There's just one more night of sleep before iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch owners will be able to download iOS 8, but if you're restless and need something to bide the time with, check out our Morning Report for Tuesday to learn why the iPhone 6 NFC chip won't work with anything except Apple Pay, examine the latest one-click Photoshop and Lightroom plug-ins, and discover why Apple apps are being preloaded onto larger capacity iPhone 6 models.
Apple Confirms iPhone 6 NFC Chip Under Lockdown, For Now
Might as well abandon any hope of Google Wallet or any other third-party app being able to tap into the NFC (near-field communication) chip on the new iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus, at least for the first year. According to Cult of Mac, Apple has confirmed that the chip is limited strictly to Apple Pay, and off limits to developers hoping to take advantage of the hardware for contactless payments or other uses.
If that policy sounds familiar, that's because it's exactly what Apple did last year with Touch ID on the iPhone 5s — a feature that will finally be available to third-party developers with the release of iOS 8 this week. Presumably, Cupertino will lock down NFC in a similar manner, likely relaxing that stranglehold on the new technology until next year's release of iOS 9.
The use of NFC extends well beyond making payments without a plastic credit card: The technology can be used to wirelessly share files (think AirDrop), pair devices (think Bluetooth), or even automate our homes, such as unlocking doors. Early iPhone 6 adopters won't be able to pay at cash registers right away; Apple Pay is expected to roll out with a software update due sometime in October.
Perfectly Clear 2.0 Plugs Into Photoshop, Lightroom
We all want to make our photos look their best, but often the tools to perform such tricks are overwhelming to novice users. Athentech Imaging Inc. today announced (PDF link) the release of Perfectly Clear 2.0, major upgrades to the company's Mac OS X image correction plug-ins for either Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Lightroom.
Priced at $149 each or available together in a $199 bundle, Perfectly Clear 2.0 features 20 automatic, one-click corrections that enhance images with a minimal amount of effort. Featuring updated algorithms to make processing faster than ever, the latest version also includes Beautify, an option first introduced on the mobile version of Perfectly Clear, which uses advanced facial detection techniques to power 10 automatic corrections.
Athentech claims Perfectly Clear 2.0 is now 2x faster than the earlier version, with a new noise engine that removes unwanted artifacts more accurately, and a full-resolution zoom for incredible clarity while working with images close up. Both plugs-in are now available from the Athentech web store, with upgrades for existing customers starting at only $75; a free, 30-day trial download is also available.
Apple Apps May Come Preloaded on Larger Capacity iPhone 6 Models
Apple has taken a lot of heat from critics for sticking with 16GB as the base onboard storage with the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, a curious move given how Cupertino has eliminated the next 32GB rung of the ladder and instead jumps straight to 64GB for $100 more. According to MacRumors, that decision may raise a few more eyebrows when owners of the larger capacity models discover Apple has preinstalled all of the company's former iLife and iWork apps on their device by default.
Apparently rather than be criticized for gobbling up precious storage on the base model 16GB, owners of the cheaper models will have to download space-hogging apps such as GarageBand and Pages on their own — but fear not, they're still available free for all new iOS device owners, and can be downloaded at any time.
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