Apple Updates Podcasts iOS App With Custom Stations, Playlists, and iCloud Syncing

[Peace]

This new podcast GUI.

I saw the same thing on an iPhone on the TV show Elementary the other night. Lucy Lui was using the phone then switched to the calendar app in the same fashion that you now switch between the store and library in Podcasts.

 

[naeS1Sean]

Exactly what I thought when I saw it...

Image
It begins

 

[phillipduran]

Yay for Starcast!

Downcast invalidates your app. I haven't looked back since the release of the podcast app sent me to the app store to find an alternative.

 

[newagemac]

I haven't been using this for a while now, but does this app stream from the cloud, download from the cloud? Is there an option for streaming only or download only?

Yep, it streams from iCloud now. You can choose whether to download to the device or stream and can auto download per subscription if you want. And your subscriptions are synced across devices in the background using iCloud. Pretty cool.

Edit: iCloud also now syncs your play position. You can start listening to a podcast on your iPhone then pick up right where you left off in iTunes on your Mac. Then switch to the iPad and start playing exactly where you last paused it from iTunes too. Awesome.

 

[phillipduran]

What was particularly skeuomorphic about it? It had buttons?

Yes, buttons that looked like real buttons.

 

[budselectjr]

What was particularly skeuomorphic about it? It had buttons?

The pointless reel to reel tape player.

 

[leon44]

I really liked the skeumorphism tape deck thing, it was pretty cool

 

[naeS1Sean]

Don't be dumb. It's obvious. This is why I stay away from the comment sections. It's like a bunch of high school babies in here.

What was particularly skeuomorphic about it? It had buttons?

 

[Boris A]

I wish I could say it looks better, but it just doesn't. In some ways, the app became even more cluttered.

 

[canesalato]

What was particularly skeuomorphic about it? It had buttons?

Have you ever used it?

 

[Eadfrith]

And they removed most of the skeuomorphism!

A sign of things to come perhaps?

 

[Medic311]

anything to fix the clunky POS that was the last version....

 

[clukas]

I really liked the skeumorphism tape deck thing, it was pretty cool

Same here. Whilst im not a big fan of skeumorphism i actually liked the podcast app very much.

 

[wxman2003]

Still prefer Downcast.

 

[D 5]

I like the new design vs the old!

 

[rhett7660]

Yep, it streams from iCloud now. You can choose whether to download to the device or stream and can auto download per subscription if you want. And your subscriptions are synced across devices in the background using iCloud. Pretty cool.

Great thank you!!!!!! Downloading it now!!

 

[BruiserB]

Will video podcasts now play on a TV via the 30pin to video cable? I used to travel with this cable and watch podcasts on hotel TVs. But since the podcast app came out, video out was disabled. You can AirPlay but I don't want to carry an Apple TV with me and not every hotel TV has hdmi in ports.

 

[WestonHarvey1]

Yes, buttons that looked like real buttons.

Those are all over the place in the OS. Is that really such a big deal?

I get why people don't like stitched leather calendars, but this whole "nothing on my interface should remind me of anything in the real world" thing goes way too far. It's not based on anything real. It's just dogma.

We have high resolution 32 bit color graphics, and people won't be happy until we have a totally flat 4 color interface. I just don't get it.

 

[jigzaw]

Very happy to hear about iCloud syncing. Syncing my phone to my laptop always screwed up my podcasts. I kinda liked the reel-to-reel theme. Thought it looked cool. Don't understand all the hostility to old-timey skeuwhatever around here, as it certainly distinguishes iOS from the funky neon futurism of Android and gives it a warmer more inviting feel.

 

[daneoni]

We went from....

To...

 

[APlotdevice]

Aww... I kinda liked the little reel-to-reel thing. Pointless, yes, but cute.

Unfortunately the playback controls are still located on the bottom of the iPad screen, rather than the sides like in the music app. I do hope Ives plans on doing more than just change a few textures in the future, cause frankly it's not all that impressive.

 

[WestonHarvey1]

Don't be dumb. It's obvious. This is why I stay away from the comment sections. It's like a bunch of high school babies in here.

You're right. Next, Apple should really think about getting rid of the color gradients on those new butto... er.. uh... icons. Gradients remind me of the interplay of light and shadow off objects in the real world. That's just WAY too skeuomorphic for me!

 

[arilev]

Playback position synching...

I noticed that when I play a podcast in the app, hit pause, and then jump into iTunes on OS X, the playback position picks up right where I left off in the podcast app.

But if I play a podcast in iTunes, hit pause, and then jump over to the app on iOS the position does not synch. The podcast either starts from the beginning if I haven't already started listening to it in the app or picks up where I left off if I have already been listening to it in the app.

Anyone else having the same one-way-synching experience?

Update: I already take this back, seems it just takes a little longer to synch from iTunes to Podcasts than the other way around...iCloud synch IS (finally) working as advertised.

Update Update: No we just need synching for adding/deleting subscriptions and this thing will rock.

 

[leftynaut]

hmmm... is this worth leaving Downcast for now? I love Downcast... but I love the idea of iCloud syncing to iTunes

 

[Mike MA]

I like the new design - first signs of Sir Ive taking over.