shownotes_20171105

Opening
  Opening Music
    Music is Say Anything by Manda and the Marbles
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News
  The iPhone X has arrived
    Ordering went OK for most folks though once again getting access to the stores varied for some.
      Play audio from Gene and Martin
      Ship dates slipped pretty quickly
      I had an order in ~2 mins after the store went live (12:02 AM for me) and got a 11-17th delivery date (though that was bumped up)
      Many were able to get in store pick-up for November 3rd.
      Dates ultimately landed at 5-6 weeks after about 30 minutes or so.
      Many carriers seemed to still have November 3rd delivery long after Apple was pushed back.
    Apple also announced there would be some in-store stock on launch day
    After pre-sales Apple made a statement that iPhone X response was “off the charts”
    All this to say that supplies may not have been as constrained as we had been lead to believe
      Tim Cook, “never trust what you hear from the supply chain”.
    Most deliveries seemed to go smoothly
      I was able to use UPS’s new “Track My Delivery” feature which was cool (if not nerve racking)
      There were many reports of carrier activation issues. You’d think by now…
    It was great to see lines again at the Apple Store on launch day
      Thanks to all who sent me pictures online and via email from all over the world.
    Shipping times also seem to be improving in some areas.
      3-4 weeks
      Also in-store availability if you get lucky.
      Check the online store or App the night before and see if you can get in-store pickup.
    Apple is allowing pre-sale for in-store pickup via it’s online stores in the US, UK, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Hong Kong, Mexico, Switzerland, and the UAE.
      There is also a “reserve and pickup” option for many countries that let’s you set a 30 minute window on a date to pickup and pay for the device in store (rather than in advance online).
    Out of warranty replacements will cost a lot more:
      USD $279.00 for screens and USD $549 for full replacement
      AppleCare+ coverage is also more USD $199 and a $29 screen replacement deductible or $99 for any other damage.
    [iFixit teardown](https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iPhone+X+Teardown/98975) show beautiful innards
      Two battery cells in a “L” configuration
      Smaller logic board even with more components
      Really a “folded in half” logic board
      Reinforced Lightning connector
      There was a “mystery” chip between the Taptic Engine and lower speaker that turned out to be a Broadcom touch screen controller
      Get a 6 out of 10 for repairability
    Apple notes the possibility of OLED color shifts and possible “visual changes” (read burn in) with extended long-term use in a [support document](https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208191)
      OLED does have an off angle “blue” color shift.
      Apple engineers have reportedly taken “great steps” to avoid the issue, but it’s still possible it could happen.
      Apple recommends avoiding displaying static images at maximum brightness for long periods of time.
  Plans forming for future iPhones
    Apple acquired a New Zealand based wireless power company called PowerbyProxi
      Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, Dan Riccio, mentioned it in a piece for Stuff.
      The company makes the Proxi-Module platform, modular wireless power and data transfer system designed for high-power applications
      Delivering up to 100-watts of power. Apple may want it more for MacBook Pro efforts than for iDevices.
      Systems are still based on Qi though.
    Ming-Chi Kuo doesn’t believe Apple will have supply chain issues for 2018 models
      Probably mostly because he doesn’t will need to change the Sensor Bar tech.
      Also claims the tech will remain an iSight camera feature only in 2018
    Apple may drop Qualcomm and a cellular modem supplier
      The two companies have been at odds since an FTC complaint was filed against Qualcomm alleging they forced Apple to use their chips at higher royalties. Apple also filed their own lawsuit against Qualcomm.
      It’s going to be hard for Apple to break free, but starting with the iPhone 7 they began using Intel chips and will reportedly add MediaTek as a second supplier if they drop Qualcomm
  More Apple original content hires
    The Financial Times, reported that Apple has hired BBC TV executive Jay Hunt.
    She was mostly recently the chief creative officer at Channel 4
    She was responsible for shows like “Black Mirror” and “humans”. She also was at BBC One where she was involved with “Luther” and “Sherlock”
    She will come on-board at Apple in January and act as Apple’s new creative director for European video.
    Good sign that Apple is building out it’s international teams for original video content.
    Report from Bloomberg claims that Carpool Karaoke was delayed because Time Cook wanted edits and reshoots because some of the content was a bit too “blue”
      The report also says that Apple has plans to release a number of new shows in 2019.
      But they want those shows to have content that is “creative and challenging”, but also be available to the broadest possible audience.
      The mandate reportedly is that anything produced must be able to be show in an Apple Store.
      I totally welcome that kind of content. I love Game of Thrones, but I think there is far too big a gap of good stories, content, and shows that families can enjoy together.
      It remains to be seen if that tact will be successful, but it it also reportedly turning off some in Hollywood, labeling Apple too conservative. Given recent events maybe that’s a good thing.
      The report also mentions that Apple is not intending to go head to head against Walt Disney or Netflix, but to compliment the video offerings from other services.
  iOS Camera access privacy questioned
    A developer Felix Krause posted a [proof of concept app](https://krausefx.com/blog/ios-privacy-watchuser-access-both-iphone-cameras-any-time-your-app-is-running) to highlight what happens when you grant an App access to the camera in iOS
    Specifically it can:
      access both the front and the back camera
      record you at any time the app is in the foreground
      take pictures and videos without telling you
      upload the pictures/videos it takes immediately
      run real-time face recognition to detect facial features or expressions
    The other point made is that there is no light or any other visible indicator that the camera is “live” and in use.
    The suggestion is that there should be more options for granularity when giving apps access to the camera
      One time access that is revoked after the app is closed
      Show an icon in the status bar when the camera is active.
      An LED, like we have on Macs.
      I would also say icons in the camera privacy settings, like we have for location services, that show which apps last accessed the camera and when.
    You can check which apps have camera access in Settings > Privacy > Camera
    He’s done other proofs of concepts like ‘detect.location’ and ‘steal.password’
      Granting access to Photos could allow an app to read ALL the location data from those photos and create a “map” of the dates, times, and locations you took photos. Send that to a server.
      The password thing shows how easy it is for an app to pop-up a convincing looking alert disallow to attempt to steal your iCloud password.
    Here’s the thing, all of these attacks would have to get through an App Store review.
      Could they get through, yes.
      I think iOS has an indicator when video is being taken
    Point is despite all the protections Apple has in place we all need to be aware and diligent about what kinds of access we are allowing to our data.
    American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has raised privacy concerns about developer access to the facial expressions of iPhone X users
      3D facial recognition models stored by FaceID are secured and not available to 3rd party apps
      Apps are allowed to ask permission to access a rough map of a user’s face and detect 50 different facial expressions.
      That data can be accessed and sent to developers servers.
      Apple’s rules state they must get customer permissions and agree to not sell the data to third parties. The use also must be reaped to the functionality of the app.
      Concern is that, like us all, developers don’t fully read terms of service and might use the data for marketing and advertising purposes without us knowing.
      Just having camera access, as noted earlier, could also allow this, so it’s not really new.
    It’s all a matter of trust.
  Apple Watch Series 3 stripes
    9to5 Mac reports that Apple has recently informed its retail and authorized third-party repair staff of the issue that it says is affecting some Apple Watch Series 3 GPS models.
    The issue is displays that are showing a series of stripe markings long the side of the watch display
    It’s easiest to see when the display is off.
    The informations given to 9to5 seems to indicate that only the GPS model is currently being watched.
    Staff are being told to have the customer rub their finger on the edge of the display to smear it or to fog it up with their breath to make the issue easier to see.
    They don’t say what the cause is, other than “manufacturing defect” and the issue seems to be isolated at this point.
    Effected devices appear to be being sent in for a complete replacement.
  Apple’s Q4 results
    Revenue of $52.6 billion, up 12 percent from 2016
    Apple sold 10.3 million iPads, 46.7 million iPhones, and 5.4 million Macs during the quarter.
      All up from the same quarter a year ago.
      The initial sales from iPhone 8 and 8 Plus were included in this quarter and numbers seem to indicate good demand for those models in the quarter.
    Revenue from services was 8.5 billion, up from 6.33 billion in the same quarter last year
      Apple’s second largest source of revenue behind the iPhone.
      Bigger than combined revenue from iPads, Apple Watch, Apple TV, Beats, and accessories combined.
Feedback, commentary, opinions
  Apple TV 4K HDR auto switching
    remember the follow up on the Apple TV 4K from last time about how the Apple TV forces all content, regardless of source frame rate or dynamic range, into the highest refresh rate and dynamic range supported by your TV?
    We said for now you can change it manually to match your source content.
    We’ll you won’t need to wait long for a better fix.
    tvOS 11.2 beta has new settings for “Match Dynamic Range” and “Match Fram Rate”
    It appears this will work automatically for Apps who display their content using Apple’s AVKit and Apple has also added APIs to allow the feature to work in apps that don’t use AVKit.
  iPhone X First impressions
    Quick Setup was pretty amazing
      Did run into some trouble but overall it worked well.
    Going to need a lot more time with it to form hard opinions, but after just a day these are my impressions
    Screen is really good, but not “revolutionary”
      Not like the leap from non-retina to retina
      Better contrast, deep rich blacks, sharp and crisp.
      Evolutionary, not revolutionary.
      Almost says more about the superior quality of Apple’s LCD technology than the greatness of OLED.
    FaceID is really good.
      Easy setup.
      Better than TouchID?
        A bit tricker. It has some advantages (when it works)
        Speed can be faster or slower depending on the situation/
        The “attention” thing is pretty deliberate. You need to be looking at the device (can be turned off in Accessibility).
        Optimal FaceID range is 25cm - 50cm (10 - 20 inches). If you have “old eyes” like me that might be an issue.
        Easier to get “locked out” if a family member is looking at your phone
        Best not to “wait” for the lock icon, just look and swipe up.
      Learning new gestures will take some time, but I think I like it.
        More then once I tried to press the home button
        Got over it more quickly then I thought.
      A couple of YouTube videos of brothers, not twins, being able to fool FaceID
        In one instance the brother was 14 and Apple’s own support articles note that FaceID is not reliable for kids 13 and under, so that might be a factor
        The other was two brothers who were adults, three years apart.
        Does it just fall inside the 1 in a million? If Apple sells 10 million phones then presumably there would be 10 pairs out there who can fool FaceID, right?
        Apple’s own [support article](https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208108) on FaceID says this: “The statistical probability is different for twins and siblings that look like you and among children under the age of 13, because their distinct facial features may not have fully developed. If you're concerned about this, we recommend using a passcode to authenticate”
        Apple also had a white-paper that explains why this is working.
          If FaceID fails, but the face match is still within a high threshold that it's "probably" you, when you enter the passcode it will use the high probability scan "learn" how your face changed
          See it assumes that if you know the passcode that it's you unlocking the phone.
          This "temporary" data is discarded after a finite number of unlocks and if you stop matching against it.
          It's all part of the system used to keep up with dramatic changes in your facial hair or makeup use, while minimizing false acceptance.
    Camera
      Finally having the dual cameras in a phone just a hair larger than my iPhone 7 is AWESOME
        How compares spec-wise to iPhone 8 Plus.
          Both 12MP
          Wide lens is f/1.8 on both, with optical image stabilization (OIS)
          Telephoto lens is slightly faster on the X (f/2.4 vs. f/2.8)
          Telephoto lens has OIS on the X only
          Front facing both 7MP, but iPhone X has TrueDepth
      Portrait Lighting effects work pretty good, but are for sure “beta”.
        Struggles in “Stage” effects in some instances.
        Can use Portrait effects on font facing
      I like being able to add and change portrait effect after taking the photo.
    Animoji are super fun
      Animoji Karaoke is already a meme (thanks to Harry McCracken)
      This feature is NOT worth the $1K price tag despite what your favorite blogger or YouTuber says. It WILL sell a lot of iPhone Xs
    Siri troubles
      Siri seems to be struggling for me when there is background noise
      Really an issue when playing music or podcasts via the built in stereo speakers, which are much louder than before (25% according to Apple)
    Should you buy it?
      It really depends on what kind of user you are and where you’re at in your iPhone upgrade cycle.
      If you’re on one of the upgrade plans and don’t mind an extra $10-20/mo. In payments then maybe.
      Have a phone that’s more then a couple years old and want the most cutting edge? Yes, it’ll be a great upgrade.
      The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are also great options if you want top pay a little less for your upgrade and like TouchID.
      The good news is Apple now has a lot of great choices in a whole range of price points.
  iPhone X tips and tricks
    When you’re in an app you can swipe left/right on the Home indicator (gesture bar) area at the bottom of the screen
      App switcher swipe up from bottom and pause
      If found swiping in a arc to work faster. Bottom to right or left edge
    New wallpapers in iOS 11.1, including all black which could save some battery life because of the OLED display.
    To hard reboot press volume up, volume down, followed by press and hold the side button (same for iPhone 8 and 8 Plus).
    Screenshot, volume up + side button
    Reachability, swipe down on Home indicator
      Settings > General > Accessibility > Reachability
    Notification Center, left horn. Control Center, right horn.
    Lock Screen notification don’t show previews until the device is unlocked by FaceID
      Not new, but is the default on the iPhone X
      Can be enabled under iOS 11 on other devices in Settings > Notifications > Show Preview and enabling ‘When Unlocked’
  Tips on using Live Photos
    Live Photos is a feature Apple added to the iPhone starting with the iPhone 6s models
    A live photo will display as a still image in the Camera or Photos app, but have a "Live Photo" indicator in the upper corner
      It's actually also has 3 second video, stored as a separate part of the image file, that is 1.5 seconds before and after the photo
      3D Touch or tap and hold the image to "playback" the video
      If you use the 'Share' option on a Live photo and send to a user or service that doesn't support live Photo then they just get the image
      You can pretty much treat a Live Photo just like you would any other image on your device.
    Recently, with iOS 11, they gave us more control over what we can do with our Live Photos and I've been getting questions on how to enable new effects and editing.
    Lets start with how to use and take live photos
      In recent versions of the Camera app on iOS, if your phone supports it, Live Photos is turned on by default
      When you access the Camera if you see a yellow "starburst" icon at the top of the viewer that indicates that Live Photos are turned on.
        You can disable it by tapping the icon and turning it off.
        Unfortunately that toggle is only good for that one session. Next time you open the Camera app, chances are the Live Photo feature will be back on.
        Luckily with iOS 10.2 Apple added a way to make the setting stick, but you need to enable it.
        Settings > Camera > Preserve Settings. Make sure Live Photo is switched on to preserve your preference in the Camera app
    With iOS 11 Apple added three new "effects" for Live Photos and allows you to edit the length and also set a different image from the clip as the "default" or "key" image
      In the Photos app you can easily find all your Live Photos in the 'Albums' section. There is a 'Live Photos' album created by default
      If you select a Live Photo and tap 'Edit' you'll see start and stop endpoints you can drag (the timeline will turn yellow) and a white box around the keyframe. You can drag the white box to another frame and tap 'Make Key Photo'.
        There will be a small white dot indicating the new Key photo and a Gray dot indicating the original key photo
        Tap 'Done' to Save your edits.
        If you edit the image again you can change things or tap 'revert' to get back to the original
      To try the different Live Photo Effects
        Select a Live Photo in the photos app
        Swipe up on the Live Photo to reveal the available effects, Live, Loop, Bounce, Long Exposure
        Tap the effect you want to apply.
        Swipe up again if you want to change the effect.
        The current applied effect will be shown next to Live photo indicator in the upper left of the photo.
Closing
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