Apple

I've been attending a lot of meetings with various London-based startups in the last few months to learn their stories on what it takes to launch a successful new product. I'm particularly interested in ones that have a heavy slant towards mobile -- and iOS. This interest is magnified when I find a startup that is making a product that truly makes my life easier. One such startup is OnTrees and I think the process of bringing their idea to market is one other iOS developers can learn from. OnTrees wants to be the Mint.com of the UK. Financial data aggregation can be big business. Just ask Aaron Patzer who sold his Mint.com startup to Intuit in 2009 for $170 million. And while the Intuit deal did lend an air of legitimacy to financial aggregation services in the United States, in other parts of the world -- particularly the United Kingdom -- financial data aggregation services are still looked upon with apprehension. After all, who wants to give their sensitive financial account usernames and passwords to some faceless entity out on the interwebs? But that's just what UK startup OnTrees is trying to achieve -- and they're doing it on iOS-only for now. It wants to create a one-stop offering that allows users to get a complete financial overview of all their accounts. One login; all your data and spending tracked and graphed. And though generating awareness of what financial aggregation and building trust around it is one challenge, there are others: namely security, bank participation, and making a UX good enough so people will want to spend time with your service. And though OnTrees is still in beta, the company had made great progress in the six months since it had its soft launch in November 2012. Here's what OnTrees founder and Managing Director Charlie Mortimer told me about the experience so far. Fill a void. "More than 20 million people in the UK use online banking, of which around 50% have accounts with multiple providers," Mortimer tells me. "Our proprietary research has shown that people using online banking want to keep track of their finances, but the methods they use are typically time-consuming: 32% rely on keeping receipts and cross checking with statements, 20% use Microsoft Excel to keep budgets, 14% keep written notes and 4% use a software package e.g. the now defunct Microsoft Money." The above could be said to be boring product marketing statics, but they illustrate a point every developer should keep in mind: your product needs to fill a void or why will anyone use it? And it's that void -- potentially fillable by 20 million UK online bankers -- that makes OnTrees so attractive. After all, financial aggregation giant Mint isn't in the UK. And while there have been other UK financial aggregation services, none have seemed to have caught on even though Mortimer recognizes the need for aggregation to allow people to see their complete financial picture. But what about just using your bank's web services? "It's great that some banks (most notably Lloyds) are launching their own 'money managers' that try to help people see what they are spending," Mortimer says. "However, OnTrees' offering is unique because it is 'provider agnostic' and enables users to see their spending across their Lloyds account as well as their Halifax, Barclaycard, and Amex accounts." And matter of fact, OnTrees works with over 200 financial institutions in the UK, some of which don't even have dedicated apps -- another void increasingly tech savvy, smartphone using consumers are itching to have filled. "For people with these accounts," Mortimer tells me, "OnTrees provides a way of seeing transactions and spending on the move." Build partnerships. But surely if OnTrees works with over 200 financial institutions (and counting) it must be a development nightmare -- especially when OnTrees web services and iOS app are only coded by six developers, which seems like something of a skeleton crew for a company t

There’s no doubting that Apple’s iOS devices and Macs are popular, especially when you see the lines stretching outside of the company’s retail stores during each product release. However, it’s sometimes hard to see what the company has revolutionized that isn’t a shiny touchscreen device. That is the Apple Retail Store, which is used to educate customers about Apple products, provide technical assistance, and, in many cases, serve as an unlocked Wi-Fi network for passers-by. Apple’s retail stores have helped to revolutionize retail as we know it, crafting customer service and store design into an art. Let’s look at what Apple has included in their store that has revolutionized retail experiences, both in America and internationally. Genius Bar With the Genius Bar, Apple eliminated the process of shipping defective products, for the most part. By providing customers with the opportunity to get help with their products in-store, Apple is not only saving itself money but is attaching a human experience with their products, something that is lost in today’s corporate society. Apple’s Genius Bar can fix a range of issues, from broken iOS and Mac products, to older generations of the iPod to even some third party products that Apple…Continue reading Four key ways the Apple Store has revolutionized retailRelated posts:Apple pulls iPhone support from Canada Apple StoresApple discontinues the 23 inch Cinema DisplayA re-design for Apple Retail Stores?

It’s Memorial Day weekend, and that means an extra day off here in the U.S. of America. It also means parades. But sadly, budget cuts mean you likely won’t be getting the obligatory flyover this year. Thankfully, game companies like Aspyr and Feral Interactive are giving the economy a boost by offering great OS X game sales. Aspyr It seems ironic to seek military action on Memorial Day, but irony is not match for Aspyr’s Call of Duty: Black Ops sale. This weekend, you get 50% off the game and its DLC: Call of Duty: Black Ops -…Continue reading Your Memorial Day weekend OS X game salesRelated posts:Rage lashes out on Mac OS XNeverwinter Nights 2 on sale for 95% offSid Meier’s Railroads arrives on OS X this fall

Rather seedy of Apple, don’t you think? Apple has just posted a new pre-release developer seed for upcoming OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.4, Build 12E55. In the notes accompanying the seed release, which includes Combo (comprehensive) and Delta (just changes) update installers, Apple notes the same focus areas as the last few seeds: Wi-Fi, Graphics Drivers, and Safari. This seed, though, also has Windows File Sharing, a new addition to the list since the last seed, build 12E47, which was released at the beginning of this month. Could this rapid release schedule mean that 10.8.4 is getting closer to actual release to consumers? As this is the sixth developer release of 10.8.4, and 10.8.3 went through 13 different seeds, the answer may be a qualified no, as Apple tends to iterate on its dot releases fairly often and consistently. Source: Apple Developer Center The post Apple Seeds Yet Another Pre-Release OS X 10.8.4 Build To Developers, Adds New Focus appeared first on Cult of Mac.Related StoriesFifth Avenue Apple Store Roof Springs A Leak, Again [Video]The FDA Is Worried About You Using The iPhone For UrinalysisHP Wants You To Believe That Its New Laptops Were Designed By AppleWhy Your Next MacBook Will Have 50% More Battery LifeGrab Five Bucks And Play ‘Skyward Collapse’, A 4X Strategy God Game That Fights Back

If history is indeed destined to repeat itself, Intel’s next-gen Haswell processors will power the 2013 gambit of Macs. Every year Apple typically puts the newest Intel silicon in its desktop and laptop models, and this year should be no exception. When Haswell desktop lineup specs leaked in December 2012, we got a peak at what will likely power the 2013 iMac. Intel has now said that Haswell chips will offer 50% more battery life for laptops than Ivy Bridge. The main focus of designing Haswell was to lower power consumption for laptops and tablets while also doubling graphics performance. Sounds great. Maybe we’ll something with Haswell announced at WWDC! Source: Computerworld The post Why Your Next MacBook Will Have 50% More Battery Life appeared first on Cult of Mac.Related StoriesFifth Avenue Apple Store Roof Springs A Leak, Again [Video]The FDA Is Worried About You Using The iPhone For UrinalysisHP Wants You To Believe That Its New Laptops Were Designed By AppleApple Seeds Yet Another Pre-Release OS X 10.8.4 Build To Developers, Adds New FocusGrab Five Bucks And Play ‘Skyward Collapse’, A 4X Strategy God Game That Fights Back

Build and manage a floating continent while everything fights against you. Sounds like a good weekend. God games tend to be pretty similar: build a little city, tell the inhabitants what to do, and watch them do it. Not in this game, though. Skyward Collapse is a fantastic mashup of a 4X strategy game (eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, eXterminate) with a god-game (Spore, Black & White, Civilization). Your task is to create and populate a floating continent called Liminith. You get to create gods, creatures, and artifacts from Norse and Greek myth, and keep them from killing each other off until you’re summoned home by The Master. This will definitely be harder than it sounds. There will be bandits with their keeps popping up from time to time, natural disasters like floods, serial killers, and vegetarian uprisings, and…wait, what? Maybe you should try something a little safer, like taming a tiger or something. Skyward Collapse is a turn-based, strategic game in which you control none of the warring factions, but struggle to apply god-like powers to maintain a healthy population and the balance of power. You’ll need to collect resources, build towns, and persuade all the little people to do what you want my manipulating the environment around their sad, little lives. You’ll use underling gods as well–up to 16 of them–to manage things while you take care of business, especially when you start dealing with the Age of Monsters. There are multiple difficulty levels, thank You, and a co-op multiplayer mode for up to eight players. Slick! Honestly, for five bucks, you can’t go wrong here. Just head on over to Steam and grab yourself a copy of the game, which is actually on sale for $4.49 as of this writing. You just may find a gem of a game that keeps you busy into the wee hours of your long weekend, keeping your continent safe and your warring factions alive and, well, warring. Source: Steam The post Grab Five Bucks And Play ‘Skyward Collapse’, A 4X Strategy God Game That Fights Back appeared first on Cult of Mac.Related StoriesFifth Avenue Apple Store Roof Springs A Leak, Again [Video]The FDA Is Worried About You Using The iPhone For UrinalysisHP Wants You To Believe That Its New Laptops Were Designed By AppleApple Seeds Yet Another Pre-Release OS X 10.8.4 Build To Developers, Adds New FocusWhy Your Next MacBook Will Have 50% More Battery Life

Due to a combination of seasonality and heightened competition from Android device makers, shipments of Apple's iPad may see a year-on-year drop for the first time since debuting in 2010, says KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

A little over a week since the last beta, Apple is seeding a new build of OS X 10.8.4 to developers. The release is listed as 12E55, and has no known issues. People are asked to concentrate testing on Safari, Wi-Fi, graphics, and Windows filesharing....

It appears that Apple has begun quietly phasing out its trailer download options from the trailers.apple.com website, effectively eliminating 1080p trailer availability. Previously, the site gave users the ability to stream trailers in 480p or 720p, along with providing download options for 480p, 720p, and 1080p. Trailers uploaded to the site after an approximate date of May 22 no longer have any download options and can only be streamed in-browser at 480p or 720p. Trailer options before 5/22 Trailer options after 5/22 While trailers uploaded before May 22 can still be downloaded, Apple appears to be removing the option from movies with multiple trailers that have a trailer uploaded after that date. For example, Disney Pixar's Monsters University has trailers that were uploaded on the following dates: 6/20/12, 3/08/13, 5/20/13, and 5/22/13. None of these trailers have download options. Disney’s Planes, on the other hand, has trailers that were uploaded on the following dates: 3/15/13, 04/04/13, and 5/17/13. Each of these trailers can still be downloaded at all resolutions, including 1080p. So, while older trailers can still be downloaded from the site, Apple appears to be removing downloads from older trailers as newer trailers are added, slowly phasing out the availability of trailer downloads altogether. It is not clear at this point why Apple has begun phasing out movie trailer downloads, but we have contacted the company for more information. (Thanks Eduardo and Theo!) Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories • Automatic Connected Car System Delayed Until August • Best Buy to Discount iPhone by $50 Beginning Sunday • Skycore Creates Platform for Passbook Delivery Via MMS • Letter to Brazilian Apple Repair Centers Suggests June 2013 Policy Changes? • Jon Stewart Takes on Apple's Appearance in Front of Senate Committee • Angry Birds Space Named App of the Week, Available for Free • Evernote Adds Reminders to Mac and iOS Apps in Update • Shazam for iPad Rebuilt as Universal App With Background Auto-Tagging and More

Motorola has given notice to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit that it will be contesting the International Trade Commission's dismissal of a case against Apple, the second time the now Google-owned company has filed an appeal tied to that investigation.