The Upload
By MIKE LAKE
Ever wonder what makes your iPhone tick? The software that runs Apple’s iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch is called iOS. Currently, iOS 4 is the brain behind these devices.
This October (unofficially), Apple is due to release not only iOS 5, a new operating system for these devices, but they also plan to unleash a newly redesigned phone appropriately named the iPhone 5.
As of this writing, Apple has yet to give the world a definitive date as to when either of these technological wonders will actually hit the streets, but rumor suggests that Apple will release them both in time for the Christmas shopping rush, presumably before Thanksgiving. The iOS developers already have their hands on a beta version. So if you’re a developer, get out there and get an early version before your friends do. An Apple rollout event scheduled tentatively for October 4th will likely display the new phone and the new OS with all its new tech candy. This could mean the package deal will be available to the public as early as mid October.
In a developer’s conference in July of this year, Scott Forstall, Senior VP of iOS Software, gave a demo of the biggest changes to iOS 5 among which are new built-in apps that sync subscriptions to magazines and newspapers right to your iPad. In addition, he announced a multitude of new gestures to control the touch screen, and my personal favorite, a new system for controlling those pesky push notifications and text messages that constantly interrupt gaming sessions and other productive endeavors. Forstall boasts 200 distinctly new features for iOS 5, and that is a lot. I’m not sure if I even know 200 things about the current version of iOS. To learn more about these changes and iOS 5, you can check out the video of the conference at http://events.apple.com.edgesuite.net/11piubpwiqubf06/event/.
New Apple CEO Tim Cook has his hands full trying to keep a wrap on the fabled iPhone 5. In September of this year, an Apple employee reported a stolen prototype of the new device from a San Francisco bar. Why it was at a bar in the first place is anyone’s guess. You would think that after a similar incident prior to the iPhone 4 release back in 2010, Apple would have learned its lesson. Apparently not. This brings up an interesting conversation: Is Apple doing this on purpose? Is there such a thing as bad press?
Clever iPhone stunts included, iOS is the most widely used mobile platform on the planet boasting over 200 million iOS devices sold worldwide since 2008. Apple iOS claims 44% of the mobile market while Android comes in second at 28%. With the exciting changes on the horizon for iOS 5, Apple is likely to maintain its mobile market domination.
Monthly App Junky
5 apps that should be considered “habit forming” and are potentially dangerous to your social life
1. Loopseque
I’ve never thought of myself as a dj, and anyone who has heard what I can produce with this app will most likely agree that I shouldn’t quit my day job. But I can’t get enough of Loopseque. Create your own beats, mix an entire arrangement and change it on the fly, all with an incredibly intuitive interface. Watch out Dj Jazzy Jeff.
2. MyPad
This Facebook /Twitter hybrid is easy to use and easy to navigate. Keep yourself connected with this app.
3. Epic War TD
When hordes of aliens and war mongering machines bent on destruction stroll through town, it’s your job to put as much firepower between them and wherever it is they are strolling. As of yet, my high score is too big to mention here, but I will say that wave 186 is my longest survival streak.
4. NFL 2011
Yes, I am a football fanatic. Yes, I like to know every stat from every game. Yes, I am deeply affected emotionally when my team loses. And no, I’m not telling you who my favorite team is. Suffice it to say, I have suffered immense emotional trauma since number 13 left the ranks.
5. Tiny Tower
I’m not entirely sure when this game started interfering with my social life, but I know that seeing those little pixelated people walking around aimlessly with absolutely no expression makes me want to be a better person.