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Launch Center Pro 2.0 Review

Launch Center Pro, developed by Contrast (née App Cubby), can be considered the app that spearheaded a small revolution among iOS power users. Initially envisioned as a Notification Center tool, following an Apple rejection in late 2011 the app was released as Launch Center; in the summer of 2012, App Cubby completely reworked the inner workings and design of Launch Center and turned it into Launch Center Pro, allowing users to create custom actions with personalized URL schemes and therefore kicking off a series of months that saw the apperance of several other apps focused on actions, URL schemes, and automated workflows. In looking back at the past year of iOS automation, I think that Launch Center Pro 1.0 was a major turning point in that it proved that many iOS users wanted to create actions and workflows to save time and be more productive.

In March 2013, App Cubby released Launch Center Pro 1.1, which focused on TextExpander integration in URL schemes, Action Composer tweaks, and deeper system integration with clipboard actions for text and more. The app’s library of supported third-party apps kept growing as more developers took the opportunity to address the interest sparked by Launch Center Pro to add URL schemes to their apps. I remember, however, that back then App Cubby’s David Barnard – the same developer behind the recently released and successful weather app Perfect Weather – started telling me about his plans for the future of Launch Center Pro and expanding to other supported services, apps, and devices.

With today’s Launch Center Pro 2.0 for iPhone, a free update for existing customers, Contrast wants to ask: in the era of Drafts actions and Control Center, can Launch Center Pro still have a spot on a user’s Home screen, and possibly in the dock? Read more

Crunch Resource Extractor Updated with iOS 7 Support

In January 2012, I reviewed Crunch by Pragmatic Code, a Mac app to identify and extract icon and other resources from iOS apps:

Crunch is capable of automatically detecting apps from your iTunes library and filtering them by platform — iPhone, iPad, or Universal. Crunch will also install a QuickLook plugin, so you’ll be able to see each app’s icon overlaying the standard .ipa file preview in the Finder and QuickLook windows. Once you’ve selected an app, you can hit Export, and Crunch will ask you where you’d like to save an app’s resources, and if you’d like to keep all files with their existing folder hierarchy, or only Retina-ready @2x image files. The latter option can be particularly useful to pinpoint images ready for the rumored iPad 3′s Retina Display found inside several Apple apps for iOS.

Today, Pragmatic Code released version 1.5 of the app, which comes with support for iOS 7’s superellipse shape and a new Icon Composer tool to render icons from artwork.

Support for iOS 7’s new icon shape has been enabled in the app’s browser (where Crunch automatically recognizes apps from your iTunes library), Quick Look panel, and Icon Export menu. I don’t think that Apple has published official specifications for the new shape, but the one in Crunch looks just like the real thing to my untrained designer eye. When you hit Export in the top toolbar, you can still find and export assets from inside an app’s bundle, but if you click on Icon you’ll now see options to choose Superellipse (iOS 7), Rounded (iOS 6), or Automatic. Additionally, you can choose to export an icon’s artwork with no shape or no border by clicking on the Style dropdown menu.

The new Icon Composer can be used to drop artwork into Crunch and export it with Apple’s icon shapes. There is a preview panel on the left, and a slider to tweak the size of the icon.

While extracting application assets could be done with built-in tools on a Mac, Crunch is a great utility that simplifies the process and lets you save time. Support for iOS 7 is welcome and handy if you want to take a look at how other developers are managing resources inside their apps – or, with the Icon Composer, if you just want to preview how artwork will look under the new OS. Crunch is $9, and a 15-day free trial is available.

AppleScript XML-RPC→

Daniel Jalkut:

My mind was fairly well blown this morning to learn that for more than ten years, AppleScript on Mac OS X has included a built-in command for communicating with XML-RPC and SOAP endpoints on the web.

I had no idea this existed either. Following Daniel’s example script, I have put together a Keyboard Maestro macro that, with a single hotkey, gets the latest post from MacStories, shortens its URL, and tweets it with Tweetbot. It’s the Mac version of my Editorial workflow, and I’ll share it soon.

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Apple Announces New iPhone 5s and 5c Launches For October 25 and November 1

With a press release, Apple just announced a second round of international launches for the iPhone 5s and 5c on Friday, October 25 and Friday, November 1:

Apple today announced iPhone 5s, the most forward-thinking smartphone in the world, and iPhone 5c, the most colorful iPhone yet, will be available in Italy, Russia, Spain and more than 25 additional countries on Friday, October 25. iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c will also be available in more than a dozen countries on Friday, November 1, including India and Mexico.

Read more

Apple Announces Q4 2013 Conference Call for October 28

Apple’s fourth quarter earnings report and conference call will take place on October 28th, 2013, according to an Investor Relations update on Apple’s website. At the time of the event, Apple will broadcast the call online.

Apple plans to conduct a conference call to discuss financial results of its fourth fiscal quarter on Monday, October 28, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. PT / 5:00 p.m. ET.

For the third quarter, ending on June 29th, Apple earned $35.3 billion in revenue, resulting in a net profit of $6.9 billion. Earnings for the 3rd quarter were $7.47 per diluted share. For the fourth fiscal quarter, Apple predicts earning between $34 billion and $37 billion in revenue (which Apple later clarified would be towards the high end following opening sales of the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s). Last year, Apple earned $36 billion in revenue, pocketing $6.9 billion in profit, at $8.67 per diluted share.

This year, Apple launched two new iPhones: the colorful iPhone 5c, and the flagship iPhone 5s. During the opening weekend, Apple sold over 9 million new iPhones, compared to iPhone 5 in 2012 which sold over 5 million during its opening weekend. Launch countries included: Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore, the UK, and the US. In their press release, Apple stated that demand for the iPhone 5s exceeded initial supply and that many online orders would be shipped in coming weeks.

In addition to new iPhones, Apple introduced iOS 7, a complete rethinking of Apple’s mobile operating system. Through a simple software update, millions of customers had their iOS devices updated with brand new features such as Control Center, an all-in-one hub for managing common settings and playback controls, visual multitasking, and automatic updates that ensure apps are always current and up-to-date. You can read our thoughts on iOS 7 here.

Apple also added iTunes Radio to their content ecosystem, which features: first plays of upcoming albums, collaborations with artists, customized radio stations based on songs, and an ad-free listen for iTunes Match subscribers. iTunes Radio helps listeners discover a variety of new music based on their musical interests, favorite artists, and listening habits.

While Apple has not made any announcements, the company is expected to reveal new iPads and iPad minis later this month, launching the products in Q1 for 2014 to kick off the new fiscal year. If and how the company will update the iPod lineup remains to be seen, but my guess is that things will stay the same this year, since the iPod lineup received a Space Gray color option shortly after the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c were announced. As for Mac updates, I could see Apple revealing a launch date for its Mac Pro at the iPad event, but I expect silent spec bumps for everything else.

We will provide live updates from the conference call on our site’s homepage on October 28th starting at 2 PM PT.

First Photos of Jony Ive-Designed Leica M Camera→

PetaPixel:

Admittedly, there’s only so much you can alter a Leica M, but now the company has finally released press images of the Ive-designed shooter, and as you might expect, it could be described as “unapologetically simple.”

Jokes aside, the camera basically looks like what you would expect an Apple-Leica hybrid might look like. The aluminum design is to be expected, but apparently it actually took some serious time to get right. According to Leica, the camera you see below is the result of 561 models and nearly 1000 prototype parts made over the course of an 85-day design marathon.

From Leica’s official Google+ account:

Leica Camera is pleased to present The Leica M for (RED), designed by Jony Ive and Marc Newson. The camera, based off the Leica M, will be auctioned off at Southeby’s on November 23rd 2013 to raise money for The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

From a design standpoint, it features a laser machined aluminum body and an anodized aluminum outer shell. A total of 561 models and nearly 1000 prototype parts were made during the 85 days it took to create of this unique, one of a kind camera.

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Blur 2.0→

The new version of Blur, an app to create blurred wallpapers for iOS 7 that I mentioned a while ago, includes a new feature to generate a random wallpaper by tapping a button. What’s nice is that Blur loads random photos from Flickr, displaying a link to the original photo at the bottom of the screen. It’s a cool idea and it can generate interesting wallpapers that you wouldn’t be able to create off your own photos.

Blur is $0.99 on the App Store.

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