Apple today announced Apple One, the easiest way to get all of Apple’s subscription services in one simple plan, including Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple News+, Apple Fitness+, and iCloud. With a single subscription, customers in over 100 countries and regions can enjoy their favorite Apple services across their favorite devices, including iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV, and Mac.
This announcement almost got lost in the noise of all the other announcements. Been looking forward to learning more about the Apple One bundles.
Here are the pricing details:
Individual includes Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and 50GB of iCloud storage for $14.95 per month.
Family includes Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and 200GB of iCloud storage for $19.95 per month, and can be shared among up to six family members.
Premier, where available, includes Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple News+, Apple Fitness+, and 2TB of iCloud storage for $29.95 per month, and can be shared among up to six family members.
The Premier is a no-brainer for me. I already spend $15/month for Apple Music, $10/month for iCloud storage. So $5/month adds in Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple News+, and Apple Fitness+. That’s an incredible deal. I’m in!
Coming this Fall. And don’t forget: 3% cash back if you pay with Apple Card.
Here’s a set of videos that made an appearance in yesterday’s event.
My favorite (and it truly is hard to choose) is the second one, with that voiceover who goes everywhere (even outer space) trying to find things the new Apple Watch doesn’t already do.
The new iPad Air is in a weird place though, or rather, it muddies the iPad lineup a bit. It can use the Magic Keyboard originally made for the 11” iPad Pro, but the Air’s screen is 10.9”, so the bezels must be a tiny bit bigger on the Air compared to the 11” iPad Pro. It also uses the second generation Apple Pencil, the magnetic one.
So far, not much different. But:
The iPad Air doesn’t have the full camera array, just the one 12 megapixel wide lens. The front facing camera isn’t the TrueDepth like on the Pro either, so while they’re both 7 megapixels, it can’t do Portrait mode or be used for Animojis or Memojis, nor does it work with Face ID. Instead, the iPad Air has Touch ID built into the top button. Furthermore, the Air has two speakers placed for landscape mode, whereas Pro models has four speakers. The Air screen doesn’t have ProMotion and is somewhat less bright (500 nits compared to the Pro’s 600 nits). It’s also a wee bit thicker, but weighs a little less. And, to wrap all the differences up, the Air comes with up to 256 GB storage, starting at the puny 64 GB, which will disqualify an otherwise truly capable machine for many users.
As I was watching yesterday’s event, I was wondering about the differences between the iPad Pro and the new iPad Air. Good to know the specifics.
Note that the new iPad Air has an A14 Bionic, while the iPad Pro is built on the A12Z Bionic.
In case you missed it, here’s the video of yesterday’s Apple event.
At the very least, jump to about 7:30 in and catch that fly through and the great comic timing of Craig Federighi. What’s that in his hands? An iPad Pro? The new iPad Air? I’m choosing to believe it’s the latter.
Read the whole thing. Very touching. But this bit stood out to me:
Dad wrote me a letter on my 50th birthday. It is one of my most prized possessions. In it, he encouraged me to stay curious. He said some very touching things about how much he loved being a father to my sisters and me. “Over time,” he wrote, “I have cautioned you and others about the overuse of the adjective ‘incredible’ to apply to facts that were short of meeting its high standard. This is a word with huge meaning to be used only in extraordinary settings. What I want to say, here, is simply that the experience of being your father has been… incredible.”
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.
I use the iPad a lot, but the Apple Watch has been on my wrist from the time I wake up in the morning until I climb into bed at night. I use it all day long for everything, from music to directions, and I love it. I can’t imagine going a day without it.
When Apple Watch was first released, there was a focus on the watch’s overall technology and what it could do. When the company realized the interest in fitness, they dove headlong into providing some of the best fitness features it could.
However, along the way, the watch’s ability to help users with medical conditions became evident. Once again, Apple dove headlong into partnering with some of the world’s most significant medical organizations to make the watch better.
Apple Watch Series 6 seems to combine those two approaches into one more than any release before it. With the new Blood Oxygen sensor, Apple is once again breaking barriers for what tech can do to help the average user.
I know that it’s the very fit athletes that are highlighted using the Apple Watch, but it’s what the watch does for the average person that is more important to me. I’m not exactly the fittest person on earth, but Apple Watch still helps me every day—it prompts me to move, stand, and close my rings. Sometimes those little prompts are all it takes to get started doing something great.
I felt inspired by watching the Apple Watch presentation, especially Apple Fitness+. Okay, I’ll admit, I was a little scared too because there is no way I’ll keep up with most of those fitness routines. However, Apple did say they had “workouts that are suitable for all ability levels” and an “approachable program designed for beginners.”
I made some changes in my life with the original Apple Watch that helped me lose 50 pounds—now I think it’s time to make some more changes and give Apple Fitness+ a try.
Like many of Apple’s products, it’s not just the features but also the details in the features. They make things so easy for the user, like this:
When a workout is selected and started on iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV, the correct workout type will automatically start on Apple Watch. During the session, the metrics from Apple Watch are shown on the screen and come to life for moments of inspiration. For example, when the trainer says to check heart rate or begins a countdown timer, those numbers will animate on the screen. And for customers who like to push themselves with a little healthy competition, the optional Burn Bar shows how their current effort stacks up against anyone who has done the same workout previously.
It just works.
Family Setup for Apple Watch almost got lost today, but it’s another important feature. Designed for kids and older adults, it’s something I think a lot of households will take advantage of when it’s released.
Family Setup in watchOS 7 extends Apple Watch to the entire family by allowing kids and older family members of the household who do not have an iPhone to benefit from the connectivity, safety, and fitness features of Apple Watch. Kids can take advantage of communication and personalization capabilities, access Emergency SOS at any time, enjoy an Activity rings experience that has been optimized just for them, and utilize a new mode called Schooltime, which can help them stay focused and attentive while learning at home or in the classroom.
watchOS 7 also offers optimized features for older adults, starting with a simplified onboarding and configuration process, along with a refreshed X-Large face that shows the time and a rich complication at a glance. Older adults can also benefit from a new Health Checklist in the Health app on iPhone, which offers the ability to track whether health features like fall detection have been enabled in one centralized view.
iPad and iPad Air
iPad Air is indeed a powerful machine. Using Apple’s A14 Bionic chip, the Air will undoubtedly be all the power that many people will ever need in an iPad.
With a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display, upgrades to the camera and audio system, many will ask if they really need to buy an iPad Pro. While the Air is a fantastic device, there are a few advantages to having the iPad Pro like ProMotion, quad speakers, LiDAR, better cameras, and more cores, to name just a few.
As with any device, your particular uses will determine which iPad you should buy.
iPad Air comes with a 7MP front-facing FaceTime HD camera and a 12MP rear camera, the same one used in the iPad Pro. The Air also comes with a USB-C port allowing for 5Gbps data transfer.
I was also pleased to see that iPad Air was compatible with Magic Keyboard, my favorite iPad accessory. If someone I knew were buying an iPad Air, I would highly recommend getting the keyboard. It does change the way you use the device.
The last major update of the day was the eighth-generation iPad. It’s the entry-level iPad designed for those who want to communicate with family and friends, surf the web, email, and other similar tasks.
iPad is still a powerful device with an A12 Bionic chip, a 10.2-inch Retina display, and costs $329, making it the most affordable iPad. Using the A12 Bionic chip, iPad is “up to two times faster than the top-selling Windows laptop, up to three times faster than the top-selling Android tablet and up to six times faster than the top-selling Chromebook,” according to Apple.
There was a lot to like about Apple’s event today. They delivered everything from an affordable Apple Watch and iPad to mid-level iPads and high-end watches. Add to that the new services, and you have a lot to think about when making your next purchase.
Apple today introduced an all-new iPad Air — the most powerful, versatile, and colorful iPad Air ever. Now available in five gorgeous finishes, iPad Air features an all-screen design with a larger 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display, camera and audio upgrades, a new integrated Touch ID sensor in the top button, and the powerful A14 Bionic for a massive boost in performance, making this by far the most powerful and capable iPad Air ever made. The new iPad Air will be available starting next month.
First off, this one’s a screamer, performance-wise. The fastest chip Apple has put into any device. Presumably, this same chip will power the iPhone 12 and, maybe, the new Arm-based Mac. This is no small thing.
And that Touch ID sensor seems a huge move. Just imagine if Apple added that sensor to the iPhone 12. Best of both worlds, especially when you are wearing a mask. That’s pure speculation on my part, not even likely, but I think it’d be a great solution.
Apple today introduced the eighth-generation iPad, featuring the powerful A12 Bionic chip that brings the Neural Engine to the entry iPad for the first time. Starting at just $329, the upgrade packs even more value into the most popular and affordable iPad, featuring a stunning 10.2-inch Retina display, advanced cameras, and great all-day battery life.
And:
The eighth-generation iPad with the A12 Bionic chip delivers a huge leap in performance, with 40 percent faster CPU performance and twice the graphics capability. This makes the new iPad up to two times faster than the top-selling Windows laptop, up to three times faster than the top-selling Android tablet and up to six times faster than the top-selling Chromebook. For the first time on iPad, A12 Bionic introduces the Neural Engine for next-level machine learning capabilities, including people occlusion and motion tracking in augmented reality (AR) apps, enhanced photo editing, Siri performance, and more.
Available to order now, availability beginning Friday.
Apple today announced Apple Watch Series 6, introducing a revolutionary Blood Oxygen feature that offers users even more insight into their overall wellness. Apple Watch Series 6 delivers many notable hardware improvements, including a faster S6 System in Package (SiP) and next-generation always-on altimeter, along with its most colorful lineup yet, featuring a beautiful palette of new case finishes and bands. watchOS 7 brings Family Setup, sleep tracking, automatic handwashing detection, new workout types, and the ability to curate and share watch faces, encouraging customers to be more active, stay connected, and better manage their health in new ways.
There was a ton packed into this part of the keynote. All the hardware mentioned above, plus Family Setup and Apple Fitness+.
Along with the hardware additions to Apple Watch, Apple has made some significant additions to the ecosystem, bringing in kids (think Apple Watch SE combined with Family Setup) and expanding their fitness base with Apple Fitness+.
As I mentioned in this tweet, I think Apple has just taken on Peloton, offering a range of moderated fitness classes, but instead of tying them to a bike or treadmill (Peloton’s model), they’ve tied the classes to the Apple Watch and Apple’s other hardware.
I think this rollout is significant. And the Apple bundle pricing seems very attractive. I am bullish here.
Apple today announced Apple Watch SE, packing the essential features of Apple Watch into a modern design customers love — all at a more affordable price. The largest and most advanced Retina display allows customers to easily see more details and the information that matters most, right on their wrist. Apple Watch SE features the same accelerometer, gyroscope, and always-on altimeter as Apple Watch Series 6, and with the latest motion sensors and microphone, it offers robust health and safety capabilities including fall detection, Emergency SOS, international emergency calling, and the Noise app.
With the introduction of Family Setup, this is a perfect watch for kids.
Apple Watch SE (GPS) starts at $279 and Apple Watch SE (GPS + Cellular) starts at $329.
It’ll be available to order later today, with availability this Friday.
Apple today announced Family Setup in watchOS 7, bringing the communication, health, fitness, and safety features of Apple Watch to kids and older family members of the household who do not have an iPhone. For the first time, Apple Watch can be set up through a parent’s iPhone, so kids can connect with family and friends through phone calls and Messages, stay motivated with personalized Activity goals, and express their creativity through custom Memoji.
This definitely addresses a hole in Apple’s offerings. I suspect this will help nudge parents to buy an Apple Watch for their kids.
The government of Singapore and Apple today announced their partnership on the health initiative LumiHealth, a personalized program to encourage healthy activity and behaviors using Apple Watch. The first-of-its-kind program was designed by Singapore’s Health Promotion Board in conjunction with Apple as part of the country’s Smart Nation initiative, a national effort to leverage technology to deliver benefits to its citizens and businesses.
And:
The LumiHealth app, designed with user privacy and security at its core, is available in the App Store for pre-order now, and the two-year program will be offered from late October 2020.
AirPods Pro firmware version 3A283 is currently rolling out to users with two new features: spatial audio and automatic device switching.
And:
Check the firmware version of your AirPods by connecting them to an iPhone or iPad and going to the Bluetooth section of the Settings app. Tap on the blue info button next to the entry for your AirPods, and scroll down to the Version number near the bottom of the view.
Or dive deep into Settings > General > About > [your AirPods Pro name]
Apple’s description of spatial audio:
Spatial audio with dynamic head tracking brings the movie theater experience right to your AirPods Pro.11 applying directional audio filters and subtly adjusting the frequencies each ear receives, spatial audio can place sounds virtually anywhere in space, creating an immersive surround sound experience. Using the gyroscope and accelerometer in your AirPods Pro and your iPhone, spatial audio tracks the motion of your head as well as your device, compares the motion data, and then remaps the sound field so that it stays anchored to your device even as your head moves.
Follow the headline post for John’s description of the spatial audio experience.
Also part of the update, for both 2nd gen AirPods and AirPods Pro is automatic device switching.
From Apple:
AirPods automatically switch between your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, and Apple Watch paired to the same iCloud account, making it even easier to use your AirPods with your Apple devices.
This is the magic part for me. I’ve not tested this yet, but I’m hoping this applies to the Apple TV as well.
I often have my AirPods Pro connected to my iPhone, then turn on my Apple TV. I’d love if my AirPods switched over to the Apple TV without my having to do the long-press on the play button dance to connect them. I’d also love it if, when I shut my Apple TV, the connection returned to my iPhone.
Mario as a character first debuted with the name Jumpman in “Donkey Kong” in 1981. But Nintendo wanted a new hit game just like 먹튀, and Miyamoto had ideas for an “athletic” focused game starring a “large character.” The first prototype of the first game didn’t include Mario, and didn’t even have a principle protagonist. It wasn’t until later that Mario was retrofitted as the lead character and named after the landlord of the company’s then-new Seattle warehouse location.
And:
It’s well known that even Miyamoto didn’t expect Mario’s popularity, but it wasn’t lost to him and his team that they were working on something new and exciting for the world. The first game’s prototype hero was a “rectangular sprite that was 16×42 pixels and basically only able to move and jump,” Tezuka said. But even played in that diminished state, the team was excited for the game’s promise.
And:
The Post interviewed, by email, four of the principle figures in Mario’s proud and enduring history: Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of Mario, Zelda and Nintendo representative director; Tezuka, assistant director for the first game and producer for several others; Yoshiaki Koizumi, director of “Super Mario Sunshine” and “Super Mario Galaxy”; and Kenta Motokura, character design for “Sunshine” and director of “Super Mario 3-D World” and “Super Mario Odyssey.”
Delicious read. Amazing how strong the Mario brand has remained, and grown, after all this time. Is there another video game character with as much worldwide recognition as Mario? I can think of a few that might be close (Pac-Man, Sonic, Link), but I’d pick Mario as the most recognizable of the bunch.
If you are at all intrigued by Microsoft’s new, folding, Surface Duo, this is a terrific read. Panos Panay, Microsoft’s chief product officer, talks through the path that took him past the failed Surface Mini concept to what ultimately shipped.
I’d absolutely love it if Apple regularly shared its thinking on product design and evolution.
Apple Burlingame in Burlingame, California is the first location to pilot what Apple calls “Express,” a simplified version of the Apple Store experience that resembles a bank teller window. Apple has partitioned off the entryway to the store with a temporary wall, wood counters, and plexiglass shields to serve customers at. Two sets of shelving display popular accessories available to purchase.
And:
Customers with existing online orders can simply walk up to the counter and collect their purchase. Genius Bar appointments are served at a second counter. Only one customer per counter is allowed in the store’s entry, and walk-in shopping is not available at this time.
I do like the concept, especially once we get past COVID times. Similar to a restaurant that features a walk-up window (with its own line) for to-go orders.
US semiconductor maker Nvidia said it will acquire UK-based computer chip designer Arm Holdings from SoftBank Group in a transaction worth $40 billion, a deal that could put the Chinese semiconductor industry at the risk of US control, Chinese analysts said.
The acquisition is likely to encounter roadblocks from China’s regulators, they added.
And:
“As part of Nvidia, Arm will continue to operate its open-licensing model while maintaining the global customer neutrality that has been foundational to its success,” the US firm said in a statement.
However, the “neutrality” is in serious doubt as Arm will become part of a US firm, which means the Trump administration could contain China’s growing chipset industry from the design side, following its crackdown on Huawei, Ma Jihua, a veteran telecom industry analyst, told the Global Times on Monday.
“The acquisition will affect the development path of China’s chipset industry as most of its products are based on Arm architecture,” said Ma.
For a brief, fleeting few hours last night, I had the glorious ability to edit my tweets.
Turned out it was a bug. Kinda fun, though.
Follow the headline link for Ben Lovejoy’s walkthrough on how this emerged, a video of the bug in action, and TwitterComm’s splash of cold water at the end.
In the past decade, Apple has transitioned its facilities to run entirely on renewable energy. In the past year, all of the iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch devices it released have been partly made with recycled materials. These moves have won approval from the likes of Greenpeace, but Apple has always suggested that was never the endgame. “We set really big goals for ourselves,” explains Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of environment, policy and social initiatives. “At one point we were even calling them crazy questions.”
And:
When Cook unveils the iPhone 12 to an empty arena in Cupertino, California, in the next few weeks, it is therefore sure to be its most ecofriendly smartphone ever.
And:
Environmental groups such as the Worldwide Wildlife Fund and Greenpeace see Apple as key to changing its industry. If sustainability is marketed as an iPhone feature that’s on par with its triple-lens camera or Super XDR Display, then consumers could well demand the same from their Samsung or Huawei handset.
And:
Committing to a 100 per cent renewable supply chain by 2030 is a huge undertaking. “It’s a really huge goal,” says Jackson. “Even saying it, I always get a little lump, because I know how much work is involved in doing it, but we have a very detailed plan.”
This effort might be the most important “impossible thing” Apple ever pulls off. Props to Lisa Jackson and her team.
This is a fantastic read, much more than the pull quotes above.
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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Apple previously stated they would terminate “Sign In with Apple” support for Epic Games accounts after September 11, 2020, but today provided an indefinite extension.
And this Fortnite Tweet:
UPDATE: Apple previously stated they would terminate “Sign In with Apple” support for Epic Games accounts after Sept 11, 2020, but today provided an indefinite extension. We still recommend you prepare your accounts now for “Sign In with Apple” removal. https://t.co/T0Rq0tfrR7
Did Apple reverse course here? Or is there more to this story? One likely result is Fortnite users switching from “Sign in with Apple” and moving to an email account-based login. Which gives Epic more user data.
An app was either on the Home screen, or it wasn’t on your iPhone. If you couldn’t find an app on a Home screen, a search was your only recourse.
The App Library changes that. All apps live in the App Library, and they can also appear on your Home screen. That means you no longer have to clutter your Home screen with apps that you want to keep installed but use infrequently. You can hide them away and keep only the apps you regularly use on your Home screens. In short, the App Library becomes “the truth” about where you can find any installed app.
This is a pretty major change from iOS 13. Worth reading, and worth noting that you won’t find this on iPadOS 14.
Apple will no longer allow users to sign into Epic Games accounts using “Sign In with Apple” as soon as September 11, 2020. If you have previously used “Sign In with Apple”, please update your Epic Games account email address and password immediately so that you can still login after September 11, 2020.
That’s tomorrow (Friday).
As much as it’s easy to say, this is all Epic’s fault, the issue remains that folks who signed up using Sign In with Apple are losing access to that privacy login mechanism, forced to jump through hoops to go to an alternative.
You might make the point that folks playing on other devices are not using Sign in with Apple. But, from Apple’s official SiwA support page:
Sign in with Apple is available with participating apps on Apple devices with the latest software—iOS 13 or later, iPadOS 13 or later, watchOS 6 or later, macOS Catalina 10.15 or later, and tvOS 13 or later—and with participating websites in Safari. You can also use Sign in with Apple with other web browsers and on other platforms, like Android or Windows.
So if folks bought into Sign in with Apple and use that sign-in across all their devices to get to an Epic game account, they still have no choice. According to Epic, they must move to an alternative login mechanism.
On the Apple Watch, Google Maps is focused on providing step-by-step directions, as well as estimated arrival times. The app’s primary screen shows your “Current trip,” while there’s a list of “Travel times” below. This includes Home, Work, and any other saved shortcuts/destinations.
To get the Google Maps app on your Apple Watch, just make sure you’ve got the latest update installed to the iPhone version of Google Maps. The Apple Watch app should just appear automagically.
One thing that’s kept me from using Google Maps when I’m driving, especially driving alone, is the lack of turn-by-turn on my wrist. Curious if the Google Maps app can take advantage of haptics and tap me to turn right or left as I approach the intersection, as my Apple Maps app does.
