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.
Grab your iOS device, follow the headline link, and tap the various objects to bring them to life.
Note that you can drag and pinch-to-resize the objects after they’ve been placed. I played with the official Apple Event animation in this tweet. Works the same way.
Apple on Tuesday shot back in its legal battle with Fortnite creator Epic Games, filing a response and counterclaims alleging that the gaming company breached its contract with Apple and seeking an unspecified amount in damages.
Apple:
″Epic’s lawsuit is nothing more than a basic disagreement over money,” Apple said in a filing with the District Court for the Northern District of California. “Although Epic portrays itself as a modern corporate Robin Hood, in reality it is a multi-billion dollar enterprise that simply wants to pay nothing for the tremendous value it derives from the App Store.”
A gigantic conflict, with shots fired. Stepping outside the conflict itself, I do think a point being lost here is the value of apps to the App Store itself.
The App Store provides a marketplace, reasonably secure, with lots of infrastructure, including sophisticated payment mechanisms and the ability to reach a massive audience. Flawed, perhaps, but there’s no denying the App Store gives an indie app developer a way to reach a worldwide audience without reinventing the wheel.
But this is not a one way street. The apps in the App Store add huge value to Apple’s ecosystem. As a whole, the apps help sell Apple devices, all while feeding Apple’s services revenue.
To me, the real villain here is the shareholder requirement for a publicly traded company to grow or die. If Apple did not have that wolf at the door, they might be able to find more balance in their relationship with developers.
You can already get your lost iPhone or iPad to play a sound through Find My, but Apple is researching how the devices can signal and relay locations to each other without audible beeps or tones.
And:
Even though the bleeping that Find My makes AirPods do is surprisingly loud, there’s only so loud it can possibly be from such a small device. Apple has plans for how this same system can be improved by cutting you out of the equation.
And:
“Locating wireless devices” is a new US Patent that describes how devices can use sound outside the range of human hearing.
Part of the issue with Find My is the granularity of the search. As is, it certainly can tell you if your device is in your house but, beyond that, it’s not that useful to pinpoint your iPhone amongst the clutter.
Sound works great to locate your iPhone, but as William points out, there’s only so loud your AirPods can get, especially if they’re buried behind a couch cushion, or under a couch.
An inaudible signal between devices might make this search much easier, using directional signals known as beamforming.
UPDATE: For extra fun, open the page on your iPhone, then tap that event graphic, you’ll see an AR show that switches between the Apple logo and the Apple event date. Love details like this!
Apple began collecting data using modified vans, but now field operators drive a white Subaru Impreza, which is internally known as “Ulysses.” These vehicles are part of Apple’s 3D Vision team, which is responsible for combining multiple data with computer vision and machine learning technologies to provide 3D images on Apple Maps.
And:
The other type of car is a self-driving Lexus used for Apple’s autonomous vehicle efforts, which has the code name “Tyche.”
This whole writeup is fascinating.
Interesting that this was all shared on Twitter. This done with permission?
This is just a great story. It starts with the video below, then takes off from there. For the whole sequence, including all of Dave Grohl’s response videos, follow the headline link.
I love every bit of this.
Side note: That first Dave Grohl video is on Facebook and is what prompted this tweet, a showcase of how Apple/Catalina/Safari is protecting me from Facebook ad tracking.
A nice little collection. If you know every one of these, you’re likely the support person for everyone else in your fam, so pass these along.
Side note: Know of a definitive collection of macOS and/or iOS tips? I mean, a really nicely organized, searchable collection. If so, please ping me. This post just made me hungry for something exhaustive.
There’s a common belief that Twitter accounts with usernames like @jsmith12345678 must be bots, or trolls, or otherwise nefarious actors.
I have long felt this way.
The thing is, since at least as far back as December 2017, the Twitter signup process has not allowed you to choose your own username! It instead gives you a name based on your first and last name, plus eight numbers on the end.
TIL. In fact, I’ve blocked some followers that I now realize were just newbies. Feh.
If you’re curious about the new process, and the secret Settings deep dive to set your own name, follow the headline link.
“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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It was suggested earlier this week that we might see an Apple Silicon 12-inch MacBook before the end of the year, as one of Apple’s first ARM-powered Macs.
If the report is true, I’ve already talked myself into buying one.
I’m in the same boat as Ben. Read his whole post but, for me, the focus is:
If the 15-20 hour battery-life claim is true, this is a machine I would absolutely use as a supplement to my MBP. Especially as, with an A-series processor, that claimed battery life might be accurate. In general, I find MacBooks deliver around 50-60% of their claimed life in real usage, while my iPad meets or even exceeds the claimed life.
There are two Apple devices I own with all-day battery life: My iPhone 11 Pro (barely) and my Apple Watch. At the end of the day (say, 15 hours of use), my iPhone is typically in the red (< 20%) but my Apple Watch is typically good for a second day (about 75% left).
My Mac? I’m lucky if I get 4 hours out of it. It lives plugged in. So a MacBook with all day battery life? That’d be enough to change my habits. I’d carry it around with me. Especially if it was less than a kilogram.
This is one of my all-time favorite Apple anecdotes. It’s a long listen (the audio is the important part), but so worth your time. I’d suggest saving the link, then pop in your AirPods and listen to the whole thing (it’s a bit less than an hour) the next time you exercise or cook or do chores. And you’ve got a weekend coming up.
My favorite part is the bit about the badges. You’ll know it when you get there. Enjoy!
