Apple

Hands on with macOS Sierra’s Console

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If you’ve never used the Mac’s Console application (Applications > Utilities), this article is a solid place to start. Not only does Kirk McElhearn show off some of the basic Console features, he also focuses on what’s new in the much improved macOS Sierra version.

Console is an important resource. Pretty much everything you do on the Mac ends up sending a message which is accumulated in a log somewhere. Console lets you read through those logs and, as Kirk shows you, this new version of Console makes it much easier to find what you are looking for.

Twitter for iOS updated w/ support for keyboard shortcuts on iPad

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Greg Barbosa, writing for 9to5Mac:

Twitter’s latest iOS update, released today, now includes iPad-compatible keyboard shortcuts. Users with paired Bluetooth keyboards or Smart Keyboards will now be able to use their keyboards to create new tweets, or move between tabs.

And:

Holding down the command key on the keyboard on devices running iOS 9 or higher shows a small dialog indicating which keyboard shortcuts are available to use.

Good to know.

Meet Apple’s new Remote app, not quite the same as the old Remote app

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Dan Moren, writing for Six Colors:

The intent of the Apple TV Remote app is to duplicate all the functionality of the hardware remote, and in that it mostly succeeds. The majority of the screen is taken up by an area that mimics the hardware remote’s touch surface, and you can swipe or tap to control the onscreen interface. There are also dedicated buttons for Menu, Home (which you can double tap to bring up the multitasking switcher), Play/Pause, and Siri.

And:

It seems that if you have HDMI-CEC enabled to control your TV’s volume via the remote, it seems the iOS device’s physical volume buttons will actually control your TV’s sound.

This is just a bit of the review. If you haven’t downloaded the new Remote app (it is a completely different app – I deleted my old one), it is absolutely worth it.

Note that it works with the previous generation Apple TV and allows you to save profiles for multiple Apple TVs, in case you have more than one.

The Radar that brought the water pistol emoji to iOS 10

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Yesterday, Apple announced the addition of more gender diverse emoji in iOS 10. One emoji in particular, the handgun, got a lot of press attention when it was replaced by a water pistol.

Back in June, this radar (Apple’s internal bug-tracking system) was filed:

The current “pistol” emoji is a realistically rendered lethal weapon. As the spec doesn’t require it to be this way, Apple would be doing a service to society by changing this image to a plastic toy gun, such as a bright pink or green water squirter.

Solid suggestion, glad for the change.

No need for a Hackintosh, here’s how to breathe new life into an old iMac

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Andrew Leavitt, writing on Medium:

You need only spend $171 for your anemic 27” iMac to run macOS Sierra, boot in seconds and open applications in a blink. Or you can buy a used one and upgrade it for just $500 starting from scratch. You really only require the latest models if you are working frequently with 4K video.

A machine that was originally built in 2009 can easily perform past another 5–10 years with a few straightforward upgrades. CraigsList has these computers lightly used for as little as $325 if you are patient. For another $171 in parts you can rock a machine almost matching today’s specs. And if you are presently struggling with an older iMac the decision is even easier (c’mon, it’s less than $200 and just an hour of tinkering). It’s fun and you might even learn something. Keep in mind that a new 27 iMac has a base price of $1800 (that’s with a 5K screen but no SSD and only 8GB of RAM). Boom, you just saved $1300.

[…]

How to use Digital Touch and handwriting in iMessage for iOS 10

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The Messages app has undergone a lot of changes in iOS 10. Much of the evolution is hidden behind two icons, just to the left of the iMessage text field (just to the right of the camera icon).

There’s a lot to play with here. Just be aware that some of the actions will send without a specific confirmation. So if you are going to experiment, you might want to warn the person on the receiving end. For example, if you tap the Digital Touch icon (two fingers on a heart), then scribble out a sketch or two finger tap, the scribble or kiss will be sent immediately, without any staging. This is not a complaint, just an observation.

All that said, the linked post from Rene Ritchie talks you through some of these features. I love this path for Messages, looking forward to seeing more of this.

Apple invested in China’s Didi Chuxing, Didi just bought out Uber’s Chinese operations

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Bloomberg:

Didi Chuxing, the dominant ride-hailing service in China, said it will acquire Uber Technologies Inc.’s operations in the country, ending a battle that cost the two companies billions as they competed for customers and drivers.

And:

The truce brings to an end a bruising battle between the two companies for leadership in China’s fast-growing ride-hailing market. Uber has been spending at least $1 billion a year to gain ground in China, while Didi offered its own subsidies to drivers and riders to build its business.

Didi Chuxing and, as an investor, Apple are now in the driver’s seat (sorry) in China.

Jack off

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John Gruber explores a tree of possibilities:

The question is, what will Apple ship in the box with the new iPhones? I see the following options:

  • Wireless ear buds.
  • Wireless ear buds and this adapter.
  • Lightning ear buds.
  • Lightning ear buds and this adapter.
  • The existing 3.5mm ear buds and this adapter.

At the bottom of the piece:

The bottom line: this move should be about moving away from wired headphones period, not moving from one wired jack to another. The best way to achieve that is for Apple to ship wireless ear buds in the box.

Great stuff.

Fantastic Siri resource

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This site aims to be a comprehensive list of things you can do with Siri. Save the link, but spend a few minutes scanning through the commands to see if there are any use cases that are new to you. And, of course, if you find this useful, pass the link along to your iOS friends.

Celebrating Brooklyn’s first Apple store

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Apple’s newsroom:

Thousands of customers turned out Saturday for the grand opening of Apple Williamsburg, the first Apple store in Brooklyn. Customers began queuing Friday on Bedford Ave before midnight, and when the store opened at 10 a.m. Saturday the line stretched around the block.

iTunes phishing scam, well done, but easily detectable

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The Telegraph:

Apple’s iTunes customers are being warned to delete “scam” emails that are being sent to some customers claiming they have been charged more than £20 to download a song.

Reports have surfaced on social media of iTunes users receiving an email claiming to be from Apple, detailing an alleged recent song purchase from the iTunes Store that costs £23.34.

Phishing continues to thrive because it works, at least to enough of a degree that it is profitable overall. As always, be vigilant, hover over links to verify before clicking on them.

Apple said to redesign online store app with recommendations

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Mark Gurman and Alex Webb, writing for Bloomberg:

Apple Inc. plans to roll out a redesigned version of its Apple Store mobile app for selling devices that will use a customer’s buying history to recommend further purchases, taking a page from Amazon.com Inc.’s playbook. The updated retail app could be rolled out in the next two weeks, according to people familiar with the intended revamp. It’s likely to include a “For You” tab that suggests products based on prior orders, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the project isn’t yet public. While there are currently separate Apple Store apps for the iPhone and iPad, the new app will work on both devices and have the same basic features and interface.

Tune up your two-step Recovery Key

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Glenn Fleishman, writing for Macworld [AUTOPLAY]:

If you’re using Apple’s two-step verification system for logins, I have just one (not two) questions for you: do you know where your Recovery Key is?

A friend recently went through a multi-week set of interlocked problems when he was locked out of his Apple ID account on his iPhone, and couldn’t find his Recovery Key. He wasn’t ultimately able to get Apple to unlock his account. (During this period, his phone also locked up for a few days and he couldn’t receive texts or alerts, either.)

He had forgotten he’d enabled two-step verification, which is the older of Apple’s two methods of using a second piece of information to validate that you’re the accountholder. With the two-step system, Apple uses something akin to Find My iPhone to provide a code on your iOS devices or sends an SMS that you use to complete your login.

If you are not sure what kind of verification you have in place on your account, read this post.

California closes the Steve Jobs license plate loophole

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Ars Technica:

One of the many things Steve Jobs was famous for was his refusal to put a license plate on the back of his car, a Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG. Jobs—or someone close to him—spotted a loophole in California DMV regulations allowing six months of grace before a license plate had to be attached to a new car. As a result, the Apple supremo maintained a rolling six-month lease on a series of new SL55 AMGs, replacing one with another just before the grace period ran out.

Steve’s license plates were the center of many an anecdote. Miss him.

Wi-Fi Calling can kill iPhone battery life – Here’s how to fix it

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Mac Kung Fu:

I switched to an iPhone SE a few days ago and, while I’m happy with the diminutive device, I’ve been a little worried to see battery life draining incredibly quickly. I would take the device off charge and after an hour of non-use the battery would be down to 90%. A full working day’s standby brought it down to 10%. This was very odd because all the reviews said that iPhone SE had superb battery life, and perhaps even better than the iPhone 6S.

I removed various apps that Settings > Battery reported were eating juice. Gone were the news apps I had installed that fed me news flash notifications. However, battery life was STILL gobbled-up. I eventually realized the bad guy in the picture was the Wi-Fi Calling feature. Back into the Settings app I went, and tapped Phone > Wi-Fi Calling, and disabled it.

It was a miraculous fix. The battery percentage figure now barely changes across an hour of non-use.

I use Wi-Fi calling all the time and I’ve never noticed a problem with battery life. I say this not to cast doubt on the article (or anyone else’s experience) but to wonder if there’s another factor being missed, something that makes some iPhones drain their batteries and not impact others.

Nonetheless, I did find this an interesting read.

Apple patents Digital Crown mechanism for iPad

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Patently Apple:

Today, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals that Jony Ive and his team have considered expanding the Apple Watch’s digital crown to other iOS devices such as the iPad. Apple notes that the digital crown could be used as a volume controller or locking the touch screen, turning on the touch screen, taking a picture, resizing text and other actions.

This is an interesting choice. The digital crown is effective for sliding back and forth through a list or set of settings. The trick is to connect the digital crown to a specific element in the user interface.

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iCloud Tabs not working in your macOS Sierra beta? Here’s a fix.

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While my macOS Sierra beta has been pretty rock solid, there is one feature that has stopped working for me. If I click the iCloud Tabs button (the icon of two overlaid squares in the upper-right corner of the Safari window), Safari should open a view that shows all the Safari tabs in my current window, as well as the Safari tabs in my other nearby iOS devices.

For me, the macOS tabs show up just fine, but the iCloud tabs do not appear. I depend on this feature, so I dug around the net to find a workaround while I waited for the Sierra beta that fixed this problem. […]

Apple’s employee number one

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Craig Cannon, interviewing Apples’ first employee (beyond Steve Jobs and Woz), Bill Fernandez:

Craig: So at what point do Woz and Jobs come together and decide that they want to start working on Apple?

Bill: Okay, well during this Hewlett-Packard period when Woz and I were both there, Woz in the after hours designed his own Pong game. Pong was the first really popular, you know, video game that bars and pizza shops and restaurants could buy and put it in stores and people would come and put quarters in and play. So he built his own circuitry and used it with a small black and white TV set as the display.

Then a couple of things happened. He started working on building his own computer and he started attending the Homebrew Computer Club that was happening at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, SLAC.

So all of those things happened at the same time and then as his computer came together he would take it and show it off after the meetings. At some point there was enough interest shown that Jobs became aware of this. I don’t know if he went to the Homebrew Computer Club or just when he and Woz were together Woz was talking about it. Basically Jobs said, “You know, we could make printed circuit boards and just sell the computer already assembled so people wouldn’t even have to buy all the parts on the open market and figure out how to wire them together. We could just do it for them.” And so that was the beginning of Apple Computer.

Jobs got a printed circuit board made and he figured out where to get all the parts. They decided what to name the company and then, this is funny, Jobs got a front office front. There was a company at 770 Welch Road. If you look at the old literature that was their address, Apple’s mailing address. So there was this company on the second floor that had people who would answer the phone and depending upon what number was called would say, “Hello, this is Apple Computer, how can I help you?” And would receive packages mailed to Apple Computer and would mail things from Apple Computer. Jobs was working in his father’s garage and in his bedroom, you know, and this was like our front to make it look legit.

This is a nice, long interview, with lots of edge-on views of the stuff of legend, the birth of Apple.

Top Australian banks pursue collective boycott of Apple Pay

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Graham Spencer, writing for MacStories:

In a rather extraordinary move, four of Australia’s largest banks have written to Australia’s competition regulator requesting permission to join together in a collective boycott whilst they negotiate with third-party mobile wallet services including Apple Pay, Android Pay and Samsung Pay.

And:

At the heart of their request is the claim that third party wallet providers have the power to “impose highly restrictive terms and conditions”. The banks point out that 90% of smartphones sold in Australia run iOS or Android, and Samsung is the leading manufacturer of Android phones. Therefore, they claim, Google has significant bargaining power over Android, Samsung over Galaxy phones, and Apple over iPhones. But it is Apple that the banks say “has particularly significant bargaining power in negotiations relating to Apple Pay due to its control of both a key operating system and key mobile hardware”. They point out that in Australia the iPhone has a share of 41.2% of the market and Apple sells the two most popular phones on the market.

And:

The banks also make the argument that Apple has refused to permit third-party apps from accessing the NFC functionality contained in recent iPhones, unlike other manufacturers. They argue that it is inconsistent with other hardware and software features Apple has introduced such as the iPhone camera, accelerometer, and Touch ID sensor which are available to third-parties.

This is a first domino, a potential precedent.

Six caught in attempted fraud at Chicago area Apple Stores

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Chicago Tribune:

Six people from New York state have been charged in “an organized criminal enterprise” during which fraudulent transactions allegedly were attempted at an Apple store in Deer Park, according to Lake County authorities.

The sheriff’s office obtained information last week that the enterprise was attempting to make fraudulent purchases at various Apple stores in the Chicago area, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office. Further investigation revealed the suspects were using stolen identities and stolen credit card numbers of victims throughout the country to make the purchases, police said.

Christopher Covelli, a spokesman for the sheriff’s office, said the suspects would fly into O’Hare International Airport, rent a car and go to Apple stores to attempt to make purchases.

Google rolls out new version of Google Maps – a love letter to Apple Maps

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I do a lot of long drives, and over time, have made the shift to Apple Maps. Apple Maps has made obvious, continuous improvements since its rollout and it serves me well. I made a long trek this weekend and was pleased when Apple Maps weighed in, mid-route, with a suggested alternate route to save me time due to an accident ahead.

Accepting this new guidance took a single tap and the new route got me there faster. How do I know? Because Apple Maps shows me my expected arrival time, and with the new route, that expected arrival time changed. And proved accurate.

Add the Apple Watch to this mix. I love the fact that as I drive, I get steadily updated turn by turn directions on my Apple Watch, with haptic taps on my wrist to remind me of upcoming turns.

Apple Maps does a terrific job of getting me where I need to go.

Is this new version of Google Maps better? Here’s an experiment to try. Go to the announcement page, then scroll down to the video that shows off the interface. Use Apple Maps to head over to Oakland, California, then follow the video as it zooms in to the Rockridge area. Zoom in as the video zooms in, eventually revealing places of interest on College Ave, south of Route 24.

What do you think? Which shows more, Google Maps or Apple Maps? Is one noticeably better than the other? If anything, I’d say that Google Maps is catching up to Apple Maps, where it used to be the other way around.

I’m glad to see these improvements to Google Maps, good to have an alternative. But it was definitely enlightening to see them side by side. As always, give this a try, judge for yourself.

The Apple goes mushy

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Nicholas Windsor Howard shares his thoughts on what he perceives as a decline of the OS X interface. There’s a lot to process here, a reasoned, well thought out essay.

Just a taste:

In Apple’s view, an icon depicting a camera and a photo was too literal for an application that handles photos. Therefore, when iPhoto gave way to its replacement in 2015—Photos—the previous carefully-rendered icon gave way to this bland, meaningless rainbow abstraction.

Is the move from the obvious to the minimalistically abstract a step up? A step down? Read this, decide for yourself.

Apple earnings call expectations

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If you are interested in Apple’s upcoming earnings call, spend a few minutes looking through these Above Avalon charts, which lay out the numbers, making it easy to see the numbers Apple needs to hit to meet expectations.

Terrific job by Neil Cybart pulling these together.