shownotes_201811111

Opening
  Opening Music
    Music is Say Anything by Manda and the Marbles
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News
  iPhone XR production reduced
    Nikkei Asian Review is reporting that Apple has told suppliers Foxconn and Pegatron to reduce the number of production lines needed for iPhone XR production
      Foxconn originally prepped 60 lines and Apple is only using about 45
    The report claims Foxconn will be producing 20-25 percent fewer phones, about 100,000 less units per week.
    The belief from analysts is that there have been lower then expected orders and that Apple now has more then enough supply to get them through the holiday quarters.
    The report also claims Apple is asking for more iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus handsets to be produced.
    Apple continuously analyzes demand and makes adjustments in the supply chain
  Apple Pay in Germany, finally
    Apple is cutting it close on it’s promise to launch Apple Pay in Germany in 2018
    The information about the pending launch “coming soon” appeared on Apple’s German site and on the HypoVereinsbank website
    American Express, Mastercard, and Visa cards should be compatible.
    The long delay for Apple Pay support in continental Europe's biggest economy is believed to be due to long talks over transaction fees.
    Apple Pay is also reportedly coming to Belgium later in the month.
  watchOS 5.1.1 fixes “bricking” issue
    After releasing and then pulling it’s watchOS 5.1 update Apple has released 5.1.1
    Shortly following the 5.1 release there were reports of the update “bricking” some Apple Watches
      I had an issue with a very slow update.
      Some reported nothing after letting the update run 3-4 hours
    The issue was bad enough that we had reports of Apple replacing some affected Apple Watches.
      If your watch is non-functional after a failed 5.1 update you’ll need to contact Apple for a repair or replacement. The 5.1.1 update will not fix it.
    The update appears to offer the same updates as 5.1 including bug fixes, minor improvements, support for Group FaceTime calls via audio, new emoji, and new watchface customization options
    New iPhone X Display Module Replacement Program
      Apple says some iPhone X displays can experience problems with responsiveness due to a display module component that can fail
      Symptoms are a display or part of a display that does not respond to touch or responds intermittently, or a display that reacts without being touched at all.
      They are offering a replacement program
      Contact Apple Retail or an Apple Authorized Service Provider
    SSD Service program for the 13-inch MacBook Pro non-Touchbar
      128 and 256GB SSDs in a limited number of these machines have an issue that can result in data loss and failure of the drive
      sold between June 2017 and June 2018
      Apple will provide service for these drives free of charge.
      An [Apple page to check serial number](https://www.apple.com/support/13-inch-macbook-pro-solid-state-drive-service-program/) for eligibility
      Contact Apple Retail or an Apple Authorized Service Provider
  Updated AirPods still coming?
    Apple received a Bluetooth SIG certification for what could possibly be second generation AirPods
    There were actually two listings cited and they mention an update to Bluetooth 5.0
      Improved range and better battery life
    We’ve also heard reports of noise cancellation and health features like tracking and recording heart rate data
    We are also still waiting on the AirPower and wireless charging case both which were announced back in 2017
    Basically confirms Apple is actively working on an updated version and that they could realest them sometime “soonish”?
  Mac mini proving mighty
    At least in early reviews.
    It has a massive ability to configure options with prices starting at $799 and going to $4,199
      Base Intel i3-quad core at 3.6Ghz and 128GB PCI-e Flash storage
      i5 and i7 options up to six cores, RAM up to 64GB, and storage up to 2TB
    Plenty of ports for connecting, unlike many of Apple’s notebooks. 4 TB3 (USB-C), two USB-A (3.0), HDMI 2.0, audio out and 1Gb Ethernet (10Gb option)
    Really represents Apple’s most flexible option in term as of applications
      Entry level machine
      Render farm or complier beast
      Video editing station with eGPU and TB3 RAID
      And everything in-between.
    Benchmark wise for a topped out CPU model it can hang with the best of them. Including the iMac Pro and Mac Pro.
    Outside of the Mac Pro it’s arguably currently Apple’s most “upgradeable” Mac.
    DIY RAM upgrade possible, but not for faint of heart
      iFixit has their tear down posted
      You need to disconnect several delicate connectors and completely remove the logic board from the case
      Apple recommends you have an authorized repair technician do it.
      You’d be responsible for any damage.
      Keep the original RAM
    MacBook Air teardown also has confirmations and surprises
      Is the third generation Apple butterfly keyboard with the membrane
      External pentalobe screws.
      Thunderbolt 3 ports And TouchID sensor are modular
      Battery and speakers are attached with “pull-to-remove” adhesive tabs.
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Feedback, commentary, opinions
  Impressions of the new iPad Pro
    I decided to get a new 11-inch iPad Pro, downsizing, but upgrading, from my original 1st gen 12.9-inch iPad Pro which I love
    1) Unboxing lovely. Although each piece (iPad, Pencil, SmartFolio) came in it's own box with it's own tracking number.
    2) Attaching the SmartFolio and Apple Pencil… MAGNETS, YES!!! So cool.
    3) Setup using the "Quick Setup" feature and putting my iPhone nest to the iPad. Magic! :male_mage::skin-tone-2: Seriously wizardry at it's finest. Was up in running in minutes!
    4) Size. MUCH smaller then my 12.9-inch fist gen iPad Pro. Feels great and much more manageable. Don't like the "small" on-screen keyboard with "half width" shift, return, and delete keys. Otherwise Happy with the size I think. (edited)
    5) Apple No. 2 Pencil is really nice. Silky to the touch and grippy. Not just the pencil itself, but also how it moves across the glass. Something is different to make it feel VERY close to paper. Not sure if its the screen or the Pencil tip, but I think the latter. Either way NICE.
    6) Included USB-C cable is USB-C to USB-C. Bummer as I have no USB-C Macs? I get WHY, but I'm gonna need some USB-C to USB-A cables. Power brick is USB-C and 5V at 3A or 9V at 2A.
    7) Speakers go ALAF! (as loud as fudge… what were you thinking?). Sounds OK up to about 75% volume, but then just too "tinny" to support that volume? I don't think they distort per se (but maybe a little?). Regardless, that volume is too loud for any sort of normal use anyway.
    8 ) FaceID works great. I KNOW?!! I just said that.
    ”Pillboxing” on non-optimized apps
      Also, still an issue with many apps where UI elements appear under the “home indicator”
    FaceTime in iOS 12 moves the camera switching button from the UI mailing it a two tap operation.
  Apple’s price to value proposition
    Josh asked some great questions about my argument that one reason Apple is increasing prices is the move by consumers to longer upgrade cycles.
    So Josh asked:
      Are they really giving us added value that is MORE than what they have done in the past with their upgrades?
      Apple stuff has always lasted a long time. Are they going to last longer now? Are parts made now that have a longer lifespan?
      I think they are more worried about maintaining their profits rather than giving us something more. And don't get me wrong - that's what a business is supposed to do.
      But are we really gaining something new here? We are Apple geeks! We love to get the latest and greatest every time it comes out. We don't want to be on a 2-3 year cycle.
    I see two separate conversations happening here
      Are Apple’s products worth their prices? I say yes.
      2) Will I get enough value in upgrading to a newer generation Apple device every year or two to justify it’s price? I say likely not.
    The trouble for Apple is the the slowing returns on innovation of computing power. Computers are “fast enough” for most people.
    But that doesn’t reduce the cost or devalue innovations like the TrueDepth camera system, the Neural Engine, Retina and TrueTone displays, etc.
      Apples still invests heavily in those innovations
    But when I go in and look at an iPhone XR next to an iPhone XS it’s almost impossible for me to justify to most people the price difference.
      That doesn’t mean though that the iPhone XR doesn’t have better and more costly technology under the hood.
      It just means “value” gained by spending the extra money is hard to sell to most people.
    John Gurber said he asked about the long delay for the MacBook Air and Mac mini updates
      Was told Apple wants to focus on “meaningful updates”. The days of “speed bump” updates are largely over. The value just isn’t there.
    Thread [on reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/9v8i37/what_example_of_apples_nickel_and_diming_has/) discussing “nickel and dining”
      5GB of free iCloud storagE
      Only using 128GB flash for many base models and the higher costs to upgrade
        Remember Apple’s fast PCIe 3.0 x4NVMe SSDs are NOT the same as cheap SSDs
      Not including a USB-C cord with a replacement charging brick
      No extra tip with the new Apple No 2 Pencil
      MacBook USB-C cables are just that, no Thunderbolt support.
  Keeping old Macs alive
    Since we've been discussing keeping our old Macs in service longer maybe some tips are in order.
    Play comment/question from Brian
    Old hardware is old and at some point replacing it is just going to be the ONLY option. Eight years is a very respectable run.
    That said, there are still some things you can do to even keep using hardware that's that old.
    Number one, replace the hard drive with an SSD
      These are getting really inexpensive, $100 bucks or less for a 512GB, $200 for 1TB
      Internal, or even external.
    If the drive is full, give it some breathing room.
      Offload old files to archives. Cloud, thumb drives, external drives.
    Upgrade the RAM if you can.
    Clean it out. "Heat" is the enemy. If the fans are going full bore it might not be getting enough air or cooling.
      macOS will slow down the processor if the heat is going up.
      Make sure your fan is still working, motors do wear out.
    Software wise, clean the cruft. I clean install might be in order.
    Have realistic expectations
      For sure an hour to open an email is ridiculous
      But a few seconds is not unreasonable for older hardware.
Closing
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