Apple overhauling iPhone notification system?
To cap off a week chock-full of Apple-related rumors, we now have this: is Apple about to acquire a company in the process of giving its iOS notifications system a major makeover?Apple blog Cult of Mac says it's hearing exactly that from a source, who is not named. The company Apple is allegedly buying isn't confirmed in the report, but is said to be "small" and currently has an application available for sale in the iOS App Store.Now that would describe about a thousand companies. But there aren't that many that do slick notification apps. Cult of Mac has zeroed in on App Remix, the company that makes the app called Boxcar.Boxcar pools all of your social media feeds and delivers your notifications from each into one app. (App Remix's CEO apparently had "no comment" on Cult of Mac's query as to whether Apple plans on making the company an offer.)Apple's own notification system isn't regarded as the most stellar implementation. The original iPhone actually shipped without any real push notification system for third-party apps. It took Apple three iterations of the iPhone's software before it found a system it liked. But the system employed in Palm's original Pre smartphone featuring WebOS is still roundly praised as the best in the business. Hewlett-Packard, of course, owns WebOS now and recently introduced the software on several new phones and a tablet.The man who invented the WebOS notification system, Rich Dellinger, actually quit Palm just after the HP acquisition last year to return to his former employer, Apple. The rumor mill heated up then that iOS' notifications were in for a big change, but nothing more has come of that--at least not yet. Apple updates its iOS software on a yearly basis, usually in June, and there's a preview event usually around March to see what will be in the next version, in this case iOS 5. It's possible we could see a new push notification process included in the next big software update for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad.
Apple backtracks on 'most powerful' map app claim
After CEO Tim Cook's rare apology for Apple's beleaguered map application, the company has retreated on claims that the app was the "most powerful mapping service ever."Apple's Web site had formerly boasted that, "Designed by Apple from the ground up, Maps give you turn-by-turn spoken directions, interactive 3D views, and the stunning Flyover feature. All of which may just make this app the most beautiful, powerful mapping service ever."However, after Cook said Friday that Apple was "extremely sorry" for the frustration felt by customers and vowed to improve the program, the company has also removed a superlative from the app description and replaced the last sentence with: "All in a beautiful vector-based interface that scales and zooms with ease."CNET has contacted Apple for comment on the change and will update this report when we learn more.Apple ignited consumer fervor earlier this month when it opted to dump Google Maps from iOS6, forcing users to switch to Apple's app, which many users found to be underwhelming or inaccurate when compared with Google's offering.In addition to his apology, Cook also took the unusual step of recommending alternatives such as the Bing, MapQuest, or Waze maps apps, or using Google or Nokia's map Web sites while the company works to improve its own app.Maps woes in Apple iOS 6: How bad? (pict...See full gallery1 - 4 / 16NextPrev
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