shownotes_20200426

Opening
  Opening Music
    Music is Say Anything by Manda and the Marbles
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News
  As expected Apple reveled the iPhone SE
    Or really what is an iPhone 9
    4.7-inch LED display, A13 Bionic chip, TouchID home button with up to 256GB storage
    12MP single lens wide-angle rear camera and 7MP front facing camera
      The camera does now support “Portrait” mode
    Also loses 3DTouch in favor of the newer “haptic” touch
    Now has dual-SIM support and ads Wi-Fi 6 support
    No ultrawide-band chip
    Same design and form factor as the iPhone 8 and available in black, white, or PRODUCT RED
    Pricing is USD $399 for 64GB, $449 for 128GB, and $549 for 256GB
    AppleCare+ for the iPhone SE is USD $79.00
    It’s shipping now though back ordered until mid may at last check
    Not surprisingly with the release of the new SE Apple has discontinued selling the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus
      We have seen some rumors suggesting that there may still be an iPhone SE Plus in development.
      Ming Chi-Kuo has said the iPhone SE Plus will likely be delayed until the second half of 2021
  iPhone 12 will have new design
    According to a recent Bloomberg report
    Key features being a smaller notch and flat stainless steel edges like the current iPad Pro designs
    They say it will also have more sharply rounded corners
      I find this one s bit hard to believe because Apple has used the same corner rounding ratio for years.
    They also only mention the two high-end models getting the new designs.
    It’s expected that there will be four models
      A 5.4-inch model, two 6.1-inch versions, and a 6.7-inch version
      The 5.4-inch and lower end 6.1-inch will have dual lend cameras on the back, with the higher end “Pro” 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch models featuring a triple lens camera system
      The “pro” models re also expected to have the new LiDAR camera systems introduced with this years new iPad Pros
      All models are expected to have OLED displays and support 5G
  Rumors of a cheaper HomePod
    Well this will eventually be right. Right?
    Still there are new reports from Bloomberg that this is coming
    About half the size of the current model with a similar design
    Apple looking to release it in the second half of the year.
    Bloomberg also says that Apple Tags are still on the way
      Reportedly thin small “puck”
      Would be bundled with an Apple designed leather sleeve and keychain to attach it to objects
      Expected to launch sometime this year
    HomePod system now based tvOS
      9to5 Mac reported on the change which happened with the release of 13.4
      Really doesn’t mean too much since tvOS, watchOS, iPadOS all share the same iOS core
      iOS has many features related to battery savings that tvOS doesn’t
      Also, Apple TVs and HomePods both can function as HomeKit hubs
      The next version of iOS will drop support for the A8 chip
        This is in the Apple TV 4th-gen and the HomePod
      Still 9to5 Mac claims they have a “trusted source” that claims Apple may have an Apple TV update in the fall that will feature the brand new A14 chip.
    The rumored Apple branded over the ear headphones may have a new trick that the Beats models won’t have
      Magnetically swappable components, according to Bloomberg
      The options available will offer customization of both the style and ergonomics
      The ear pads and headband padding would be swappable
      The report claims Apple is looking into versions with two types of materials. Leather fabrics and lighter weight materials for fitness and that they have a “retro” look with oval-shaped ear cups that swivel and a headband connected by thin, metal arms
      It also says the arms stem from the ear cups rather than attacking to the sides.
      Means you could have have one set of headphones that could adapt for different use cases.
      It’s expected they would have features similar to Apple’s AirPods including easy pairing, the H1 chip, noise cancellation, and Hey Siri support. Along with integrated touch controls
      The headphones will reportedly be announced later this year.
      Earlier rumors have set pricing around USD $350.00
    Rumors from leaker Jon Prosser that new AirPods could be coming soon
      Says in the next month or so
      Same design as the Pros w/o noise cancellation
      Ming-Chi Kuo gave notes to his investors that contradict the timeline and design
        Says Apple’s 3rd gen AirPods will have internal changes adapted from the Air Pod Pro. Using the same system-in-Package and rigid-flex PCB+SMT design
        But that the external design would remain unchanged.
        Kuo also says the new version would be released in the first half of 2021
        He thinks the rumored “AirPods Pro Lite” for 2020 could be a new set of Beats, not AirPods
      Could happen with an announcement of as new 13-inch MacBook Pro
  Why?!!
    Apple has released stand alone wheel and feet kits for the new Mac Pro
    These are great because it lets owners reconfigure their rigs after their initial purchase
    What’s not great, and frankly totally baffling is the price tags.
    The Apple Mac Pro Feet Kit is USD $299. The Apple Mac Pro Wheel Kit will set you back USD $699
    If you order the the wheels at time of purchase they’re s $400 add on, so not sure why it costs $299 extra to get them later.
    You also now have the option to add a Radeon Pro W5700X GPU to your Mac Pro configuration
      The add on will add USD $600 to the price or $1600 for two
      You can also get the card standalone for USD $1000.00
  Battery health coming to Mac
    The most recent builds of macOS Catalina beta, 10.15.5, contains a version of the iOS Battery Health Management monitoring for Macs with USB-C charging
    The feature is very basic at the moment
    It’s accessed via the Energy Saver control panel under the Battery tab.
    There’s a new “battery health” button that opens a new dialog
    Tell the battery condition and allow you to toggle off the Battery Health Management
    When enabled battery health management will reduce the batteries peak capacity (stop short of full charge) to extend the batteries lifespan.
  New lower priced iMac
    We’re hearing rumors that Apple could be planning to introduce a new 23-inch iMac model later in 2020
    The thought is they could cram a bigger display into the body of the 21.5-inch iMac by reducing the bezels
    They also believe Apple my introduce a low cost 11-inch iPad later in the year as well.
    It’s not clear if this would update the 10.2-inch iPad or the 10.5-inch iPad Air
    We had heard previous rumors of an 11-inch iPad Air update with under display TouchID an might use Mini-LEDs
    Rumors that the Mini-LED update to the iPad Pro might be delayed to 2021
      Frankly it seemed odd to me that Apple would do two iPad Pro updates in the same year.
    Bloomberg reports that we’re likely to see the first ARM based Macs by late 2020 or early 2021
      Apple is said to be working on three Mac processor designed based on the A14 design they plan to use in the next iPhone.
      The first chip is expected to be based on 5 nanometer fabrication process, and feature 12 CPU cores: 8 high-performance cores, codenamed Firestorm, and 4-efficiency cores, codenamed Icestorm
      Remember that most Macs shipping today have two, four, or eight cores.
      They expect that Apple’s entry level MacBook models may be the first to get Apple ARM based processors
      The challenge will be more on the software aside. Providing a way for older apps that run on Intel processors to work with the new ARM architecture.
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Feedback, commentary, opinions
  Thoughts on iPad Magic Keyboard
    Very first impression. Heavy.
    Reviews have mentioned it’s heavier than a 13-inch MacBook Air. (12.9-inch iPad)
    It is very solidly built.
    Holds the iPad amazingly
    Hinges seem magical. Firm, but move easily and just stick in place.
    The keys feel awesome. Great amount of travel and the backlight is nice.
      It is odd that the number keys fell under the display. Likely why they don’t have function keys
      I do notice that my finger can and do hit the bottom edge of the display while typing, but it has not been a problem.
    Trackpad is good. Not as large as on a MacBook Pro, but workable.
      The gestures are great and easy to adapt into
      Can access all the functions of the iPad without needing to touch the display.
      Selecting text is so much better with a trackpad.
    Charging port only on one side doesn’t bother me.
      Is only charging and a slightly slower charging rate than if you plug in directly
    Wish the tilt had a bit more backward angle. I think it goes from 85 degrees to 130 degrees
      Not sure I understand 85 degrees?
    Really solid when using it in your lap. Stiff which I like.
    Because the keyboard won’t flip back behind the iPad you have to remove the entire case to use the iPad in “tablet” mode
      Easy enough to do, but still.
      With the Smart Keyboard cover at least you have the option even if it is awkward.
    Bummer that they did not include function keys
      Would be nice to be able to control music, volume, and brightness
      No manual adjustment of backlight brightness from the keyboard.
        It uses the ambient light sensor
        Settings > General > Keyboard > Hardware Keyboard.
      Some have complained about the lack of an ESC key.
        Can use Command+period
        Can also remap a key
          Setting > General > Keyboard
          Choose Hardware Keyboard
          Look for the Modifier Key Options
          You can re-map the Caps Lock, Control, Option, Command, and Globe keys.
    Overall impression is that Apple was right in NOT trying to create a touch experience in a Mac or make the iPad a notebook.
    The experience feels like a compromise, not the best of both worlds. At least to me.
      Frederico Viticci says it, encourages “you to detach the iPad” and I 100% agree with that.
      So you use it in “laptop” mode or tablet mode, but not both at the same time.
    I am using it with the 2018 11-inch iPad Pro.
      The larger camera hole is fine. Doesn’t bother me.
      Subtle Apple logo embossed on the back is a nice addition.
  Apple fixes family movie sharing
    Play comment from Danny
    Finally!!! Yes.
    An old was getting around this restriction was using the Movies Anywhere app
      This lets you connected accounts from Vudu, Disney, Amazon Prime Video, Apple, and others.
      You then have access to the purchased content from any one service in any of the other services
      There is also a Movies Anywhere app that also has all that content.
      There are some movies and studios who do not participate in Movies Anywhere. Paramount, Lionsgate, and MGM
  Listener experience with Apple Trade-in
    Longtime listener Dan recently traded up his 2018 15-inch MacBook Pro for a new 16-inch one.
    He used the Apple Trade-in program to help cover the cost, but the experience may not be what most might expect
    The process in terms of getting the offer is fairly simple
      Go on to Apple’s site and when you click the “Buy” button there is a “Add Trade-in” option at the top
      You’ll need the serial number of the Mac you’re trading in and you’ll answer some questions.
      You’ll get an offer, but it pretty much assumes a great condition product
    If you accept the offer they will send you a box to send the device in for evaluation
      It’s important to note that Apple uses a 3rd party, Phobio, for this program
    It can actually take up to 30 days before you get the final amount
    They send you can Apple Gift Card, not credit to your account
      Now Dan noted that if you used your credit to buy a Mac, you can contact Apple support and they can apply the Gift card amount back to the credit card you used to make the purchase of the new Mac.
    You could also send in your old device and wait to get the gift card BEFORE you make your new purchase.
  Switching iOS RSS Readers
    I’ve been through many iterations of RSS readers for iOS
    Reeder, Newsify, Unread, and others.
    The biggest features I need are syncing with Feedly, an easy to access “reader” mode, sharing to Pocket, support for “starred” items.
      It’s helpful if there are keyboard shortcuts to access these features.
    I had purchased Newsify and it was working well for me. A couple years back they had gone to a subscription model, but I really didn’t need any of the premium features
      Not sure if there was a recent change, but now there seems to not be a way to access Reader view with a shortcut.
      Or at least, accessing it now requires two taps. Not efficient for me.
      They do offer a premium feature to have articles always open in Reader view, but that is $2.99/mo and not sure if there is enough value there for me.
    I went looking for alternatives and found an oldie, but goodie in [NetNewsWire](https://ranchero.com/netnewswire/)
      Now Open Source
      Now back with the original developer Brent Simmons, now at Omni Group
    It seems to have most of the features I’m looking for.
      Does seem to lack a keyboard shortcut for the Reader view.
      Only needs one tap/click to access though.
      Hoping they add it as a default mode option.
    I’m still using [ReadKit](https://readkitapp.com) on the Mac, though I might consider switching to NetNewsWire just for consistency of apps.
Closing
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