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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?

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