The tagline:
Add them together. Multiply their power.
Nice wordplay. Here’s the subhead:
Get directions on iPhone and a tap on your wrist when you need to turn. Check your heart rate on Apple Watch and track it over the last hour, day, month, or year on iPhone. When you put the two of them together, they add up to so much more.
What follows is a series of use cases, each animated in a long single-scrolling series of “pages”, ending with pages to Shop Apple Watch and Shop iPhone. Take a look.
Sarah Perez, TechCrunch:
Twitter is developing a new in-app system for requesting verification, according to a recent finding from reverse engineer Jane Manchun Wong, which Twitter has since confirmed.
Follow the link, check out the image to see where this sits in the interface.
And if you haven’t already listened to the Twitter Pettiness episode of the Dalrymple Report, take a listen. Can’t help but wonder how this will play out for us.
Follow the headline link to see a detailed image of the updated Apple Maps satellite image of the road leading up to the White House.
This view of the now-renamed portion of 16th St. in Washington D.C . has evolved over the weekend. If you zoom in on Apple Maps, you’ll see the new name as you make your way south, towards the White House, to where the street ends. And if you switch to satellite view, you’ll see the linked image (which is from a comment on this Reddit post).
Patently Apple:
The synthetic group selfie can be a composition of still images, stored video images, or live streaming video images. The computing device can automatically arrange the individual selfies into the synthetic group selfie.
Like all patents, existence of the patent doesn’t guarantee that the underlying idea will ever see the light of day.
Great concept. Key here will be the implementation. I would love the ability to take a selfie with friends scattered across the country, even around the world, and have the result feel seamless, as if we were all within arms reach.
Danielle Prokop, The Santa Fe New Mexican:
Forrest Fenn, an 89-year-old Santa Fe author and artifacts dealer, said his treasure chest hidden in the Rocky Mountains in 2010 was found last week.
“It’s true,” Fenn told The New Mexican in a phone call Sunday, adding that the finder of his chest located the valuable goods “a few days ago.”
I love a good treasure hunt story. This one spans a decade, starting when Forrest Fenn put out the word that he’d hidden a chest full of loot, said to be worth more than $1 million, somewhere in the Rocky Mountains.
Taking this all with a grain of salt, since we’ll never see video of the treasure, of it being hidden, nor of it being found.
And:
An estimated 350,000 people have hunted for Fenn’s treasure. Some quit their jobs to do so. But it’s had deadly consequences. At least five people have died while searching for the chest.
And:
In December, David Harold Hanson of Colorado Springs, Colo., sued Fenn for $1.5 million, claiming he has deprived him of the treasure through fraudulent statements and misleading clues.
All adds to the fascination.
Following the resignation of co-founder Alexis Ohanian, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman posted next steps in moderating hate, efforts that will no doubt be watched closely by teams at Twitter and Facebook.
Take a minute or two to read the post. Can this work? I really hope so.
Sarah Perez, TechCrunch, writing about a new Qustodio survey:
Kids ages four to 15 now spend an average of 85 minutes per day watching YouTube videos, compared with 80 minutes per day spent on TikTok.
And:
Kids are now watching twice as many videos per day as they did just four years ago. This is despite the fact that YouTube’s flagship app is meant for ages 13 and up.
And:
The next largest app for online video is Netflix, watched by 33% of U.S. kids, 29% of U.K. kids and 28% of kids in Spain.
To me, this reflects the splintering we are seeing in streaming services, as Disney Plus, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, Peacock, Hulu, HBO Max, CBS Online, BritBox, and a host of others fight for our monthly budget and threaten Netfix’s dominance.
Reddit:
I work with adults, some of whom have significant challenges when interacting with technology due to severe physical disabilities (Spinal Cord Injury, CP, Brain Injury to name examples). My organization works with them to engage technology through Assistive or Adapted equipment/software/devices. I have ALWAYS been very happy with Apple’s ability to intertwine accessibility into their OS’s.
And:
Being that the voice control feature (which is kick a$$) requires someone to basically learn a new language of specific terms and phrases in order to effectively use the feature, I went on a search for a “master list” of sorts in hopes to stumble upon something. I was wrong.
First things first, if you’ve never worked with Voice Control:
Voice Control is an amazingly powerful part of Apple’s assistive technology. And you can customize it to your particular needs (tap Create New Command…).
The issue raised in the Reddit post is a lack of documentation, a resource to help guide new users through the pretty massive tree of possibilities. As is, Voice Control is self-documenting, that is, you learn by tapping through the tree of commands to learn what’s there.
From the post:
Can you imagine having to following all of the steps without conventional keyboard shorts and unable to physically touch and navigate your device?
Not sure how this could be made better, but thought this was worth raising. At the very least, worth exploring this so you know what’s there, especially if you are the tech support for others in your life.
Just a slice of Tim Cook’s post:
This is a moment when many people may want nothing more than a return to normalcy, or to a status quo that is only comfortable if we avert our gaze from injustice. As difficult as it may be to admit, that desire is itself a sign of privilege. George Floyd’s death is shocking and tragic proof that we must aim far higher than a “normal” future, and build one that lives up to the highest ideals of equality and justice.
Will all that’s happening around us change us at a fundamental level? Or will we slide back to “normal”?
I believe that fundamental change is possible. I’ve seen it in my life, I’ve seen it in others. We just can’t accept “normal” anymore.
Michael Steeber, 9to5Mac:
Activism sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis has spread across all 50 US states. Apple Stores have been swept up in the momentum, looted and vandalized as some protests turned to violence. Now, some peaceful protestors are reimagining the boarded up windows of Apple Stores as canvases for a positive message.
Follow the headline link, lots of images, embedded tweets. Have to say, I love that Apple draws this kind of response, especially after all those Apple Stores were the target for destruction and looting.
[VIDEO] This is a beta, so no guarantee this will ever rollout in a public iOS release, take with a grain of salt.
That said, I find this fascinating, a doubling down on Apple News+. If Apple brings in actors to read stories, that’s certainly going to limit the scalability of audio (versus using Siri, or an automated text to speech process), but it will add a level of emotion and precision to the audio.
If I was a publisher, having Apple customize my content at no cost to me (assuming that’s the case) would make participating in Apple News+ more attractive.
Interesting experiment. Video embedded in main Loop post.
Melena Ryzik, New York Times:
Sitting in a studio in Culver City, Calif., opposite Zane Lowe, the grey-stubbled Beats 1 host and Apple Music honcho, musicians tend to unspool, even shed a tear. They talk about their albums, but also their divorces and regrets, their influences and coping mechanisms. It’s therapy, but for an audience of millions, and with a propulsive, ever-enthusiastic host who also helps shapes the narrative, and the placement, of the songs we hear.
And:
Even before the coronavirus pandemic, revealing his own struggles helped others open up. Now that everyone wants to talk about their mental state, Lowe is primed to coax unusual realness out of locked-off megastars. Hip-hop has Charlamagne tha God; comedy has Marc Maron. And pop music has Lowe.
This is a solid appreciation piece, both in its exploration of Zane Lowe’s terrific new interview podcast and in its coverage of Zane Lowe himself.
Fan of interview podcasts and of the folks who make music? Here’s a link to the podcast.
Zac Hall, 9to5Mac:
Peloton already supported AirPlay for wirelessly sending content from a support Apple device to an AirPlay compatible screen. With the introduction of the Peloton Apple TV app, members won’t need a second device for beaming classes on the big screen.
The Peloton app offers a wide range of exercises, from biking to lifting to yoga to running to stretching, all with instructors motivating you, pushing you forward. If fitness is your thing, Peloton is an excellent resource.
At first blush, bringing Peloton to Apple TV is a genius idea. Before the app, you had to use your iPhone or iPad app and stream the session to your TV via AirPlay. The Apple TV app puts all those sessions directly on Apple TV, controlled by your Apple TV remote.
So what’s not to like?
The problem is what’s missing from the Apple TV version of the Peloton app. The iOS version of the app has a wealth of information about your workouts, information that gives you, for example, a history of your workouts, information about goals you’re working towards, all information you might want to use to make a decision about what workout to choose. And none of that info is available on the Apple TV app.
You could open up the iOS app, figure out what workout to do next, then fire up the Apple TV app to start the workout. But why launch the second app when you can just AirPlay straight from your iPhone or iPad? Where’s the advantage?
And if you care about all the personal progress data, you’ll need to use the iOS app anyway. So there’s no real advantage in using the Apple TV app, at least until they flesh out the app.
To be fair to the Peloton folks, it’s no simple thing adding Apple TV support to an app. The app itself is really well done. And for folks who just want to pick a workout and go, it’s a perfect solution.
A bold experiment, bringing what was formerly a twice a day (typically) short form presentation of news to a 24/7 fire hose, CNN definitely changed journalism, tilted the world a bit.
Joseph Cox, Motherboard:
The number of users of an app which lets people listen in to police radio broadcasts across the country is nearly doubling everyday during the protests, according to its developer. As of Monday morning, ‘5-0 Radio’ had skyrocketed above apps such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to the most popular paid app, and the second most popular free app on the Apple App Store, according to Apple’s own rankings. Other similar apps have also jumped in popularity.
No surprise. Just found it notable.
Benjamin Mayo, 9to5Mac:
Apple Music is joining in a music industry wide ‘Black Out Tuesday’ campaign, to raise awareness for Black Lives Matter in the wake of Minneapolis resident George Floyd being killed whilst under police arrest. Apple CEO Tim Cook previously tweeted his support of the protests happening across the US and around the world.
And:
You can access your music library, and search the Apple Music catalog, as normal.
You’ll no doubt see the #TheShowMustBePaused hashtag today. To learn more, start here.
Hollywood Reporter:
Kang-Lowe, who will bring Oscar winner Alfonso Cuaron with her as a client, has set up an exclusive deal with Apple TV+.
Cuaron is best known as the writer of Roma, Gravity, and Children of Men. Gal Gadot has already signed a deal with Apple TV+ to exec produce and star in “Hedy Lamarr”.
Her client roster reads like a who’s who of Hollywood, with producers, writers, directors and talent including Riz Ahmed, Simon Beaufoy, Damien Chazelle, Deborah Chow, Ryan Coogler, Guillermo del Toro, Gillian Flynn, Gal Gadot, Lisa Joy and Jonah Nolan, Lena Waithe, and Steven Zaillian.
Big get for Apple.
Chance Miller, 9to5Mac:
Apple and Goldman Sachs have once again announced an extension of the Apple Card Customer Assistance Program, allowing users to skip their June payments without penalty.
To ask about this program:
That’s it. They should take it from there.
[VIDEO] Mythic Quest co-creator Rob McElhenney talks about creating the special, one-off, quarantine episode of Mythic Quest. I love the show, and especially loved this episode. Video embedded in main Loop post.
Justin Kahn, 9to5Mac:
If Apple were to make a drum synthesizer, it would probably be dead simple so anyone can use it, while still offering up just enough control over the sounds to do some serious damage right? Probably. And that’s exactly what it just did here. But don’t be fooled by how simple its sound design controls/synth engine appears, this is just one piece of the puzzle. I initially thought that it looked way too simple to be all that useful, especially with the new Quick Sampler now in everyone’s LPX arsenal. I was wrong.
If you are interested in creating electronic music wit Logic Pro, this walkthrough is worth reading.
Follow the link to read the thoughtful memo, in its entirety.
Michael Steeber, 9to5Mac:
Apple has temporarily closed the majority of its US retail stores for the safety of employees and customers as protests sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis continue to spread across the nation. Numerous Apple Stores from coast to coast have been targeted by looters, damaged, or preemptively secured and emptied of sales floor merchandise to deter damage.
A jarring wave of images and video have made their way across twitter over the last few days, shots of Apple Store glass doors being broken, forced open, and stores being looted.
Apple:
With the health and safety of our teams in mind, we’ve made the decision to keep a number of our stores in the US closed on Sunday.
Current plan seems to be to start reopening some stores on Tuesday, with limited, curfew-respecting hours.
Apple Music:
One thing that today’s biggest artists have in common: They all speak with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe about their lives and the stories behind their songs. Hear why he is the interviewer the biggest stars open up to in these candid, in-depth conversations, now available in full on Apple Podcasts.
Seven episodes dropped this weekend, including interviews with:
Gruber, pulling no punches. Funny as hell.
I do appreciate this feature, lets me compose a tweet in the wee hours, have it hit in the morning. But I do wish it was rolled out in the official iOS app.
Not sure if the API that makes this feature possible will be opened up to 3rd party apps. I certainly hope so.
Russell Holly, iMore:
Shark Tank. The Weather Report. Tiger King. Disney Sing-Along. Community. These five things, and countless others, have one very clear thing in common while we’re all stuck in separate rooms. In each of these television events, the people staring into the camera and laughing, singing, or talking at you about something are all wearing Apple’s AirPods. It’s the best advertising Apple never asked for, but makes a crystal clear statement about the state of the headphone market.
This is Apple’s world now, and everything else is just taking up space on the shelf at the electronics shop.
First time I noticed this phenomenon was at airports. In the months following the release of the original AirPods, I started to see more and more people in airports with AirPods instead of wired headphones. I remember counting the people with each new trip, until the number of people with AirPods became too numerous for me to track.
With all the remote broadcasting made necessary by the pandemic, AirPods have become standard wear everywhere you look. Amazing.
Michael Steeber, 9to5Mac:
256 of 510 Apple Stores across the globe are now open, including Thursday morning’s reopening of three locations in North Carolina and two in Virginia.
Amazing. Feels like a whole different universe, the before COVID-19 and this new reopening. Can’t help but wonder what social distancing habits will be with us for the long haul, what long term changes will come to brick and mortar shops and restaurants.
Apple:
Hailed as “the most beautiful woman in the world,” Hedy Lamarr was first exalted and iconized, then destroyed and eventually forgotten by American audiences, all the while keeping her brilliant mind active through a series of inventions, one of which became the basis for the spread spectrum technology we use today.
I am incredibly excited about this project. Hedy Lamarr was an inspiration for me, breaking through barriers in pursuit of a technical dream.
From Hedy’s Wikipedia page:
At the beginning of World War II, Lamarr and composer George Antheil developed a radio guidance system for Allied torpedoes, intended to use frequency-hopping spread spectrum technology to defeat the threat of jamming by the Axis powers. She also helped improve aviation designs for Howard Hughes while they dated during the war.[9] Although the US Navy did not adopt Lamarr and Antheil’s invention until 1957, various spread-spectrum techniques are incorporated into Bluetooth technology and are similar to methods used in legacy versions of Wi-Fi. Recognition of the value of their work resulted in the pair being posthumously inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2014.
Lamarr was completely self-taught. She had an intuitive intellect, followed it constantly. The world was not kind to Hedy Lamarr, an unappreciated genius. Looking forward to this series.
Variety:
Francesca Gregorini, the writer and director of “The Truth About Emanuel,” filed the suit in January, accusing Shyamalan of lifting her story and “bastardizing” it through a male gaze.
Both works are about a grieving mother who cares for a doll as if it were a real child, and her relationship with a female baby-sitter.
But Walter ruled that sharing a premise is not a violation of copyright law.
This one was thrown out on lack of merit, with the judge saying, “Beyond this unprotectable shared premise, the works’ storylines diverge drastically and quickly.”
One thing HBO Max brought to the table was the Studio Ghibli catalog, including one of my all-time favorite movies, Spirited Away.
I love that HBO Max offers the movie in both the dubbed English version (some great voice work there) as well as in the English-subtitled original Japanese.
But HBO Max also brings lots of other movies to the catalog, including the edgier list of 10 in the linked Ringer post.
A bit confused at the difference between all the different HBO flavors. But if I only had HBO Max, that’d scratch that itch.