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Michael Steeber

‪MichaelSteeber‬

Michael is a Creative Editor who covered Apple Retail and design on 9to5Mac. His stories highlighted the work of talented artists, designers, and customers through a unique lens of architecture, creativity, and community.

Contact Michael on Twitter to share Apple Retail, design, and history stories: @MichaelSteeber

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Apple is offering WWDC tickets to some developers who didn’t get a chance to purchase

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Apple is apparently contacting some developers who didn’t get a chance to purchase tickets, offering them a second chance.

https://twitter.com/jordanekay/status/327543987449761792

Red Sweater Software’s Daniel Jalkut speculates that tickets are being offered to those who had the item in their cart, but were unable to purchase due to the record 180 second sellout.

Apple revises plans for its Campus 2 building, adding bicycle access improvements, additional parking, and more

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Apple has just revised its plans for its massive upcoming new headquarters, scheduled to be completed by 2016. The revised plans, known as Submittal 6, focus less on the structure of the building itself, instead highlighting the surrounding land and facilities, showing off new bike paths, larger parking areas, and photos of street renderings.

The parking areas have been increased in capacity from 9,000 to 9,240 in the main lot, and 1,500 to 1,740 in an additional location, the report states. Updated bike access plans include new features such as enhanced bike lanes called “buffered bike lanes,” as well as bike boxes and two-stage turn boxes (images below).

Although there will be an incremental increase in gross office and research and development floor area of approximately 20%, the efficient use of the main site will result in almost tripling the landscaped area. Underground and structured parking will replace 9,220 surface parking spaces – creating almost three times more open space.


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Netflix is now larger than HBO, now offers $12 family plan

Netflix.

Netflix, the streaming media company who just announced huge gains in its quarterly numbers, is now larger than HBO, according to Quartz.

After several strong quarters of growth, Netflix now has 29.2 million people in the US subscribed to its $8-a-month streaming plan, which is, for the first time, greater than HBO’s domestic subscription base of 28.7 million.

Quartz notes that Netflix, while not a cable network in the traditional sense, is now viewed more than any traditional U.S. cable market.

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From an internet service standpoint, Netflix is also fairing quite impressively, making up 33% of all downstream traffic, which is more than services like YouTube, Amazon Video, and most impressively, iTunes.

As part of the earnings announcement, Netflix also noted that it would begin offering a $12 monthly family plan that would allow 4 simultaneous streams.


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Review: CamFind for iPhone lets you search for anything with your camera

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CamFind for iPhone

Back in late 2010, Google brought Google Goggles (not to be confused with Google Glass) to the Google Search app for iPhone. At the time, it seemed like a great feature. You could take a photo of anything with your iPhone, and Google would instantly identify the object in the frame, returning relevant data about the photo.

That was 2010. You’d probably think that in the years following, Google would’ve continually updated Goggles, making the recognition more accurate and expanding its features. Well, you’d be wrong. In fact, Goggles functions entirely the same as it did in 2010, another fine example of Google’s continued dedication to their products.

Image Searcher, the developers behind a new app called CamFind, have seemingly stepped in where Google failed, creating a image-based search service that they claim is “four times more accurate than Google Goggles.” Let’s take a look at how it really performed.


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iPhone 5S to reportedly come with 12-megapixel camera, improved low light mode

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Image via Gizmag

Tinhte.vn is reporting this afternoon that Apple’s next-generation iPhone (assumed to be dubbed the iPhone 5S) will include an all new 12-megapixel camera as well as an improved night shooting mode. Interestingly, MacRumors notes that the report originates from “Wonderful Saigon Electrics in Binh Duong, which specializes in providing camera modules for the iPhone.”


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Foursquare’s updated iPhone app brings Explore recommendations to the front page

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Foursquare for iPhone was updated version 6.0 today. The update brings the Explore functionality to the forefront of the app. Explore is Foursquare’s recommendation engine, which suggests attactions that users may find interesting based on their previous check-ins.

The new update brings the Explore search box to the top of the navigation bar, enabling quick access to the feature, which now serves up results faster than ever.

With the new Foursquare 6.0, we’ve crunched our billions of check-ins to instantly show you the most interesting things nearby. They’re insights that only Foursquare can deliver, the moment you open up the app. We also put search front-and-center, so you can find whatever you’re craving fast.

✓ Instantly see the best of what’s nearby. In Paris for the first time? We’ll show you the top sights and attractions, approved by local check-ins. In a familiar neighborhood? We can tell you about an up and coming restaurant that just opened up a few blocks away. Whether you’re near familiar stomping grounds or a tourist fresh off the plane, we show you the most interesting things nearby when you open Foursquare.

✓ Search is front-and-center! You can search Explore from the top of the app as soon as you open it up, so you can find what you’re craving even faster. Type what you’re looking for (like “dessert” or “park”), browse a type of place (like “Nightlife”), or tap “Best Nearby” to see our top picks in the area.

The update is avaiable for free on the App Store.