iOS 8 adoption target for iPad

People are always comparing iOS to Android and this has generated some interesting debates, as there are pros and cons for both platforms, but when it comes to adoption rates for a new version of either mobile OS, well it is Apple that claims the prize. Adoption rates are always higher for a new version of iOS because it is always compatible with almost all iPads, iPhones and iPod touches.

A recent study from Chitika’s analytics team has found that iOS 7 adoption for the iPad was 85 percent, which compared to 82.9 percent for iOS 6 is considered a great achievement. It is for this very reason why we believe that Apple will have an even greater iOS 8 adoption target for the iPad.

According to Chitika there has been greater growth in people using iOS 7 on the iPad over the last 3 months, which makes sense because some iOS users put off installing a new version until they know it is as stable and all the kinks have been ironed out.

We know that iOS 7 still has its issues, but it is far better than when it was first released. However, we hope to see what Apple has planned for iOS 8 on Monday during WWDC 2014. Apple will not go into as much detail as they usually do, as there is to be a greater focus on OS X 10.10 , but we should find out some of the main iOS 8 features.

One feature we hope to see is support for iOS to OS X AirDrop , as no doubt this could help increase adoption rate because this is something we have been wanting for several years now. It’s not just the iPad that had an increased adoption rate with iOS 7, as the iPhone also saw an increase to 89.7 percent, but we have to warn that these figures might not be as accurate, although there is still a clear increase.

This is what the Apple iPhone 6 couldlook like

Recently, schematics allegedly showing the dimensions of the next two versions of the Apple iPhone were leaked. The 4.7 inch Apple iPhone 6 had dimensions of 137mm tall x 66mm wide x 7.0 mm thick. The 5.7 inch Apple iPhone phablet weighed in at 157mm tall x 77mm wide x 6.7 mm thick. With that thin form factor, we wouldn't be surprised if the larger screened model was the one rumored to be called the Apple iPhone Air .

MacRumors paid designer Ferry Passchier to develop renders of both phones, based on the schematics. We can see the more rounded corners, smaller top, bottom and side bezels, and a power button that is moved from the right side to the left side of the device. And similar to some iPhone 6 cases that we've seen, the flash has reverted back to a round design . 

There has also been talk that Apple will release the 4.7 inch Apple iPhone 6 this year, with the larger model coming to the market sometime next year.

iOS 7 beta 4 code 'confirms' fingerprint sensor in new iPhone

Looks like rumours of a new iPhone with
a fingerprint sensor might finally turn
out to be true, going by close analysis
of the latest beta of iOS 7.
According to a report by 9to5mac.com,
iOS 7 beta 4, which was seeded to
registered developers on Monday,
includes a folder named
"BiometricKitUI." The code present in
the Accessibility section of the OS
contains text strings related to a
VoiceOver tutorial with instructions on
using the fingerprint sensor on the
iPhone. The report is in turn based on
observations by Hamza Sood . The text
strings mention:
"Photo of a person holding an
iPhone with their left hand while
touching the Home button with
their thumb
Photo of a person holding an
iPhone with their right hand while
touching the Home button with
their thumb
A fingerprint that changes colour
during the setup process.
Recognition is %@ complete"
The string indicates that the
fingerprint sensor would most likely be
present on the iPhone's Home button
and it's likely that it would be
deployed in the unlocking mechanism of
the phone.
Previous reports had indicated that
Apple had selected Taiwanese chip
maker Chipbond for sourcing a number
of components for the iPhone 5S,
including the touch display driver and
hardware to support fingerprint sensor
and near field communications (NFC)
functionality. The report suggested
that Apple would integrate the
fingerprint sensor with NFC driven
mobile payments to strengthen
security, which remains a major
concern for the company.
Apple had acquired mobile security firm
AuthenTec, last year, in a deal valued
at about $356 million. AuthenTec makes
security software and chips including
chips for fingerprint recognition and
near-field communication (NFC) for
mobile phones that it licenses to
companies like Samsung. After the deal,
analysts and tech pundits have been
expecting Apple to use the technology
in its next generation iPhone. Another
report had pointed out to the
company's notice to its customers
saying that it won't offer its
technology to them starting 2013.
While the Apple iPhone 5 was also
rumoured to support NFC before its
launch, the company did not include it.
It does support mobile payments via
Passbook, Apple's software-based
wallet.
Earlier, KGI Securities analyst Ming-
Chi Kuo had also claimed in his new
research report that the Apple iPhone
5S would have a fingerprint reader
under the Home button for security.
Meanwhile, the iOS 7 beta 4 brings
several performance, usability and
cosmetic changes. In terms of UI
changes, the beta fixes the position of
the 'slide to unlock' arrow in the lock
screen, brings new buttons to the
dialler and call answer screens, a
Cancel option in universal search
(Spotlight) interface, ability to swipe
between different sections in
Notification Center, visual tweaks in
Safari and Mail apps, tweaked filters
UI and HDR button in the Camera app,
new Airplay icons, and improved
transparency and animations in
folders.
Usability wise, the new beta supports
unlimited apps in the multitasking view,
faster Compass calibration, new sound
alert for AirDrop, Siri Q&A feature,
new resolution switch in the iPad while
running iPhone apps, ability to shuffle
all songs in the Music app, and search
functionality in Reminders app,
amongst other changes.

Samsung Galaxy Note III to be released on September 4th

We’ve been seeing an awful lot of
Galaxy Note 3 news lately, so it’s only
fitting that we hear more about the
upcoming device’s imminent release
date. If you recall, we previously
indicated to you that the phablet would
be released at IFA 2013, which is
sometime in September. Well
according to the gang at Android
Geeks, we won’t see the Galaxy Note
3 at IFA 2013. Instead, the Galaxy
Note 3 will be unveiled on September
4th at a Samsung Unpacked event,
slightly ahead of IFA 2013 .
Considering Apple will also unveil its
iPhone 5S around that time, Samsung
will roll the dice and hope its
upcoming device will be the phone to
beat for the Fall and holiday seasons.
So yes friends, it’s looking like the
mouthwatering Android 4.3 Android
4.2.2 phablet will be seen in only 2
months’ time. You folks getting warm
and fuzzy yet?

iOS 7: Battery Saving Features

If you’re unhappy with the current longevity of your iPhone’s battery life, you might want to hold off switching to Android because, come fall 2013,iOS 7promises to make things better in this department.iOS 7 comes with a lot of aesthetic pleasantries but also with a bunch of under-the-hood optimizations that keep the phone from taxing the CPU and battery.For instance,Multitaskingin iOS 7 not only knows when to update your social networks with the latest news and messages from your friends, it also updates all your apps with all the latest bug fixes and new features, automatically, and in the background.The new iOS schedules updates during “power-efficient times,” as Apple itself puts it. For example, when Google publishes a new versionof its YouTube app and your device is on and connected to Wi-Fi, it’ll instantly download the updated YouTube to your device.This way you don’t have to move through different screens, tap buttons, and wait for the progress gauge to fill up. And, best of all, that App Store icon will never show a red badge again.Another power-saving feature isControl Center.That’s right. Although Apple doesn’tmarket Control Center as such, it too works to reduce power drain on your iPhone or iPod touch.The reason is simple too. Instead of having to navigate to the Settings app and then browse endlessly to find those On/Off toggles for Airplane mode, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, andDo Not Disturb, all you do is swipe upand tap once.The screen brightness slider is also there, allowing you to dim the lights in a second when your battery is running low. Everything is much easier to access in iOS 7, so you’ll waste less time performing actions (with the screen on).