The linked report from Mark Gurman is full of spoilers, so don’t follow the headline link if you want to be surprised by Apple’s coming hardware event.

And the text below has one of those spoilers, a tiny one, but one I think may compel a lot of people to make the leap to a new iPhone.

Read on, fairly warned:

The new handsets will include a video version of the phone’s Portrait mode feature.

Portrait mode, and the accompanying Portrait Lighting effects brought a huge wave of excitement and, I suspect a big wave of iPhone updates. Portrait mode arrived about 5 years ago (back in September 2016), hinted at with a much-analyzed bokeh invitation.

Portrait mode was possible because of a big leap in iPhone processing power. Bringing this power to video? That’s huge, sure to bring a new wave of TikToks taking advantage of the effect. And also (IMO) sure to bring a new wave of upgrades.

As pointed out in our previous post, Apple is about to enter the big leagues in CSAM (child sexual abuse material) reporting.

John Gruber:

I do wonder though, how prepared Apple is for manually reviewing a potentially staggering number of accounts being correctly flagged. Because Apple doesn’t examine the contents of iCloud Photo Library (or local on-device libraries), I don’t think anyone knows how prevalent CSAM is on iCloud Photos. We know Facebook reported 20 million instances of CSAM to NCMEC last year, and Google reported 546,000.

Fair question. Also makes me wonder how the people who review this sort of material are protected, both emotionally (a dark, dark job, sure to mess with your psyche) and legally (they spend their day looking at illegal material — Are there special laws that protect workers like these?)

I also wonder what that job description looks like. Certainly one of the more unusual job interviews.

Ben Thompson, Stratechery:

How is it, then, that a company like Facebook, which is mostly used on mobile — i.e. Android or iOS — made 20.3 million reports of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) in 2020, while Apple made only 265? After all, there are almost certainly more photos on smartphones than there are on social networks — the former is in large part a superset of the latter.

To repeat: Facebook made 20.3 MILLION reports of CSAM. Apple made only 265.

Here’s why:

It’s not because there is somehow more CSAM on Facebook than exists on Apple devices, but rather that Facebook is scanning all of the images sent to and over its service, while Apple is not looking at what is in your phone, or on their cloud. From there the numbers make much more sense: Facebook is reporting what it finds, while Apple is, as the title of Section (3) suggests, protecting privacy and simply not looking at images at all.

And, clearly, as Apple moves from the server side to the client side (i.e., your iPhone), those numbers will likely change dramatically.

There’s much more analysis in the article, but the above really stuck out, obvious though it might be.

Also interesting was the lead-in, taken from this 2009 Online Photographer article:

The leading photo sharing site, flickr.com, charts the popularity of the cameras used by its membership. Recently the Apple iPhone has jumped into a virtual tie for first place with the Canon XTi. Furthermore, flickr states on its “Camera Finder” page that it can only detect the camera used about 2/3rds of the time, and that, therefore, cameraphones are under-represented on the graphs. Yikes.

This was the moment in time when iPhone photography showed its hand, overtook traditional cameras in popularity.

Here’s a link to Apple’s Expanded Protections for Children pdf.

I’m finding it very difficult to wrap my head around all of this. The best I can do at this point is try to read as much as possible, understand the concerns being raised, Apple’s responses to those concerns.

Mark Gurman, from his Power On newsletter:

> When Apple introduced the Apple TV in 2007, the rationale for buying one was clear: The box could store TV shows and movie files and pull media from the owner’s Mac onto the big screen. The next version in 2010 had its own unique place: It was a $99 cloud streaming device to watch Netflix, download video rentals from iTunes and AirPlay media from an iPhone or iPad. Even the 2015 model had its reason for being: the App Store.

So far, so good. But:

> Buying an Apple TV no longer gives users a content advantage. We are in the age of streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Hulu, and business models have shifted so that every service is available on every device—phones, tablets, TV sets, streaming sticks and game consoles. > > Apple, known for its closed ecosystem, is even embracing the shift by offering many services on smart TVs and boxes made by competitors. Those services include iTunes movie and TV rentals, the Apple TV app, Apple TV+, Apple Music and AirPlay.

And:

> That made the Apple TV a mostly pointless accessory, and consumers seem to agree: 2020 data from Strategy Analytics found that the Apple TV holds 2% of the streaming device market.

And:

> The product isn’t without its benefits, though, for the Apple ecosystem’s most loyal users. Integration with HomeKit, Fitness+, AirPods and the iOS remote app is useful. The new remote control and faster chip in this year’s version are definite improvements, and the box is getting SharePlay and Spatial Audio support later this year. Still, I don’t see these enhancements moving the needle for most people.

My guess: If Apple had to choose between Apple TV device sales and success of the Apple TV+ streaming service, they’d pick the latter. The former is a device that ages quickly (as tech gear does), requires constant renewal and support. And the latter can become evergreen (think of shows like The Office or Seinfeld, still bringing in a huge payday for their creators, with little additional investment required). Click here to see the best IPTV Apps for Apple TV.

> TV+ has started off slow. Analysis from Bernstein estimates Apple TV+ revenue of $2.2 billion in 2021, compared with $25 billion for Netflix last year. Apple’s initial content library was incredibly limited, and Covid-19 hit just months after launch, delaying new shows and filming on second seasons by up to two years.

Patience required here. I’d bet on continued growth for Apple TV+. As I’ve mentioned on The Dalrymple Report, Apple TV+ has raised the bar, with higher quality shows per capita than any other streaming service. Put another way, I’d bet that the average IMDb rating for every show/movie on Apple TV+ is higher than the average of every show on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, etc.

Steven Aquino, Forbes, responding to the cancellation (covered in this Loop post) of the Apple TV+ original series Little Voice:

The drama, which stars Brittany O’Grady, chronicles the trials and tribulations of aspiring singer-songwriter Bess (played by O’Grady) as she tries to overcome her fear of performing publicly and realize her dream of being a performer. The journey to find herself runs on a parallel track to her relationship with her autistic brother, Louie, played by Kevin Valdez (who has autism) as he tries to find himself in his own right by trying to live more independently.

And:

Little Voice was notable insofar as it was one of two shows on Apple’s roster—the other being the post-apocalyptic drama See—that authentically portrayed disability.

Side note: As Steven notes in his update, the Apple TV+ movie CODA (child of deaf adults) will premier this Friday.

The loss of Little Voice, while run-of-the-mill by Hollywood cancellation standards, is not an insignificant one when you consider its impact on furthering disability representation in film and television. During recent discussions about its cancellation, some fans brought up the challenge of finding new ways to support underrepresented voices in the industry, much like how platforms featuring online slots that accept credit cards have adapted to meet the growing demand for accessibility and convenience. As disability has historically been portrayed as something to be pitied and overcome—too often resulting in pandering, feel-good, ableist fodder which many in the disability community derisively refer to as “inspiration porn”—Apple deserved more acclaim by bucking this trend with not one but two shows.

Thoughtful take from Steven Aquino.

Follow the headline link, type in the name of an artist you love. Music Map offers completion if you are not certain of the spelling.

Once you find your artist, click the name and Music Map will build a tag cloud with artists related to your artist. The closer a tag is to your artist, the greater the probability that you will find their styles similar.

I’ve played with this a bit and, though it’s not perfect, I have enjoyed the rabbit hole of artists it’s led me down.

I do wish they’d link each artist to the artist page on your preferred music service. So when I click Tink, I’d get a link to Tink’s Apple Music artist page. That’d make it much easier to explore and listen.

Juli Clover, MacRumors:

According to Apple’s developer website, the second ‌AirPods Pro‌ firmware update adds support for Conversation Boost, a feature that was missing from the first beta.

Conversation Boost is an iOS 15 feature that uses the beamforming microphones in the ‌AirPods Pro‌ to boost the volume level of conversations, which is ideal for those with mild to moderate hearing challenges.

Think about being in a crowded, noisy restaurant, with a lot of bouncy surfaces and multiple people talking at once. Conversation Boost uses computational audio to focus on and amplify the sounds coming from the direction in which you are facing.

The video embedded below (from back in June) does a nice job showing this.

Kid Pix originally came out in 1989, a pretty popular alternative to MacPaint.

Open the headline link in Safari (works on any device that supports JavaScript) and give it a whirl.

This version of Kid Pix is public domain. Here’s a link to the source code.

Buried at the bottom of the linked J. J. Abrams piece:

Bad Robot also exec produced Apple’s Little Voice, which sources tell THR has been canceled after one season.

Canceling a show is tough, but a necessary part of growth, a sign of Apple raising their expectations for Apple TV+.

Rene Ritchie, on Twitter:

New Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, Magic Trackpad, and Magic Mouse that debuted with the M1 iMac are now available for individual purchase (in silver and white) from Apple. (Touch ID on the new keyboards only works with M1 Macs, including the M1 Mac mini)https://t.co/2a6JpWp0Cb pic.twitter.com/47uGZ1C0vi

— Rene Ritchie (@reneritchie) August 3, 2021

$149, or $179 with a numeric keypad. Requires “Mac with Apple silicon using macOS 11.4 or later”.

Apple:

This school year, tens of thousands of students will be able to use mobile student IDs on iPhone and Apple Watch to get around campus and make purchases. For the first time, mobile student IDs can be added to the Wallet app in Canada, starting with the University of New Brunswick and Sheridan College this year. In the US, new schools to adopt mobile student IDs include Auburn University, Northern Arizona University, University of Maine, New Mexico State University, and many more colleges across the country.

And:

In April 2021, for the first time since launching mobile student IDs in Wallet, students used their mobile IDs to make purchases and access campus buildings more than they used plastic ID cards. This fall, the University of Alabama will be the first school to exclusively issue mobile student IDs to their 38,000 students with eligible devices.

It was not so long ago that major colleges and universities were using a student’s social security number (in the US) as their actual student ID.

Moving the student ID to a student’s iPhone and Apple Watch is a huge step forward, both in convenience and in security. Will there come a day when we can use our iPhone Wallet as an airline ID (I think so)? To vote in an election?

NPR:

Angela McNamara’s first hint that her Facebook account had been hacked was an early-morning email warning that someone was trying to log into her account.

“If this is not you, don’t worry, we’re keeping your account safe,” she recalls the email from Facebook saying. But her relief only lasted a minute, when another email arrived, saying her password had been changed. Then another, notifying her that a two-factor authentication — an extra layer of security — had been set up for her account.

The article then goes into detail on the frustration of trying to contact Facebook to get your account back:

Facebook tells users to report hacked accounts through its website. The site instructs them to upload a copy of a driver’s license or passport to prove their identities.

Nope.

Anyway, this popped up on Reddit as an alternative:

“I ultimately broke down and bought a $300 Oculus Quest 2,” he said. Oculus is a virtual reality company owned by Facebook but with its own customer support system.

Sherman contacted Oculus with his headset’s serial number and heard back right away. He plans to return the unopened device, and while he’s glad the strategy worked, he doesn’t think it’s fair.

There’s a lesson here, somewhere. Still trying to work out what it is.

The new white paper, titled Mac Pro Technology Overview, is chock full of detail, well worth going through if you own, or are considering a Mac Pro.

The paper is pretty long (45 pages), so if you are interested in the new AMD modules, open the PDF and do a find for AMD, which should take you to the description of the Radeon Pro 580X MPX Module.

Also worth checking out is AMD’s Mac Pro-centric web page covering their new graphics cards.

Deadline:

Brendan Fraser (No Sudden Move) has joined the casts of Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon and Max Barbakow’s Brothers.

The former title from Apple TV + and Paramount Pictures is a crime drama, based on the bestselling book of the same name by David Grann. It’s set in 1920s Oklahoma and will examine the serial murder of members of the oil-wealthy Osage Nation—a string of brutal crimes that came to be known as the Reign of Terror.

Cool. Who else is in it?

Fraser will appear in Killers alongside Oscar winners Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio, Emmy nominated Jesse Plemons, and more. We hear that he will play lawyer WS Hamilton.

De Niro and DiCaprio. Directed by Scorsese. Mix in some Brendan Fraser (along with the under-appreciated Jess Plemons), and a budget said to be more than $200M. Yes please.

Parker Ortolani, 9to5Mac:

Microsoft’s new cloud PC system, Windows 365, has officially launched for all eligible businesses and enterprises. While it’s not available to consumers yet, we hope to see it in the future. In the meantime, I was able to go hands-on with Windows 365 on my iPad Pro. Here’s what my experience was like.

And:

Previously, we expected Windows 365 to be only accessible through a web browser. I first tried Windows 365 through Safari in iPadOS 15. It wasn’t a great experience, to be honest. But then I noticed Microsoft’s callout to the Remote Desktop app. I flew over to the App Store and downloaded the app, entered my credentials, and boom — I had a smooth virtual install of Windows running in a native app on my iPad from the App Store. Yeah, you read that correctly.

Here’s a link to the pricing page.

The plan starts at $31 per user per month. That’s $372 per year. This is for businesses, not consumer use. My sense is that this is Microsoft getting in front of the work-from-home trend, giving businesses a way to avoid the computer hardware purchase/configuration/disposal cycle.

Hard to judge the value of this pricing, but it certainly is interesting that you can run your Windows install on your Mac, then switch that exact same configuration over to your iPad.

It does feel like it will shift the burden of hardware ownership from the employer to the employee.

Michael Steeber, 9to5Mac:

Apple has developed a new iPhone display solution for its retail stores that highlights MagSafe wireless charging, eliminates cable clutter, and makes iPhones more approachable to customers.

And:

Apple’s latest solution replaces Lightning docks entirely in favor of four MagSafe chargers mounted on stainless steel arms.

Words don’t do this new display justice. Follow the headline link, check out the images.

Current displays have the iPhone jammed onto a Lightning connector, with a slight tilt. This new display raises the iPhone, reduces cable clutter, highlights MagSafe, and has a bit more tilt, for a friendlier viewing angle.

Not clear if and when these new displays will start popping up in Apple Stores and, if they do, what form they will take. As is, they are clustered together, not ideal for social distancing.

Hartley Charlton, MacRumors:

Apple has leaped from third to first place for profit and from twelfth to sixth place for revenue in the Fortune Global 500 rankings of the world’s biggest companies.

Some astonishing numbers (as reported by Fortune):

• Apple revenue: $274 billion, 6th most in the world
• Apple profit: $57 billion, 1st in the world

What makes this performance even more amazing is that they come in the midst of a worldwide chip shortage that is affecting all tech manufacturers. It shows, in my mind, that Apple is managing their supply chain exceptionally well.

Another great list from Juli Clover, MacRumors.

Worth a scan, just to keep up. My favorite bit is “Locate Lost Devices That Have Been Erased”.

Jason Snell:

I cut the cord this week.

After several years of very slowly inching my way toward the precipice, it all happened in a hurry this summer: A discovery that I preferred to watch shows via Apple TV apps, even if they were also available on my TiVo. The realization that other than “Jeopardy!” and live sports, everything I watched was streaming. Wanting to simplify my TV (and remote control) setup when a TiVo was stuck in the middle of it all.

Finally, I broke down and did the math: I could replace my Xfinity cable TV and internet with AT&T gigabit fiber internet and an over-the-top TV service. And, after swapping a few streaming service freebies (Comcast gave me Peacock, AT&T gives me HBO Max), I’d get faster internet and everything running on the Apple TV—for $65 less every month.

Back when cutting the cord was still new, the math was pretty easy. The choices were relatively few and to replicate your cable bundle, you’d spend more than you’d save.

But with the growing river of streaming options, that math has changed. You no longer need to replicate a bundle. Instead, you cherry pick a few things that are truly important to you, then add to the mix until you have more than you can possibly watch.

Though replicating the bundle is still relatively expensive, it’s easy enough and (as Jason point out) cost effective to grab what you need and add in enough to always have something interesting to watch.

Justin O’Bierne:

On July 29, 2021, Apple began publicly testing its next expansion area: the Italian Peninsula, including Italy, San Marino, and Vatican City. (Sardinia and Sicily are included; Malta is not.)

Interesting to see the animated maps, showing off the difference between the old and the new.

Don’t miss the chart listing all 12 Apple Maps expansions.

Josh Centers, TidBITS:

For over two decades, “APPLE IS DOOMED” was a common refrain in Internet discussions. Originally, it was meant in a literal sense, but once Apple was well on the road to becoming the tech titan it is today, the saying was parroted back, soaked in irony, as a rebuff to naysayers. But lurking behind those rebuffs was the very real concern that Apple was too dependent on the iPhone and that someday the world would move on, causing Apple’s business to come crashing down.

True. First, Apple was doomed, but managed to survive. Then, when iPod, colorful iMacs, iPhone, etc. hit, doomed was ironic. Then, before the services shift, there was a bit of “too dependent on iPhone” worry behind the doomed.

Imagine a heavy, cast-iron kettlebell. If you put it on top of a paper cup, it crushes the cup. Put it on top of a concrete block and the concrete block supports it just fine. But if you lift that kettlebell repeatedly (with good form), you will get stronger. The paper cup is fragile, the concrete block is robust, and your body is antifragile (even if it doesn’t always feel that way).

A fine analogy. But why is Apple Antifragile?

Most of Apple’s 500-plus retail stores, along with many of its partners’ stores, were shut down for much of 2020. Maestri said sales of the iPhone and Apple Watch were hurt by the store closures because those are more complex transactions in which customers need assistance. But more people working and learning from home created a boom in iPad and Mac sales.

And:

Store closures also hurt the AppleCare part of the Services business, and a slowdown in advertising hampered Services revenue. But those downturns were more than offset by a boom in the entertainment aspects of the Services segment (Apple Music, Apple TV+, etc.) due to lockdowns and restricted entertainment options. Again, some services were down, but others were way, way up.

In other words, the adversity of the pandemic made Apple even stronger.

I especially appreciate the bit about Apple’s strong investment in locking down the supply chain:

Have you tried to buy a PlayStation 5 or an Xbox Series X? Good luck, they’re still hard to get. No one can produce enough chips. The same goes for automobiles. Automakers have had to choose between producing cars with fewer features or not making them at all.

Apple hasn’t had this problem.

This is a fascinating, well-written article.

Think about all your Apple devices and the ways they get power. Got a list in your head? OK, read on.

Mark Gurman, PowerOn newsletter:

• Lightning: Apple uses Lightning as the connector for all of its iPhones, the entry-level iPad, the iPad mini (but not the iPad Air or iPad Pro), iPod touch, and accessories like the Apple TV remote, MagSafe Duo and Battery Pack, all AirPods products and cases, and keyboards, mice and trackpads.
• USB-C: Apple uses USB-C for the charger on the current MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iPad Pro and iPad Air.
• MagSafe for iPhone: Apple launched its large puck-shaped MagSafe charger for the iPhone 12 line last year.
• MagSafe for Apple Watch: The Apple Watch has used the same MagSafe charger since the first model in 2015.
• MagSafe for Mac: MagSafe started its Mac comeback earlier this year with a new round connector on the revamped 24-inch iMac. Expect another MagSafe design to make its way to the new MacBook Pro this year and a redesigned MacBook Air next year.

That’s five different mechanisms on currently shipping product.

More from Mark:

I believe Apple should shake up its connector lineup and slim down from five different chargers to as few as three. That would go a long way toward simplicity and better management of multiple Apple products. That should start with transitioning from Lightning to USB-C.

Imagine if Apple shipped a single cable type, USB-C to USB-C (like the cable that comes with the new MacBooks). Then, accompanied by a simple set of specialty power-savvy dongles to plug into one end, for Apple Watch and MagSafe.

Not sure if this is doable, from a power standpoint, but if so, that’d make packing up for travel a lot simpler.