[[johnv]] Grizemoji I’m not sure if these are supposed to be grizzly bears or not. Some are blue, and others are green. They have big bushy tails and what looks like a skunk-like stripe on them too. In any event, these stickers are hilarious, whatever the creatures are, and worth a look. Typical Oktoberfest This...
Q&A
Question: When I scan documents using Notes and export those, the share sheet gives a PDF file. Is there any way to get JPEG or PNG files instead? (Jung)
Not easily, unfortunately. I tried running notes with their scanned attachments and the scanned documents alone through the Convert Image action in Workflow, but neither...
App Debuts
Pedometer++ Pedometer++ received an Apple Watch Series 3 update this week that syncs and measures floors climbed when ‘Merge Apple Watch Data’ is enabled in the app’s settings. The summary data that tells you your lifetime step count and distance has been added back in this version too, which I appreciate because I’m closing...
Critically Acclaimed Flower Debuts on iOS
Flower, by thatgamecompany, was released today on the App Store. The game, in which players direct flower petals by manipulating the wind, captured numerous awards and is part of the Smithsonian Museum’s permanent collection.
Flower was originally released in 2009 on Sony’s PlayStation 3. The game is designed to be a simple relaxing experience that’s accessible to anyone, not people who identify as gamers. On iOS, Flower takes advantage of iOS devices by incorporating tilt to control the petals as they float through the sky. If you missed Flower on Sony’s platforms, a big iPad Pro screen is the perfect place to give this classic a try. Of course, now I want Journey too.
Flower is available on the App Store.
Iovine, Lowe, and Jackson Talk Apple Music with Billboard→
Billboard spoke to executive Jimmy Iovine, creative director, Zane Lowe, and head of content, Larry Jackson, about the direction of the music industry and Apple’s roll in its future.
During the interview, Iovine revealed that Apple Music subscriptions have topped 30 million, which is up from the 27 million subscribers quoted during WWDC in June. That’s still materially behind the 60 million subscribers claimed by Spotify, which is planning to go public later this year.
Iovine’s reaction is that the state of streaming today is not enough, but he remains upbeat projecting his trademark enthusiasm in the interview:
“I believe we’re in the right place, we have the right people and the right attitude to not settle for what exists right now.” But ultimately? “Just because we’re adding millions of subscribers and the old catalog numbers are going up, that’s not the trick. That’s just not going to hold.”
The interview is light on specifics about what’s next for Apple Music and what it will take to move streaming forward, but it’s clear from Lowe’s response to how he thinks music streaming must change that the answer involves more than just the streaming music itself:
We need to put context and stories around music. The song itself is obviously the primary passion point – it’s a key that opens the door. But what’s inside the room that is going to make a fan a super fan? Music has become quicker, faster, and there’s more of it. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t create a story around something that is beautiful and that lives and breathes.
Apple Music’s moves into video production, advertising, and similar areas, which are discussed during the interview, may provide a hint of what’s on the horizon. The goal of drawing listeners into the stories behind their favorite artists and music to help grow the audience feels a lot like a reimagining of what was attempted without much success with Apple Music Connect.
Super Mario Run Update Released A Day Early
A major update to Super Mario Run, which, according to a feature on the App Store, was scheduled for release tomorrow, debuted a day early. The update features a brand new mode called Remix 10, a new World Tour course, and more.
The goal in Remix 10 is to find Princess Daisy by navigating 10 short courses that change each time you play. Regardless of whether you complete a level, you move onto the next until you finish all ten. There are new items in Remix 10 that you can collect to decorate your Mushroom Kingdom. Princess Daisy, who features a double jump ability, is also a playable character who is unlocked after playing through enough Remix 10 levels. The new mode is an interesting twist on the existing game that works well on mobile for when you may not have as much time to play or just want to practice the game.
A new World Star level has been added to World Tour mode that is accessible after you complete the first six worlds. World Star features all new courses like a forest and ship packed with coins.
There are other small enhancements to Super Mario Run too. For example, if you listen to music while playing, the characters will appear wearing headphones. Also, new buildings are available for your Mushroom Kingdom by playing Bonus Games in Remix 10.
Super Mario Run is available on the App Store. Through October 12th, the price of Super Mario Run’s In-App Purchase has been reduced from $9.99 to $4.99.
1Writer Update Includes Open in Place and Drag and Drop Support
Before I moved to Ulysses for most of my writing, I used 1Writer. At first, it was how I accessed my large collection of NVAlt notes when I wasn’t at my Mac because its search is exceptionally fast. Over time though, it became my primary text editor because it syncs with iCloud and Dropbox, works with Markdown files, has excellent export options, is highly customizable, and supports URL schemes and JavaScript actions. I don’t use 1Writer as often these days, but it remains one of my favorite text editors, so I was glad to see it has been updated to take advantage of new iOS 11 features.
The latest version of 1Writer supports Open in Place via iOS 11’s new document browser. Tap the omnipresent plus button in the lower right-hand corner of 1Writer and choose ‘Open Other…’ to launch iOS 11’s document browser. 1Writer has tinted the navigation elements of the document browser, which helps remind users that they are still in 1Writer, which is a nice touch that not all apps bother to support. With Open in Place, 1Writer can edit the Markdown or plain-text files of any file provider. For example, that allows me to grab a draft from one of our MacStories GitHub repos via the Working Copy file provider to make edits to the original document without creating a local 1Writer copy of the file.
1Writer also supports two-way drag and drop. I can drag any document from 1Writer’s document browser and drop it into another compatible app that accepts text like iA Writer, Byword, or Notes. I was also able to attach a 1Writer file to a message using Apple Mail.
Dragging into 1Writer works too. 1Writer can handle text and URLs, so it disregards images included in something like a note from the Notes app, but will set up Markdown syntax for an image if you drag in just a photo. If you drag into an existing 1Writer document, the text and links are appended to the end of the document.
1Writer has also added support for smart punctuation, which, for example, replaces straight quotes with the curly variety, and is iPhone X-ready.
1Writer is one of the most versatile text editors available. The addition of Open in Place means the app can be used with a wider variety of apps than ever before and drag and drop eliminates the number of steps needed to get text into and out of 1Writer. If you’re looking for a text editor that is at the forefront of iOS 11 technologies, 1Writer is an excellent choice.
1Writer is available on the App Store.
AppStories, Episode 24 – Our Favorite iOS 11 Apps, Part 1→
On this week’s episode of AppStories, we give an update on the iOS 11 review and anniversary activities at MacStories and Club MacStories then talk about some of our favorite new apps and updates that show off the new capabilities of iOS 11.
Sponsored by:
- Balance - A wallet for all the worlds currencies and tokens.
- Readdle – Redefining productivity.
- Use this link on a Mac or the promo code FOR-APP-STORIES on iOS for 25% off on PDF Expert
https://staging.macstories.net/podcasts/appstories/episodes/24/embed/
Why There Are No Standalone Apple Watch Podcast Players→
With watchOS 4 and the Series 3 Apple Watch, Apple has made several improvements to how the Watch handles music, untethering listeners from their iPhones. Apple Music subscribers can sync their My Favorites Mix, My Chill Mix, My New Music Mix and the Heavy Rotation section of Music to their watches, for example. In October, Apple will expand users’ options on the Watch by adding Apple Music streaming for subscribers. However, there’s a glaring omission in Apple’s iPhone-free audio strategy: podcasts.
There is no good way to listen to podcasts on an Apple Watch without bringing along an iPhone. As Marco Arment, the maker of Overcast, details on Marco.org,
The Apple Watch desperately needs standalone podcast playback, especially with the LTE-equipped Series 3, which was designed specifically for exercising without an iPhone.
Believe me, I’ve tried. But limitations in watchOS 4 make it impossible to deliver standalone podcast playback with the basic functionality and quality that people expect.
Arment’s article walks through each of several technical challenges in detail, the biggest being syncing progress between a Watch and an iPhone. The post outlines the minimum changes to the watchOS APIs that Arment believes are necessary to build a viable standalone podcast player for the Watch as well as detailing more ambitious changes to Apple’s APIs that would be nice to have.
During the watchOS 4 beta period, I began running without my iPhone. I enjoyed listening to the music synced overnight to my Watch, but it was a taste of untethered freedom that only made me want a standalone podcast player more. Audio playback and syncing undoubtedly pose battery life issues and other challenges, but with the advancements in the Series 3 hardware, I hope we see corresponding API changes that will allow Arment and others to build iPhone-free podcast players.