New app lets you mirror your iPhone or iPad’s display on any computer

IPhone and iPad users looking for a simple solution that will allow them to mirror their iOS device's displays on any Windows or Mac computer now have a terrific new option in Mirroring360. Just announced by Splashtop, this nifty app does one thing and it does it quite well: It uses AirPlay to stream anything and everything that might be displayed on your iPhone or iPad's screen to your desktop or laptop PC.

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Posted in 2014 at 10:15PM, June 27

Buyer's Guide: Discounts on New iMac, iPhones, iPod Touch, and More [Mac Blog]

There are some great deals on Apple-related software and accessories this week, as well as some decent discounts on the iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, and the new iMac.



For the next day, customers can get the new low-end 21.5-inch iMac for just $830 from Best Buy with a $120 discount on the iMac itself combined with a $150 discount on all Macs for students with an .EDU email address, a total price drop of $269. Students can also get a $150 discount on all iMacs and MacBooks through July 12.





The 16GB iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s are available for $29 and $99, respectively, from Walmart. Walmart's new prices are permanent, and offer $79 off the iPhone 5c and $100 off the iPhone 5s.





Following the introduction of new 16GB iPod touches for $199, Best Buy has discounted the original 16GB iPod touch with no rear facing camera to $170.99, $58 off its original price and $29 less than the new iPod touches. Best Buy is also offering a slight discount of $12.50 on the 32GB iPod touch, selling it for $237.49, down from $249.99.







As far as accessories go, Best Buy is offering discounts on several different iPad mini Smart Covers. Light Gray, Dark Gray, and Pink, for example, can be purchased for $16.99, a $23.00 discount from the standard $39.99 retail price. Green and Red are available for $19.99.



New users of the Hotel Tonight app, which is designed to find deals on last minute hotel bookings can get a $25 credit by entering the promo code "TONIGHT" during account sign-up.



The Incase Hard-Shell Case for the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro is available for $14.99 from Groupon, a discount of $35 off the regular $50 price tag.





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, since a new iPod touch variant was recently released, it's unlikely another update is in the works for the near future, making it a good time to buy.



MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors.

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Posted in 2014 at 07:24PM, June 27

Adobe 'Doubling Down' on Lightroom in Wake of Apple's Aperture Announcement

Following Apple's announcement that it plans to cease further development on its professional photo editing software, Aperture, Adobe has released a statement encouraging Aperture users to check out its Creative Cloud plan or its standalone Lightroom app, a longtime Aperture competitor. The company says it is committed to helping former Aperture and iPhoto customers transition to Lightroom.

Put simply we're doubling down on our investments in Lightroom and the new Creative Cloud Photography plan and you can expect to see a rich roadmap of rapid innovation for desktop, web and device workflows in the coming weeks, months and years. We also continue to invest actively on the iOS and OSX platforms, and are committed to helping interested iPhoto and Aperture customers migrate to our rich solution across desktop, device and web workflows.

Known as Aperture's biggest competitor, Lightroom is another solution for professional photo editing. Adobe has a Creative Cloud subscription plan aimed specifically at photographers, offering access to both Photoshop and Lightroom for $9.99 per month. While this plan used to be temporary, Adobe recently made it a permanent addition to Creative Cloud. Adobe also offers access to its full suite of Creative Cloud apps, including Lightroom, for $49.99 per month.



Adobe has developed Lightroom mobile apps for both the iPhone and the iPad, both of which seamlessly connect to the desktop version of Lightroom, allowing users to edit and manage their library of photos on any device.



While both Aperture and Lightroom offer similar professional photo editing capabilities, Lightroom has enjoyed regular updates as part of Adobe's Creative Cloud, while Aperture has been falling behind for quite some time now. Lightroom received an update earlier this month, while Aperture was last updated in November of 2013.

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Posted in 2014 at 06:52PM, June 27

The PS4′s surprising summer sales weakness

The strong early sales performances of the Xbox One and PS4 consoles have caused some jubilation. The PS4 is clearly leading the Xbox One in sales volume at this point, but both consoles can be claimed to have beaten expectations at least marginally. One sign of this strength can be found in the share prices of Electronic Arts and Activision, which have jumped giddily since the new consoles hit stores.

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Posted in 2014 at 06:41PM, June 27

Apple's Professional Video Apps Final Cut Pro, Motion, and Compressor Updated [Mac Blog]

After announcing plans to cease development of its professional photo editing software, Aperture, Apple is assuring users of its other professional-oriented software that it plans to continue video development with a series of new updates.





Final Cut Pro, Motion, Compressor, and MainStage Pro are all being updated today, with Final Cut Pro receiving the largest update. The update for the professional video software includes a range of new features and improvements:

- Optimized, proxy, and rendered media can be stored at any location outside of the library

- Easily delete optimized, proxy, and rendered media from within Final Cut Pro X

- Used media indicators for Compound clips, Multicam clips, and Synced clips

- Option to show only unused media in the Browser

- Apply a standard (Rec. 709) look in real time to high dynamic range and wide color gamut video from ARRI, Blackmagic Design, Canon, and Sony cameras

- Automatically apply an ARRI embedded 3D LUT from the new AMIRA camera

- Support for Apple ProRes 4444 XQ

- Improved speed and accuracy when synchronizing clips

- Audio recording improvements including countdown and automatic Audition creation from multiple takes

- Fast export of cuts-only projects containing XDCAM media

- Export entire library as a single XML file

- Selecting a library displays key metadata in the Inspector

- Adjust relative and absolute volume of a clip or range selection

- Create Keywords from Finder Tags when importing media

- Option to sort events by date or name in the Libraries list

- Import a clip by dragging directly into the Browser

- Share 4K video to Vimeo

The other apps have gained minor improvements, such as support for Apple ProRes 4444 XQ in both Motion and Compressor along with improved sequence text behavior in Motion and improved performance in Compressor.



All of the apps are available from the App Store, with Final Cut Pro priced at $299, and Motion and Compressor priced at $50. According to TechCrunch , a MainStage update is also coming later today.



- Final Cut Pro [Direct Link]

- Motion [Direct Link]

- Compressor [Direct Link]

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Posted in 2014 at 06:23PM, June 27

Toyko, Zion National Park Added to Apple Maps Flyover Feature [iOS Blog]

Apple has added two new locations to its Maps Flyover feature in iOS, including Tokyo, Japan and Zion National Park in Utah. The new additions to Flyover allow users to take a close 3D look at the areas, zooming in on buildings and landmarks.



First introduced with iOS 6 and based on technology acquired from the purchase of C3 Technologies, Flyover is now available in 88 different locations across the world.




Zion National Park in Utah


The new additions to Flyover come as Apple works to continue to improve its Maps app. Recently, users have reported significant improvements in Apple Maps data, with errors being fixed with quick turnaround and additional POI locations added in many places. Apple also made notable updates to Maps in China, Japan, and several other countries back in March.



iOS 8 is expected to bring new features to Maps, though not at release. Transit directions and other Maps improvements are in the works, but may not be available to customers until the first significant iOS 8 update, possibly iOS 8.1, in 2015. iOS 8 also includes a new "City Tours" Flyover feature hidden within the code that lets users view a city's major points of interest via Flyover, but it is not yet unlocked.

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Posted in 2014 at 06:05PM, June 27

Audi to Introduce CarPlay Compatible Cars in 2015 [iOS Blog]

Audi has announced plans to integrate Apple's CarPlay system into its Audi Multi Media Interface, and new Audi models supporting CarPlay will become available to customers beginning in 2015. Audi says that its development lab in Silicon Valley is in an "intensive dialog" with Apple as it works to integrate CarPlay into Audi cars.

Our customers want to be 'always on' and use the services they know from their smartphones in cars as well," says Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Board Member for Technical Development at AUDI AG. "In this regard, we are working closely with leading companies like Google and Apple. In the future, customers will be able to use the functions available to them on their smartphones via the operating systems in their cars as well.

Designed to overlay an iPhone's display on a car's in-dash infotainment system, CarPlay allows users hands-free access for functions like getting directions, making phone calls, sending messages, and more, using Siri voice control. CarPlay also includes support for several different iPhone apps like Spotify, Beats Music, iHeartRadio, and MLB at Bat , among others.



Audi joins a number of other manufacturers that have partnered with Apple, including Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, BMW, Ford, Hyundai, GM, and Honda, with the first CarPlay-supported cars becoming available later this year. Several aftermarket consoles from companies like Alpine and Pioneer will also support CarPlay before the end of the year.

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Posted in 2014 at 05:21PM, June 27