shownotes_20161030

Opening
  Opening Music
    Music is Say Anything by Manda and the Marbles
Sponsor: DigiDNA
  iMazing
    A tool that lets you access, view, backup, and manage the data on your iOS devices
      But while iTunes will let you do that for some data, iMazing let's you get at just about everything
      No jailbreaking required
    You can manage and interact with data from
      Messages
      Photos and videos
      Music Apps
      Notes
      Contacts
      Voicemail
      Call History
      File System
      Backups
    Very familiar "Apple" like interface
    Works fast and is asynchronous so you can continue working while doing a backup
    You can even access and browse files that are inside your backups
      Great for recovering individual app data files.
      Export and reimport saved data
    Backup your messages or voicemail so you can save space.
    You can try it for free and when you order get 20% off if you use the coupon code 'maccast'.
News
  Apple's Q4Earnings
    $46.9 billion in revenue and $9 billion in profit. Down from the $51.5 billion in revenue and $11.1 billion in net income made in the same period a year ago.
      Despite being down the numbers were on the higher end of Apple's own guidance and slightly beat even Wallstreet's expectations
    In the quarter Apple sold 45.51 million iPhones, 9.28 million iPads, and 4.89 million Macs.
      All down slightly from last year's 4th quarter with 48 million iPhones, 9.8 million iPads, and 5.7 million Macs sold.
      Revenue was also down more than 22 percent from $3.05 billion to $2.37 billion in the "Other" category which includes accessories, iPods, Apple Watch, and Beats headphones.
    A bright spot was once again Apple Services, which includes Apple Music, iCloud, and iTunes, it saw revenue of $6.33 billion and grew 24 percent year over year.
      Services now accounts fro more of Apple's revenue than Macs or iPads. Mac revenue was $5.74 billion and iPad revenue was $4.26 billion.
    Apple's ginormous pile of cash also continues to grow with Apple adding $6.1 billion bringing it to an all-time high of $237.6 billion
    Apple's results are really a mix of good and bad depending on the point of view. For example, 2016 is now the first full-year revenue decline for Apple since 2001, but it was also Apple’s second most profitable year ever.
    Plus, Apple thinks the Q1 2017 quarter may be the quarter that breaks the down slump. With new iPhones, Apple Watches, and Macbook Pros in play for the Holiday season it makes sense
      They are guiding for revenue between $76 billion and $78 billion, just up from the $75.9 billion they posted in Q1 of 2016
      If they hit that target that would be their highest revenue generating quarter ever.
    A few other notes and highlights
      Apple Pay transaction volumes were up almost 500 percent year-over-year.
    Some analysts think that Apple could see a return to iPhone sales growth with the release of the 2017 iPhone
      The 10th Anniversary iPhone, which is expected to be an all glass design with OLED display
      Gartner thinks Apple could see 3.5 percent growth with the new design
      Timothy Arcuri and Cowen predicts that it colluded be much higher.
      He basis his theory on the fact that about 43 percent of iPhone owners having devices that will be older than 2 years old by the time Apple release the 2017 model.
  Apple's "Hello Again" Event
    The second major event this past week.
    Apple introduced us to a new Apple TV app and a new Macbook Pro
    Opened talking about accessibility and about Apple's new accessibility portal
      It's a great place to go to learn about a lot of the features
      I had no idea the camera App was accessible.
    Apple TV
      Minecraft is coming to Apple TV by the end of the year
      Twitter is on Apple TV for live interactive TV from NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB, Bloomberg News and more.
      New TV App, due out in December
        "Watch Now" section that will show you the content you're currently watching regardless of the app.
        A more content focused view of your Apple TV
        The "TV" button now will take you to the TV app.
        Recommendations will be based on the apps you have installed and have access to.
        There is a "Library" section that includes your purchased or owned content.
        The app will also be on the iPhone and iPad.
        Netflix is still evaluating if they will participate.
        Siri has addition support for directly taking you to "live" content.
        Support for multiple "Family" accounts?
        will bring single sign-on finally, but only for Dish and Direct TV customers.
    Macbook Pros
      New 13-inch and 15-inch models with 6th generation Intel "Skylake" processors and AMD "Polaris" graphics.
      Thinner and lighter.
        Thinner than the Macbook Air. Not light up Apple logo.
        3 and 4 pounds respectively
        They also have a smaller footprint with thinner bezels
      P3 wide-gamut display
      Two or Four Thunderbolt 3 ports & 3.5mm headphone jack
        Also support USB-C and bi-directional power
        Can connect Display Port, HDMI, USB-A, Thunderbolt 2, etc with dongles.
        The two ports on the right side of the 13-inch machine have reduced PCI Express bandwidth
      Gigantic trackpad and next gen Macbook "butterfly" keyboard
      The OLED "Touchbar"
        Replaces the function keys with a multitouch OLED display and Touch ID sensor
        Resolution is 2180x80 display
        Can still access the function keys and customize the default layout
        Right side is "standardized" with controls for Brightness, Volume, Siri, and more.
        Brings back the "Control Strip" for common system functions.
        Left side dynamically update based on the app and the current task within the app and supports up to 10 simultaneous inputs
        New T1 chip drives the Touchbar and includes a secure enclave for the TouchID sensor and also seems to be driving the iSight camera (for security)
        Touchbar has it's own OS which is a variant of Watch OS
        Touch Bar's brightness is not manually adjustable.
        I think just about every Apple app has been updated to support it.
        Offers access for 3rd party apps. Apple actually spent a lot of the event making sure we knew that.
          Apple has told developers to avoid displaying "static" content there
          Also said not to exclude owners of old machines by placing controls ONLY on the Touchbar.
      TouchID
        Fast user switching with fingerprint, cool.
        Maximum of 5 fingerprints and three user accounts are supported.
      Powers on when you open the lid. Startup chime is gone.
      Can order now and they are shipping in November for those who ordered early
        Come in Sliver or Space Grey
        Priced at least $200 more than previous gen models.
        13-inch (no Touchbar)
          2.0GHz dual-core Intel Core i5, Configurable to 2.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i7
          256GB SSD, configure up to 1TB
          8GB RAM, configure up to 16GB
          Intel Iris Graphics 540
          Two Thunderbolt 3
          Starts at USD $1,499.00
        13-inch model
          2.9GHz dual-core Intel Core i5, Configurable to 3.1GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
          256GB or 512GB SSD, Configurable to 1TB SSD
          8GB RAM, configure up to 16GB
          Intel Iris Graphics 550
          Starts at USD $1,799.00
        15-inch model
          2.6GHz quad-core Intel Core i7, Configurable to 2.9GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
          256GB or 512GB SSD, Configurable to 1TB SSD
          16GB RAM
          Intel HD Graphics 530 and Radeon Pro 450 or Radeon Pro 455, Configurable to Radeon Pro 460
          Starts at USD $2,399.00
    What was not introduced or mentioned
      No power extension cable in the box (from wall brick to outlet). Can be purchased separately for USD $19.00
      At least the non-Touchbar 13-inch model has a replaceable SSD.
      iMacs, Mac Pros, or Mac mini (all over due)
      Apple Display. Well they did mention a new 5K display they teamed up with LG on
        27-inch 5K LG UltraFine display
        5120 x 2880 with support for P3 wide color gamut
        Connects with a single Thunderbolt 3 cable and provides 85W of power to charge the Macbook Pro
        Three downstream USB-C ports (5 Gbps) offer additional connectivity
        Built-in camera, microphone, and stereo speakers
        Will be on sale in December for USD $1,300
        They will also offer a 4K 21-inch display for USD $700
      Apple has discontinued the 11-inch Macbook Air and the "legacy" 13-inch Macbook Pro.
    If you're in the UK be prepared to pay quite a bit more
      Prices have been adjusted on Macs across the board to adjust for changes in currency exchange rates
      Looks like hikes anywhere from £100 to £500 depending on the model.
  Apple car not stalled out yet
    As mentioned last week Apple has probably scaled back the scope of it's ambitious "Titan" car project, but the whole ting is far from dead.
    Apple is believed to be refocusing to see the viability of building am autonomous car driving system
    Apple hired Dan Dodge, the founder of Blackberry's QNX operating system back in July and is expanding their R&D facilities in Canada
    Apple is also supposedly hiring a number of engineers away from Blackberry to staff that facility which will focus on a "CarOS"
    The QNX operating system powers many of the cars on road today.
    Bloomberg also notes that Apple has separate teams of engineers developing the autonomous driving system that would run on top of their car operating system
    They also claim that Apple is already testing of the prototypes of the system in virtual reality (VR) simulators.
    Other systems could be developed on top of the OS as well, for navigation, head up displays, entertainment systems, and more.
  Apple delays AirPods
    Apple told TechCrunch they wouldn't make the originally announced October release date.
    They said in a statement, "We don't believe in shipping a product before it's ready, and we need a little more time before AirPods are ready for our customers".
    If you want headphones with the W1 chip and seamless pairing technology you can get the Beats Solo3 Wireless headphones now.
    Or you could go for the Powerbeats3 workout headphones which Apple has been taking orders for and will probably be shipping around the time you're hearing this podcast.
    In addition to being easier to pair early testing shows that the new headphones get great range, likely because of using Class 1 Bluetooth. Report have said 400 feet, but I've had report of it maybe even being longer range, up to 800 feet in ideal conditions.
Feedback, commentary, opinions
  Apple's hard sell to Pros
    One thing that seemed to be going on at the Apple Event to me was Apple trying to communicate to creative pros that they have not forgotten about them.
    The fact that all the demos for the Touchbar were pro app focused I think was very deliberate. Final Cut, DJ Pro, and Photoshop.
    They also mentioned things like the Promise RAID and the fact that you could drive the two 5K displays they partnered with LG to design.
    But I wonder if it's too little too late, especially given the fact that they ignored updating the iMac or Mac Pro
      I know a lot of creative pros who use the 27-inch iMac
    Gary, a pro photographer, wrote in recently to express his frustration, but not with hardware updates but more with the abandonment on the software site
      Apple killing off Aperture and dumbing down the iWork suite to make it more compatible with the iOS devices.
      As Gary puts it he, "(doesn't) want to see Apple sit back, to produce mediocre software that may work on an iPhone so the same software is functional on a Mac."
    Apple is trying really hard to give the narrative that the "Mac still matters", but I'm not 100% sure their actions are demonstrating that.
    That's not to say the new Macbook Pros are not amazing machines that a LOT of creative pros will flock to. They will. But what about those who prefer desktops or workstations
    There are also some small signals that Apple isn't quite as focused at selling these things to pros
      They max out at 16GB or RAM. Apple says this is because more RAM requires more battery
      Apple removed the SD card slot
    I don't disagree that more of Apple's business these days comes from the consumer side, but I'm not so sure that completely ignoring this core group of dedicated and veracious customers is good either
      As Gary points out the creative pros are also often the technology influencers in their immediate circles convincing many of those "consumer" friends, family, and co-workers to "buy a Mac".
    It's a complex thing on many level and I think Apple is conscious of the choices they are making.
      On a lot of levels, especially practical ones of bottom line and business strategy, they make sense.
      But they in some way just don't feel great. Especially if you're feeling like the loyal customer who is being marginalized.
    I love to hear more about what you think.
  iMessage for Android?
    One of the best features of iOS 10 and maybe iOS in general could be iMessage
    The seamlessness in which Apple usurped SMS, at least among iOS users, was brilliant.
    In iOS 10 they have added features that are designed specifically to mimic those from other apps and keep you firmly planted in iMessage.
      Tim Cooks said in the Q4 call that Apple has seen a “marked increase” in iMessage users since the release of iOS 10.
    The big hole in the plan is that only your other iOS wielding friends and participate in the iMessage goodness.
    So the question becomes, should Apple keep iMessage to themselves in hopes of it being a killer app that promotes switching, or should they open it up to the world at large and release a version for our Android brethren?
    It's a dilemma for sure
      On one hand opening it up could further cement iMessage as a preferred communication app of choice
      The downside being that it could be one more reason to stick with Android
    Regardless we've had rumors that Apple has at least thought of bringing iMessage to Android.
      Gruber even claims his sources have said Apple has gone as far as making mockups of an iMessage for Android interface
      They have looked at both porting the iOS look and using a more native Android "material" design look. Something they did for the Apple Music App on Android.
    I think with iMessage apps there is now another reason to invite more users into the iMessage fold. A whole new group to sell apps and stickers to while getting a 30 percent cut of the stake.
    So what do you think? I know I'd like to have more "blue bubble" friends to send stickers and message effects to.
  Fixing Mail Threads in iOS 10
    I actually use the amazing [Spark](https://sparkmailapp.com) email app from Readdle so I hadn't really noticed the changes to Mail in iOS 10
    Since the upgrade has come out though I've had a conversation with more than on frustrated user who is baffled by the new way Apple has decided to organize threaded email conversation
    The two big changes that are befuddling users are organizing threads in chronological order from top to bottom and including your "sent" messages in the thread
      By sent I mean not just quoting your message in the reply, but actually showing the sent item as a separate item in the thread
    Some might like these changes, but others don't. I especially have heard complaints from people who get involved in long on-going back and forth email conversations because they have to do a lot of down scrolling to get the the most recent email.
    Luckily it is fairly easy to undo the changes Apple has made.
    To get the most recent emails in the thread back on top
      Go to Settings > Mail and scroll to the "Threading" section
      Then simply toggle the "Most Recent Message on Top" option to "On".
    If you'd prefer to keep your sent messages out of the thread it's also easy to do
      Go to Settings > Mail and scroll to the "Threading" section
      Toggle the 'Complete Threads' option to "Off".
    Still you might not want to turn off the "Complete Threads" option because it does do something cool
      It will also pull in and emails in the thread regardless of which mailbox those are in.
      So if you happen to send out messages from more than one account this feature may be useful.
      You'll notice in the thread that Mail will even tell you where the message was "found" in a grey bar at the top. For example, "Found in Maccast Sent Mailbox".
      The only issue is I have had some people tell me that occasionally the feature will pull together emails that are not really part of the same thread. Most often when two separate email threads happen to have the same subject line. Mail gets a little confused.
  Apple TV keyboard continuity
    Have you noticed this? Apple TV (at least my 4th gen one with my iPhone 7) send you a rich notification when it needs keyboard input if you have the Remote app installed.
    The first time it happened to me I wasn't exactly sure what was going on.
    I got a text alert from my Apple TV?!! It said Keyboard input and I could "pop" it with a force touch and then up popped the keyboard input.
    Right there on the lock screen. No need to unlock and launch the app.
    After entering the text and tapping go it goes away and takes you right back to the Apple TV.
    If you'd prefer not to have your Apple TV sending you Keyboard notification you can turn them off.
      Settings > Notifications > Apple TV Keyboard
    The only thing I don't know is if this works with older Apple TVs or older iOS devices.
  Thing of the moment: iIrving
    From iClassics, [iIrving](http://iclassicscollection.com/en/iirving/) - The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
    Great fro Halloween and just USD $2.99
    An interactive story with amazing illustrations that are interactive and animated
    Has an original soundtrack too.
    Also has a biography of the author Washington Irving and a sketchbook by the books illustrator.
    iClassics also has other titles for authors like Poe, Wilde, Lovecraft, Doyle, and more.
    If you want to just try a sample there is a "free" iClassics showcase app.
Closing
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