MyAppleMenu

The Over-Ear Edition Tuesday, December 8, 2020

Apple Announces AirPods Max Over-Ear Headphones With Noise Cancellation, Priced At $549, by Joe Rossignol, MacRumors

Apple today introduced new over-ear headphones called AirPods Max, with key features including high-fidelity audio, Adaptive EQ, Active Noise Cancellation, and spatial audio. The headphones are priced at $549 in the United States and available to order starting today on Apple.com and in the Apple Store app, with shipments beginning December 15.

Fitness+ Workout Service For Apple Watch Launching On December 14, by Michael Potuck, 9to5Mac

To start, Apple Fitness+ will include 9 different categories of workouts. It requires Apple Watch and the ability to use iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV means users can get a workout from anywhere, even without equipment.

Advertisers Must 'Play By The Rules' Or Expect iPhone Ban, Says Top Apple Executive, by Matthew Field, The Telegraph

Mr Federighi told The Telegraph all apps would be expected to abide by the new App Tracking Transparency rules.

He said: “There will be policy enforcement. Any form or mechanism of tracking a user for advertising or for providing information to data brokers will have to ask for permissions.

“Failure to do so is a violation of App Store policy… and are grounds for having an app removed.”

Stuff

Apple Makes iOS 14.2.1 Available For HomePod And HomePod Mini, by Michael Potuck, 9to5Mac

Today’s HomePod and HomePod mini update just includes generic release notes of “general performance and stability improvements.”

Google Adds Apple Music Support To Assistant Smart Speakers And Displays, by Dan Seifert, The Verge

Google has announced that Apple Music is now available on smart speakers and displays that use the Google Assistant, including Google’s own line of Nest products, such as the new Nest Audio.

The HomePod Mini Is A Perfect Smart Home Overlord, by Alex Cranz, Gizmodo

If you’ve shied away from smart speakers in the past, this isn’t a bad one to try out, and if you’re like me and have found yourself already embracing the Apple smart home ecosystem, it’s the perfect complementary device. Previous smart home overlords have left me wanting. The HomePod Mini gave me exactly what I need.

Dilims Demystifies Time Zones By Showing You Time Slots Across Them All, by Oliver Haslam, iMore

Dilims takes time zones and shows you blocks of time across them all simultaneously, making it easy to find a time that suits everyone.

Develop

App Store Sales Widgets Arrive On iPhone And iPad With Barter, by Michael Potuck, 9to5Mac

Now a new app from Aaron Pearce called Barter brings some great functionality to the developer community to easily keep track of metrics with App Store sales widgets on iPhone and iPad.

Notes

20 Macs For 2020: #4 – MacBook Air (2nd Generation), by Jason Snell, Six Colors

If Apple is to redefine the laptop for the next decade, we’d all do well to remember the lesson of the MacBook Air. Sometimes, you don’t get it right on the first try—and that’s okay. Given a couple of years to learn those lessons, Apple ended up creating the greatest laptop design of all time.

Current X86 Vs. Apple M1 Performance Measurements Are Flawed, by Joel Hruska, ExtremeTech

Let me be clear about the headline above: The “flaw” we’re going to talk about isn’t a problem with any specific benchmark or reviewer. It’s a difference in how the Apple M1 allocates and assigns resources versus how x86 CPUs work.

Bottom of the Page

I can't afford the AirPods Max. Or anything Max. :-)

~

Thanks for reading.