development

Mac App Store sandboxing deadline moved to June 1

Last November Apple announced to its developer community that all applications distributed through its Mac App Store would require sandboxing. Apple initially set the deadline for this requirement to March 1, but recently moved this deadline back a few months to June 1.

Sandboxing is a method of isolating an application's tasks from those of other applications and the system, by allowing it access to only the resources it is intended to access.

This setup prevents any errors in the program from interfering with resources it was not intended to access. For instance, if a program is built to … Read more

Windows 8 set for 4th quarter? Fujitsu thinks so

Windows 8 will hit the market in the fourth quarter, according to a Fujitsu product road map.

Touting its upcoming notebooks and tablets in a press conference yesterday, the company displayed one slide that showed a Win8 launch destined for "Q4 2012." Revealed by Italian blogging site NetbookItalia (English translation), the slide also showed a tablet with a Metro user interface, suggesting that Fujitsu is prepping a Windows 8 tablet for the same time frame.

In fact, as some reports have pointed out, the slide may actually be referring specifically to the debut of the Fujitsu tablet, meaning … Read more

Apple iOS developers: We'll adjust to privacy change

iPhone apps that access address book data will need to be updated but not overhauled to comply with a new policy from Apple that mandates prior user permission, developers say.

In response to complaints that some iPhone apps were downloading the entire contents of users' address books without asking users first, Apple announced a change earlier today in its developer guidelines. Now, iOS apps will have to get explicit user permission before collecting contacts data from their phones.

The change was prompted after a blogger last week discovered that photo sharing service Path was collecting address book data unbeknownst to … Read more

Windows 8 bundled Metro apps revealed

The next beta of Windows 8 will apparently give us a healthy dose of Metro apps, whether we want them or not.

Microsoft plans to release the Windows 8 Consumer Preview--basically, a pre-release version of the new OS available to anyone who wants to download it--on February 29. Microsoft is reportedly finalizing the Metro apps that will be bundled with the new OS. Citing "sources familiar with Microsoft's plans," the Verge revealed the current list as:

Calendar Camera Mail Messaging Music People Photos SkyDrive Video

These are just the apps known so far, so there could … Read more

Apple to iPhone developers: No more low-res screenshots

The screen resolution shared by the first three iPhones and iPod Touches is expected to be phased out eventually, but in a new note to developers, the company appears to want to move that process along--at least on its digital storefront.

In an e-mail to developers today, republished by The Next Web, Apple notes that it now requires developers to include high-resolution screenshots of their applications when submitting them for approval, something that was previously optional:

When you create or update your apps in iTunes Connect, you must upload screenshots that are high-resolution. We require your screenshots as high-resolution images … Read more

Apple warns developers who manipulate App Store rankings

Apple has sent a stern warning to developers who try to inflate their App Store rankings.

"Once you build a great app, you want everyone to know about it," the company announced to developers last night. "However, when you promote your app, you should avoid using services that advertise or guarantee top placement in App Store charts. Even if you are not personally engaged in manipulating App Store chart rankings or user reviews, employing services that do so on your behalf may result in the loss of your Apple Developer Program membership."

App Store rankings are … Read more

Microsoft Bing page tips off new Windows 8 Consumer Preview

Microsoft has already cooked up a special Bing page tempting users to check out its upcoming Windows 8 "Consumer Preview."

The first clue is the video of a betta fish swimming from one edge of the screen to the other. Thought of as Microsoft's mascot for beta versions of new operating systems, that particular fish swam its way onto the desktop of the beta for Windows 7 in 2009.

But other more obvious clues are the hot spots and links scattered across the screen that refer specifically to Windows 8 Consumer Preview. Since the page is still … Read more

iPhone 5 could see June debut at Apple confab, report says

Smartphone users champing at the bit for the next iPhone could get a taste of it by June.

The latest rumors about Apple's flagship phone suggest that the iPhone 5 could be announced in June at Apple's next Worldwide Developers Conference. This latest report comes from analysts at Daiwa Securities as reported by the Chinese newspaper Commercial Times.

The folks at 9to5Mac are predicting that WWDC will be held from June 10 to 15 this year.

The new scuttlebut follows a recent report from 9to5Mac also pointing to a summer release for the next iPhone. Citing a "… Read more

The 404 978: Where you're today's lucky winner (podcast)

Since Jeff can't attend the 26th annual Game Developers Conference on March 5 in San Francisco, we're doing the next best thing and bringing part of the show to him!

General Manager Meggan Scavio is our guest today and we're getting all the details on the upcoming show, like the split among console, PC, and mobile gaming, the rise of independent game developers, and sequelmania! We'll also rant about 3D games and the convergence of the film and gaming industries.

She'll also join us in the second half of the podcast where we'll run … Read more