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Mac shipments are up

According to the latest estimates from Gartner

They believe Apple’s worldwide Mac shipments are up 5.1 percent for the second quarter of 2020

In the US looks like shipment were up 4.3 percent

They estimate Apple shipped 4.4 million Macs in Q2 2020, up from 4.2 million shipped in the same quarter of 2019

Apple’s worldwide PC marketshare also grew slightly year over year. Up 0.1 percent from 6.6 percent in the second quarter last year to 6.7 percent in the second quarter this year.

Gartner is attributing at least part of the uptick to the pandemic saying purchases are increasing as more people are working and schooling from home.

There are also numbers from IDC, and their numbers are even more positive

They think Apple shipped 5.6 million Macs in the second quarter of 2020, up 36 percent from the 4.1 million they estimated Apple shipped in the second quarter of 2019

Seems like Apple’s supply chain might be expecting the education and work from home trend to continue

DigiTimes says they are expecting Apple’s MacBook Pro shipments to increase 20 percent in the third quarter as Apple preps for “Back to School” sales.

More RAM in 12 Pro

Coming from Apple leaker @L0vetodream.

Says that the 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max models will come with 6GB of RAM, vs the 4GB of the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max

The leaker also predicts that the other non-Pro 12 models will continue to have 4GB RAM

The same leaker also posted images of an alleged new braided USB-C to Lighting cable to be included in the box. Not sure that’ll take any sting out of the missing power adapter or EarPods.

Reports that the Pro 120Hz display is in jeopardy

The displays are reportedly failing engineering tests

MySmartPrice, a technology and gadget research site in India, has noticed new safety certifications listings for batteries they think are destined for the iPhone 12s

The thing is, it looks like the capacities are slightly smaller than the ones in the iPhone 11 lineup

For example they show an iPhone 12 Pro battery capacity of 2,775mAh vs the 3,046 mAh battery in the iPhone 11 Pro

If true, it hard to imagine how Apple will maintain the same battery specs while adding in new features

Maybe the move from a 7nm CPU to a 5nm process helps?

There were also rumors that Apple had sourced a 50 percent smaller and thinner battery protection module for this years line-up and there was belief that the battery capacities might get bigger

Just to recap this years iPhone 12 lineup specs

4 models all with OLED displays

All with Apple A14 processors

4 sizes. A 5.4-inch iPhone 12 and 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Max. A 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Pro, and a 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max

We’re expecting only a charging cable in the box. No EarPods or charger

An optional 20W USB-C charger would be available to purchase

Speculation of a keynote and release dates are rampant at the moment.

We can expect a Fall release still, but it’s anyones guess at this point if it’ll happen in September or October.

I think Apple will try to keep a mid-September announcement and shipments happening by early October. Still I could also see that slipping.

Kuo outlines Apple Silicon Mac Lineup

We’ve already mentioned that Ming-Chi Kuo thinks Apple’s first “ARM” Mac will be an update to the 13.3-inch MacBook Pro sometime in the fourth quarter of this year.

In a new note to his investors he re-iterates that, but also mentions an Apple silicon MacBook Air update.

Saying it will enter production around the time of the 13-inch MacBook Pro release and be shipping in late winter or early spring.

He then believes Apple will follow with an updated redesigned MacBook Pro lineup in 2021 with new 16-inch and 14-inch models

He expects these to show up late in the second quarter of 2021 or possibly in the third quarter of 2021.

He also speculates that the cost savings gained by Apple in switching to their own processors could, in theory, allow them to set an even lower price on the MacBook Air.

He stops short of saying that’s what Apple will do however

As Apple’s notebooks get thinner and thinner they are creating a possible issue for users who are concerned with privacy

Apple published a [tech support](https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211148) article warning users from placing stickers, post-its, or plastic lens covers over their laptop cameras

Titled, “Don't close your MacBook, MacBook Air, or MacBook Pro with a cover over the camera” it warns users about potential damage

They say you can rely on the green light and also that covers can interfere with the ambient light sensor with is needed for features like auto-dimming and true-tone displays.

If you absolutely DO need a physical cover they offer some guidelines

Make sure the camera cover is not thicker than an average piece of printer paper (0.1mm).

Avoid using a camera cover that leaves adhesive residue.

If you install a camera cover that is thicker than 0.1mm, remove the camera cover before closing your computer.

Apple AR Semitransparent Lenses

According to The Information Apple and Foxconn have moved Apple Glass from prototype to trial production

The are beginning trial runs of Polarized and semi-transparent lenses that are a key piece to the AR display

The report claims as of May the AR device has reached the engineering validation test, or EVT stage

Meaning they have passed design testing and are now looking to test the products viability for mass production

Still there is a long way to go and the outlook for these things hitting the market is still projected to be several years away.

Bloomberg has noted recently that there have been strifes within the project team that have slowed development

One of the key sticking points is rumored to be if the device should offer more basic features and be self contained or if it should focus on graphics and processing power but use another device, like an iPhone, for connectivity and data.

Apple is reportedly currently working on several VR and AR initiatives.

New OS updates

In addition to performance and security enhancements across Macs and devices…

macOS Catalina 10.15.6

Adds local news updates for San Francisco, the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Houston, and New York City in Apple News

Fixes and issue where certain USB mouse and trackpads could lose connection

iOS and iPadOS 13.6

Adds more granular control over the downloading and installing of new iOS and ‌iPadOS‌ versions.

Can control download and updating automatically separately

Support for Car Key

Health app is gaining a new “Symptoms” section

Apple News

Saves your place when reading articles

Apple News+ Audio available for some articles

tvOS 13.4.8

Minor update and bug fixes

watchOS 6.2.8

Adds Apple’s new Car Key to the Apple Watch

That and a newish BWM (made after July 1st 2020) will get you some functionality.

Pricey accessory for an Apple Watch. ;)

ECG app on ‌Apple Watch‌ Series 4 or later and Irregular heart rhythm notifications now available in Bahrain, Brazil, and South Africa

In Apple TV+ News

Apple TV+ continues to expand and land big names and big titles.

They seem to be shaping up to be a contender and the recent release of Tom Hank’s Greyhound has brought some pretty impressive numbers

It became the biggest release on Apple TV+ so far

Source say the film had the largest opening-weekend release for the service and while they did not give numbers they claim they were equal to a theatrical box office hit.

Reports indicate that about 30% of Greyhound viewers were new subscribers to the Apple TV+ service

Apple also this past week debuted the series Little Voice, a project by J.J. Abrams and Sara Bareilles along with the unscripted sports docuseries Greatness Code

Apple has been racking up some great new film projects

Snow Blind, based on the graphic novel by the same name will star Jake Gyllenhall

Apple reported won out in a six-way bidding war

Script is being written by Patrick Ness, who wrote A Monster Calls

It will be directed by Gustav Möller

Apple also just put together a deal for a football movie starring Justin Timberlake called “Palmer”

"Palmer" follows former football phenomenon Eddie Palmer (played by Timberlake) who returns to his hometown to get his life back on track after a stint in prison.

The film will co-star Juno Temple and June Squibb and will be directed by Fisher Stevens.

In addition to these films Apple already has film projects signed with

Martin Scorsese - “Killers of the Flower Moon”

Will Smith who will produce and star in a film titled “Emancipation”

Julianne Moore in a a new film from Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka called “Sharper”

“The Sky is Everywhere,” a film based on a popular YA novel

Bill Murray and Rashida Jones in “On the Rocks” directed by Sofia Coppola

Apple TV+ has signed a new first-look deal with Idris Elba and his Green Door production

What they will be working on is unknown at this time, but the deals means Apple will get first crack at what they’re producing going forward.

Apple has signed a deal for a new 10-episode action thriller series called "Echo 3," which is based on Israeli TV show "When Heroes Fly,"

The shows creator is Mark Boal who is know for "The Hurt Locker" and "Zero Dark Thirty

Apple is working with Keshet which is the Israeli company who own the rights to the original TV series

They have also partnered with Keshet for "Suspicion starring Uma Thurman and based on Israeli TV series "False Flag."

Additionally on the TV side, Apple is using their own studio, Apple Studios, to produce the Masters of the Air series, the third installment in the Band of Brothers and The Pacific war series.

Apple Maps in Finland, Norway, and Sweden

As seen on Apple Maps image collection page

Apple will be deploying cars and personnel to collect data and images to beef up Maps in Finland, Norway, and Sweden

Raycon

These days there is nothing more handy or convenient than a good set of wireless earbuds.

If you’re going to the gym, doing a conference call, or just watching a movie on your iPad or Apple TV.

You want something that is comfortable, sounds great, and is not going to break the bank.

That’s why I think you should checkout the Everyday E25 Earbuds which are the latest from Raycon

They sent me a pair to try out and I was blown away

They have a great out of the box experience. Compact charging case, a great design and colors, and a frictionless Bluetooth pairing experience

They also sound amazing with clean sound and good bass response.

They have been awesome paired with my Mac on conference calls at work. They tuck right into you ear with a noise-isolating fit that is super comfortable

In fact my wife struggles with the fit of other earbuds, but the Raycons fit her perfectly

They also offer 6 hours of playtime and the case will fully charge your earbuds 4 times

Plus the price is amazing and as a Maccast listener of course your going to get an even better deal.

So, now’s the time to get the latest and greatest from Raycon.

Get 15-percent off your order at https://buyraycon.com/maccast! That’s BUY RAYCON dot com slash maccast for 15-percent off Raycon wireless earbuds. BUY RAYCON dot com slash

The Lexus of Mesh

Play review from John

[Netgear Orbi WiFi 6](https://www.netgear.com/landings/best-wifi/)

Feedback on IAP subscriptions

Play comments from Justin

As I mentioned before I can see it both ways.

Last time Jill said she’d be willing to pay more to be able to have all her subscriptions in one place and keep the personal data with Apple.

I can see the point that by NOT offering it in App they are possibly losing some customers

Probably depends on the app

I have seen apps get negative reviews because it’s confusing to find an app that is tied to a subscription or service and it’s not clear that that is the case.

Migrating Notes

Rick emailed me asking if there was a way to export Notes from one Mac to another

In the app really the only option is to save notes to PDF. On iOS you can save the note to Files (txt only)

As far as I can tell there is no way to “bulk” export / import notes

Of course you can sync via iCloud, but that’s only for the iCloud notes

Notes are stored in one of two locations.

Local notes “On your Mac” are stored in '~/Library/Group Containers/group.com.apple.notes/‘.

They are in a SQLite database format

iCloud Notes are stored in '~/Library/Containers/com.apple.Notes/‘.

I would assume you could backup and restore these folders and all their contents to move them from one Mac to the other.

Another idea, at least for exporting from iOS would be [iMazing](https://imazing.com/)

You can access, backup, and export all your Notes as text or PDF

You can also save attachments from notes separately

Maybe the community has some other ideas?

iCloud Drive Folder Sharing

Chris wrote in and asked me if I could cover this.

I have not used it much, but I did test it and confirmed it works.

This was just enabled in a fairly recent update to iOS and macOS Catalina so that’s your first requirement

You need iOS 13.4 or iPadOS 13.4 or later.

And macOS Catalina 10.15.4 or later.

After that setting up sharing is fairly easy

On iOS

Open the Files app.

In the Browse tab, go to Locations, then tap iCloud Drive.

Tap Select, then tap the folder you wish to share.

Tap Share, then tap Add People. You may need to swipe up.

Tap Share Options to edit who can access the folder and the permissions.

You can share the folder with only people you invite, or anyone with the link

You can also give permission to make changes or view files only.

Choose how to send your invites

Messages, Mail, Link…

If you ever need to change permissions or add / remove people

Tap Select, then tap the shared folder in iCloud Drive.

Tap Share, then tap Show People.

You can add or remove people and adjust the sharing options

On Mac

In the Finder, select iCloud Drive from the sidebar.

Select the folder you wish to share.

Click Share, then tap Add People.

Select how you want to send the invitation: Mail, Messages, Copy Link, or Airdrop

To edit who can access the folder and the permissions, click Share Options.

Click Share, then add the relevant contact information of the people you want to share with.

If you ever need to change permissions or add / remove people

Control-click on the shared folder in iCloud Drive, then click Share in the dropdown menu. You can also highlight the shared folder, then click Share.

Click Show People

You can add or remove people and adjust the sharing options

Deleting shared folders

If the owner of a shared folder deletes the folder, a sub-folder, or file in the shared folder, it deletes from both their devices and all participants' devices. If you change your mind or accidentally delete a folder, you have 30 days to get it back. 

If a participant of a shared folder deletes the folder, it removes their access to the shared folder. The participant can regain access to the shared folder by clicking the original sharing invitation link.

If a participant of a shared folder deletes a sub-folder or file within that shared folder, that sub-folder or file deletes from all participants' devices, and recovery is not available.

Make sure you keep copies or backups of files in shared folders so you don’t risk losing them

Other things to know

To share or use a shared folder you need an Apple ID

You can share a folder with up to 100 people

You can't share system-created folders such as the top-level iCloud Drive folder, Desktop, and Documents, or folders created by apps that use iCloud Drive.

A shared folder only takes up space in the owner's iCloud storage.

Any Pages, Numbers, and Keynote documents in the folder become collaborative documents

Chris also asked about what happens when you sign out of iCloud and it ask you if you want to “keep a copy” on your Mac. Where does the data go?

It depends on the data.

Notes, Contacts, and Calendar should go to “On My Mac” in those Apps

iCloud Photo Library, you need to download the originals

On your Mac, open Photos, choose Photos > Preferences, then select Download Originals to this Mac.

Desktop and Documents

It will create a new “blank” Desktop and Documents folder in your Home folder

Then it will copy all the data to a folder called iCloud Drive (Archive) in your home folder.

Then you need to manually copy back what you want

This is why I really, REALLY, recommend that you never store copies of your data ONLY in iCloud. If it’s in the only in the cloud you can’t back it up.

Have at least one location, probably your Mac, where you DO NOT enable “optimize storage”.

Keep all your photos and documents (including iCloud Documents) sync’d locally and back that stuff up.

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