Apple

Useful second life for old watches?

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Reddit:

I imagine and wish Apple could implement a software download that allowed my old series zero to be handed down to my child with things like fitness and calendars still available. Maybe not even calendars.

I know the watch currently requires a phone but perhaps that could be tied to the “parent” device? Would anyone else be interested in this? How could it work?

I think there’s a germ of a great idea here. Maybe a dumbed down version of watchOS that let an older Apple Watch continue to serve and be a first-class citizen, able to communicate with the current version of iOS, but with a much smaller feature set. Still useful, an entry level device for kids, keeping old Apple Watches out of the waste stream.

Apple and Disney threaten to crush cable TV

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Jon Markman, TheStreet:

The culprit is cost. The industry is riddled with bait-and-switch plans that start low and steadily ratchet higher in price with hidden fees. The experience is complicated by poor customer service.

Apple plans to offer a service similar to Amazon’s Channels. The idea is users can select the channels they want and pay a monthly fee. The company will bundle content from the likes of HBO, Showtime, AMC, CBS and others, plus throw in its shows as they come on stream.

It will be completely transparent, and backed by Apple customer service.

To me, this is the core of Apple’s advantage and potential to disrupt the cable TV business model. If Apple could offer internet service, cable would be toast. The lack of competition in that space, and the absolute dependency on cable for internet service is what makes this complicated.

Opinion: Apple Music’s human curation falls apart when it comes to less mainstream tastes

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Terrific analysis by Ben Lovejoy, 9to5Mac. Apple’s motivations aside, I think music curation is a tough problem to solve.

My musical tastes are all over the place. People who know me very well, musicians who share much of my musical tastes, have a difficult time making recommendations for me. It’s just not easy to figure out what music will press that button for someone.

That said, I’d like to see more experimental interfaces that make it possible for me to wander my musical tree on the fly. I’d like to play some music that I love, then have an interactive training session, via Siri, purely dedicated to exploring “more like this” kind of music, where I can do more than just love or hate the presented choices. Something more conversational that allows me to express specifics of what I enjoy or dislike.

For example, I love soulful music that contains technical artistry (e.g., great singing, complex harmonies, or technical guitar, piano skill, etc.) If you and I were listening to music together, I could point all these things out. But if all I get is “love” or “don’t love”, it becomes much harder to convey the subtlety of my personal tastes.

All this said, I think this ability is coming. With advancements in processing complexity and machine learning, I believe a new window to modeling musical tastes is opening. I have no doubt that someone, somewhere will crack this problem.

Apple is working on an iPhone that works better in the rain

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Malcolm Owen, AppleInsider:

Most smartphone users will have experienced issues when using their devices with wet hands or in the rain, with residual water on fingers sometimes causing the display to incorrectly detect or fail to sense touches or swipes.

And:

According to two patent applications published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Thursday, both titled “Finger tracking in wet environment,” Apple suggests the use of filtering to determine whether a detected touch is intended by the user or not. This occurs before the device performs “computationally-intensive touch processing,” with the aim of reducing processing time and power usage, as well as the byproduct of improved usage in wet weather.

As Apple increases the power of their processors, devices gain more of an ability to analyze all parts of the user experience. Computational photography and machine learning are starting points, but real time “touch processing” is another. Can’t wait to see what other features lurk in the iPhone’s future.

Massive iPad deployment at Ohio State paying long-term dividends

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Andrew O’Hara, Apple Insider:

When The Ohio State University partnered with Apple to provide 65 thousand iPads over the next five years to its entire campus, it meant more than just giving each student a cool piece of tech. The deal marked a profound shift in university’s investment in technology, one that would have far-reaching implications.

And:

Starting with lower-level general education classes, OSU is looking to launch their own digital bookstore for much cheaper textbooks. In the chemistry class OSU trialed the digital initiative, students paid $20 for the digital copy of the course materials, rather than $250 for the physical copy.

This cost savings alone makes the iPad rollout a huge win. But the school has seen improvement in grades and a higher overall student engagement. This experiment was a huge success, and a big win for Apple in education.

Tim Cook: Being gay is God’s greatest gift to me

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This video is relatively short (about 2 minutes) and the headline is from a quote right at the end, which doesn’t do the clip justice. This is Tim Cook talking about standing up for what is right, for who you are.

Watch it. Inspiring.

Shot on iPhone XS: Users share their Portrait mode photos with Depth Control

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Apple:

Photographers from around the world are capturing stunning photographs on iPhone XS using Portrait mode, taking advantage of its new Depth Control feature that makes it possible to adjust the depth of field to create photos with a sophisticated bokeh effect. An update coming soon brings Depth Control to real-time preview, allowing photographers to change the amount of background blur before the shot is taken.

These images pulled from the #ShotoniPhone tag across social media highlight the enhanced Portrait mode on iPhone XS, showing advanced photography techniques that everyone can use.

Take a look at the photos. Gorgeous. To me, these are as good as any shots I could have shot with a film camera (I am an amateur, but still, great stuff).

I wish Apple would put together a page with lots of sample photos you could play with, sliding a depth slider, trying all the different lighting modes, just to get a sense of all the different possibilities.

Using dark mode in CSS with MacOS Mojave

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Nice little article on making your web page dark mode friendly. I believe this tag only works with the latest Safari beta, but it won’t hurt to add the code to your pages now.

iPhone gaffe that could cost Vladimir Putin’s ‘god-daughter’ £1.25m

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First things first, there were a number of articles about this, but most sourced this Mirror article, and the headline made me laugh.

On to the story, from the Mirror:

Russian president Vladimir Putin’s ‘goddaughter’ may have lost an incredible £1.25million after she was caught on camera using her iPhone.

Ksenia Sobchak, a journalist, politician and reality TV show host, is the face of rival smartphone manufacturer Samsung.

But the 36-year-old was caught on camera using her iPhone X – despite trying to hide it under a sheet of paper – during a television interview.

Apparently, Sobchak’s Samsung contract requires her to only use a Samsung device when in public. Ouch.

Apple just killed the ‘GrayKey’ iPhone passcode hack

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Thomas Brewster, Forbes:

Multiple sources familiar with the GrayKey tech tell Forbes the device can no longer break the passcodes of any iPhone running iOS 12 or above. On those devices, GrayKey can only do what’s called a “partial extraction,” sources from the forensic community said. That means police using the tool can only draw out unencrypted files and some metadata, such as file sizes and folder structures.

Previously, GrayKey used “brute forcing” techniques to guess passcodes and had found a way to get around Apple’s protections preventing such repeat guesses. But no more. And if it’s impossible for GrayKey, which counts an ex-Apple security engineer among its founders, it’s a safe assumption few can break iPhone passcodes.

This does sound promising, but I’ll take it with a grain of salt. Like jailbreaking a phone, this sort of thing is hard to quash completely. And certainly incredibly difficult to prove, one way or the other.

Shortcuts: Apple embraces tinkering for the first time in 20 years

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Stu Maschwitz:

Steve Jobs famously described the computer as “a bicycle for our minds.” Whether or not you’ve heard that before, it’s worth refreshing your memory on the context by watching this short video. The gist is that humans aren’t very efficient at getting around when compared to the rest of the animal kingdom, but because we are “tool builders,” we can more than make up for it. The tools we create magnify our capabilities. They make us better versions of ourselves. And the computer, Jobs believed, is “the most remarkable tool that we’ve ever come up with.” So what a bicycle can do for our bodies, a computer can do for our minds.

This is the opener of a terrific essay about Shortcuts, and the road that meandered to it.

If you have even the slightest interest in Shortcuts or inclination to tinker, put your feet up, grab a beverage, and savor this.

iPhone XR: The reviews are in

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Scroll through Apple’s iPhone XR quote gallery. Can’t remember the last time an Apple product has been so positively received and recommended.

Watch Tim Cook deliver his fervent privacy speech

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[VIDEO] Take two minutes to watch Tim Cook speak (video embedded in the main Loop post). The content of his speech is strongly held, fervently delivered. I really got caught up in it.

Has he memorized this speech? I might just be missing it, but if he is reading from a teleprompter, he’s hiding it very well.

No matter, interesting to watch this political side of Tim Cook emerge, especially as compared with those early Apple rollouts, as he first dipped his toes in the keynote waters.

Apple’s upcoming TV service to launch in 100+ countries in 2019, starting with the U.S.

Written by

Juli Clover, MacRumors:

According to The Information, Apple’s original content will be made available for free to Apple device owners, a rumor we heard earlier this month from CNBC.

While Apple’s content will be available at no cost, Apple will encourage users to sign up for television subscriptions from other cable networks such as HBO or STARZ.

And:

By making third-party content available via the streaming service and launching it in most countries around the world, Apple will be able to better compete with Amazon Prime Video and Netflix, both of which are available in 190+ countries.

What will the service be called? How will it be delivered? Looking forward to all the details rolling out.

But one point stands out to me: By rolling their own content and by limiting the possibility of any controversial content, Apple has no legal/political/licensing limitations on where they can roll out that content. Very smart.

Phil Schiller on the iPhone XR

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Interesting Engadget piece on the iPhone XR: Half review, half interview with Phil Schiller, all of it a good read.

A few tidbits:

The iPhone XR might be the most interesting phone Apple has made in years.

Think about it: Apple just released its flagship XS and XS Max to a chorus of positive reviews, and now here it is, a month later, preparing to launch another smartphone that packs many of the same features found in those really expensive ones. For Apple, this is all a little unheard of.

Seems to me, this is the new normal, Apple easing into a new model for releasing and marketing iPhones. Having the same processor across the new product line has got to make life easier, production more cost effective.

“We had this technology we were working on for many years to be the future of the iPhone,” Schiller said of the X. “It was a huge ask of the engineering team to get it to market last year, and they did. … We knew that if we could bring that to market and it was successful very quickly after that, we needed to grow the line and make it available to more people.”

And:

“I think the only way to judge a display is to look at it,” he told me, adding that Apple calls these screens “retina displays” because your eye can’t discern individual pixels unless you press your face up right against the glass. “If you can’t see the pixels, at some point the numbers don’t mean anything. They’re fairly arbitrary.” And when asked if the screen was to blame for the XR’s staggered release, he simply said, “This is when it’s ready.”

It is interesting to see this lowest tier of the new product line be so highly recommended. Part of this is Apple’s proven genius with materials. Consider this quote from Ben Bajarin:

The Xr feels more premium than all its high-end Android competitors which bodes well for Apple.

No company has experimented more with material science/metals than Apple to get to where they are today.

Absolutely true.

John Gruber’s iPhone XR review

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A long, satisfying review. Lots to process, but a few things that stand out:

Only the iPhone XR offers a 128 GB storage tier, and it’s just $50 more. If you want more than 64 GB with an iPhone XS, you’ve got to pay $150 more than the base price and jump all the way to 256 GB. So in terms of what I would actually recommend for most people — getting the storage tier one level above entry level — the 128 GB iPhone XR costs $350 less than the 256 GB XS and $450 less than the XS Max.

People who are looking for some way that iPhone XR purchasers are getting screwed have it backwards. If anyone is getting screwed on pricing, it’s XS and XS Max purchasers, who don’t have the option of buying a 128 GB device for just $50 more than the baseline 64 GB models.

With anything beyond the free iCloud storage tier enabled, 128GB of storage should be more than enough. And, I’d argue, even 64GB should be enough as well, at least for most people. But for only $50, the leap to 128GB seems a no-brainer.

Another bit that stood out to me followed a series of images John took of his son. Take a look at the images, then read on:

In short, Portrait Mode is usable on the XR in some low light situations where it’s unusable on the XS.

Very interesting. I suspect this is something that could be addressed in a future software release. I can’t imagine the XS and XS Max can’t be tuned to solve this problem, but the proof is in the pudding.

Great read.

Apple’s updated iPhone repair pricing

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Apple has updated their repair pricing sheets to add the iPhone XR.

What I find most fascinating about this list is that pricing goes all the way back to the iPhone 3G. Take a look, and a walk down iPhone memory lane.

Apple’s brand new USB-C Apple Watch charger. A sign of things to come?

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Juli Clover, MacRumors:

Alongside the iPhone XR, Apple today released a new 0.3m Magnetic Apple Watch Charger that’s equipped with a USB-C connector for the first time.

An odd product. Vastly more people have iOS gadgets than Macs, and therefore are set to charge with USB-A instead of USB-C.

Is this simply a niche product for the few who have built their charging lives around USB-C? As opposed to the Mac folks who (I’d wager) all have a USB-A dongle, just in case they need to charge their Apple Watch on their Mac.

Maybe it’s that simple, that this is just a product (after all this time) for folks who need a USB-C specific solution for charging their Apple Watch.

It’s the “after all this time” part that tickles my brain. Why now? Is there some function coming to Apple Watch that can only be delivered via USB-C? As opposed to via a USB-A adapter?

Is there still the chance of USB-C making an appearance on a non-Mac product?

This cable feels like a crossover product, spreading USB-C adoption beyond the Mac.

Piper Jaffray survey: Record 82% of U.S. teens have iPhones

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Philip Elmer-DeWitt, quoting a Piper Jaffray survey update:

Apple’s share of smartphone ownership was unchanged in the Piper Jaffray Taking Stock With Teens survey. Of ~8,500 respondents, 82% have an iPhone, the highest percentage we have seen in our survey. The iPhone may have room to move higher, however, with 86% of teens anticipating their next phone to be an iPhone, the highest ever recorded in our survey (up from 84% in Spring-18). Android was the runner up with 10%, down from 11% in the spring.

This is US teens, not world-wide ownership. But strong news for Apple, increasing their hold on the next generation of (well heeled?) phone buyers.

A compelling pitch for working at Apple

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[VIDEO] From Apple’s newly redesigned Jobs at Apple site:

We bring amazing people together to make amazing things happen.

We’re a diverse collective of thinkers and doers, continuously reimagining our products and practices to help people do what they love in new ways. That innovation is inspired by a shared commitment to great work — and to each other. Because learning from the people here means we’re learning from the best.

This is a love letter, calling to creative people who want a place to work that channels their best, gives them an opportunity to create innovative products.

The video embedded in the main Loop post does a nice job bringing this all home. Really well done. [Via MacRumors]

iPhone X, XS, XS Max, and XR specs, side by side

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Scroll down towards the bottom of the article for a nice data table filled with all the specs for the three newest models, alongside the iPhone X. A terrific way to see what’s new and different for each model.

M.G.Siegler: A Few Thoughts on the iPhone XS Max

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M.G. Siegler:

A month later, I think I’ve determined I actually prefer the ‘X’ — and now the ‘XS’ — size. This wasn’t the case when “downgrading” from a ‘Plus’ phone to the “regular” iPhone in generations past — I found the smaller versions to be almost comically small when switching between the two. With the ‘Max’ to the ‘X’ or ‘XS’, to be honest, I just like the latter form factor more — I find it to be a more natural size that feels better in the hand.

The comically small comment is interesting to me. I know a host of people who yearn for a new version of the SE form factor. There are people with small hands and/or terrific eyesight and/or small pockets that miss that size.

Same thing with Apple Watch. There are people with smaller wrists for whom even the old 38mm form factor was too large.

My instinct here is that the reason Apple won’t stay small is not strictly a market research response (i.e., customers don’t want small) but, instead, that Apple recognizes how hard it is to pack all the technology they have now and foresee in the future in a small package.

Add to that, a smaller package means smaller batteries, which doesn’t scale well, since the tech itself doesn’t shrink with a smaller enclosure.

Back to M.G.’s writeup:

Obviously, your mileage may vary, but I think part of my feeling is due to the fact that unlike when the ‘Plus’ models hit, it doesn’t seem like developers have really done anything to tailor their apps for the larger screen of the ‘Max’. Apple did, but not in the same way as they did with the ‘Plus’, where the entire OS changed in landscape mode, for example (it doesn’t here). And as a result, many apps just look sort of chunky now.

This is an important point. Every time Apple makes a sea change to the process of developing an app, legacy app developers have to make a choice. Do they spend time and money “fixing” their existing apps so they take advantage of the new form factor (adopt the new “safe zones” rules so the app plays well with the notch/bigger screens), or dedicate themselves to new app development and the lure of a brand new sales/money cycle?

All of that plus the fact that the bigger model doesn’t have the better camera system this time around (again, unlike the ‘Plus’ era), puts a lot of checks in the ‘XS’ box.

All three of the new models have the same processor, too. Interesting change of strategy for Apple. And a strong case for buying the iPhone XS.

There’s more to M.G.’s review, definitely a worthy read.

Thoughts on the ambition of Apple Watch

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Jonny Evans, Computerworld:

Apple has described the Apple Watch as its “most personal device ever.” That’s not just because it sits against your skin and you can purchase snazzy new watchbands for it; it’s also because its sensors assess all sorts of personal data about you.

And:

This is an intimate device. It’s as much about who you are and what you need as what others need. Think about Apple Pay, Apple Watch as ID, or even boarding a plane thanks to the air ticket in your Apple Watch Wallet and a shake of the wrist.

And:

Does your iPhone cease to function as identity when it is no longer close to your skin? Is your iPhone eventually going to be able to tell the difference between one person and another by the unique beat of their heart? Apple Watch should be able to do just that.

Very interesting post. The Apple Watch has massive potential, especially as sensor technology evolves and the bond between you and your Apple Watch becomes much more intimate.

Reminders as my day-to-day lifeline (powered by Shortcuts)

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Matthew Cassinelli, The Sweet Setup:

Ever since the Apple Watch, Reminders has become such an engrained part of my daily life that, surprisingly, despite its design, it’s one of my most-used apps.

On a regular day, I’ll probably get a handful of reminders alerting me to do something, I’ll add a few thoughts I don’t have time to write down, and I’ll add groceries or chores that I want to get done later — actually accomplishing much more than I can say about many other apps on my phone.

But that’s because, despite getting so much from Reminders, I don’t actually use the app itself all that much.

That all started thanks to the Apple Watch and has come full circle with Shortcuts.

This is a wonderful piece, written by a member of the WorkFlow/Shortcuts team. I use Reminders all the time, and this post was eye-opening to me, expanding my Reminders’ horizons, and giving me a nice little push into a world of useful Shortcuts.

Don’t miss the list of links at the end of the article.

Apple begins selling 2018 certified refurbished MacBook Pros, deals from $1,529

Written by

9to5Toys:

Apple has refreshed its refurbished storefront this morning to now include 2018 MacBook Pros for the first time. Inventory is primarily centered around the latest 13-inch models with prices starting at $1,529. A high-end maxed-out 13-inch model is on sale for $3,139, which is good for $560 off the regular price, marking today’s biggest savings. Most of these deals work out to be around 15% off the new condition price. In recent months we’ve seen as much as $200 off 13-inch models and up to $300 off 15-inch configurations.

Here’s the link to Apple’s refurbished storefront. Have a look around.

Download your personal data from Apple’s updated privacy portal

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A couple of links associated with Apple’s updated privacy portal:

A snippet:

Apple, as a matter of company policy, believes privacy is a fundamental human right. From Tim Cook at the very top to engineers on the front line, this belief permeates Apple and drives the company’s product development process every bit as much as the technology itself. As much as Apple is designing for experience and for accessibility, the company is also designing for security and privacy.

The more I read, the more I learn about the big tech companies, I do believe this about Apple, and I do believe Apple is the only company of the majors that has this commitment.

iPhone XR available for pre-order tomorrow night just after midnight PT

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Apple:

The new iPhone XR, integrating breakthrough technologies from iPhone XS in an all-screen glass and aluminum design featuring a stunning 6.1-inch Liquid Retina display — the most advanced LCD in a smartphone — and six beautiful finishes will be available for customers to pre-order beginning Friday, October 19 at 12:01 a.m. PST on apple.com and the Apple Store app.

And:

iPhone XR will be available in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB models in black, white, blue, yellow, coral and (PRODUCT)RED starting at $749 (US)

And:

Customers will be able to pre-order iPhone XR beginning Friday, October 19 at 12:01 a.m. PST with availability beginning Friday, October 26, in more than 50 countries and territories.

Follow the headline link for all the technical details. But if you want an iPhone XR anytime soon, I’d jump on that pre-order.

Hands-on video with Adobe’s upcoming Photoshop for iPad

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[VIDEO] Great, detailed, hands-on look at the coming version of Photoshop for iPad. This is the real deal, a version of Photoshop that uses the cloud to share files between your Mac and your iPad.

Watch the video, embedded in the main Loop post, follow the headline link for the Verge review.