Cody Fink

1547 posts on MacStories since January 2010

Former MacStories contributor.

[email protected]

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Instagram 2.5 is All About the Users

Previous versions of Instagram improved performance, added filters, and made taking pictures and sharing photos with your phone’s camera faster than ever. Instagram is still the cool place to hang out if you want to snap pictures quickly and add a little flair, and today’s update shows it’s not always about just the things you take photos of.

Using Instagram and interacting with people is just as important as being able to take and edit a photograph. Instagram’s 2.5 update isn’t about adding filters to your images — it’s about the people you want to interact and share moments with. Thanks in part to a revamped profile tab, improved search, improved commenting, auto complete, and integration with Facebook. Instagram’s latest update brings to the forefront some aesthetic, usability, and performance changes that should make the overall experience smoother.

The update makes Instagram feel much more interactive, and brings about features I enjoy using in my Twitter apps (a la autocomplete). Instagram is a free download from the App Store.

Image Compression Case Study: ImageOptim vs. Xcode→

Image Compression Case Study: ImageOptim vs. Xcode

When iOS developers package their apps, images can be compressed to a “CgBi” format through Xcode that helps reduce the total application size and improve performance. Compression, however, could be taken a lot further. In ImageOptim’s case study, they took a look at TweetBot for the iPad, a graphically rich application that contains over 26 MB of compressed images. When ImageOptim optimized the uncompressed versions of those images through their application, and twice over in combination with ImageAlpha, they saw a dramatic reduction in file size and loading times.

Disabling Xcode conversion and simply using ImageOptim instead was enough to reduce the application size by almost 30% (33.4MB down to 23.8MB) and halve initial display time in the benchmark.

Manually optimizing images with ImageAlpha reduced entire application size by more than a half (33.4MB down to 16.3MB). Images alone were 65% smaller and were displayed 2.5 times quicker than Xcode-optimized ones.

ImageOptim claims that developers can submit applications that don’t use Xcode’s compression method, point to resources showing how this can be done, and also link to an excellent success story. Developers should definitely check out the examples and data provided on their blog post to see how they can better optimize their apps. [ImageOptim via @cbowns]

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Gmail for iOS Update Adds Notification Support

When Gmail first launched on iOS, we lamented at two things: the lack of support for multiple addresses and notifications. While Gmail on the iPhone is still a web app at heart, it has gotten better as the app gained support for signatures, a vacation responder, and nested labels. If you’ve thought Gmail has been forgotten and left behind, today’s update brings some much desired requests into the application.

First up, Gmail for iOS now brings support for proper notifications on iOS. Instead of hearing just the chime, you’ll get banner notifications and will be able to see a history of recent emails in the Notification Center. Secondly, you’ll now be able to send a message from an alternate email address. This can be configured in the app’s settings. If you have other email accounts that forward their messages to your Gmail inbox, you can reply to those messages as the other address. Lastly, you don’t have to worry about signing back into Gmail every time you leave. Gmail will save your login information and keep you logged in unless you sign-out yourself.

If you need Gmail on your iPhone with proper notifications, today’s update might just win you over. It’s a free download from the App Store.

[via the Official Gmail Blog, Gizmodo | Images via the Official Gmail Blog]

On Breaking Out the Podcast App in iOS 6

Based on Monday’s WWDC 2012 opening Keynote, I can confidently say that Apple is closely listening to their customers, introducing numerous features that the Apple community has been asking for in the previous couple of years. (I really see iOS 6 as a direct response to customer’s wish-lists.) Apple’s goal is to both provide an ecosystem that developers can thrive in, make customers happy, and balance the two by introducing new features in way that makes the most sense. In the course of this discussion, AllThingsD writes that Podcasts will be broken into its own separate app in iOS 6.

People familiar with Apple’s plans tell me that when its new iOS 6 software becomes widely available this fall, podcasts will have their own app, where users will be able to discover, download and play them on mobile devices. Users who access iTunes via laptop and desktop machines will still find them in that version of iTunes, though.

AppAdvice made note that Podcasts, iTunes U, and Audiobooks have been removed from the iTunes app in the iOS 6 beta, sparking thoughts that Audiobooks could find itself reintegrated into the iBooks app, while Podcasts become its own thing.

Myke Hurley of the 70Decibels Podcast Network writes,

However, if Apple are going to make it a separate app it could help highlight the medium even further to people—they’re no longer in the purgatory of the ‘more’ button. What would be even better is if the app comes built in with iOS6 (like the Videos app) or is promoted by a pop-up like iBooks at least.

Podcasts have been neglected for a long time on iOS. While the iTunes Store provides a platform for success, the podcast player itself is currently in a lackluster state, offering only basic functionality for downloaded episodes. As people began listening to more podcasts, alternative 3rd party podcatchers appeared in the form of apps like Downcast and Instacast to fill in gaps for streaming and creating custom playlists. People love talk radio, and podcasts provide a means for both amateurs and professionals to reach large audiences who want to share in the discussion of their favorite topics. In particular, Apple must enjoy the presence of companies like 5by5 and 70Decibels whose success directly corresponds to the Apple community. Apple’s platform lets popular Internet broadcasters like TWiT, CNET, and Revision3 make podcasts available to audiences interested in tech, while companies like CBS and NBC utilize the service to publish the nightly news, political debates, and important broadcasts pertaining to current events.

Podcasts, whether provided as a platform for news or entertainment, aren’t being ignored by Apple. My guess is that it’s in their best interests to expose new customers to the incredible amount of content they host — again I think this is a case where they’re listening to the community and responding accordingly. As with Reading List vs. Instapaper, Apple’s own podcatcher wouldn’t supplant the 3rd party apps in the App Store. Rather, it could do one of two things: 1.) Get more people discovering and subscribing to podcasts through a podcast directory separate from the iTunes Store (currently the conglomerate for all media), and 2.) Provide those customers with a podcatcher that makes downloading, playing, and finding episodes from their subscribed-to podcasts easy. People who want more functionality already have it and will continue to be able to find it from the App Store.

If Podcasts is an app on iOS 6, I’d be really happy to see it happen. There’s a lot of great content available that people are otherwise missing if they only know the iTunes Store for music and video.

Edit 5:42 pm: Updated the article to note that the iTunes app, not the Music app, removed references to Podcasts, iTunes U, and Audiobooks.

[AllThingsD via MacRumors | mentioned: AppAdvice, Myke Hurley]

Apple Store 2.2 Update Brings Express Checkout for Faster Online Shopping and Location Aware Retail Pick Ups

The Apple Store app for the iPhone has enabled Apple to revolutionize retail and mobile shopping shopping thanks to features such EasyPay, Personal Pickup, and assistance from the store’s Specialists. In today’s 2.2 update, Apple has added Express Checkout and new location features which focuses on online shoppers and customers picking their orders up from their nearest Apple Retail Store.

Express Checkout speeds up the process of making purchases through Apple’s online store by using your existing payment and shipping options. You can simply complete your order by tapping on the buy button for the items you want to purchase, selecting your options (if applicable), and checking out, then entering the password associated with your Apple ID. You’ll have to sign into Express Checkout through your Account Settings in the Apple Store app (on each device), and agree to the terms of service to use the quick pay feature. A FAQ for Express Checkout is available for your perusal online.

If you have an iPhone 4S and are picking up a purchased item from your local Apple Retail Store, your device can let the specialists know you’re arriving so that your items are ready for pickup before you reach the storefront. By enabling Location-Based Alerts and setting your pick up information in the Account Settings, items for pick up will be waiting for you to carry out when you reach your Apple Retail Store.

The Apple Store 2.2 update is available on the App Store as a free update and download.

Edit 4:03 pm: Edited title to clarify that faster, location-based pickups are not a part of Express Checkout, but a separate feature available on the iPhone 4S.

The 2012 Apple Design Award Winners

The Apple Design Awards have come to pass, recognizing outstanding achievement and excellence for well designed, state of the art, and innovative applications. This year’s ADAs at Moscone West during the opening day of WWDC 2012 will recognize and award developers for both iOS and OS X applications. Starting with student applications, Apple will showcase the best Mac, iPhone, and iPad applications and award developers with a cache of prizes. Developers, if chosen, will take home a special ADA lanyard, a new MacBook Air, a new iPad, an iPod touch, and the infamous ADA cube trophy. For the full list of 2011 ADA winners, check out our previous coverage here.

2012 ADA Winners:

Student Winners:

Mac Winners:

iPhone Winners:

iPad Winners:

Aperture and iPhoto Libraries Now Unified in Retina Display Update

Touching on two very important photo editing updates today, Apple has released Aperture 3.3 and iPhoto 9.3, specifically targeting the MacBook Pro with Retina display. In this update, Aperture and iPhoto will now share the same libraries — this means that you can import images into iPhoto from your iPhone 4S, then edit specific images later in Aperture without having to import or duplicate images. The unified library should make life much easier for photographers wanting to get the most out of their images.

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The Stealth Updates: New AirPort Express, New iPad Smart Case, Updated USB SuperDrive, and More!

WWDC 2012 is being good to us this year, bringing us new MacBook Airs, MacBook Pros, a brand new MacBook Pro with Retina Display, an updated Mac Pro, and major software updates with Mountain Lion and iOS 6. While we couldn’t ask for anything more under the tree, we still have plenty of unmentioned stocking stuffers to go through, such as a brand new AirPort Express, a completely new iPad Smart Case, an updated Apple USB SuperDrive, and some other goodies including a Thunderbolt to Ethernet adapter and some new MagSafes.

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Mountain Lion is Coming Next Month: Here’s What We Know

While Apple’s Mountain Lion has been coolly waiting for its chance to pounce on Apple’s website, Craig Federighi announced at WWDC 2012’s opening Keynote that the next big cat will be available next month (no specific date given) for only $19.99 from the Mac App Store.

“With iCloud built right in and the new Notification Center, Messages, Dictation, Facebook integration and more, this is the best OS X yet.”

Mountain Lion brings OS X closer to iCloud thanks to a community of integrated apps and services that allow for seamless syncing of Mail, Notes, Reminders, Calendar events, Contacts, and Messages. In addition to these iCloud enabled apps and services (which we’ve long been familiar with), Apple is introducing Documents in the Cloud.

Documents in the Cloud is a new feature that integrates with Apple’s iWork suite and enabled third party apps to bring you documents that are stored in iCloud. In his demo, Federighi opened Pages which brought an iCloud-based document library. In Mountain Lion, Documents in the Cloud is enabled for Pages, Numbers, Keynote, Preview and TextEdit. The new document library browser provides a simple way to access recent documents no matter which device you access them from. Apple will be making available an SDK so developers can use this feature for their own apps.

Game Center, a brand new Safari with a unified search field, and AirPlay mirroring, and greater accessibility for China were also shown off. AirPlay mirroring lets you send up to a 1080p quality secure video stream or an audio stream to an AirPlay receiver as iOS devices can.

While we’re talking about applications, I should take the opportunity to say that Gatekeeper on the Mac is completely user controlled. Outed as a feature that protects you from bad guys (my words), users can decide whether or not to trust 3rd party applications from outside the Mac App Store. Gatekeeper itself will check for security updates in the background, and it provides kernel ASLR for protection against buffer overflow attacks. Overall, it’s a solid security update.

Mountain Lion itself has something aesthetic changes — a brand new glass dock is seated at the bottom of the display, and the Notification Center icon has changed from its preliminary circle to an icon representing a list of items in the menubar.

Notification Center received plenty of airtime, with service integration being demonstrated on stage. Notification Center is reminiscent of Growl, with banners sliding down from the upper right corner. Alerts stay on screen until you dismiss them, and additionally there’s an on / off switch for showing notifications. Notification Center is smart too — when connected to a project, the Notification Center will automatically shut off.

Given that you could dictate in iOS 5, it’s only right that the feature makes its way onto the Mac. Dictation really needs no explanation: “Anywhere you can type, you can now talk.”

Sharing in Mountain Lion is prevalent, with Twitter being used as the first example. Just like in iOS, a cute tweet sheet pops up that lets you quickly jot down your thoughts and send it off to share with your followers. Additionally, Facebook integration in OS X brings your friends and contacts closer than ever. Integrated in Mountain Lion just like with iOS 6, a single sign-in gives you access to share across a bevy of services including Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, and Vimeo. Facebook sharing lets you post to your wall, reply to a comment from an update displayed through the Notification Center, and directly update your Contacts with your friend’s information. To expound upon Notification Center, it displays updates from Twitter as well (for example, when someone mentions you in a tweet).

Power Nap is a feature we haven’t heard of before, letting your MacBook Pro with Retina Display or 2nd Gen (and above) MacBook Air receive data while it sleeps. All of the information you care about will be updated even before you open the lid — contacts, calendar events, emails, and other iCloud enabled services such as Find my Mac will work without user intervention. Even more amazing, your MacBook will be able to back up to Time Machine while in its Power Nap state. Supposedly, expected battery life should be maintained even when your MacBook is sipping power and downloading data while it’s asleep.

Customers who purchase one of Apple’s new MacBook Airs or MacBook Pros after June 11th will get a free update to Mountain Lion when it ships. Existing customers will be able to download it next month from the MAS. Today’s demo expounded what we already know, showcasing the rigidity of iCloud and new concepts that extends the Mac as an always active, lifestyle device. Mountain Lion’s integration with iCloud runs deep, and with over 1700 APIs available for developers, it’s a great release for developers and consumers alike.

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