shownotes_20150310

Opening
  Opening Music
    Music is Say Anything by Manda and the Marbles
News
  Apple 'Spring Forward' Event
    Apple TV
      HBO Now coming to Apple TV first
      3 months exclusive
      $14.99/mo. First month free.
      Early April, before the "Game of Thrones" premiere.
      Apple has sold over 25 million Apple TVs to date.
      Apple dropped the price of the Apple TV to $69.00 USD
    CarPlay, HomeKit, Health
      CarPlay has all major auto makers committed
        40 new models shipping with it by the end of 2015
        Toyota is still on the list, but doesn’t have support plans anytime soon. They says their sticking with their own Entune systems.
      HomeKit was a no announcement, not sure why Tim even left it in the slides.
      Health
        Summary of what we already know
        Research Kit was the big news
          Framework made for medical research
          Lets researchers create apps
          Developed with medical institution partners
          5 Apps to start. Parkinson’s, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease, Asthma, Breast Cancer. Apps available now.
          Privacy is opt in and no data shared with Apple. Didn’t give more details.
          Also OpenSource, will be released next month. How that will work with privacy?
    Apple Watch
      This was what I thought would be the lead, but a lot was a re-hash of what we already know.
      Big details are battery details, pricing, and release date.
      Apple Watch App
        Part of iOS 8.2 which is available today.
        Doesn’t do much now, but taunt you.
        There are videos
      Water Resistant, not "proof"
        Do not submerge, but rain, splashes, etc. OK
        according to Daring Fireball, Apple Watch has a water resistance rating of IPX7 or 1 meter of submersion for up to 30 minutes
        Tim Cook reported said he wears his in the shower, so that sounds like it’s inside the recommended parameters. Not sure I’d wear one in the shower though.
      8GB of internal storage according to 9to5Mac
        Limited to up to 2GB of music and up to 75MB of photos that is locally stored on the device
        Photos will be "rezzed" down and you’ll likely get about 100 images in 75MB.
        You sync using the companion app and media can be accessed without being paired to the phone.
      Metals
        Apple made a big deal about how they created their own metallurgy processes for all version
        If you want to know the details there are videos on Apple’s website
        Bottom line is they wanted materials that were stronger and more durable without adding bulk or weight.
      Some autonomy
        Can tell time without the iPhone
        Play music & show photos
        The heart rate sensor and accelerometer work on their own, and the native Workout app can track different kinds of workouts that don’t require GPS. Than can be sync’d back with the Health app later. But 3rd party watch Apps can’t access this data directly without the iPhone go between.
      Battery
        Better than expected. Apple claims 18 hours in "normal" usage.
          "All-day battery" life is based on 18 hours with the following use: 90 time checks, 90 notifications, 45 minutes of app use, and a 30-minute workout with music playback from Apple Watch via Bluetooth
        Up to 6.5 hours of music playback
        Up to 3 hours of Talk Time
        Up to 7 hours of Workout tracking
        Battery is replaceable, not necessarily by the owner. No details on procedure, but likely involves some time at a Genius Bar.
      When & How to Buy
        Pricing
          Varies by the "Collection"
          Apple Watch Sport: 38mm $349.00 and 42mm $399.00
          Apple Watch: 38mm starting at $549.00 to $1,049.00. 42mm staring at $599.00 to $1,099.00
          Apple Edition: Limited and sold only in select stores (Apple didn’t say which ones). Starting at $10K and going to $17K for the Rose Gold.
          The 10K version is a "Sport" band, seriously.
          Louie Mantia made a site with an awesome "matrix" of combos and prices.
          You can save your favorite combos now in Apple’s online store
        Bands are interchangeable and will be available separately.
          Not clear which ones and when, but it does seem like some will be available at launch
          Sport Bands are $49. Other bands range from $149.00 to $449.00. Link Bracelet is most expensive. Surprisingly the Milanese Loop is $149.00, less than the $249.00 Leather and Modern Buckle.
          There are different sized bands (small, medium, large) and Apple has a sizing PDF on their site.
          Each watch will come with two-sized bands. Small-medium and Medium-large
        Previews and pre-orders from April 10 to April 24.
          Pre-orders are on Apple’s online store starting April 10th
          Try-ons are inshore by appointment
          On April 24, Apple Watch will be available online or by reservation in Apple’s retail stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers in China and Japan
        Behind the glass under the special tables. Apple employees will help you try them on and get a feel for the combinations.
          Employee badging to unlock secret drawers with hidden product rather than unlocking a glass case
        I expect packed Apple Stores from the 10th to the 24th.
      Which one am I buying?
        If I was to get the Stainless Steel model I really wanted the Space Black one.
        Since that is only available as the $1,099.00 version with the Link Bracelet that is WAY out of my price range.
        Even the Stainless Steel and Sport band version is $200 more than the Sport version at $599.00. That’s too much for the material for me.
        I’ll stick with the 42mm Space Grey and Black Sport Band model at $399.00 (still too much, but what are you gonna do)
        I’ll wait for 3rd party bands since Apple’s , START, at $149.00.
      Thoughts and other stuff
        There appears to be a "diagnostic" port inside the band attachment area on the current demo model. No word if that will be there at launch or if there will be any use for it outside Apple support.
        No Apple Care+ pricing, but they will offer it. Edition Watches get it for "free".
    New MacBook
      Yes, it’s back!
      Super thin and light
        13.1 mm thin, and just 2 pounds. 24% thinner than the 11-inch Air
        Kelly Guimont points out that the original iPad was 13.4mm, so this is thinner than that.
        67% smaller than MacBook Air and fanless
        Basically ALL battery in the case. Molded, "terraced" designs that fit all the nooks and crannies.
        All metal enclosure with antennas built into the bottom case. First Mac notebook with all metal hinges.
        Colors: Silver, Gold, and Space Grey
        Apple logo on the MacBook doesn’t light up. Probably not enough room.
      12-inch Retina Display
        226 pixels-per-inch
        2304 x 1440 resolution
        Larger pixel aperture for 30% more light at comparable brightness levels to old displays. Means less power to achieve good brightness.
      New keyboard technology
        Edge to edge with keys that are 17 percent larger
        "Butterfly" switches that go down evenly regardless of where pressed
        LEDs for each key
          This has some cool advantages if the LEDs are addressable (let’s hope so).
          Typing tutors, keyboard shortcut hints, etc.
        Still has a shallow depth and some reviewers mentioned that the travel distance will take getting used to.
      New trackpad
        "Force Touch"
        iMore described it like a gas pedal and says you can "feel" presses going deeper
        Uses Apple’s "Taptic Engine"
        Pressure sensitive for signatures and extra gestures. Pressing deeper to fast forward video for example.
        The sensitivity is adjustable. You can have a soft or firm trackpad
      USB-C
        The one port to rule them all. Power and data.
        Of course with other models you get more ports, but like USB, Firewire, Thunderbolt of the past, Apple is introducing a new port standard first and the peripherals will come later.
        USB-C looks like it will become as big a standard in PCs and devices as USB did back in the day.
        Some call USB-C the "Dock Port"
        USB-C can carry high speed USB, other signals (like Display Port using alternate mode), and power up to 100W at 20volts
        Can carry power bi-directionally
        USB-C will not likely support Thunderbolt Devices
        My guess is that Apple may replace Thunderbolt, especially in consumer products, with USB-C across the board.
      Specs & Pricing
        Intel Core M processors
          Sit between the Atom CPUs and the current Core series
          Typically have slower benchmarks than a typical Core i3 or Core i5 processor
        Only two ports. The USB-C and headphone jack. There is also miss built in.
        No MagSafe, which is too bad.
        9 hours of battery on wireless web. What Apple calls, "all day" power.
        Only a 480p FaceTime camera.
          As George Starcher pointed out, lame to have a Retina Display but only video that is SD
          Best guess is it was a space issue. The display is just 0.88mm thin.
        1.1GHz Intel Core M with Intel HD 5300 GPU, 8GB RAM, 256GB Flash Storage for $1,299.00
        1.3GHz Intel Core M with Intel HD 5300 GPU, 8GB RAM, 512GB Flash Storage for $1,599.00
        Will be available for purchase beginning on April 10
      Adapters
        $79.00 - USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter. USB-C, HDMI and USB ports.
          HDMI port only supports up to 1080p video
        $79.00 - USB-C VGA AV Multiport Adapter. USB-C, VGA and USB ports.
          VGA port only supports up to 1080p video
        $19.00 - USB-C to USB Adapter
      Other Thoughts
        These are some amazing machines.
        First glance it seems like they are expensive, but when you start to compare them to the current (new) MacBook Airs they seem to price out comparable.
        Your trading weight and thinness plus a Retina display for more ports and some processor. Is it worth it? I think it depends on the type of person you are and how you work.
        The processor and GPU are a big question for me considering the higher resolution Retina display. I’ll be paying close attention to the real world benchmarks once these things ship.
        Power and connectivity is a big question in my mind. How can you get power when you’ve connected to an external display
          One answer is the adapters some of which have a pass through USB-C connector
          Maybe docking stations or hubs? Not clear that USB-C supports hubs.
        Also there doesn’t appear to be any USB-C to display port adapters, though the tech specs claim the USB-C port supports Native DisplayPort 1.2 video output.
        These are early adopter machines for sure. They are temptingly sexy.
        If your processing and expandability needs are light then these are awesome. I think Pro users need to stick with the Pro line for now.
        I do think these machines will ultimately replace the "Air" lineup.
    MacBook Pro and Macbook Air updates
      13-inch Retina Macbook Pro gets new Force Touch trackpad, new fifth-generation Intel Core processors and Intel Iris Graphics 6100. Also faster Flash storage.
      The 15-inch Retina Macbook Pro was neglected for the upgrade treatment.
      The 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Airs also were updated to new fifth-generation Intel Core processors, Intel HD Graphics 6000, and Thunderbolt 2 connectors.
      The 13-inch MacBook Air also received the 2 times faster Flash, but the 11-inch didn’t.
  Apple releases iOS 8.2
    Has the support for the Apple Watch including the new Apple Watch app
    Also, improvements to the Health app, increased stability, and bug fixes.
    Health app updates
      Ability to select units of measure for certain statistics
      Ability to add and visualize workout sessions from 3rd party apps
      New privacy settings which let you turn off tracking of steps, distance, and flights climbed
    Apple also released a security update for OS X
      Addresses the recent FREAK (Factoring RSA Export Keys) exploit.
      Also fixes for fixes that affect iCloud Keychain, IOAcceleratorFamily, IOSurface and OS X Kernel.
      Available via Software Update.
    Apple TV also received an update and it looks like it’s mostly the same security patches and not the new HBO Now update, yet.
Feedback, commentary, opinions
  Fixing iCloud Contacts Sync
    Last time we had a listener who had a few extra contacts on his iPhone that were not syncing to iCloud.
    I mentioned that sometimes you could end up with local "On My Mac" or "On My device" contacts and recommended manually moving contacts from the "On My Mac" section of the Contacts app into the iCloud section.
    I also said to be sure that your device was set up fro iCloud syncing and that you were not manually syncing via iTunes.
    A few people, including Richard, offered this possible fix that may be even easier.
    One debate is whether or not to choose the "Keep" option to keep local contacts. I would err on the "Keep" side especially if the "Merge" still does it’s job. You may have some local clean up after, but seems safer to me.
    Also, please have full backups before messing around with Contacts.
      In Contacts choose 'File' > 'Export…' > 'Contacts Archive…'
  Managing Large Photo Libraries
    Brian had a few questions since Photos still takes the "Single Library" approach
      1. Anybody know how Time Machine backs up the new Photos Library?
      2. What solution do others use to manage their growing collection of photos?
    The Photo Library is really just a fancy "folder" called a package.
    As I understand it the OS and Time Machine sees into this folder and can do it’s work normally.
      The main Time Machine issue is that you can no longer recover from inside iPhoto or Photos
      That means you’d have to recover your entire library even if you want to get back just one image
      Photos now does have a File > Recently Deleted option. Shows images for up to 40 days after you deleted them. Really think this is just like the "Trash" from iPhoto
      You also always have "revert to original"
    One thing I’ve done to manage a large iPhoto collection is to create "Archives" and remove those photos from iPhoto
      One way is manually, buy creating albums and then exporting the images to a folder or external volume. I think back that up off-site as well,
      I’ve also used "Smart" Albums to sort images by year and then create a yearly archive.
      Great thing is once I have images archived I can delete a lot of the older images from the main library, just keeping the really good ones.
    Another great way to handle this is Fat Cat Software iPhoto Library Manager
      Split and manage multiple iPhoto libraries
      Find and remove duplicates
      Merge libraries
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