iOS

Apple may not be able to do anything to stop a mugger from stealing your iPhone, but changes in iOS 7 will prevent the thief from trying to sell the phone as new.

At its Worldwide Developers Conference here on Monday, Apple unveiled several security enhancements. Activation Lock is the most interesting. Though the company didn't go deep into detail on the new feature, Apple's head of Mac software engineering, Craig Federighi, said the feature prevents unauthorized resetting of an iPhone or iPad.

Basically, if the Find My Phone tracking utility has been deactivated, or if the phone … Read more

Apple touted several new and improved products at its keynote event at the Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, from a revamped iOS design to a music streaming service to a new MacBook Air. But some items were noticeably missing in action.

Apple revealed several changes to its MacBook Air, including the adoption of Intel's fourth-generation Core "Haswell" processor, built-in support for Wi-Fi 802.11ac, and beefier battery life. But the new version of Apple's ultrabook will be stuck with the same resolution as always since the Retina Display wasn't on the list of enhancements.

Although … Read more

It's official: iOS 7 arrives this fall, bringing with it a Cook's ransom in new features and a fairly radical new design.

I suspect the latter will spark the most conversation, with some users no doubt finding the much-ballyhooed "flat" icons just plain flat. (My take: They've transformed from pretty to ugly. I like the new fonts and overall design, but those icons look really amateurish.)

Ah, but on the feature front, iOS 7 doesn't disappoint. Apple packed in so many badly needed updates and improvements, it's hard to know where to tap … Read more

At today's WWDC keynote in San Francisco, Apple announced several new features for its updated mobile OS, iOS 7.

As is common with software updates, not every current device will be compatible, however. iOS 7 will be available only for the iPhone 4 and later, the iPad 2 and later, the iPad Mini, and lastly, the fifth generation of the iPod Touch.

Compared to the devices capable of running the last OS version (iOS 6), this leaves out the iPhone 3GS and the fourth-generation iPod Touch.

Furthermore, not all iOS 7 features will work with all of the aforementioned … Read more

Confirming an earlier rumor, Apple announced heavy integration between iOS and cars during its WWDC 2013 keynote.

Details were sketchy at the keynote, but Apple Vice President Eddy Cue said that Honda, Mercedes, Nissan, Ferrari, Hyundai, Kia, and Infiniti, among others, were integrating more features from iOS into their cars, making maps and iMessages available on a car's LCD.

Currently, many cars include integration with iOS music functions, letting drivers plug their iOS devices into a car's USB, then see and select music from the car's LCD.

A presentation photo at the keynote showed a mock-up of … Read more

Apple unveiled on Monday a new look for Siri that came with new voice options, actions, and some hot integration, including in-car options and music streaming.

The voice command technology has new voices, female and male -- also available in French and German. Siri's display includes a new look that shows a sound wave at the bottom while its detecting a user's voice and full-screen results.

Users can instruct Siri to complete functions like "turn off my Bluetooth," or "increase my brightness," according to software VP Eddy Cue. The digital assistant also has a … Read more

While Apple's updates to Safari for OS X Mavericks are more about keeping up with the Joneses, Safari for iOS 7 looks to forge new ground by making the browser look and feel more like the operating system.

Safari for iOS 7 features a nearly chrome-less interface ("chrome" refers to the visible interface portions of software), a new tab view, fewer restrictions on tabs, and iCloud Keychain integration, Apple announced at its Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday.

By default, the iOS 7 Safari is set to what looks like full-screen mode. With the browser's chrome mostly … Read more

Apple has dramatically revamped the look and feel of the iOS user interface for its mobile devices.

"It's the biggest change to iOS since the iPhone," Apple CEO Tim Cook said Monday during the keynote event at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, where the company introduced the new version of the software that runs its iPhones and iPads.

For the latest version of iOS, called iOS 7, the company revamped the user interface, giving it a new "flat" design. What does that mean? For one, Apple has taken the edge off the icons that populate its home screen. And some of the icons now sport a new logo and color.… Read more

At its Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, Apple gave the world a glimpse of the next products in its pipeline, with the next version of its Mac operating system leading the way.

Read on for a quick recap.

Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks After years of gracing OS X with cat-related names (Leopard, Lion, Mountain Lion, and so on), the company has moved on, shifting now to California-themed titles for future versions of the operating system. And the first in that new line is OS X 10.9, aka Mavericks.

Named after the world-famous surfing competition held near Half … Read more