MyAppleMenu

Archive for September 2022

The All-12-Megapixels Edition Friday, September 30, 2022

The 2x “Lens” On The iPhone 14 Pro Is Surprisingly Good, by Allison Johnson, The Verge

Digital zoom has gotten better recently by using computational tricks to fill in the gaps, but even so, I’d rather stick with good old-fashioned optics. In any case, that’s not what Apple’s doing here — this crop to 2x uses all 12 megapixels at the center of the sensor, so you’re getting a full-resolution image, just without the pixel binning tricks that are available when the full width of the 48-megapixel sensor is used. It doesn’t need to fill in any missing information, because it’s all just there.

Apple’s Tech Supply Chain Shows Difficulty Of Dumping China, by Bryce Baschuk, Debby Wu, and Peter Elstrom, Bloomberg

Bloomberg Intelligence estimates it would take about eight years to move just 10% of Apple’s production capacity out of China, where roughly 98% of the company’s iPhones have been made. Scores of local component suppliers -- not to mention modern and efficient transport, communication and electricity supplies -- make it particularly difficult to get out of the world’s second-largest economy.

[...]

Apple’s exposure to China is also notably bigger than many others. Amazon.com Inc., HP Inc., Microsoft Corp., Cisco Systems Inc. and Dell Technologies Inc. also depend on China to produce hardware for servers, storage and networking products, but the extent of their dependence is far below that of Apple.

Coming Soon

iOS 16.1 Beta Brings Adaptive Transparency To Original AirPods Pro, by Juli Clover, MacRumors

As noted on Reddit, first-generation ‌AirPods Pro‌ owners who also have the AirPods beta software will now see an “Adaptive Transparency” toggle in the AirPods section of the Settings app. The 5A304A beta firmware is required to see the setting.

Notes

Apple Donating To Hurricane Ian Relief Efforts As Storm Pummels Florida, by José Adorno, 9to5Mac

Apple’s CEO Tim Cook announced the Cupertino company will be donating to “relief efforts on the ground” due to those affected by Hurricane Ian as the storm pummels Florida. As usual, Apple did not disclose how much it will donate.

Apple's Korea Offices Raided By Antitrust Regulators Over Allegations It Charges Developers 33% Commission, by Tim Hardwick, MacRumors

As Foss Patents points out, Apple charges 30% of the price paid by end users, which includes value added tax (VAT), making it 10% higher than the amount on which Google bases its 30% commission, which doesn’t include VAT. Apple is therefore collecting 33% (30% of 110%), not the headline 30% rate.

USB Simplifies Branding But Reintroduces Active Cables, by Glenn Fleishman, TidBITS

But at long last, the USB-IF has finally made things better, with a simplified set of USB logos!

At the same time, however, a somewhat hidden aspect of USB4 cables comes to the fore with the announcement of an upcoming 80 Gbps version of USB4. Yes, it’s the return of having to worry about the distinction between passive and active cables—or is it?

Bottom of the Page

I must be some sort of secret hoarder, because I always find deleting things quite an anxious experience. And at work today, I have to go in and delete a whole bunch of stuff in AWS. I think I am going to need all of the weekend to recoup.

On the other hand, over at Google...

(I have not sign up for any new Google services since Google Reader.)

~

Thanks for reading.

The Expect-the-Unexpected Edition Thursday, September 29, 2022

Preparing To Upgrade To Ventura, by Howard Oakley

Upgrading to a new version of macOS is always unpredictable. Some of the biggest leaps in the past, to High Sierra with APFS, or Catalina with its boot disk restructuring and loss of 32-bit, have been smooth and trouble-free, while others you’d have expected to be straightforward have been near-disasters. Always expect the unexpected, and plan to deal with catastrophe, then you can only be pleased when, a couple of hours later, Ventura is running sweetly.

Some Apple Watch Ultra Users Notice ‘Jelly Scrolling,’ Here's Why It's Happening, by Chance Miller, 9to5Mac

But why is the “jelly scrolling” effect more noticeable on the Apple Watch Ultra than on other Apple Watch models? It likely comes down to two things: the Apple Watch Ultra has a larger display and a brighter display than other Apple Watch models. Both of these make “jelly scrolling” more pronounced than the standard Apple Watch models.

AirPods Pro 2 iFixit Teardown: You Break It, You Buy It... Again, by José Adorno, 9to5Mac

iFixit’s video shows how much you should take care of your AirPods Pro 2. They aren’t fixable at all. Once you open one of the earbuds, forget it. If you need to open the MagSafe case, it will never be the same again, but, to be honest, do not open the MagSafe case as it holds a battery inside.

Coming Soon

iOS 16.1 To Feature ‘Satellite Connection Demo’ For iPhone 14 Users, by Filipe Espósito, 9to5Mac

As you probably know, iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro can communicate with emergency services via satellite. Although this feature won’t be available until November, Apple has been getting ready to release it with iOS 16.1 – which will also include a “Satellite Connection Demo” so that users can try out the satellite connection without actually calling emergency services.

Stuff

Adobe Launches Premiere And Photoshop Elements 2023, by Juli Clover, MacRumors

There are new AI-powered features that are available across both Premiere and Photoshop. A new Moving Elements option, for example, is designed to let users add a moving element into a still photo in Photoshop Elements that can be saved as an MP4 or a GIF.

Up Ahead For iPhone Is A Promising New Countdown App With Widgets And Thoughtful Design, by Zac Hall, 9to5Mac

The app has a comfortable design with lots of personalization. Tiles for upcoming events are cleanly laid out linearly with a clear display of how much time before each begins. There’s even a clever twist on the countdown presentation. Up Ahead not only displays how many days before each event but also how many days between each event.

DisplayBuddy Lets You Control The Brightness Of External Displays From Your Mac, by Filipe Espósito, 9to5Mac

With DisplayBuddy, users can control the brightness of external displays directly from their Mac. This means that you no longer need to access your monitor’s settings to adjust the brightness. The tool is extremely useful for those who have a third-party display.

LockPod Adds Apple Music And Spotify To The iOS 16 Lock Screen, by John Voorhees, MacStories

The app works with both Apple Music and Spotify, allowing users to create circular and rectangular Lock Screen widgets that serve as shortcuts to their favorite music.

Square Launches Tap To Pay On iPhone Support: Here's How It Works, by Chance Miller, 9to5Mac

The popular payment platform Square has officially launched support for Tap to Pay on iPhone to all of its merchants. This feature, which allows businesses to use an iPhone to accept contactless payments, was announced by Apple in February and is slowly starting to gain traction.

Microsoft’s Discontinuing SwiftKey On iOS Next Week, by Emma Roth, The Verge

Microsoft confirmed that it’s removing SwiftKey from the Apple App Store and ending support for the iOS version of the keyboard app on October 5th. It will still be available if you’ve already downloaded SwiftKey on your iPhone, so long as you don’t uninstall it yourself.

Notes

Apple's Website Suggests iPhone 14 Plus Was Originally Going To Be Named 'iPhone 14 Max', by Sami Fathi, MacRumors

Newly discovered references to the iPhone 14 Plus as “‌iPhone 14‌ Max” on Apple’s website suggest this was the name originally intended for the low-end 6.7-inch device before the company changed its mind at short notice.

Using Smartphones For Street Photography, by Amy Davies, Amateur Photographer

Often the key to good street photography is becoming one with the street. Being as unobtrusive and unnoticeable as possible is the name of the game. One of the primary benefits of using a smartphone for street photography is that everybody has one – and with many others snapping away on the street, you certainly won’t stand out. This gives you a distinct advantage over those shooting with DSLRs, mirrorless or even rangefinder cameras as interesting subjects will likely fail to notice you and continue to act naturally.

Apple’s $310 Million iPhone Settlement Rejected On Appeal, by Mike Leonard, Bloomberg Law

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit vacated a decision approving the agreement, which handed more than $80 million to counsel for the iPhone users who led the case. Although a lower court judge “took great care” in evaluating the deal, he applied the wrong legal standard, the appeals court said.

Bottom of the Page

This will be the first year that I will be upgrading my macOS that has homebrew stuff installed. I am really hoping nothing bad happens.

(Yes, I know there are thousands and thousands of other customers who have had homebrew installed for many years and through many OS upgrades already. Still.)

~

Thanks for reading.

The Work-with-Older-Devices Edition Wednesday, September 28, 2022

The Latest iPadOS 16 Beta Brings Stage Manager To Older iPad Pro Models, by N. Ingraham, Engadget

Now, Apple is making Stage Manager work with a number of older devices: it'll work on the 11-inch iPad Pro (first generation and later) and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro (third generation and later). Specifically, it'll be available on the 2018 and 2020 models that use the A12X and A12Z chips rather than just the M1. However, there is one notable missing feature for the older iPad Pro models — Stage Manager will only work on the iPad's build-in display. You won't be able to extend your display to an external monitor.

Apple also says that developer beta 5 of iPadOS 16. is removing external display support for Stage Manager on M1 iPads, something that has been present since the first iPadOS 16 beta was released a few months ago. It'll be re-introduced in a software update coming later this year.

iOS 16.1 Beta 3 Now Lets Users Switch Between Wallpaper Sets In The Settings App, by Filipe Espósito, 9to5Mac

With today’s beta, Apple is also letting users switch between wallpaper sets through the Settings app. More specifically, you can now see all lock screen options by going to the Wallpapers menu within iPhone Settings. Users can easily navigate between the wallpaper sets and tap to customize them.

Apple Laying Groundwork For Apple Music Classical Feature Launching In 2022, by Juli Clover, MacRumors

Mentions of Apple Classical have appeared in backend code used by Apple, suggesting that we could perhaps be seeing ‌Apple Music‌ Classical debut in the near future.

‌Apple Music‌ Classical will be built around Primephonic, a classical music service that Apple purchased more than a year ago. When Apple acquired Primephonic, the company promised an improved classical music experience for ‌Apple Music‌ subscribers.

Stuff

Apple Updates iPad Mini 6 Battery Replacement Policy To Substitute Battery Only, Not Entire Device, by Sami Fathi, MacRumors

Apple is rolling out a new policy for the sixth-generation iPad mini that will allow customers to get their batteries replaced without being given a replacement device.

Billie Eilish Ending 'Happier Than Ever' Tour On Apple Music Live, by Wesley Hilliard, AppleInsider

The Apple Music Live concert series features exclusive live concerts from popular artists. The next concert features Billie Eilish at the end of her Happier than Ever world tour.

Apple Explains Why Duplicates Album In Photos Not Showing For Some Users, by Tim Hardwick, MacRumors

In a new support document, Apple has clarified that for the Duplicates album to appear, your iPhone has to first index the photo library and find duplicates, but that this detection process requires your iPhone to be locked and connected to power.

“Depending on what tasks are running in the background and the size of your photo library, the process could happen quickly or take up to a few days to complete,” adds Apple.

Logitech Launches New 'Designed For Mac' Mice And Keyboards, by Juli Clover, MacRumors

Logitech today announced the launch of several new mice and keyboards that have been developed for use with Apple’s Macs, including Logitech’s first mechanical keyboard that has been optimized for the Mac.

Notes

Fast Company’s Apple News Access Hijacked To Send An Obscene Push Notification, by Richard Lawler, The Verge

Apple has addressed the incident on its Apple News Twitter account, saying that it’s disabled Fast Company’s channel.

The publication confirmed the hack. “Fast Company’s Apple News account was hacked on Tuesday evening. Two obscene and racist push notifications were sent about a minute apart. The messages are vile and are not in line with the content of Fast Company. We are investigating the situation and have suspended the feed and shut down FastCompany.com until we are certain the situation has been resolved.”

Bottom of the Page

My iPad will still not get Stage Manager. :-)

~

This past month, I briefly tried out virtual desktops, again, and see if the experience is any different. I've tried out Spaces on macOS, as well as virtual desktops on Windows 11 at work.

Turns out, it is still a hassle to manage windows across multiple desktops, and, for me, the effort doesn't justify any gain of segregating my projects during the day.

The biggest obstacle for me is that there is no good place to put all my 'utilities' windows -- email, notes, etc.

I've returned to a single desktop. I'll probably try out Stage Manager when it arrives on my Mac, but I don't have any high hopes that it will be something I'll use regularly.

~

Thanks for reading.

The Anxiety-Spiral Edition Tuesday, September 27, 2022

iPad Pro Is Revolutionizing How Archaeologists Preserve The Ancient History Of Pompeii, by Apple

Amid the tools used by archaeologists for centuries — trowels, buckets, brushes, and pickaxes — there’s a new piece of equipment: iPad Pro.

[...]

This summer, Dr. Emmerson — whose work focuses on ancient Roman communities that have largely been excluded from study, such as women, the poor, and the enslaved — has made iPad Pro the center of her team’s workflow. She believes it will once again reshape the field, thanks to capabilities like enhanced processing speed and battery life, the LiDAR Scanner, and the versatility of Apple Pencil.

I Wore AirPods Pro 2 To A Loud Concert – And You Should Too, by Al Griffin, TechRadar

With Adaptive Transparency active, all sound above 85 dB is fully attenuated. At the show, this created a comfortable listening level that still retained bass power and allowed for treble details like shimmering cymbals, squealing guitars, and shrill crowd whistles to come through. There was an occasional sense of volume pumping – most likely the effect of Adaptive Transparency tracking the fast and frequent changes in level and dynamics that accompany a musical performance, but it wasn’t so bad that I was going to switch it off, or completely unplug.

Wait, Are You Guys Bringing Your Phones Into The Shower?, by Allison Johnson, The Verge

There’s one last place in my life where the alerts, texts, pings, and emails, emails, emails! can’t find me: the shower. It is a sacred space where I process information, brainstorm, and sometimes, as a treat, anxiety-spiral over something dumb I said 15 years ago. But it has come to my attention that some of you are violating the sanctity of Shower Thought Time by actually inviting your phones into the shower. When this came to my attention, I did some digging and discovered dozens — dozens! — of waterproof phone mounts designed for the shower. Truly, I am shocked. You guys are bringing your phones into the shower?

On App Stores

Outdated Vs. Complete, by Vivian Qu

And still, I was surprised to receive an App Review message. I hadn’t submitted a new update for WorldAnimals. The app was still working well, with zero crashes and a handful of new downloads every month. My boss had even shown me last week that he had downloaded my app on his phone for his daughter–we played the game together during a work meeting and laughed at the silly animal sounds. In my mind, there was no reason I should be receiving a vaguely threatening message from Apple’s App Review system.

Well, it turns out, Apple’s problem with my app was the fact that I wasn’t updating it.

Tim Cook in London

Apple Boss Tim Cook Makes First Visit To New London Battersea HQ, by Jonathan Prynn, London Evening Standard

Mr Cook, who is due to stay in London for several days, said: “Apple has been part of the London community for more than 40 years, and we’re thrilled to soon bring some of our teams together in the historic Battersea Power Station.

Apple Launches App Store Development Program Focusing On UK Women, by William Gallagher, AppleInsider

Tim Cook has launched a new UK-based App Store Foundations Program, saying it's part of addressing the lack of women in technology.

Tim Cook: 'No Good Excuse' For Lack Of Women In Tech, by Zoe Kleinman, BBC

"I think the the essence of technology and its effect on humanity depends upon women being at the table," Mr Cook says.

"Technology's a great thing that will accomplish many things, but unless you have diverse views at the table that are working on it, you don't wind up with great solutions."

Stuff

I Put The Apple Watch Ultra Through The Ultimate Endurance Test: Here's How It Held Up, by Matthew Miller, ZDNet

I was pretty nervous about taking my $800 Apple Watch Ultra out on this grueling Tough Mudder event, given all of the crawling, climbing, and other physical obstacles I had to tackle. To my surprise, it held up really well and I still cannot believe that the display is flawless. I tip my hat off to Apple for making a rugged device with premium materials that actually does hold up well under tough conditions.

iOS 16 Seems To Break Support For Cinematic Videos In iMovie And Final Cut Pro, by Filipe Espósito, 9to5Mac

As reported by users on the Apple Support forums and also on Reddit, Apple’s video editors iMovie and Final Cut Pro can no longer open Cinematic videos recorded with an iPhone running iOS 16. The reason behind the bug is unclear, but reports are consistent in pointing out that these apps show an error when users try to edit a Cinematic video.

iFixit Teardown Looks At The Guts Of The Apple Watch Ultra, by Alice Newcome-Beill, The Verge

iFixit’s breakdown exposed some vulnerabilities in the Apple Watch Ultra, not only in terms of its repairability but also its durability. The raised lip of the Ultra, which is intended to protect the screen, only really works against side-on impacts. As the video points out, any kind of head-on collision with the screen still risks a screen replacement.

Notes

Experts Say The iPhone 14’s Satellite Feature May Have A Dangerous Side Effect, by Sascha Brodsky, Digital Trends

“There will always be a group of novice or untrained outdoor recreation participants that will misplace their trust in the technology as a safety net that they really don’t understand,” Christopher Boyer, the executive director of the National Association for Search and Rescue, told Digital Trends in an interview. “There will also be others that abuse the technology out of ignorance, entitlement, or negative intent.”

Live Activity Guidelines, by Nick Heer, Pixel Envy

A Live Activity would be the perfect way for an app like Doordash to update users’ on a delivery’s progress. Based on the company’s abuse of push notifications, I could not see myself enabling it.

These Awesome Photos Of The Milky Way Were Taken On An iPhone 14 Pro, by Tim Hardwick, MacRumors

One iPhone 14 rumor that never panned out was some sort of astrophotography feature, but that hasn’t stopped users from showcasing just what the camera on iPhone 14 Pro models can do when pointed at the night sky.

Bottom of the Page

I do, occasionally, bring my iPhone into my shower just to listen to podcasts. I do keep a very small list of apps that are allowed to beeps and bloops into my notification center -- and that list is even smaller later in the night as my Focus mode kicks in. So far, I don't think I have been disturbed yet.

~

Thanks for reading.

The Evolution-Confirmed Edition Monday, September 26, 2022

iOS 16.1 Beta Lets You Disable AirPods Pro 2 Touch Volume Control, by Sami Fathi, MacRumors

In the iOS 16.1 beta, there is a new toggle inside the Accessibility page for the second-generation ‌AirPods Pro‌ to enable or disable touch controls for volume.

AirPods Pro 2 Users Report Issues With Connection Randomly Dropping, by Sami Fathi, MacRumors

According to user reports on the MacRumors forum as well as readers of MacRumors that have reached out to us directly, the new ‌AirPods Pro‌ may sometimes randomly disconnect from an iPhone while playing music or watching a video. In other instances reported by users, an ‌iPhone‌ or iPad may show the ‌AirPods Pro‌ as connected, but no audio is actually played.

Oprah Winfrey And Apple TV+ End Their Multi-Year Agreement, by Michael Schneider, Variety

Oprah Winfrey and Apple TV+ have concluded their mega overall deal, first announced in 2018. Both sides have confirmed the evolution, but declined to comment. It’s understood that both sides have agreed to continue to work together, but on a project-by-project basis, now that their previous deal is ending.

Slack And Teams’ Lax App Security Raises Alarms, by Andy Greenberg, Wired

Collaboration apps like Slack and Microsoft Teams have become the connective tissue of the modern workplace, tying together users with everything from messaging to scheduling to video conference tools. But as Slack and Teams become full-blown, app-enabled operating systems of corporate productivity, one group of researchers has pointed to serious risks in what they expose to third-party programs—at the same time as they're trusted with more organizations' sensitive data than ever before.

Bottom of the Page

If a company want to be a gatekeeper of apps, it will need to make the effort to be a good gatekeeper. (And that includes Apple, not just Slack and Microsoft.)

~

Thanks for reading.

The Dropped-Everything Edition Sunday, September 25, 2022

My iPhone 14 Fell Off My Motorcycle And Told My Family I Crashed, by Douglas Sonders, Jalopnik

As we were cruising at around 60 miles per hour, I hit a big bump and my phone flew off its handlebar mount. My Cardo bluetooth helmet speakers announced “your phone has been disconnected” and my music stopped playing as I looked down to see no phone on my handlebars. I should have known better. [...]

My buddies and I went to the nearest Apple store to buy a cheap iPhone SE to use while I dealt with Apple Care to replace my brand-new phone. As I’m standing in the Apple Store, my friend Tim Harney, a natural comedian, walks in and tells me my entire family thinks I was in a horrible accident. I thought he was joking, but what he said was true. My lovely and supportive girlfriend had dropped everything and was driving from four hours away to come find me; she, my brother, and my mom were calling all the New York City hospitals looking for my body.

What Makes The AirPods Pro 2's Noise Cancelling So Good? A Billion Transistors, by Lance Ulanoff, TechRadar

The most obvious result is the touted six hours of AirPods Pro 2 life (a total of 30 hours with the redesigned charging case). That number, however, is with the more powerful active noise cancellation (ANC) turned on; turn it off, and the number reportedly goes up to seven hours for the buds and 35 with the case.

It's not just power management, though – the H2 chip's new architecture is behind most, if not all, the performance gains Apple is touting in the AirPods Pro 2.

I Just Ran 10 Miles With The Apple Watch Ultra — And This Feature Is A Game Changer, by Jane McGuire, Tom's Guide

Starting a run without being sure your watch is connected to GPS makes zero sense, especially on race day or when running in the city when crowds and skyscrapers can interfere with your watch's GPS. Plus, it makes sense when Apple has added dual-frequency GPS to the watch, integrating L1 and L5 algorithms. Apple says this allows the Ultra to “deliver the most accurate GPS of any Apple Watch to date.”

Stuff

Yale Assure Lock 2 Review: A Promising All-rounder, by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, The Verge

There are three things I want from a smart lock: an attractive design, more than two ways to control it, and the ability to connect directly with my smart home, with no single-purpose Wi-Fi bridge taking up an outlet in my house. Yale’s newest smart lock series, the Yale Assure Lock 2, ticks all those boxes. Plus, it works with all the major smart home platforms if you add the right networking module — and it can support Matter, whenever that finally arrives. (Soon, people. Soon).

Notes

I’m Convinced The AirPods Max Active Noise Cancellation Has Gotten Worse, by Umar Shakir, The Verge

The active noise cancellation (ANC) in my one-week-old AirPods Max has gone soft. After updating to the latest firmware, version 4E71, I am convinced the ANC is no longer as strong or effective as it originally was out of the box.

[...]

I reached out to the company about what changes came in the latest firmware and if ANC really was affected but haven’t heard back. I just wish Apple added different ANC levels so people can find one that best works for them.

Bottom of the Page

Do we know if the AirPods Pro rattling sound -- in the first generation version (only, hopefully) -- was also caused by a bad firmware update?

~

Thanks for reading.

The Feature-Gaps Edition Saturday, September 24, 2022

Apple Watch Ultra In-Depth Review: It’s A Start!, by DC Rainmaker

Whether or not the Apple Watch Ultra is for you, depends largely on what you plan to use it for. If you had or wanted an Apple Watch, but were held back by battery life, and perhaps button usability – then the Ultra largely solves that. Similarly, if you wanted more advanced running/workout metrics, then WatchOS 9 on the Apple Watch Ultra also solves that too. And, if you never knew you wanted an emergency siren on your wrist for when you fall off an embankment, then the Ultra is for you too (but seriously, that feature is surprisingly well executed).

However, as good as Ultra is for most existing Apple Watch users (or more mainstream prospective users), it fall short when it comes to features that you would need to complete an actual ‘ultra’ – that is, a long distance running race, or trek, or really any adventure in backcountry. These gaps fall into a couple different camps. Sure, there’s the bugs like the openwater swim one, or the disappearing compass backtrack one. I’m less concerned about those at the moment. Instead, it’s the navigational feature gaps, and sensor pairing/broadcasting gaps that are more key for Apple.

I Tested All Three Apple Watch Ultra Band Types, by DC Rainmaker

I suspect long term I’ll probably settle on the Alpine Loop (orange), simply because it’s most aesthetically pleasing to me. For most sports, any of the three options would work. However, I would be slightly hesitant with using the Trail Loop in either surfing or a mass-start triathlon (specifically due to contact with others during the swim, not because of the swimming aspect itself). Mass-start triathlons have a long history of drowning people’s watches due to the often abrasive wrestle-mania nature of the first few hundred meters.

Charging Case

AirPods Pro 2 Charging Case Can Broadcast Battery Status With Or Without AirPods, by Tim Hardwick, MacRumors

Apple’s second-generation AirPods Pro are now in the hands of customers, and one notable new tidbit that has come to light is that the MagSafe Charging Case can broadcast its charging status to the iOS Battery widget even when the AirPods are in your ears.

AirPods Pro 2 Engravings Appear In iOS During Pairing And Connecting, by Sami Fathi, MacRumors

Customers who personalize their second-generation AirPods Pro charging case with an engraving will now have that engraving reflected directly on iOS as they pair and connect their ‌AirPods Pro‌.

Stuff

Marvis Pro Music Player For iOS Updated With New 'Metadata Builder', by Filipe Espósito, 9to5Mac

But certainly the highlight of the Marvis Pro 8 update is “Metadata Builder.” With this new option, users can choose which metadata of a song they want to see in the app’s Now Playing and Mini Player. You can add details such as the name of the connected audio device (for headphones and wireless speakers), genre of the song, composer, ratings, and more.

Popular Climbing App Redpoint Updated With Apple Watch Ultra Support, by Tim Hardwick, MacRumors

For ‌Apple Watch Ultra‌, the Redpoint functionalities automatically assigned to the Action Button include starting a new climbing workout, logging the difficulty of a route, and logging the tick type of a route, allowing climbers to interact with the watch without getting climbing chalk on the screen.

Capture One For iPad Now Supports Both Wired And Wireless Tethered Shooting, by John Aldred, DIYPhotography

The new update lets photographers shoot directly into Capture One on the iPad to be able to see a large preview of your shots as they’re being taken and you can apply a preset to them by default to get a good idea of how the final image is going to look.

Meditate For Free With The Oak App, Josh Centers, TidBITS

It’s now my only meditation app, and I think it’s all most people really need.

Notes

Apple Set To Break Average iPhone Price Record Twice In Coming Months, by Patrick McGee, Financial Times

Apple is expected to break its average iPhone price record twice in the coming months as customers choose to buy costlier “Pro” models that boost the tech giant’s margins.

Demand for the new iPhone 14 unveiled earlier this month is already robust enough to project that the global “average selling price” — or ASP — will rise to a record $892 in the September quarter and $944 in the December quarter, according to Counterpoint Research, a data provider, which bases its projections on consumer demand, market intelligence, and talks with suppliers.

NY AG Tries To Explain How Apple’s Free Yankees Stream Is Worse Than Cable TV, by Jay Peters, The Verge

Yankees star Aaron Judge could break a home run record at Friday’s game against the Boston Red Sox, and you’ll be able to watch the game for free through Apple TV’s Friday Night Baseball broadcast. But in tweets ahead of the game, New York Attorney General Letitia James confusingly called for the game to be brought over to New York’s local Yankee Entertainment and Sports (YES) cable network, and after slightly walking that back, called the steps to watch Apple’s broadcast “burdens.”

Mozilla Claims Apple, Google And Microsoft Force Users To Use Default Web Browsers, by Will McCurdy, TechRadar

Mozilla, the non-profit proprietor of the Firefox browser, has accused Google, Microsoft, and Apple of "self preferencing" and nudging consumers towards using their own browsers.

Examples of consumer harm stemming from this self-preferencing behavior include limited or frustrated choice, lower quality, lower innovation, poor privacy, and unfair contracts, according to Mozilla.

Bottom of the Page

Here are some books that I've enjoyed over the past three months...

Different Seasons, by Stephen King. Okay, I didn't much enjoy one of the four short stories in this collection. But, three out of four is considered a thumbs up for me.

In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss, by Amy Bloom. I didn't know how I feel after reading this; I still don't. But life is beautiful and sad.

Meredith, Alone, by Claire Alexander.

Station Eleven, Glass Hotel, and Sea of Tranquility, by Emily St. John Mandel. For reasons that eluded me now, I've started with Glass Hotel, and I enjoyed it so much that I've read the other two books. In my humble opinion, Sea of Tranquility is the best among the three books, followed by Glass hotel. If I have started with Station Eleven, I might not have picked up the other titles.

(The three books are set, probably, in the same multi-verses. But they are not a series.)

~

Thanks for reading.

The Improving-Everything Edition Friday, September 23, 2022

Apple AirPods Pro (Second-gen) Review: Same Look, Better Everything Else, by Chris Welch, The Verge

Rather than reinvent its wireless earbuds, Apple focused on improving everything about the formula that’s already proven massively successful. The second-gen AirPods Pro sound better. Their active noise cancellation is noticeably improved. You can now adjust the volume directly from the earbuds. And the charging case has gained a built-in speaker and pinpoint location tracking that makes it easier to find. Battery life is also slightly longer than before. For legions of loyal Apple customers, these changes are exciting — even if the outer design is old hat.

Apple AirPods Pro 2 Review: The Only Headphones You Need, by Jakob Schiller, Outside

I’m a huge music fan, thanks to my dad, and listen to a wide swath of artists every day. I’ve also been lucky to test every new release of AirPods to date, and can say that the second generation of the AirPods Pro have arrived at a pretty astounding point. The music is so full and rich that it’s hard to imagine where Apple will go from here. I’m listening to them as I write, and the music is so clear and enjoyable that I literally feel giddy.

Apple Explains Why Second-Generation AirPods Pro Ear Tips Are Incompatible With Original AirPods Pro, by Joe Rossignol, MacRumors

In an updated support document, Apple said the original AirPods Pro ear tips have “noticeably denser mesh” than the second-generation ear tips. Apple did not provide any additional details, but the mesh density could result in acoustical differences.

Ultra Hiking

The Apple Watch Ultra Is Good For Hiking, But These 3 Apps Make It Awesome, by Cat Ellis, Advnture

Although its GPS tracking is excellent, and it comes with Apple Maps preinstalled (naturally), the Ultra doesn't come with any tools for creating and following routes. There's no way to import a GPX file natively, and no way to plot a course using the Fitness app on your iPhone. For a watch that's otherwise finely honed for hiking (down to a new compass and emergency siren), it's a strange omission.

Thankfully, the App Store has everything you need to fill the gap, and turn the Apple Watch Ultra into the hiking watch of your dreams.

Apple Releases watchOS 9.0.1 For Apple Watch Ultra, by Juli Clover, MacRumors

According to Apple’s release notes, the update addresses an issue that could cause audio to be distorted during phone calls when using the speakers.

Stuff

Apple Releases iOS 16.0.2 To Fix iPhone 14 Pro Camera Shake Bug, Copy And Paste Permission, More, by Filipe Espósito, 9to5Mac

Apple on Thursday released iOS 16.0.2 for all iPhone users. The update comes with important bug fixes, not only for iPhone 14 owners, but also other models as well. For instance, today’s update fixes an issue that could cause the iPhone 14 Pro’s camera to shake unexpectedly in some apps, while also resolving the persistent copy and paste prompt across the system.

Pixelmator Pro Update Adds New Canvas Templates To Easily Create Reusable Designs And Mockups, by Benjamin Mayo, 9to5Mac

The latest update from the Pixelmator Pro team is version 3.0, featuring a whole new way to create reusable templates for your Pixelmator projects. The update ships with 200 premium design templates and mockups, and the integrated placeholder features allow users to create their own.

J Balvin’s New Bilingual Mental Health App, OYE, Wants To Channel Emotion Into Creativity, by Liz Calvario, Today

The Colombian singer — born José Álvaro Osorio Balvín — is one of this generation's best-selling Latin music artists, known for breaking barriers through sound, fashion and art. After opening up publicly about his personal struggles with anxiety and depression, he’s launching OYE, a bilingual wellness app. The goal? To empower anyone in the Latinx community — and other cultures — who is struggling with mental health by providing a space to help channel their emotions into creativity.

“In my own journey, I found it hard to find my creativity while dealing with personal mental health struggles,” J Balvin, known as the app’s Chief Dream Officer, shared in a statement to TODAY. “However, after understanding and tapping into the powers of creative wellness and using my own creative vision to drive true solutions for myself, I was able to both feel better and express myself in new ways I never knew possible.”

Notes

Apple Music Replaces Pepsi As Sponsor Of Super Bowl Halftime Show, by Brian Steinberg, Variety

Apple Music will take over as the sponsor of the NFL’s Super Bowl halftime show, replacing Pepsi as the key backer of the annual spectacle that typically draws one of the biggest single TV audiences of the year.

“Music and sports hold a special place in our hearts, so we’re very excited Apple Music will be part of music and football’s biggest stage,” said Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Apple Music and Beats, in a prepared statement. “We’re looking forward to even more epic performances next year and beyond with the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show.”

Apple Says It Prioritizes Privacy. Experts Say Gaps Remain, by Johana Bhuiyan, The Guardian

But experts say that while Apple sets the bar when it comes to hardware and in some cases software security, the company could do more to protect user data from landing in the hands of police and other authorities.

[...]

While iMessages sent between Apple devices are end-to-end encrypted, preventing anyone but the sender and recipient from accessing it, not all information backed up to iCloud, Apple’s cloud server, has the same level of encryption.

Bottom of the Page

Apple is back at the Super Bowl. Has anyone asked Ridley Scott whether he is free to do some directing?

~

Thanks for reading.

The Tenth-of-a-Mile Edition Thursday, September 22, 2022

Apple Watch Ultra Review: All About The New Running Features, by Ashley Mateo, Women's Running

I ran the 2018 Berlin and New York City Marathons wearing an Apple Watch, and the GPS told me I only ran 22 and 24 miles—despite completing the official 26.2 miles in both of them. That turned me off running with the Apple Watch for a bit, but it’s unlikely to be a repeat issue with the Ultra, which now uses two different frequencies (L1 and L5) instead of one to stay in sync with global positioning satellites. When I wore it with my COROS Pace 2, I found both watches to be accurate within less than a tenth of a mile to each other.

Apple’s new algorithms work with the on-board sensors and Apple Maps data (including road, bike, and trail routes) to ensure your GPS stays on track—even at the crowded start of a city race, like the notoriously GPS-adverse Chicago Marathon. Plus, the Ultra uses the accelerometer in the Watch to learn your specific stride length so it can accurately calibrate GPS even when you’re under a bridge or in a tunnel. Not only does that make it more accurate in real time, but I didn’t see a single part of my route indicating that I was in the middle of the river I ran next to or even slightly off the road when I looked at my post-run recap in the Fitness+ app.

Apple Watch Ultra Review: An Aspirational Debut, by Victoria Song, The Verge

While Apple is going to sell a ton of these to weekend warriors, tech dads, and aspiring non-couch-potatoes, I’d argue the Ultra is best for athletes hovering at the cusp between intermediate and advanced levels. The battery life is best for weekend excursions, and the simpler UI and metrics are preferable if you’ve yet to crave overly complex charts. Hardcore athletes or explorers are more likely to want extra features they’re used to that the Ultra doesn’t have. (Yet.)

All-in-all, the Ultra is one of the best debuts in a new product category that I’ve seen in a while. A lot of thought was put into the Ultra and it shows. It’s not enough to make Garmin shake in its boots just yet, but it’s more than enough to pique interest and spark competition. Apple’s officially a viable contender in the rugged watch category — and I can’t wait to see what comes next.

Apple Watch Ultra, by John Gruber, Daring Fireball

What I’m saying here is that if you go to a store and try on an Apple Watch Ultra, there is a very good chance your reaction is going to be “This is way too big for me.” If you’re thinking that because you don’t like the way it looks, well, then Ultra is not for you. Your watch should make you happy every time you look at it. But if you’re thinking “this is too big for me” because you’re worried about how others will think it looks on your wrist, you’re overthinking it. If you like it, wear it. People — men and women alike — with even small wrists can get away with surprisingly large watches. Buy the watch that makes you happy. That’s my advice for any watch.

If you’ve got large wrists, on the other hand, you might try on Apple Watch Ultra and react, “Finally.”

Smartcameras

I Just Tried The iPhone 14 Pro's 48MP Camera — At It Blew Me Away, by Mark Spoonauer, Tom's Guide

Overall, the photos shot in ProRAW mode offer more realistic, life-like contrast —particularly in the shadows — and feature fewer digital artifacts. There's less sharpening by the iPhone's camera software, and the images keep a broader dynamic range for making edits later. (This might also result in some of haziness and exposure differences that crept into a few of the above samples.)

While the 12MP photos from the iPhone 14 Pro Max are stellar, you simply have a lot more creative freedom in ProRAW mode. With a good photo editing app — or even Apple's — you can get the colors exactly how you want. So I would definitely give it a shot.

iPhone 14 And 14 Pro Review: A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Dollars, by Samuel Axon, Ars Technica

The cameras are now so prominent—in the Pro models especially—that it’s starting to feel like we should call these devices "smartcameras" rather than smartphones.

The smartphone has been more or less perfected over the years; there aren’t many new frontiers to explore in that space. But in ways both big and small, Apple (along with its competitors) keeps finding new ways to improve the amateur digital photography experience.

The Apple Seesaw, by M.G. Siegler, 500ish

But as the tectonic shifts of mobile camera technology continue to edge the bump into the Alps, it’s really not even good enough to use one of the cases anymore. I mean sure, it will help against drops. But in just putting the device down on its backside, the thing is like a goddamn teeter-totter. The camera bump seems protected — though who the hell knows what is going on under there?! — but the case’s own massive bump makes laying it flat a distant memory.

Stuff

Wizkid To Debut New Music At Apple Music Live London Concert, by Amina Niasse, Billboard

Nigerian artist Wizkid is set to perform at the Roundhouse in London in collaboration with Apple Music Live, debuting songs from his anticipated fifth studio album. London fans will have the exclusive opportunity to attend the live taping on Sept. 27, but the Grammy-winning musician’s performance will also be available to stream in 165 countries this fall.

Notes

Senators Ask For Review Of Apple’s Plan To Use Chinese Chips, by Ellen Nakashima, Washington Post

Senators from both parties on Wednesday asked the nation’s top intelligence official to lead a review of the security threat posed by Apple’s reported plan to use memory chips from a major Chinese chipmaker for its new iPhone 14.

[...]

Apple said in an earlier statement that YMTC chips are not used in any of its products, and that it was “evaluating” whether to use YMTC chips for some iPhones sold in China. It also said all user data stored on such chips is “fully encrypted.”

Bottom of the Page

I continue to have confidence in Apple's iOS updates -- once again, this year, it went without any problems on my iPhone.

Okay, there is one app that ended up with white icons on white background, but the developer had now fixed the app. And I don't think I can assign any blame to the new iOS.

Yes, there are annoyances, such as the oh-so-easy-to-mess-with playback position scrubber on the lock screen. But this is, as what Apple will say, the intended behavior.

Onward to Live Activities!

~

Thanks for reading.

The Rough-Out-There Edition Wednesday, September 21, 2022

Review: Apple Watch Series 8 And Apple Watch SE, by Adrienne So, Wired

With Family Setup, ECG, and emergency response features, your Apple Watch is more and more becoming a tool to tie us all to each other. This is the first Apple Watch that I wished my spouse had, instead of me, and the first time I’ve considered that my kid might want an Apple Watch of her own. In fact, I’m going to finish writing this review and set up an old one for her. It’s rough out there.

iPhone 14 Pro Afflicted By 'Slow-opening Camera App', by David Price, Macworld

Multiple owners of the new iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max models have complained of a delay when opening the Camera app. In an apparent software problem that Apple has yet to acknowledge or address, commenters on a MacRumors forum thread report that it regularly takes four or five seconds for the Camera to open.

Apple Warns Keyboard Haptics In iOS 16 'Might Affect' Your iPhone's Battery Life, by Chance Miller, 9to5Mac

At the bottom of the support document, however, Apple has a small warning for users who enable keyboard haptics: “Turning on keyboard haptics might affect the battery life of your iPhone.”

The company doesn’t offer any additional detail on just how big of a battery life impact keyboard haptics might have on your iPhone.

Coming Soon

iOS 16.1 Beta 2 Features Redesigned Battery Percentage Icon That Dynamically Updates, by Chance Miller, 9to5Mac

With today’s release of iOS 16.1 beta 2 for developers, Apple has changed the design for the coveted battery percentage in the status bar. The battery icon itself will no longer show as full, even when the percentage is less than 100%. Instead, the icon will dynamically change based on your battery charge.

Apple Fitness+ Available Without Apple Watch Starting With iOS 16.1 And tvOS 16.1, by Joe Rossignol, MacRumors

Apple Fitness+ will be available to iPhone users without an Apple Watch starting with iOS 16.1 and tvOS 16.1, which are currently in beta testing.

Stuff

Looking At Notes In iOS 16, by Josh Ginter, The Sweet Setup

Apple’s built-in Notes app continues to improve each year, with new useful features for capturing moments of brilliance or small bits of ephemera along the way. Notes saw a big leap forward in iPadOS 15 and, with iOS 16, we’re seeing some of those key features filter down to the iPhone as well.

GoodLinks 1.7: New iOS 16 Shortcuts Actions, Focus Filter Support, Lock Screen Widgets, And More, by John Voorhees, MacStories

I’m really excited about the latest update to GoodLinks for iPhone. The app has always had some of the best automation support of any link management or read-later app I’ve used. However, with version 1.7, which was released last week, GoodLinks has taken its automation tools to a new level, opening up more ways to customize how you save, manage, and use links than ever before.

Halide Adds iPhone 14 Pro Support For 48MP Images, New Depth Capture Features, More, by Chance Miller, 9to5Mac

Halide for iOS has been updated with 48MP ProRaw support, the ability to quickly switch from 48MP to 12MP capture, manual focus for depth capture, and more.

Lots Of Food Gets Tossed. These Apps Let You Buy It, Cheap., by Clare Toeniskoetter, New York Times

Around the country, apps that connect customers to businesses with leftover food have begun to spread. The concept is simple: Restaurants and grocery stores throw away huge amounts of food every day. Rather than trash it, apps like Too Good To Go and Flashfood help businesses sell it at a reduced price. They claim that the businesses and buyers are helping the environment because the food would otherwise become food waste, a big contributor to climate change.

Astropad Launches Darkboard, An Ultralight And Ergonomic Drawing Surface For iPad Pro And Air, by Michael Potuck, 9to5Mac

Astropad’s Darkboard is an ultralight and ergonomic drawing surface for iPad Pro and Air that is lightweight, secure, and comfortable.

Bottom of the Page

Surprise! You have a brand new place on your body that you will feel pain when waking up.

(That's what my body told me this morning while I am getting out of bed.)

~

Thanks for reading.

The Difficult-to-Parse Edition Tuesday, September 20, 2022

Dark Sky Fading; iOS 16’s Weather Brightens, by Adam Engst, TidBITS

Welcome as these features are, I don’t see myself using them. Apple’s Weather app may have integrated Dark Sky’s capabilities, but I don’t love its interface, particularly with the individual metric cards, which are difficult to parse quickly. Ever since it became clear that Dark Sky was living on borrowed time, I’ve become fond of CARROT Weather and its interface construction set approach, which lets you tweak all the possible display options to your preferences.

The Best Thing About My New Apple Watch Is The Super-stretchy Band, by David Pierce, The Verge

For the first time, I can now comfortably use my Apple Watch all day instead of constantly taking it off when I sit down and putting it on when I get up. It’s been a big win, both for my ability to actually wear this very expensive gadget I bought and for the functionality of the watch since some of its best health features are meant to be collecting data 24 hours a day.

Apple’s Hidden Redesign Makes The iPhone 14 Much Easier To Fix, by Emma Roth, The Verge

A new iPhone 14 teardown video from iFixit shows a major repairability improvement: removable back glass. The video demonstrates how you can lift the rear glass panel with ease, using only a heating mat, a suction handle, and an opening pick — a huge deviation from the past few generations of iPhones that weren’t so repair-friendly.

Stuff

Apple Executive Responds To Annoying iOS 16 Copy And Paste Prompt: 'Absolutely Not Expected Behavior', by Sami Fathi, MacRumors

Ron Huang, a senior manager at Apple, joined the email thread saying the pop-up is not supposed to appear every time a user attempts to paste. “This is absolutely not expected behavior, and we will get to the bottom of it,” Huang said. Huang added that this behavior is not something Apple has seen internally but that Kieran is “not the only one” experiencing it.

Unique 2-in-1 Calculator App Adds Up To Surprise Hit For Retired Engineer In Japan, by Tsuyoshi Goto, The Mainichi

A 63-year-old man in Japan who is an avid iPhone user has dedicated some of his post-retirement years to developing a popular, unique app that displays two calculators on one screen.

[...]

The double calculator app allows users to move the computation results of one calculator onto the other by tapping arrow keys displayed on the middle of the screen. For example, if a user calculates "89 x 15 = 1335" on one calculator and taps the arrow key, the result "1335" will be displayed on the other calculator, allowing the user to continue a problem while the previous equations are still shown on the screen. This makes it easy to notice errors.

iOS 16 Lock Screen Widgets: The MacStories Roundup, by John Voorhees, MacStories

With so many choices and only three to five Lock Screen widget slots to fill, it’s hard to know where to start, so I’ve compiled a list of my top recommendations from the over 40 I’ve tried so far. Of course, this list doesn’t include the apps I already covered last week, but it goes without saying that Widgetsmith, Lock Screen One, LockFlow, and CARROT Weather would be also be included in this list if I hadn’t already written about them.

Notes

Apple Will Hike App Store Prices From Europe To Asia Next Month, by Vlad Savov and Takashi Mochizuki, Bloomberg

Customers in nations that use the euro as well as those in Sweden, Japan, South Korea, Chile, Egypt, Malaysia, Pakistan and Vietnam will all see price hikes as early as Oct. 5, the company said in a message to developers. [...]

The strong dollar may be a key driver. In Japan, prices are rising by roughly 30%, a significant hike that follows the yen’s dramatic weakening this year.

Logitech Website References Unreleased iPad Pro Models Ahead Of Rumored Apple October Event, by Chance Miller, 9to5Mac

Ahead of Apple’s rumored October event, Logitech has updated the website for its Crayon stylus to reference these yet-unannounced new iPad Pro models. Usually, we’re hesitant to put too much weight behind accessory makers referencing unreleased Apple products, but this one is a bit different.

AI Art Is Here And The World Is Already Different, by John Herrman, New York Magazine

Still, most discussions about AI media feel speculative. Google’s Imagen and Parti are still in testing, while apps like Craiyon are fun but degraded tech demos. OpenAI is beginning the process of turning DALL-E 2 into a mainstream service, recently inviting a million users from its wait list, while the release of a powerful open-source model, Stable Diffusion, means lots more tools are coming.

Then there’s Midjourney, a commercial product that has been open to the masses for months, through which users have been confronting, and answering, some more practical questions about AI-media generation. Specifically: What do people actually want from it, given the chance to ask?

Bottom of the Page

I've never purchase any Apple products with engraving; I was always too impatient to get the products into my hands.

But I am thinking I should try engraving for my next Apple product -- which is likely to be the new AirPods Pro. The battery on my current pair will, sooner or later, run out. But not yet, so I still have plenty of time.

However, I am at a loss what the engrave text will read. No good ideas at all.

~

I wish I can have a way to figure out when the battery on my current AirPods Pro will run out, so that I can plan for the purchase of the new pair.

~

Thanks for reading.

The Shaking-Camera Edition Monday, September 19, 2022

iPhone 14 Pro Camera Shaking And Rattling In TikTok, Snapchat, And Other Apps, by Chance Miller, 9to5Mac

It appears that many popular third-party apps weren’t quite prepared for the iPhone 14 Pro’s new camera technology. A number of iPhone 14 Pro users are unable to take pictures and images using third-party apps like Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram. These problems include the camera shaking, rattling, and even making physical noises.

watchOS 9 Complications Have Completely Ruined The Simple Watch Face, by Ben Lovejoy, 9to5Mac

But I had a nasty surprise when I updated my Watch. Instead of that very minimalist look, the watchOS 9 complications are far from minimalist.

I’m sure they look great in some watch faces, but definitely not in the most pared-down Simple face. Instead of a simple day and date, there’s now three tiles with today’s date in the middle. Why?

Stuff

ESR HaloLock Dock Keeps Your iPhone Cool With CryoBoost And Includes Built-in AirPods Charging, by Bradley Chambers, 9to5Mac

Overall, CryoBoost unlocks faster charging over MagSafe as it keeps your iPhone cool as your charge.

Notes

Long iPhone 14 Pro Lead Times Hint At Sky-high Demand, by Malcolm Owen, AppleInsider

Consumer demand for the iPhone 14 Pro models are high compared to those of the iPhone 13 Pro range, analysis of availability indicates, while sales of the Apple Watch Ultra are considered to be quite robust.

New iPhones Have Qualcomm Satellite Modem, New Apple Radio Chips, by Stephen Nellis, Reuters

iFixit, a San Luis Obispo, California-based firm that disassembles iPhones and other consumer electronics to assess how easily they can be repaired, took apart an iPhone 14 Pro Max model on Friday, revealing a Qualcomm X65 modem chip.

[...]

In a statement to Reuters on Saturday, Apple said there is additional proprietary hardware and software in the iPhone 14 for the new messaging feature.

The $300bn Google-Meta Advertising Duopoly Is Under Attack, by The Economist

As China’s economy slows and the West’s slides towards a recession, companies everywhere are squeezing their marketing budgets. Until recently, that would have meant cutting non-digital ads but maintaining, or even raising, online spending. With most ad dollars now going online, that strategy is running out of road.

[...]

For Meta and Google’s corporate parent, Alphabet, the cyclical problem may not be the worst of it. They might once have hoped to offset the digital-ad pie’s slower growth by grabbing a larger slice of it. No longer. Although the two are together expected to rake in around $300bn in revenues this year, sales of their four biggest rivals in the West will amount to almost a quarter as much. If that does not sound like a lot, it is nevertheless giving the incumbents reason to worry.

Bottom of the Page

The new iOS 16 finally frustrated me. The culprit is, of course, the lock screen.

Specifically, I've accidentally scrubbed on the playback-location on the lock screen, while listening to an eight-hour-long podcast episode. The result is that the podcast player thought I've finished listening to the episode, and proceeded to delete the episode in question.

I've spent about five long minutes (if I counted correctly) just to re-download the episode and find where I stopped listening within that eight-hour-long episode.

Not a fun time.

~

Thanks for reading.

The Too-Toxic Edition Sunday, September 18, 2022

Apple Shot An Oscar Contender Starring Will Smith. That Was Before The Slap., by Nicole Sperling, New York Times

There is no easy answer. Should the company postpone a film based on an important historical subject because its leading man is too toxic? Or does Apple release the movie and watch the outcome unfold? Audiences could be turned off by Mr. Smith’s presence, perhaps taking some gloss off the well-polished Apple brand. Or they could respond positively to the film, prompting an Oscar campaign, which could then upset members of the academy. And the question of how to publicize “Emancipation” will bring scrutiny to a film marketing unit that has already drawn grumbles of dissatisfaction in Hollywood for skimpy ad spends and disjointed communication — and parted ways with its head of video marketing this month.

Stuff

There’s A Text-to-image AI Art App For Mac Now—and It Will Change Everything, by Jesus Diaz, Fast Company

Impossibly realistic and creative art created by AI has been appearing more and more frequently over the past few months, and it used to be accessible to only a select few: now anyone can run a full graphical version of the text-to-image artificial intelligence Stable Diffusion on any Apple Silicon-based Mac—with no technical knowledge whatsoever. You just have to drop an app into your Applications folder, double click on it, write your prompt, and magic happens.

This $59 Anker MagSafe Charger Offers Something Apple's Doesn't, by Christina Darby, ZDNet

Besides being able to top up an iPhone completely, the MagSafe-compatible charger also has a foldable kickstand to prop up your phone.

Notes

Will Today’s Tech Giants Reach A Century? It’s All About The Quality Of The Product, by John Naughton, The Guardian

Remember that we’re talking averages here. The trend doesn’t mean that no companies currently extant will get to their first century. Some almost certainly will, as some have in the past: AT&T, for example, is 137 years old; General Electric is 130; Ford is 119; IBM is 111; and General Motors is 106. But most companies wither or are gobbled up long before they qualify for a telegram from the president.

With that thought in mind, let us examine the giant tech corporations that now straddle the globe and overawe our legislators. Apple is 46 years old; Amazon is 28; Microsoft is 47; Google is 24; Meta (née Facebook) just 18.

Bottom of the Page

In my iOS 16's Settings, I've allowed Lock Screen widgets when the iPhone is locked. And all of the Lock Screen widgets that I have added behave 'correctly' -- except Fitness' widget. The completeness of my single move ring (I don't have any Apple Watches) is not displayed until the phone is unlocked.

~

Thanks for reading.

The Technology-Bandaid Edition Saturday, September 17, 2022

We Could All Use A “This Is Fine” Focus Mode, by Victoria Song, The Verge

These days, it often feels like the world is on fire. Sometimes, quite literally. In those moments, my phone morphs into an instrument of endless doomscrolling. So when Apple tweaked its Focus modes in the iOS 16 beta earlier this summer, I knew what needed to be done. I had to create a “This is Fine” mode.

The grounding principle behind a This is Fine mode is the fact that sometimes, you are not fine. Even so, life doesn’t stop just because terrible things keep happening. Deadlines need to be met, bills need to be paid, dogs need walking, kids need picking up from school, and you still need to eat. But even if I understand that it’s sometimes best to ignore my Twitter feed, mustering the willpower to do so leaves my brain a pile of mush. I know that doomscrolling is bad for my mental and physical health, and yet, it’s so easy to do when the latest tragedy is all anyone can think of or talk about. Layer in personal calamities or, I don’t know, the whole pandemic, and you’re going to end up curled in a ball on the couch sooner or later. My goal was to create a technological bandaid that let me zero in on the tasks at hand so I could freely decompress later.

Don’t Trash Your Old Phone—Give It A Second Life, by Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic

But what is the best thing to do with an old phone I loved? To my surprise, after asking a bunch of people, it seems the answer is: Recycle as a last resort. Find a way to use it instead.

You see, recycling doesn’t really work for gadgets like the iPhone. “There’s no way to take a truck full of old cellphones, melt them down, and make new cellphones,” Kyle Wiens, the CEO of the repair group iFixit, told me. “It’s not possible.” Elaborating, he said that it’s easy to repurpose the aluminum that makes up the bodies of a lot of our gadgets, but it’s not yet possible to recover a bunch of the other materials (such as neodymium, which is apparently used to make tiny magnets).

Apple Is Too Strict With Copy And Paste In iOS 16, by Chris Welch, The Verge

The objective of preventing apps from snooping on your clipboard is reasonable. But surely it’s possible for Apple to include “always allow” among the choices so that people won’t have to constantly see this screen. Or the company could add a “pasteboard” toggle to the privacy settings for each app much in the way it does for location, notifications, background data, and so on. Just give us some way of establishing permanence for our copy and paste preferences.

Dynamic Island!

iOS 16.1 Beta Makes Dynamic Island Easier To Access With Reachability Support, by Joe Rossignol, MacRumors

The first beta of iOS 16.1 seeded to developers and public testers earlier this week enables Reachability support for the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, making the new pill-shaped area easier to access with one hand.

Pong-Style 'Hit The Island' Game Now Available For iPhone 14 Pro, by Juli Clover, MacRumors

Kriss Smolka, the developer behind apps like WaterMinder and HabitMinder, today released a game designed for the Dynamic Island called “Hit the Island.” In this Pong-style game, the goal is to bounce the ball from the bottom of the iPhone’s display up to the Dynamic Island to score a hit.

Apollo App Adds 'Pixel Pals' To The iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island, by Juli Clover, MacRumors

The app update adds a small little creature into the area above the Dynamic Island on the new iPhone models. It can be customized into a cat, dog, hedgehog, fox, or axolotl, and the little creature simply paces around the Dynamic Island while you browse Reddit.

Stuff

Live Home 3D 4.5, by Agen Schmitz, TidBITS

With the new Room Scanner, you can point your LiDAR-equipped iPhone or iPad at the walls and move the device around to create an accurate 3D model of the room, complete with doors and windows.

Notes

First iPhone 14 Pro Max Teardown Suggests Apple Isn't Using SIM-tray Space For Anything, by David Price, Macworld

The teardown features the U.S. version of the iPhone 14 Pro Max, which means there’s no SIM tray, but the space freed up by this absence contains what appears to be plastic filler rather than any additional componentry.

Apple Counts On Upscale Shoppers To Turn Latest iPhone Into Hit, by Ian King, Bloomberg

The iPhone 14 lineup reserves the best features for the high-end Pro models costing at least $1,000. And based on preorder data, the strategy is already working with consumers, who have turned the most expensive new iPhone into the most popular version.

Though overall spending on mobile devices and computers is slowing this year, there’s still an appetite for top-tier smartphones -- Apple’s strength. That’s allowed the company to hold production steady at a time when much of the industry is scaling back plans.

Bottom of the Page

It seems inevitable, doesn't it, that Apple will provide APIs for third-parties to develop lock screens for iPhones? For a start, there's probably great demands for photos-of-the-day lock screens, wouldn't it? Or maybe the cover of the e-book I am currently reading?

Come on, Apple. You want to allow this. Remember: you'll get 30 percent. :-)

~

Thanks for reading.

The Opposite-Island Edition Friday, September 16, 2022

The iPhones 14 Pro (And iPhones 14), by John Gruber, Daring Fireball

In a way, the always-on display mode for iPhone 14 Pro is the opposite of the Dynamic Island. The Dynamic Island I took to immediately — a where’ve you been all my life? feature. The always-on display is still startling me every time I glance at it. I suspect I will get used to it, but if I still feel so unsettled by it a few weeks from now, I might try turning it off and seeing if I miss it. Because the other difference from the Dynamic Island is that I’m still not sure what purpose it serves. (The answer, I suspect, is Live Activities, which aren’t shipping until iOS 16.1. Being able to see updates to a Live Activity on an always-on display sounds potentially useful.)

Apple Confirms iOS 16 Bug Impacting New Device Activation As iPhone 14 Orders Begin To Arrive, by Sami Fathi, MacRumors

In a memo seen by MacRumors, Apple says that “there is a known issue for iOS 16 that may impact device activations on open Wi-Fi networks.” To resolve the issue, Apple says customers should select “Connect to Mac or to a PC with iTunes” in the initial iOS onboarding process when prompted to connect to a Wi-Fi network and then return to the previous screen and try again on Wi-Fi until the activation goes through successfully.

Apple Reveals 8 Scenarios Where iPhone 14 Pro's Always-On Display Turns Off, by Joe Rossignol, MacRumors

Apple today published a new support document with additional details about the new always-on display mode on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. Notably, the document lists eight scenarios where the always-on display temporarily turns off.

iOS 16: All The Things I Didn’t Like, by Federico Viticci, MacStories

I compiled all my iOS 16-related complaints, organized them into sections, and you can find them below.

Here are all the things I didn’t like in iOS 16, which I hope Apple will fix in the future.

Stuff

How The Hidden Antivirus Tools Already Built Into Your Mac Work, by David Nield, Gizmodo

While macOS has a strong reputation for keeping your computer and your data safe from harm, it doesn’t have a visible antivirus tool like the Windows Security suite that comes as part of Microsoft’s desktop operating system. In fact, there are antivirus and security tools built into the software on your Mac—they’re just not as noticeable.

Award-winning Pok Pok Playroom iOS App For Kids Gets ‘Space' Update For Busy Book Toy, by Michael Potuck, 9to5Mac

The Busy Book toy now has a new Space section that offers fun open-ended play while encouraging growth with imagination, curiosity, problem-solving, cause and effect, storytelling, and much more.

The Best Keyboard For Your Mac Is Not An Apple Keyboard, by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, ZDNet

Specializing in keyboards, Das Keyboard has been in the business of making keyboards since 2005, starting out by making a keyboard with blank keycaps.

Fast forward to today, and the company is making some of the best, most robust, most beautiful keyboards available, and the company's first Mac-specific keyboard embodies all this keyboard manufacturing experience.

Notes

This Song Will Break Your MacBook’s Speakers, by Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai, Motherboard

The speakers of a MacBook Air can be damaged just by playing a really, really loud song, and a loud sound for 40 seconds, according to a researcher who pushed the laptop’s speakers to their limits.

Hector Martin, an independent security researcher who focuses on Apple products, said he was able to damage his MacBook Air powered with the company’s M2 chip in a recent experiment by “overdriving them with settings and content they were not designed to play.”

Of God And Machines, by Stephen Marche, The Atlantic

All technology is, in a sense, sorcery. A stone-chiseled ax is superhuman. No arithmetical genius can compete with a pocket calculator. Even the biggest music fan you know probably can’t beat Shazam.

But the sorcery of artificial intelligence is different. When you develop a drug, or a new material, you may not understand exactly how it works, but you can isolate what substances you are dealing with, and you can test their effects. Nobody knows the cause-and-effect structure of NLP. That’s not a fault of the technology or the engineers. It’s inherent to the abyss of deep learning.

Bottom of the Page

Happy Dynamic Island day.

I will still be on mini island for now. I really like a light phone. I hope Apple will rethink and relaunch a better mini phone soon.

~

Thanks for reading.

The Light-Years Edition Thursday, September 15, 2022

Apple Watch Series 8 Review: If It Ain’t Broke, by Victoria Song, The Verge

Listen, the Series 8 doesn’t revolutionize the Apple Watch as we know it, but it doesn’t have to. Part of the reason why Apple can get away with year after year of incremental updates is because it is light-years ahead of its rivals for iOS users.

iPhone 14 Pro Camera Review: Scotland, by Austin Mann

When I first started shooting with iPhone 14 Pro, I was thinking about it as my new 48 megapixel camera, assuming I would just always be shooting 48MP ProRAW. But after just a few days using it, I’m pretty sure I’ll generally leave my settings set to 12MP ProRAW and only push up to 48MP when I really need it. Here are a few reasons why.

iPhone 14 Pro: Is The Always-On Display Actually Too On?, by José Adorno, 9to5Mac

I wish Apple would only highlight the clock and my widgets, instead of notifications and the background. It would for sure save battery and would diminish my privacy concerns.

Stuff

Apple Releases iOS 16.0.1 With Bug Fixes For iPhone 14 And 14 Pro Models, by Filipe Espósito, 9to5Mac

iOS 16 was released to all users on Monday. However, as reported this week, iPhone 14 models are shipping with a version of iOS 16.0 that predates the official build (20A362). Now the company has made iOS 16.0.1 available exclusively for the new iPhones as the update comes with even more bug fixes for the 14 and 14 Pro models.

iOS 16: Three-finger System Gesture Bug Impacts Apps And Games, by Benjamin Mayo, 9to5Mac

Some game developers are warning players not to update to iOS 16 due to a bug with the system three-finger gestures, affecting gameplay. The issue is that the triple-tap system gesture to reveal the undo/cut/copy/paste menu, and the three-finger swipe gestures to undo and redo, are a bit overzealous in iOS 16, activating in contexts where they shouldn’t.

Lock Screen One: Text Widgets For Your iOS 16 Lock Screen Automated With Shortcuts, by John Voorhees, MacStories

Lock Screen One lets you add text to an inline or rectangular widget, but it also lets you automate the process with Shortcuts. Let’s take a look.

Camo Challenges Apple’s Continuity Camera With Variable Frame Rates, Smart Zoom, And Video Stabilization, by Michael Potuck, 9to5Mac

The new release brings variable frame rates to customize your video up to 60 fps, and comes with a new Smart Zoom plus video stabilization.

Review: Here's Why The Moft Flash Has Become My Favorite MagSafe Wallet For iPhone, by Michael Potuck, 9to5Mac

Along with carrying two to three cards, the clever design means you’ve also always got a handy stand for both portrait and landscape use.

Develop

Apple Confirms Live Activities Will Come To The Lock Screen And Dynamic Island In iOS 16.1, by Juli Clover, MacRumors

Apple today confirmed that the Live Activities Lock Screen feature is going to be available when iOS 16.1 launches. Apple shared the information with developers and said that the ActivityKit API is available so developers can begin incorporating Live Activities into their apps.

Notes

What Modern Humans Can Learn From Ancient Software, by Paul Ford, Wired

Did you know that you can, right now, for free, go to Archive.org, the great online library of all things, and load up within your web browser an ancient, decrepit emulated computer—a DOS box from 1991, a black-and-white Mac, a green-and-black Apple II—and run the WordPerfect of yore, boot old HyperCard stacks, or use 1979’s VisiCalc as God intended?

Perhaps this does not seem miraculous to you. Fair. Moore’s law has taken us from 250 billion or so CPU churns per year on the earliest Macs to a quintillion potential clock cycles on a good gaming PC, a healthy 4,000,000X increase. Anyone with sense might reasonably ask, What? Why use a shiny new computer to run old spreadsheets? And I might nod and shrug, but inside I am a translucent plastic iMac of emotion. Because it is, I think, important to emulate.

Goldman’s Apple Card Business Has A Surprising Subprime Problem, by Hugh Son, CNBC

Goldman’s credit card business, anchored by the Apple Card since 2019, has arguably been the company’s biggest success yet in terms of gaining retail lending scale. It’s the largest contributor to the division’s 14 million customers and $16 billion in loan balances, a figure that Goldman said would nearly double to $30 billion by 2024.

But rising losses threaten to mar that picture. Lenders deem bad loans “charge-offs” after a customer misses payments for six months; Goldman’s 2.93% net charge-off rate is double the 1.47% rate at JPMorgan’s card business and higher than Bank of America’s 1.60%, despite being a fraction of those issuers’ size.

Five Years Of Data Show That SSDs Are More Reliable Than HDDs Over The Long Haul, by Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica

Backup and cloud storage company Backblaze has published data comparing the long-term reliability of solid-state storage drives and traditional spinning hard drives in its data center. Based on data collected since the company began using SSDs as boot drives in late 2018, Backblaze cloud storage evangelist Andy Klein published a report yesterday showing that the company's SSDs are failing at a much lower rate than its HDDs as the drives age.

Bottom of the Page

It happened: I've held my iPhone (with the brand new iOS 16 and its new Now Playing widget) wrongly, and have 'scrubbed' the playback location of the audiobook that I'm listening unknowingly.

It also happened: I've wanted to rewind my audiobook, and I mistook the two circular widgets up on the lock screen as the rewind-30-seconds and fast-forward-30-seconds buttons.

~

Thanks for reading.

The Silicon-Lead Edition Wednesday, September 14, 2022

Review Of Apple’s iPhone 14 And iPhone 14 Pro: They’re Leaning Into It, by Matthew Panzarino, TechCrunch

Apple’s iPhone 14 lineup delivers on a bunch of different vectors this year with very few peccadillos or complaints. Apple is really leaning into its silicon lead to deliver big gains year over year in cameras and it’s leaning on its design teams to give users new ways to interact with their very familiar devices.

The always on display does what competitors have done, but better and more logically. The cameras improve upon the already dominant iPhone 13 Pro’s arrays especially in low light and telephoto performance.

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Review: Early Adopter Island, by Nilay Patel, The Verge

Apple pulled off some unexpected surprises with the iPhone 14 Pro: there had been lots of solid rumors about the company switching from putting the front-facing camera and Face ID system in a pill-shaped cutout instead of the familiar notch, but the new “Dynamic Island” alert system came out of nowhere. And while it was getting clearer that Apple would have to follow the industry in using bigger camera sensors eventually, Apple went even further and rebooted its entire computational photography system as the Photonic Engine.

There’s a lot of that sort of thing in the iPhone 14 Pro, whose prices in the United States still start at $999 and go up. Apple’s late to having an always-on display, but it’s much more vibrant than other always-on displays. In the United States, Apple’s going all in on eSIM, which no one else is really doing. There’s a basic satellite connectivity system that isn’t quite like anything else we’ve heard about, but Apple is going to ship millions of these phones with the service coming online later this year. All in all, there are more beginnings of big ideas in the new iPhone 14 Pro than we’ve seen in an iPhone for a long time.

Apple iPhone 14 Review: iPhone 13S, by Allison Johnson, The Verge

The iPhone 14 is good. You probably shouldn’t buy an iPhone 14.

If those two phrases sound at odds with each other, then let me explain. The iPhone 14 is highly capable. Its chipset can handle everything from day-to-day tasks to graphics-intensive gaming. Its cameras are capable of very good photos, and it records the best video clips you’ll see from any phone in its class. This is all true of the 14, but it’s also true of the iPhone 13.

watchOS

watchOS 9: The MacStories Review, by Alex Guyot, MacStories

Recently, I’ve found my excitement for the future of watchOS rekindling. The Apple Watch hardware is far stronger than it was in the early days, from larger screens to far more powerful processors.

[...]

Maybe I’m reading too much into a sample size of one, but I think watchOS 9 may already show signs of new life in this area. Banner notifications make watchOS feel like a software platform again rather than a high-end Fitbit. The ability to create and edit calendar events and reminders, and to discover and follow new podcasts, aid in this vibe shift as well. I hope we continue to see more features like these in the coming years.

How Apple Watch Low Power Mode Works, And What It Turns Off, by Malcolm Owen, AppleInsider

Low Power Mode works by turning off features that usually run on the Apple Watch, bringing it down to just the core functionality. Other features are allowed to run, but are adjusted to reduce the number of refreshes or updates.

Stuff

How To Fix App Widgets Not Appearing On iOS 16 Lock Screen, by William Gallagher, AppleInsider

The heart of the issue is not in these third-party apps, but rather in iOS 16 and how it recognizes the availability of widgets. It appears that if an app has been installed before the iPhone was updated to iOS 16, it may not be recognized.

Apple Now Warning Dark Sky For iOS Users Of The Upcoming Shutdown, by Chance Miller, 9to5Mac

Apple is moving forward with its plans to shut down the Dark Sky weather app at the end of this year. If you open the Dark Sky app today, you’ll see a new pop-up message telling you that “support for the Dark Sky app” will end on January 1, 2023.

Agenda 15, by Agen Schmitz, TidBITS

Momenta has issued version 15 of its Agenda date-focused note-taking app with added support for Focus Filters in macOS 13 Ventura to hide projects and categories when you are focused, plus initial support for Shortcuts.

Mophie Launches New MagSafe Power Bank Stand Alongside Powerstation Pro XL And More, by Rikka Altland, 9to5Toys

Taking on different approaches with much of the same fabric-covered design cues, there are four new offerings today for Apple users – specifically those who have an iPhone 14 on the way.

How To Maintain Your Exercise And Wellness Habits While You Travel With Apps And Tech, by Lindsay E. Mack, MakeUseOf

Traveling is exciting and broadening, but stepping outside your usual routine and surroundings can also be stressful. By using a few apps, videos, and other devices, you can avoid a lot of the discomforts and anxieties that can arise when you're on the go. Here’s how to keep up some healthy habits to beat stress during travel, while still enjoying every minute of your vacation.

Notes

Thoughts And Observations On Last Week’s ‘Far Out’ Apple Event, by John Gruber, Daring Fireball

A few people had an “If they’re just going to show us the same movie they’re streaming to everyone, why are we even here?” take, but it’s obvious that the real value of being invited to attend live has always been about what happens after the keynotes, not seeing them on stage live. The hands-on areas after keynotes are useful not just for seeing and touching the products — colors, in particular, demand being seen in person — but for impromptu off-the-record conversions with Apple folks and other invited guests.

[...]

These pre-filmed product introductions move faster — the transitions between scenes happen at the speed of energetic cinema, not the speed of a human being walking across a large stage to hand the slide clicker to the next presenter. This allows Apple to cover the same amount of information in less time.

Live, On Tape, At Apple Park, by Jason Snell, Six Colors

And let’s be clear: It’s not like the old live “stage show” presentation was interactive. They never stopped the show to ask Nilay Patel and Carolina Milanesi and Matthew Panzarino how it was going. So going to a pre-taped presentation really didn’t change anything, from our perspective.

The iPhone 14 And Apple Watch Series 8 Expose Apple's Surprising Silicon Struggles, by Jason Snell, Macworld

This year’s iPhone 14 announcement was extra tricky because there was no “last year’s model” to compare it to. The iPhone 14 uses the same A15 processor Apple used in the iPhone 13–albeit the variant from the iPhone 13 Pro that had an extra GPU core enabled. A casual observer would assume that the announcement was normal, but it was anything but–instead, Apple had to do a lot of sleight of hand in order to make it seem like the iPhone 14 revision was business as usual.

Now, next year things will resume their normal pattern. The iPhone 15 will presumably get this year’s A16 processor, and the iPhone 15 Pro will get next year’s A17. This year, Apple’s going to have to take its lumps–but it’s not going to welcome comparisons to last year’s iPhone if it can avoid it.

Bottom of the Page

Day two of using iOS 16, and I have not gotten used to the new location of the play/pause button on the lock screen.

~

I am using the Weather lock screen, and everything goes to black-and-white when the forecast calls for Cloudy weather. Not a single shade of blue anywhere.

It definitely doesn't match what I can see in the sky when I glance out of my windows.

~

I am a little amused when I see the legend in Apple's precipitation map for Singapore -- a country right next to the equator -- includes 'Snow', alongside with rain and sleet.

Either Apple is really prepared for major climate change, or it is very confident that we can cool the earth back down significantly.

~

Thanks for reading.

The True-Star Edition Tuesday, September 13, 2022

iOS 16, watchOS 9, tvOS 16, And HomePod Software 16 Now Available, by Josh Centers, TidBITS

While the betas have been remarkably stable this year, we recommend that most people delay a few days before updating in case of any serious problems. Plus, that lets you avoid any confusion if Apple’s update servers are overwhelmed at first. And again, iPadOS 16 and macOS 13 Ventura aren’t due until next month.

iOS 16

iOS 16 Review: Unlocking The Lock Screen, by David Pierce, The Verge

The lock screen is the true star of iOS 16. Apple has reconceived its purpose altogether, shifting it from just a clock and a bunch of notifications to something much more like a second homescreen. Lock screen widgets were an instant upgrade to my phone life: I can now see my calendar without unlocking my phone or even swiping right to get to that page of widgets everyone always forgets about, and I have a tiny widget that launches a new note in my notes app.

[...]

Of all these quality-of-life improvements, there are two that have made my phone-using life markedly better. The first is haptic feedback while typing. After weeks of using it and getting that gentle buzz every time I hit a key, I don’t know how I ever just smashed my fingers onto motionless glass. I’m not sure it’s made me a better typer, but it’s a much more pleasant typing setup. The second is marking conversations unread in Messages. For too many years, my general texting behavior has been to either respond immediately or forget all about the message and never get back to it. Now, I can mark a message as unread and find it later. It’s still ridiculous that iOS 16 doesn’t let you filter to just show unread messages, but I’ll take what I can get.

iOS 16 Review: Unlocking The Details, by Dan Moren, Six Colors

This year, features like the lock screen updates, passkeys, and Shared Photo Library (when it arrives) are well worth the update. But personally, for most users, I think it’s the little improvements sprinkled throughout that I most look forward to, since they often end up being the things that patch previous frustrations or enable some new capability. Apple aims for surprise and delight and while big iOS updates might feel like a deluge of the new, it’s the constant drizzle of discovery over the ensuing weeks and months—Oh, you can do that now?—that truly deliver Apple’s core mission of surprise and delight.

iOS 16: The MacStories Review, by Federico Viticci, MacStories

As a reviewer and user, iOS 16 is some of the most fun I’ve had with my iPhone in a while. Perhaps even more so than two years ago with Home Screen widgets. After three months spent testing iOS 16, I think the reason is obvious. This time around, customization isn’t a happy accident: with iOS 16, Apple is embracing personalization as a feature, and they’re letting us go wild with how much we can customize and tinker with the Lock Screen, Focus modes, Home Screen pages, widgets, and more. On iPhone 14 Pro, the ability to always see the Lock Screen is a feature of the product itself.

Apple Letting Users Stay On iOS 15.7 With Security Updates Before Upgrading To iOS 16, by Filipe Espósito, 9to5Mac

While iOS 16 is certainly the big news of the day, Apple also released iOS 15.7 for iPhone users today. The update doesn’t bring any major changes, but it does come with bug fixes and security enhancements, and users running iOS 15 now have the option to install iOS 15.7 or iOS 16.

Lock Screen Widgets

Widgetsmith Adds Lock Screen Widgets, New Photos Features, Custom URLs, And More, by Chance Miller, 9to5Mac

Widgetsmith 4.0 is available now on the App Store not only with Lock Screen widgets but also improvements to the widget editor, a ton of new functionality for widgets, and much more.

Carrot Weather For iOS 16 Brings 20 Lock Screen Widgets And 10 More Custom Layout Sections, by Michael Potuck, 9to5Mac

Carrot Weather is out with a new update today for iOS 16 that brings 20+ handy Lock Screen Widgets, 10 new layout sections to customize your setup, a major multicolumn redesign for iPad, and more.

iOS 16 Lock Screen Widget Lets You Quickly Open Any App, by Sami Fathi, MacRumors

The app called “Launchify” lets users configure one or more ‌iOS 16‌ Lock Screen widgets that directly open any app of their choosing. Users can create a widget to quickly open Messages, Twitter, the Phone app, or Apple or Google Maps, for example.

25+ iOS 16-ready Apps Featuring Lock Screen Widgets You Can Try Today, by Sarah Perez, TechCrunch

Whether you’re looking to customize your overall iPhone theme, or you have a more specific goal in mind — like keeping up with your workouts or emails, for instance — there are already quite a few apps going live today that can help you personalize your device’s Lock Screen using widgets.

Apps That Have Added iOS 16 Lock Screen Widget Support, by Juli Clover, MacRumors

We’ve rounded up a bunch of third-party apps that have implemented widget support as of today, so you can see some of the widget options available to you. Note that if you’re planning on getting an iPhone 14 Pro, widgets will be available even when your screen is off thanks to the Always-On display.

watchOS 9

watchOS 9 Adds Redesigned Compass App With Wayfinding Integration, by José Adorno, 9to5Mac

According to Apple, the redesigned watchOS 9 Compass app provides more in-depth information and new zoomable views, including a “hybrid view that simultaneously shows both an analog compass dial and a digital view.” By turning the Digital Crown, the Compass app reveals an additional view that includes latitude, longitude, elevation, and incline, as well as an orienteering view showing Compass Waypoints and Backtrack.

watchOS 9's New AFib History Feature Expanding To Over 100 Countries, by Joe Rossignol, MacRumors

Apple today announced that watchOS 9’s new AFib History feature will be available in more than 100 countries and territories beyond the United States, including Canada, the UK, other European countries, Hong Kong, Mexico, South Africa, and others. Apple said the feature will also be available in Australia starting later this year.

Stuff

macOS Monterey 12.6 And Big Sur 11.7, by Agen Schmitz, TidBITS

Apple has released macOS 12.6 Monterey and macOS Big Sur 11.7 to patch 8 security vulnerabilities in Monterey and 10 vulnerabilities in Big Sur, with specific patches for iMovie, Maps, and the kernel.

Apple Releases Safari 16 With Tab Group Start Pages, Cross-Device Syncing For Website Settings, Strong Password Updates And More, by Juli Clover, MacRumors

Safari 16 includes Tab Group start pages, support for pinned tabs in Tab Groups, and Tabs in the sidebar. The update also includes cross-device syncing for website settings, and strong password editing for adjusting your passwords to meet various site-specific password requirements.

Apple Shares Video Showing How iPhone 14's Car Crash Detection Feature Works, by Joe Rossignol, MacRumors

Apple today shared a video explaining how to use the new car crash detection feature enabled by default on all iPhone 14 models, the Apple Watch Series 8, the Apple Watch Ultra, and the second-generation Apple Watch SE.

Develop

Developers Can Now Subscribe To Get More WeatherKit API Requests, by Filipe Espósito, 9to5Mac

Following the release of iOS 16 to the public on Monday, Apple has now announced that developers can finally subscribe to get more WeatherKit API requests. With this API, third-party apps can get data provided by Apple Weather as part of the Dark Sky transition.

Notes

iPhone 14 Pro's Always-On Display Intelligently Turns Off When You Leave The Room With An Apple Watch, by Sami Fathi, MacRumors

Presumably, the ‌iPhone 14 Pro‌ will use proximity data from the Apple Watch to enable the feature and detect once a user has left the room. Apple made no mention of the unique feature on its website and didn’t mention it during its event, but it’s likely one of several power-saving features the ‌iPhone 14 Pro‌’s always-on display has.

‘So Many People Tell Me They Wish They Could Get Out!’ Can We Escape The Tyranny Of WhatsApp Groups?, by Sirin Kale, The Guardian

As I write, I have 101 unread WhatsApp messages, 254 unread iPhone messages and 46,252 unread emails across three separate accounts. For me, Inbox Zero is a faraway goal, as unachievable as mastering the perfect cat’s-eye flick, or learning how to cook.

But it is the WhatsApp messages, specifically the WhatsApp group chats, that terrorise me the most. If I were a woman of courage, I would simply exit these chats as soon as I am added to them; but I feel the weight of social obligation, and so I remain.

Bottom of the Page

As expected, I've updated my iPhone to iOS 16 on day one, first thing in the morning.

~

I was searching up and down for a lock-screen circular widget that simply display today's date. And I can't find such a widget built-in, nor any of the popular (and probably not-so-popular) widget apps.

Later I discover why: one can not remove the date from the lock screen anyway. Even if you place an inline-widget up above the clock, the date will still be present, albeit shortened.

~

Back in iOS 15, one of my frustration with the lock screen is with the volume control. Many a times when I adjust the volume, I will aim poorly, and swipe the entire lock screen instead. And I ended up with either the camera or the Today's View instead.

iOS 16 totally solved this problem by not having any sort of volume control on the lock screen at all. I will have to pay for the new AirPod Pro with the new Volume touch control. Or press the volume buttons on my iPhone instead. Like an animal.

~

Thanks for reading.

The Big-Changes Edition Monday, September 12, 2022

iOS 16 Launches Today: Every Big Change Hitting Your iPhone, by Patrick Holland, CNET

Do you own an iPhone 8 or newer? If so, your iPhone is about to get a major update. Apple's new mobile operating system, iOS 16, is expected to roll out to compatible iPhones on Monday, Sept. 12. The iOS beta indicates several upgrades focused on communication, personalization and privacy. Big changes are coming to the iPhone lock screen, Messages app and Wallet, but lesser-known features lurking in iOS 16 are worth checking out, too.

iPhone 14 Battery Capacities For All Four Models Revealed Ahead Of Launch, by Joe Rossignol, MacRumors

Three out of four iPhone 14 models feature larger battery capacities compared to the iPhone 13 lineup, with the exception being the iPhone 14 Pro Max, which is equipped with a slightly smaller battery compared to the iPhone 13 Pro Max.

TIFF: Apple Showcases New iPhone Photo Tech On Oprah, Hillary Clinton, by Hollywood Reporter

Apple used Toronto International Film Festival to showcase their newest iPhone’s image-capturing capabilities with some of the first images Apple has released taken by new tech, including a 48mp camera, being of the talent behind the upcoming film and television projects. Taken at The Apple Studio in Toronto by photographer Briony Douglas, iPhone shot portraits include Hillary and Chelsea Clinton (Gutsy), LaKeith Standfield (The Changeling) and Brian Tyree Henry (Causeway).

Stuff

UK Apple Stores To Close Next Monday For State Funeral Of Queen Elizabeth II, by Sami Fathi, MacRumors

All Apple Stores in the United Kingdom will be closed on Monday, September 19, out of respect for the planned state funeral of her Majesty the Queen, Apple told UK-based staff today.

Notes

Kuo: iPhone 14 Plus Pre-Orders Worse Than iPhone 13 Mini, Product Strategy 'Fails', by Hartley Charlton, MacRumors

The ‌iPhone 14‌ and ‌iPhone 14‌ Plus are expected to be in stock in retail stores on their launch dates, “reflecting lackluster demand.” As it stands, Kuo says that the pre-order results for the ‌iPhone 14‌ and ‌iPhone 14‌ Plus are worse than those of the third-generation iPhone SE and the iPhone 13 mini.

Could The Internet Archive Go Out Like Napster?, by Nitish Pahwa, Slate

More symbolically, a loss for the archive here would mean yet another blow to the techno-optimistic, quasi-libertarian vision that governed the web’s early years: virtual spaces free from elite control and disruption, an online society based on sharing and discourse over profit. “This is not a direction that the internet has ended up going, this kind of free-to-use, nothing-costs-anything utopian vision,” Witt said. “The powers that be made that go away, and this is just a cleanup action in a fight that was won long ago.”

Bottom of the Page

On the one hand, I use my iPhone almost every hour while awake, from reading to listening to messaging.

On the other hand, iOS updates have never failed me. And I've heard that the beta builds this year were pretty solid.

On the third hand, I really want to try out the new lock screen.

So, I'll probably not be waiting for the weekend before installing the new iOS.

Wish me luck.

~

Thanks for reading.

The Bigger-Stronger-Brighter Edition Sunday, September 11, 2022

Apple's Far Out Event Was Good. The October Mac Event Will Be Better, by Michael Simon and Roman Loyola, Macworld

When Apple started the M-series transition, it gave new life to the Mac. This event will complete the rollout and it will provide a roadmap for what to expect in the future. That’s exciting, especially when you compare that to the already-mature iPhone lineup. With the Mac, the chips gains are bigger, the innovations are stronger, and the future is brighter.

Apple's iPhone 14 eSIM Change Has Small Carriers Hopeful Switching Will Be Easier, by Eli Blumenthal, CNET

Apple's embrace of virtual, embedded SIM cards in the iPhone 14 line -- eliminating the SIM card slot for US models -- has led some online to worry that switching carriers is about to get a lot more difficult. Smaller carriers like Mint Mobile, US Mobile and Boost Mobile, however, see it as just the opposite.

"Mint has always believed in digital technologies that enhance and ease wireless services," Aron North, Mint Mobile's chief marketing officer, said in a statement to CNET. "Mint has been supporting [the] eSIM for almost two years because we knew, even back then, this innovation would allow users to switch faster and easier."

iCloud+ Plans Max Out At 2TB. Apple Needs To Offer More., by Matt Binder, Mashable

Every year that Apple announces a new iPhone, a major focus is the upgrade in camera hardware offering major improvements on photo and video quality. That means better pictures. It also means larger files. According to Apple itself, a single minute of 4K video recorded on an iPhone can take up as much as 400mb of space. This year, the company put major focus on the new iPhone 14 Pro's insane 48mp camera at its Apple event. One photo taken with this iPhone camera, in the high quality ProRAW format, can be around 75MB.

You're going to fill up your measly 2TB iCloud storage plan mighty quickly with photos and videos of that size. What does Apple want you to do then?

Let Me Watch TV On The Apple Watch Ultra, by Andrew Marino, The Verge

I would absolutely love to go on a walk in my neighborhood with the Yankees game attached to my arm without having to constantly unlock my phone or take it out of my pocket to view what just happened. I just heard Aaron Judge hit a fly ball into left field; how fast can I check the screen to see if someone catches it?

Bottom of the Page

Which reminds me that once upon a time, I watched movies on iPod nanos.

:-)

~

As far as I can tell, there are no rumors about the upcoming Mac Pro replacement. Which may mean that the rumormongers are not looking at the right places. This may just like looking at the supply chain telling you the shape of the notch has changed, but doesn't tell you the surfacing of the Dynamic Island.

Perhaps, the Mac Pro will share the same chip as the Mac Studio, but with a completely different architecture and priorities? Or perhaps, the Mac Pro will not be using the M-series chips altogether?

Who knows, except at Apple Park.

I know I will not be buying one. But I am still excited to find out what the Mac Pro will be.

October will be exciting.

~

Thanks for reading.

The Personal-Beacons Edition Saturday, September 10, 2022

Apple Is Here To Remind You That Life (And Your Wallet) Is Precious, by Jason Snell, Macworld

Again, I understand how this might make people uneasy. After all, it’s sort of suggesting that you need to spend the money on an iPhone or Apple Watch… or risk tragic consequences. But on the other hand, if Apple’s here to change the world, isn’t one way it can make an impact to turn its popular pocket supercomputers into personal emergency beacons for car crashes?

In Apple’s World, You’ll Die Without Its Watch, by Nicole Wetsman, The Verge

It may be a good marketing tactic to make people think that they need to spend hundreds of dollars on an Apple Watch to keep themselves safe. The fear-mongering presentation made it seem as if the Apple Watch is the only thing standing between people and disaster. It’s no longer being presented as a fitness device, or a curiosity, or a way to learn a bit more about yourself. No, now, it’s a necessary thing to have. That’s a high bar — and it’s not one it’s met yet.

Stuff

iPhone 14 Pro Delivery Estimates Begin Slipping Into October, by Joe Rossignol, MacRumors

For customers who have yet to order, however, many iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models are now estimated for delivery in the first half of October from Apple. Availability of the standard iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus models has held up better.

Pixelmator Pro 2.4.7, by Agen Schmitz, TidBITS

The new Shrink to Fit feature automatically reduces the size of text when it’s too big for its text box, and pressing Shift-Enter while typing now continues text from a new line instead of a new paragraph.

Eve Aqua With Thread Is A Low-budget Way To Convert A Traditional Sprinkler Into A Smart One, by Bradley Chambers, 9to5Mac

The Eve Aqua product line has been around for several years, but an updated 2022 version has Thread support out of the box with some additional changes to the physical body of the product. The new model has a space gray body and matte black front. It replaces the previous generation’s internal system with a brass faucet connector and magnetic valve to improve durability, enjoy better leak protection, and has a near-silent operation compared to the previous model.

Notes

How Criminals Are Using Jammers, Deauthers To Disrupt WiFi Security Cameras, by Kiara Hay, WXYZ

"If you're relying on wireless as a security thing, you're looking at it wrong," Burns said. "Wireless signals are easy to jam or block."

Bottom of the Page

I am getting ready for the new iOS by removing widgets and rearranging app icons on the home screens. At least in the first few weeks, I'll like to see more of the wallpapers.

~

So, how do you sell health and safety?

~

Thanks for reading.

The Use-with-One-Hand Edition Friday, September 9, 2022

RIP To The iPhone Mini — Not Dead But Not Updated, by Mitchell Clark, The Verge

When we here at The Verge first reviewed the iPhone 12 Mini, we predicted that it was “going to be a favorite for many.” It seems like the “many” only turned out to be a few, but the bit about being a favorite was dead-on — those of us who like the Mini really like it. It managed to be a 2020-tier flagship phone crammed into the footprint of a mid-2010s device. After years of features, like multiple incredible cameras, 512GB of storage, and bright, HDR displays, only being available in phones with 5.8-inch or (much) larger screens, the Mini finally made them all available in a device you could comfortably use with one hand.

As A Scuba Diver, I Would Gladly Trust My Life To The Apple Watch. Here's Why., by Haje Jan Kamps, TechCrunch

There’s two aspects to a good dive computer: Instrumentation, logging, and algorithms. The instrumentation is simple: Dive computers have a lot of features, but the important one is a pressure gauge and a clock. The dive computer logs how long you are at certain depths, and keeps track of that with a certain resolution. Some dive computers record that every 10 seconds, some every 30, and some more or less often, but the key thing is that it keeps track of things, so you don’t have to.

[...]

People doubting Apple do so because they don’t trust the Cupertino-based giant to do the above accurately; but that’s where I think they are wrong. Apple watches are exceptional at logging things; steps, heart rates, activity; it’s all being logged.

Underestimating Apple’s Bold Moves, by Jason Snell, Six Colors

I don’t really know if the Dynamic Island will be a hit or a misfire. A few minutes playing around with it in Cupertino aren’t enough to tell me, one way or another. But its existence should be a reminder that with Apple, the details of the hardware are often just the beginning of the story. We underestimate Apple at our peril.

Stuff

Mouseposé: A Handy Little Utility For Better Live Software Demos, by Mike Schmitz, The Sweet Setup

Essentially, what Mouseposé does is help you focus your audience’s attention on what you’re doing by highlighting your mouse cursor as you share your screen. It does this by adding macOS accessibility features that enable you to give live software demos that look a lot like polished screencasts or course videos you might find here at The Sweet Setup. You can highlight your mouse position, show mouse clicks with simple animations, and even have a ribbon display at the bottom of your screen that shows keystrokes for things like keyboard shortcuts.

But instead of adding these effects after the fact in editing software like my beloved ScreenFlow, you (and your audience) see them live as you navigate your Mac.

Elevation Lab Launches TagVault Strap For AirTag, by Juli Clover, MacRumors

The TagVault Strap is designed to mount to a backpack or camera strap, and it has been created to prevent the AirTag from being removed. The TagVault Strap is made from a glass-filled composite body, and it uses Swiss machined self-driving screws that go through the strap.

Notes

US Lawmakers Warn Apple On Using Chinese Group’s Chips In New iPhone, by Demetri Sevastopulo, Financial Times

“Apple is playing with fire,” Rubio told the Financial Times. “It knows the security risks posed by YMTC. If it moves forward, it will be subject to scrutiny like it has never seen from the federal government. We cannot allow Chinese companies beholden to the Communist party into our telecommunications networks and millions of Americans’ iPhones.”

Asked about the congressional concerns, Apple told the FT it did not use YMTC chips in any products but said it was “evaluating sourcing from YMTC for Nand chips to be used in some iPhones sold in China”.

Bottom of the Page

I do not need a big iPhone. The iPhone activities that I do -- reading books, listening to audio programmes, setting alarms and reminders and to-dos -- do not require much of a screen. As for things that do require bigger screens, such as watching television programmes and playing video games, I have my iPad.

So, for my lifestyle, I really like a small iPhone with a smaller screen, so that my pockets remain light everywhere I go.

Unfortunately, there aren't many of us pursuing this lifestyle. And so Apple canceled the iPhone mini this year.

So, okay, Apple. I will buy a bigger phone. But I still do not need a bigger screen. How about trying something different, Apple? How about an iPhone Ultra? 60 or more hours of battery life, an unbreakable screen, and some Action Buttons that I can program?

Go ahead, Apple. Please.

(No, I don't need to dive into the deep waters with this iPhone Ultra. You can safely leave this feature off.)

~

Thanks for reading.

The Dynamic-Island Edition Thursday, September 8, 2022

iPhone 14 Pro And Pro Max Announced With Animated Notches And Always-on Displays, by Tom Warren, The Verge

Apple has moved the proximity sensor behind the display, and notifications will now pop out of the notch in an animation. Apple calls this system the Dynamic Island. Notifications and alerts will adapt and move around the pill-shaped notch, and Apple is really leaning into how it animates and uses the system for new notifications.

Apple Quadruples The Megapixel Count With The iPhone 14 Pro’s Camera, by Jackson Chen, Input

The latest smartphone can shoot 48-megapixel photos, record 4K video at 30 fps, and has a Photonic Engine that powers all the computational photography behind the scenes. In simpler terms, it’ll let you shoot in practically any scenario, low-light or not.

[...]

On top of its upgrade to 48 megapixels, the iPhone 14 Pro’s new Main camera uses the pixel binning method where it can combine four pixels into a 2.44 µm quad pixel. This method lets you get 48-megapixel photos when the lighting conditions are fine, but combines four pixels into one when poor lighting conditions call for it.

iPhone 14 Pro Models Thicker Than iPhone 13 Pro Series Thanks To More Advanced Cameras, by Sami Fathi, MacRumors

The ‌iPhone 14 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 14 Pro‌ Max measure 7.85mm in thickness, compared to the ‌iPhone 13 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 13 Pro‌ Max at 7.65mm.

The iPhone 14 Pro Turns The Infamous Notch Into A 'Dynamic Island', by Amanda Silberling, TechCrunch

This feature is designed to clearly present new information without distracting you from the app you’re in. In one example, someone is able to see from the Dynamic Island that their Lyft ride is two minutes away, and they don’t have to navigate away from their text conversation. In another use case, when you connect your AirPods, the Dynamic Island can also show you what percent charge your headphones are at. It’s a bit more elegant than a messy banner notification that clutters your screen.

The Dynamic Island Could Fix The Apple’s Notch, by Alex Cranz, The Verge

The Dynamic Island likely won’t solve that problem the notch originally presented, but it does seem to suggest that Apple realized we want that stuff and we don’t want to have to zoom around the phone UI like a wizard to get it all. The Dynamic Island (I will never stop laughing at that name) feels almost like an exaggerated notch. Instead of dancing around the black bit at the top of the phone, Apple is expanding it, morphing it on a whim to help it address problems the notch used to create.

iPhone 14 Pro Always-On Display: How It Works, What It Looks Like, Impact On Battery Life, And More, by Sami Fathi, MacRumors

The iPhone 14 Pro and ‌iPhone 14 Pro‌ Max feature an always-on display for the first time on iPhone, which lets users glance at their phone to see key information, including the time, their wallpaper, and iOS 16 Lock Screen widgets and Live Activities.

Apple To Debut iPhone With Emergency Messaging Enabled By Globalstar Satellites, by Rachel Jewett, Via Satellite

Apple announced the service in a Wednesday keynote, and Globalstar confirmed in SEC filings that it will provide the satellite connectivity. Apple did not mention Globalstar by name in the keynote.

[...]

Globalstar said it is allocating 85% of its current and future network capacity to support the services and has agreed to prioritize the services on its network.

The iPhone 14 Doesn’t Have Apple’s Latest Processor, by Mitchell Clark, The Verge

Apple has announced that the regular iPhone won’t be getting a new processor this year — instead, the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus will be powered by Apple’s A15 Bionic chip, the same chip that’s in the iPhone 13 Pro — though it does have a bit more grunt than the A15 that was in the regular iPhone 13 and the $429 iPhone SE from earlier this year, thanks to an extra GPU core. This is the first time that Apple’s not updating to a new processor for one of its flagship iPhones since the 2008 iPhone 3G, which featured virtually the same internals as the original iPhone.

The iPhone 14 Pro, meanwhile, has an A16 processor, which the company says is more power efficient, even when doing intensive tasks.

Apple Removes SIM Card Tray On All iPhone 14 Models In U.S., by Joe Rossignol, MacRumors

An eSIM is a digital SIM that allows users to activate a cellular plan without having to use a physical nano-SIM card. eSIM availability is rapidly expanding, but the technology is still not available in all countries, which explains why iPhone 14 models will remain available with a SIM card tray outside of the U.S. for now.

iPhone 14 Gets Startup Sound To Help Blind Users, by David Price, Macworld

Given how useful this would be as an accessibility feature, and that this is a change spotted in the operating system code, some iPhone owners have expressed hope that it might be offered to all handsets capable of running iOS 16. But it appears not. Aquino says he was told it’s for iPhone 14 only, and some commenters have even predicted that it might be limited to this year’s Pro models.

Apple Shares Guided Video Tour Of iPhone 14 And iPhone 14 Pro, by Tim Hardwick, MacRumors

Filmed at Apple’s Fifth Avenue store in New York City, the tour highlights the four available sizes, new camera features like Action mode, Lock Screen customizations, the iPhone 14 Pro’s Always-on display and A16 Bionic chip, Crash Detection, and more.

Apple Now Letting Customers 'Get Ready' For iPhone 14 Launch With Pre-Order Setup, by Juli Clover, MacRumors

With the Apple Store app on the iPhone, prospective buyers select their preferred phone, confirm their status with their carrier, add accessories, select an AppleCare+ plan, and add a preferred payment method to prepare for the ‌iPhone‌ launch. Payment in full and other payment options are supported.

AppleCare+ Now Includes 'Unlimited' Repairs For Accidental Damage, by Benjamin Mayo, 9to5Mac

Previously, AppleCare+ allowed for two incidents of accidental damage cover every year.

Starting today, that cap has been lifted. Apple now touts unlimited repairs for accidental damage protection, for as long as you keep paying.

Apple Watch

Apple Watch Series 8 And Apple Watch Ultra Expand Health, Safety, And Connectivity Features, by Adam Engst, TidBITS

At its Far Out event, Apple introduced three new Apple Watch models, a modestly enhanced Apple Watch SE that holds down the low end of the line, a solidly upgraded Apple Watch Series 8, and the massively capable—and physically massive—Apple Watch Ultra. All are available to order now and will ship on 16 September 2022 (for the Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch Series 8) or 23 September 2022 (for the Apple Watch Ultra).

Apple Unveils Apple Watch Ultra With Large-Screen Design For Athletes And Explorers, by Tim Hardwick, MacRumors

The 49mm titanium case has the brightest Apple Watch display yet, and a bigger Digital Crown that’s more rugged and capable. It features 36 hours of battery life, and will be capable of up to 60 hours of battery life with a new battery optimization setting coming later this fall.

There’s also a new Dark Mode, a Wayfinder watch face for showing rich sets of stats, a built-in depth gauge, and a new dual-frequency GPS with custom position algorithms to receive GPS signals in hard-to-reach locations.

Scuba-diving Veterans Suunto Should Be Terrified Of The Apple Watch Ultra, by Haje Jan Kamps, TechCrunch

The Oceanic app – called Oceanic Plus – promises to include dive planning, tides, water temperatures, and community-contributed details divers care about, such as visibility, currents, and other dive notes. The Oceanic app runs the Bühlmann algorithm, which is used by quite a few dive computers out there. The app can warn you of surfacing too quickly, or staying at too deep a depth for too long — both important aspects of keeping yourself safe underwater.

Apple Watch Ultra Band Compatibility Explained, by Zac Hall, 9to5Mac

If you’ve already invested in Apple Watch bands for bigger screen models in the past, those bands will continue to work with the extreme sports version of the new Series 8. Bands designed for the Apple Watch Ultra also work with larger versions of non-Ultra Apple Watches.

Apple Watch Ultra: A First Look At Apple's Artfully Designed Packaging, by Tim Hardwick, MacRumors

In true Apple style, the company has designed the device’s retail packaging in a way that reflects its vision. As shared by 3D artist Ian Zelbo, the box depicts a snowy and sublime mountain vista surrounded by foreboding atmospheric clouds, with the wider landscape overlapping into the inner packaging.

Apple Adds Souped Up Period And Ovulation Tracking To Apple Watch Series 8, by Nicole Wetsman, The Verge

Using two sensors on the Apple Watch Series 8, the built-in menstrual cycle tracking app will check users’ temperature at the wrist every five seconds overnight. This should allow for ovulation tracking since body temperature changes over the course of the menstrual cycle and rises in response to ovulation.

watchOS 9 and iOS 16 will also include changes to the cycle tracking app that flag any abnormalities in a user’s menstrual cycle based on the data they input about their periods. Deviations from someone’s normal cycle — like more spotting than usual — can be a signal of health conditions like fibroids or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), Sumbul Desai, vice president of health at Apple, said during the launch event.

watchOS 9 Introduces New Low Power Mode On Apple Watch Series 4 And Later, by Joe Rossignol, MacRumors

Apple today announced that watchOS 9 will feature a new Low Power Mode on the Apple Watch Series 4 and newer. When the Low Power Mode is enabled, the Apple Watch will be able to get up to 36 hours of battery life per charge.

Apple Watch Series 3 Finally Discontinued, As New SE Takes Its Place In The Line-up, by Ben Lovejoy, 9to5Mac

The Apple Watch Series 3 has finally been discontinued, some five years after it was launched back in 2017. The watch had remained on sale right up to the day before the event.

I’m Pretty Sure Apple Knows We’re All Going To Die Soon, by Katie Notopoulos, Buzzfeed News

Instead of suggesting a gleaming world where everything is only getting better, instead, today we saw Apple’s vision of a future where everything is literally trying to murder us, and death lurks around every ring-closing outdoor jog. And frankly, it’s turning me into an iPrepper.

AirPods Pro

Second-generation AirPods Pro Use New H2 Chip, Enhanced Noise Cancellation, And Spatial Audio Features, by Samuel Axon and Corey Gaskin, Ars Technica

The earbuds look exactly the same as their predecessors, but they offer some improvements nonetheless. The new H2 chip facilitates enhanced noise cancellation that Apple says is twice as powerful as the previous AirPods Pro. A new adaptive transparency mode can also offer more dynamic tuning with what it allows in. Personalized spatial audio will also help listeners tune the sound to their ears.

[...]

Along the stem of the pods are new touch controls. In addition to the squeeze controls that can pause and play music or accept phone calls, swiping along the stem can also skip back and forth between songs.

Pricing

Apple's Biggest Far Out Surprise Is How Little Everything Costs, by Michael Simon, Macworld

For months, we’ve been prepared for extremely high prices due to a variety of factors: inflation, supply chain and production issues, and a greater emphasis on high-end products. But despite all that, this year’s new products won’t cost any more than they did yesterday. And in some cases, they’ll actually cost a lot less.

[...]

The biggest pricing surprise, however, is with the Apple Watch Ultra. It’s absolutely loaded with features—precision dual-frequency GPS, depth gauge with water temperature sensor, EN13319 certification, 100m water resistance, 86-decibel siren, cellular connectivity, and 36-hour battery life with a 49mm sapphire crystal display wrapped in a titanium case with three specialized bands—but doesn’t have the $899 or $999 price tag that we were expecting. The Apple Watch Ultra costs $799, which is $100 less than the 45mm titanium Apple Watch Edition.

Apple Lovers In Some Asian Countries To Pay More For iPhone 14, by Reuters

Buyers of the basic iPhone 14 in Japan - where the yen has slumped 24% since September - will pay 20% more than they did for the iPhone 13 when it was launched a year ago at 99,800 yen ($692.81).

New OSes

iOS 16 To Launch On September 12 For All iPhone Users, by Chance Miller, 9to5Mac

We have an official release date for iOS 16, Apple’s next major software update for iPhone users. During today’s Apple event, the company announced that iOS 16 will be released to the general public next week on September 12.

Apple Delays iCloud Shared Photo Library Feature For iOS 16, by Tim Hardwick, MacRumors

[I]n a footnote at the bottom of its iPhone 14 press release, Apple says “‌iCloud‌ Shared Photo Library will be available in a future software update.”

iOS 16 Will Warn Users When They Try To Pair Counterfeit AirPods With Their iPhone, by Filipe Espósito, 9to5Mac

With the new version of the operating system, iPhone and iPad will alert users when they try to pair counterfeit AirPods. “These headphones could not be verified as genuine AirPods and may not behave as expected,” the message reads.

A “Learn More” button should redirect users to a support article on Apple’s website with more details on how to identify original AirPods. The alert will also give the user the option “Don’t Connect.” However, at least for now, there are no signs that Apple will block these counterfeit AirPods from working with iPhone and iPad.

Apple Confirms iPadOS 16 And macOS Ventura To Launch In October, by Sami Fathi, MacRumors

‌iPadOS 16‌ and ‌macOS Ventura‌ pages on Apple's website confirm that both software updates will be released in October.

Stuff

Apple Releases Third-Generation AirPods With Non-MagSafe Charging Case, by Joe Rossignol, MacRumors

In addition to unveiling the second-generation AirPods Pro today, Apple made the third-generation AirPods available with a Lightning charging case that lacks MagSafe wireless charging. This version of the case can be charged with a Lightning cable only.

Apple's Fitness+ Subscription Is Coming To iPhone This Fall, by Sarah Perez, TechCrunch

At its iPhone 14 event today, Apple indicated that, later this fall, Apple Fitness+ would be available to all iPhone users regardless of whether or not they owned an Apple Watch.

Develop

iOS 16 RC Now Available To Developers Ahead Of Official Release Next Week, by Filipe Espósito, 9to5Mac

Following the announcement that iOS 16 will be officially released for iPhone users next week, Apple has now made iOS 16 RC (Release Candidate) available to developers and beta users. This means that anyone running iOS 16 beta can now install the build that is likely to be available to everyone in a few days.

Apple’s Dynamic Island, by Nick Neer, Pixel Envy

Apple’s advice to developers was to, in effect, simply ignore the notch and pretend it does not exist. But then WWDC this year brought a brand new HIG and, while we were all distracted by its redesign, Apple subtly updated its layout guidance to remove restrictions on how to deal with sensor housings.

Notes

Steve Jobs’ Friends And Family Just Launched An Archive To Celebrate His Life, by Jay Peters, The Verge

The friends and family of Apple founder Steve Jobs have launched the Steve Jobs Archive, an organization that celebrates the technology titan. You can visit the archive at stevejobsarchive.com.

Right now, the site is simple. At the top, there’s a poetic email Jobs sent to himself about his admiration for humanity. Scrolling down reveals some notable quotes from Jobs, including some from his famous 2005 commencement address at Stanford. At the end, there’s a short “About Us” description for the archive. Video and audio clips of Jobs are laced in along the way.

Tim Cook, Jony Ive And Laurene Powell Jobs Remember Apple Founder: ‘Best Teacher I Ever Had’, by Andrew Wallenstein, Variety

“I think at Apple I believe and hoped that he would be proud of a day like this when we bring out a lot of innovations that are very much on the principles that he articulated so well,” said Cook in a joint interview moderated by Kara Swisher.

“His understanding and reverence of the creative process was extraordinary,” said Ive.“He was masterful at helping people not ignore the problems but remain focused on the promise and vision of the actual ideas.”

Tim Cook Says ‘Buy Your Mom An iPhone’ If You Want To End Green Bubbles, by Emma Roth and Richard Lawler, The Verge

“I don’t hear our users asking that we put a lot of energy in on that at this point,” Cook said when asked how Apple founder Steve Jobs would feel about using the RCS standard in iMessage during Vox Media’s Code 2022 event on Wednesday night. Instead, Cook said, “I would love to convert you to an iPhone.”

But the person who asked the question, Vox Media’s LiQuan Hunt, came back with a valid complaint, saying that his mother can’t see the videos he sends her. It all comes down to a lack of interoperability between iMessage and RCS, both messaging systems that could allow higher-quality images and videos — if they worked together. If you’ve tried to send a video from Android to iOS (or vice versa) using your regular text messaging app, then you know that your videos come out completely fuzzy on the other end. Cook’s suggestion to fix this annoying issue? “Buy your mom an iPhone.”

Jony Ive Doesn’t Think Your Car Should Rely On Multitouch, by Mitchell Clark, The Verge

During a panel with the former Apple design lead, Tim Cook, and Laurene Powell Jobs at Vox Media’s Code conference tonight, journalist Kara Swisher asked Ive what he thought of current design trends. Ive said that there were “fabulous affordances with interfaces like multitouch,” but said that they may have gone too far in places — and it might be time for a shift back toward more physical controls.

“Potentially the pendulum may swing a little to have interfaces and products that are more tactile and more engaging physically,” Ive said. Swisher suggested that cars were an example of where multitouch has been overused, and Ive responded “for example.”

Bottom of the Page

This year, Apple gave us quite a few new names for its products and features. The return of iPhone Plus is probably the plainest and boring-est of all the names. Mac Studio and Apple Watch Ultra are not as boring, but are also not as exciting to my ears. Stage Manager is merely functional and is not as good as Mission Control or Exposé.

And then, here we have Dynamic Island.

Wow.

(I am very interested what other names that Apple's crack marketing team rejected before settling on Dynamic Island.)

~

Thanks for reading.

The Brain-Space Edition Wednesday, September 7, 2022

The Argument For Excess Battery, by Matt Birchler, Birchtree

Ultimately, the theme here is that I enjoying having a battery that's more than large enough most days so that I can remove "is my phone going to make it through today?" from my brain space.

Apple, The Ad Critic, Now Embraces Ads, by Erik Carter, New York Times

For years, Apple has been a loud critic of online advertising that relies on hogging as much information about us as possible. Now, the company wants to become a bigger seller of online ads, and says it can do so in a less creepy way.

The question is: Can Apple successfully sell online ads without the ick?

How China Has Added To Its Influence Over The iPhone, by Tripp Mickle, New York Times

More than ever, Apple’s Chinese employees and suppliers contributed complex work and sophisticated components for the 15th year of its marquee device, including aspects of manufacturing design, speakers and batteries, according to four people familiar with the new operations and analysts. As a result, the iPhone has gone from being a product that is designed in California and made in China to one that is a creation of both countries.

[...]

The increased responsibilities China has assumed for the iPhone could challenge Apple’s efforts to decrease its dependency on the country, a goal that has taken on increased urgency amid rising geopolitical tensions over Taiwan and simmering concerns in Washington about China’s ascent as a technology competitor.

Apple Launches New GymKit Certification App To Spur Adoption And Improve Stability, by Chance Miller, 9to5Mac

Apple’s GymKit platform for pairing your Apple Watch to gym equipment has slowly expanded since it first launched in 2017. It’s been a gradual process and one that has happened without much fanfare. Now, in hopes of luring more equipment makers to add GymKit support, Apple has launched a new GymKit Certification Assistant app to streamline the approval process.

Bottom of the Page

Will I be frustrated soon when I glance at my iPhone and see a dark screen staring back at me? Why oh why do I have to touch the screen to turn it on?

In the meanwhile, it's my bedtime, so I'm signing out and dozing off. Happy Far-Out day everyone, and we'll meet again tomorrow.

~

Thanks for reading.

The Taste-Awful Edition Tuesday, September 6, 2022

Here’s Why Your AirTag Battery Replacement Is Not Working, by Josh Centers, TidBITS

Since these small batteries are a choking hazard, many companies warn buyers to keep them away from small children. At least Duracell goes one step further and coats the batteries with a bittering agent that tastes absolutely awful so young children will spit them out. It’s a good idea, but the bitterant can interfere with the electrical connection.

Two Popular Apple Fitness+ Trainers Announce Departure From Service, by Sami Fathi, MacRumors

Two popular trainers on Apple Fitness+ have unexpectedly announced their departure from the service, which will celebrate its second anniversary since launching this December.

‘It’s The Way The Industry Is Going’: How YouTube Is Transforming Podcasting, by Laurie Clarke, The Guardian

Some believe an over liberal use of the term “podcast” is to blame for any confusion. “With the rise of the podcast, there’s more content that is positioning itself as a podcast,” says Wilson. In the pre-podcast age, a content creator might have made an educational video about the first world war. “Now, someone’s going to call that a [video] podcast, whereas five years ago it was just a video on the war – or a vlog,” he says.

But video podcasting could open up a new horizon for creators. Allen says fans tell him they prefer to watch his content. “This [medium] allows them to see my very real emotions come out as I take them through the story that we’ve spent countless hours preparing,” he says. “Video also gives me another layer to play with… I can just throw some visuals on screen to support whatever I’m saying.”

Bottom of the Page

A podcast is a podcast because I can play it in any podcast apps that I fancy. Different podcast apps have different designs: one may focus more on sound quality, while another may focus more on smart playlists. Yet another may focus more discoverability. And I can listen to any podcasts on any podcast apps.

The other advantage, at least to me, is the ability to combine different podcasts into a single playlist that I can listen from morning to night without switching apps.

If your audio program can only be played only in your app, then it is not a podcast.

~

Thanks for reading.

The Solve-Later Edition Monday, September 5, 2022

‘I Didn’t Want It Anywhere Near Me’: How The Apple AirTag Became A Gift To Stalkers, by Anna Moore, The Guardian

To Rory Innes, founder of the Cyber Helpline, these safety updates serve to illustrate the problem. “The approach is: ‘Launch it, get it into the world, get it to market, monetise it and we can solve problems later,’” he says. “That doesn’t happen in any other industry. You don’t launch a car and fix the seatbelts months down the line – and that’s because there are strict laws and regulations, safety standards and testing. That just doesn’t exist in tech – and it’s a real gap.

[...]

Another issue is the lack of support when it happens. “If you find an AirTag under your car or you get a notification, it’s impossible to speak to anyone at Apple,” says Innes. “At that point, speed is important. You need expert advice very quickly.”

Apple's New iPhones Will Sparkle, But The Magic Lies In Older Models, by Steve Ranger, ZDNet

New handsets keep the momentum and energy going, and keep the early adopters engaged with new features. But it's that long tail of older devices that really demonstrates the power of the Apple ecosystem.

Stuff

Here’s What $10 A Month Gets You From The Top Cloud Storage Services, by Doug Aamoth, Fast Company

If we can agree that $10 a month is a reasonable outlay to back up your important files, here’s a look at what you can expect from the likes of Google, Microsoft, Apple, and other major players.

‘Hey Siri, How Do I Enhance My Home Security?’ Try One Of These HomeKit Security Cameras, by Jonathan Knoder, Yahoo

That additional encryption and security is the biggest benefit to owning a HomeKit camera. We’ve all heard the horror stories of people hacking into home security cameras, but Apple’s end-to-end encryption makes it incredibly difficult and protects you and your family from experiencing data invasion.

Notes

Apple Plans To Double Its Digital Advertising Business Workforce, by Patrick McGee, Financial Times

The iPhone maker has around 250 people on its ad platforms team, according to LinkedIn. On Apple’s careers website, it is looking to fill another 216 such roles, quadruple the 56 it was hiring in late 2020. Apple disputed the figures but declined to elaborate.

[...]

Apple declined to comment on its long-term ambitions. But job ads tell prospective employees that its goals are nothing less than “redefining advertising” for a “privacy-centric” world.

Cinema Operators Look To Streaming Groups To Help Fill Blockbuster Shortfall, by Christopher Grimes, Financial Times

Persuading the streaming companies to release films in the traditional fashion could aid cinema operators, where a slow recovery from the coronavirus pandemic has caused financial problems for big chains such as Cineworld. Yet it is far from clear whether Apple, Netflix or Amazon are interested in becoming deeply involved in the traditional box office.

[...]

Fithian suggested streaming companies could provide the midsize or indie films that would fill cinema seats between blockbusters. But one streaming executive pushed back against this idea, saying that these smaller films were often risky propositions even before the pandemic and that a poor theatrical reception for an indie film could affect its popularity when it was streamed.

Bottom of the Page

If you are a cinema owner, and you haven't figure out how to get people to pay more than a month's worth of TV streaming price to come to your cinema to watch a movie, you have a major problem that cannot to solve by just talking to Apple and Netflix.

The only reason, I feel like, that Apple and Netflix will exhibit films in cinema is to qualify them for an Oscar or two, so as to make the filmmakers and stars happy. In a few years time, I figure, either the rules for Oscar qualification will change for good, or Apple and Netflix will start their own award shows.

~

Thanks for reading.

The Early-Demo Edition Sunday, September 4, 2022

Why It Matters That I Just Saw A Google Nest Hub Control An Apple HomeKit Smart Plug, by Jon Porter, The Verge

Matter, the upcoming standard that’s attempting to give the smart home a single unifying language, is almost here — and I was just treated to an early demonstration of the kinds of cross-platform compatibility that it should enable in the future. The demonstration was given by Eve, which produces a range of smart plugs, radiator valves, lighting, and security devices.

Develop

The Forty-Year Programmer, by Code Folio

I’m not going to tell you what language or framework to learn. If you’re good at the basics you can learn anything you want. Until then, you can be bad at whichever one you want. That’s what I did, anyway.

Instead I’ll talk about things that didn’t make sense to me when I started, and now they’re the guiding stars in my sky. That means it’s not about specific technologies. Technologies come and go. Languages come and go. They can’t be your sky.

Let’s start with this: software is young.

Notes

Breaking Down How USB4 Goes Where No USB Standard Has Gone Before, by Scharon Harding, Ars Technica

With all that going on, we thought it would be a great time to put a spotlight on the latest and greatest generation of USB. We've whipped up a handy refresher for all things USB4, breaking down the various key aspects of the spec, from how it differs from other specs to protocol tunneling, Alt Mode, and power delivery.

The Impossible Dilemma Of Choosing An Earthquake App, by Mia Armstrong, Slate

As I scrolled the App Store results for “earthquake” recently, attempting to sort through the options, I was struck by how bizarre and frustrating of a dilemma they present: How to know which is best, most trustworthy, most likely to keep you alive?

And once you’ve finally chosen an app, sorting through the data it serves up is also difficult. Should I give the app access to my live GPS location?

Bottom of the Page

Apple doesn't give different names to laptops, tablets, and watches that are only different in screen sizes, except to differentiate them with the screen diagonal dimension. Hopefully this year Apple will finally follow suit with the iPhone's naming, and not double-down with iPhone Plus and iPhone Pro Max, as rumored.

~

Thanks for reading.

The Intelligent-Protection Edition Saturday, September 3, 2022

Apple Wasn’t Fooling When It Said It Wanted To Make Macs More Secure, by Jonny Evans, Computerworld

What this means is that Apple is introducing a degree of on-device intelligent malware protection to Macs. This intelligent protection can easily be updated with new malware definitions. In sum, it means the company has built an even bigger wall to protect against the poisons that lurk outside its PC garden.

Apple Maps Turns 10 — And It’s Finally Worth Using, by Jay Peters, The Verge

The app had one of the roughest starts of any Apple product in recent memory, but the company has invested enough into it to make it a great mapping app and a capable competitor to Google Maps. The changes represent one of the biggest product turnarounds of the last decade.

Apple Watch Series 7 And SE Supply Dwindles In Lead Up To Apple Event, by Chance Miller, 9to5Mac

Apple’s Online Store indicates that the majority of Apple Watch Series 7 variants are unavailable for delivery ahead of next week’s event. You’ll still find some variants available for shipping, while a larger number of variants is still available for in-store pickup.

Stuff

You’re Being Tracked Through Your Email. Here’s How To Stop It., by Sara Morrison, Vox

I subscribe to a lot of newsletters. I read most of them, too. But their authors wouldn’t know it because I’ve disabled the trackers that detect and tell the senders when subscribers open their emails. It’s nothing personal; I just don’t want anyone knowing what I read, when, how many times I read it, the device I read it on, and even where I was when I read it. How about you?

The ShiftCam SnapGrip Is A MagSafe Battery Pack With A Killer Twist, by Will Sabel Courtney, Gear Patrol

Once mated to the likes of a MagSafe iPhone — a task that's as quick as connecting any other MagSafe accessory — the combo of grip-and-phone honestly feels like nothing so much as a good old-fashioned point-and-shoot. It's a sturdy enough mating that you can shoot one-handed, although I generally used a two-handed grip for security and stability — much as I generally would with a real camera.

Notes

Apple’s Car Is Beloved Before It Even Exists, by David Welch, Bloomberg

If semiconductor shortages, recession risks and the once-a-century shift in propulsion weren’t enough to keep auto executives up at night, here’s one more sleep disruptor: Consumers are keen to buy an Apple car before one even exists.

[...]

That’s serious brand power and suggests there would be significant appetite for autos alongside all those phones, computers, watches and television boxes.

Bottom of the Page

I really like macOS's ability to hide apps. Just press Command-H and, boom, the app is out of your face. Just press Cmd-Opt-H and, boom, all other apps are out of your face.

The best thing about hiding apps is that all the hidden apps are also hidden in other macOS features: Mission Control and macOS Dock will also hide all the hidden windows for you.

The only thing I don't like is that I can't hide all apps, including Finder. Once you've hidden all other apps and you are left with one single app, you can't hide this app anymore. What I would like is to hide all apps, leaving me with a clean desktop and the Dock.

~

Thanks for reading.

The Egregious-Scams Edition Friday, September 2, 2022

Apple Settles Lawsuit With Developer Over App Store Rejections And Scams, by Sarah Perez, TechCrunch

An app developer’s lawsuit over App Store rejections, scams and fraud has ended in a settlement agreement after court filings show a request to dismiss the suit earlier this summer. The plaintiff, app developer and former Pinterest engineer Kosta Eleftheriou, made a name for himself in recent months calling out some of the most egregious App Store scams. This later culminated in a lawsuit of his own against Apple, filed in California’s Superior Court in Santa Clara County in March 2021, where he alleged his own app had been unfairly rejected from the App Store and then later targeted by scammers, leading to lost revenues.

Stuff

Apple Studio Display Owners Complain Of High-Pitched Buzzing Sound Likely Caused By Electrical Interference, by Tim Hardwick, MacRumors

Some Apple Studio Display owners have taken to online forums to complain that their monitors make a high-pitched buzzing sound that appears to be emanating from the top of the screen or behind it, and may be being caused by electrical interference.

Missing Boot Camp For Running Windows On The Latest Macs? Parallels Desktop For Mac 18 To The Rescue!, by Dwight Silverman, Houston Chronicle

Both Windows 10 and 11 VMs ran smoothly on both Macs; the M1-based MacBook Pro with Windows 11 was particularly snappy. All the Windows software I use regularly ran without a hitch, including some older titles I own on the Steam game service.

Notes

The iPhone 14 Will Be Brilliantly Boring, by Jason Snell, Macworld

It took decades for the smartphone to get to this point, evolving from personal computer to laptop to its current form. No matter what the future holds, it feels like the smartphone will be with us for decades to come.

Fortunately, even if the pace of innovation has slowed, there’s still plenty of room to improve.

Another Apple Store Union Election Is Brewing, by Mitchell Clark, The Verge

Workers at the Penn Square Apple Store in Oklahoma City have filed with the National Labor Relations Board to hold a union election, becoming the third US location to have done so. According to a press release, over 70 percent of the store’s salespeople, genius admins, technicians, creatives, and operations specialists, have signed cards to say they’re interested in being represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA).

Bottom of the Page

It's the weekend before iPhone day. I wonder how many software teams over at Apple are furiously working over the weekend to get things ready for the hands-on demos, and how many software temas are furiously working over the weekend to get things ready for the new iOS later this month.

I hope that we will be surprised and delighted with new software stuff; these are not things that easily leak to the press. After all, we still haven't see the new Apple Classical app. And rumors are telling us that Apple will launch a new service this year too.

~

I am so happy with the season finale of Trying over at Apple TV+. :-)

~

Thanks for reading.

The Stop-Gap Edition Thursday, September 1, 2022

An Apple Watch For Your 5-Year-Old? More Parents Say Yes., by Kalley Huang and Brian X. Chen, New York Times

Across the United States, parents are increasingly buying Apple Watches and strapping them onto the wrists of children as young as 5. The goal: to use the devices as a stopgap cellphone for the kids. With the watch’s cellular abilities, parents can use it to reach and track their children, while the miniature screens mitigate issues like internet addiction.

Children and teenagers appear to have become a disproportionately large market for smart watches as a whole.

Source: iPhone 14 Pro Display Cutout To Show Camera + Microphone Privacy Indicators, Redesigned Camera App Also Coming, by Chance Miller, 9to5Mac

The rumor today is that the pill and hole-shaped cutouts in the iPhone 14 Pro display will be bridged by software. Apple will essentially black out the area between the two cutouts. This will give the illusion that it’s “one wide pill-shaped cutout,” according to Bloomberg.

While it initially seemed like this would essentially be dead space, that’s not actually the case. According to a source familiar with Apple’s plans, the company will use this space to make its privacy indicators for the camera and microphone more visible.

Stuff

Apple Releases iOS 12.5.6 Update For Older iPhones And iPads With Vulnerability Fixes, by Juli Clover, MacRumors

The iOS 12.5.6 update fixes a major vulnerability that was actively exploited, so it’s worth updating right away if you have an older device.

'I Know It Means A Lot To Mum' - How Famileo App Is Helping This Yorkshire Family To Keep Connected, by Laura Reid, Yorkshire Post

Younger family members can add photos and messages on the app, which are compiled into a personalised newspaper that is printed and posted to their relative – usually a grandparent.

As campaign groups in the UK warn mobile apps leave elderly people struggling and excluded, Famileo offers a solution which crosses digital divides.

Signify Announces New Bulbs And App Feature For Hue Line, by Andrew O'Hara, AppleInsider

Heading into the fall season, Philips' Hue brand is getting a swath of new updates including fresh bulbs, new fixtures, and in-app enhancements.

Eve Debuts New Thread-Enabled Light Switch, Outdoor Cam, And MotionBlinds Options, by Juli Clover, MacRumors

HomeKit accessory maker Eve Systems today added several products to its smart home lineup. The Eve Light Switch with Thread support, which debuted in Europe last April, is set to expand to North America in October.

Develop

Analysis Of Email Traffic Suggests Remote Work May Stifle Innovation, by Michaela Jarvis, MIT News

“Our research shows that co-location is a crucial factor to foster weak ties,” says Paolo Santi, researcher at MIT’s Senseable City Lab and at the Italian National Research Council. “Our data showed that weak ties evaporated at MIT starting on March 23, 2020, with a 38 percent drop,” he says. Over the next 18 months, the drop translated into an estimated cumulative loss of more than 5,100 new weak ties.

The idea that “weak ties” are conducive to innovation dates back to research published in 1973 by sociologist Mark Granovetter, who wrote that “an initially unpopular innovation spread by those with few weak ties is more likely to be confined to a few cliques. … Individuals with many weak ties are, by my arguments, best placed to diffuse such a difficult innovation.” Granovetter’s research was “just the beginning of a vast literature in sociology, which has subsequently confirmed and substantiated his ideas,” Ratti says.

Notes

Spotify, Apple And Other Streamers Set Royalty Rates With Music Publishers Through 2027, by J. Clara Chan, Hollywood Reporter

Music publishers and the top streaming services have reached an agreement on royalty rates for song owners, effectively avoiding another lengthy and messy legal battle between the parties until at least 2027.

Apple Already Decimated Meta’s Adtech Empire. Now, It’s Honing In On Facebook's Advertisers, Too., by Shoshana Wodinsky, MarketWatch

Marketwatch found two recent job postings from Apple that suggest the company is looking to build out its burgeoning adtech team with folks who specialize in working with small businesses. Specifically, the company says it’s looking for two product managers who are “inspired to make a difference in how digital advertising will work in a privacy-centric world,” who want to “design and build consumer advertising experiences.” The ideal candidate, Apple said, won’t only have savvy around advertising, mobile tech, and advertising on mobile tech, but will also have experience with “performance marketing, local ads or enabling small businesses.”

Tech Companies Slowly Shift Production Away From China, by Daisuke Wakabayashi and Tripp Mickle, New York Times

The shift is a response to growing concerns about the geopolitical tensions and pandemic-induced supply chain disruptions that have involved China in the last few years. China has long been the world’s factory floor for high-tech electronics, unrivaled in its ability to secure legions of high-skilled workers and the production capacity to handle demand for the next hot device.

But American companies are seeing more risk there — a perspective forged during the Trump-era trade war, with its tit-for-tat tariffs, and cemented by China’s saber-rattling after Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan last month. They fear that basing a supply chain largely in China may thrust them into the middle of its escalating conflict with the United States over Taiwan.

Bottom of the Page

My regular comics-reading are works like Peanuts, Foxtrot, Calvin and Hobbs, and Baby Blues. (And, if you notice that, two of them no longer have new stuff.) I am definitely not a comics-reading person.

Nevertheless, I am enjoying The Sandman quite a bit. I am only halfway through the episodes, and I do not get all the DC comics references. But I do like what I've been watching so far.

This may well be the third DC comics show that I am enjoying, after Superman (in the 70s) and Batman (in the 90s) movies.

~

Thanks for reading.