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Tag: springboard

tvOS 18 beta code hints at possible upcoming HomePod featuring a touchscreen interface

While there have been several rumors floating around as to Apple TV and HomePod devices with a touchscreen of later, a set of newly-discovered code references in the tvOS 18 beta point towards a unique feature en route to the HomePod.

A unique touchscreen interface was allegedly found buried in tvOS 18 beta 3, and the finding is actually relevant to the ‌HomePod‌ because the ‌HomePod‌’s software is an offshoot of the tvOS software. The interface is internally known as “PlasterBoard”, and is in line with the naming for other Apple interfaces, which include SpringBoard for iOS and iPadOS, PineBoard for tvOS, SoundBoard for ‌HomePod‌, and SurfBoard for visionOS. The interface appears to feature just a Lock Screen with a touch-based keyboard for entering passcodes as of right now, with little else discovered about it.

Both the Apple TV currently lack an option for locking it with a passcode, and the HomePod currently only supports simple gestures. The design referenced in the beta closely resembles the familiar on-screen keypad you’d find on an iPhone or iPad.

Apple is rumored to be working on several home control devices, complete with multiple development paths and prototypes that are being looked into. Additional rumors have also surfaced of a simple ‌HomePod‌ with a touch display at the top, a hybrid ‌HomePod‌ and Apple TV device with a camera, a ‌HomePod‌ with a screen and a camera, and an iPad/HomePod sort of combo that works as a centralized home hub.

Perhaps one of the most interesting rumors has focused on a standard ‌HomePod‌ with an LED touch-based display at the top of the device could potentially be the first HomePod and display combo. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said a HomePod with 7-inch display would launch at some point in 2024, and there have been leaked prototype images.

A recent reference to a “Home Accessory” device with a HomeAccessory17,1 identifier has also been located. No existing ‌HomePod‌ or ‌Apple TV‌ devices use the HomeAccessory identifier, but it is similar to the AudioAccessory identifier that Apple uses internally for the ‌HomePod‌. Given the numbering, it’s also believed that this device could incorporate the same A18 chip that’s thought to be present for each model of the upcoming iPhone 16 lineup.

Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

Via MacRumors and 9to5Mac

July 10, 2024
Apple expected to release fix for chaiOS bug this week

Apple is presently working on a fix for the chaiOS bug that crashes Messages when you receive a specific URL in a chat.

The fix is expected to arrive this week.

chaiOS is a bug that crashes Messages on iOS-based devices when a specific Github link is shared in a chat. It can also cause the iOS springboard to crash and relaunch.

(more…)

January 22, 2018
Apple releases iOS 6 beta 2 to developer community

It’s not the most amazing update in the world, but it moves things a bit closer to iOS 6’s release date.

Per AppleInsider, Apple on Monday issued its second beta of iOS 6 for developer testing, including a pair of fixes related to touchscreen keyboard performance.

Developers began receiving word that an update was available from “AppleInternal” on Monday afternoon. The “operating system 6.0” update is a 322-megabyte download for iPhone 4S users.

People familiar with iOS 6 beta 2 said it is identified as build “10A5338d.” When updating to the new software version in the Settings application, the icon with gears is animated and actually moves.

The release notes that accompany the update reportedly indicate that Apple fixed an issue where key clicking sounds could be skipped during fast typing. Apple also indicated it addressed an issue in which the keyboard would be wrongly positioned when switching from landscape to portrait orientation.

Apple also reportedly fixed an issue where the iOS SpringBoard may crash during a phone call if the screen would fade to black when using a speakerphone or headphones. It also addressed a crash that would occur if a new iCloud account was created during initial setup of the iOS device.

The latest iOS 6 beta also adds the podcasts section back into the iTunes application. That was missing from the first beta, and there have been rumors that Apple plans to introduce a standalone podcast application when iOS 6 officially launches this fall.

iOS 6 beta 2 is compatible with the third-generation iPad, iPad 2, iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and fourth-generation iPod touch.

Also released on Monday were Xcode 4.5 Developer Preview 2, as well as a second beta of the next software update for the Apple TV set-top box.

iOS 6 was formally announced earlier this month at Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference. Developers were also provided with the first beta after its unveiling, allowing them to test their applications before the formal public launch this fall.

If you’ve gotten a chance to tinker with the new beta, please let us know what you think in the comments.

June 26, 2012
Hacker cracks iPod nano, finds support for slew of additional supported features

Irish hacker James Whelton announced Monday that he has successfully hacked Apple’s current iPod nano using a springboard hack. That process allowed him to create a “blank space” on the device by removing an app, and Mr. Whelton said that he hopes to be able to use this process to allow further modification to the device. Per The Mac Observer, Whelton stated that he also discovered support for movies, games, and more in the device.

“The springboard hack is just the removal of a app and creation of a blank space,” Mr. Whelton wrote at his site, Nanohack.me. “Not that amazing, but what’s important is the bypass of nano’s cache comparison, which compares any modded SB file and reverts it if it doesn’t like it, this opens up the possibility of hacking and modding, while not adding bootloaders or any of that fun stuff.

He was able to then root around in the devices files, and discovered a list of supported features in the nano’s preference plist file, including Movies, TV Shows, Apps, Games, vCards, Calender events.

“With the bypass I figured out,” he wrote, “I hope to enable these pretty soon.”

Mr. Whelton has opened up the process of hacking the device to other people, posting progress reports at Nanohack.me, as well as through his Twitter account. He also posted the following movie below to YouTube to demonstrate that the springboard hack was real:

As always, let us know what you think in the comments.

December 29, 2010