PDF Reader 'GoodReader' Removes iCloud Drive Functions to Comply with 'Mandatory' Apple Policy

PDF reader app GoodReader has removed a number of operations related to iCloud Drive to comply with Apple's guidelines. Specifically, developer Good.iWare has disabled GoodReader's ability to create and delete new folders inside iCloud along with the ability to move iCloud files. The developer called the iCloud usage policy "mandatory" and also included VoiceOver compatibility along with a big fix for opening iCloud containers.

Important iCloud functionality change:

- to ensure the compliance to Apple's iCloud usage policy, the following operations have been disabled: creation of new folders inside iCloud, deletion of folders inside iCloud, moving of files and folders inside iCloud.

We apologize for the inconvenience, but the iCloud usage policy is mandatory.

The changes to GoodReader come a week after Panic's file management app Transmit was forced to disable its send to iCloud Drive feature which also led to the removal of all Share Sheet file transfers to other third-party services. However, Apple later reversed its course on Transmit as the app reinstated its sending feature in an update shortly after.



While Apple introduced a number of new features with iOS 8, a number of developers have been forced to remove key features from their apps for reasons that are unclear. For instance, Notification Center widget Launcher was removed after the launch of iOS 8 in September, and Apple has also asked apps like Drafts and Neato to remove widget functionality. Apple also asked calculator app PCalc to remove the calculator functionality from its Notification Center widget, but later reversed its decision.



GoodReader is a $4.99 download for the iPhone and iPad. [Direct Link]

New York City Considering Apple Pay for Future Parking Ticket Payment System

The city of New York is considering new measures (PDF) that would allow drivers to pay their parking tickets with alternative payment methods like Apple Pay, PayPal, and Bitcoin, reports MarketWatch. Currently, the city says it is collecting roughly $30 billion in parking ticket revenue each year, as the region's Department of Finance is looking for a "convenient way for motorists to expeditiously pay their parking tickets via a smartphone or mobile device."

The primary objective of this RFI is to identify and assess mobile platforms that support the payment of parking tickets and learn about their current use and future viability. A secondary objective is to identify existing mobile platforms that support the request for a hearing of parking tickets and learn about their current use and future viability.

New York City's Department of Finance also outlined its requirements for the new payment system, noting that it should allow users to take a picture of a ticket or scan it in to see the details of a parking violation. The city also notes that the graphical user interface (GUI) of the mobile payment system should be "simple" and allow for quick payments that meet payment-industry standards for security.



New York City drivers are currently able to pay for tickets online, via mail or at a courthouse, but the current online system is incompatible with mobile devices and subjects credit and debit card payments to a 2.5% fee. The city hopes to gain more knowledge on a new mobile parking ticket payment system by January 15 through its formal Request for Information, but there are no definite dates as to when the new measures would be implemented.

TSMC May Win Bulk of A9 Orders Due to Better Production Yield

News reports and rumors have gone back and forth multiple times over whether Samsung or the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) will produce the A9 chips designed for use in next-generation iOS devices as the two companies compete for Apple's business.



In December, a report suggested Samsung had already begun production on the A9 chips, but a new analyst prediction shared by the Taipei Times suggests that TSMC, not Samsung, may be Apple's main A9 chip supplier due to its more favorable production yield.

"The two companies' technological capabilities are similar, so the key factor will be whose mass-production yield is better," MIC director Chris Hung (洪春暉) told reporters on the sidelines of the event. Hung added that the chances of TSMC remaining the main supplier are higher because of its better yields.

While one company will win the right to produce the bulk of Apple's next-generation chips, Apple may spread orders of the A9 processor across multiple suppliers in order to cut down on risk. The best yield results in the lowest price for Apple, so the company that manages to produce the most usable chips from a single wafer (a semiconductor material) will likely win the bulk of orders from Apple.



The continually shifting Samsung vs. TSMC rumors reflect the ongoing competition between the two chip manufacturing companies and demonstrate just how important Apple contracts are to suppliers. As we saw with GT Advanced and its unfavorable sapphire deal with the Cupertino company, manufacturers will go to great lengths to secure lucrative partnerships with Apple.



In 2013, Apple signed a multi-year deal with TSMC to produce A-series processors for Apple devices as the company made an effort to move away from Samsung, but while TSMC produced the bulk of Apple's A8 and A8X chips for the iPhone 6 and the iPad Air 2, Apple has not been able to entirely cut ties with Samsung due to its chip production expertise and reliability.



As chip technology advances, it becomes more and more difficult for companies like Samsung, TSMC, Intel, and others to pack transistors onto an ever-decreasing surface area, which is why Apple has likely made moves to diversify its supply chain lineup in recent years. More suppliers gives the company a backup solution should one run into production difficulties that could result in potential delays.

VLC Developer Confirms iOS App Will Relaunch in Early 2015 [iOS Blog]

Felix Paul Kuehne, lead developer for the iOS and OS X version of popular video player app VLC, has confirmed that VLC for iOS should be available again soon in the iOS App Store (via Softpedia ). The app will be returning after an almost four-month absence from the iOS platform.





VLC for iOS mysteriously disappeared from the iOS App Store following the release of iOS 8 in September of this year. VLC did not comment on the removal, only stating that it was "working with Apple on a solution" to bring VLC back into the App Store. After several months of silence, the company announced in early December that it was launching a semi-public TestFlight beta trial of the updated version of the app.



Addressing a recent complaint about the app still not being available, Kuehne wrote in a VLC forum post that, "It will be again, but probably early next year due to the iTunes Connect holiday shutdown." He added on Twitter that the app will be back "Hopefully quite soon."

@wayneh0813 @videolan hopefully quite soon :)

— Felix Paul Kühne (@feepk) December 29, 2014

VLC recently released the TestFlight beta 2 version of VLC for iOS 2.4.0 with a handful of improvements. Based on Kuehne's comments, soon everyone, not just beta testers, will be able download the version as a new app or an update for versions downloaded before the app was removed from the App Store.

Apple's 'Communicating Stylus' for Capturing Digital Versions of Handwritten Notes Wins Patent

Apple today was awarded a new patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that concerns a new type of digital stylus that translates a user's handwritten note into a digital version when connected to a smartphone, tablet, or any "digital computing device" (via Apple Insider ).



The patent also details various exchangeable tips for the stylus, including actual ink, markers for a whiteboard, or a rubberized nub akin to most popular tablet styli. The stylus activates when various motion-sensing hardware, including accelerometers, detects when the pen is picked up out of its dock, pressed to a writing surface, or simply turned on manually.





Thanks to motion sensors able to detect a 3D plane, the stylus uses an initial zero point to transmit the movement and flow of handwriting as varying changes in position to the desired computing device. This technology also means an actual surface isn't needed to transmit data -- simply writing notes in the air would suffice. The patent even details ways for users to choose how the data is transmitted, including continuously or at chosen intervals, allowing battery life to be preserved.



As noted by Apple Insider, there are many practical solutions for Apple's new patent. The pen allows a user to display their writing on multiple displays, a possible solution for work meetings and classrooms. It could also be a digital solution for note-taking, as the user would take notes with the pen on a paper tablet, and a digital copy would be sent to a phone or tablet tucked away in a bag. The automatically produced digital backup could then be more easily edited and shared.



The patent isn't exactly new, being initially filed nearly five years ago in January of 2010, and is by no means a confirmation that Apple will be moving forward with a smart stylus of any kind. But, like most patents, it is an interesting glimpse into what possibilities the company is looking into for the future.