shownotes_20150508

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    This episode is brought to you by lynda.com, the online learning platform with over 3,000 on-demand video courses to help you strengthen your business, technology, and creative skills. For a free 10-day trial, visit lynda.com/maccast. That’s L-Y-N-D-A dot com slash MAC - CAST
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    Music is Say Anything by Manda and the Marbles
Sponsor: Lynda.com
  Lynda.com
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      I do quite a bit of Wordpress work and do custom theme development using starter themes
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News
  Apple Watch S1 Teardown
    There has been a lot of recent analysis of the Apple Watches parts and construction
    First iFixIt, then Chipworks x-rays, and finally ABI Researches "decapitation".
    Here’s some things we learned
      New Apple APL0778 application processor made by Samsung using a 28nm process.
      Tiny 3.8V 205 mAh battery in the 38mm version
      Display and digitizer seems to be a somewhat easy to replace unit once you get past the glue.
      Super tiny tri-wing screws. iFixit had to mod their tools
      Taptic engine is a tiny linear actuator.
      A 6-axis accelerometer/gyroscope all in a single component (unique to this Apple product)
      512 MB of RAM, same amount as the iPhone 4, but not the same type. Apple Watch uses static random access memory (SRAM) vs. the more common DRAM.
    Steve Troughton-Smith noted that the Watch uses a firmware with a PowerVR SGX543 driver
      Same GPU that was found in the Apple A5 processor (iPad 2 and iPhone 4S)
    IHS iSuppli Teardown and why it’s wrong
      Estimated the component cost of a 38mm Apple Watch Sport at $81.20
      Display at $20.50
      S1 at $10.20
      They claim this give the Apple Watch a high profit margin considering the hardware components represent just 24 percent of the $349 selling price.
    Their data directly contradicts Apple CEO Tim Cook’s statement from the Q2 2015 earnings call that Apple Watch margins are lower than the company average
    Tim Cook called these kinds of breakdowns completely inaccurate during Apple’s quarterly conference call.
      I did not see a cost for the aluminum casing for example in the iSupply numbers.
    Apple works closely with manufacturing partners and often they develop custom or completely new components. The R&D alone would significantly drive up component costs.
    Also things like advertising, software, distribution, custom machines, manufacturing costs are not accounted for.
  Taptic Engine blamed for slow Watch shipments
    One little component may be the thing that had stood between you and your Apple Watch
    Slice Intelligence last week predicted that as many as 1.7 million Apple Watches might have been ordered, but only about 22% had shipped as of last week.
    Some of the 42mm watch shipments slipped into July.
      Speculation that the 42mm is more popular and that the 38mm is too small (I disagree).
    Things do seem to be picking up though. Some folks who were set to get units later this month are receiving them already
    Also there are signs on Apple’s web site that In-Store pickups might be an option soon.
    We can only speculate on why there was such a shortage, but the Taptic Engine has taken much of the blame.
      The Wall Street Journal ran a piece saying they discovered that AAC Technologies Holdings Inc, one of Apple’s two Taptic Engine Suppliers, supplied units which began failing during reliability testing.
      They never shipped units with faulty engines, but that meant they had fewer units ready at launch.
  More Apple Watch Stuff
    Heart rate sensor won’t work through dark tattoos
      Sensor has been tested and is almost as accurate as the top rated wristband heart rate sensor currently on the market.
    3rd Party Bands
      Can remove the Classic and Modern buckle bands with a pentalobe screwdriver.
      New "Creating Bands for Apple Watch" on developer site
        Guidelines include requirements for the bands to achieve Apple certification in the new Made for Apple Watch program.
        Required to use Apple Watch "lugs" and follow specific guidelines on design placement
        Should not integrate magnetic chargers
        Bands also cannot prevent a user's skin from maintaining direct contact with the Watch's heart rate sensors
        Also can’t interfere with watch functions, sensors, display, buttons, etc.
    Developer UI Guidelines
      3rd party apps that just present the time are not allowed.
      Apps don’t have direct access to Digital Crown or Side button.
      Use black for your app’s background color.
      Avoid displaying your logo in your app and Don’t include a launch screen.
        icon will be important then
    Sticky digital crown? Rinse it off.
      Run the Apple Watch under fresh water from a faucet for 10 to 15 seconds.
      Obviously turn it off first and remove the band if you have one you don’t want to get wet.
      Apple Watch has an IPX7 water resistance rating. Up to 30 mins in 1 meter of water.
  Apple Pay expands, contracts, expands
    Best Buy will take Apple Pay
      Big deal because Best Buy is a member of MCX
      First in the Best Buy app, but they say in stores later this year.
    Added support for 24 new banks and credit unions
    Reports that some Home Depot locations were no longer accepting Apple Pay
      That was quickly silenced when it turned out they were bringing Apple Pay to 2,000 stores
      Will make Home Depot the largest retail supporter of Apple Pay.
  Will iPad Pro juice sales?
    Apple still sells the most tablets of any maker world wide
      Latest numbers from IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Tablet Tracker had Apple with a 26.8% share of the global tablet market in the first quarter of 2015 shipping 12.6 million units
      But that is still a 22.9% decline in shipments year over year.
    I think that tablets are at a stasis and will likely be on a similar cycle to desktop and laptops in terms of purchases for most people.
    Still could an iPad Pro give Apple another jump in iPad sales?
      Seems to niche a market for me.
      Latest leaks from the French blog nowhereelse.fr show specs that the screen might be 12.9-inches, not the 12.2 we’ve had from other rumors
      That’s BIG.
      Still four speakers
      Other rumors are a triple-core A8X processor, 2 GB of RAM, and Touch ID.
      Also some speculation of a pressure sensitive Apple stylus are still out there.
      Force touch and NFC have also been thrown around, along with USB-C replacing the lightning connector
        NFC for easy pairing and possible use as an Apple Pay terminal.
  Apple Media Service Updates
    Apple TV
      Time Warner CEO Jeffrey Bewkes said Apple was "very forward-thinking about television." and he is "pretty confident" Apple will be launching a subscription streaming TV service in the near future
      In the quarterly results call Tim Cook commented that he sees "major, major changes in media" and hinted that Apple could the company bringing those changes.
      Current thinking is Apple wants to put together a $30-$40/mo service with a handful of partner channels and content
      Apple TV remote with touchpad.
        Will it have ForceTouch? A screen?
        Still have the Play/pause and Menu buttons
        Be slightly thicker
      Refreshed Apple TV hardware expected to be revealed around WWDC in June
        A8 processor, App Store and Siri voice controls.
        I hope it also integrates HomeKit, but that seems dead in the water.
      New Apple TV Channels
        CBS Sports and USA NOW
        Apple also added new channels for users in Canada, France, and Germany. Canadians receive access to CraveTV and Shomi, while French and German users receive Arte
    Beats/Apple Streaming Music Service
      Rumors that Apple has been hinting that music labels should should pressure services like Spotify to not offer a free tier of service
      The European Commission is also investigating similar allegations
      Only about one-quarter of Spotify's 60 million customers have paid subscriptions.
      Supposedly is bringing the attention of the DOJ and FTC
        Spotify and others are also complaining that Apple’s Store policies give them a price advantage
        The issue is the 30 percent cut of in-app purchases and subscriptions.
        Spotify, has to charge $13 a month for a Premium subscription bought through its iOS app, vs. the $10 "regular" price.
      Apple is supposedly trying to rapidly close music deals so it can announce the new service in June
        One sticking point was pricing. Apple reportedly wanted $7.99/mo but got push back.
        Apple is using it’s customer base as leverage to try and get better and exclusive deals
        Apple’s service won;t have a "free" tier, but their may be some try-before-you-buy options
        Free for the first three months, labels and artists could make some portion of their catalogs available for non-subscribers.
      Also rumors that will announce iTunes Radio in many other countries
        Along side iOS 8.4 and iTunes 12.2
        Human curated radio stations with the help of recently hired staff and DJ’s from BBC Radio 1
Sponsor: Gazelle
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      They give you a fair and up front offer
      They will even buy your broken devices
    They make the process of selling your used iPhone simple and hassle free
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Feedback, commentary, opinions
  How autonomous is the Apple Watch?
    It can tell the time without being tethered.
    Track your move, exercise, and stand progress. Also can check heart rate.
    Workout app tracking
      Spend at least 20-minutes doing an "Outdoor" walk or run with your phone so it can learn your strides
      This will improve the step and distance accuracy when you are away from your phone later
    Listen to Music
      Set a "Sync’d" playlist in the Apple Watch app and set the amount of space you want to use up. Up to 2GB.
      You’ll need to pair a set of Bluetooth headphone or earbuds to listen.
    Photos
      Under 'Photos' in Apple Watch app
      Set the Synced Album, the default is 'Favorites'
      Set Photo storage limit 5MB to 75MB (25-500 photos)
    Cached data
      Any data you might have recently viewed in apps like Mail, Calendar, and Messages is cached and may be visible.
      Also cached data in 3rd party apps.
    Apple Pay
      As long as your card is already loaded.
  Understanding Apple Watch movement
    And I don’t mean watch movement
    I have been confused bytes because it seems as though I have received exercise credit when I didn’t exercise or not been credited for standing when I was.
    Luckily the gang at iMore came to the rescue to clear up the confusion.
    Stand really means, "move around".
      If you are stationary, even in a standing position, for too long you’ll get a "stand" notification.
      Typically comes about 10 minutes before the hour so you have time to get the credit.
      Walk around for at least 60 seconds.
    Exercise is anything equivalent to a "brisk walk".
      Activity to bring your heart rate within that range should count.
      Not sure how Apple calculates the heart rate needed to qualify.
      Apple Watch learns your "habits" and adjusts the credit accordingly. If you exercise a lot you will have to achieve a higher level to get the credit.
      Meant to encourage you to do more.
    Move
      Based on how much you move and your heart rate which determines calorie count
      Separates "active" calories from just calories you’d burn just being alive.
      Move goal is a target for "active" calories.
      Most fitness trackers use "total" calories.
    Use the Activity app on the iPhone to get a lot more detail on all your stats
      See history of your data.
  Apple Watch tips
    Force touch heart or face animated emoji to change their color
      Heart can be Red, Blue, or Purple
      Face can be Yellow or Red
    Force Touch Stopwatch to get different Modes
    Force Touch notifications to get "Clear all" option
    Force Touch Calendar detail view to see option for 'Day' vs. 'List' or to jump to ’Today'
    Force Touch Weather to get options for outer ring data, Condition, % chance of Rain, or Temp
      Can just tap the center to toggle it too.
    Force Touch in Maps to get Search or use a contact
    Long press on a swatch in Digital Touch to get a custom color picker.
    Blue dot by a Friend in the Digital Touch screen means you missed a message from them.
      Select them and tap the Digital Touch icon to view the missed touch.
    Cover with hand to quickly turn the screen off.
      Flat palm seems to work best for me.
    Force Quit stuck app
      hold down the side button until you see the power off screen, then hold the side button again to return to your Watch's home screen.
    Mark current location
      Open Maps
      Tap the location to get the blue dot.
      Tap the blue dot on your current location.
      Tap 'Mark my Location' and you’ll get the purple pin.
      Long press to place a pin on the map, tap to get directions to the pin from your current location.
    Customize the "stock" message replies
      On iPhone open the Apple Watch App
      Go to Messages
      Tap on 'Default Replies'
      You can then change them to be more tailored to your personality or set up ones more appropriate to the way you communicate.
  Backing up an external iTunes Library
    If you have a large iTunes Media library it quickly becomes almost impossible to keep it stored on your internal drive.
    Mine is now over 1TB, so I move sit to a 2TB 2.5-inch external drive long ago.
    David is in a similar situation and plans to move his library to an external, but has a big concern. What about back-up?
      Will or can Time Machine continue to back up the iTunes Media Folder if it’s moved to an external?
    The short answer is NO.
      There may be some ticks, but usually they are more trouble than they are worth.
    My strategy
      ChronoSync. I have it sync the iTunes Media folder from the external to a Drobo
        Also set it so that it doesn’t synchronize deletions.
      Crash Plan
    You could also get a second external HDD and use ChronoSync or a cloning app, like Super Duper or Carbon Copy Cloner and schedule that.
  'discoveryd' issues? Yeah, me too.
    So I didn’t know exactly what was going on but had noticed that a couple of devices on my network were losing their network names and getting the classic (n) appended to their names.
      Specifically my Apple TV (3) and Macbook Air (2)
    I also had some slow network and computer issues affecting Skype and when looking at Activity monitor saw a service called 'discoveryd' pegged at over 100% CPU.
    I did some resets and reboots and thought not much of it until I got an email from Mike pointing to an iMore article about The Chock (Craig Hockenberry) going off on this exact same issue (NSFW)
    The issues: network process using 100% of the CPU, WiFi disconnecting at random times, and names, names (1), names (2), names (4).
    The source of our woes seems to be a new process called 'discoveryd'. It replaced something in OS X Mavericks called 'mDNSResponder'.
    These service managed many of the networking functions in OS X and while mDNSResponder served OS X well for many years it seems Apple decided to replace it.
      The main reasoning is likely to add support for the new Handoff and continuity features.
      Trouble is that the new software, like many rewritten software, has some serious bugs.
    Issues you may be having
      Suddenly Safari (or your browser) stops working. You can’t seem to load websites.
      Duplicate machine names. The (n) issue.
      Very inconsistent wake on demand. My wife’s Mac Mini seems to be constantly waking itself up for no reason. Mostly when I walk into the room with my iPhone, probably a handoff thing, but my iPhone isn’t associated with her mac mini in any way.
      Can’t connect to remote access from outside. Back to My Mac, screen sharing, etc.
      Bonjour issues.
    If you are having issue you might look at the Utilities > Activity monitor and see if the 'discovered' service has run amok. You can kill it or restart if it has.
    Fixes typically involve rebooting Macs or devices, shutting down completely, rebooting your router.
      You can also go in a manually reset the Machine name on Macs via the 'Sharing' Preferences. That is assuming the network doesn’t still have the name in the cache.
    I went through my Airport and assigned DHCP reservations to EVERY device on my network and that seems to have helped so far.
      That includes Internet of Things devices, printers, etc. If it gets an IP, it now has a reserved one.
      Airport Utility > Network tab.
        DHCP Reservations.
        Use the MAC Address or a DHCP Client ID and assign the desired IP reservation.
        Assign a DHCP Client ID from the System Preferences > Network. Click 'Advanced…' and in the TCP/IP tab you’ll see 'DHCP Client ID'. On iOS it’s in the Networks drill down.
  FaceTime audio input
    Play question from Kenny
    The only tip I would have would be to show the Volume controls in the menubar
      System Preferences > Sound
      Show volume in menu bar
    Then you can Option+Click the volume icon to quickly change your input and outputs.
    When you finish your call switch them back.
  Thing of the Moment: ScreenSavrz & RadSleevz
    I briefly mentioned these in a recent Maccast and made them my pick on Macbreak Weekly.
    I really like to keep my Mac stuff looking like new and I’m not a big fan of wraps or shells.
    RadTech makes these awesome microfiber sleeves and screen protectors.
    They last forever, so if the form factor doesn’t change too much you can keep using them.
    In a pinch I use my 15-inch ones with the 13-inch Macbook Air, but they’re better form fitted.
    Come in a range of colors. Red, blue, green, black, purple, grey.
    Double as device cleaning cloth.
    RadTech has offered ALL Maccast listeners a discount of 20% on almost all their products. Use code 'MACCAST20' at checkout.
    They also sent me a bunch of stuff to give away.
      Urban Armor Gear cases for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus
      ACpower and AutoPower adapters
      ScreenSaverz
      WaveJamr Bluetooth Wireless Audio Receiver
      Enter at maccast.com/radtech
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