Table of contents for Issue 105 in iPad & iPhone User

We started looking forward to the iPad Air 3 launch almost as soon as the iPad Air 2 came out in 2014 – and when iOS 9 was announced, the countdown to the iPad Air 3 launch date began in earnest. No new iPad Air was launched in autumn 2015, so when will the iPad Air 3 come out? Here are all the latest rumours about the new iPad Air 3, from design and new features to dimensions, specs, UK launch date and UK price. Release date We originally predicted an October 2015 launch for the iPad Air 3, based on past behaviour from Apple. The iPad Air 2 was unveiled to journalists on 16 October 2014; the iPad Air 1 was announced on 22 October 2013, and released at…

Apple has announced the latest iteration of its iOS operating system via its own website, iOS 9.3, and promises a handful of features that users have been longing for, for quite some time. It includes a ‘Night Shift’ mode that’ll adjust colours based on the time of day (and location of the device), producing colours warmer in the evening to combat the issue of blue light effecting your circadian rhythms, making it more difficult to sleep at night. The warmer colours should make it easier on your eyes in the evening, and make it easier to sleep when using an iOS device just before bed (as many of us do!). Night Shift will be available to quickly toggle on and off from within the Control Centre, with the option to…

Free • apple.com/uk Numbers is often described as being a rival for Microsoft Excel, but that’s never really been true. While Keynote may have slick, easy-to-use animations and effects that make it a genuine alternative to PowerPoint, Numbers has never really attempted to match the powerful mathematical and analytical tools that Excel offers to business and scientific users. That situation doesn’t really change with this latest update either, as Numbers 2.6.1 doesn’t include any significant new mathematical features or functions that would enhance the power of your spreadsheets. In fact, quite a few of the ‘new’ features that Apple lists on its web site for Numbers were actually introduced in previous versions, leaving only a modest set of improvements this time around. Ease of Use Where Numbers works really well,…

Apple Smart Battery Case Works with: iPhone 6/6s, 6 Plus/6s Plus Price: £79 Apple has launched its own iPhone 6s/iPhone 6s Plus battery pack case called the Smart Battery Case, which is available in White or Charcoal Grey. It looks a bit peculiar – it’s a fairly standard silicone case that allows you to easily insert and remove the iPhone, but with an extra portion that bulges out from the case and houses the battery, which should give you up to 25 hours more power. What’s interesting is that Apple has added an intelligent battery status that works with the case to show you how much charge you have left on the phone and case, and that information can be found on the iPhone lock screen and in the Notification…

If you’re a fan of Netflix (the popular TV streaming service), you’re probably aware just how much better Netflix is in the US than here in the UK. Across the pond our American friends pay less for Netflix (the equivalent of £5.09 instead of £5.99); gallingly, for that lower cost US Netflix users get more movies and TV shows, and get the latest films and programmes long before they arrive in Blighty. No wonder British Netflix users are so keen to get the same service as the Americans. But don’t worry: it’s possible to access the US Netflix service in the UK. In this feature we show you how to watch American Netflix shows and other content in the UK using a range of Apple devices: Mac, iPad, iPhone and…

Apple announced its financial results for the first quarter of fiscal 2016 on 26 January. Here, you’ll find out how many iPhones, iPads, Macs and Apple Watches the tech giant has sold in the quarter. How much money did Apple make? Apple posted record quarterly revenue of $75.9 billion and record quarterly net income of $18.4bn, or $3.28 per diluted share. This compares to Q1 of 2015, when Apple posted a record quarterly revenue of $74.6bn and record quarterly net profit of $18bn, or $3.06 per diluted share, so we’re essentially looking for an improvement on that. With the launch of the iPad Pro in November and the new Apple TV in October, in addition to this being the first full quarter that the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, the…

Doesn’t it feel like you’re being scammed? You’re shopping around for new kit, but the UK prices are often a hefty percentage higher than they are in America. How can this be when what you want is frequently made in China, so incurs the same shipping costs wherever it’s finally sold? You may be thinking the simple solution is to buy overseas and have your purchase shipped to your door, but sometimes it isn’t that simple. Tax The first thing to understand is that it isn’t always cheaper to buy from the US, which means you need to shop smarter. The prices on most American ads and websites exclude tax, the rate of which can vary from state to state. So, when you see Apple advertising the 21.5in 4K iMac…

A podcast is a kind of personal radio broadcast. At its simplest level a podcast can consist of just one person with a microphone recording themselves as they talk about their favourite topic – whether it’s politics, sci-fi, or the latest Apple news and rumours. There are plenty of interviews, sport and comedy shows that work well in this format too. The podcast can be saved as a straightforward audio file – very often in the MP3 format – that can then be distributed over the Internet and played on any Mac, PC or mobile device. There were some very successful ‘talkinghead’ podcasts in this format in the early days of podcasting, with people like Ricky Gervais getting millions of downloads for their podcasts. However, the podcast format has evolved…

Free • apple.com/uk One of the main improvements through Keynote 2.0 and 2.5 was the continued development of its features for sharing and collaborating on your presentations. There haven’t been any major new sharing features in the latest version, but it’s worth pointing out that the iCloud version of Keynote (available on icloud.com) has finally come out of its beta testing phase. The iCloud app can be used by anyone with a web browser, which means that Keynote can compete with online rivals such as Google Sheets. Of course, Microsoft’s PowerPoint remains much more focused on collaboration within a business environment, but having that additional online option for creating and editing presentations means that Keynote is at least a viable option for collaborating with the rest of the PC-owning business…

iPads that refuse to charge, or charge very slowly – like non-charging iPhones – are a sadly common cause of irritation among Apple customers. Before long the battery will be empty and you’ll be stuck with the world’s most expensive chopping board. This isn’t a problem that’s unique to Apple products, in fact: for various reasons the charging port and cable are almost always a weak point on tablets and smartphones. Your iPad’s Lightning port (or 30-pin port, if you’ve got an iPad 3 or earlier) is open to the air and therefore vulnerable to dust and detritus getting inside and clogging up the connections; the bit just behind the head of the charging cable is constantly getting twisted and bent and often frays. And this all assumes that there…

As we reported last month, Apple has a spring event in the works to launch a 4in iPhone, a revamped iPad Air, and new Apple Watch models. Now we have a tentative date: March 15. Apple is reportedly set to launch the iPhone 5se – a 4in phone that reportedly has the same chips as the 6s for always-on Siri without needing to be plugged in. The phone will also support Live Photos and have an NFC chip for Apple Pay. Apple may also have another tablet, the 9.7in iPad Air 3, on deck. The new Air reportedly has a Smart Connector for attaching to a keyboard, just like the iPad Pro. The company is also expected to show off new Apple Watch bands and next-gen software, but no major…

We’ve come a long way since portable music was a whirring tape constantly in threat of being eaten by a brick-sized cassette player. And having long since blazed past Apple’s original iPod that could “put 1,000 songs in your pocket”, many people now want all of their music everywhere, at any point, regardless of the device they’re using at the time. Apple provides two means of accessing such collections: Apple Music and iTunes Match, both of which (confusingly) make use of iCloud Music Library, but in subtly different ways. Each service offers specific features and limitations, and they can even be used simultaneously. This article aims to help unpick what each does, and the best choice for you. What is iCloud Music Library? Simply, iCloud Music Library is Apple’s name…

AG Drive Price £2.99 Compared to some of the other racing games we look at below, AG Drive takes a traditional view of futuristic racing: all zooming spaceships and massive metal tracks akin to giant looping roller-coasters that leave your heart in your mouth. It’s a dazzling game, with animated environments and gorgeous lighting effects that make everything feel alive. But mostly you’ll stay for the racing. When immersed in the game, you can try your luck in one-off time-trials and single races, or work your way through a career, gradually upgrading your craft as you go. Just try not to gawp at a Mars sunrise as you speed on to yet another loop, or you’ll soon find rivals blazing past. Asphalt 8: Airborne Price: Free Whereas Ridge Racer (below)…

Apple Music is a great music streaming service available not only for iPhone users but is also readily available on Android, Mac and PC too. Apple offers a great UX with a huge focus on hand made/hand picked playlists that are updated day by day, providing a great music discovery platform, arguably better than Spotify. It also offers the ability to stream the latest music videos alongside your favourite songs. It also features ‘Connect’, a Twitter/Instagram/ Facebook hybrid that allows you to follow your favourite artists and get the latest news, pics and songs before everyone else – that’s how Apple would like it to work, anyway. Apple’s streaming service offered a native streaming option for Apple users, and when coupled with a three-month free trial, many made the jump…

The iPad is big in my house. I use one (Pro), my wife uses one (Air 2), my son uses one (Mini 2). Suffice it to say that we see the appeal. But at some point, even the biggest boosters of the iPad have to admit that something’s wrong. With iPad sales down year-over-year for 10 out of the last 11 quarters, it’s safe to say that this is more than a blip. Many observers have been waiting for a while now for the iPad to find its level – for sales to flatten back out and reveal what size Apple’s iPad business will really be going forward. It’s clear that the heady days where Apple sold 80 million iPads in a year are gone, and won’t be coming back…