Podcasts on iOS 6

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Peter Kafka of AllThingsD:

People familiar with Apple’s plans tell me that when its new iOS 6 software becomes widely available this fall, podcasts will have their own app, where users will be able to discover, download and play them on mobile devices. Users who access iTunes via laptop and desktop machines will still find them in that version of iTunes, though.

If this is true, I'll be pretty ecstatic. When Apple touted iOS 5 as being PC-free, one thing they forgot to include is being able to subscribe to podcasts on the iPhone and be able to check for and download new episodes.

As it stands today, Podcasts still need the ability to sync with iTunes in order to be usable.

Hopefully Apple will make it easy to use iCloud to keep your subscription list, and allow a new Podcasts app to download new episodes in the background when plugged in to power and on Wi-Fi, in the same manner that it does iCloud backups and Newsstand updates.

"On Reporting Rumors"

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Stephen M. Hackett:

There’s no denying that rumors drive a shit ton of page views. Lots of people are genuinely interested in them, and they fill the time leading up to an event, but I think we as “Apple bloggers” are over-doing it.

It's true. The rumor-mill feels like a rabid foaming-at-the-mouth wildebeest this time around.

"One Phone with One Screen Size and One Resolution"

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There’s been a lot of talk about the next iPhone going to a 4-inch screen, which could very well still happen, but I thought this bit from Tim Cook at the D10 Conference tonight, caught by John Siracusa, was interesting:

Hm.

¶ iPad 3 Event Predictions for Fun and Profit

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Some quick and dirty educated guesses for tomorrow’s event:

  • A new iPad with a retina display. Probably will have a lot of other neat stuff, but I’m stopping at retina display because that is the only thing I am truly positive about.
  • iPhoto for iPad. Heck, maybe for iPhone and iPod, too. It’s the missing piece to complement iMovie and GarageBand.
  • iOS 5.1 with easier access to the camera from the lock screen, plus other goodies.
  • A new Apple TV set-top box that does 1080p, still at $99.
  • Not sure on this, but I’d love to see an Apple universal remote with a touchscreen that could control all my home entertainment crap.

I think it is quite a modest list, and I’m feeling pretty confident on everything but the remote. See you all tomorrow.

¶ On the Eve of WWDC

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Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference is tomorrow, and I think it may be one of the biggest game-changing events from Apple since the introduction of the iPhone.

Apple has already told us three main points of focus for the keynote address: Mac OS X Lion, iOS 5, and iCloud. We know a fair bit of Mac OS X Lion already from a previous demonstration and leaks from the developer community. Its focus is to take what Apple has learned from iOS back to the Mac. Things like Launchpad and expanded gesture support via trackpads will be the foundations to bridge the gap between traditional computers and touchscreen devices.

My brain tells me iOS 5 will just add on a few more features to what we currently know as iOS, but part of me can't help but feel that something really big may come with the latest version. A lot of talk is swirling around the topic of Apple moving away from the USB sync cable in a big way. Personally, I'd love to see day-to-day syncs occur over my home network, updating music, photos, movies, and apps without needing to physically connect to my Mac. However, for iOS updates in and of themselves, well, that's something I don't think I'd mind still needing the cable for if need be.

Where I think the big news for both Mac OS X Lion and iOS 5 will really be is iCloud. We don't know much about iCloud. What can be said with a fair amount of certainty is iCloud will be able to stream your iTunes music purchases. Apple's recent deals with music publishers have all but guaranteed that.

I'm hoping iCloud will be more than just music. I want it to take the promise of MobileMe to the next step. I want iCloud to be the new syncing hub for my iDevices, and to take much of that weight off of iTunes. MobileMe currently does a nice job of handling my personal email, and syncing my contacts, calendars, and bookmarks. The area MobileMe still lacks in is handling my files. iDisk is terrible. Contrast this with Dropbox, which is seamless and amazing.

I'd like iCloud to be Apple's Dropbox. One place I run into this desire is iWork. It is so hard to keep a Pages document up to date between my Mac and iPad. Both integrate with iDisk, but crudely just makes duplicates of the file. The user has to keep track of which one is the newest. Throw in iWork on the iPhone now, and it is an even bigger mess.

It'd be great if a Pages document could be put into iCloud, and that one file can be accessed from my Mac, iPhone, and iPad, with changes saved to iCloud automatically. And giving the file versioning support would be even better. Just. Like. Dropbox.

I really think iCloud will be the defining announcement tomorrow. The clock is ticking.

Looks Like the iPhone is Getting a New Coverage Map

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So, Verizon sent out some invitations to an event next week in new York. Of course, the Internet lit up with rumors of a Verizon iPhone, and I promptly dismissed them as I figured such an announcement would be made by Apple and not Verizon. Then the Wall Street Journal threw in its two cents saying the event is indeed about the iPhone coming to Verizon.

That certainly caught my attention, as the Wall Street Journal has a great track record with Apple-related rumors. But I was still hung up about who the announcement was coming from.

The Chairman Gruber convinced me. Of course Apple can’t host it. Verizon is going to bash AT&T, and AT&T is still Apple’s partner.

So yes, things are definitely looking like a confirmed Verizon iPhone announcement. iPhone owners: will you be switching from AT&T to Verizon as soon as possible?

Me? I don’t have many issues with AT&T. I have great coverage here Lincoln, Nebraska, and only have troubles when traveling, which is only a few days per year. I may consider when my contract is up in Summer 2012, but I’m not going to shell out termination fees on two iPhone 4’s just to switch carriers when AT&T is doing just fine for me.

MacStories' Scoop on Lion

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Yesterday, MacStories published a scoop regarding tomorrow’s Mac-focused event at Apple HQ. I deliberated last week about my hopes and dreams regarding the new cat. According to MacStories’ exclusive, it appears Mac OS X will be receiving some UI elements from iOS.

Scrolling

Apple introduced inertial scrolling to Mac OS X with the Magic Mouse, then added it to the built-in trackpad of the last MacBook Pro and MacBook revision. With the Magic Trackpad, Apple then brought inertial scrolling to the built-in trackpads of previous unibody MacBooks Pros.

So the foundation for a more iOS-like inertial scrolling is already available. Apparently, Lion will bring the rubber-band effect when you hit the top or bottom of content. This may also herald pull to refresh, which has become popular in a few iOS apps, such as Twitter for iPhone, Facebook, and Yowza. Pull to refresh would be pretty nice for Safari.

Minimizing Aqua

Aqua is the user interface design that made Mac OS X look so futuristic ten years ago. It sounds like Aqua will be taking a step back (but not a complete step out) of the user interface. One such withdrawl will be in scrollbars. Replacing Aqua scrollbars will be iOS inspired scrollbars. If you visit Maxvoltar in Safari or Chrome on Mac OS X, you’ll see the Aqua scrollbar replaced with a minimalistic iOS-like scrollbar. That’s what I’m expecting to see in Lion, although I wouldn’t be surprised if the scrollbar faded away when content is stationary.

QuickLook and Popovers

Lastly, MacStories claims QuickLook will look more like popovers on the iPad, but with a white background. Their mockup looks great.