Both iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite were clearly the focus of Apple’s WWDC keynote, but one of the biggest surprise announcements was the reveal of Swift, a new programming language for developers. One of the language’s most noteworthy features, the playground, allows developers to test their code as they type, but without a “sandbox” to protect the computer, this can lead to some very unfortunate accidents.
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There were times when WWDC this year seemed like one of Steve Ballmer’s most infamous rants — it was all about “Developers, developers, developers, developers.” While anyone who was hoping for a big new product reveal came away from WWDC disappointed this year, you could nonetheless hear the excited squeals from developers at the conference when Apple unveiled its new Swift programming language. More than any other WWDC in recent memory, this one really was about keeping developers happy and Bloomberg reports that Apple has a very good reason to do this: It’s facing very tough competition from Google.
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For years, Sony has given PlayStation owners one incredible reason to sign up for its PlayStation Plus subscription service: the Instant Game Collection. With the Instant Game Collection, PS3, PS4 and PS Vita owners have received dozens of free games month after month, from small indie titles to full triple-A releases. Xbox Live subscribers began to question why their service lacked a similar perk, so Microsoft introduced Games with Gold at last year’s E3. One year later, Games with Gold is finally coming to Xbox One.
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What happens when a game takes on a life of its own? When developers make promises that they aren’t going to be able to keep, gamers usually call them out right away. No matter how good your game turns out to be, the chances of it being revolutionary are slim to none, but through some of the most masterful marketing we’re likely to see this generation, Watch Dogs kept everyone captivated until its release, quickly breaking every Ubisoft sales record in its path.
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Google Glass is the future. Or it’s not. In either case, there exists a serious problem in the head-mounted wearables category that is already causing a stir: Anywhere, at any time, a person wearing Google Glass might be recording you or photographing you without your knowledge.
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The war between Netflix and Verizon wages on as the movie and TV streaming service has begun to notify users that Verizon’s crowded networks might be affecting the speed and quality of their streams. Vox Media’s Yuri Victor was one of the first Netflix users to share an image of the notification on Twitter, eliciting a response from Netflix spokesperson Jonathan Friedland, who says that the company is “always testing new ways to keep members informed.”
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Samsung must be pretty confident that its upcoming “premium” Galaxy F smartphone can go toe-to-toe with the iPhone 6 because it’s apparently planning to launch the device at nearly the same time. One of @evleaks’ tipsters claims that Samsung is going to unveil the Galaxy F this coming September, which means it will likely be revealed alongside the Galaxy Note 4 and a short time before Apple takes the wraps off the 4.7-inch iPhone 6.
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When Microsoft first announced the Xbox One, the company pitched its new console as an entertainment hub for the living room. Although the console launched with plenty of apps and features to make that promise a reality, some of the most requested entertainment apps are still absent. Five days out from E3 2014, Microsoft is finally ready to start discussing those apps, including HBO GO, Showtime Anytime, Comedy Central, MLG and Twitter.
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Apple’s new iOS 8 software is pretty awesome — or at least, it will be when it launches to the public sometime this fall. Right now, as is always the case with early iOS beta software, iOS 8 is buggy and unpolished. The software is intended only for developers, because they need early access in order to update their apps and build new apps that utilize all of iOS 8’s new features. Of course, that won’t stop tens of thousands of non-developers from installing the iOS 8 beta on their personal iPhones, iPads and iPod touch handhelds.
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Apple’s recently unveiled iOS 8 mobile operating system has many interesting features, including some new tricks that have been available on a certain competing platform long before the iPhone maker found a way to implement them. Ars Technica has detailed as many as 12 features that have already been available to Android users long before Apple brought them to iOS 8.
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