Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Apple : Is Apple looking to improve Siri with an eye toward the iWatch?

Apple : Is Apple looking to improve Siri with an eye toward the iWatch?

Is Apple looking to improve Siri with an eye toward the iWatch?

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Is Apple looking to improve Siri with an eye toward the iWatch?

Apple is currently hard at work getting Siri to play more nicely with third party apps, in part to prepare for the iWatch launch, a report says.

Tech site The Information claims in a story about apps and mobile search that Apple wants to enable Siri to do things like book reservations and send texts through third party apps without requiring Apple to work directly with those apps' developers.

Siri is currently able to interface with apps like OpenTable and Wolfram Alpha, but Apple had to work directly with those developers to set the functionality up.

The improvements will make integrating non-Apple apps with Siri functionality easier and faster, potentially paving the way for the iWatch and its accompanying app ecosystem.

Google Now improving too?

Further evidence that Siri development is taking a turn toward an Apple smartwatch can be found in a feature that would allow the virtual personal assistant to bring specific apps to the forefront contextually.

For example Siri could hypothetically open Nike+ or RunKeeper if you start jogging, maximizing the efficiency of a small-screened device like the iWatch while requiring minimal direct interaction from users.

In addition Google is said to be working on beefing up Google Now's interactions with third party apps as well, by creating an index of apps' capabilities that the service could refer back to automatically.

The Odd Mac Out? Non-Retina MacBook Pro could be set for retirement

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The Odd Mac Out? Non-Retina MacBook Pro could be set for retirement

Apple may soon cease production of the 13-inch MacBook Pro (without the Retina Display), according to reports on Wednesday.

Digitimes (insert scepticism here) brings word that last of the classic MacBook Pro models will be phased out, joining with the 15-inch model that met its doom in 2013 in company's history section.

The basic MacBook Pro model, which is the cheapest of the range, hasn't had an upgrade since the summer of 2012 so it wouldn't be at all surprising if the Apple allowed it to ride off into the night.

Death to the classics

In recent times, the model has become the odd-man out in the MacBook equation, akin to the iPod classic of computing.

Since the last basic Pro update, the MacBook Air has become more powerful and less expensive, while Apple has placed its focus on the super-hi-res Pro models with Retina Display.

If Apple were to bump off the device, fans may hope the price of those Retina Macs would come down to compensate, but that remains to be soon.

It is thought that new Retina devices featuring Intel's next-gen Broadway processors will arrive this summer, potentially alongside a 12-inch version.

Apple gets green light for flexible, curved iPhone with virtual buttons

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Apple gets green light for flexible, curved iPhone with virtual buttons

Apple has been granted a panted that, among other things, exposes the company's possible plans for a flexible, curved iPhone with virtual buttons.

The patent was originally filed in 2011 and first surfaced in March 2013, but as of now it officially belongs to Apple.

The images from the patent, first seen a year ago, show a curved iPhone with a wraparound display that grants it extra surface area able to display five apps per row.

The hypothetical new iPhone can use multiple cameras to track users' faces and adjust the display accordingly.

Virtual buttons

In addition the patent covers virtual buttons, which would be a first for an Apple mobile.

Apple has long stood by its physical home button, and the volume and lock buttons have always seemed essential as well. But this patent shows that the input configuration of Apple's iPhones may not be as cemented in stone as one might have thought.

The volume control in this version is still on the left side, but has some added functionality. For example, the volume level would be visible at all times, and touching the virtual buttons in a certain way could expand the control to span the entire left side of the phone, giving users finer control.

In addition the lock button's functionality could hypothetically be controlled using touch gesture's on the phone's sides.

Now that Apple's been granted this patent, will we see all these features in the iPhone 6? It seems unlikely, but you never know.

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