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Eddie Van Halen died this week at the age of 65. He was one of the best guitarists the world has ever seen, so Dave and I wanted to talk about his impact. We also touched on the upcoming Apple event, which should give us a new iPhone, as well as talking about the new Mac, and how to check your Apple TV subscriptions.

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Eddie Van Halen, whose innovative and explosive guitar playing kept the hard rock band that bore his family name cemented to the top of the album charts for two decades, died on Tuesday morning after a long battle with cancer. He was 65.

This is just heartbreaking news. Eddie was one of the few guitarists that literally changed the way we think about how the instrument is played. My condolences to his family.

Apple on Tuesday announced it will have a special event being held on Tuesday, October 13, 2020. While the iPhone wasn’t specially mentioned it is widely accepted that the iPhone would be announced in mid-October.

The event invitation itself just says “Hi, Speed,” so there isn’t a lot to go on in terms of clues for what exactly will be announced.

With the times we’re in it’s not surprising this will be a virtual event to be watched online.

Dave made a trip to the Apple Store this week and gives us his opinion on how the company is doing when customers visit the store. We also touched on Amazon One palm reader and the upcoming anniversary of Apple TV+.

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[VIDEO] Apple Original Films:

Apple and Billie Eilish today announced that the highly anticipated documentary feature film, “Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry,” directed by award-winning filmmaker R.J. Cutler (“Belushi,” “The September Issue,” “The War Room”), will premiere in theaters and on Apple TV+ in February 2021. The documentary is from Apple Original Films, in association with Interscope Films, Darkroom, This Machine and Lighthouse Management & Media.

I’ve embedded the Billie Eilish trailer in the main Loop post. It’s purely teaser, but worth a look.

But one thing I find fascinating is the evolving branding of Apple Original Films. Note the quote above, “The documentary is from Apple Original Films.” And if you follow the headline link to the original Apple press release, you’ll see the name is in the headline.

No Wikipedia page for Apple Original Films (yet), but follow this link and you’ll see a page of trailers with the headline Apple Original Films.

This branding feels smart, more appropriate for movies than Apple TV+, especially if Apple has ambitions to grow in the theatrical release space.

Dave and I delve into the new Apple Watch, including some of the new features and the watch bands. We also touch on some of our favorite iOS 14 features in this week’s podcast.

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Bare Bones Software, makers of BBEdit, is one of my favorite software companies — in fact, I’ve been using BBEdit for more than 20 years. BBEdit has been updated to version 13, and is available in the Mac App Store as a subscription! Same great features. Same user experience. You can subscribe in the Mac App Store or purchase perpetual licenses directly from Bare Bones Software. Also, you can still get great merch, including Classic and Rebus T-shirts, enamel pins, and more in their merch store!

It was a big week for Apple. The release of two new Apple Watches and two iPads were the highlights of the event on Tuesday, but there was more. Apple also announced Apple One, Apple Fitness+, and Family setup services for its users.

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Butch Walker’s production and songwriting resumé is not only impressive, it’s extensive. A quick snapshot of the Georgia native’s work over the last 15 years include producing and co-writing with Taylor Swift (on perhaps her most rocking record, 2012’s Red), in addition to Pink, Gavin DeGraw, Harry Connick, Jr., Fall Out Boy, Weezer, The Struts, and Train.

But Walker is an equally prolific artist in his own right, with nearly a dozen albums since 2002’s deft Left of Self-Centered, all of which display Walker’s fierce guitar playing, power-pop writing gifts, and broad production palette. More recently, he has been busy on new albums by Jewel, The Wallflowers, and Green Day’s latest LP, Father of All…, which sees Walker escorting Billie Joe and the boys through some of the garage-y, glam-approved territory. Here Walker details how Apollo, UAD, and OX Amp Top Box helped deliver one of Green Day’s most ambitious records yet.

I use Universal Audio gear every time I plug in a mic to do a podcast or plug in a guitar to record a song. It’s fascinating to see how the pros are using the same gear I am to record their music.

It’s hard for me to pick out a star of today’s Apple event. Usually, it’s pretty easy to choose one product, but with the new Apple Watch, iPad, and iPad Air, Apple delivered three products that will appeal equally to its users. […]

Apple today announced updates to its App Store Review Guidelines to take into account some new features that are coming in iOS 14, such as App Clips, while also introducing new rules surrounding streaming game services and in-app purchases.

It will be interesting to see how the gaming companies respond to these guidelines. Apple is making it very clear what is acceptable going forward.

Apple announced a special event this week being held virtually next Tuesday from its Cupertino headquarters. It’s widely expect that we will see a new iPad and Apple Watch. Dave and I also talk about Apple’s Emmy nominations and Google Maps coming to the Apple Watch.

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Mark Gurman:

I am told Apple won’t announce the iPhone until October. This is for the iPad and Apple Watch in all likelihood.

Sounds right to me.

Apple is celebrating its 18 Emmy nominations on the homepage of its web site.

Tim Cook:

“At Apple, we are optimistic about technology’s awesome potential for good. But we know that it won’t happen on its own. Every day, we work to infuse the devices we make with the humanity that makes us.”

Apple published its Human Rights Policy and it’s worth a read. I believe that Apple is serious about the policy and treating everyone equally, but they also have to follow the laws of each country they operate in. That’s a tough balancing act.

I can’t wait to get my hands on an Apple silicon Mac, regardless of the configuration. Dave and I talk about the potential for the machines in this week’s show. We also look at the counterfeit problem at Amazon, and the possibility that someone in a jetpack was seen 3,000 feet in the air by airline pilots.

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Later this year, you’ll be able to acquire, retain, and win back subscribers with subscription offer codes: unique, alphanumeric codes that provide free or discounted prices for auto-renewable subscriptions. Provide your one-time use codes digitally or offline at physical events, alongside products, and more. Customers on iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 and later can redeem offer codes on the App Store, through a one-time code redemption URL, or within your app if you’ve implemented the presentCodeRedemptionSheet API.

Great idea!

A Russian lawmaker submitted draft legislation on Tuesday that would cut and cap the commission on the sale of mobile applications by tech giants Apple and Google.

The bill, submitted to Russia’s lower house of parliament by lawmaker Fedot Tumusov, stipulates that commissions on the sale of applications be capped at 20%. Apple currently collects a 30% commission on sales in its App Store.

This is absolutely ridiculous to me. The law would also require the sellers to pay one-third of their commission to a “special training fund.”

A crossbreed between the LBXI and the LBXII, the seductively dark stealth LBX-S blends the Green “clean” channel with the Red “full burn” channel for a sonically diverse soundscape — from pristine cleans that soar to that sizzling modern Brit sound with high-gain attitude.

Armed with four JJ ECC83S (12AX7) preamp tubes and two JJ EL84 power tubes, this easy-to-carry lunchbox head also includes dual-concentric gain and volume controls for precise and independent control of each channel, as well as shared EQ presence and resonance controls.

I love these lunchbox type heads. I have an Orange and a Mesa Boogie, but I wouldn’t hesitate to add in an EVH into he mix.

Facebook is crying because Apple is doing its best to protect user privacy against tracking and data collection. iPadOS 14 now let’s you use Siri and apps at the same time, and Epic is continuing to whine because it shot itself in the foot and the judge won’t help them.

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Apple TV+ today unveiled a first look at a trio of documentary series that celebrate humanity and the wonder of the natural world, premiering globally this fall. Led by a star-studded lineup of narrators, including Oscar and Golden Globe winner Olivia Colman, Golden Globe winner Tom Hiddleston and Golden Globe nominee Paul Rudd, each new Apple Original will showcase never-before-seen footage, groundbreaking technology and dynamic storytelling.

All three look wonderful.

Facebook today warned advertisers that Apple’s upcoming anti-tracking tools could cause a more than 50 percent drop in Audience Network publisher revenue due to the removal of personalization from ads within apps.

In a blog post, Facebook said that it does not collect the identifier from advertisers (IDFA) from Facebook-owned apps on iOS 14 devices, as Apple added a feature that requires users to agree to ad tracking to prevent cross-app and cross-site tracking used to provide targeted ads. Facebook says that it’s not a change that it wants to make, but Apple has “forced this decision.”

I’m sure Facebook posted this message hoping for sympathy from the public. All I have to say is thank you, Apple!

Epic has confirmed it will not be releasing its upcoming Fortnite season, Chapter 2: Season 4, for iOS or macOS, saying the ongoing antitrust feud with Apple over in-app payment processing and other App Store disputes has blocked it from issuing updates and new installs on Apple devices.

I think Epic expected the judge to issue an order forcing Apple to put Fortnite back in the App Store before the launch of the newest season. That didn’t happen. I don’t think Epic is going to like the way this plays out.

In the new feature, elements of a TV show, like characters or objects, would be displayed on a viewer’s phone or tablet and integrated into the surrounding environment, according to people familiar with the project. For example, someone watching a moon-walking scene in the Apple show “For All Mankind” might be able to see a virtual lunar rover on their device’s display, seemingly perched atop their living room coffee table. The option would serve as bonus content akin to the director commentary or trailer that accompany a movie download and would be accessed from Apple’s TV app on the iPhone or iPad.

The AR feature is expected to debut next year, ahead of an Apple headset in 2022 that will be built around augmented and virtual reality, said the people, who asked not to be identified because they weren’t authorized to discuss the plan publicly. A release of the TV+ feature had previously been set for later this year, but the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on software development and film production impeded that goal. Apple could ultimately decide to scrap the plan, the people said. An Apple spokesman declined to comment.

This may be fascinating for users of Apple TV+ and will most definitely bring AR to more people, but I’m still waiting for the app or service that will bring AR to the masses.

iOS 14 beta 6 includes new UI that lets users recommend a place with a thumbs up or thumbs down. The rating system can differentiate between categories, so users can rate the quality of purchased products in a shop highly even if they didn’t get the best service. At least at this early stage, the rating UI is only visible for a small subset of all POIs on the map.

I really dislike Yelp—I don’t trust the reviews and it seems like a system that is abused a lot. Apple is also trying to prevent abuse of its system.

Apple is using on-device machine learning to present POI rating opportunities when it sees that someone has visited a place several times. The company will also be doing some checks to try and prevent abuse, such as only accepting ratings from people that have physically visited the place.

I like that. Of course, that’s the way it should be, but not always the way it’s been. This system may not be perfect, but they are taking steps to ensure it’s not abused.

Today Apple is updating Final Cut Pro X with powerful new features designed to enhance remote workflows and speed up editing for content creators. Improvements in creating and managing proxy media provide editors with portability and performance when working with large resolution formats, or when collaborating remotely. New social media tools automate video cropping in square, vertical, and other custom sizes for popular social media platforms, and new workflow improvements enhance the versatility and performance of Final Cut Pro — making the Mac stronger than ever for all video editors and motion graphics artists.

I wondered about the social media video cropping in a high-end tool like FCPX, but it makes sense these days—everyone is posting video to their networks, even studios. Apple also said they updated Motion and Compressor as well.

John Gruber:

Months ago, when I first started grocery shopping while wearing a mask, I switched my iPhone from an alphanumeric passphrase back to a 6-digit passcode for convenience. I did so thinking, basically, that even though a 6-digit passcode is less secure, anything truly dangerous like disabling Find My iPhone requires my iCloud password as well.

It simply never occurred to me that if a thief (or law enforcement, or any adversary) has the device passcode, and your iCloud password is in your keychain, they can get your iCloud password from your keychain. All you need is the device passcode to access all of the passwords in iCloud keychain. Try it — you can.

Go read the linked Daring Fireball post. Imagine if someone had your passcode, not just access to your unlocked phone, but the passcode itself, then had access to all the passwords in your iCloud Keychain. That is one helluva security nightmare.

Anyone disagree with this assessment? Is there a missing element here?

In celebration of the US National Park Service’s 104th birthday, on August 25, Apple today is introducing new ways for customers to support America’s parks — in person or from home. A new Apple Pay donation program, Apple Watch Activity Challenge, and special content collections give people the chance to experience the parks and learn more about what makes them an incredible national resource. These collections will be available in the Apple TV app, Apple Music, and the App Store.

From August 24 through 30, Apple will make a $10 donation to the National Park Foundation for each purchase made with Apple Pay on apple.com, in the Apple Store app, or at an Apple Store in the US.

This is great, cheers Apple.

Colette and The Imitation Game star Keira Knightley has found her next period drama – an adaptation of Sarah Perry’s novel The Essex Serpent for Apple TV+.

The Essex Serpent follows newly widowed Cora, played by Knightley, who, having being released from an abusive marriage, relocates from Victorian London to the small village of Aldwinter in Essex, intrigued by a local superstition that a mythical creature known as the Essex Serpent has returned to the area.

I’m a big fan of period dramas, so this one interests me. Again, Apple is showing its willingness to sign a variety of shows to Apple TV+.

Many people are very happy with the camera on the iPhone, but some people want a little more. Dave purchased a new camera recently and we talk about some of the things he’s dealing with. We also touch on the new Apple TV+ Channel bundle and a couple of the TV shows that are coming out on the service.

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