If you are new to iOS 15, this short video is definitely worth watching. I’d argue that even iOS 15 beta testers might not know all these mechanics. Regardless, I found this video useful, worth passing along.
Parker Ortolani, 9to5Mac:
One of the flagship new features in iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 is the redesigned Safari web browser. While the highlight of the new Safari is its user interface, it also gains compatibility with more powerful, Mac-like browser extensions. Now that iOS 15 is available to download, there are plenty of extensions hitting the App Store, and we’ve put together a list of some to try out.
Parker showcases 10 different extensions. Once you’ve looked through that list, here’s how to find lots more:
That’ll take you to the Safari Extensions section of the iOS App Store.
Juli Clover, MacRumors:
Starting with iOS 15, Apple Card owners can take advantage of a new Advanced Fraud Protection feature that is designed to keep Apple Card information more secure by changing the three-digit security code associated with the card on a regular basis.
From the relevant Apple support document:
You’ll know your rotating security code is turned on when you see the clock icon next to your three-digit security code.
I did this, worked as claimed. Not clear how frequently the number is changed.
From the How to Redeem section:
Note that iOS 15 is required.
If you are considering an iPhone 13 series phone, this video is worth watching. If nothing else, don’t miss the demonstration of Cinematic Mode and, especially, that bit at 2:37 in showing editing the focus points after the video was shot.
Big night last night for Ted Lasso and Apple TV+. As posted here about a week ago, no Netflix show has ever won the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series. Netflix started streaming more than 14 years ago. It’s tough to make a great comedy.
Apple entered a much more crowded field less than 2 years ago, turning on Apple TV+ on November 1st, 2019.
Last night, Ted Lasso won the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series. A tough get, a worthy win.
A few links:
Apple TV+ had a good night last night. Feels like the beginning of something big, not simply a good moment.
Chance Miller, 9to5Mac:
Just two days after pre-orders began, Apple has now started shipping the first batch of iPhone 13 orders to to early buyers. Unfortunately, however, this doesn’t mean you should expect your iPhone 13 pre-order to arrive any earlier than the September 24 release date.
Still, Friday will be here soon enough. And it is certainly possible that some phones might slip through and arrive a day early, though clearly the intent is for the arrivals to start on Friday.
I jumped through the hoops of checking the trade-in value of my iPhone 11 Pro with Apple and comparing it to the trade-in value offered by my carrier. Turns out there’s a significant difference, worth exploring.
In my specific case, with my existing unlimited plan, my carrier offered me $1000 for my iPhone 11 Pro, as compared to Apple’s offer of $450. Here’s the details:
I have no plans to switch carriers anytime soon, so this feels like a good deal to me. Your mileage may vary.
If you are at all a fan of Tom Hanks and/or sci-fi, take a minute to watch this trailer. Tom Hanks plays Finch, in. a post-apocalyptic world, with his dog and a robot pal that he builds himself. A bit reminiscent of A Boy and His Dog, a 1975 movie and a Harlan Ellison novella and a bit of The Iron Giant as well.
Really looking forward to seeing this when it goes live on November 5th.
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Apple held its California streaming event on Tuesday, releasing four iPhone 13 models, an iPad, iPad mini, and a new Apple Watch. Dave and I talk about each product and what we thought was the blockbuster release of the event.
William Gallagher, AppleInisder:
Apple has told AppleInsider how it denies FlickType developer Kosta Eleftheriou’s claims in a lawsuit, over the App Store handling of his accessibility keyboard app for Apple Watch.
And:
Apple has now told AppleInsider that a letter Eleftheriou posted on Twitter after the “California Streaming” event, dates from 2019. At that point, FlickType had been removed for contravening the App Store’s then-rule about Apple Watch keyboards.
However, after Eleftheriou resubmitted the app to the App Store review team with an explanation of its accessibility functions, Apple says that the update was allowed.
This response concerned the story we posted yesterday, titled Apple blocked the FlickType Watch keyboard… then announced a clone of it.
Read the rest of the AppleInsider piece. There’s more. But, key to all this:
Now, says Apple, there are multiple Apple Watch keyboard apps available on the App Store. And FlickType itself was highlighted in a Top Apps of 2020 promotion on the store.
The whole interview is fun, worth watching. But my favorite bit is right at 2:47 in, where Tim holds up the iPad mini. It’s the purple one, the model I just ordered and hope to have in my hands sometime next week.
Here’s a still frame of Tim and the mini. I think this gives an excellent sense of the size of this iPad. Clearly well bigger than the biggest iPhone, but small and light enough to manage in one hand. Yet with the same power as the brand new iPhone 13 Pro. A beast!
The video below was posted earlier this year. It tells an interesting story, but what made me post it was this comment from Woz himself, sent out this morning (and shared with permission):
I am primarily honored by many of the good comments that describe me well. Some of this video is incorrect or my version is different, but it’s largely on the mark. I got what I wanted (respect of engineers) and Jobs got what he wanted, notoriety, and the power to create good products. Jobs failed every time he tried to create a computer but his own Apple II came with the iPod, much later.
Enjoy…
Start off with this tweet:
There is a reason Apple didn’t talk about the Apple Watch Series 7 CPU this year…
— Steve Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith) September 15, 2021
…and it’s because it’s the exact same as last year’s Series 6 👀 In fact it doesn’t even get a new model number, it’s effectively just a chassis tweak pic.twitter.com/mLsTNkdTNO
This prompted a lot of speculation about just how much changed from the Series 6 to the Series 7.
From the headline linked post from Sami Fathi, MacRumors:
As noted by Steve Troughton-Smith, the CPU in the S7 chip carries the same t8301 identifier as the CPU in the previous S6 chip, which explains why Apple’s performance claims are unchanged relative to the S6.
Much is the same, the primary difference being the slightly larger screen, which would explain the slightly heavier weights of the various Series 7 models.
Also:
With the Apple Watch Series 7, Apple includes faster charging, claiming that it can charge to 80% in just 45 minutes and that 8 minutes of fast charging will provide sufficient battery life for 8 hours of sleep tracking. To support the new fast charging, Apple will be offering a new 1-meter USB-C magnetic fast charging cable.
And:
On the connectivity front, the Series 7 includes the same Bluetooth 5.0 protocol as the Series 6, but, unlike the Series 6, the new Apple Watch Series 7 also has built-in support for Beidou, China’s satellite navigation system.
The fast charging strikes me as the biggest improvement, which will make charging after a night of sleep monitoring much more practical.
And the satellite nav support in China (and there’s a U1 chip too) is an interesting wrinkle.
Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter:
After a trek to the director’s Hollywood Hills compound, Universal, Sony and Apple learned he wanted total creative control, at least a 100-day theatrical window, around a $100 million budget, equal marketing spend, 20 percent of first-dollar gross, and a blackout period where the studio would not release another movie for three weeks before and after the feature.
And:
There, in the same place Nolan has a full-on postproduction facility and does his editing, the execs read the filmmaker’s script for his latest project, centered on one of the fathers of the atom bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer, and then discussed conditions.
And:
But when one door closes, a new window (pun intended) opens. To the surprise of several insiders, one company’s executive class invited to make the trek was that of Apple Studios, the tech giant that is making a formidable push into movies and series. The company has spared no expense wooing top talent and is making movies with Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, Will Smith and Scarlett Johansson, among others. This was their chance to make inroads with one of the biggest proponents of the theatrical experience, and they took it.
Apple didn’t ultimately get the film, but key here is that they were invited to take a seat at the (well-moneyed) table with all the other studio heads. Apple TV+ (AKA, Apple Studios) is legit.
South China Morning Post:
Chinese consumers have placed more than 2 million pre-orders for the new 5G iPhone 13 line through Apple’s official store on JD.com as of Thursday, surpassing the 1.5 million iPhone 12 pre-orders on the same platform a year earlier, as the world’s largest smartphone market finds fewer high-end models on offer amid the decline of Huawei Technologies Co.
That’s a year-over-year increase from 1.5 million units to 2 million units (33% YOY growth).
Less competition at the high end, combined with a price decrease:
Pricing for the iPhone 13 lineup in China comes in at 5,199 yuan for the iPhone 13 Mini, 5,999 yuan for the iPhone 13 and 7,999 yuan for the iPhone 13 Pro, prices that are 300 yuan to 800 yuan cheaper than the iPhone 12 family
If these numbers are accurate, that’s certainly excellent news for Apple in the China market.
So many videos. Here’s the Apple Event itself, if you’d like to rewatch it. The YouTube page has a table of contents, which will make it easier to find specifics in the video. It also includes a detailed list of all the music featured in the event.
Embedded below:
Here ya go…
So many videos in yesterday’s event. Here are the main “Introducing…” product videos shared by Apple.
One note on that first video. Jump to about 1:25 in, note the iPhone 13 mounted to the handlebars of the motorbike, something Apple warns you not to do. To be fair, this isn’t exactly a “high-power or high-volume motorcycle engine”, but an interesting choice nonetheless.
UPDATE: Read this post, Apple refutes FlickType developer’s account of App Store issues.
Tom Maxwell, Input:
Apple today held its California Streaming keynote, during which it unveiled the iPhone 13 as well as updated versions of the Apple Watch and iPad mini. But one, seemingly minor product announcement has caused a stir in the developer community: the new full software keyboard that Apple is adding to the Apple Watch.
And:
It was just last month that Kosta Eleftheriou, the developer of FlickType, announced that his swipe-based keyboard for the blind would be pulled off the App Store over objections by Apple.
And:
A separate version for the Apple Watch would remain, but then Apple pulled that one as well, telling Eleftheriou that keyboards aren’t allowed on the Apple Watch.
Now Apple has announced its own, nearly-identical keyboard for the Apple Watch.
Here’s the tweet from FlickType developer Kosta Eleftheriou, who has already filed suit against Apple.
So now we know. See you in court, @Apple. https://t.co/hJtPI2Z83J pic.twitter.com/1s7MUSLTpc
— Kosta Eleftheriou (@keleftheriou) September 14, 2021
I’m mystified by this decision by Apple, especially given the ratcheted up scrutiny they are under. Did they think no one would make the connection? Or did they not care about that, Sherlock business as usual?
Apple TV+ is revving up their release schedule. Here’s the slate of shows dropping over the next few months:
Watch the trailer, embedded below.
Joe Rossignol, MacRumors:
Apple today indicated that “back-glass only” damage on iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 models is now eligible for repair under AppleCare+ for a reduced fee of $29 in the United States, $39 in Canada, £25 in the UK, or the equivalent in other countries.
And:
The iPhone must be covered by AppleCare+ and have no additional damage beyond the damaged back glass that would prevent Apple from replacing the back glass, such as a bent or dented enclosure.
Back glass, as opposed to the front display.
Apple held its California streaming event on Tuesday, introducing a number of new products including new iPhones, iPads, Apple Watch, and Apple Fitness+. Here is a breakdown of each product.
iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max
Apple today introduced iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in a smartphone. Redesigned inside and out, both models introduce an all-new Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion featuring an adaptive refresh rate up to 120Hz, making the touch experience faster and more responsive. The pro camera system gets its biggest advancement ever with new Ultra Wide, Wide, and Telephoto cameras that capture stunning photos and video, powered by the unmatched performance of A15 Bionic, more powerful than the leading competition. These technologies enable impressive new photo capabilities never before possible on iPhone, like macro photography on the new Ultra Wide camera and up to 2.2x improved low-light performance on the new Wide camera. New computational photography features like Photographic Styles personalize the look of images in the Camera app, and both models now include Night mode on all cameras. Video takes a huge leap forward with Cinematic mode for beautiful depth-of-field transitions, macro video, Time-lapse and Slo-mo, and even better low-light performance. Both models also offer end-to-end pro workflows in Dolby Vision, and for the first time, ProRes, only available on iPhone. iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max also include 5G with more bands for better coverage, big improvements to battery life for the best battery life ever on iPhone with iPhone 13 Pro Max, new storage capacity of 1TB, and the Ceramic Shield front cover, tougher than any smartphone glass.
The iPhone Pro lineup is definitely the star of today’s event. iPhone has a long history of bringing professional level features to a device that fits in your pocket, and this year is no different. Cinematic mode is going to be something to watch as this iPhone model gets released.
Apple today introduced iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini, the next generation of the world’s best smartphone, featuring a beautiful design with sleek flat edges in five gorgeous new colors. Both models feature major innovations, including the most advanced dual-camera system ever on iPhone — with a new Wide camera with bigger pixels and sensor-shift optical image stabilization (OIS) offering improvements in low-light photos and videos, a new way to personalize the camera with Photographic Styles, and Cinematic mode, which brings a new dimension to video storytelling. iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini also boast super-fast performance and power efficiency with A15 Bionic, longer battery life, a brighter Super Retina XDR display that brings content to life, incredible durability with the Ceramic Shield front cover, double the entry-level storage at 128GB, an industry-leading IP68 rating for water resistance, and an advanced 5G experience.
Apple’s entry level iPhones bring more power than most users will ever need in mobile device. With the A15 Bionic and new camera system, the iPhone 13 can keep up to most user’s wants and needs.
Apple today introduced the powerful new iPad mini — with a larger 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display — in four gorgeous finishes. Featuring the brand new A15 Bionic chip, the new iPad mini delivers up to 80 percent faster performance than the previous generation, making it the most capable iPad mini ever. A new USB-C port allows faster connectivity, and cellular models with 5G bring more flexible mobile workflows. New advanced cameras, Center Stage, and support for Apple Pencil (2nd generation) enable new ways for users to capture photos and videos, communicate with loved ones, and jot down their ideas when creativity strikes.
I’ve long been a fan of the iPad mini, especially for travel. It’s so compact, yet very powerful for almost everything you would want an iPad to do. That 80 percent performance increase only solidifies what the iPad mini can do for you.
Apple today introduced the new iPad (9th generation), featuring the powerful A13 Bionic chip that packs even more performance and capability into the most popular iPad, all while retaining its all-day battery life.1 Starting at just $329, the new iPad features a 10.2-inch Retina display with True Tone, a 12MP Ultra Wide front camera with Center Stage, support for Apple Pencil (1st generation) and Smart Keyboard, the intuitive iPadOS 15, and twice the storage of the previous generation.
With a $329 price tag, it’s hard to go wrong choosing the iPad. The A13 Bionic chip is powerful enough to do all of the tasks that entry-level users will need. Actually, it can handle the tasks of most mid-level users too.
Apple today announced Apple Watch Series 7, featuring a reengineered Always-On Retina display with significantly more screen area and thinner borders, making it the largest and most advanced display ever. The narrower borders allow the display to maximize screen area, while minimally changing the dimensions of the watch itself. The design of Apple Watch Series 7 is refined with softer, more rounded corners, and the display has a unique refractive edge that makes full-screen watch faces and apps appear to seamlessly connect with the curvature of the case. Apple Watch Series 7 also features a user interface optimized for the larger display, offering greater readability and ease of use, plus two unique watch faces — Contour and Modular Duo — designed specifically for the new device. With the improvements to the display, users benefit from the same all-day 18-hour battery life,1 now complemented by 33 percent faster charging.
The only time my Apple Watch leaves my arm is to charge it for an hour once a day. I rely on my watch to track my sleep, fitness, and I also love the fall detection, heart monitoring and other safety features this device brings to my life. I can’t see a reason why I wouldn’t always wear my Apple Watch.
Apple today announced that Apple Fitness+, the first fitness service built entirely around Apple Watch, will introduce guided Meditation, a simple way to practice mindfulness anywhere, anytime, and Pilates, a new low-impact, body-conditioning workout type, on September 27. Fitness+ is also introducing a new program — Workouts to Get Ready for Snow Season — featuring and designed with two-time Olympic gold medalist and five-time world champion skier Ted Ligety, along with Fitness+ trainer Anja Garcia. Inspired by winter sports, the program will help build strength, balance, and endurance so users can have more fun on the slopes, all the way to the last run.
I haven’t tried Apple Fitness+ much, yet. Every time I see something about Apple Fitness+, I tell myself that I need to start using it for my exercising. This is my time.
Nicole Perlroth, New York Times:
Apple issued emergency software updates for a critical vulnerability in its products on Monday after security researchers uncovered a flaw that allows highly invasive spyware from Israel’s NSO Group to infect anyone’s iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch or Mac computer without so much as a click.
Apple’s security team had worked around the clock to develop a fix since Tuesday, after researchers at Citizen Lab, a cybersecurity watchdog organization at the University of Toronto, discovered that a Saudi activist’s iPhone had been infected with an advanced form of spyware from NSO.
You’ve no doubt seen the update (unless you are running a beta, even an iOS 14.7 beta).
Here’s a link to Apple’s official security updates page. Note the new updates that dropped yesterday, including those for Safari, Catalina, Big Sur, Apple Watch, and iOS and iPad OS.
Marco:
After the dust settles from the developer class-action settlement, the South Korean law, the JFTC announcement, and the Apple v. Epic decision, I think the most likely long-term outcome isn’t very different from the status quo — and that’s a good thing.
Lots of interesting points made, worth reading. Among the most important, is this bit about “side loading”:
I don’t expect side-loading or alternative app stores to become possible, and I’m relieved, because that is not a future I want for iOS.
And:
Facebook owns four of the top ten apps in the world. If side-loading became possible, Facebook could remove Instagram, WhatsApp, the Facebook app, and Messenger from Apple’s App Store, requiring customers to install these extremely popular apps directly from Facebook via side-loading.
And everyone would.
And:
Facebook would soon have apps that bypassed App Review installed on the majority of iPhones in the world.
I do get the logic here. My worry is that the forces that push Apple to make changes (think politicians, lobbyists, and anti-trust investigators) might not have the technical understanding of the implications Marco points out above.
The first video dropped Friday, offering a brief recap of Season One and scenes and actor discussions on what’s coming in Season Two.
The second video focuses more on the new characters, new faces coming in Season Two.
Interesting to me how much the focus on this show has shifted from the days leading up to the original launch of Apple TV+, when The Morning Show was the central focus, the tentpole show on which Apple pinned their hopes and dreams, to now, where The Morning Show has been eclipsed by Ted Lasso as the tentpole show, and is not one show among many.
Side note, as I mentioned here, Apple TV+ is poised, in its infancy, to do something Netflix has never done. The Emmy awards are this weekend. Rooting for Ted Lasso to bring home the Outstanding Comedy Series win, something no Netflix show has ever done.
Eric Slivka, MacRumors:
> Apple today published a new support document warning iPhone users that the cameras on their devices can be damaged by exposure to certain vibrational frequencies such as those generated by high-power motorcycle engines.
From Apple’s support document:
> High-power or high-volume motorcycle engines generate intense high-amplitude vibrations, which are transmitted through the chassis and handlebars. It is not recommended to attach your iPhone to motorcycles with high-power or high-volume engines due to the amplitude of the vibration in certain frequency ranges that they generate. Attaching your iPhone to vehicles with small-volume or electric engines, such as mopeds and scooters, may lead to comparatively lower-amplitude vibrations, but if you do so a vibration dampening mount is recommended to lessen the risk of damage to your iPhone and its OIS and AF systems. It is also recommended to avoid regular use for prolonged periods to further lessen the risk of damage.
However, if you are wanting to buy beautiful motorcycles, you can check out this hi booster motorcycle here for your best preferences!
Sounds like the issue is mitigated if you keep your iPhone in your pocket. If you do mount your camera on, say, your handlebars, will AppleCare+ still fix the issue? Is there fine print on this?
I looked through the AppleCare+ iPhone coverage web site, could not find any mention of this issue.
Watch the video, headphones on.
If this is your cup of tea, here’s a link to the single Take My Breath in Apple Music.
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By now you’ve all heard that a verdict was reached in the Epic vs. Apple, one that is declaring victory. There are a lot of documents in the case, but here are the basics.
A decision was reached today in the high-profile Epic Games v. Apple trial, with U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruling that Apple’s anti-steering conduct is anti-competitive, and ruling in favor of Apple on all other counts.
In a 185-page ruling, Judge Rogers said “the Court cannot ultimately conclude that Apple is a monopolist under either federal or state antitrust laws,” but she said the trial “did show that Apple is engaging in anticompetitive conduct under California’s competition laws.” Rogers concluded that “Apple’s anti-steering provisions hide critical information from consumers and illegally stifle consumer choice”.
Apple also released a statement on the ruling:
Today the Court has affirmed what we’ve known all along: the App Store is not in violation of antitrust law. As the Court recognized ‘success is not illegal.’ Apple faces rigorous competition in every segment in which we do business, and we believe customers and developers choose us because our products and services are the best in the world. We remain committed to ensuring the App Store is a safe and trusted marketplace that supports a thriving developer community and more than 2.1 million U.S. jobs, and where rules apply equally to everyone.
This week, Dave and I talk about what to expect at Apple’s California streaming event being held next Tuesday. We also talk about the music star rating system in iTunes and seemingly bad people on TV shows that we love, like Heisenberg and Tony Saprano.
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