Apple

You have no idea what you are doing. This is great.

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[VIDEO] So opens Apple’s latest Behind the Mac ad, officially called “Test the Impossible” (video embedded in main Loop post).

I love great writing and, to me, this is a great open. It speaks to me. Gives me permission to fail. Addresses the same soft call to genius as Here’s to the crazy ones.

I’ve always felt Macs were different. Special.

Nice writing, Apple.

UPDATE: Turns out this is from a speech Neil Gaiman gave in 2012. Here’s a link to Neil’s tweet laying this out. Yeah, he can write. [H/T Jon Alper]

Some mesmerizing Apple Watch typing

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I’m amazed that this level of typing is even possible. Watch the video embedded in this tweet.

It’s even better on a big screen. Keep an eye out for the commas. Pretty cool.

This is a beta of the FlickType Notes app, not something Apple has shipped, but I found it fascinating.

All that said, I use dictation mode and I find it a perfect match for my ham handedness. But nice to see new interfaces unfolding.

16 indispensable gestures you’ll need to navigate iPadOS

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I really like posts like this one: Very visual, easy to make your way through, focused on a single topic.

In this case, it’s a series of GIFs showing the key gestures your want to master to get the most out of iPadOS. Worth your time, if only to make sure you are aware of all of these.

SmartGym gets even smarter

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Are you a bit of a gym rat? Perhaps a circuit all laid out with different days for, say, chest, back, and legs, with some cardio in there for good measure?

If this sounds like you, take the time to check out the newly released SmartGym 4. SmartGym 4 is a gorgeous solution to your exercise routine tracking. It’ll help guide your workouts and is closely integrated with your Apple Watch.

SmartGym 4 is free with in-app purchases and subscriptions. Here’s a link to SmartGym 4 on the App Store.

What Apple’s T2 chip does in your new MacBook Air or MacBook Pro

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William Gallagher, AppleInsider:

If you spent any time looking into which Mac desktop or notebook to buy before you paid out for a shiny new machine, you’ll have seen Apple’s website extolling the fact that many of them have T2 security chips. That’s nice. Only, it’s more than nice, it’s more than a way to invisibly secure your Mac, it is a process that has a dramatic and visible effect on just about everything you do.

And:

It sits there to ensure, first of all, that nothing can ever get loaded onto your machine without you explicitly wanting it to. The T2 chip provides a secure boot, which means that the only things that can run at start up is trusted, approved macOS software.

And:

Built into it is a dedicated Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) hardware engine. This makes sure the data on your storage drives is encrypted and because it’s done in hardware, there’s no hit to the speed of your Mac as macOS reads and writes data.

And:

There’s one more security feature the T2 chip brings that doesn’t get appreciated because it doesn’t tend to get noticed. If you have a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro with a T2 chip and you close the lid, the T2 chip switches off the microphone.

Just a few highlights. Read the whole thing. Terrific stuff.

Apple and doom

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One thing that Apple has always been good at is being doomed. They were doomed when the Macintosh was only a year old, when they didn’t sell as many Macs as the market analysts thought necessary. […]

[VIDEO] Apple documentary on the creation of the Mac, shot in 1984

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[VIDEO] Called “In Search of Excellence”, this video (embedded in the main Loop post) is chock full of old school Apple, with lots of Steve Jobs’ takes on the world at that time. It was produced as part of a profile of six up and coming companies. This is the part of the series that featured Apple.

Delicious.

New “Spotify Untold” book talks Steve Jobs and the conflict between Apple and Spotify

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First things first, the book is written in Swedish (Spotify was founded in Sweden in 2006), so most of us will have to wait for a translation to read this ourselves.

The linked Variety interview with the authors makes it clear this is an unauthorized book, built on lots of off-the-record interviews. So if you do get a copy, take all the anecdotes with a grain of salt. Still want to read it, though.

Google’s ‘field research’ offered people $5 to scan their faces for the Pixel 4

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The Verge:

As first revealed by ZDNet and Android Police, Google employees have been roving the streets of American cities, offering $5 gift certificates in exchange for a facial scan. Reached by The Verge, Google confirmed that it has been conducting what it calls “field research” to collect face-scanning data in order to improve its algorithms and thereby improve the Pixel 4’s accuracy.

Google, in an email to The Verge:

Our goal is to build the feature with robust security and performance. We’re also building it with inclusiveness in mind, so as many people as possible can benefit.

And:

Google is collecting infrared, color, and depth data from each face along with time, ambient light level, and some related “task” information like picking up the phone from the table. The company initially collected location information as well, but it tells me it doesn’t need that info, so it will cease collecting it and will delete it.

I get the goal here, to improve the accuracy of facial recognition, help tune out any bias. But can’t help but feel we are helping build the master facial recognition database of the future.

That line between being getting better at recognizing faces and offering public facial scanning and recognition is privacy. Two opposing forces, one wanting to pick you out of a crowd for use in security and advertising, and one wanting to preserve true anonymity.

Google just raised the bar for Apple’s Face ID

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Google blog:

Pixel 4 will be the first device with Soli, powering our new Motion Sense features to allow you to skip songs, snooze alarms, and silence phone calls, just by waving your hand. These capabilities are just the start, and just as Pixels get better over time, Motion Sense will evolve as well. Motion Sense will be available in select Pixel countries.

And:

Unlocking your phone should be easy, fast, and secure. Your device should be able to recognize you—and only you—without any fuss. Face unlock may be a familiar feature for smartphones, but we’re engineering it differently.

Differently? How?

Other phones require you to lift the device all the way up, pose in a certain way, wait for it to unlock, and then swipe to get to the homescreen. Pixel 4 does all of that in a much more streamlined way. As you reach for Pixel 4, Soli proactively turns on the face unlock sensors, recognizing that you may want to unlock your phone.

If the face unlock sensors and algorithms recognize you, the phone will open as you pick it up, all in one motion. Better yet, face unlock works in almost any orientation—even if you’re holding it upside down—and you can use it for secure payments and app authentication too.

Assuming this tech works as advertised, Google just raised the bar for Face ID. As is, I often have to shift my iPhone, tweaking the angle to my face, in order to get Face ID to kick in. This is no big deal, but it does throw a delay in there. I almost never have to enter my passcode, but I often have to play a bit for Face ID to kick in.

And though I can get Face ID to kick in with my iPhone a bit off to the side, it never works when sitting flat on my desk or when upside down.

The advantage to Google’s announced approach is that it supports wider angles and orientations, and also starts the recognition process when you reach for your phone, not waiting for a tap on the screen. A subtle point, but a natural next evolution.

Is Apple working on this? I suspect they already have such experiments in the lab, but only release what works really well on all Face ID phones, including the iPhone X. Being able to detect gestures, such as a hand reaching for your phone, no doubt requires some specialized software and powerful machine learning processors. Seems like this should be doable for Apple, given the power of the onboard machine learning hardware already in your iPhone and iPad.

Read the linked Google blog. Interesting stuff.

Hong Kong protestors and the iPhone’s “cop mode”

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New York Times:

The police officers wrestled with Colin Cheung in an unmarked car. They needed his face.

They grabbed his jaw to force his head in front of his iPhone. They slapped his face. They shouted, “Wake up!” They pried open his eyes. It all failed: Mr. Cheung had disabled his phone’s facial-recognition login with a quick button mash as soon as they grabbed him.

The iPhone’s so-called “cop mode”, introduced with iOS 11, kicks in when you press and hold either volume button and the side button simultaneously for 2 seconds. It brings up the SOS screen, but also requires you to enter your passcode to unlock your phone, disabling Face/Touch ID.

The authorities are tracking protest leaders online and seeking their phones. Many protesters now cover their faces, and they fear that the police are using cameras and possibly other tools to single out targets for arrest.

Facial recognition on one side, cop mode on the other. This is the road we are on.

Apple reveals ‘Lisa’: Its $50 million gamble

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Newsweek, in an article from 1983:

Like a magician readying his best trick, Steve Jobs waited for the houselights to dim and the crowd to quiet down. A spotlight focused on a table where a bulky shape lay hidden beneath a buff-colored cloth. “The personal computer was created by a hardware revolution of the 1970s,” Jobs, the 27-year-old multimillionaire chairman and cofounder of Apple Computer, told 1,200 Apple stockholders gathered last week in Cupertino, Calif. “The next dramatic change will come from a software revolution . . . which Apple is introducing here today.” On cue, the cloth was lifted — revealing Lisa, a new $10,000 computer and a $50 million gamble for Apple.

Great read. Another inflection point for Apple, on the road to Macintosh.

Great example of Apple Maps and iOS working together

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First, read the linked Reddit post (it’s very short). The user sees this behavior as shady black magic, something you’d expect from Facebook, perhaps.

But read the comments to learn what’s really happening, a clue to some of the behind-the-scenes on all the disparate Apple software elements working together on your behalf.

Have an old iPad or iPhone? There’s a special iOS update coming

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Apple:

Starting November 3, 2019, some iPhone and iPad models introduced in 2012 and earlier will require an iOS update to maintain accurate GPS location and keep the correct date and time. This is due to the GPS time rollover issue that began affecting GPS-enabled products from other manufacturers on April 6, 2019. Affected Apple devices are not impacted until November 3, 2019.

By my math, that’d be iPhone 5 or earlier, iPad (4th gen), iPad mini or earlier.

7-Eleven one day AirPods giveaway

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To promote their new home delivery service, 7-Eleven is giving away AirPods. The one thing that struck me was this line:

Deal lasts while supplies last.

Caveat emptor.

Apple Card rewards comparison chart

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Reddit user Cannono:

Whatever your interest, there’s of course the question of if it’s worth adding to your credit history.

I looked up some credit cards to compare Apple Card to since it launches any day now. I didn’t include cards that required some other type of banking or financial account to apply like local credit unions that have some crazy good cards, and I limited the annual fee to ~$100 in my search.

This credit card comparison chart seems pretty useful. For a free credit card, seems like Apple Card is a no-brainer, and especially useful if you need help controlling your expenses.

Old school music video with the Mac as the star

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[VIDEO] This popped up on Reddit this morning. It’s a music video from 2013, a fun tune with the Mac interface front and center. The video is embedded in the main Loop post.

This reminds me of the Emmy winning “Connection Lost” episode of Modern Family, where the entire episode is shown through the lens of a Mac screen via FaceTime, Messages, etc.

18-karat gold Apple Watch Edition: Short lived, but a hundred million dollars

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Nick Heer, commenting on the Bloomberg Jeff Williams article and reports that the 18-karat Apple Watch Edition sold only low 10,000s:

Even with the lowest possible numbers within this framing — 10,000 units sold of a minimum $10,000 product — that still means Apple made a hundred million dollars on the first-generation Edition.

For a swing and a miss, still a helluva home run.

Justice Department to open big tech antitrust review, puts out a press release

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From the Wall Street Journal:

The Justice Department is opening a broad antitrust review into whether dominant technology firms are unlawfully stifling competition, adding a new Washington threat for companies such as Facebook Inc., Google, Amazon.com Inc. and Apple Inc.

The review is geared toward examining the practices of online platforms that dominate internet search, social media and retail services, the department said, confirming the review shortly after The Wall Street Journal reported it.

Not seeing anything specific to Apple here, though they did just testify to Congress last week as part of the big tech gang of 4 (Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Apple).

Interestingly, the Department of Justice Antitrust Division did put out a press release announcing the review:

The Department of Justice announced today that the Department’s Antitrust Division is reviewing whether and how market-leading online platforms have achieved market power and are engaging in practices that have reduced competition, stifled innovation, or otherwise harmed consumers.

Read the rest of the release here.

Apple’s heir apparent is much more like Tim Cook than Steve Jobs

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Mark Gurman, Bloomberg:

When Apple announced the pending departure of Chief Design Officer Jony Ive last month, it threw the spotlight on an executive few outsiders know: Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams, who has now also taken over the company’s legendary design studio. This added fiefdom makes Williams unambiguously the second-most important person at Apple and Tim Cook’s heir apparent as CEO. And he’s very much in the mold of the current chief executive: a paragon of operational efficiency and even temper not prone to quite the same highs and lows of Cook’s more visionary predecessor, Steve Jobs.

This is a thoughtful read. Two points that spring to mind for me. First, Apple investors should take heart in the fact that Jeff Williams is there, in place and very involved in the day-to-day product path and operations, well versed in the mechanics that make the Apple machine run, ready to step in if needed.

Second, there’s this:

Williams took over leadership of the Apple Watch development team in 2013 after pitching the smartwatch’s use as a health tool, and spoke for the first time at a product launch in 2015, announcing the company’s health research efforts.

The marriage of Apple Watch and health is a huge win for Apple, a visionary move, not a bean-counter move. Put that one in Jeff Williams’ column.

Apple said to be in talks to buy Intel’s modem chip biz

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Wall Street Journal:

A deal, covering a portfolio of patents and staff valued at $1 billion or more, could be reached in the next week, the people said—assuming the talks don’t fall apart.

And:

It would give Apple access to engineering work and talent behind Intel’s yearslong push to develop modem chips for the crucial next generation of wireless technology known as 5G, potentially saving years of development work.

There’s long been talk that Qualcomm modems are better performing, especially in poor signal areas, than Intel’s modems. To get a sense of the more recent state of affairs, take a look at the charts in this PCMag article.

Not all roses, but you can see that Intel’s modems have definitely made great strides since the days of the iPhone X.

While 5G modems will certainly be the new hotness, LTE performance will still matter much more in the real world, especially when you are on the road, away from any 5G sweet spots that emerge.

iOS 12.4 adds ability to setup new iPhone using direct data transfer instead of iCloud

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Benjamin Mayo, 9to5Mac:

As part of Quick Start, you can now Transfer Your Data directly, without requiring to use iCloud or an iTunes backup. The iPhone defaults to using local WiFi, but you can transfer wired using the USB3 Camera Adapter and a Lightning cable.

Even though you don’t need it if you’re going direct from device to device, I say make a backup before you do the transfer anyway. It’s just a smart habit.

Apple Watch Walkie-Talkie app is back

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If you didn’t even realize the Apple Watch Walkie-Talkie app was gone, this post is not for you.

If you missed the functionality, you’ll need to update your iPhone to the 12.4 update and your Apple Watch to the watchOS update, both of which dropped this morning.