Apple's iOS 8.1 hits Monday with Apple Pay, iCloud photo library
The latest update to Apple's mobile operating system has hit the market.iOS 8.1, which Apple unveiled at its iPad and Mac event on Thursday, brings back "the beloved camera roll," as Apple software head Craig Federighi described it, and marks the debut of the iCloud photo library. It also adds support for Apple Pay, a new service that allows owners of Apple's latest devices to purchase items in stores and online using the touch of a finger on the gadget's Touch ID. And the update enables iPhone users to send and receive text messages from their iPads and Macs. The OS update became available for download around 10 a.m. PT Monday.Apple's iOS 8 is the company's second major release of a mobile operating system under the guidance of Federighi and head designer Jony Ive. Apple released iOS 7 last year with an updated typography, color schemes and a flatter design concept, as well as a new control center.While not as grand an overhaul as iOS 7,iOS 8 still offers a bevy of new features with more of a focus on functionality than visuals. Besides new software that tackles long-standing issues with iOS' notification system, iOS 8 also has tie-ins with Apple's desktop OS X software, iCloud and native SMS client Messages.What's new in iOS 8.1See full gallery1 - 4 / 8NextPrevIt didn't take long for some iOS users to start reporting problems after Apple introduced iOS 8 on September 17. Conversations on Apple's support forums and other online source pointed to Wi-Fi connectivity glitches, the usual battery drain issues and slow performance in Safari, among other problems. A bug in the operating system also prevented developers from launching HealthKit apps in the App Store.The iOS 8.0.1 update, released September 24 and then swiftly recalled, aimed to fix those issues. But many users immediately reported problems after downloading the update, including their iPhones no longer connecting to a cellular network. iPhone owners also pointed to issues with Touch ID after downloading the update, with some noting that the feature -- which allows people to unlock their phones using their fingerprints -- was no longer working.See alsoMiss the camera roll? Apple iOS 8.1 to bring it backiOS 8.1 paves the way for Apple PayTouch-screen Mac unlikely, says Apple's FederighiApple, needing a jolt with new iPads, plays it safe insteadApple ended up pulling iOS 8.0.1 about an hour after it first became available. The company later published instructions for users who downloaded iOS 8.0.1 before Apple scrapped the update. The steps helped users downgrade their devices to iOS 8 as Apple worked on a fix for the software. The company released iOS 8.0.2 on September 25.Adoption of the iOS 8 has been sluggish. As of October 5, Apple's App Store Distribution page showed adoption of iOS 8 at 47 percent. That's a mere one point bump from the 46 percent seen on September 21 and much slower than the adoption rate of iOS7, which was 69.7 percent 20 days after launch.But Federighi gave iOS adoption a more positive spin Thursday. "In just under four weeks, 48 percent of iOS users are on iOS 8," he told the crowd, noting "the vast majority" of Android users are running an OS that's more than two years old. "After 313 days, KitKat is only on 25 percent of Android devices."iOS 8.1 adds Apple Pay and many other features.Screenshot by Shara Tibken/CNETFor Apple, it's key to get users to adopt its newest software so they take advantage of new features and services. The company's software has been an important differentiator from other mobile devices. iOS 8 added much-desired functionality such as iCloud improvements and third-party app notifications. But the bugs and other problems have likely caused customers to wait to download the software.When Apple launched iOS 8last month, it got rid of camera roll -- and greatly frustrated users.Camera roll was a folder on the iPhone that housed all of the photosusers snapped with their phone. With iOS 8, instead of going to cameraroll, photos instead went to a folder titled "recently added." Thisfolder also holds every photo taken and deleted by a user in the last 30days -- meaning that users cannot fully delete their photos. Now, withthe return of camera roll, users should be able to both separate anddelete their photos again.The iCloud photo library will be available in public beta with iOS 8.1and will tap into users' iCloud storage. The feature will let users makeedits to photos and videos on any of their devices -- smartphone, tabletor computer -- and those changes will be instantly reflected on all oftheir devices. The first 5GB of storage will be free and then it's 99cents a month for 20GB, and $3.99 for 200GB; higher tiers are available,up to 1TB.This content is rated TV-MA, and is for viewers 18 years or older. Are you of age?YesNoSorry, you are not old enough to view this content.PlayAlong with the launch of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus smartphones lastmonth, Apple also unveiled its new mobile payments system, called ApplePay. The service, which launches Monday with iOS 8.1, lets peoplepurchase goods simply by tapping their iPhones to payment terminals andthen touching their devices' fingerprint sensors. Both the devices andthe terminals must have near-field communication (NFC) chips that storepayment credentials -- something that limits the in-store service to thenew iPhone 6 and 6 Plus phones, as well as the Apple Watch when it hitsthe market next year.But Apple Pay has another component that doesn't require an NFC chip butdoes need the company's Touch ID. People now can pay for items in appsusing a single touch on their device's fingerprint sensor, somethingthat removes time and the hassle of entering credit card and addressinformation over and over. Previously, Apple allowed consumers to usethe fingerprint sensor to quickly buy content just from its iTunes, Appand iBooks stores. Online shopping within apps works with Apple's newiPhones and watch, as well as the new iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3.The iPhone 6 Plus is a gorgeous, massive...See full gallery1 - 4 / 35NextPrev
Netflix Watch Now- Missing too much popular content
Netflix Watch Now: Missing too much popular content
The "Watch Now" feature on Netflix is a great idea: instant access to thousands of movies and TV shows, available for instant streaming to your browser at the touch of a button. There's just one big problem: despite an advertised library of over 8,000 titles, very few of them seem to be movies or TV shows that I want to watch. Out of 41 titles currently in my queue, only 4--The King of Marvin Gardens, Das Boot, The Good German, and Pickup of South Street--are available to be streamed. OK, fine--my taste for older movies is probably throwing things off. Surely plenty of newer, more popular movies are available to be streamed, right?Wrong.A quick survey of the site's top 100 list (and the top 25 list for each genre) reveals that little more than 5 percent of the site's most popular movies and TV shows are available for streaming. For instance, March of the Penguins is the only movie in the top 100 that's available for streaming (and it's also one of the 4 streamable documentaries). Meanwhile, several key genres have no streaming titles in the top 25, including action, children, comedy, drama, horror, musicals, romance, sci-fi, and thrillers. CNETGiven the on-the-fly nature of such most popular lists, these numbers will no doubt fluctuate a bit. And Netflix has definitely been building up the Watch Now library--there is, believe it or not, a better selection than there was a few months earlier. But it seems clear that the Watch Now library is going to remain woefully underpopulated for the near future--and it's unclear how much Netflix can do about it. Unlike buying bulk orders of DVDs for its disc-by-mail business, the Watch Now queue is determined by the deals it can cut with studios. And while those same studios will let the likes of Apple and Vudu offer a decent selection of download-to-own movies on their respective streaming boxes--often available the same day as the DVD release--they seem far less willing to negotiate deals that will allow most services (with the possible exception of cable video-on-demand) day-and-date streaming rentals on a pay-per-view basis. Netflix Watch Now is currently only available to subscribers on Windows PCs using Internet Explorer. The company has hinted that the service will be coming to Macs by the end of 2008. Indeed, a recent demo of Microsoft's Silverlight technology showed that--theoretically, anyway--the company could deliver high-quality on-demand video streams to Macs--using the Firefox browser, no less!--replete with a variety of social networking and interactivity that bests current DVD offerings. And Netflix has also confirmed that four hardware partners (one of which is LG) are scheduled to release a "Netflix box" by year's end, which will allow the Watch Now library to be viewed directly on your TV--no computer necessary.But until Netflix is able to negotiate deals for a wider range of compelling content--something far better than the five percent of its most popular titles that it's currently offering--the Watch Now feature will remain more a gimmick than a compelling service. What do you think: do you enjoy the offerings on the Netflix Watch Now feature? Or do you opt for competing offerings such as Hulu, iTunes, CinemaNow, or Vongo?
The "Watch Now" feature on Netflix is a great idea: instant access to thousands of movies and TV shows, available for instant streaming to your browser at the touch of a button. There's just one big problem: despite an advertised library of over 8,000 titles, very few of them seem to be movies or TV shows that I want to watch. Out of 41 titles currently in my queue, only 4--The King of Marvin Gardens, Das Boot, The Good German, and Pickup of South Street--are available to be streamed. OK, fine--my taste for older movies is probably throwing things off. Surely plenty of newer, more popular movies are available to be streamed, right?Wrong.A quick survey of the site's top 100 list (and the top 25 list for each genre) reveals that little more than 5 percent of the site's most popular movies and TV shows are available for streaming. For instance, March of the Penguins is the only movie in the top 100 that's available for streaming (and it's also one of the 4 streamable documentaries). Meanwhile, several key genres have no streaming titles in the top 25, including action, children, comedy, drama, horror, musicals, romance, sci-fi, and thrillers. CNETGiven the on-the-fly nature of such most popular lists, these numbers will no doubt fluctuate a bit. And Netflix has definitely been building up the Watch Now library--there is, believe it or not, a better selection than there was a few months earlier. But it seems clear that the Watch Now library is going to remain woefully underpopulated for the near future--and it's unclear how much Netflix can do about it. Unlike buying bulk orders of DVDs for its disc-by-mail business, the Watch Now queue is determined by the deals it can cut with studios. And while those same studios will let the likes of Apple and Vudu offer a decent selection of download-to-own movies on their respective streaming boxes--often available the same day as the DVD release--they seem far less willing to negotiate deals that will allow most services (with the possible exception of cable video-on-demand) day-and-date streaming rentals on a pay-per-view basis. Netflix Watch Now is currently only available to subscribers on Windows PCs using Internet Explorer. The company has hinted that the service will be coming to Macs by the end of 2008. Indeed, a recent demo of Microsoft's Silverlight technology showed that--theoretically, anyway--the company could deliver high-quality on-demand video streams to Macs--using the Firefox browser, no less!--replete with a variety of social networking and interactivity that bests current DVD offerings. And Netflix has also confirmed that four hardware partners (one of which is LG) are scheduled to release a "Netflix box" by year's end, which will allow the Watch Now library to be viewed directly on your TV--no computer necessary.But until Netflix is able to negotiate deals for a wider range of compelling content--something far better than the five percent of its most popular titles that it's currently offering--the Watch Now feature will remain more a gimmick than a compelling service. What do you think: do you enjoy the offerings on the Netflix Watch Now feature? Or do you opt for competing offerings such as Hulu, iTunes, CinemaNow, or Vongo?
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