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• To enjoy familiar and intuitive interface, mac-like operations
• To manage and share everyone’s schedules, project status and next steps
• To build trust by ensuring ‘on time, every time’ delivery to clients

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.

Start off with this tweet:

There is a reason Apple didn’t talk about the Apple Watch Series 7 CPU this year…

…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

— Steve Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith) September 15, 2021

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

The award-winning Daylite CRM and productivity app made for Mac-based small businesses has many features to improve and grow your business, including:

• Made for Mac, iPhone and iPad
• Daylite is the only CRM and productivity app that seamlessly integrate with Apple devices and built-in Apple apps
• Direct Apple Mail integration so you and your team can capture all email communication in one place. And you can create opportunities, appointments and tasks in Daylite right from your Apple Mail.

Daylite empowers small business:

• To Improve team efficiency and make collaboration easy by having everything organized & searchable in Daylite
• To grow team strength through shareable, online/offline accessibility
• To easily access information and segment data tailored to your specific client story
• To accelerate efficiency with at-a-glance, single screen views
• To enjoy familiar and intuitive interface, mac-like operations
• To manage and share everyone’s schedules, project status and next steps
• To build trust by ensuring ‘on time, every time’ delivery to clients

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.

OSXDaily:

Resetting your Apple ID password is normally a pretty easy task, but if you don’t have access to the device that you’re already signed into, things could get super complicated and inconvenient. However, Apple offers another option with an Apple ID recovery key, which can be used to reset an Apple ID account as well.

Apple ID Recovery Key acts as an extra layer of security for your Apple account, in case you forget your password and lose access to your trusted device.

For your iPhone or iPad, you’ll need to be running iOS/iPadOS 14 or later, a pretty reasonable requirement.

Once you’ve created your recovery key:

From now on, you’ll have just two ways to reset the password for your Apple account. You can either reset the password from a device that you’re already logged into, or you can use the recovery key instead. The latter would prove to be a lifesaver when don’t have access to your trusted devices.

Interestingly, the Recovery Key is an old mechanism, removed a while back and then returning in iOS 14, et al.

Reed Albergotti, Washington Post:

Many who are familiar with the program say Apple is slow to fix reported bugs and does not always pay hackers what they believe they’re owed. Ultimately, they say, Apple’s insular culture has hurt the program and created a blind spot on security.

“It’s a bug bounty program where the house always wins,” said Katie Moussouris, CEO and founder of Luta Security, which worked with the Defense Department to set up its first bug bounty program. She said Apple’s bad reputation in the security industry will lead to “less secure products for their customers and more cost down the line.”

And:

In interviews with more than two dozen security researchers, some of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity because of nondisclosure agreements, they point to Apple’s rivals for comparison. Facebook, Microsoft and Google publicize their programs and highlight security researchers who receive bounties in blog posts and leader boards. They hold conferences and provide resources to encourage a broad international audience to participate.

And:

Most of them pay more money each year than Apple, which is at times the world’s most valuable company. Microsoft paid $13.6 million in the 12-month period beginning July 2020. Google paid $6.7 million in 2020. Apple spent $3.7 million last year, Krstić said in his statement. He said that number is likely to increase this year.

This is a long article, filled with bug bounty stories, many of them anonymously told. Hard to truly know whether this is the squeaky wheel getting all the attention, or something more problematic. But read the article (here’s an Apple News link if you don’t have access to WaPo).

Definitely reads like Apple puts less money into bug bounties, shines less of a light onto bug researcher efforts and successes than its competitors.

Steven Levy, Wired:

During a panel discussion afterward, the interviewer asked a provocative question. “This might be crazy,” she began, “but is there any connection between the world of the counterculture and psychedelics, and Pixar?”

The panelists on stage—Ed Catmull and John Lasseter, both central to Pixar’s development—fell into an uncomfortable silence. Drugs and the counterculture are edgy subjects for employees of a Disney division beloved by generations of children. Finally, Lasseter said, “Is Alvy Ray Smith in the audience?”

And:

Yet, despite a healthy ego and a raconteur’s élan, after Lasseter’s callout—and some laughter in the room—Smith stayed in his seat and said nothing.

Call it restraint. “As far as history goes, I feel like he got shafted, both in Pixar history and in computer graphics history in general,” says Pam Kerwin, a former Pixar colleague. “Everything that you currently use in Photoshop right now basically came from Alvy.” Even self-­driving cars and augmented reality, “which are all about image processing, machine vision … Alvy and his colleagues brought all that stuff into the world.”

Three reasons to follow the headline link and drink up this article:

• It’s written by Steve Levy, Apple critic and tech writer, author of one of my all-time favorite books, Insanely Great: The Life and Times of Macintosh, the Computer That Changed Everything. He can write.

• This is an interesting look at a critical stage in computer graphics history.

• Some Steve Jobs anecdotes, told by someone who regularly butted heads with him.

Follow the headline link for details.

Here’s the official link to pitch a community idea to Twitter. They’ll respond with a “don’t call us, we’ll call you” email to let you know they got your request. Then send a separate response if they want to take things further.

Two key roles:

A moderator (or mod) is someone who helps keep conversations safe and on track in a Community. They are chosen and overseen by a Community admin, and may be tasked with other duties as the admin sees fit.

An admin is the owner of a Community. Their duties may include keeping conversations safe and on track, reviewing member reports, hiding member Tweets, or removing disruptive members from the Community. They may also choose moderators to help with these tasks. Admins are responsible for managing the Community, which includes adding, modifying, and/or removing Community rules, title, and description. As the admin of a Community, you may invite as many moderators as you wish.

If you start a community, you are the admin. You recruit and bring on moderators, set the specific rules for your community. Twitter pays no one.

Stumbled on this over the weekend as a toss-off in a Twitter mention. I’ve seen edited versions of the keynote on YouTube, had no idea Apple Podcasts offered this up on their official podcast channel.

From the description:

Watch Apple CEO Steve Jobs kick off the Macworld Conference & Expo 2007 with a keynote address from San Francisco’s Moscone West. Check out the exciting new developments at Apple, which include the addition of Paramount movies to iTunes, Apple TV, which allows you to wirelessly play all of your iTunes content from your Mac or PC on your television, and the pioneering iPhone. This revolutionary product is a widescreen iPod with touch controls, a mobile phone, and an Internet communications device all in one.

I love that iPhone is mentioned last.

The quality of the video is excellent, and includes the tail end of the music that played as folks waited for Steve Jobs to take the stage. Be sure to jump to about 56 minutes in to hear the voice mails from Al Gore and then Tim Cook.

An amazing look back.

Michael Potuck, 9to5Mac:

Ahead of WWDC in June, Apple announced Background Sounds would be coming to iOS to help users find focus, calm, and rest. Now in the iOS 15 beta, the feature is available to test out. Read along for how to use iPhone Background Sounds in iOS 15, what you get, what you don’t, and more.

Background Sounds is definitely worth knowing about. You’ll find them in both iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 in Settings > Accessibility > Audio & Visual > Background Sounds.

The default sound is the sound of rain, with critter sounds in the mix. I find it very soothing. Did all my writing with that on in the background.

There are switches to leave the sound playing (at reduced volume) when other media is playing, as well as when the screen is locked.

And to make this a bit easier to turn on and off, go to Settings > Accessibility > Accessibility Shortcut and enable the Background Sounds shortcut. That’ll add a Background Sounds toggle to the Accessibility Control Center control (which you’ll also need to add to Control Center).

Worth exploring.