See Handoff on OS X Yosemite and iOS 8 in Action

With iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite, Apple is focusing heavily on increased integration between desktop and mobile through several new "Continuity" features, including Handoff, which allows users to start a task on one device and swap to another nearby device.



While Handoff doesn't appear to work reliably at this point in time and is listed as one of the features currently unavailable in the beta software, some users have been able to get it working, giving us a quick glimpse at how the feature works.



A video from French site Mac4Ever displays how the feature works with Maps, Safari, and Mail. A map opened on the iPhone is automatically picked up by the Mac, displayed in the lower left corner of the screen, with the process repeated for a site in Safari and an email message in Mail.






Handoff is also demonstrated in a second video from Cult of Mac, which explains how Handoff works and shows the feature being used with Safari and Mail. The video also demonstrates a second Continuity feature, which allows Macs and iPads to make and answer phone calls relayed through an iPhone.






Handoff, Mac/iPad phone calls, and the other Continuity features will continue to be refined during the iOS 8/OS X Yosemite beta testing period. Both iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite are currently available to developers and are expected to be released to the public in the fall.

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Posted in 2014 at 10:25PM, June 13

Apple Plans to Encrypt iCloud Email in Transit Between Providers [Mac Blog]

NPR Yesterday wrote a story on the efforts of tech companies to protect consumer data, which included an extensive chart on how companies measure up when it comes to encryption.



While Apple was found to be encrypting iMessage end-to-end, as well as email from customers to iCloud, it was found to be one of the few global email providers based in the U.S. that does not encrypt customer email in transit between providers. That means emails that are sent from iCloud to iCloud are encrypted, but emails sent from iCloud to other providers, such as Gmail, are not encrypted.



Following the post, however, Apple told NPR that it is planning to encrypt those emails in the near future.

Apple encrypts e-mail from its customers to iCloud. However, Apple is one of the few global email providers based in the U.S. that is not encrypting any of its customers' email in transit between providers. After we published, the company told us this would soon change. This affects users of me.com and mac.com email addresses.

As noted by 9to5Mac , Apple's response to NPR mentions only Me.com and Mac.com without a mention of the newer iCloud.com email addresses, but Google's data protection transparency website suggests that outbound iCloud.com emails are not encrypted, so it is likely Apple's plans include changes to the iCloud.com domain as well.





As noted by NPR, end-to-end encryption of emails sent back and forth between service providers requires cooperation between providers. Both email services involved (such as Apple and Google or Apple and Yahoo) must implement encryption, which means Apple will need to work with other email providers for true end-to-end encryption of iCloud.com email.



NPR's study also noted that many app installations and iOS updates are sent unencrypted to iPhones, as are configuration files sent from telecom companies, and pre-login browsing/shopping traffic from the Apple Store.

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Posted in 2014 at 09:53PM, June 13

Buyer's Guide: Discounts on Retina MacBook Pro, iPad mini, Beats Headphones, and More [Mac Blog]

There are some great deals on Apple-related accessories and services this week, as well as some decent discounts on the iPad mini and the 13 and 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro.



Beats Studio over-ear headphones can be purchased (in six colors) for $180 through Groupon, which is $89 off the price when purchased directly from Beats. Target is also offering 25 percent off Beats Music gift cards, dropping the $50 card to $37.50 and the $25 card to $18.75, essentially dropping the price of a yearly subscription from $99 to $75.





Speck's CandyShell Case for the iPad mini/Retina iPad mini can be purchased through Groupon for $14,99, a discount of $30. The iHealth Blood Pressure Monitor for iOS devices can also be purchased from Groupon for $30, a discount of $70.





Best Buy is offering the 16GB non-Retina iPad mini for $199, a discount of $100 from the standard $299 price. It's available in both white and space gray. Best Buy is also offering a $25 iTunes gift card with the purchase of a $99 Apple TV.





The higher-end 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro with 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM is available for $1,399 from Amazon, which is a $100 discount and one of the lowest prices we've seen on that configuration.





The lower-end 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro with 8GB of memory and 256GB of RAM can be purchased for $1,849.99 from Amazon, Adorama, and B&H, a $150 discount. The higher-end Retina MacBook Pro 512GB of storage and 16GB of RAM can be purchased for $2,449 from Amazon, Adorama, and B&H, also a discount of $150.



Customers in many states may find it preferable to order from Adorama or B&H, as these sites only charge sales tax in New York/New Jersey and New York, respectively.



Before making a purchase of a Mac or iOS device, make sure to consult our Buyer's Guide to find out if it's a good time to buy. For example, while there are some good deals to be had on the current iMac, our Buyer's Guide does not recommend a purchase at this time because an update is coming soon -- and prices will drop even lower.



MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors.

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Posted in 2014 at 07:39PM, June 13

E3 Preview: Metal Gear Solid V is enormous, ambitious and as weird as ever

If it had a release date, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain might have been my game of the show. I was a late comer to the series, but from the opening moment of the trailer at Sony's press conference to the gameplay demo I saw on the last day of E3, I couldn't have been more excited to finally get my hands on the first open world Metal Gear game. Sadly, it'll be a while before any of us get to play MGS V.

Continue reading...

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Posted in 2014 at 07:25PM, June 13

Apple Cracking Down on Fake App Store Reviews

Apple recently began cracking down on fake reviews in the App Store, a widespread problem that can affect both App Store rankings and Top Charts. According to research done by TechCrunch , Apple appears to have started removing false reviews earlier this year.



One app, Better Fonts Free , which is described by TechCrunch as "spammy," saw thousands of its June ratings disappear overnight. While the app has just 4,000 reviews at the current point in time, it previously had more than 20,000. Developers have no way to remove reviews, which means the fake reviews were pulled by Apple.

Instead, what happened is that Apple did step in to remove this app's ratings due to attempts by the developer to game the system. What's more, this is not the first time the company has done this, we now understand.



In fact, any time Apple finds credible evidence of ratings fraud or manipulation, it can and "often" does take action to remove the ratings associated with that activity.

There are several websites and marketing services that allow developers to purchase fake five-star reviews in an attempt to game the App Store charts, improving their rankings and their downloads. Apple has warned against these practices in the past, suggesting that developers who utilize services to manipulate their App Store rankings could be banned from Apple's developer program, so it is no surprise that the company has been quietly removing fake reviews.



It is unclear how Apple determines which reviews are false, but as anyone who has stumbled across a fake review in the App Store knows, they are often easy to spot. Most fake reviews use the same general wording, structure, and punctuation, in addition to being overly positive. The reviews below come from a low-quality highly-ranked app that has a perfect five star rating.





Apple has made several changes to the App Store in recent months with the aim of improving app discoverability. In late 2013, the App Store began compensating for small typos and misspellings and the company also implemented changes to the way apps are ranked for the Top Charts.



Just yesterday, Apple added a new 'Browse by Category' section ahead of major improvements being introduced to the App Store with iOS 8, including a new "Explore" tab and a search overhaul that includes trending and related searches.

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Posted in 2014 at 06:04PM, June 13

5.5-Inch iPhone 6 May Cost an Extra $100, but Consumers Willing to Pay

Over the past several months, there have been several rumors suggesting that a move to two different screen sizes on the iPhone 6 could come with a $100 price premium for the larger model. Rumors have indicated that Apple is planning to launch a 4.7-inch iPhone 6 around the September timeframe, with an even larger 5.5-inch model coming either at the same time or up to several months later.



Raymond James analyst Tavis McCourt has now weighed in (via MarketWatch ) with his own belief that the larger model will indeed include a $100 price premium. But according to McCourt's survey data, consumers are showing an increasing willingness to pay that premium for a larger device.

“Our June consumer survey points to continued growth in the willingness of iPhone users to pay $100 more for a bigger screened iPhone, with now a full one-third of survey respondents willing to pay a $100 premium,” he added.



In fact, he added, “data seems to suggest meaningful demand for a larger screen, which should logically mean the iPhone 6-cycle will be strong for upgrade sales, which combined with modest contribution from wearables should cause a modest acceleration in revenue growth in fiscal 2015.”

Analysts and other observers unsurprisingly expect the iPhone 6 to generate a massive upgrade spike given the move to a larger screen size. The iPhone's usual two-year design cycle typically sees stronger anticipation for new designs, and the significantly larger screen sizes appear to be boosting that excitement even more this year.

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Posted in 2014 at 05:57PM, June 13