[VIDEO] Apple:
See how iPhone 11 Pro captured the otherworldly 4K video using the Ultra Wide camera in this deep dive into the Valley of Fire.
Truly beautiful footage (embedded in main Loop post), showing off the iPhone 11 Pro’s Ultra Wide camera. But because of licensing issues, you won’t see this footage in 4K in macOS Safari. For that, you’ll need to fire up Google Chrome.
This is not new. But it is strange, having to turn to Google to show off an Apple feature.
Tim Hardwick, MacRumors:
In a bid to harmonize standards, the EC negotiated a 2009 Memorandum of Understanding that was signed by 14 tech companies including Apple, Samsung, Nokia, and other prominent smartphone manufacturers.
And:
However, the wording of the MoU offered Apple a loophole: For those phones that did not have a USB micro-B interface, an adapter was allowed under the agreed terms. And that’s exactly what Apple did. In 2012, Apple introduced the iPhone 5 with a new Lightning proprietary connector to replace its 30-pin connector, and additionally offered a separate Lightning to micro USB adapter to comply with the 2009 EU agreement.
And:
By 2016, the Commission acknowledged that micro-USB had become dated and that USB-C had become the de facto standard across most devices. The Commission was advised by MoU facilitators that all manufacturers were ready to sign a new agreement in line with different approaches but keeping the solution of using solely USB-C connectors – except Apple.
At least part of Apple’s argument against an on-device USB-C port is that adding USB-C would make the phone thicker. They also argue that a dictated standard would hurt innovation.
Personally, the variety of ports out there, and the differing cables and dongles I’ve got to keep around, especially when I travel, is painful. I just came back from a trip where I rented a car equipped with a USB-A port. I realized that all the bricks I’d brought with me were USB-C bricks, leaving me with only Lightning to USB-C cables. Annoying.
The linked article is a well-written take on the current situation with the EU and Apple’s position in opposition.
The title of the linked Cult of Mac post is (as of this writing), “Tim Cook’s alleged stalker tried to give Apple CEO flowers, champagne”.
But check this tweet, which appears to be from a police report, and contains a quote from the alleged stalker, “I don’t use ammunition, but I know people who do.”
That’s a pretty stark contrast from champagne and flowers. Stay safe, Tim.
Ben Lovejoy, 9to5Mac:
The Streisand Effect has predictably kicked in after Apple attempted to prevent the distribution of a new Apple book written by former German App Store manager Tom Sadowski. App Store Confidential is now number two on Amazon’s bestseller list in Germany, and the book is into its second print run.
You can read a summary of some of the book’s main points in this blog post. From what I’ve seen, nothing alarming, nothing that leaps out as exposing real secrets.
As Ben Lovejoy points out above, Apple’s ban has likely given the book a real shot up the bestseller list. Question is, will legal costs make that success more costly than the success was worth.
Mark Gurman, Bloomberg:
Apple Inc. is considering giving rival apps more prominence on iPhones and iPads and opening its HomePod speaker to third-party music services after criticism the company provides an unfair advantage to its in-house products.
The technology giant is discussing whether to let users choose third-party web browser and mail applications as their default options on Apple’s mobile devices, replacing the company’s Safari browser and Mail app, according to people familiar with the matter.
And:
Last year, Stockholm-based Spotify submitted an antitrust complaint to the European Union, saying Apple squeezes rival services by imposing a 30% cut for subscriptions made via the App Store. Apple responded that Spotify wants the benefits of the App Store without paying for them. As part of its complaint, Spotify singled out the inability to run on the HomePod and become the default music player in Siri, Apple’s voice-activated digital assistant.
How about reminder, calendar, and shopping list replacements? This part of the thinking?
Wesley Hilliard, AppleInsider:
Apple Maps and Google Maps have both recently undergone major updates. AppleInsider takes a look at both, and examines which changes might shift which platform you want to use.
Terrific side-by-side comparison. The one thing that keeps me using Google Maps is its crowd-sourced reviews, vs Apple Maps’ Yelp tie-in. Other than that, Apple Maps is my go to, at least in the US.
MacRumors:
As discovered in the first beta of iOS 13.4, Apple is working on a new “CarKey” feature that will allow an iPhone or an Apple Watch to unlock, lock, and start NFC-compatible vehicles.
Very excited about this feature. Use my AppleWatch to unlock and start my car? Sold. But there’s more.
CarKey “keys” live in the Wallet app and as we found in the first beta, can be shared with other people so you can allow others temporary access to your car. In the second beta of iOS 13.4, there’s updated wording concerning sharing, which makes it clear that digital car keys will be able to be sent to people using the Messages app.
So I can Message my key to someone granting them temporary access to my car (think a valet or loaning the car to a friend without having to hand them my physical keys).
Not clear if and when this will roll out in a public release, but I do like the concept.
Microsoft:
A few months ago, we introduced a new mobile app called Office—a whole new experience designed to be your go-to app for getting work done on a mobile device. It combines Word, Excel, and PowerPoint into a single app and introduces new capabilities that enable you to create content and accomplish tasks in uniquely mobile ways to help you achieve more. Today, we’re proud to announce the Office app is out of public preview and now generally available worldwide for anyone on Android and iOS phones.
If you use Office, follow the headline link for the details on what’s new.
Interesting to see how the market has shifted. It used to be all about the Mac versus Windows, with Mac Office lagging behind new Office releases. But with iOS gaining such prominence, the new release story is much more about iOS and Android, with both getting simultaneous releases.
UPDATE: According to a few folks weighing on in Twitter, and verified here, there’s no native iPad support for the new Office app. Rather, the optimized for iPad experience is more a zoomed in iPhone app. Not the same thing.
Malcolm Owen, AppleInsider:
Apple is taking legal action against former german App Store manager Tom Sadowski and publisher Murmann Verlag to stop circulation of a book about his work, under allegations it reveals confidential “business secrets” that the author wasn’t allowed to disclose.
And:
Released on Tuesday in Germany, the book “App Store Confidential” by Sadowski is said to be a behind-the-scenes view of how the App Store works from the former manager’s viewpoint. The book details Sadowski’s journey into Apple, his personal experiences in working inside the App Store, and his meetings with Apple CEO Tim Cook.
Is it possible the author did their work for Apple without signing an NDA? If there was an NDA, was the publisher aware of it? Can’t speak to German publishing contracts but, in the US, every publishing agreement I’ve ever signed included a clause that made me responsible for ensuring that I had the right to publicize the contents of the published work.
I’ve got a feeling this is not going to end well for the author or the publisher.
But the book has shipped, the toothpaste is out of the tube, no putting it back. Best Apple can do is limit the spread.
Can’t speak to the correctness of this data, but the site is definitely a fascinating rabbit hole.
Follow the headline link, which should center you at Apple Park (if not, you can easily pinch in, slide over, or just reload the page).
Make your way around the world (pinch in and out, slide around) and you’ll see a bunch of locations marked on the map. Tap/click on a location, you’ll see a location number. Tap the number, you’ll go to a page for that location, which gives you a name and company details.
Not saying this is useful. Just interesting, at least to me.
Ryan Christoffel, MacStories:
Apple Music has debuted a small, but valuable new feature that makes it easier to find the exact album version you’re looking for. As discovered by our Federico Viticci, when alternate album versions are available, they’re now listed in a dedicated Other Versions section underneath an album’s track list.
Follow the headline link for the details. Nice add, Apple Music.
Keoni Everington, Taiwan News:
Apple has begun to move the production of a number of its top gadgets set to launch in the first half of 2020, according to a report by am730, which cited DigiTimes. The products listed in the report to be shifted to Taiwan include AirPods Pro Lite, iPads, and Apple Watches.
Taking this with a grain of salt. First, the Taiwan News headline did not have the word “some”. Subtle point but, to me, that original implied that all production was moving.
Add to that that the source of this is several sites removed, not direct reporting. Did a little digging, found this article on DigiTimes from a week ago, with this quote:
Apple is mulling shifting more assembly orders for its new models slated for launch in the first half of 2020 to factories in Taiwan mainly to diversify production risks associated with the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, according to industry sources.
Not clear if there’s a newer article (please ping me if you know of a newer, more definitive article). The DigiTimes article uses the word “reportedly”.
Interesting that the list specifically includes the unannounced “Airpods Pro Lite”.
[VIDEO] Steven Spielberg is a great storyteller. Think of all the iconic stories he’s laid at our feet, from the varied adventures of Indiana Jones, to ET, from Back to the Future to Saving Private Ryan and Schindler’s List. There are some clunkers, for sure, but Spielberg is a master of visually laying out a ripping yarn.
Set your reminder for March 6th, when the first episode of Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories reboot drops. The Amazing Stories trailer is embedded in the main Loop post.
Slowly but surely, Apple’s catalog is growing. I am bullish on Apple TV+. All Apple needs here is time.
This reminds me of the rollout of Samsung’s Galaxy Fold.
Early days still, but I’ll go out on a limb and say Samsung has learned some hard lessons from that release and, I suspect, the Galaxy Z Flip will fare better than the Fold. Making a foldable phone is no easy thing, and Samsung is mastering (presumably) a technology that will give them an edge on newcomers to the market.
Two things:
If the answer to the first question is yes, then I’d wager that Apple knows this and is quietly developing foldable expertise in a lab somewhere, choosing not to reveal their mistakes and strategy in public.
Steve Streza:
Over the years, Apple has built up a portfolio of services and add-ons that you pay for. Starting with AppleCare extended warranties and iCloud data subscriptions, they expanded to Apple Music a few years ago, only to dramatically ramp up their offerings last year with TV+, News+, Arcade, and Card. Their services business, taken as a whole, is quickly becoming massive; Apple reported $12.7 billion in Q1 2020 alone, nearly a sixth of its already gigantic quarterly revenue.
All that money comes from the wallets of 480 million subscribers, and their goal is to grow that number to 600 million this year. But to do that, Apple has resorted to insidious tactics to get those people: ads. Lots and lots of ads, on devices that you pay for.
We’ve all seen the wave of ads, seemingly everywhere you turn. Especially if you have not subscribed to a particular service.
Follow the headline link to Steve’s post, scan through the images. You’ve no doubt encountered ads like these, especially if you’re using social media.
I get it. Apple’s market is maturing, and shareholders demand growth. Apple has turned to services for that growth and these ads are a necessary evil. To me, the fault lies in the mechanisms of capitalism, in the self-defeating motivations placed on any publicly traded company.
Bradley Chambers, 9to5Mac:
Over the years, I’ve dabbled with using Spotify instead of Apple Music. Both platforms offer users access to millions of songs and offer a wealth of personalization options. The one thing that has always kept me coming back and sticking with Apple Music is iCloud Music Library. iCloud Music Library is a feature that allows you to upload your own music and have it live right alongside your Apple Music content. It’s a feature that I use frequently, and it’s something Spotify can’t match.
And:
A perfect example of the usefulness of iCloud Music Library is when artists hold new albums off streaming platforms for a few weeks/months after the release. Recent examples were Taylor Swift’s Reputation album and Adele’s 25 album. Both of these albums were massively popular, but neither were available on Spotify or Apple Music for months. Apple Music users could buy it from iTunes or Amazon MP3, add it to iCloud Music Library, and it would appear with their existing albums. Spotify users were out of luck getting it imported into their Spotify library on mobile.
With so much music available on both sides, features are what distinguish one service from the other. This one is a clear win for Apple Music.
Now if only I could get Apple to stop replacing the version of a song I added to my library with a version they have in theirs.
Ron McElfresh, Mac360 founder:
A few years ago I came down with an odd neuromuscular disorder that has slowly become debilitating. After 18 months of tests with a dozen different doctors I was referred to Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. More doctors and extensive tests confirmed a preliminary diagnosis of ALS. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Think of it as a slow-motion death sentence where muscles begin to waste away and tasks as simple as tying shoelaces or buttoning a shirt or standing become major accomplishments.
And:
My spirits are high (most of the time). I’ve led a good life, worked hard, and appreciate the loving support from family and friends, but I know– and feel– the end is near.
That means I can no longer continue to run Mac360 and the Apple Villagers websites as they are today.
Damn.
Here’s a link to a GoFundMe to help defray Ron’s medical expenses.
[VIDEO] Many reasons to watch this (video embedded in main Loop post). First, check out how much work goes into editing a podcast. I’d wager few podcasts get this much attention, this much love. This is amazing work.
Next, check out the design of Ferrite Recording Studio. The details are wonderful. And watching Jason work with Ferrite is like watching a master craft with beautifully well-designed tools.
To me, this is an app that raises the value of iPad, just as page-layout tools and LaserWriter raised the value of Mac, back in the day.
At first blush, I liked this purely for the chance to see all the artwork in one place.
But then I started thinking about the questions Stephen Hackett posed in the text. Pretty, pretty good.
If the Hunting workout icon is standing in a cloud, who are they shooting at?
Sarah Perez, TechCrunch:
With the added Siri integration, you’ll be able to ask the assistant both informational queries, plus those requiring real-time information.
For example, you may ask Siri something like “When are the California primaries?,” which is a more straightforward question, or “Who’s winning the New Hampshire primaries?,” which requires updated information.
On my iPhone, most everything worked as advertised. On HomePod, some questions got the, “I can’t get the answer to that on HomePod” response.
Try it yourself:
What were the results of the Democratic Iowa Caucus?
This comes up when the information has not been pre-parsed for HomePod Siri and requires a web lookup.
First things first, this from Geoffrey Fowler, writing for The Washington Post, commenting on Samsung’s new phones, announced yesterday:
With prices ranging from $1,000 to $1,400, either one is hard to justify as much more than a luxury.
Gruber:
There are way more people on the planet who’d rather have a $1,400 phone and a $400 laptop than the other way around. But you’ll never see a tech reviewer claim that $1,000-1,400 is “hard to justify” for a laptop.
Read Gruber’s piece, headline-linked.
Obviously, current, state-of-the-art smartphones have indeed become much more expensive, beyond the budgets of many. But Gruber’s point is spot on. Smartphones have become the new laptops, the main computer for many people.
Adi Robertson, The Verge:
Apple has restored the email app BlueMail to the Mac App Store after its developer began a campaign to rally small developers. Blix, founded by brothers Dan and Ben Volach, has been locked in conflict with Apple for several months. It alleges Apple stole its anonymous sign-in feature for “Sign in with Apple,” then kicked it out of the App Store on flimsy pretenses to suppress competition. Apple, conversely, has said it removed the macOS app for security reasons.
From Apple’s point of view:
Apple has denied that its standards were inconsistent. “The App Store has a uniform set of guidelines, equally applicable to all developers, that are meant to protect users,” said the company in a statement. “Blix is proposing to override basic data security protections which can expose users’ computers to malware that can harm their Macs and threaten their privacy.” A spokesperson says that last week, Blix submitted a new version of its app that respected Apple’s Gatekeeper security software and resolved technical problems, including an issue that produced privacy and security warnings for users at launch.
Apple does take Gatekeeper seriously. In addition to Gatekeeper adherence, a new policy requires apps to go through a notarization process, where the developer uploads their app and it is scanned for malware. Hard to know if this is a developer not following protocol, or something deeper, perhaps connected to Blix suing Apple.
Blix fought their battle with Apple in public. You can read their side of this on the Bluemail web site.
Apple Pay, failure.
Apple, doomed.
Ever wanted to learn how to program? If you’ve got an iPad, Swift Playgrounds has been your solution for years. But thanks to Catalyst, Swift Playgrounds is now available on the Mac.
I like Swift Playgrounds because there’s zero programming experience required. I like Swift Playgrounds on the Mac because it is one step closer to Xcode.
[VIDEO] This video (embedded in the main Loop post), from a few years ago, was near the top of Hacker News this morning. Pretty cool.
It shows an Apple II, connected to an acoustic coupler, connecting to the net via a rotary telephone. That’s about as old school a net connection as you can get. RS-232, anyone?
Counterpoint Research:
Apple expected to lead the true wireless hearables market, selling more than 100m units in 2020. Competition for second place will remain fierce, especially in the premium market.
From the hearables Wikipedia page:
The neologism “hearable” is a hybrid of the terms wearable and headphone, as hearables combine major assets of wearable technology with the basic principle of audio-based information services, conventional rendition of music and wireless telecommunication. The term was introduced in April 2014 simultaneously by Apple in the context of the company’s acquisition of Beats Electronics and product designer and wireless application specialist Nick Hunn in a blogpost for a wearable technologies internet platform.
I read “hearables”, I think AirPods. Apple so dominates this market. If you’re interested in the history of the term and the market, the Wikipedia page is a fascinating read.
Yesterday, Shawn posted a link to FastCompany’s Mythic Quest review. They appreciate it technically, but did not get the funny. Fair enough.
One particular line paints the picture for me:
I am not a gamer, so I can’t speak to the precision and accuracy of every detail.
And there’s the rub. You don’t have to be a gamer to get the humor, but it does help. There’s a lot of context in many of the jokes.
Personally, I absolutely love the show. I found it funny, insightful, irreverent, and clever. It worked for me and for my wife, a rare comedy in that regard.
No complaints about the FastCompany review. It was, overall, very positive. The reviewer just didn’t find it funny. I’ve read a number of reviews that shared my love for the series. So do give it a chance. It’s on my short list of the best shows on any streaming platform, period.
[VIDEO] Samsung hasn’t officially posted the ad on YouTube yet, but that hasn’t stopped any number of people from capturing and reposting the ad themselves. One such capture is embedded in the main Loop post.
A pretty good ad, though two things stick out in the fine (tiny and blurry) print, there at the bottom of the screen:
And:
The ad ends with, “Unpacked 02.11.20”. That’s tomorrow.
Makes me wonder if Apple will release a foldable that requires a public caveat about a crease in the screen.
Backstage at last night’s Oscars, writer/director (and winner of Best Adapted Screenplay for Jojo Rabbit) Taika Waititi was asked what writers should be asking for in the next round of talks with producers. His response was all about the Mac keyboard.
Watch for yourself. I’m guessing a number of you will be nodding your head in agreement.
https://twitter.com/IndieWire/status/1226704317136220160
Ryan Christoffel, MacStories, lays out his fix for iPad multitasking. This is some thoughtful, detailed feedback for Apple, a proposal to fix a system that is certainly problematic.
Personally, I find iPad multitasking to be confusing at best. So much so, I’ve just avoided it. There have been times when I’ve gone to swipe a second app off the screen, only to have the swipe get processed by the app and, on more than one occasion, swipe-deleted something from an app accidentally.
That said, I see the massive potential in iPad multitasking. It’s not an easy system to design, and I hope the team at Apple takes Ryan’s thoughts to heart, is willing to take a step back and consider some design changes to address user confusion.