Ios | featured news

Even if you’re not planning to upgrade your iPhone to the iPhone 5, that doesn’t mean you have to sit out the smartphone refresh fun. Apple’s going to release the next version of its operating system, iOS 6, to the public Wednesday, which will come with an improved version of Siri, a new mapping app and calling features, such as the ability to set a “do not disturb” period.

Apple Inc's worldwide legal crusade against the Android mobile operating system drew toward a climax on Tuesday as the iPhone maker's attorneys accused Samsung of taking a shortcut by copying Apple's designs after realizing it could not keep up.

The latest numbers are in: Android is on top, followed by iOS in a distant second. This word comes from Gartner, a top research firm for these sorts of things. Overall, within the last quarter, Android outsold iOS devices nearly three to one while capturing 64% of the worldwide market share. Samsung was the top dog accounting for 90M handset sales.

Hours after it was highlighted by a security firm, Russian-language malware on the iOS App Store was removed by Apple and is no longer available for download. Apple confirmed on Thursday to Jim Dalrymple of The Loop that it removed the malware, an application named "Find and Call," once it was alerted to its presence on the App Store. The company said the software was pulled for violating App Store guidelines by accessing a user's Address Book data without authorization.

Over the weekend, Facebook added a stalkerish feature called "Find Friends Nearby" to its mobile website; on Monday, it was gone. "Find Friends Nearby" let users of iOS and Android devices locate BFFs — and perhaps nBFFs (never BFFS) — who were within range.

General Motors will be one of the first automakers to support Apple's Eyes Free feature in iOS 6, according to a report by GMAuthority. Eyes Free will put a dedicated Siri button on the steering wheel, allowing users to control their iPhones without moving their hands.

Apple just unveiled a bunch of new iPhone and iPad features coming this fall in iOS 6, but no big surprises. The biggest new feature, as expected, is an entirely new Maps experience. Apple has taken over its maps back-end from Google, including a gorgeous 3D "flyover" mode, crowdsourced traffic information, Siri integration and turn-by-turn directions. (Public transit directions, a nice feature of Google Maps, seem to be missing. Perhaps Google will launch its own iOS Maps app now?)

The biggest new feature, as expected, is an entirely new Maps experience. Apple has taken over its maps back-end from Google, including a gorgeous 3D "flyover" mode, crowdsourced traffic information, Siri integration and turn-by-turn directions. (Public transit directions, a nice feature of Google Maps, seem to be missing. Perhaps Google will launch its own iOS Maps app now?)

Here is what we think we know about what Apple will announce at WWDC on Monday about Apple TV. It will be releasing an SDK to allow developers to create apps for a new Apple TV App Store which will be part of iOS 6. The existing Apple TV device and an improved version of AirPlay will enable iOS devices to control the TV screen through mirroring and dual screen apps. iOS 6 will be deeply integrated with iCloud, which will bring email, contacts, calendars, documents, music, movies and photos all to the TV screen in a way that is fluid and synchronized with all of your other screens.

About two weeks ago, something shocking happened. Apple’s OS X, which has long been thought of as nearly impervious to malware or viruses, was hit with a big, nasty piece of malicious software called Flashback.

At the moment, one of the chief unmet needs is simplicity, says Guenther, who was president of TiVo before joining NIM. While iPad users, for instance, can find most of the magazines they might want to buy in Apple‘s Newsstand app, they still have to download each magazine’s reader app individually and manage their subscriptions separately. NIM’s answer, which it’s unveiling Wednesday, is a unified tablet newsstand in which users can jump between dozens of different titles. At launch, it will be available on Android tablets running the Honeycomb operating system or higher, but Morgan says the company plans to submit its iOS app to Apple for approval in the next few weeks.