Apple

A compelling case for the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil

Daniel Eran Dilger, writing for Apple Insider, put together this terrific post, detailing the hands on experience with the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil. Read on for my thoughts on the iPad Pro as a content creation tool and a compelling video that shows the iPad Pro and Pencil going through their paces.

Sir Jony Ive and Hermès

The Wall Street Journal ran a small interview this morning, giving Sir Jony the opportunity to talk about the creation of the Hermès Apple Watch and the partnership with Apple.

New Apple TV sets a very high bar

Yesterday’s “Hey Siri” event went impossibly well. Apple revealed one phenomenal new shiny after another. Since the original iPhone release back in 2007, I don’t remember an event with as much heft, as much magic, and with such terrific stage presence. To me, this was Apple in absolute top form.

Though there were a number of moments that vied for second place, by far, my favorite part of the event was the announcement of the new Apple TV. Read on for my thoughts on what is now tops on my Christmas list.

State of Apple Watch infographic

Wristly posted an infographic to lay out the details of their recent State of the Apple Watch report.

A few easily overlooked features in Photos for OS X

Jeff Carlson lays out 6 somewhat hidden features in the OS X Photos applications. I knew most of them, but as always with these sorts of posts, the real value was in the ones I didn’t know. Nice job, Jeff.

Snag a $100 iTunes gift card for only $75

An excellent find by Jeff Benjamin, over at iDownloadBlog. This eBay auction adds $100 to your iTunes balance for $75. You can buy multiple copies.

Stay classy, Sony

Gee, does this graphic look even slightly familiar? Stay classy, Sony.

“Hey Siri, give us a hint.”

Well, we’re here. Later today we’ll find out what Apple has up its collective sleeve. Here’s what to watch for, where to watch.

How to delete the iTunes Apple Music cache to save drive space

Kirk McElhearn, on the iTunes Apple Music cache:

If you use Apple Music on your computer, you’ll find that the more you listen to music, the more your hard drive’s free space dwindles. Even if you don’t save music for offline listening, iTunes stores what you listen to in a cache.

Read on for the details. It’s short/easy, but non-obvious.

Apple, the government, and access to your data

New York Times:

In an investigation involving guns and drugs, the Justice Department obtained a court order this summer demanding that Apple turn over, in real time, text messages between suspects using iPhones.

Apple’s response: Its iMessage system was encrypted and the company could not comply.

New Apple TV said to focus on games, challenging traditional consoles

Nick Wingfield, writing for the New York Times:

It’s tough to know how compelling the games on Apple TV will be until the company reveals the system this week. Yet many of the components necessary for a satisfying game experience will come with the device, the people say — including more power for better graphics, a new remote that could double as a controller and, perhaps most important, an app store to buy and download games.

The controller is critical. Is it possible to deliver a controller that serves TV, Bejeweled, and Call of Duty in a single package?

Apple and the TV market

Pavan Rajam nails it with this analysis on the past and present of Apple TV. Check the Steve Jobs quote. Prescient.

Android hits the wall

Android has really hit a sales wall. All the major OEMs are canvassed, and their results are horrid. While Apple flies.

Austin Mann: What to expect in the iPhone 6S camera

Austin Mann is not just any iPhone camera user. He’s got world class chops as a photographer and his work has been part of several different Apple marketing campaigns. He just posted his thoughts on camera-related features rumored to be part of the iPhone 6s.

Definitely worth a read.

The Apple Cisco deal may change the world (not just the enterprise)

Jonny Evans, writing for ComputerWorld:

The big news here is that Cisco networks and iOS devices will be optimized to work together “more efficiently and reliably”. That’s so important when you consider how essential Cisco is to networks across the planet with a huge presence in unified communications, SDN, the data center and wireless infrastructure.

There’s a lot more to this deal. Thoughtful read.