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In the realm of silly first-world tech problems, the outcry over the inability to remove first-party apps from an iPhone 6S or iPad Pro 9.7 is among the silliest of struggles. Thankfully, it looks like Apple has finally heard your cries. Well, sort of.
A new bit of code inserted into the metadata across Apple's entire app-osphere hints that you may be able to hide unwanted first-party apps in the near future – but not remove them.
AppAddicts have discovered recently added boolean (true/false) parameters "isFirstParty: and "isFirstpartyHideableApp," which appear to determine whether first-party apps, like Compass, News, Notes and Stocks can be hidden.
As this has been an issue for years, you might have already devised a clever solution to put them out of sight, like into a folder titled "GTFO" on an unused page. Personally, it's enough to get the annoying app tiles out of the way.
Unfortunately, it's not the same for everyone and even Apple's new solution may not be enough. I imagine that you're asking "why exactly can't these apps be removed?"
As we reported back in September, iOS is constructed in such a way that, like a PC, certain core apps and files are necessary to keep things running smoothly and thus, cannot be removed.
Tim Cook has gone on the record, saying that "We'll figure out a way [for you to remove them]" but until iOS loosens its dependance on first-party apps, hiding them might be as close to removing them as we're going to get. Fingers crossed that the feature arrives before or with iOS 10.
- We tried out iOS 9.3's Night Shift to see if it helped our sleep
Source : www.techradar.com/
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Best Chromebooks
Update: We've introduced a new entry into our rankings, the colorful HP Chromebook 14, in the fourth spot. Also, we've updated our rankings overall to better reflect the below products' review scores as well as how recent they've come to market. Take a look below!Chromebooks are wallet-friendly laptops that are both quirky and smart, low-impact and capable.
Running Google's Chrome OS operating system rather than, say, Windows 10, they're aimed at what computing has been all about since the late '90s, the internet and your web browser.
Mostly with low-power processors and low-end HD screens starting at 1,366 x 768 pixel count, most of these notebooks are designed to last. Almost every Chromebook claims between 7 and 9 hours of battery life and ends up within a few hours of that estimation, based on our testing. If you're not sure of what you should look for when buying a Chromebook, we've developed a handy cheat sheet for you.
Prices do start to rise above the "affordable" range, as is the case with the MacBook-rivaling, $999 Chromebook Pixel 2 (£670, AU$1,320), especially in the classroom, where Chromebooks are gaining significant influence. Despite their growth, there should always be a Chromebook within your budget.
Then, it all comes down to size and price, with Chromebooks available as little as 11.6 inches and as wide as 15 inches. (There are even 2-in-1 Chromebooks available.) Always up-to-date, here are our top-ranking Chromebook reviews.
1. Toshiba Chromebook 2
However, note: the Toshiba Chromebook 2 is now officially in budget Windows 10 laptop territory. Unless you're buying this machine solely for the Google ecosystem, you may be overpaying. That said, the Intel Core i3 chip behind that 1080p screen is an obvious bonus.
Read the full review: Toshiba Chromebook 2
2. Dell Chromebook 11 (2015)
In the Chromebook 11, you'll find a 180-degree reinforced hinge, rugged design, sealed keyboard and trackpad, and a punchy typing experience inside a portable package. In addition to using the Chromebook for school work, students will appreciate the loud stereo speakers for videos.
There's a new version of this Chromebook available, too. We've jotted down our first impressions here.
Read the full review: Dell Chromebook 11 (2015)
3. Asus Chromebook Flip
Aside from the budget price tag, the Flip is one of the best-built Chromebooks to blaze the trail onward for more convertibles. Touchscreen functionality feels slightly more logical, with a screen that actually rotates for once.
All the while, the Flip meets all the core tenants of an ideal Chrome OS device, including stellar battery life. If you've been ho hum on Chromebooks before, this is definitely one to ... flip out about. (Sorry.)
Read the full review: Asus Chromebook Flip
4. HP Chromebook 14
And, while Acer's Chromebook 15 serves up equal components behind a larger screen for the same amount of scratch, HPs' 14-incher is a bit more compact and better looking to boot, if coffee shop appeal is crucial.
For a modest investment, you'll get a responsive, friendly-looking notebook that's actually fun to use despite some minor shortcomings.
Read the full review: HP Chromebook 14
5. Acer Chromebook 15 C910
The C910 took this series of laptops to two new places, as the first with a 15.6-inch screen and the first to introduce the fifth-generation Broadwell CPUs to Chromebooks.
Specifically geared toward students and teachers – thanks to its durable frame and gorgeous visuals – the C910 is fine for any consumer who doesn't mind lugging around a few extra pounds and inches.
Read the full review: Acer Chromebook 15 C910
6. Google Chromebook Pixel 2015
Hardware and performance aside, the Pixel is one of the few Chromebooks that seems like it has itself completely figured out. The build quality of this machine is superb; the design has been engineered down to a science. A vibrant screen – plus the tactile keyboard and trackpad – helps to round out the Pixel as one pretty, premium package.
That said, this one's quite an investment. At this price, you could buy several Chromebooks or a far more powerful Windows laptop. So, before you buy, we suggest you consider all the much more affordable (or better) options out there before plunking down so much money into the best Chrome machine.
Read the full review: Google Chromebook Pixel 2
7. Acer Chromebook R11
Acer's R11 packs in day-long battery life, punchy performance and a 360-degree hinge with touchscreen into a subdued design for just $289 (about £202, AU$402). That makes flaws, like an iffy trackpad and barely-HD touch display, a little easier to swallow.
Read the full review: Acer Chromebook R11
8. Acer Chromebook 13
This Chromebook does have some minor issues: it doesn't multitask very well, and the laptop itself only comes in one color. But, for the tiny price of $249 (about £174, AU$347), you're likely to enjoy the simplicity and productivity as you learn to overcome its limitations.
Read the full review: Acer Chromebook 13
9. Asus Chromebook C300
The TN screen unfortunately is a wash (both figuratively and literally in terms of color reproduction), but this Chromebook simply goes on and on with its nigh excessive battery life.
Read the full review: Asus Chromebook C300
10. Lenovo N20p Chromebook
The touchscreen controls also work in a snap for, say, watching shows on HBO Go or lurking around Pinterest. Still, there's some struggle when using it as a tablet, as Chrome isn't entirely made for touch as an almost exclusively browser-based interface.
It's not very tuned for work use, but the Lenovo N20p offers great versatility for a leisure notebook. Plus, with two USB ports (one 3.0), an HDMI port and an SD card reader, this Chromebook delivers a fine value.
Read the full review: Lenovo N20p Chromebook
Juan Martinez has also contributed to this article.
Source : www.techradar.com/
MacBook Pro 2016 release date, news and rumors
Apple's MacBook Pro range hasn't been updated for some time: the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina was refreshed in March 2015 and the 15-inch in May. New MacBook Pros are clearly imminent.
The biggest change is likely to be in the Pros' processors, and while there are rumours of detachable touchscreens we'd take them with a hefty pinch of salt.
Let's sift through the river of rumors to find nuggets of knowledge: what can we really expect from the 2016 MacBook Pro refresh?
- Also check out our MacBook Air 2016 release date, news and rumors article.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? The next generation of Apple's professional notebook
- When is it out? WWDC in June is most likely, but Apple may launch early
- What will it cost? Likely £899 (around $1,264/AUS$1,670) upwards
MacBook Pro 2016 release date
We'd expect to see the new MacBook Pro 2016 at Apple's annual developer event, WWDC, this June.
It's possible that Apple might choose to unveil the Pros earlier, but with a new MacBook and possibly MacBook Airs to show off this spring/summer too it makes sense to keep the Pros for the pro event.
MacBook Pro 2016 price
The current MacBook Pro range starts at £899 ($1,099) for the 13-inch non-Retina model, rising to £999 ($1,119) for the entry-level 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro and topping out at £1,999 ($2,099) for the 2.5GHz 15-inch Retina.
The 13-inch non-Retina MacBook Pro, tucked away apologetically at the foot of Apple's product page, surely can't be long for this world; come the updates we'd expect it to vanish in favour of a Retina 13-inch model instead.
Apple tends to keep its pricing similar between generations, so an £899 entry-level Pro with Retina display is likely to be the baby of the range.
MacBook Pro 2016: what's so special about Skylake?
The MacBook Pro is trailing PC rivals in the processor stakes: Dell and Microsoft have already moved to the sixth-generation Intel processors, but Apple is still on Broadwell and Haswell chips.
The move to Skylake processors should be more significant than the move to Broadwell, as the latter was more about battery life and energy efficiency than performance. Moving the MacBook Pro to Skylake should deliver massive speed improvements across the range as well as better battery life.
Skylake has some other tricks up its silicon sleeve including support for WiGig and WiDi short-range, high speed data transfer as well as wireless charging. Don't expect those features to be enabled in this year's notebooks, but they're likely to turn up in future iterations.
MacBook Pro 2016: fitter, happier, more productive
Faster is a given, better battery is almost certain. What about design changes? The current MacBook Pro is fairly porky compared to Apple's other notebooks, especially the minimalist USB-C MacBook.
That's partly because it's an older design and partly because the current MacBook Pro boasts lots of ports: twin Thunderbolt 2 and USB 3, an HDMI socket and an SDXC card slot.
Apple isn't sentimental about removing supposedly must-have features it deems redundant - the MacBook Pro lost its SuperDrive years ago - so could those ports be for the bullet too in favour of one or two USB-C ports?
It's certainly possible, especially since Intel has combined USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 to deliver USB, Thunderbolt, DisplayPort, PCI Express and power in a single connection. If the 2016 MacBook Pro doesn't have at least one USB-C port we'll eat an iPad - although it'll be interesting to see how much Apple prizes thinness over existing connectivity.
USB-C has the bandwidth for daisy-chaining even the most demanding devices, and of course Apple is always happy to sell reassuringly expensive adapters when it bins a previously popular port.
MacBook Pro 2016: Touch ID and next-gen SSDs?
The Pros are all about performance, so will they get next-generation SSDs? It's a nice thought, but while Intel's blazingly quick Optane SSDs are destined for Macs, they aren't likely to appear in any this side of 2017.
Another persistent rumour is TouchID fingerprint recognition, but that particular pundit also predicted TouchID in the recent Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad updates, which of course didn't happen.
MacBook Pro 2016: Detachable keyboard and screen?
One of the most interesting MacBook Pro rumours is that it's getting a touchscreen, and perhaps a detachable keyboard too. We think that's spectacularly unlikely, for several reasons. Those reasons are: iPad Pro, iPad Pro, iPad Pro, iPad Pro and iPad Pro. Apple already has a device with a touchscreen and detachable keyboard, and it isn't a MacBook.
There's another reason for our cynicism, and that's OS X. OS X 10.11 El Capitan's interface isn't optimised for touch because Apple already has a touch-optimised operating system, iOS. As Craig Federighi said about touch in late 2014, "We don't think it's the right interface" for the Mac; "Mac is sort of a sit-down experience… of course over the years we've experimented with all the technology, but we found it just wasn't good."
Of course Apple has a track record of saying it won't do something and then doing it a few years later, but with two sizes of iPad Pro offering touchscreens, optional keyboards and Apple Pencil there's no obvious need for a touchable MacBook Pro too.
What would you like to see in a 2016 MacBook Pro? Let us know in the comments.
Source : www.techradar.com/