[VIDEO] Longtime friend of The Loop Rene Ritchie has launched a new YouTube channel. Of course, go subscribe.
But that aside, check out the announcement video, embedded in the main Loop post. Playing off his “This…is Vector” open, Rene calls on a little help from his friends. Nice.
CNN:
It started its life as “Neue Haas Grotesk,” a boringly descriptive moniker which included the name of its maker (the Haas foundry), its design type (neo-grotesque or realist) and the fact that is was new (or “neue” in German).
“The original name sucked,” said Shaw. The name Helvetica, which means “Swiss” in Latin as a homage to its country of origin, was adopted in 1960 to make it easier to sell it abroad.
And:
But it didn’t take long before it became the standard for advertising and corporate branding in the US: “In 1967 it creeps into the design for the Yankee Stadium,” said Shaw, “And by 1968 it’s everywhere in America — it is the typeface.”
And:
In 1984, Steve Jobs puts it in the Macintosh: “This was a key move. If Apple didn’t use it, Helvetica would have remained a designer’s preference, same as Times New Roman. Instead, it becomes the default sans serif when sans serif fonts are becoming popular among the populous and not just avant-garde designers,”
Another key adoption was the New York Subway signage and system map. Interesting bit of history.
[VIDEO] This looks like perfect, shelter-in-place family viewing. This particular video, shared by Apple and embedded in the main Loop post, is an inside look at the show.
Mark Gurman, Bloomberg:
Earlier in March, Apple shuttered many facets of its Apple Park and older Infinite Loop campuses as San Francisco Bay Area officials put in place stay-at-home orders. Later, the company told employees that specific approval is needed to gain access to an office, but identification badges remain functional.
And:
In early March, in a contrast to its normal practices, Apple started allowing engineers to take home early versions of future devices to continue work during the lockdown period. Previously, the company allowed select employees to take home nearly complete devices such as iPhones for real world testing.
And:
Taking home a future product requires the green light from the vice president of an employee’s organization. That list of staff with future devices at their homes also is sometimes reviewed by Apple’s senior vice presidents, the management team run by Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook.
Fascinating piece. Apple has built a company that revolves around secrecy, but now must allow trust to enter the equation in order to keep moving forward. A tricky and interesting problem.
[VIDEO] A detailed look at the new iPad Pro in action (video embedded in main Loop post). I love the open of this video. Such great production values. Like butter.
The whole thing is worth watching, but one part I found particularly interesting popped up at about 2:50, where a 4K .mov file is exported to 1080p on both the new iPad Pro and the 2018 model. Amazing results. To me, this shows a splitting point from the old to the new models.
[VIDEO] Two things to watch for in this iFixit teardown of the new iPad Pro, embedded in the main Loop post:
That latter point is not a complaint, just an observation. Jump to about 1:43 and see for yourself.
Compared to the fine mesh of Face ID, LiDAR dots are much larger, with a much wider spread. Makes sense. Face ID is intended for a detailed map of your face, up close, while LiDAR is intended to map, say, the walls of a room, or an arrangement of objects on a table.
Linked post from John Gruber, focused on the definition of the word “cursor”. What we typically think of as a cursor:
- The icon that moves around on the screen that you control with your mouse or trackpad.
- The vertical bar that blinks in a text editing field to indicate where typed characters will appear.
Gruber makes the case that we should use these terms, to be more precise:
- Mouse/trackpad pointer.
- Insertion point.
Read the piece. Very interesting, solid logic, well researched.
Going a little stir crazy? Follow the headline link and enter the rabbit hole that takes you on your favorite ride at your favorite Disney park. Each video includes a control to look around as you make your way through the ride.
The video quality is just OK, but if you are a fan of Disney, the experience is solid.
Alyson Krueger, New York Times:
“The rink showed up in a big, giant truck,” said David Lemmond, the hotel’s general manager.
Made by Glice, a company based in Lucerne, Switzerland, this rink requires no cold weather, special blades, electricity or water (other than for cleaning). When skating season is over, the panels can be stacked and stored.
Softer than ice when you fall, this new rink tech works well with any ice skate. Glice now has 1800 rinks worldwide. A small rink starts at only $1,200.
I wonder how they’d handle the demands of hockey skates, with their scraping, ice chewing, sideways stops.
Start off with this 9to5Mac post from Chance Miller, “Report claims new iPad Pro’s A12Z Bionic chip is just a ‘renamed A12X with an enabled GPU core’”:
In its press release for the new iPad Pro, Apple said that one of the changes with the A12Z Bionic processor was the addition of an eighth GPU core. Notebook Check, however, claims that it has confirmed the A12X Bionic processor from 2018 actually features 8 GPU cores, but that one is disabled. This would imply that Apple has simply enabled that eighth GPU core and changed the marketing name of the processor.
While this may be true, it’s worth reading this thread from Quinn Nelson:
https://twitter.com/SnazzyQ/status/1243356754554961920
In a nutshell, Quinn explains that this practice is longstanding and widespread in the industry and, likely, nothing new for Apple. And, more importantly, nothing sinister.
Another take on the so-called practice of “chip binning”:
Chip binning is a common practice in the silicon industry, and the theory goes like this: For repeatable structures like a GPU core, each added core adds to a potential defect rate. By disabling one core by design, you can ship more viable dies at a given target performance.
Joe Rossignol, MacRumors:
Apple this week acknowledged that MacBook Air models with Retina displays can exhibit anti-reflective coating issues, as indicated in a memo shared with Apple Authorized Service Providers and obtained by MacRumors.
“Retina displays on some MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro computers can exhibit anti-reflective (AR) coating issues,” the memo states.
And:
Apple has a free repair program for the anti-reflective coating issue in place internally, but it has yet to add any MacBook Air models to its list of eligible models, despite mentioning it elsewhere in the documentation. However, with Apple at least acknowledging that the MacBook Air can exhibit the issue, customers may have a valid argument for at least a free in-warranty repair.
Follow the headline link for a picture that tells the story, shows what this “staining” looks like.
Also, this from John Gruber:
I have it on good authority that the MacBook Air, retina display or otherwise, is not covered by the repair program. Unclear to me is how widespread the problem is with Airs.
Also, also, this MacBook Air “Staingate” rollup page from Michael Tsai is worth a visit.
Few people will need this, but cool to know that optical is becoming an option for Thunderbolt 3. If you need the extra cable length, optical is the path.
Ever since I was a kid, I found fiber optic cable’s ability to transmit signals over vast distances with zero degradation to be fascinating. If this interests you at all, check out this physics demo where water acts as a fiber optic “cable”.
This is one of the most enjoyable-to-read teardowns I’ve made my way through in a long time. But that aside, Apple has clearly made some headway in Mac repairability.
One nugget in particular leapt out at me:
That new trackpad cable configuration pays dividends! Where last year the trackpad cables were trapped under the logic board, they are now free to be disconnected anytime—meaning trackpad removal can happen as soon as the back cover comes off. And since the battery rests under these same cables, this new configuration also greatly speeds up battery removal by leaving the logic board in place.
This alone makes the MacBook Air a big leap forward for me. Glad to see it.
Jon Porter, The Verge:
If you’re an iPhone user with a modern Dell computer, you can now mirror your phone’s screen to your PC and control it using Dell’s Mobile Connect app. Version 3 of the iOS app lets you control your phone using your PC’s keyboard and mouse, and you can also drag and drop photo and video files to transfer them between the two devices. You can also now send SMS messages without needing to keep the iPhone app open in the foreground.
No easy thing, breaching those ecosystem walls!
As our economies grind to a crawl, some companies experience an overwhelming surge in demand. Health care and Amazon leap to mind. But as more and more of us are forced to work from home, add apps like Skype, Zoom, and Slack to that list.
Follow the headline link to read Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield’s diary of demand buildup as coronavirus became more and more real.
Matt Patches, writing for Polygon, opens with this sentence:
Last February, one of the most enjoyable sitcoms of the last few years slipped onto Apple TV Plus.
Couldn’t agree more. And clearly one of the biggest reasons for Mythic Quest’s success is Charlotte Nicdao. To me, she is the beating heart of a top-notch ensemble cast.
If you are a fan of the show, follow the link and read on. And if you’ve not yet watched, now would be an excellent opportunity to dig in.
Brad Nash, GQ:
First built as prototypes for Apple employees in the early ’90s, they obviously drew on the most prolific training shoe styles of the time, and have such become a cult relic from the sneaker scene of that time.
Follow the link, check out the pic. These kicks scream ’90s, early Apple. Paging Matthew Panzarino.
UPDATE: Here’s a link to the auction itself. Looks like the sale was in AUD, not USD. Headline updated. [H/T AppleInsider’s Mike Wuerthele]
[VIDEO] Worth watching Marques Brownlee’s take, the whole thing. But that open was just great, some pitch perfect editing. Video embedded in the main Loop post.
Matthew Panzarino, TechCrunch Editor-in-Chief, took his iPad Pro on a one-week trip to Brazil:
The trip changed my mind completely about whether I could run TechCrunch wholly from a tablet. It turns out that it was lighter, smoother and more willing than my MacBook at nearly every turn. I never went back.
Balance that comment with:
The new iPad Pro offers an attractive refresh for new buyers, but not current ones.
That last is not a complaint, as much as a note that the new A12Z Bionic processor appears to be in-line, power wise with the A12X in the previous iPad Pro, the so-called third generation, introduced in October 2018.
Obviously, there’s much more to this fourth gen iPad Pro, including the celebrated LiDAR Scanner (early days for AR, but a machine ready for those apps as they come), eight-core CPU and GPU, doubling of base storage to 128 GB and, of course, the soon-to-arrive Magic Keyboard.
Great, real world review. If you’re considering the new iPad Pro, this is worth reading.
If you’ve not visited Justin O’Beirne’s Apple Maps blog, bookmark this link and take a look around. A terrific Maps resource.
Note that you can subscribe both in RSS and email form (scroll all the way to the bottom).
DigiTimes:
Suppliers engaged in the supply chain for Apple’s new products featuring its redesigned scissor-switch Magic Keyboard are ramping up production and have seen no cutbacks in the orders despite concerns over the coronavirus, according to sources from the upstream supply chain.
And:
So far, Apple has not cut any of its orders with the upstream supply chain for 2020, but related upstream suppliers are still closely monitoring the coronavirus development.
Note that the same Magic Keyboard scissor mechanism is used in the external Magic Keyboard, shipping in May, as well as internally in the new MacBook Air and the 16″ MacBook Pro.
Mark Gurman, Bloomberg:
Apple Inc. told staff that some of its retail stores may reopen in April on a staggered basis and has extended remote work abilities for many employees through at least April 5.
And:
“For all of our retail stores outside of Greater China, we will reopen our stores on a staggered basis. At this time, we anticipate some stores may be able to open in the first half of April depending on the conditions in their community,” O’Brien wrote. “We will provide updates for each store as soon as specific dates are established.”
Take with a grain of salt, for many reasons, not the least of them being the unpredictable nature of the coronavirus spread.
That said, I’ll take it. A bit of light at the end of the tunnel.
I had a question: What’s the right way to disinfect my screens and keyboards without damaging them?
I did a lot of reading, found a lot of conflicting advice. Fortunately, I came across this Apple Support page, which offered this highlighted addition:
Is it OK to use a disinfectant on my Apple product?
Using a 70 percent isopropyl alcohol wipe or Clorox Disinfecting Wipes, you may gently wipe the hard, nonporous surfaces of your Apple product, such as the display, keyboard, or other exterior surfaces. Don’t use bleach. Avoid getting moisture in any opening, and don’t submerge your Apple product in any cleaning agents. Don’t use on fabric or leather surfaces.
Good to know.
Launch your Music app, tap the For You tab, scroll that top row to the side, and you should see a “Get Up! Mix” slide into view. For me, it was the second item, right next to my Favorites Mix.
If you don’t see it, you can also ask Siri to:
Play Get Up Mix
Both worked for me, even on my HomePod.
As to the mix itself, I absolutely love it. Great selection of songs, all of them in line with music I love. Not a dud in the bunch. Definitely worth checking out.
Apple, on their developer site:
The macOS version of your app can now be included in a universal purchase, allowing customers to enjoy your app and in‑app purchases across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS by purchasing only once.
John Voorhees, MacStories:
Prior to universal purchase, Mac apps were treated as separate products by Apple’s stores, which meant developers had to either charge separately for apps and, in some cases, jump through complex receipt-checking hoops to bundle their apps. This change should make the process of charging a single price or signing up for one subscription for apps across the Mac, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and tvOS much simpler and will enable cross-platform In-App purchases too.
Universal purchase will certainly make life simpler, both for developers and for users.
Nikkei Asian Review:
Foxconn, the top assembler of Apple’s iPhones, said it has secured enough workers to meet “seasonal demand” at all major Chinese plants, stressing a steady recovery from the labor shortage caused by the novel coronavirus epidemic on the mainland.
And:
The company is expected to hit a peak production period after July to manufacture iPhones for release in the fall.
This is certainly good news for Apple and for the economy. But it only addresses the supply side of the equation. It remains to be seen when demand for electronics will recover, given the massive impact the coronavirus crisis has had on the stock market, jobs, and buyers’ budgets.
Over the weekend, Jeff Bezos sent out a memo to all employees. Follow the headline link to read the whole thing, but here are a few excerpts: Across the world, people are feeling the economic effects of this crisis, and … Continued
Stumbled on this Cake post over the weekend, wherein Cake co-founder Chris MacAskill talks about setting up a call with Intel CEO Andy Grove behind Steve Jobs’ back.
A tiny taste:
I got Andy’s assistant on the phone. His assistants were executives-in-training who spent 2 years mentoring under Andy. I explained that if Steve heard about this call I would be fired. I justified the call by saying sometimes history has shown you have to do the right thing and keep it secret from Steve until later, as the Mac team famously did when they hid a Sony engineer in the Apple building so Steve wouldn’t find out.
I said I had no idea what Steve’s relationship with Andy was. For all I knew, Steve thought Intel chips were shit (the word Steve would have used). But I knew Steve liked people at the top of their fields who admired and mentored him. Could I meet with Andy and explain our situation so Andy could call Steve?
Great read. If you’ve got some time on your hands.
In a nutshell, fire up Siri and ask:
Do I have coronavirus?
Siri will respond by running you through the current CDC protocol, asking about fever, dry cough, and exposure to other COVID-19 cases.
Works on HomePod Siri as well.
Interestingly, if you ask Siri if you have the Chinese virus, Siri will correct you, lead you down the path to learning about coronavirus.
Frank McShan, MacRumors:
Apple this past week had set purchase limits across several of its products. For example, the new MacBook Air and Mac mini were limited to five orders per customer, the new iPad Pro was limited to two 11-inch models per customer and two 12.9-inch models per customer, and iPhones were limited to two of each model per customer.
Why the limits? Could be a campaign to combat gray-market in response to supply chain shortages.
Why lift the limit? What changed? Not clear.