The Monday Note:

Who wouldn’t want a neat electric Apple Car? Coming from the Apple Watch, iPhone, and Macintosh maker, it would be an automotive dream come true. Unfortunately, reality refuses to cooperate.

Apple Car speculation never dies. This time, it resurfaces in a research note by Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas, a “Tesla Bull” who’s known for his very sunny views of Elon Musk’s company.

Natural as it might feel, the parallel misses an important factor: Sales and Service. Apple doesn’t have the people and facilities to display, demonstrate, and maintain automobiles.

There are two much more serious obstacles to making the Apple Car dream a reality.

I’ll quibble with Gassee’s headline – there are no “missing pieces.” There’s only the hope, wishes and fever dreams of people who want this to happen without ever examining the question Gassee asks, “Why would Apple do this?”

MacRumors:

Over the past few hours, a number of MacRumors readers have reported seeing dozens or even hundreds of pending app updates showing in the App Store on their iOS devices, including for many apps that were already recently updated by the users. In many cases, the dates listed on these new app updates extend back as far as ten days.

Apple has not shared any information as to why updates for these already up-to-date apps are being reissued, but some users suspect it may be related to the recent “This app is no longer shared with you” issue that was preventing some users from launching certain apps unless they are offloaded or deleted and then reinstalled.

That explains why I woke up to dozens of apps needing to be “updated” this AM.

The Drive:

Plenty of automakers today release autonomous car concepts that look like an ultra-modern living room inside. The steering wheel isn’t there, or it folds away, there’s big touchscreens everywhere—you get the gist. But 34 years ago, at the height of wonderfully strange ’80s design exercises, Italdesign really went for it in the Oldsmobile “Incas” concept with this Knight Rider-looking getup. It’s definitely not your grandfather’s Oldsmobile. Neither will it be your grandson’s, sadly.

The only control that hasn’t been placed on the ‘steering wheel’ is the turn signal. Literally everything else in the interior is a button on the steering wheel: HVAC, lights, audio, cruise and automatic transmission controls are all present.

The entire front windshield and doors pivoted up to allow the driver and passenger’s entry.

What an abomination, not only of the steering wheel but also the dash and the doors. Thank God this never went into production.

Buzzfeed:

Fashion influencer/momtrepreneur/TikToker Jessica Wang started sharing a series of “iPhone tricks” on TikTok, and lemme tell you…even if you THINK you know every iPhone hack in the book, she’ll surprise you with one you don’t know.

I never thought I’d learn anything from TikTok but there are some cool tricks listed here.

John Gruber:

Nilay Patel asked this of Siri on his Apple Watch. After too long of a wait, he got the correct answer — for London Canada. I tried on my iPhone and got the same result. Stupid and slow is heck of a combination.

This is an odd and reproducible error. Fire up your iPhone and ask Siri:

What time is it in London?

I’m curious if anyone, perhaps elsewhere in the world, gets an answer other than the time in London, Canada. How about someone in the UK? Or even London, England?

More from Gruber:

Worse, I tried on my HomePod and Siri gave me the correct answer: the time in London England. I say this is worse because it exemplifies how inconsistent Siri is.

Same. iPhone Siri assumes I mean London, Canada, HomePod Siri assumes I mean London, England.

Edge cases. The bane of any developers existence.

UPDATE: I asked about this on Twitter, got some fascinating replies. In the UK, as you might expect, Siri gives the time for London, England. But in Florida, we get the time in London, England as well, as opposed to other folks in the US, who get London, Canada. Except for one user in Indiana who gets London, Ohio. And another few who get London, Kentucky.

Sounds like a proximity to London (pick the closest one) issue?

NPR:

Tucker, who works at a Sephora beauty store in San Jose, Calif., had never heard of the Tesla and SpaceX founder and CEO until a couple years ago, when she began fielding a steady stream of calls and text messages intended for him.

And:

Turns out, Tucker’s cellphone number used to be registered to Musk. On any given day, she receives at least three calls or texts intended for Musk, whom she has never met.

The fact of having Musk’s old number is not what makes this story. It’s the calls and messages.

For example, she texted back and forth with Pixar/Disney’s John Lasseter, who was trying to reach Musk. Fascinating.

Monica Chin, The Verge:

Nick Bryner, a high school senior in Los Angeles, had just completed his AP English Literature and Composition test last week. But when he snapped a photo of a written answer with his iPhone and attempted to upload it to the testing portal, it stopped responding.

The website got stuck on the loading screen until Bryner’s time ran out. Bryner failed the test. He’s retaking it in a few weeks.

In a nutshell, this is about the default file format for iPhone photos, which is HEIC, which brings higher quality images in a smaller file size than JPG. The fault here is with College Board not recognizing this issue in the first place.

This is a dumb mistake on their part. At the very least, they should have simply allowed the files to be submitted, flagging them as unreadable perhaps, but they could have solved the HEIC import problem after the fact and those test takers could have gone on to complete their tests.

Or, just saying, they could have spent a minute to test their system using an actual iPhone, which would have shown them the error of their ways.

That said, good to be aware of the iOS setting that lets you change from HEIC to JPG, in case this sort of thing ever happens to you. Head to:

Settings > Camera > Formats

You’re likely set to High Efficiency (that’s HEIC). Your other choice is Most Compatible (that’s JPG).

Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post:

When the covid-19 crisis abruptly canceled its season, Spence launched a weekly series of rebroadcasts to fill the silence. These broadcasts, even with their modest virtual attendance of 100 or so viewers per stream, have been essential to keeping Spence’s Santa Barbara-based chamber organization engaged with its audience.

That is, until that recent Sunday, when his audience started to disappear, one by one, all the way down to none.

And:

Just minutes into the airing of the concert, Facebook issued Spence a notification that his video — an original performance of an hour-long piece composed by Mozart in 1786 — somehow contained one minute and 18 seconds of someone else’s work, in this case, “audio owned by Naxos of America.”

FaceBook and YouTube are issuing takedown notices for an artist’s own performances of public domain music.

The fault is in the bot technology used to scan online music and compare it to recorded work. This is an overreach by, in this case, Naxos Records, who are trying to protect their recordings of, say, Mozart, but using bots that can’t tell the difference between one of their records and Camerata Pacifica’s own recording of the same work.

And this is definitely overreach by Facebook and YouTube.

CNBC:

Netflix will start asking customers who haven’t used its platform in the past year if they want to keep their subscriptions, the company announced Thursday. If a customer doesn’t respond, Netflix will automatically cancel the subscription.

“We’re asking everyone who has not watched anything on Netflix for a year since they joined to confirm they want to keep their membership. And we’ll do the same for anyone who has stopped watching for more than two years,” Eddy Wu, director of product innovation, said in a statement.

This is a great PR move by Netflix. According to Netflix, “inactive accounts represent less than a half of one percent of its overall member base,” so it won’t affect the company’s bottom line by much but they get a nice “we’re the good guys!” bump out of it.

Twitter blog:

Before you Tweet, you’ll be able to choose who can reply with three options: everyone (standard Twitter, and the default setting), only people you follow, or only people you mention. Tweets with the latter two settings will be labeled and the reply icon will be grayed out so that it’s clear for people if they can’t reply. People who can’t reply will still be able to view, Retweet, Retweet with Comment, and like these Tweets.

Predictably, a bunch of tweets immediately rolled out daring folks to reply (with a greyed out reply button making it impossible), or taunting them about their inability to reply. Some came from Twitter itself. Some folks found the bits funny, others not so much.

Nonetheless, good to know the thinking behind all this. This is a limited rollout, so only some people have the ability to limit their replies.

This is a fascinating Hollywood Reporter interview with Mythic Quest series creators Megan Ganz and Rob McElhenney. Here’s just a taste, where McElhenney talks about the technical process:

HR: So you’re all on Zoom?

McELHENNEY: Yeah, you’d open your laptop and would call into Zoom — there would either be five people on there or 45, depending on what the scene or situation was. The way we’d capture the image and the sound was through iPhones. Each actor had three iPhones, and we’d shoot one iPhone at a time. As soon as a scene was wrapped, the phone would be sterilized, packaged, put in a secure area, picked up [by a courier] and brought to editorial, sterilized again, and then the footage would be uploaded to the Avid for the editors, who were working from their homes.

HR: Back up, why did you need three phones?

McELHENNEY: To get [footage] through to editorial as fast as possible, because we wanted to get this episode done and out while we were still in quarantine. The way we’d do each scene is they’d take their laptop/desktop cameras that you would see normally for a teleconferencing thing and they’d put the iPhone directly in front of that camera, so I essentially had video village from my house. I could see what every actor’s camera is picking up and you could also see the readings for the audio. Mike, the cinematographer, could double check all the settings and make sure that everything was running at the right revolution, frame rate, etc. Then we would run the scene, and the actors would be talking to one another the same way we’re talking right now [by phone], through our AirPods.

Season One of the show is complete and available on Apple TV+. The special quarantine episode drops tomorrow.

Apple rolled out iOS 13.5 yesterday (can it already be 13.5? Feels like yesterday when it was this unnumbered thing called iPhoneOS – but I digress). A big part of this update was the public release of Apple’s Exposure Notification API.

First things first, here’s a helpful guide, from Juli Clover, MacRumors, that should clear up some of the mystery and misinformation floating around.

Apple and Google developed the underlying APIs and Bluetooth functionality, but they are not developing the apps that use those APIs. Instead, the technology is being incorporated into apps designed by public health authorities worldwide, which can use the tracking information to send notifications on exposure and follow up with recommended next steps.

And there’s the rub. When you head to Settings > Privacy > Health, you’ll see a toggle to turn on COVID-19 Exposure Logging. Chances are excellent you will not be able to turn that setting on.

The explainer says:

You cannot turn on Exposure Logging without an authorized app installed that can send Exposure Notifications.

A bit down that Settings page, you’ll see a section called ACTIVE APP which lists any Exposure Notification app you have installed.

On my iPhone (and I’m betting, yours too), there’s no app installed, and no clue as to how to go looking for one.

I get that this is early days for the API rollout, but I did find this confusing. Would have been helpful to have some language in there that acknowledged the lack of apps and a pointer to a place to go look for an app for your area as they get rolled out. Perhaps a button that does a search for your area, or a map overlay with status showing any app coverage.

To be clear, the lack of apps is understandable. It takes time to create an app. But releasing the consumer-sided face of the Exposure Notification System without any apps and without a clear message on app status is confusing.

That aside, read through Juli’s writeup for a sense of what this will look like with an app installed.

Also worth reading, Ben Lovejoy’s take on this, With hindsight, Apple and Google should have created contact tracing apps.

Universal Audio released an update that fixed an issue preventing UAD authorization on some Catalina systems. Obviously, this is a big issue if you encountered it, but they fixed it very quickly.

The update also includes the Neve 1084 Preamp & EQ with Unison technology. Neve makes some of my favorite EQs, so having the new Neve 1084 is really exciting for me. I already put it in the Unison slot of Luna template for my projects.

Axios:

The bad news is “The Last Dance” is officially over. The good news is there are hundreds of other sports documentaries waiting to be watched, and this morning, we’re hooking you up with our “Top 50 of all time.”

While some of us are waiting for sports to come back, we can argue about this list. I just saw #45 a few weeks ago and it was much better than I expected, #10 was as riveting as any movie I’d ever seen even though I knew how it ended, and there’s no argument about #1. That it didn’t win an Academy Award is a tragedy.

Vox:

Zack Snyder fans have been clamoring for the release of the director’s fabled, perhaps nonexistent cut of the much-maligned DC superhero team-up movie Justice League since the film’s original release in November 2017. Now, the unthinkable has happened: The mystical “Snyder Cut” is real.

On Wednesday, May 20, Warner Bros. Pictures announced it would premiere Snyder’s director’s cut of Justice League in 2021 on the upcoming HBO Max streaming platform. It will be titled Zack Snyder’s Justice League, but no further information, including a release date, has been given at this point.

“I want to thank HBO Max and Warner Brothers for this brave gesture of supporting artists and allowing their true visions to be realized. Also a special thank you to all of those involved in the SnyderCut movement for making this a reality,” Snyder said in a statement.

I guess this is how hard up we are for content. An extra-long version of a pretty bad movie.

Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline:

In a real shocker, the WWII naval drama Greyhound that Tom Hanks wrote and stars in has abruptly changed course and will berth at Apple. Originally on the Sony Pictures theatrical calendar for Father’s Day weekend, the film instead will become the biggest feature film commitment made by Apple to premiere on Apple TV+. It is the latest in a growing indication that Apple is making its move, and becoming as aggressive as any streamer or studio in auctions for the acquisition of films and TV projects.

This is no small thing. This is right in Tom Hanks’ sweet spot, historical drama (think Apollo 13, From the Earth to the Moon, Saving Private Ryan). And circumstances plopped this right in Apple’s lap. A big win for Apple.

As to the movie:

He’ll play George Krause, a career officer finally given command of a Navy destroyer, Greyhound, during the Battle of the Atlantic, which took place in the earliest months of America’s alliance with England and the Free Forces. Along with the enemy, Krause fights his self-doubts and personal demons to prove he belongs.

Here’s the trailer. Enjoy.

Abner Li, 9to5Google:

Similar to the experience offered on Pixel devices, existing Fi subscribers with iPhones can replace their physical nano-SIM card with a downloadable eSIM. This capability is tied to version 2.5 of the Google Fi companion app, which rolled out yesterday. The release notes mention how “You can now activate Fi via eSIM on select iPhone devices.”

I’ve been curious about Google Fi as an alternative to my current provider. To get a sense of Google Fi coverage in your neck of the woods, pop over to this coverage map and enter an address.

The pricing is not dirt cheap, but it is definitely cheaper than my existing service.

Having a knee-jerk privacy reaction, have to read up on that. Wonder if Apple will ever rollout their own MVNO service. I suspect if that was ever going to happen, it would have happened already.

The Guardian:

> Le Bonniec, 25, worked as a subcontractor for Apple in its Cork offices, transcribing user requests in English and French, until he quit in the summer of 2019 due to ethical concerns with the work. “They do operate on a moral and legal grey area,” he told the Guardian at the time, “and they have been doing this for years on a massive scale. They should be called out in every possible way.”

This news came out last summer, Apple apologized and changed their process:

> Following the revelations of Le Bonniec and his colleagues, Apple promised sweeping changes to its “grading” program, which involved thousands of contractors listening to recordings made, both accidentally and deliberately, using Siri. The company apologised, brought the work in-house, and promised that it would only grade recordings from users who had explicitly opted-in to the practice.

And:

> “I listened to hundreds of recordings every day, from various Apple devices (eg. iPhones, Apple Watches, or iPads). These recordings were often taken outside of any activation of Siri, eg in the context of an actual intention from the user to activate it for a request. These processings were made without users being aware of it, and were gathered into datasets to correct the transcription of the recording made by the device,” he said.

Le Bonniec’s argument seems not to take issue with Apple’s changed process, but rather that the company has not faced what he deems appropriate investigation and consequences. Minnesota whistleblower attorneys have represented people with whistleblower claims.

Nice roll-up of all the leaks and rumors about Apple’s over-ear headphones. Product-specific leaks aside, the manufacturing aspect of this is notable. If recent reporting is to be believed, Apple is courting alternatives to Foxconn, as well as additional alternatives to China for product manufacture and assembly.

Did you notice the Google doodle on Google’s home page today? Today is the birthday of the late Nicholas Winton who rescued 669 children during World War II.

Check out this video but be warned, tissues will be necessary.

And here is Winton’s New York Times obituary from 2015. It’s a remarkable story.

Apple:

To our customers: As of today, nearly 100 of our stores globally have been able to open their doors to our customers again. We wanted to share a bit about how we’re carrying forward our commitment to care: how it’s informing our decision‑making, the significant steps we’re taking to keep everyone who visits one of our stores safe, and the ways in which our stores will look a little different.

Our commitment is to only move forward with a reopening once we’re confident we can safely return to serving customers from our stores. We look at every available piece of data — including local cases, near and long‑term trends, and guidance from national and local health officials. These are not decisions we rush into — and a store opening in no way means that we won’t take the preventative step of closing it again should local conditions warrant.

We’re also taking some additional steps in most places. Face coverings will be required for all of our teams and customers, and we will provide them to customers who don’t bring their own. Temperature checks will be conducted at the door, and posted health questions will screen for those with symptoms — like cough or fever — or who have had recent exposure to someone infected with COVID‑19. Throughout the day, we’re conducting enhanced deep cleanings that place special emphasis on all surfaces, display products, and highly trafficked areas.

I have no compelling reason to go to an Apple Store at the best of times but I certainly wouldn’t go to one now. But it would be interesting to see how Apple pulls this off and I have every expectation they will do so.

OSXDaily:

This article is going to demonstrate how to use and connect external storage drives to iPhone or iPad, including external hard disks, USB flash drives, SD cards, and other common storage formats. You’ll then have direct access to the files on those storage mediums, right from iOS or iPadOS.

Good writeup. Worth bookmarking and passing along.

Start by reading this New York Times piece, F.B.I. Finds Links Between Pensacola Gunman and Al Qaeda:

The F.B.I. recently bypassed the security features on at least one of Mr. Alshamrani’s two iPhones to discover his Qaeda links. Christopher A. Wray, the director of the F.B.I., said the bureau had “effectively no help from Apple,” but he would not say how investigators obtained access to the phone.

Gruber then proceeds to take down the Times’ narrative, piece-by-piece, with a quote Apple shared with the media in response to the FBI’s “no help” claim, ending his take with this:

Apple cooperated in every way they technically could. The DOJ is not asking for Apple’s cooperation unlocking existing iPhones — they’re asking Apple to make future iPhones insecure.

Gruber’s take is worth reading, soup to nuts. He does a solid job responding to the “make a backdoor that only white hats can get through” argument, an impossible ask.

I’d only add this little nugget, from NBCNews, that might explain how the FBI got in:

Software called Hide UI, created by Grayshift, a company that makes iPhone-cracking devices for law enforcement, can track a suspect’s passcode when it’s entered into a phone, according to two people in law enforcement, who asked not to be named out of fear of violating non-disclosure agreements.

The spyware, a term for software that surreptitiously tracks users, has been available for about a year but this is the first time details of its existence have been reported, in part because of the non-disclosure agreements police departments sign when they buy a device from Grayshift known as GrayKey.

It’s a cat and mouse game. IMO, a very important one.