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The Steve-Jobs-Theatre Edition Wednesday, September 13, 2017

Something's Transmitted, by Dustin Curtis

If you look hard enough, you can understand the philosophy, love, and care of the people who took an idea, made it wonderful, and then made it real.

iPhone 8 And iPhone X: The MacStories Overview, by Alex Guyot, MacStories

All things considered, Apple has put out a somewhat incredible lineup of smartphones this year. The iPhone X may be stealing most of the thunder, but I think it's definitely worth keeping in mind that most of the performance improvements are shared across both lines. The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are excellent new phones, and will serve any user well. They might not have all the bells and whistles of the iPhone X, but they also have the tried-and-true Touch ID scanner which is fast, efficient, and effective. Sometimes waiting for the future to become the present is a better idea than leaping ahead prematurely.

With that said, the iPhone X really does look like a device from the future, and in a lot of ways that's just awesome. Having a facial scanner on a smartphone which can be trusted enough to protect your credit card feels like something out of a movie. The TrueDepth camera's facial mapping will change selfies forever. The OLED display is striking in a way that a bezeled display could never be. There's no doubt that this new iPhone may have some growing pains, but there's also no doubt that this is where all smartphones are heading. If you can afford the higher price and can wait the couple months, you could live in that future ahead of time.

A Unique Marketing Problem For Apple, by Ben Brooks, The Brooks Review

All in all, Apple put themselves in a spot where they made a better camera for the X, but they can’t really say the camera is that much better without answering the question: why not put it in the 8 Plus too? Had the iPhone X been the only model announced, those new cameras would have been touted as the best cameras to ever grace a mobile phone, because they certainly are. Instead, Apple has had to dial back the narrative, while still talking about them.

The Empire Of Apple, by Ian Bogost, The Atlantic

This approach—lining up one new, killer product after another—seems almost impossible, even for Apple. But the company’s latest announcement points toward a new way of culturing attention, one that’s much more subtle than just getting people to buy or rent a glass rectangle year after year.

[...]

The future of Apple isn’t in tablets or watches or even cars. It’s in how well, or how poorly, it manages global life run by its smartphones. And how willingly the public lets it.

iPhone X - All Screen, No Home Button

iPhone X: Hands-on And First Impressions With Apple’s New iPhone, by Jason Snell, Macworld

Still, the iPhone X is familiar—when you hold it, it’s undeniably still an iPhone. Even if it doesn’t have the home button that was once the trademark of the iPhone line.

Hands On With The iPhone X: OLED And HDR Outshine Everything Else, by Samuel Axon, Ars Technica

More than the design or the facial recognitions, it was this display that set the iPhone X apart for me.

[...]

As hard as it is to judge phone displays on a showroom floor, the color balance was lovely. And the blacks were completely black, even while the well-lit parts of photos and videos were bright enough to fight the overhead lighting in the room.

Animated Emoji Are Coming To Your iPhone, by Tom Warren, The Verge

Apple is introducing a new Animoji feature in iOS 11, which are animated versions of the popular emoji found on the iPhone. Animoji will use the Face ID hardware face-scanning features of the iPhone X to create custom 3D versions based on your own facial expressions.

AppleCare+ For The iPhone X Will Cost $199, by Chaim Gartenberg, The Verge

You get the same two years of coverage for manufacturing defects or battery life issues (up from the one year that the phone comes with), and the same two incidents of accidental damage coverage.

It's Pronounced ‘iPhone Ten’, by Paul Miller, The Verge

Like the Roman numeral.

iPhone X - FaceID

How Secure Is The iPhone X's FaceID? Here's What We Know, by Andy Greenberg, Wired

For the average iPhone owner, the difficulty of spoofing FaceID and also gaining physical access to a target iPhone will likely make any attack on it a monumental waste of effort, says Rich Mogull, a security analyst who has long focused on Apple. "If you have to 3-D print a model of someone's face to defeat this, that’s probably an acceptable risk for most of the population," says Mogull. "If that’s the economic cost to break into one of these devices, we’re ok."

That said, he adds that those with more security sensitivities should simply turn it off—and TouchID too, for that matter. "If I were an intelligence agent, I wouldn't turn on any biometric," Mogull says.

Face ID On The iPhone X Is Probably Going To Suck, by Ron Amadeo, Ars Technica

This is not the first phone we've tried with a facial recognition feature, and they all have the same problem. It doesn't matter how fast or accurate Face ID is, the problem is the ergonomics: you need to aim it at your face. This is slow and awkward, especially when compared to a fingerprint reader, which doesn't have to be aimed at anything.

[...]

To use the iPhone X's Face ID, you have take the phone out of your pocket, lift it up to your face, swipe up to turn it on, and only then can can you start the unlock process. The difference is probably one or two seconds, but for something you do 80 times a day, having the fastest possible unlock system really matters.

Apple's First Face ID Demo Failed, But It Probably Wasn't Face ID's Fault, by Chris Welch, The Verge

In fact, it doesn’t seem to be an error by the company’s replacement for Touch ID at all. The passcode screen that Federighi got said “Your passcode is required to enable Face ID.” This is the same screen that would come up on existing iPhones after a device has been restarted — or simply after several hours have passed without authenticating through the lock screen. This is a security precaution introduced with Touch ID that will clearly carry onward with Face ID.

iPhone 8 & 8 Plus - True Tone

iPhone 8 And 8 Plus Announced With Wireless Charging, True Tone Display, A11 Bionic Processor, by Chaim Gartenberg, The Verge

The jump from the iPhone 7 to the iPhone 8 is pretty significant, marking the first time since the iPhone 3GS was released back in 2009 that an iPhone model hasn’t received a spec-boosted “S” variant. Apple may be moving up numerically, but the new iPhone 8 models look to continue the same rough design the company has been using since 2014 from the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.

One of the biggest changes comes in the form of a glass back, in order to enable one of the biggest internal changes: inductive wireless charging, which wouldn’t have worked through the aluminum shell of the old model. And, like the iPhone 7, there’s still no 3.5mm headphone jack.

Familiar, But Not Too Familiar, by Chris Velazco, Engadget

All told, it's not hard to look at these things as the iPhone 7S and 7S Plus. They're not. Despite what their looks may suggest, there are some serious improvements on display here and I suspect the upgrade will be well worth it. Who knows? If the iPhone X does well, this might be the last time you'll able to own an old-school, home-buttoned iPhone.

Wireless Charging - Qi

Apple Reveals AirPower Wireless Charging Pad Coming In 2018, by Darrell Etherington, TechCrunch

Apple has a new wireless charging pad called the ‘AirPower’ which is essentially a mat with room for your new iPhone 8 or iPhone X, as well as your Apple Watch, and even AirPods with a new optional wireless charging case accessory. It’ll charge all of them without any cables required, but you’ll have to wait until 2018 to get one – Apple said it’s coming early next year.

Apple Announces A Wireless Charging Case For The AirPods, by Romain Dillet, TechCrunch

The AirPower charger is coming next year. So don’t expect to be able to buy this optional AirPods case just yet.

Apple Watch Series 3 - Cellular, Health

Up Close With The New LTE-enabled Apple Watch, by Lauren Goode, The Verge

Apple Watch the third’s form factor is largely the same as previous models, but with LTE version has a red digital crown to tell it apart. When you swipe up from the screen, you’ll find an LTE icon from the Control Center to signify that you’re online.

The cellular connectivity comes via an electronic SIM card integrated right into the watch. But even though Apple says this means the new Watch is just 0.25mm thicker, or roughly the thickness of two pieces of paper, there does appear to be a noticeable difference. It’s small, but definitely noticeable.

It's Official: Health, Not Just Wellness, Is Apple's Future, by Christina Farr, CNBC

In the months after Apple announced its health and fitness-tracking Apple Watch, users started making some surprising declarations.

The Apple Watch had saved their life.

Apple's executive team took note.

The Apple Watch Series 3 Will Transform A Lot Of Workouts, by Brian Heater, TechCrunch

Cellular connectivity isn’t for everyone, but it will definitely change a lot of workouts.

Apple TV - 4K

The New Apple TV Gets A 4K HDR Upgrade, by Darrell Etherington, TechCrunch

Apple TV 4K will support both HDR10 and Dolby Vision profiles, which are industry standard for content makers. The entire UI is also redone in 4K, Apple announced.

Apple Is Bringing Live Sports To The Apple TV 4K, by Matthew Lynley, TechCrunch

The new TV has a dedicated sports tab that has every live and upcoming game, and as seasons change so will the sports tab. There will be scores, and the new TV app is available on the iPhone and iPad.

Apple Will Sell 4K Movies For Same Price As HD, by Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Verge

4K movies will be added to iTunes at the same price as HD content (a price point the company haggled with studios over earlier this summer), and Cue also announced that previously purchased HD movies will be automatically upgraded to 4K for free. Netflix — which has offered 4K content on other platforms since April of last year — will also be available in 4K on the new Apple TV. The Amazon Prime video app and Amazon’s 4K content will be coming “later this year.”

Disney Is Missing From Apple TV’s 4K Lineup, by Ben Fritz, Wall Street Journal

It wasn’t immediately clear why the company behind “Star Wars” and Marvel couldn’t reach an arrangement with Apple.

Sky Is Thatgamecompany’s Next Game, And It’s Coming First To Apple, by Allegra Frank, Polygon

Sky is reminiscent of thatgamecompany’s breakout hit Journey, in that it combines exploration with a light social experience. Players will fly through the clouds in order to collect light from around the world, controlling a mysterious cloaked figure.

Siri Remote For Apple TV Updated With New Menu Button And Price, by Zac Hall, 9to5Mac

Siri Remote also gets a new price with the redesign: $59. That’s down $20 from the rather expensive $79 Siri Remote with the clicky Menu button.

Apple's TV App Expanding To Seven Countries, Starting With Canada And Australia Later This Month, by Joe Rossignol, MacRumors

The app will be released in Canada and Australia later this month, followed by France, Germany, Sweden, Norway, and the UK by the end of the year.

Software Updates

iPhones And iPad Will Get iOS 11 Update On September 19, by Valentina Palladino, Ars Technica

iOS 11 won't fundamentally change the look and feel of your iPhone, but it does offer some exciting updates. One of the most useful new features is the Files app, which organizes all of the files on your iPhone as well as files stored in other locations such as iCloud and Dropbox. It almost mimics the Finder window on macOS, and that offers a convenient new way to store, organize, and access all the information on your handset. Developers have access to the Files app, too, so individual apps will show up in the Files app as their own folders, making it easier to move documents in between programs.

The Control Center also has a new look in iOS 11 with new bubble-like icons that you can move around and customize. Much like you can do with Widgets, you'll be able to choose the tools you want to have in the Control Center. Since the Control Center can take up the entire display, you're not as restricted in the number of tools you include either. Many features will be accessible via 3D Touch in the Control Center as well.

Apple Announces macOS High Sierra To Launch On September 25th, by John Voorhees, MacStories

As detailed at WWDC in June, macOS High Sierra features the introduction of several significant new and updated under-the-hood technologies including APFS, macOS’s new file system, Metal 2, which harnesses the power of your Mac’s GPU, and HEVC video compression. High Sierra also adds new features and refinements to existing apps like Mail, Photos, Notes, Safari, Siri, and more.

iTunes Removes The App Store And More To Focus On Music, Movies, TV Shows, Podcasts, And Audiobooks, by John Voorhees, MacStories

Apple has updated iTunes on macOS to eliminate ringtones, iTunes U, and perhaps most surprising of all, iOS apps.

[...]

The update to iTunes also adds the Friends feature first seen in the iOS 11 beta. Apple Music subscribers can set up a profile and follow friends to see the music and playlists they are listening to.

The Event in the Park

As Gender Diversity Battles Roil Silicon Valley, Apple Puts Just One Woman Onstage, by Colin Lecher, The Verge

The company is not the only major player in the industry that’s struggling with diversity, but the iPhone announcement is arguably the tech industry’s biggest moment of the year. At a time when the problem of diversity is on so many minds, a failure to highlight more women — or to even demonstrate progress in doing so — seems like a wasted opportunity.

A Look Inside The New Steve Jobs Theater At Apple’s Spaceship Campus, by Samuel Axon, Ars Technica

While the interior of the theater itself is not strikingly innovative from a design, architectural, or functional standpoint, the waiting area above it is a unique space.

Apple Built An Augmented-reality App To View Its New Campus—while You’re Already There, by Mike Murphy, Quartz

Using the iPad, visitors to the center are able to see a virtual version of the campus overlaid onto the metal model in front of them. You can change the time of day to see how the massive glass structures look as they’re first kissed by the morning sun, or how they look when no one is around.

To The Future

Apple’s ‘Neural Engine’ Infuses The iPhone With AI Smarts, by Tom Simonite, Wired

Apple said the neural engine would power the algorithms that recognize your face to unlock the phone and transfer your facial expressions onto animated emoji. It also said the new silicon could enable unspecified “other features.”

Chip experts say the neural engine could become central to the future of the iPhone as Apple moves more deeply into areas such as augmented reality and image recognition, which rely on machine-learning algorithms. They predict that Google, Samsung, and other leading mobile-tech companies will soon create neural engines of their own.

Stuff

Apple Increases Prices Of Select iPad Pro Models Due To Rising NAND Flash Costs, by Chance Miller, 9to5Mac

Without official announcement, the company raised the prices of the 256GB/512GB 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models by $50. This move is due to the rising cost of NAND flash memory chips, according to sources in the know.

Apple's Clips App To Offer 360-Degree 'Selfie Scenes' On iPhone X, by Juli Clover, MacRumors

When using Clips with an iPhone X, there's a new "Selfie Scenes" feature that will use the TrueDepth front-facing camera on the device to immerse users in a selection of 360-degree animated landscapes.

IKEA Place, The Retailer’s First ARKit App, Creates Lifelike Pictures Of Furniture In Your Home, by Ingrid Lunden, TechCrunch

The Swedish home goods giant IKEA has been a trailblazer when it comes to applying new technology to improve its products and overall retail experience. Today, it’s taking the latest step into the future of shopping with the launch of IKEA Place, one of the first wave of augmented reality apps getting released today to work with Apple’s new ARKit technology and iOS 11.

Saving Heart Attack Victims? Now There's An App For That, by Tomoko Otake, Japan Times

Tokyo-based social venture Coaido is launching an iPhone app that helps bystanders assist as effectively as possible in the crucial few minutes after a cardiac arrest.

The app prompts the user to send an SOS to people trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) nearby, checks whether they have already contacted the emergency number, 119, and connects them with facilities where automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are available.

This Cofounder Made His App More Accessible To Vision-impaired Users In Honor Of His Blind Father, by Becky Peterson, Business Insider

When Justin Rosenstein co-founded the productivity software company Asana in 2008, his father had one request: that he, as a blind person, could someday use his son’s creation.

On Tuesday, Rosenstein honored that request, with the announcement of a new Asana update, which includes enhanced support for VoiceOver, the Apple accessibility feature that aids visually-impaired people in using their iPhones and iPads without seeing the screen.

Develop

Apple Asks Developers To Submit iOS 11, watchOS 4, macOS High Sierra, And tvOS 11 Apps For Review, by John Voorhees, MacStories

Ahead of the upcoming public releases of iOS 11 and watchOS 4 on September 19th and macOS High Sierra on September 25th, Apple has told developers via its developer website that App Store submissions are open.

How iOS Apps Adapt To The iPhone X Screen Size, by Geoff Hackworth, Medium

The ways in which app developers implicitly or explicitly declare how forward-compatible their apps are is not the focus of this article. The version of Xcode an app is built with (and therefore the version of iOS it targets), the presence of a launch screen storyboard and certain Info.plist keys are the most important factors. What I want to discuss here is the new iPhone X and how it behaves when running both older and updated apps.

Apple Brings Face-tracking To ARKit On iPhone X, by Lucas Matney, TechCrunch

The most notable ARKit announcement was that Apple will be bringing face-tracking support to the AR platform on iPhone X, allowing dev to gain access to front color and depth images from the cameras while tracking face position and a number of expressions in real-time.

Bottom of the Page

I want the no-home-button UI from iPhone X on my iPhone 6.

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Thanks for reading.