Apple debuts Frankie’s Holiday ad with a familiar face

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[VIDEO] Interesting how distinctive voices can be. The minute Frankie’s groaning singing voice kicked in, I was pretty sure who it was. Great job with the makeup. Wasn’t certain until I verified it with a quick Google search.

Apple puts up Black Friday teaser page

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From Apple’s Black Friday teaser page:

Friday can’t come soon enough.

Our one-day shopping event will be here before you know it. Come back this Friday to check everyone off your list.

Free two day shipping on all in-stock items ordered by 5p. No mention of time zone there. Fair to assume it’s 5p local time?

Check back Friday morning to see what’s on sale. I’m hoping for a discount on the new Apple Watch.

AppleScript, the perfect adjunct to iTunes: An open letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook

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Kirk McElhearn, Macworld:

I was chagrined to learn that Sal Soghoian, who was Apple’s Product Manager of Automation Technologies, was let go for “business reasons.” Mr. Soghoian had been with Apple for nearly 20 years, and was the keeper of the flame for technologies such as AppleScript, Automator, and more.

And:

It’s not clear whether the termination of Mr. Soghoian means the demise of AppleScript altogether, and particularly in iTunes, but many developers, iTunes users, and others are concerned by this decision.

You see, it’s all about freedom. Freedom to do things we want that Apple doesn’t think we need to be able to do. Freedom to explore. Freedom to discover new ways to link applications, to interact with files, to create our own solutions. We can’t expect apps to cater to all our whims, and tools like AppleScript and Automator allow us to go a step further and discover ways to do things that Apple never even considered.

Nice job by Kirk, passionately capturing the essence of the value of AppleScript and Automator. Technologies like AppleScript and Automator expose just enough of the wiring to allow pros and hobbyists alike to build out their own infrastructure, make their Apple products more powerful than they were when they came out of their boxes.

A history of hard drives

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Peter Cohen takes a look back at the origins of the hard drive. Pretty incredible how far we’ve come. Oh, and never, never, never read the bio at the bottom of the page.

Apple abandons development of AirPort Express, AirPort Extreme, and AirPort Time Capsule

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Mark Gurman, Bloomberg:

Apple hasn’t refreshed its routers since 2013 following years of frequent updates to match new standards from the wireless industry. The decision to disband the team indicates the company isn’t currently pushing forward with new versions of its routers. An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment on the company’s plans.

And:

Exiting the router business could make Apple’s product ecosystem less sticky. Some features of the AirPort routers, including wireless music playback, require an Apple device like an iPhone or Mac computer. If the company no longer sells wireless routers, some may have a reason to use other phones and PCs.

Not sure I agree with that last point. Somehow I don’t see someone switching out of the Apple ecosystem because of their router.

Combine this program cancellation with the news about Sal Soghoian’s position being eliminated, and it sounds like Apple is doing some beginning of the fiscal year house cleaning.

PSA: Don’t mess with the Google!

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Interesting story, via the Dan’s Deals site. In a nutshell, people in the forum started reporting that they had lost access to their gmail accounts, the accounts suspended due to terms of service violation.

From the article:

It turns out the common denominator is that they had all bought Google Pixel phones and shipped them to a phone dealer in New Hampshire who paid them a profit on each phone. There is no sales tax in New Hampshire and the phones are then resold to others.

The problem is that many of them didn’t read the terms that they agreed to when buying the phone from the Google store. Those state “You may only purchase Devices for your personal use. You may not commercially resell any Device, but you may give the Device as a gift.”

If true, this seems an overreach on Google’s part, suspending access to someone’s email for this sort of violation, rather than simply voiding the sale.

Soundbreaking: A phenomenal documentary on the art of music recording

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If you love music, this 8-part series from PBS is for you. I’ve made it through parts 1 and 2 so far, and they are both fascinating and riveting. The list of artists involved in this project is astonishing. Starting with George Martin and the Beatles, it’s a real who’s who of modern music, a true insider’s view.

Episode One is embedded in the main Loop post.

Here’s a link to the main site.

And here’s a link to the PBS site hosting other episodes.

Troubleshooting some nasty Safari malware

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Jason Snell tells the story about trying to remote help his sister who is a victim of a particularly nasty bit of Safari malware.

The story itself is worth the read, unfolding like a mystery. But if nothing else, be sure to read the section titled “In the end, common sense wins”, which shows a bit of problem-solvery you should add to your own troubleshooting toolbox.

Amazon’s iPhone app now gives you X-Ray vision for incoming holiday packages

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Dan DeSilva, 9to5mac:

Tucked in Amazon’s big Black Friday news this morning was the announcement of a handy Package X-Ray feature for its iPhone shopping app. The app can now leverage your iPhone’s camera to reveal the contents of an Amazon delivery without having to actually open up the package or hunt down tracking numbers.

And:

It will only work on packages tied to your Amazon account so you don’t have to worry about your kids or spouse ruining any surprises (as long as you don’t share an account, that is).

Great idea.

A lifetime Android user on switching to an iPhone 7 Plus

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Anshel Sag, writing for Forbes:

It’s been a month since I got the Apple iPhone 7 Plus. Full disclosure, I have never owned an Apple product in my life. Okay, I had an iPod shuffle for about a week or two and ended up returning it. I had experiences with Apple computers as a child in a suburban elementary school but never owned an iPhone, iPad, MacBook or anything of the sort. I have been a lifetime Google Android user, and before that a Microsoft Windows Mobile user (yeah, I know). So, my first experience with an Apple product that I bought and used has been extremely interesting. That includes the utter shock and awe that came out of people’s mouths after I told them that I got an iPhone. I feel like a lot of the reasons why I never switched to Apple have gone away while others remain.

I love stories like this, because it reflects an objective, outsider view that is rare inside the Apple bubble.

Four reasons Apple should bid on Time Warner

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Josh Centers, writing for TidBITS:

Telecom giant AT&T is seeking to purchase content giant Time Warner (which is no longer affiliated with Time Warner Cable, see “AT&T Aims to Buy Time Warner for $84.5 Billion,” 24 October 2016). However, the deal could run into regulatory obstacles, with politicians on both sides of the aisle questioning the merger. It also doesn’t help that the Department of Justice is suing AT&T subsidiary DirecTV.

And:

Goldman Sachs is reportedly pushing Apple to make a competing bid for Time Warner, but Apple is resisting. However, I think Apple should consider the possibility. Here are four reasons why.

This is a great, thoughtful read. Should Apple spend the cash to instantly acquire one of the biggest, highest quality content libraries on the planet? Would they burn bridges in doing so, alienate players they are trying to bring to the table?

I find this all a fascinating business.

Biggest spike in traffic deaths in 50 years? Blame apps.

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New York Times:

The messaging app Snapchat allows motorists to post photos that record the speed of the vehicle. The navigation app Waze rewards drivers with points when they report traffic jams and accidents. Even the game Pokémon Go has drivers searching for virtual creatures on the nation’s highways.

And:

After steady declines over the last four decades, highway fatalities last year recorded the largest annual percentage increase in 50 years. And the numbers so far this year are even worse. In the first six months of 2016, highway deaths jumped 10.4 percent, to 17,775, from the comparable period of 2015, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

I don’t see this as alarmist. Clearly, there are more apps each year that are useful and usable while driving. Will we address this before we ultimately make the move to autonomous vehicles? Is there an obligation on Apple and Google’s part to do something about this?

The Apple TV, Apple’s 50% fee cut, and the walled garden

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Yesterday, Bloomberg reported that Apple cut video subscription fees to all partners from 30% to 15%:

Apple’s hefty cut of sales made via its App Store has long angered partners, some of whom have accused the technology giant of anti-competitive behavior. The concessions speak to the growing importance of video to Apple, which next month will introduce a new app devoted to TV shows and movies.

And:

Some video partners have already been paying 15 percent of monthly subscription fees to Apple. The company is now extending the rate to all subscription video services as long as they are integrated with Apple’s new TV app, said the people who asked not to be identified because the changes aren’t public. To compensate for the fee, some providers increased the price of their services sold through the App Store to equal the revenue generated on other distribution channels.

The Apple TV is not the walled garden of iOS. While iOS uses services like Apple Music and blue Message bubbles to keep you inside, you can easily switch inputs on your TV to accommodate game consoles and other inputs, including… [click main post to read the rest]

Ars Technica MacBook Pro Touch Bar review

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One of the best technical MacBook Pro Touch Bar reviews I’ve yet read. Lots of detail, pictures, along with the Touch Bar video embedded in the main post.

Nice job by Andrew Cunningham. Lots of little details, especially useful if you are comparing 13″ and 15″ or Touch Bar, non-Touch Bar models.

John Gruber’s take on the new MacBook Pro and the overall state of the Mac

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This is a bit of a long post, too multi-faceted to do it justice with a few call outs. But this one paragraph resonates big time:

To me, an iPad in notebook mode — connected to a keyboard cover — is so much less nice than a real notebook. And the difference is more stark when compared to a great notebook, like these MacBook Pros. There are advantages to the tablet form factor, but no tablet will ever be as nice as a notebook as these MacBook Pros. I also prefer MacOS over iOS for, well, “doing work”. I think I’m more productive on a Mac than I am on an iPad. I can’t prove it, but even if I’m wrong, the fact that I feel like it’s true matters. I always feel slightly hamstrung working on an iPad. I never do on a Mac (at least once I’ve got it configured with all the apps and little shortcuts, scripts, and utilities I use).

I love the idea of the Touch Bar, happy to have more functionality on my Mac. But the key element that keeps me on my Mac is the idea of a pointer I can leave in place. I move my mouse cursor to a spot and it stays there, marking time, at that exact same location, until I move it. Selecting and manipulating, copying and pasting text is another element I find superior in macOS.

I love my iPhone and iPad, use both every day, but for creating content, nothing compares to sitting down at my Mac.

MacBook Pro 13″ Touch Bar teardown

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This is one of my favorite iFixit teardowns. More humor, and more surprises (like step 13, where we learn something interesting about the speaker grills, no doubt a basic difference between the 13″ and 15″ models).

Apple’s big App Store purge is now underway

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Sarah Perez, TechCrunch:

Earlier this year, Apple promised it would clean up its iOS App Store by removing outdated, abandoned apps, including those that no longer meet current guidelines or don’t function as intended. That great App Store purge now appears to be underway, according to new data from app intelligence firm Sensor Tower. The company found that app removals increased by 238 percent in October 2016, with mobile games seeing the most deletions.

Apple had originally stated that the deadline for developers who wanted their outdated apps spared was September 7, 2016. However, Apple didn’t take immediate action during the month in terms of large-scale removals.

That seems to have changed in October, when 47,300 apps were removed from the App Store, Sensor Tower discovered.

And while it’s true that Apple does delete apps on a regular basis, this figure is around 3.4 times higher than the monthly average of 14,000 for the months of January through September.

Apple sent out a letter to developers on September 1 hinting that this day was coming.

Apple Music’s best new feature is better accessibility

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Steven Aquino, who writes a lot about accessibility, writing for The App Factor:

As I reported last February, the initial version of Apple Music was mired by a confusing design and, more importantly, less than stellar accessibility. These issues weren’t severe enough to drive me away from the product, but they certainly put a damper on an otherwise solid experience.

Then came good news. With the advent of iOS 10 came an all-new, totally redesigned Apple Music that addressed both of my biggest gripes about 1.0. Streaming and downloaded music are now clearly marked, but the big win for me is the app is much more visually accessible.

And:

From an accessibility perspective, it’s the bigness and boldness that make Apple Music shine in iOS 10. First and foremost, the Dynamic Type is pervasive throughout the app. Headers are ginormous. Whereas previously I had trouble reading Editors’ Notes and track listings, I now can read them fine. The larger text is boosted by the higher contrast, as areas such as the Now Playing screen eschew form for function. It may not look pretty, but the plain background of the Now Playing screen coupled with the large type makes text jump off the screen. This lessens eye strain and fatigue, which happens fast, because I don’t struggle to find things.

There’s lots more to this, both in terms of size (bigger icons are kinder to people with limited vision), and in terms of basic interface improvements (adding demarcations to make it easier to find your way around).

As always, solid insights from Steven Aquino.

Sir Jony Ive reflects on the nature of objects, the fragility of ideas, and 20 years of Apple design

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Wallpaper.com, on the new book, Designed by Apple in California:

This is a comprehensive and objective portrait of Apple products produced over the past 20 years. ‘It is a book with very few words,’ writes Sir Jony Ive in the foreword. ‘It is about our products, their physical nature and how they were made.’ The pages that follow trace two stratospheric decades of product design with the effortlessness that’s become synonymous with the company.

It is a quiet and elegant work, a high-quality piece of book design, typography and production. It is far from a show-off vanity project. Great care, time – and money – has been spent on making it a paean to good, useful design and manufacturing. It is also of course a paean to Steve Jobs. In the five years since his death, Apple has forged on without him. Designed by Apple in California is a tribute both to him, and to the products that have shaped our future.

What follows is an interview with Sir Jony. Well worth the read.

Phil Schiller on the MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar

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Steven Levy, Editor of Backchannel:

Fortunately, I do not have to make guesses at what’s going on in Apple’s mind. Perhaps motivated by the grumbling in rainbow-fruit land, Apple’s SVP of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller came to the phone last week to decode the company’s motivations, and stridently counter the cavils of the doubters.

And, from Phil Schiller:

“If we were to do Multi-Touch on the screen of the notebook, that wouldn’t be enough — then the desktop wouldn’t work that way.” And touch on the desktop, he says, would be a disaster. “Can you imagine a 27-inch iMac where you have to reach over the air to try to touch and do things? That becomes absurd.” He also explains that such a move would mean totally redesigning the menu bar for fingers, in a way that would ruin the experience for those using pointer devices like the touch or mouse. “You can’t optimize for both,” he says. “It’s the lowest common denominator thinking.”

And:

“This notebook design has been with us for 25 years and that fills a need for many people,” he says. “Having an interactive place where your hands are down on the keyboard is celebrating what makes a notebook a great notebook.”

And:

Another key variable is whether web services will be able make use of the bar. Schiller says only, “There is opportunity for that.” As for now, the Touch Bar pushes you to use Apple’s own browser, Safari. Writing this review now on the Medium online platform, I get word suggestions when using Safari, but not on Chrome.

And, to sum up, from Steven:

I am still not totally convinced that this innovation — and yes, I will call it that — is really transformative, and not just a cool way to save a few seconds here and there.

Lots more to this, a great read.

Apple considers wearables expansion with digital glasses

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Bloomberg:

Apple Inc. is weighing an expansion into digital glasses, a risky but potentially lucrative area of wearable computing, according to people familiar with the matter.

While still in an exploration phase, the device would connect wirelessly to iPhones, show images and other information in the wearer’s field of vision, and may use augmented reality, the people said. They asked not to be identified speaking about a secret project.

Apple has talked about its glasses project with potential suppliers, according to people familiar with those discussions. The company has ordered small quantities of near-eye displays from one supplier for testing, the people said. Apple hasn’t ordered enough components so far to indicate imminent mass-production, one of the people added.

If true, it’ll be interesting to see what Apple does differently than Google did with Glass. This is an area where subtlety of design will make all the difference.