Microsoft first released its Edge Chromium browser as early Canary and Dev builds on Windows last month. While Windows 10 users can test the new browser, Mac owners have been waiting to hear more details about when Edge will be available on macOS. Microsoft doesn’t have any solid dates to announce just yet, but the company has started teasing what Edge will look like on macOS.
During the company’s Build 2019 developer conference, Microsoft is announcing new features for Edge on Windows and teasing the upcoming macOS release. We understand that the release will be available very soon, and Mac users should be able to access both the Canary and Dev builds of Edge just like Windows.
Microsoft’s implementation of Chromium on Edge has so far seen good performance improvements and reliability on Windows. It’s not clear if we’ll see similar improvements on the macOS side versus Chrome, but at least it gives Mac users another Chromium option with some Microsoft services and sync integration.
Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, sits in the Volkswagen Digital Lab in Friedrichshain, Germany, for a joint press conference with the chairman of the board of management of Volkswagen on Feb. 27, 2019.
Bernd von Jutrczenka | picture alliance | Getty Images
Microsoft on Monday used the start of its Build developer conference in Seattle as an opportunity to unleash a slew of updates to its lineup of cloud services.
For instance, Microsoft is letting users of its GitHub code hosting service provide their login credentials in order to access Azure cloud tools. At the same time, the company is making GitHub's enterprise tier compatible with the Microsoft Azure Active Directory service, so administrators will be able to more easily manage employees' GitHub use.
These changes and other enhancements could lead to greater adoption of Microsoft's overall Azure public cloud for hosting applications and storing data. That's critical as Amazon continues to maintain a big lead in the market and Google, which is thought to be behind Microsoft, is doubling down on its cloud efforts under its new chief, Thomas Kurian. Amazon had 32% of cloud market share at the end of 2018, according to Canalys. Microsoft had 13.7% and Google had 7.6%.
Microsoft has talked about cloud at its Build shows in past years, but this year it seems to be at the very center of the company's appeal to developers. Executives onstage are spending less time this year talking about consumer products like Windows and Surface computers.
GitHub, which Microsoft bought last year for $7.5 billion, could represent an on-ramp of sorts for Microsoft public cloud services.
"As the companies [Microsoft and GitHub] work together even more, there is an opportunity to educate them on Azure and how they should think about developing apps on top of Azure. And so we will certainly be promoting Azure to the GitHub community, but for the GitHub developers, really it's whatever cloud they want to build on and we're going to support that," Dave O'Hara, chief financial officer of Microsoft's commercial business, said at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference in February.
On Monday, Microsoft said it will release an Azure SQL Database tool that can handle computing in a "serverless" capacity. This means developers won't have to set up and manage underlying resources for databases. Amazon and Google have also come out with serverless database technologies.
For almost two years now Microsoft has worked with partners, including third-party software makers, to sell Azure to companies, benefiting both Microsoft and its partners. The so-called co-sell initiative has led to more than $5 million in partner annual contract value in the past year.
Now Microsoft is expanding the program to Microsoft 365 — a bundle that includes Windows 10, Office 365 and Enterprise Mobility & Security software — and the Dynamics suite of enterprise software, including the cloud-based sales management application that competes with Salesforce's core Sales Cloud.
In the first quarter, Amazon picked up $7.7 billion in revenue from AWS. Microsoft does not specify revenue from Azure, but analysts Alex Zukin and Scott Wilson of Piper Jaffray estimated that Azure produced around $3.6 billion in revenue in the quarter. Microsoft did say that Azure revenue rose 73% year over year.
Apple traditionally shows off updates to its iOS, Mac, and smartwatch software at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). This year’s conference begins on June 3rd, and according to a new report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the company has a lot planned.
Gurman is a reliable source for this sort of Apple news, and he suggests that the company will be announcing new apps and updated software across all of its major platforms. The updates seem mostly commonsense and minor, but if there’s an overarching theme it’s that Apple wants to make sure its homegrown apps are viable options.
The company seems like it’s lavishing particular attention on areas where third-party apps are stronger than Apple’s own (e.g., to-do lists and navigation).
Some of the biggest news includes an official dark mode in iOS, revamped mobile Health and Reminders apps, and an updated version of Maps that will better compete with rivals like Google Maps. In watchOS, Apple is adding direct support for the App Store, meaning Apple Watch owners will be able to install new apps without using their phones. In macOS, the company will announce the first crop of iPad apps that run on Macs. Oh, and the HomePod should get a multiuser mode, with different responses to different users.
Check out the highlights of Gurman’s report below, but visit the original story if you want all of the nitty-gritty details.
New in iOS 13:
An official Dark Mode will be enabled from the Control Center. iOS users have previously had to use color inversion to achieve a sort of dark mode.
There’s a revamped Health app, with a new homepage for daily activity, a “hearing health” feature, and “more comprehensive menstrual cycle tracking.”
The updated Reminders app has a new main screen with four default options: tasks to be done today, scheduled tasks, flagged tasks, and all tasks. Gurman says the update “better competes with the several to-do list programs available on the App Store.”
The updated Maps app has easier options for setting frequent locations, creating groups of favorite locations, and navigating to suggested and past destinations.
The addition of profile pictures and display names in iMessages includes a dedicated menu for sending sticker versions of Animoji and Memoji.
Find My Friends and Find My iPhone will be combined into a single app. Previously rumored by 9to5Mac, it also suggested that Apple was working on a physical tag similar to Tile that would let users track the location of any devices — not just Apple phones and computers.
Native support to use an iPad as a secondary Mac screen will be introduced, which is similar to the functionality offered by third-party apps like Luna and Duet Display. This was also previously rumored by 9to5Mac.
There’s a selection of iPad-specific updates, including a better interface for multitasking and an updated home screen.
New in watchOS 6:
App Store access on-device means you’ll be able to update and install new apps without using the Watch companion app on the iPhone.
Transplanted apps from iOS include Voice Memos, Apple Books (for audiobooks), and the Calculator app.
New apps including Dose for pill reminders and Cycles for tracking menstrual cycles will be introduced.
New Complications (including ones for showing the battery life of hearing aids, rainfall data, and external noise) and new watchfaces (including one with extra-large numbers) will arrive.
New in macOS 10.15:
iPad apps on the Mac was previously rumored by Bloomberg. It reported that Apple will allow developers to create (essentially) a single app that runs on iPhones, iPads, and Macs. This process will need some work from developers, though, who will also have to submit multiple versions of the app to the iOS and Mac App Stores. Gurman says the feature will be expanded to iPhone apps “by next year.” Apple has already made iOS apps available on the Mac itself, including News and Stocks with macOS Mojave.
Apple iPad apps that will be initially available on the Mac include the Podcasts app and newly merged Find My iPhone / Find My Friends app. Apple’s Screen Time, Siri Shortcuts, and updated Reminders app will also be available on the Mac.
An attendee takes a selfie photograph while arriving for the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Jose, California, U.S., on Monday, June 4, 2018.
David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Apple will announce new software features coming to iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple TVs and Apple Watches on June 3, to kick off its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). Bloomberg on Monday highlighted a couple features that it says are coming to those platforms.
Software changes in iOS 13, reportedly named "Yukon," are unlikely to be drastic enough to flip falling iPhone sales, but they may refine the experience for Apple's current customers. They could also be used to push the new digital services Apple recently announced, like a video game subscription service and streaming TV shows produced by Apple.
Bloomberg reported Apple is planning to add a new "dark mode" in iOS 13, a feature that's already available for Macs that darkens different parts of the user interface so it's less harsh on eyes, particularly in the evening.
The company is also reportedly planning a new feature that will allow people to use iPads as a secondary display when connected to a Mac. Other features include new multitasking for iPads, tweaks to iMessage that make it more like WhatsApp and a new Health app that "better outlines your daily activity from the day," Bloomberg reported.
Apple's iOS has improved steadily over the years, with recent releases focused on improving battery life and performance on older devices. The company's voice assistant Siri could use a big upgrade, but major changes to it weren't mentioned in the report. Since Apple always rolls out new features to older iPhones and iPads however, iOS upgrades don't usually drive new device sales.
Apple isn’t always first when it comes to introducing new smartphone features. The company is known for taking its time and getting things right rather than trying to be first to market. Just ask Samsung about the travesty that is the Galaxy Fold and you’ll understand why Apple is more than happy to do things well instead of just doing them quickly. When it comes to smartphone design, however, Apple has always been a trendsetter.
Most people likely don’t even remember what smartphones used to look like before the first iPhone debuted in 2007. Fast-forward a decade, and rival smartphone makers still scramble to copy Apple’s every move. 2018 was indeed a rough year for smartphone fans since just about every handset out there was nothing but a boring iPhone X copycat, but 2019 is going in a completely different direction. In fact, something quite interesting is happening this year: For the first time since companies like Samsung and others popularized the phablet form factor, Android companies are actually moving away from copying Apple and starting to come up with their own novel designs.
The upcoming iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Max, and iPhone 11R (if that’s what Apple ends up calling it) are shaping up to be nearly identical to their predecessors in terms of design. There will some refinements here and there, and we know that it’s going to put Android phones to shame when it comes to fit and finish. But overall, the iPhone 11 design we’ve seen leak time and time again is anything but exciting and new. Now, a new video has taken the information from all the leaks we’ve seen over the past few weeks and used it to show us what Apple’s next-generation flagship iPhone models will look like.
We still have more than four months to go before Apple announces its new iPhone 11 series smartphones, but the leaks have really picked up over the past month or so. Long story short, we now likely know just about everything there is to know about Apple’s iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Max design.
The image above shows what will likely end up being the iPhone 11’s only distinguishing feature as far as hardware design goes. The front of the iPhone 11 will look exactly like the front of the iPhone XS and the front of the iPhone X — an all-screen design interrupted by a large notch at the top of the screen. Around back, however, both the iPhone 11 and the iPhone 11 Max are expected to have a large square camera array consisting of three camera lenses and an LED flash. Only, it won’t actually end up looking like it does in the render above, because we recently learned that Apple has a pretty big change planned for the rear camera on its iPhone 11 series phones.
In the iPhone 11 Max render above, the phone itself is gold but the area around the cameras is black. Like other smartphone makers out there, this is the design Apple has always used on its iPhones. This year, however, word from the world’s most accurate Apple insider suggests that Apple has decided to color-match the iPhone 11’s rear camera so that it blends in with the rest of the back of the phone. Honestly, we’re not so sure how we feel about the change.
It looks pretty good in the render above, but this render uses some shading on the sapphire crystal to darken the glass. As a result, there’s still some contrast between the back of the phone and the camera array. The actual iPhone 11 models Apple releases later this year obviously won’t have any shading on the sapphire crystal, and now a new video created by graphic designer Gunho Lee shows us what Apple’s next-generation iPhones will look like with color-matched cameras.
We’ll obviously have to wait to pass a final judgement until we see the real iPhone 11 series phones Apple unveils this coming September. For the time being, however, we’re not so sure we like this change.
Firefox faced a major cybersecurity-related outage this weekend that caused all browser add-ons, themes, search engines, and language packs to be disabled, which left many Tor users potentially exposed to tracking. However, Mozilla was quick to react and published an update to version 66.0.4 on Android and Desktop OSs that reinstated said features yesterday.
The bug started to make its rounds late Friday, May 3rd, when users found all of their browser customizations deactivated. Apparently, an expired certificate on Mozilla's end was the culprit, since Firefox suddenly couldn't verify the integrity of any third-party add-ons anymore and thus automatically disabled everything for everyone. This is a standard procedure to protect users from rogue unsigned extensions, and it worked just as it should since no add-ons were classified as safe any longer.
While that was merely a (granted, big) annoyance to most, especially since it happened during the weekend, one particular group of people had their safety at risk through this snafu: Tor users, who want to surf the web anonymously. You see, the Tor browser is a Firefox fork and relies on the same certificates to verify third-party add-ons – including the pre-installed NoScript extension that prevents websites from tracking you across the internet, which users found deactivated in the middle of researching the dark web. Ouch.
This is what Firefox add-ons looked like over the weekend on version 66.0.2
Luckily, Mozilla was quick to react with a hotfix that came to desktop browsers shortly after the bug was found and an update from version 66.0.2 to 66.0.4 that fixes the issue across all platforms, including Android.
You can either grab the new release from the Play Store widget below or download it straight from APK Mirror. Note that a small number of extensions may disappear from your about:addons after getting the new version. Their data is not gone; you just need to reinstall them from Firefox's add-on store. The situation is similar for themes, which have to be re-enabled manually.
Spring is in the air, the anthuriums are in bloom, and Sundhar Pichai is sequestered away somewhere in Mountain View, preparing for another Google I/O. The ...
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