The Financial Times reporting on Apple Arcade says Apple is laying down some serious investments for titles on their upcoming service.
Their sources say Apple is spending upwards of $500 million on the more than 100 launch titles.
They are also offering developers even bigger bonuses if they agree to exclusivity agreements for a few months on Apple Arcade before they launch titles on other platforms or services.
And the cash and incentives are expected to continue once the service is launched in the Fall.
Apple Arcade will be a monthly recurring subscription service with access to over 100 ad free titles and they can be downloaded for offline play.
iPhone "next" camera upgrade
We have been already discussing the triple-lens rear facing camera
Now Ming Chi Kuo is predicting some serious upgrades for the next iPhone's TrueDepth camera as well
He claims it'll get a bump from 7MP to 12MP
Also adding a a 5-element lens component, up from 4-element
He also says both the 6.5-inch and 5.8-inch OLED iPhones will get the trip-lens system with a brand new super-wide 12-megapixel lens.
They will have a stealthy look he called ‘inconspicuous’ thanks to a new black coating that will make them blend in better with the device
The update for the 6.1-inch iPhone XR will get the dual lens camera treatment.
And the same front facing camera will be on ALL devices.
Kuo also thinks the 2020 devices will see 5G modems from not just Qualcomm, but Samsung as well.
he also believes iPhone sales will grow from between 188 million and 192 million in 2019, and up to 195 million to 200 million by 2020.
still 200 million is below the 211 to 231 million units the company sold in various years between 2015 and 2018
Apple expands recycling efforts
As part of Earth Day Apple highlighted some of it's newer environmental efforts
They are increasing the number of places you can return an iPhone for recycling
You can now take them to Best Buy in the US or KPN retailers in the Netherlands. This is in addition to the Apple Store and Apple.com
Apple shared stats on their program and Daisy, the Apple recycling robot
Apple has process nearly 1 million devices and Daisy can disassemble 1.2 million devices per year. The robot also works with 15 different iPhone models
The materials reacquired via Daisy are put back into the manufacturing process
In 2018 Apple refurbished 7.8 million Apple devices
Apple is also opening a new 9,000-square-foot Material Recovery Lab in Austin, Texas
Apple will employ engineering teams and academics to find new solutions to recycling problems.
Qualcomm settlement "worse" deal for Apple
I have to admit that the details coming out about the Apple Qualcomm settlement have me baffled.
One of Apple's biggest issues and why they choose to go to Intel and fight so hard was the feeling that Qualcomm shouldn't be getting a piece of every iPhone sale as royalty. And especially a piece based on the total sale price of the device, not just for the components inside that the patents applied to.
A UBS report suggests that after the settlement Apple could be paying Qualcomm $8-9 USD per iPhone sold. Estimates of the pervious payments were between $5-7.50.
These new fees are in addition to a $5-6 Billion dollar "bullet payment" for payments Apple told it's manufacturers to withhold.
See Apple actually doesn't pay the fess, their suppliers do (and those suppliers pay much more, up to $20 per iPhone
Apple then reimburses the suppliers for the payments and then Qualcomm provides "rebates" back to Apple that bring the unit costs down to the $5-7.50 (now $8-9) per device range.
All this just maybe proves what a bad spot Apple was in when it came to securing 5G modems for their devices in 2020.
Apple TV+ gets ready to market
Apple has hired former Lionsgate EVP Danielle DePalma as a Senior Film and TV Series Marketing executive to promote Apple TV+ according to Deadline
She will be reporting to directly to Apple Head of Video Marketing Chris Van Amburg who is a former Sony TV executive
Get ready for macOS Shortcuts
Many of us have lamented the seeming abandonment of automation and Automator by Apple
Now there are rumors that Siri Shortcuts may make their way to macOS in 10.15
Reports are saying it and ScreenTime may be just a couple of the items demoed at this years WWDC
They are claiming Siri Shortcuts would be available as an app download from the Mac App Store
Siri Shortcuts will likely be limited though to only work with the new "marzipan" apps, not native macOS apps.
There are also rumors of a new Apple ID management panel to System Preferences offering improves management and setup of Family Sharing
iMessage effects like confetti, lasers, and fireworks may also make their way to macOS.
A few goodies are being rumored on the iPhone front too
More Siri support for categories of 3rd party apps
The ability to download photos into 3rd party apps directly, not just into Photos.
So directly into Dropbox or the Files app
Federico Viticci said on his Connected podcast that sources are telling him iPads could be getting USB mouse support via a new accessibility update
Just plug-in any USB-C mouse to an iPad Pro and you can use it in accessibility mode
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Feedback
Macbook keyboard not all bad
So the new Macbook "butterfly" keyboard issues have been making the rounds again, including on this show.
Kicked off by a WSJ report by Joanna Stren's who had the issue with a 2018 Macbook Air. That prompted a rare apology from Apple.
Still, as Apple said in their apology, Apple states the issue impacts a "very small percentage" of customers.
And that seems to hold true in the Maccast community.
Still I have received concerned emails and voicemails from listeners, like the one from Brian on the last show, about whether or not it's "safe" to buy a Macbook with the current keyboard design.
Dan sent in this comment this week to share a different perspective
AppleInsider has estimated that failure rates were double that of previous mechanisms.
The piece we don't have is "how many" and as far as anyone can tell Apple is telling the truth. It's likely small
Still annoying though if you're in that "small" group.
Apple is also changing how it does things to better address those customer who do find an issue with their keyboard.
MacRumors reported on an internal memo that went out to Apple Stores saying "Most keyboard-related repairs will be required to be completed in store until further notice"
Apple is shipping additional parts to support the efforts
Repairs are also to be prioritized and for a next day turn around when possible. That's much better than the typical 3-5days for repairs that would be sent out
Managing device network connections
Michael wrote in with a question because, after 10 years on the same iMac (amazing), he upgraded to a new model.
Now he has access to continuity and can unlock his Mac with his Apple Watch.
That feature relies on WiFi and Bluetooth, but Michael has a wired Ethernet connection which he prefers.
His question was, "Can I run both WiFi and Ethernet in parallel"?
The answer is yes, and you can even tell your Mac which connection method is preferred.
System Preferences > Network control panel.
Click the “cog” icon and choose ’Set Service Order”.
Drag to change the preferred order and click OK.
So if you set the “Ethernet” to be the first one the Mac should use that, when available, over the wifi.
You can also set-up your preferred order for Wi-Fi networks, if you connect to multiples
System Preferences > Network
Click the 'Advanced…' button
In the WiFi tab you'll see the "Preferred networks" list
Click and item and drag it to set the preferred order.
Here you can also:
Click or unclick the "auto-join" option (may want to NOT auto-join Starbucks for example)
Can add or remove networks, select and click the "-" button or just delete.
Did you also know you can run your iOS devices on a "wired" connection?
Need a USB-C to Ethernet or Lightning to Ethernet adapter
Can "hard wire" to a network.
Name for the next macOS
Les sent in a bid for the next name for macOS and I think he could be on to something.
In 2013 Apple switched from using the names of big cats, Lion, Leopard, Mountain Lion, to names of places in California.
The first was Mavericks, a surf spot and then we got El Capitan, Sierra, High Sierra, and Mojave
As Les points out, after Apple's services event they seem to have a current focus on entertainment and celebrities.
So doesn't it seem logical that the next OS could be called macOS "Hollywood"?
Thing of the Moment: Monoprice Mobile Series USB-C Dock Adapter
Actually the: Monoprice Mobile Series USB-C to HDMI 4K@30Hz, VGA, 2-Port USB 3.0, Gigabit RJ45, SD Card, USB-C Data Port, USB-C 100W Power Delivery Dock Adapter with Folding Type-C Connector
USB-C cord is built in which could be a blessing or curse (I think it makes it ultra portable)
Supports 100W of USB-C power delivery which is unusual for a hub at any price.
HDMI and VGA, so you're ready for old and new projectors
