Submitted by Jon Reed on
No major news came out of Cupertino last week, but there were several noteworthy items. Topping the list was the release of iOS 8.1.2 on Tuesday, which fixed a bug that caused purchased ringtones to disappear from people's devices. Although Apple has not divulged the update's security content (if there was any), it apparently did not patch the TaiG jailbreak.
A day after the 8.1.2 update, Apple released the iOS 8.2 beta 2 to developers. The update mainly pertains to the WatchKit SDK, including some new features for the API and some bug fixes.
Tim Cook, while he didn't make Time's Person of the Year (that went to "Ebola Fighters"), did make London's Financial Times Person of the Year. The publication applauded him for being one of the main driving forces behind Apple's hugely successful year.
On Thursday, Apple and IBM announced the first MobileFirst apps. IBM MobileFirst for iOS is a joint venture between the two tech giants to tap into "enterprise mobility" by developing industry specific apps. If successful, the effort could greatly boost iPhone and iPad sales.
After its products were recently pulled from Apple stores, presumably due to a conflict of interest involving Beats, Bose audio equipment will return to Apple Store shelves. The companies appear to be on good terms again, and both can benefit from another ten days of holiday shopping.Apple TV, which has seemingly been lost amidst all the recent commotion, received some attention last week when Apple unveiled a refreshed YouTube app and several new channels, including a UFC channel.
Newest iPhone FAQs
An interesting patent application from Apple surfaced last week. It describes two different mechanisms that could help prevent catastrophic iPhone drops. One would be a simple locking mechanism for the headphone jack that would prevent the phone from disconnecting from the headphones (and giving you some time to catch it), while the other involves a mechanism that would orient the phone in mid air to the least damaging position.