The Wall Street Journal’s Joanna Stern is really on a roll. If you haven’t seen it, take a look at this video, where Joanna presents Tim Cook and Mark Zuckerberg as rock ’em sock ’em robots.
Now she’s got 15 minutes (edited down to 8 or so) with Craig Federighi to talk iOS 14.5 and privacy. Great to see Craig, and a terrific tracking explainer.
This is a brilliant ad, with just the right tone of scolding disappointment at those who would use our personal information for tracking badness.
Watch the ad, then head over to:
Settings > Privacy
And make sure “Allow Apps to Request to Track” is set the way you want it. If you turn it off (as shown here), you’re issuing a blanket “No thanks” to apps that want to ask you for permission to track you.
One of the most notable features of Apple’s newly release iOS 14.5 is the ability to unlock your iPhone with your Apple Watch while wearing a mask. No more constantly typing in your passcode while, say, masked up cruising the aisles of your grocery store.
Apple Support released this video showing you how to turn this feature on.
Apple TV+ released this general ad for Apple Original Films.
Came across this over the weekend. Apparently, back when he was first making the very excellent and worth watching “School of Rock”, Jack Black got it in his head that he wanted to include Led Zeppelin’s classic “Immigrant Song” in the movie. But he couldn’t get the rights.
So he made this video. And it worked.
The official full list of nominees in each category, with the winner marked.
I actually enjoyed the show last night, think I actually preferred this more intimate version, thought it was less hokey, felt more inclusive than in past years.
And they definitely shook things up with Glenn Close showing off some moves, switching the big three order around with Best Picture before Best Actors.
This is a fascinating bit from Steve’s WWDC 2005 keynote. At its core, about 2:43 in, is Steve talking about power consumption and Performance per Watt.
This whole talk makes the Mac’s transition to the M1 seem inevitable. Feels, to me at least, like the Mac move to M1 would have been Steve’s end game.
This is the best kind of unboxing video. Very little wasted time, focusing on all the important parts of the unpacking (that peel of plastic and the tug at the end that completed the battery circuit, generated a sound to let you know AirTag is live) and setup (place the AirTag next to your power button for optimal results).
Worth your time, great job MKBHD.
Disney:
The Walt Disney Company (DIS) and Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) today announced a multi-year content licensing agreement for U.S. streaming and TV rights to Sony Pictures’ new theatrical releases across Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution’s vast portfolio of platforms including its streaming services Disney+ and Hulu, as well as linear entertainment networks including ABC, Disney Channels, Freeform, FX and National Geographic.
And:
The deal also grants rights to a significant number of SPE’s iconic library titles, ranging from the “Jumanji” and “Hotel Transylvania” franchises to Sony Pictures’ Universe of Marvel Characters films, including Spider-Man.
We should see Spider-Man arriving on Disney+ starting in June. Right now, a search for Spider-Man on Disney+ yields a raft of animated titles, not including Into the Spider-Verse.
Makes me wonder about Apple TV+ and the lack of a superhero franchise. Will this sort of programming make its way to Apple TV+? Will they license this sort of content from elsewhere? Expensive to make, hard to make well. But tentpole product if they can pull it off.
Finneas O’Connell is Billie Eilish’s brother and musical partner. He uses a Mac for much of his work. The video embedded below is a great take on his experience learning to play piano, then guitar, reading music, then having his world expand exponentially when he was introduced to the Mac.
In no particular order, here are the videos from yesterday’s Apple event. And if you haven’t had the chance to watch the event, here’s a link. Enjoy…
Apple:
Apple today unveiled the premiere date and teaser trailer for the highly anticipated second season of comedy sensation “Ted Lasso,” which will make its global debut on Friday, July 23, 2021 on Apple TV+.
Have to backdate from July 23 so I can rewatch season 1 just in time for the premiere of season 2.
As to the trailer, here ya go…
I’ve watched this video like 20 times. My heart races every single time. The way I get it, the mom was blind, her child strays off the platform, a train is coming, the kid is stuck. Terrifying danger. Unbelievable.
More gorgeous work, this time by Stephen Hackett, sharing the various tones made by old school Macs when they were unable to boot. Don’t miss the Power Mac 6100 car crash.
The show is Tiny World, definitely worth checking out. It’s a hidden gem on Apple TV+. The video embedded below is a “making of”, and fascinating in its own right.
If nothing else, check out the discussion of closed circuit rebreathers (about 25 seconds in), which allow camera folks to film under water without releasing bubbles, which would disturb the critters they are trying to film. Amazing.
I love this iOS 14.5 privacy walkthrough from Joanna Stern, all the way through. Be sure to jump to about 1:11 in and check out Terrifying Tim Cook. A solid nuts and bolts explainer.
Apple:
“Blush” follows the journey of a stranded horticulturist-astronaut’s chances for survival after he crash lands on a desolate dwarf planet. When an ethereal visitor arrives, the once-lone traveler discovers the joy in building a new life and realizes the universe has delivered astonishing salvation.
And:
The inaugural Apple/Skydance short film is written and directed by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Joe Mateo (“Prep & Landing,” “Big Hero 6”), and shares the storyteller’s deeply personal journey of healing, hope and the undeniably human moments of being rescued by love. Mateo developed “Blush” alongside the Skydance Animation team and the film is produced by Heather Schmidt Feng Yanu (“Toy Story,” the “Cars” trilogy) and executive produced by Oscar® winner John Lasseter (“Toy Story,” “Monsters, Inc.,” “Cars”). “Blush” joins highly anticipated Apple/Skydance features “Luck” and “Spellbound,” and the animated series “The Search for WondLa,” with several more feature films and television series to be announced over the term of the pact.
That is some heavy hitting behind the scenes. Marked as “coming soon”, as of this writing, there was no landing page for Blush in the Apple TV+ search results.
I love the quality of the Pixar shorts that show before every theater showing of a Pixar film (my absolute favorite is here). Hoping Apple TV+ delivers that level of joy in the fruits of this partnership.
If you don’t know the song “Bridge Over Troubled Water”, give it a listen.
It’s one of my favorite songs, one I’m learning to play on the piano. An amazing composition.
The video below shows a young Paul Simon, in an interview with Dick Cavett, being asked about writing the song. Watch him deconstruct the music, pulling out a guitar and effortlessly walk through the genres that all came together to make this work.
“Pack one bag. Be ready in 10 minutes.”
That line just sticks with me. This could be a great series.
Exec produced by the author, stars his nephew. As far as I can tell, first two episodes will drop April 30th (three weeks from this Friday). Looks excellent.
This is a fascinating video, with Rene Ritchie walking through and deconstructing Steve Jobs’ original iPad rollout keynote. Some wonderful anecdotes and insights. Delicious look back.
Side note: Rene pronounces his name as in renegade. Like REH-nay. I asked.
The specifics of the video embedded below aren’t important. It’s the magic, that wow factor that comes with the reveal of something both delightful and unexpected, done by a master of reveal.
Back then, leaks of important features were uncommon, if not totally unheard of. Now, such secrecy is incredibly difficult to maintain, due both to Apple’s rise in newsworthiness, and in the complexity of the chain of parts that bring those features to life.
This video is just a taste of that old school magic.
This is a sobering insight into the daily life of folks who make iPhones.
I’ve not seen this interview before. Lots of interesting discussion, with Steve mid-NeXT. Note the use of “they” to refer to Apple. Glad he got to do something about that.
I laughed at this ad. Mostly cause I’ve done that dance so many times.
Relax. It’s iPhone.
iFixit:
Like most AirPod owners, Emily Alpert found that, after 18 months, her wireless buds didn’t last, not even for one full run. Unlike most AirPod owners, Alpert, along with her best friend, got a robot to fix her problem.
That’s what started Podswap, a startup that replaces your AirPods, first or second-generation, for $60. First you get a thoroughly cleaned and refurbished pair sent to you, then you mail Podswap your dead pods. It’s like a SodaStream canister exchange, but for headphones that might otherwise be headed to a landfill.
Definitely going to give this a try. Love the concept.
Watch the video below to get a sense of the battery replacement process. Very interesting. And though the audio might be a bit annoying, I find it amazing how good artificial audio actually sounds.
[H/T, Ben LaGuire]
Intel brought Justin “I’m a Mac” Long on board to betray his long-time, adoring Mac fans and pick up a paycheck.
Five ads, all embedded below. Honestly, hard to fault Justin for cashing in here, but the ads themselves remind me of the varied Samsung ads over the years. Attacking Apple by painting a very jaundiced picture of Apple gear and an overly rosy picture of Intel gear.
I especially object to that last spot, based completely on the premise that you can only plug one display into your Mac. That one has got to come with a gigantic asterisk. Here’s Apple’s tech note on achieving more than one display. Depends on the Mac. But certainly not fair to say you can’t do it.
Side note: To borrow a phrase from my brother, there’s gotta be pictures in the attic of both Justin Long and Paul Rudd that are starting to grow crows feet.
This is a pretty solid tour of the place. Definitely on my bucket list.
Very interesting to see the use of VR headsets (about 3 minutes in). And the park is using bands, similar to Disney’s MagicBand, for entrance to the park and purchases. With Disney pivoting from MagicBand to Apple Watch, wonder if Nintendo will do the same.
This is such a magical video. It’s like having a VIP ticket to wander among the Apple glitterati. See who you can spot. Obviously, there’s Steve. But wait, there’s Tim. And Jony. Spot anyone else?
This is a beautiful ad. Lots of great moments. Like that bit about :48 in when the neon sign and barber pole are stripped to make jump ropes. Beautifully done.
And about 1:15 in, that wonderful shift to animation.
Or that moment at 1:32 when our hero clicks to transparent mode to let the background audio in, then clicks back to noise cancelation.
Really great ad. With some excellent music.
Apple:
iPhone 12. More spill and splash resistant than ever. Ceramic Shield, tougher than any smartphone glass. Relax, it’s iPhone.
“Relax, it’s iPhone”. That tagline is eerily reminiscent of this old chestnut.
Here’s the new Ceramic Shield ad. That’s one sloppy chef.