Why Maps Didn’t Get Major Improvements With iOS 8

Apple's iOS 8 was supposed to bring big changes and improvements to the Maps app —including public transit data, more reliable data, better POI data and more. Many were surprised at WWDC when little to no changes were announced for the Maps application aside from vectro-based maps in China. A source familiar with the situation claims that the lack of improvements was due to the departure of many developers, poor management, and ‘internal politics' that ultimately caused project to suffer.

Many developers left the company, no map improvements planned for iOS 8 release were finished in time. Mostly it was failure of project managers and engineering project managers, tasks were very badly planned, developers had to switch multiple times from project to project.

Another source corroborated much of what was said by the first tipster.

I would say that planning, project management and internal politics issues were a much more significant contributor to the failure to complete projects than developers leaving the group.

There is still a chance that Apple could introduce the enhanced mapping features in iOS 8.1, or perhaps even in a later iOS 8.0 Beta. The company's many hires in the mapping area shows its serious about improving its product, but only time will tell when that will be. 

Apple introduced its Maps application with the release of iOS 6. It was met with a lot of criticism over lack of mapping data and POI locations and even caused Apple CEO Tim Cook to issue an open letter regarding the application. 

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Newly Leaked Photos Show Inside of Alleged iPhone 6 Rear Shell

New photos have leaked online that allegedly offer a close up look at the rear shell for the iPhone 6.


The back has distinct antenna breaks on the top and bottom as well as a circular cutout for the LED flash. The shell has the rounded corners and sides and you'll notice that the power button has been moved from the top to the right side.

Interestingly, the Apple logo is cut out. This is likely part of the manufacturing process; however, there's a small possibility that Apple could use the logo as a notification indicator.

Take a look at the photos below and let us know what you think in the comments.

You can follow iLoveNewsForApple for updates.

[via Xiao Long]

Dr. Dre Described as Perfectionist and Workaholic, Similar to Steve Jobs

Dr. Dre (Andre Young) joined Apple a few weeks ago after the company acquired Beats music. Throughout post-deal interviews and talks, Jimmy Iovine, Beats Music's co-founder did most of the talking to the press; however, a recent Wall Street Journal profile offers a behind the scenes look at the important role Dr. Dre plays.

Behind the scenes, Dr. Dre—whose real name is Andre Young —has quietly played an equally powerful role developing and protecting the Beats brand, eschewing market research for gut instinct at every turn. Though his main obsession is perfecting the sound of the company's signature high-end headphones, the 49-year-old fitness-obsessed music producer weighs in decisively on everything from TV ads and font styles to the wordiness of descriptions on the Beats Music streaming service.

A colleague says that Dr. Dre serves as Beats' "cultural barometer" of what is cool. His process is called mysterious and his assessments are usually immediate, personal, and articulated sparely. He apparently dismisses ideas such as posing for clichéd photos in a recording studio as too "corny" or "cheesy." Or, he may wave off ideas he doesn't like with a terse "I'm not feeling that."

Dr. Dre is also said to have a perfectionist impulse -- often trusting his gut instinct, and has a disregard for artificial deadlines. The Journal even compares him to Apple's late co-founder Steve Jobs.

Dr. Dre's perfectionist impulse, coupled with his disregard for artificial deadlines, have meant that "he doesn't put out a lot of material," despite being a workaholic, said Paul Rosenberg, a lawyer and manager of one of Dr. Dre's protégés, rapper Eminem. That could portend friction at his new employer, Apple, which agreed to buy Beats for $3 billion last month. But like Dr. Dre, Apple has also boasted about not doing market research. The company's late founder, Steve Jobs, made no secret of his belief that consumers don't really know what they want until someone else shows it to them. Colleagues predict that at Apple Dr. Dre could also cede some decision-making power and become more accommodating.

Both Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine will work with Apple's hardware and music divisions going forward, as they help expand Apple's presence in the music industry. They will report to Phil Schiller and Eddy Cue.

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What's New in iOS 8: Family Sharing

Apple has introduced a new feature called Family Sharing in iOS 8. Family Sharing allows up to six family members to browse and access each other's iTunes, iBooks, and App Store purchases and share photos, a family calendar, and their locations.



How does Family Sharing work?
To set up Family Sharing, one adult–the family organizer–invites up to five additional family members and agrees to pay for any iTunes, iBooks, and App Store purchases those family members initiate while part of the Family. Purchased or downloaded content will be associated with the Apple ID of the family member who initiates the transaction. After they accept the invitation, family members can access previous purchases of other family members, including any apps from developers who enable Family Sharing. 

To set up Family Sharing you navigate to the iCloud panel in the Settings app. Tap 'Set Up Family Sharing...'. You are asked to log into what will be the master iTunes account and subsequently asked to confirm that family members are authorized to use your payment method for iTunes, iBooks, and App Store purchases. You can then tap 'Add Family Member...' to send an invite to one of your family members.



Family Purchases and Ask To Buy
When a family member initiates a new purchase, it is billed directly to the family organizer’s account, unless the family member has gift or store credit sufficient to cover the entire amount. Once purchased, the item is added to the initiating family member’s account and shared with the rest of the family group. If Family Sharing is ever disabled, each member will keep the items they chose to purchase—even if they were paid for by the family organizer.

To download a family member's apps you can navigate to the Purchases tab in the App Store. Under the 'Family Purchases' section you will see a list of all the family members in your group. Simply tap one to access their purchases for download.



To control spending by kids, the organizer can turn on Ask To Buy for any family member who is not an adult to require approval for any purchase or free download requests. When a purchase is initiated, a notification will be sent to the family organizer who can review the item and approve or decline the request right from their own device.

You can also choose to hide individual purchases so that other family members will not be able to view or download them. In iTunes, simply navigate to your purchases in the iTunes Store, move your mouse over the item you want to hide, and click the X that appears at its top-left corner.



Family Photo Stream
When Family Sharing is set up, a new shared stream called Family is automatically created in the Photos app on all family members’ devices. Everyone in the family can contribute photos, videos, and comments to the stream, and get notified whenever something new is added. 



Family Calendar and Reminders
Family Sharing also sets up a new family calendar that is shared by all family members and appears in the Calendar app on everyone’s devices. Family members can view the calendar, add or modify events, and receive notifications and alerts to help everyone stay coordinated. They will also be able to use the Reminders app to set time- or location-specific reminders that will be delivered to everyone in the Family.



Sharing Your Location
When you join a Family, you will begin sharing your location with each of your other family members automatically. This allows you to use Find My Friends or the Messages app on iOS 8 to help you meet at a specific location, see when a family member is nearby, or just make sure a child is where they are supposed to be.

If you need privacy, you can stop sharing your location temporarily by disabling the Share My Location switch in iCloud Settings. Or, stop sharing your location with specific friends or family members permanently by removing them from your location sharing list.



Find My iPhone
With Family Sharing and Find My iPhone, any family member can help locate any other member’s missing device. Everyone’s devices appear in a single list in the Find My iPhone app, which makes it easier than ever to locate a child’s misplaced iPad or help a family member secure a device that has been lost or stolen.

If you prefer, you can hide your devices from family members by turning off Show My Devices in your Family Sharing settings.



Apple IDs for Kids
Children under 13 can also participate in Family Sharing. As a parent or legal guardian, the family organizer can provide verified parental consent for a child to have their own Apple ID, and create it on the child’s behalf. Once the account is created, it will be added to the Family automatically.

Children enjoy the same features as other family members and, by default, have access to the same music, movies, TV shows, books, and apps. You can limit what content your children have access to on the devices they use via Restrictions on an iOS device or Parental Controls on OS X and iTunes. Ask to Buy is enabled by default for children under 13.

Leaving Family Sharing
When you leave Family Sharing, your account is removed from the family group and you immediately stop sharing music, movies, TV shows, books, and apps with any remaining family members.

Any DRM-protected music, movies, TV shows, books, or apps you previously downloaded from other family members’ collections will no longer be usable, and other family members will no longer be able to use content downloaded from your collection. If you have made In-App Purchases from an app originally purchased by someone else, you will need to purchase the app yourself to regain access to your In-App Purchases.

In addition, family photos, calendar, and reminders will be removed from your devices, you will stop sharing your location with other family members, and your devices will be removed from the family Find My iPhone device list.


Please follow iLoveNewsForApple for more on what's new in iOS 8.

What's New in iOS 8: Photos, Camera

Apple is introducing some significant improvements to Photos in iOS 8. 

Here's a look at what's new!

iCloud Photo Library
Now all your photos can be stored in iCloud. This will let you access any photo you've taken from any device. The images are stored at full resolution in their original formats, including RAW files. iCloud Photo Library can be enabled from the Settings app in the Photos & Camera section.



iCloud Photo Library will also be able to automatically keep your original high-resolution photos and videos in iCloud and leave behind lightweight versions on your devices. 



With iOS 8 you can now press hold on an image to Hide it from Collections, Moments, and Years. However, it will still be available in Albums. You can also favorite a photo by tapping the heart icon in the bottom bar. If you want to rearrange the order of your photos, choose an Album, tap the Select button at the top right, press and hold an image, then drag it to its new location.



Edits that you make to photos are automatically synchronized across devices if you have iCloud Photo Library enabled. The edits are non-destructive and you can return to the original version if you want.



Search
You can now search your photo library! iOS 8 lets you search by date or time a photo was taken, location, or album name.

In addition, tapping the search icon at the top right offers suggestions such as photos taken nearby, photos taken the same time last year, or all-time favorite photos.



Smart Composition
The Photos app can now automatically straighten horizons and provide the ideal crop to images that weren't composed perfectly. Simply tap the Edit button and choose the Crop tool. If you don't like the automatic adjustment, just tap the Reset button and you can perform the crop and rotate adjustments manually.



Smart Adjustments
There are new adjustment sliders for Light and Color. You can use the smart sliders to find just the right lighting and make colors pop. 


If you aren't happy with the basic adjustment, tap the details icon. For Light this will bring up individual controls for Brightness, Contrast, Exposure, Highlights, and Shadows. For Color this will bring up individual controls for Contrast and Vibrancy. Each of these controls have their own sliders which can be set separately. 


Filters
Apple says it has enhanced its photo filters in iOS 8. There's still only eight to choose from; however, app developers can now make their filters and editing tools accessible in the Photos app.



Time-Lapse Video
You can now capture beautiful time-lapse videos with a new Time-lapse mode available in Camera. The camera will snap photos at dynamically selected intervals and the result is a video showing an accelerated sequence of the photos over time. 

Swipe all the way to the right to select the Time-lapse mode, tap the Record button, and let Camera record as long as you choose.


[via]

Timer
A new timer control is available in the Camera app. Taping the Timer icon lets you choose between a 3s and 10s delay. Once you tap the shutter button, the iPhone's flash will flash once per second as the timer counts down. You'll also see the countdown progress on screen via large numbers that are flashed on top of the camera view. Notably, a burst of 11 photos are taken when using the Timer.


[via]

Manual Exposure Controls
Photographers will be happy to learn that iOS 8 finally offers some manual exposure control in the Camera app. Tapping the camera view brings up the typical auto-focus box; however, next to it there is now a small sunshine icon. This is the exposure control.

If you drag the sunshine icon up you increase the exposure. Dragging it down, decreases the exposure.

Gameloft Posts 'Spider-Man Unlimited' Announcement Trailer [Video]

Gameloft has teamed up with Marvel to announce the development of a new smartphone and tablet title, Spider-Man: Unlimited, the very first web-runner inspired by over 50 years of Spider-Man comics.

"Gameloft is once again honored to be working with the timeless super-hero universes created by Marvel," says Karine Kaiser, VP Marketing & Licensing at Gameloft. "With Spider-Man Unlimited, players can expect a faithful recreation of the Spider-Man comics through an incredible narrative runner experience."

Fans will enjoy the thrill of swinging, running, and fighting through a chaotic New York on the brink of destruction, as The Formidable Sinister Six attempt to gain unlimited power by opening a malevolent dimensional rift to our world. It's up to Peter Parker and iconic Spider-Man variations such as Iron Spider-Man, Spider-Man Noir, Future Foundation Spider-Man and Ben Reilly Spider-Man to team up and stop them. Fans will be inspired to collect and upgrade over 23 different Spider-Men, the most variations in any game, as they battle through an episodic adventure, featuring three narrative-driven issues facing Green Goblin, Vulture, Electro, and their dimensional counterparts along the way.

"Gameloft has done a great job of creating a true to character Spider-Man experience for mobile gamers," says Javon Frazier, VP of Games Marketing, Marvel. "Fans of all ages will enjoy the endless action of running, swinging and fighting through villains across New York City."

Spider-Man Unlimited is scheduled to release on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Android and Windows Phone early September 2014.

Apple Retail Stores Could Soon Offer Prepaid and Month-to-Month iPhone Plans

In an effort to help boost iPhone sales in its own retail stores, Apple is planning on soon offering pre-paid and month-to-month plans in its United State retail stores, according to 9to5mac. The plans would be offered to customers who when purchasing a full-priced, unlocked iPhone, rather than signing a two-year agreement. 

If someone wanted to get a month-to-month service today, they would have to buy the iPhone at the Apple store, then go to a local carrier and setup their service with the device. However, that could all change if Apple offers the service directly through the Apple Store. Apple will be patterning with AT&T and T-Mobile for this new initiative. 

Apple Stores will soon stock up on AT&T GoPhone pre-paid activation kits and SIM cards, and stores will use the existing T-Mobile SIM cards for customers that will choose T-Mobile pre-paid plans. Apple will begin training its store employees on the new pre-paid and month-to-month iPhone sales practices in the coming weeks. Sales staff will promote AT&T’s $60 per month pre-paid plan (with 2.5GB of internet data and unlimited talk and text) to those seeking AT&T plans, while the stores will offer $50/month (1GB LTE data) and $70/month (5GB LTE data) unlimited data plans to customers seeking T-Mobile devices. The activations must be done at the time of purchase in Apple Stores and those devices will be unable to be returned to Apple for a refund.

Retail employees will offer AT&T's $60 unlimited talk/text plan with 2.5GB of data, and T-Mobile's offerings include $50/month for 1GB of data and $70/month for 5GB of data.

This new initiative will reportedly begin in the last week of June, and is a continued effort by the company to push iPhone sales in their own stores versus other retailers.