Steve Sande

The ACEs conference in New Orleans, Louisiana is on its inaugural year, and will feature a talk by MacObserver's own...

<p>Here are some of the best free apps, app updates and new apps that have landed in the App Store recently. Today's notable apps include a discount on MathStudio, the new HERE navigation app, and an update to OmniPlan that brings the title to the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch as a unviersal app. All app prices are USD and subject to change. Some deals may expire quickly, so grab them while you can.</p>

<p><span>When I saw the</span><a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2015/2/20/apple-looking-at-public-beta-for-ios-83-ios-9" rel="noopener noreferrer"> recent announcement that Apple would open its iOS beta program to the general public</a><span>, I felt that the time had come to recap the various ways Apple accepts feedback on matters of accessibility. The Accessibility Department at Apple has a long track record of using customer feedback to drive improvement. While they don't always respond to comments or bug reports directly, evidence of their attention to feedback is clear in product updates that bring new features and stability. There are three primary ways to get in touch with the Apple engineers responsible for product development. They include: directly contacting the Accessibility Department, the Bug Reporter and Apple's catch-all feedback page.</span></p>

<p>It's time to save some of your hard-earned money with our <a href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/?tag=deals"><span>Daily Deals</span></a>, featuring exclusive deals for AWT readers, hardware discounts and our own handpicked iOS and OS X sales. All prices are USD and subject to change. Please check prices before you purchase as some deals may expire quickly.</p>

<p style="margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px">We are honored to introduce the Apple World Today readership to this week's sponsor, <a target="_blank" href="http://padandquill.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pad & Quill.</a> </p><p>Readers who followed us over from TUAW remember the array of handcrafted products that Pad & Quill has created over the years to protect our iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks. Now the Minneapolis-based design firm is unveiling two new products designed for the youngest member of the Apple family: the Apple Watch.</p>

<p><span>Pebbles knows a MacBook when he sees one, and they are made of black or white polycarbonate and have LOTS of ports. None of this gold or space gray metal stuff, and one little USB-C port that even a mouse</span><span> couldn't fit into! </span></p>

<p>It's time to save some of your hard-earned money with our <a href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/?tag=deals"><span>Daily Deals</span></a>, featuring exclusive deals for AWT readers, hardware discounts and our own handpicked iOS and OS X sales. All prices are USD and subject to change. Please check prices before you purchase as some deals may expire quickly.</p>

<p>Whether you’re going to be buying one of the new MacBooks or already have a fully-loaded 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display that is your constant companion, you need something to protect and carry your Apple laptop. Why not do it in style? </p>

<p>Product designer Greg Koenig watched Apple’s Watch Craftsmanship videos and used his knowledge to provide <a href="http://atomicdelights.com/blog/a-glimpse-at-how-the-apple-watch-is-made"><span>a detailed step-by-step narrration</span></a> of how Apple is crafting the gold, stainless steel, and aluminum Watch models.</p>

<p> </p><p>Apple CEO Tim Cook <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/id/102501716"><span>took the airwaves</span></a> this week with a surprise call into CNBC’s Mad Money show. In its 10th year and hosted by Jim Cramer, the show invites callers to talk about stocks. Cook’s conversation with Cramer lasted 7-minutes and covered a variety of topics, including Apple Pay, ResearchKit and more. You can watch the segment in the video embedded below.</p>

<p><span>Everyone loves a good mystery, and the team of Neil Hughes, </span><span>Mikey Campbell and Sam Oliver at </span><a target="_blank" href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/15/03/13/project-titan-sixtyeight-sg5-inside-apples-top-secret-electric-car-project" rel="noopener noreferrer">AppleInsider appears to have stumbled an amazing one</a><span>. The crew has an exclusive look at automotive </span><span>research that's being performed at a facility "hidden in plain sight" near the Cupertino headquarters of Apple. The project is called "Titan", the goal is to build an electric car, and serious work is being done at a location in Sunnyvale, CA.</span></p>

<p>Microsoft is preparing to release an advanced version of its Cortana digital assistant on iOS and Android in the future, reports <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/13/us-microsoft-einstein-exclusive-idUSKBN0M914D20150313"><span>Reuters</span></a>. The software is being developed as part of the company’s artificial intelligence project, codenamed Einstein.</p>

<p>On Monday, we followed an ancient and hallowed TUAW tradition and ran a [liveblog during the Apple Spring Forward event]. After the fact, the team talked a bit about the future of liveblogging.</p><p>Liveblogs are usually quite popular and this was no exception. Our traffic on Monday was quite nice, something we'd like to see every day. But as we noticed while watching the event, there was another liveblog that was competing with ours -- Apple's.</p>

<p>>Here are some of the best free apps, app updates and new apps that have landed in the App Store recently. Today's notable apps include a discount on Essential Anatomy 5, the new Ulysses for iPad, and an update to Horizon photo and video app. All app prices are USD and subject to change. Some deals may expire quickly, so grab them while you can.</p>

<p><span>One of my favorite parts of any Apple device announcement isn't during the actual event, but afterward when the teardowns of equipment begin. Earlier in the week </span><a href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2015/3/10/owc-unboxes-tears-down-the-new-macbook-airs?rq=OWC">OWC took apart the new MacBook Airs</a><span>, and yesterday </span><a target="_blank" href="https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/MacBook+Pro+13-Inch+Retina+Display+Early+2015+Teardown/38300" rel="noopener noreferrer">iFixit performed surgery on a brand new 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display</a><span>.</span></p>