After Apple open sources it, IBM puts Swift programming in the cloud

“That didn’t take long: As soon as Apple released its Swift programming language to the open source community, IBM created a way to code with Swift in the cloud,” Kevin Tofel reports for ZDNet.
“Big Blue released its IBM Swift Sandbox that runs your Swift code on a Linux server using a Docker container,” Tofel reports. “No, you’re not going to create the next big Swift program in the Sandbox, but for those wanting to get their feet wet with Apple’s newest object oriented programming language, the IBM Swift Sandbox is worth the look.”
“I whipped a few lines of code together in Safari on the iPad Pro – my full time computing device – and was able to run them without a problem or any lag. The text editor highlights common code errors just as you’d expect in an Integrated Development Environment or code creation tool,” Tofel reports. “That’s super useful in a classroom setting where students can tinker with Swift to learn app development.”
More info and links in the full article here.

Progress on Apple’s ‘spaceship’ Campus 2 shown in new 4K aerial drone video

Apple’s “spaceship” Campus 2 “is scheduled to be completed in late 2016, giving the company just 12 months to wrap up construction to stay on schedule,” Juli Clover reports for MacRumors.
“Apple’s construction crews have been hard at work over the past few months,” Clover reports, “making a lot of headway on the main ring-shaped building, the underground auditorium, and the parking structures.”
“Drone pilot Duncan Sinfield today shared another monthly campus update video with MacRumors,” Clover reports, “giving a close-up look at how construction has progressed since November.”Full article here.

Slowing smartphone growth is great news for Apple’s iPhone

“For the first time, market research firm IDC is predicting that 2015 will be the first year that the rate at which the worldwide smartphone market expands will sink into single digits. Turns out, most people who want smartphones probably already have ’em,” Davey Alba reports for Wired. “Counterintuitively, this is to Apple’s benefit.”
“Since most people who want smartphones in many parts of the world now already own them, it follows that more growth is likely to happen in the upgrade market than among first-time buyers in China,” Alba reports. “In its last reported quarter, Apple saw 99 percent revenue growth in the country compared to the same period last year. There’s yet more potential to convert smartphone owners into Apple users as the country continues its transition to 4G technology.”
“Finally, it’s because Apple is the undisputed king of premium smartphones that, even if the company doesn’t sell all the phones, it still makes massive piles of money.,” Alba reports. “It’s the little guys who are on the losing end.”

Apple quietly increases iTunes Match and iCloud Music Library limits above 25,000 tracks

“Apple has increased the 25,000-track limit to iTunes Match and iCloud Music Library,” Kirk McElhearn writes for Kirkville.
“The company has not made any announcements yet, but I have heard from several people who have finally been able to add more than 25,000 tracks to their iTunes Match and iCloud Music Library libraries,” McElhearn writes. “I’ve heard from others, on Twitter and by email, that they, too, have been able to add more than 25,000 tracks.”
Just ahead of the launch of Apple Music in late June, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services, Eddy Cue, took to Twitter to reveal that Apple was ‘working to’ increase the limit for iTunes Match libraries and Apple Music’s similar scan-and-match feature from the current 25,000 tracks to 100,000 tracks with iOS 9, but it did not work out that way. In October, MacRumors asked Cue for an update on the limit increase, and he said that Apple was “definitely working on it” and that he expected it will be released “before the end of the year.”

Apple’s iPhone expected to outgrow Android 17.3% vs. 9.5% year-over-year

“IDC estimates the total number of smartphone shipments will hit 1.43 billion units for the year, which represents a growth of just 9.8 percent over last year,” David Murphy reports for PC Magazine.
“Android and iOS smartphones are expected to see year-to-year growth of 9.5 and 17.3 percent, respectively, whereas Windows Phones are on a 10.2 percent decline—which IDC attributes to a lack of OEM partner support for the devices,” Murphy reports. “Interest in the iPhone 6 and 6s prompted IDC to raise its shipment estimates for Apple’s smartphones.”
As shipment volumes continue to slow across many markets, consumers will be enticed by both affordable high-value handsets as well as various financing options on pricier models. Vendors will look to push device financing and trade-in options across many of the developed markets as growth in these markets is expected to primarily come from replacement purchases and second devices. Apple has taken the lead with its iPhone Upgrade Program, and several other vendors are expected to implement similar plans in the months ahead. —  IDC research manager Anthony Scarsella