Maccast 2017.06.12 - Show #617
Links
V Opening
V Opening Music
* Music is Say Anything by Manda and the Marbles
V Sponsor: Atlassian
V Bitbucket
* Let’s be honest: if you're a developer your code is your world. You create it, tweak it, and lovingly obsess over it every day. So picking the right repository management tool is super important – only the best for your code, right?
* That’s why the team at Atlassian created Bitbucket.
* Bitbucket is the Git solution for professional teams helping over 5 million developers build with a purpose.
V Bitbucket gives teams of all sizes free private repositories with state-of-the-art features like:
* The world's best “pull request” algorithm,
* Built-in continuous delivery, and
* Integrations with your favorite tools like Docker, AWS, and Azure
* Because Bitbucket comes from Atlassian, it offers the best JIRA integration available, giving your team everything you need to take your code from concept to customer.
V I've used BitBucket with several projects to help keep my team and code organized, secure, and on-track
* I loved the ease of setting things up and the ability to easily integrate with AWS was key for my project.
* They also have some unique features like branch permissions that let you control who on your team can perform what actions on a branch, branch type, or branch pattern
* Bitbucket is for the code that takes us to Mars, decodes the human genome, or drives your next car.
V Visit: Bitbucket dot org / forthecode to start your free account.
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* That’s [Bitbucket dot org / forthecode]( http://bitbucket.org/forthecode)
* Try Bitbucket today. What will your code do?
* Big thanks to Bitbucket and Atlassian for their support of the Maccast
V News
V Early HomePod impressions
* The media has had a chance to weigh in, and it's cautiously positive
V It's expensive, hey it's Apple
V Apple's justification is it's a mid to high end wireless speaker and a home assistant product in one.
* Sure, but Apple needs to prove itself on both fronts
* Keep in mind a "stereo" pair will run USD $700
V Sounds good
* Almost all agree it beats out the Echo, not a surprise
* Also up against a Sonos Play 3 and most say it beat that too, but in a VERY controlled test.
* Snell notes the audio processing technology tech might need some tweaking. Spread out the bass and vocals in a way on one track the "didn’t sound right anymore"
* Jury seems more mixed on the bass , with some saying "full" and others "too much".
* There is no "sweet spot" thanks to Apple's tech.
* Snell makes the valid point to that often convenience will trump quality, like MP3s maybe?
* Cook commented again in the Bloomberg piece that Apple put the audio first.
V There are more questions/concerns about the "smart" part
* Indeed it seems to be an afterthought
V Siri functionality seems to be a "subset" of what Siri does on the phone.
* Siri, in my opinion, should be expanded on the HomePod, not confined.
V The A8 chip sure should be delivering power for something
* Yes audio processing, but more.
V A WSJ piece quoted former members of Apple's Siri team saying that Siri still is "lagging behind" others intelligent assistants.
* Mainly due to, "culture that prioritizes user privacy—making it difficult to personalize and improve the product."
* Not opening up enough to developers is also a concern.
* Apple made the point to reporters that what we saw at WWDC was a "small" sneak peak and there were more features of the HomePod to come.
V More iCloud for your buck
* Apple upped the storage on it's top tier iCloud plans from 1TB to 2TB for the same $9.99/mo USD price
V Only the top tier was upgraded though.
* 5GB free, $0.99/mo. 50GB, and $2.99/mo 200GB
* Also, Family Sharing in iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra will allow you to spread your storage across multiple family members
V What wasn't revealed at WWDC
* Really, some of the additional features that have been discovered or revealed since the keynote
V UI
* iOS volume indicator in upper right corner
* Landscape support on lock screen for all devices
* Last used dates on Application sin the Usage section
V Photos
V There is now support for animated GIFs
* They get their own folder, 'Animated'
* Shows static image for the thumbnail, but show motion when tapped or previewed.
V Safari
V Always on Reader mode
* One of the most underrated and underused features of Safari in my opinion
* Customize pre-website settings
V Notes
* Customize background lines and grids
* Support for Monospace fonts
* Support for tables
V Control Center
* Simplified to one screen, but customizable
* Seven default items: wireless options, music controls, rotation lock, do not disturb, screen mirroring, brightness, and volume.
* 18 extra controls you can add below the core seven (which can't be re-arranged)
* Some elements have additional controls accessed via 3D Touch (or a tap and hold).
* All managed through the Control Center options in Settings.
* iCloud file sharing (finally)
V VR
V Will work on the Mac because of eGPU support and better GPUs, like the iMac Pro
* Will only work with TB3 support
* Apple also got Mac support from three of the top gaming engines Unity, Unreal Engine, and SteamVR
* You will also need macOS High Sierra, because of Metal 2
* Apple has only demoed with the HTC Vic e, but likely other headsets will follow.
V AR
* Apple showed off that amazing demo from Wingnut studios along with ARKit for Devs
* It will take some hardware thought to accomplish that.
* In addition to iOS 11, you'll need a device with an A9 or A10 processor
* That's means iPhone 6s, iPhone SE, an iPad Pro or 2017 iPad model.
* Spotlight can return airplane and airport information
V Wi-Fi password sharing feature
* You can 'beam' a wifi password from an already connected device to another one trying to get on the network.
* Hold the device near an unlocked iOS device or Mac that has the password
V Use multi-touch to move apps around the screen
* Tap and hold one, then tap others to "gather" them and move.
* Messages adds 'Echo' and 'Spotlight' full screen effects, but no new bubble effects.
V Podcasts
* The Apple Music, new App Store style look
* 'Listen Now' is the main area, with your new podcasts, stuff you're currently listening to, etc.
* Library tab that shows everything. Shows, episodes, downloaded, and "stations".
* Also a "Browse" tab to find new shows
V Support for "Seasons". Shows that release that way can now build this into their feeds. So you can start at the beginning of a season, not with the latest "episode".
* Can also download by season if you want.
* Special "bonus" or "trailer" episodes can be tagged
V Analytics for Podcasters
* Only for Apple Podcasts listeners
V What's being left behind
V 32-bit apps are gone. Get ready.
* Settings > About > Applications
* Will list "slow" apps that don't have updates available
* Since the OS will be 64-bit only it also means the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5c, iPad 4th gen, and original iPad mini will not run iOS 11.
* When you upgrade to iOS 11 or macOS High Sierra, you will automatically be switched over to 2FA if you were on 2SV before.
* Social login settings for Twitter, Facebook, Facebook, Flickr, and Vimeo are gone from Settings
V Apple Watch
* Option to have apps in a list instead of the bubble grid
* Separate tap gestures for AirPods
V tvOS
* Dark and light theme can be switched based on time
* Home screen syncing between Apple TVs
V Apple's new hardware
V 2017 MacBook Pros
* Benchmarks are arriving and looks like the Kaby Lake models are getting a nice performance boost.
* Between 10 to 20 percent faster than the 2016 editions depending on model. Largest bump at the top end.
* The new non-Touchbar 13-inch got a $200 price drop, but also a drop in stock SSD down to 128GB.
V New 4K iMac
* iFixit did what they do on Apple's latest iMac offer and found some significant internal changes
* The looked at the $1,299 mid-range 3.0GHz stock option
* RAM modules were NOT soldered to the motherboard, but in SO-DIMM slots.
* The CPU was also found to be in a standard CPU socket, but under "this will void your warranty" stickers.
* Not "user" upgradeable officially, especially since you have top break the display adhesive seal to get in.
* This model was a 1TB HDD model, so no word on the flash modules.
V iMac Pro
* Apple Insider did some looking into sites looking to replicate the new iMacs specs for a cheaper price.
* Some were able to get close, but had to make compromises.
* We don't know the exact final components, but looking like Apple's base $5,000 8-Core Xeon model is very competition priced, at least at today's market prices for components.
V iPad Pro 10.5-inch reviews
V Glowing for the most part
* Upgraded speed and storage
* Better display and faster response times.
* Awesome camera
* Balance of size and portability
V Downsides
* Price is almost much (when you add Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard) as an entry level MacBook ($200 less)
* Many of the features that make it more "laptop" replaceable will not come until iOS 11 in the Fall.
V Feedback, commentary, opinions
V Common listener questions since WWDC
* Was I surprised that there was no Apple Touchbar Smart Keyboard?
V Is the iMac Pro Apple's offering to replace the current "trash can" Mac Pro?
V If so, isn't it an issue since it's still closed and not modular?
* One thing here is 4 Thunderbolt 3 ports, so eGPUs are an option
* This is the machine for "trash can" Mac Pro owners who were happy with Apple's philosophy around that model.
* The "modular" Mac Pro is still coming and I believe it's going to be an amazing modular slotted beast of a tower design (maybe a cube?)
V Keychain Access lock screen trick
* This one was sent in by Fernando and was new to me.
* The Keychain Access app allows you manage and view the logins, certificates, passwords, etc. that are stored on your Mac.
V One of my favorite tips is finding a forgotten password, if you saved it to your Keychain
* Applications > Utilities > Keychain Access
* Select 'Passwords' from the 'Category' section on the left.
* Use the search to find the password item you're looking for.
* Select that in the main windows and click the "i" icon at the bottom of the window to bring up the info for that saved password item
* Check the "show password' option and enter your Mac password. It will then show you the password.
V Fernando's trick though is for an easy way to be able to lock your Mac when you step away from your Machine
* Under 'Preferences' in the Keychain Access app
* In the 'General' tab check the option for Show Keychain Status in Menubar
* This will add a little "lock" icon to your menubar.
* You can now click this and there is an option for 'Lock Screen' (also Lock Keychain)
V There are also some keyboard shortcuts you could use, but these require that you've enabled the ''Require password" after sleep options in the Security & Privacy System Preferences
* System Preferences > Security & Privacy
* Go to the 'General' tab
* Check "Require password after sleep or screen saver begins" and set the duration
V Now you can use the keyboard shortcuts:
* Control+Shift+Eject (if you have an external keyboard)
* Control+Shift+Power, if your Mac has a power button key on the built-in keyboard
V Why do iPhones still get stolen?
* Play comment from Scott
* Maybe they just hope to get lucky. You're smart enough to use Find My iPhone which does activation lock the device, but probably many people don't turn it on.
* Since he asked you if he could use the device to call his parents I assume you gave it to him unlocked? It's possible that might be after your identity for ID theft or to use that info to try other scams. They could data mine the device in it's unlocked state. (they could have put it in airplane mode to stop you from tracking it). Also, some people, probably not you, store passwords (like an iCloud password) in say the "Notes" app. With that thy could turn off Find My iPhone and the activation lock with it.
* The other, and I think more likely, scenario is that they will simply sell the activation locked device to some unsuspecting buyer who doesn't know better than to check or do some research before buying it. Unfortunately Apple removed their Activation Lock checker tool back in January of this year.
V Closing
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* Smile
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