

Apple Holiday Ad 2015

Every year, Apple releases a holiday ad to celebrate the Winter season. This year, the ad features Stevie Wonder and Andra Day. They were playing the holiday classic, "Someday At Christmas." It shows GarageBand being used to record the song. Andra Day is also seen wearing an Apple Watch. The video is embedded below.

UberEVENTS

Uber has a new cool feature that's called UberEVENTS. It lets party hosts send out coupons for Uber rides to the event. The host can pay a certain amount of the ticket (for example, $20 of the ticket price). One of the cool things about this is that if there is an open bar, there will be a designated Uber driver to drive guests home, removing the worry of drunk driving. To learn more about UberEVENTS, go to its website.

Quizlet Long-Term Learning

Quizlet announced and released a new feature for their Plus users called Long-Term Learning today. It lets users learn terms by having them study 10 terms a day by using a simple "know/don't know" system. Every day, the user will receive a notification on their iOS device to study 10 more terms. This feature is exclusive to Quizlet Plus users with iOS devices. It should also be noted that the CEO of Quizlet reposted my (amateur) tutorial on the official Quizlet blog.

A Long Time Ago In A Galaxy Far, Far Away

In honor of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Google created a new Easter Egg in their search engine. If you type into Google, "A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away," the results will be displayed in the way the opening sequence for the Star Wars movies. It's pretty cool. The only drawback is that it only shows the first 10 results. But overall, it's a pretty awesome Easter Egg. Be sure to check it out.

Rose Gold Beats

When the iPhone 6s came out in Apple's newest trademark color, Rose Gold, I was curious if Apple would update their Beats line to add the new color. After all, Beats come in Space Gray, Silver, and Gold. Well, now Beats Solo2 Wireless (headphones) and urBeats (earphones) come in Rose Gold. So now you On-Ear can have matching Beats for your iPhone 6s, even if you have Rose Gold! The Beats Solo2 Wireless Headphones cost $299.95 [Direct Link] and the urBeats In-Ear Headphones cost $99.95 [Direct Link].

Loot Crate November 2015 Unboxing

This Month's Pin

TMNT Shredder Sunglasses

Today, I got my first Loot Crate. This month's theme was combat. It had a lot of cool stuff inside of it. I actually didn't know how much bang you get for your buck with these Loot Crates. For example, each Loot Crate box transforms into a diorama with the month's theme. Also, each Loot Crate has a pin with the theme and month on it. Pictures of each item and a brief description of them are in this post. My personal favorite was definitely the Vault Boy Bobblehead. I was really hoping they would have new ones for Fallout 4. If you want to get your own Loot Crate, be sure to use my link to save $3 and to support the blog. They cost about $20 with shipping, depending on where you live. Be sure to order by the 20th of the month to get that month's Loot Crate! (P.S. Blogger photo formatting is weird, so sorry in advance if the arrangement of photos look weird.)

Hunger Games Mockingjay Pin

Street Fighter Comic Book

Cute But Deadly Mystery Figurine

This Month's Loot Crate Magazine

My Personal Favorite: Vault Boy Bobblehead

Apple Support App Coming Soon

According to Sonny Dickson's leaked images, it appears that an Apple Support app is in development. This will be useful for people who need help with their iOS devices and for those who purchased AppleCare+. It also lets you chat with an advisor and schedule an in-store visit.

100 Million iPhones In Use

According to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, 100 million iPhones are currently in use. Not just sold, but in use. About two-thirds of these iPhones are composed of iPhone 6 models and later. This means that two-thirds of current iPhone users have a larger screen, have access to Apple Pay, and have the lock button on the side of the phone. The chart is below and shows data as of September 2015.

Image Credit: CIRP

Official Apple Watch Dock

Apple has released an official Apple Watch Dock, posing a competition to 99% of Apple Watch related Kickstarters. It looks pretty cool. The dock is a circular pad with an Apple Watch magnetic charger in the center. It connects to power via an included Lightning cable. The Apple Watch charger can flip out so that you can charge your Apple Watch in Nightstand mode (pictured below). If you don't flip it out, the Apple Watch will charge flat down. The Apple Watch Dock costs $79 and will be delivered to customers as soon as this Friday when ordered from the Apple Online Store. It should be available in Apple Retail Stores Friday as well.

Apple Pencil Shipping and Retail Update

The first customers who ordered their Apple Pencils online have found that the status of their shipments to change to "Preparing for Shipment" earlier this week. These people should expect to get their Apple Pencils November 20-24. In retail, certain Apple Stores are receiving limited quantities of the stylus. You should call your local Apple Store to check Apple Pencil stock before going there. The Apple Pencil costs $99 and works with iPad Pro.

App Store Displaying Incorrect Rankings for Top Free Apps

After Apple changed its search algorithm for the App Store, app rankings for free apps seem to be displaying incorrectly on some devices. For example, Pages, Keynote, and Numbers are displayed in the top free apps section. These apps are automatically given to people who have purchased an iOS device for free, but are not technically free. Hopefully, this issue will be fixed in the near future.

Verizon Will Implement Wi-Fi Calling

Here's something I'm excited about. Well, it's as excited as I'm going to get about phone calls in this date and age. Verizon will implement Wi-Fi calling. Verizon is actually the only carrier to not have this service deployed to the public yet. As a Verizon customer, I'm looking forward to this. Wi-Fi calling allows for Wi-Fi to take over when cellular coverage is low. This is very useful for people who live in areas with low cell coverage or in a metropolis, assuming they're connected to a Wi-Fi network. It also doesn't use minutes, even though most plans don't have minutes anymore. Verizon just got the FCC's approval a few days ago. They say it's coming "in the future." AT&T had the feature up and running days after they got approval. Let's hope sooner than later.

New App Store Search Algorithms

The Apple App Store is famous for its bad search. At least it was famous for it. Apple has vastly improved it's algorithms, preventing random apps (like gambling apps) from showing in the later results. It takes into account information outside of the name and keywords in an app. A notable example is how if one searches Twitter, they will now get Twitter and Tweetbot. Previously, only Twitter would return. Hopefully, this will make app searching much easier.

Paris Attacks

Today, acts of violence occurred that should have never happened. My prayers and condolences go out to all who were affected by this. As of the publishing of this post, I couldn't find any donation links with the exception of this statement by The American Red Cross. If any are posted, I'll try to post it on the blog. Remember, if you do it through iTunes, 100% of the proceeds go to the cause AND you won't be contacted after donating, which can be useful. I give my deepest sympathies to the victims of this. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Damaged Mac App Store Apps

People have been reporting that apps from the Mac App Store have been "damaged" and unable to open. This was because the security certificates for Mac App Store expired on November 11, 2015. This could cause this message to appear. It is fixed now, but you'll have to be connected to the internet for the certificates to be fixed. Rebooting can help as well. I hope this helps.

Image Credit: Graham

Wonder if the receipt now being SHA256 is causing problems with old OS versions? pic.twitter.com/ozOssXWlBR

— Paul Haddad (@tapbot_paul) November 12, 2015

iPad Pro Now Available To Order

Today, the iPad Pro is available for order on the Apple Online Store and retail stores. It costs $799 for the base model (32 GB of storage; Wi-Fi only), $949 for 128 GB of storage (Wi-Fi only), and $1,079 for 128 GB of storage with cellular. Yeah, that'll cost you quite the pretty penny. Like, really pretty. Also, Apple Pencil ($99) and Smart Keyboard ($169) are available today. If you order now, you'll probably get them Friday.

Request Desktop Site: iOS 9

Earlier this year, I talked about how you can request a desktop site from an iOS device. This would let you view the desktop version of a site on your iOS device for many sites. In iOS 9, that's changed. To do it now, you'll have to hold the refresh button down until the option appears to "Request Desktop Site." I hope this helps!

First iPad Pro Ad

With the iPad Pro coming this Wednesday, Apple has debuted an advertisement tonight during Monday Night Football. It shows various planets in extensive detail, eventually revealing that those images are displayed on the new iPad Pro. The iPad Pro is available this Wednesday and will cost $799 for 32 GB of storage and Wi-Fi connectivity and $949 for 128 GB and Wi-Fi connectivity. There is also a $1079 cellular model with Apple SIM with 128 GB of storage.

Instagram Will Add Apple Pay and More 3D Touch Support

As many have noticed, Instagram has ads. As far as ads go, these aren't very annoying, unlike a lot of ads. Instagram actually has some pretty big plans for these ads. Soon, you'll be able to use a 3D Touch on an ad to see different variations of a product. You will also be able to use Apple Pay to buy a product directly from Instagram without leaving the app. For those who don't know, Apple Pay is also used in apps. This allows users to buy products from apps without having to type in a credit card number or creating an account. It's like PayPal, but better and more underused. Instagram is available from the Apple App Store for free [Direct Link].

Loot Crate Promotion

I first talked about Loot Crate about a year and a half ago. However, I never actually subscribed. I've finally succumbed to the hype train of the idea of monthly geek gear and I'm pretty hyped for this month's crate. I mean, I already gave into amiibos, so this is the equivalent of having a bed of spikes break your fall.

Getting back on topic, why am I telling you this? This month's Loot Crate is Fallout 4 themed, and let's be honest, Bethesda (creator of the Fallout series) totally rocked E3 2015. Needless to say, I am excited for it. I assume if I do any form of an "unboxing" it would be in the form of a blog post and not a video. And if it's something people like (because everyone just loves Loot Crate unboxing videos), maybe I'll continue it. We'll see.

By the way, if you want to help support the blog, you can get your own Loot Crate and save $3 by using my link. If geek stuff isn't your thing, Loot Crates make a great stocking stuffer! Speaking of stocking stuffer, I gotta go update the Holiday Gift List 4 Geeks. Happy holidays!

User-Created tvOS Browser

The new Apple TV has no internet browser, which is understandable because the living room isn't really the right setting for a browser. However, developer jvanakker wants to prove that wrong. They have created an internet browser for tvOS. You can scroll through pages with the Siri Remote's touch pad. Click the touch pad for a mouse-like cursor to use. Check out the video below for a demonstration.

Siri Remote vs. Apple TV Remote

Here's a neat little tidbit on the new Apple TV. The remote included with it has two different names. We silly Americans call it the Siri Remote. However, outside of Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Germany, France, Spain, Japan, and the United States, it's called the Apple TV Remote. Why? Those countries don't support Siri for the new Apple TV yet because movie names and actors have to still be translated for those regions. They're identical remotes, both with the Siri button. I just thought that was an interesting thing to point out.

iPhone 7 Could Have 3 GB of RAM

For the first rumor for the iPhone 7, we have a hardware rumor. Yes, we already have a rumor for the iPhone 7. The iPhone 7, which would be the next iPhone's supposed name, will have 3 GB of RAM according to the rumor from Ming-Chi Kuo. To put that into perspective, the iPhone 6s and iPad Air 2 have 2 GB of RAM. The iPhone 6 had 1 GB of RAM. The iPad Pro will have 4 GB of RAM. Definitely a nice bump in memory.

Provenance

Back when tvOS was available to developers, James Addyman created a video game emulator for the new Apple TV. It's called Provenance. It's pretty solid. It's just a shame that it can't get on the App Store because it violates some rules for obvious reasons. Check it out on GitHub and in the picture below.

Image Credit: James Addyman

Multitasking On The New Apple TV

To open up multitasking (a.k.a. the App Switcher) on a new Apple TV, double click the Home button. The Home button is the button with a TV icon on it. To close an app from the multitasking menu, swipe up on the Siri Remote's touch surface. Press the Home button again to return to the Home screen. I hope this helps!

iPad Pro Release Date

The iPad Pro, Apple's long-awaited, large tablet, will be released on November 11th. No plans for a pre-order have been announced yet. As of now, all we know is that on November 11th, you can walk in an Apple St- I mean, wait in a long line for hours at an Apple Store and walk out with a shiny new iPad Pro. You can probably order it online that day too. The base model iPad Pro (32 GB with Wi-Fi) costs $799 while the top model (128 GB with Wi-Fi and Apple SIM) costs $1,079. The Smart Keyboard costs $169 and the Apple Pencil costs $99.