General Apple Megathread

[CKPThunder]

Originally Posted by fredr123

Here's what I mean.

When I go into my purchases on iTunes, I tell the machine to start playing the episode of GoT. It authenticates or something and then starts playing a few seconds later while it's downloading the rest of the show. Works great.

I may just be confirming what my wife has always suspected (i.e., that I'm an idiot), but I can't make the video do the same thing on my iPad. It takes forever to download it onto the device for playback offline and I can't just click to play it and watch it as it downloads the same way I do with ATV.

So if streaming of the internet directly is what ATV is doing, and I can't do that on iPad, I still don't understand why I can watch it as it downloads on the ATV but I can't do that nearly as well on the iPad. It's not like the one gets to download stuff faster than the other. What's going on?

Maybe I am misunderstanding you but I think you can do this. Just click on your episode from the video app and you will see the download start. Once the download has reached a level that you feel comfortable streaming with (say 5-10%), then just click on the video again and the video should start up.

Hopefully this is what you were asking for.

[CubicleGeek]

Originally Posted by fredr123

So if streaming of the internet directly is what ATV is doing, and I can't do that on iPad, I still don't understand why I can watch it as it downloads on the ATV but I can't do that nearly as well on the iPad. It's not like the one gets to download stuff faster than the other. What's going on?

Only the ATV can stream direct from iTunes, all other devices, including your computer need to download before you can watch it. Don't ask me why, that's just the way it is. But I've downloaded many things to iDevice/Computer and managed to start the show while it was still downloading in less than a minute as it doesn't need to be entirely downloaded before you can play it.

Your alternative is to download everything to a desktop or laptop and then turn on iTunes sharing on your computer. Then all devices can stream through your internal network.

As for why it streams better on ATV vs. downloading on iDevice? If I were to guess, several things can contribute to this:

• Likely streaming QoS is higher than download QoS since packets must arrive within a short window so that the stream is seamless - if a packet is late it's useless in a stream. Download doesn't matter - when it's done, it's done, packets can come in any order and the download just gets reconstructed at the end.
• Most streams can automatically adjust quality based on connection speed so there could be some wizardry behind the scenes where the stream may be throttled down in quality to be friendly for your connection. It can be so subtle you can't tell.
• They likely encode/compress the stream differently than the downloaded version and the streamed version may offer a smaller footprint and lower quality (again it could be so subtle that you don't really notice).
• The download is always bigger in size even if encoding/compression is the same and there is no auto adjusting the quality, you are always downloaded all audio tracks whether you are using them or not, when streamed they would only stream the track you selected.

[Russic]

Originally Posted by Sliver

I'm looking forward to this as well. It's time to upgrade my Galaxy SIII and there isn't much in the Android world that has pushed the boundaries since my current phone. I'm hoping Apple pulls their boring excuse for an OS out of 2007 and wows us with iOS8. I have no doubt their hardware will be great, but it's the software that needs a complete overhaul. Their aim should be to be better than Android, not a distant second like they've been aiming at for years.

iOS 8 has already been announced though, so I wouldn't expect too much more from the software side. I suppose every version has 1 or 2 features that are specific to that years hardware, but I'd say we know 95% of what iOS 8 can do. If I had to guess I'd say the iPhone might be able to do some sort of health function that could be specific, so that'd be cool.

All in all, I'd say iOS 8 is the largest leap Apple has ever made. The ability for the apps to communicate is very Android-esque and is something that Apple users haven't been able to do up to this point. It's finally becoming a customizable, integrated system like Android.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Russic

iOS 8 has already been announced though, so I wouldn't expect too much more from the software side. I suppose every version has 1 or 2 features that are specific to that years hardware, but I'd say we know 95% of what iOS 8 can do. If I had to guess I'd say the iPhone might be able to do some sort of health function that could be specific, so that'd be cool.

All in all, I'd say iOS 8 is the largest leap Apple has ever made. The ability for the apps to communicate is very Android-esque and is something that Apple users haven't been able to do up to this point. It's finally becoming a customizable, integrated system like Android.

That's neat. I haven't read anything on iOS 8 so it looks like I'll have to check it out. I know I could never leave Android for Apple if I still had to open apps like some sort of troglodyte to check basic things like the current weather, forecasts, what song I have playing, to use a calculator, etc. Widgets are absolutely mandatory so if Apple is moving in that direction (I'm hoping that's what you mean by customizable) then they may get me back. If, on the other hand, I'll just be looking at a grid of do-nothing app-opening buttons then I'll just have to ride out my SIII as long as I can until an Android phone comes out that looks cool.

[Russic]

Originally Posted by Sliver

That's neat. I haven't read anything on iOS 8 so it looks like I'll have to check it out. I know I could never leave Android for Apple if I still had to open apps like some sort of troglodyte to check basic things like the current weather, forecasts, what song I have playing, to use a calculator, etc. Widgets are absolutely mandatory so if Apple is moving in that direction (I'm hoping that's what you mean by customizable) then they may get me back. If, on the other hand, I'll just be looking at a grid of do-nothing app-opening buttons then I'll just have to ride out my SIII as long as I can until an Android phone comes out that looks cool.

Seems like you'll be happy and sad. The app icons won't be dynamic, but app developers finally have access to areas of the OS they didn't before. For instance, if you build a sports app, you can make a widget to display on the users drop-down screen (accessible from anywhere). The widgets should in theory make the experience of "Google Now" the same as it is on Android (should that be your thing).

Developers can also use the "share sheets", so if you make a camera app with a ton of filters, you can let the user have your filters show up when they hit "edit" in the native photos app.

My favourite addition is how the apps can integrate with each other. Apps can now use the fingerprint scanner as a password. My favourite password manager (1password) has built a small snippet that any app can use on their login screen, so theoretically I could open my bank account using only my fingerprint instead of the ungodly password I've created for it.

Third party keyboards are also on their way, so Android staples like Swype should be available right away. Hell, you could make a keyboard that does literally nothing other than fix the god awful shift button and you'd move millions of units. Should the apps not want to use the 1Password fingerprint scanner mentioned above, there could even be a 1Password keyboard with a button that only accesses your passwords. I'd pay an arm and a leg for that.

[Sliver]

Oh man, the fingerprint scanner for a password would be so pimp.

Static app icons are probably a deal breaker for me, though. I could never go back.

[CubicleGeek]

The feature I'm most looking forward to is the ability to send an email to some or all recipients of a meeting invite. They "finally" also allow you to forward a meeting through your calendar. Must be two of my biggest pet peeves about iOS. RIM had this on their BB's for as long as I can remember.

Being able to see the schedules of invitees to meetings is a nice bonus too. I hope it works with just Vanilla exchange server and you don't need your organization to install some special backend.

[photon]

Figured that this is a general Apple thing rather than an iPhone 6 thing.

https://gigaom.com/2014/09/18/apples...t-act-demands/

Warrant canaries are a tool used by companies and publishers to signify to their users that, so far, they have not been subject to a given type of law enforcement request such as a secret subpoena. If the canary disappears, then it is likely the situation has changed — and the company has been subject to such request.

Now, Apple’s warrant canary has disappeared. A review of the company’s last two Transparency Reports, covering the second half of 2013 and the first six months of 2014, shows that the “canary” language is no longer there.

[Russic]

It's new iPad announcement day. Likely not a earth-shaker, but these events do have some surprises from time to time.

http://www.apple.com/apple-events/2014-oct-event/

Despite all evidence, I'm praying for an Apple TV update that finally allows apps.

[photon]

Mind numbingly boring so far, though they did say iOS 8.1 would be available Monday.

[Russic]

Originally Posted by photon

Mind numbingly boring so far, though they did say iOS 8.1 would be available Monday.

Yosemite today is quite nice. I've been looking forward to getting rid of my 3rd party email solutions, so I hope Mail is strong.

[photon]

Oh yeah I missed that, that is cool.

[Barnes]

Originally Posted by photon

Oh yeah I missed that, that is cool.

I've been part of the Yosemite Beta and it is the best Mac OS X in a long time.

[Russic]

5k iMac for under $3000? Did not see that coming. I don't even want to see one. It'll ruin monitors for me forever.

[woob]

Apple: We make thin stuff.

[photon]

An Apple with a TFT display?? Never thought I'd see the day. REALLY want to see a review of that screen.

EDIT: Oh wait, I was thinking TN. I wonder what kind of panel it is.

[photon]

Hah I read that the 5K iMac for $2500 is the same price as the Dell 5K Ultrasharp monitor, and they use the same panel. Computer for free!

[You Need a Thneed]

iPad mini 3 has exactly the same specs as iPad mini 2, except has touch ID.

essentially, you pay $100 more to get the fingerprint sensor.

Oh, and you can get it in gold if you want.

[Russic]

After going from a 4S to a 6, I'd happily pay $100 for a fingerprint sensor. They sure did gloss over that update though – really not much to say on the Mini front. That being said I can't believe they're still selling the original one for consumers on a budget. That generally isn't a target they aim at. $279 is iPod Touch money.

[king_amonte]

Did they say what the price of the ipad mini 3 will be and if the price of the ipad mini 2 will change?