shownotes_20201115

Opening
  Opening Music
    Music is Say Anything by Manda and the Marbles
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News
  Apple’s ‘One More Thing’ event
    There was one more thing and three new products
    The one more thing is Apple Silicon, the M1, their first desktop processor based on their A14 design
    The three new products are the Apple Silicon MacBook Air, Apple Silicon 13-inch MacBook Pro, and Apple Silicon Mac mini
    The M1
      A 5nm system on a chip (SoC) design with 8 CPU cores and 8 GPU cores
        4 performance CPU cores and 4 high efficiency cores
        16 billion transistors
      Unified Memory Architecture (RAM built in)
      Neural Engine
      image signal processor (ISP)
      Secure Enclave
      high-performance storage controller
      Low-power, highly efficient media encode and decode engines
      Apple-designed Thunderbolt controller with support for USB 4
    Apple says the M1 delivers up to 3.5x faster CPU performance, up to 6x faster GPU performance, and up to 15x faster machine learning, all while enabling battery life up to 2x longer than previous-generation Macs.
    New MacBook Air
      M1 processor
      Up to 16GB RAM
      13-inch Retina display with True Tone and P3 wide color gamut support
      Up to 2TB of SSD storage
      18 hours of video playback
      Fan-less design
      Two Thunderbolt 3/USB4 ports
      Magic Keyboard, Force Touch trackpad, and Touch ID
      WiFi 6
      Starting at $999 USD
    New 13-inch MacBook Pro
      M1 processor
      Up to 16GB RAM
      Active cooling (fan)
      13-inch Retina display with True Tone and P3 wide color gamut support
      Up to 2TB of SSD storage
      20 hours of video playback
      Two Thunderbolt 3/USB4 ports
      Magic Keyboard w/ Touch Bar, Force Touch trackpad, and Touch ID
      WiFi 6
      Starting at $1,299 USD
    New Mac mini
      M1 processor
      Up to 16GB RAM
      Up to 2TB of SSD storage
      Two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports
      Two USB-A ports
      HDMI 2.0 port
      Gigabit Ethernet
      Starting at $699
    All models still have a 720p FaceTime camera
      Apple claims they use the SIP on the M1 to improve the image with noise reduction, greater dynamic range, improved white balance, and ML face detection.
    Base model MacBook Air has a 7-core vs 8-core GPU
      Apple may be using “binned” GPUs, to save cost (this is common practice)
    You can still buy the “higher-end” Intel based 13-inch MacBook Pro
    No 10Gb Ethernet option on the new Mac mini
    Apple removed references to eGPU support for M1 based Macs
      Likely because GPU makers don’t have drivers for Apple’s new processor
    A couple observations
      The event was aging well paced and well produced
        Loved the “stinger” at the end with John Hodgeman returning as PC
      All three machines have exactly the same CPU
        Only difference between “Pro” and Air is a fan and the touchbar, for $300
          Well also 100nit brighter display, slightly bigger battery, better speakers and microphones
    Apple’s somewhat “vague” comparisons to PCs
      Apple is claiming their Silicon beats all the latest PC chips.
      Apple used rather vague charts and no real benchmarks to make their claims
      [AnandTech](https://www.anandtech.com/show/16226/apple-silicon-m1-a14-deep-dive) says the claims are “plausible”
        Based on the A14 comparisons, the M1 should perform even better
  Apple releases Big Sur
    Compatible machines
      2015 and later MacBook
      2013 and later MacBook Air
      2013 and later MacBook Pro
      2014 and later Mac mini
      2014 and later iMac
      2017 and later iMac Pro
      2013 and later Mac Pro
    Features
      Redesigned user interface
      New Notification Center w/ widget support
      Updated Control Center
      Safari 14 (may already have that)
      New Messages app
  Apple TV+ gaining momentum
    Parrot Analytics is out with new data showing the relative demand for Apple TV+ shows vs the average series in the US
    Apple’s newer shows seem to be doing a bit better than their launch series
    In the 60 days from series premier Defending Jacob was 29.5 times more in demand than the average series in the U.S, followed by Truth Be Told and Servant
    Surprisingly Ted Lasso was just 12.8 times more in demand on average, but is seeing it’s demand rising due to a lot of positive word of mouth.
    I’m not too surprised that the “newer” series have been more in demand
      I think it’s take a little while for Apple’s service to build up users
      Business Insider noted that the Tom Hank’s film Greyhound was responsible for Apple’s biggest boost in sign-ups this year.
      Apple has been heavily promoting the service and the free year (with device purchase) is bringing many more eyeballs to Apple TV+
      Apple also has a strong line up of new films and series in the works.
  Updated iPhone SE not until later in 2021
    In a new investor note Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple will likely not update the iPhone SE in the first half of 2021
    The iPhone SE was released back in April and is still selling well, plus Apple is pushing the iPhone 12 now.
    Kuo does say that he thinks Apple will have AirPods 3 and a mini LED iPad in the first half of 2021
      Claims AirPods 3 will have a design similar to the AirPods Pro with a shorter stem and replaceable ear tips along with improved battery life
        Will not offer noise cancellation
  HomePod mini reviews
    The HomePod mini has had some early reviews and they are looking pretty good.
    General consensus is that it has amazing sound for such a small speaker
      Not surprising really considering the S5 and Apple’s audio tuning software
      Also many note the 360 degree sound is a bonus.
    Of course reviewers also like the design
    One complaint is the included 20W USB-C wall adapter. Apple’s standard one which sticks straight out from the outlet. Not great considering the device is likely on a cabinet or nightstand with the plug behind it.
    AppleCare+ for the HomePod mini is a $15 USD
      The out of warranty replacement cost is $79, just $30 USD if you have AppleCare+
    I ordered one, but not right away so I won’t have it until late November to early December
  iOS 14.3 icon hints at AirTags and AirPods Studio
    iOS 14.3 has a headphone icon that looks nothing like any of Apple’s existing products and very similar to leaked images of Apple’s rumored AirPods Studio headphones
    There are also related icons showing a backpack and a set of luggage, seeming indicating an association to Apple’s rumored item tracker AirTags
    There was also a leaked image this past week that purported to show an AirTags keychain.
      This is a rumored leather “pouch” accessory that you could put an AirTag in to attach it to your keys, a bag, luggage, etc.
      In the image the “keyring” is etched with “Designed by Apple in California” on the side
      Doesn’t look stitched to me, so could be fake
Sponsor: MacPaw
  CleanMyMac X
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    The app’s most popular feature is the Smart Scan. It examines your system for system log files and user cache that is no longer needed. Smart Scan also does a quick malware check and run some optimization tasks to speed up your Mac. And all of these will only take a couple of seconds.
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    CleanMyMac X gives you more control over apps and their files – you can find out what apps and programs you have on your Mac and uninstall those you don’t need.
    CleanMyMac X is compatible with Big Sur!
      Redesigned icon
      CleanMyMac X Widget lets you check the available space on your Mac and see the trends of changing it over time.
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Feedback, commentary, opinions
  Follow up to weight app
    Had a question about UK weights in the Health app in Stones and pounds
    Several suggestions for 3rd party apps
      MyFitnessPal
      Withings Healthmate app
  Should you get/wait for Apple Silicon
    Is it worth being an early adopter?
    It’s pretty clear at this point that the M1 is likely going to offer a large improvement in performance
    There’s a reason why Apple started with what is basically their “entry” level consumer models
    With any transition there is likely going to be “hiccups” and if you’re relying on your Mac for professional production work it’s going to be harder to take bumps in the road
    Specialized hardware that rely on software or drivers could have delays or issues
    Some apps, like Photoshop, might not be ready yet.
      Good news, both VMWare and Parallels announced they are working on versions of their apps for Apple Silicon.
        Doesn’t necessarily mean they will be able to support Intel OSes
    Apple has offered up some great features in macOS Big Sur
      Rosetta 2 allows M1 based Mac to run Intel apps using a translation layer
      Universal Apps have native binaries fro both Intel and Apple Silicon
      Apple Silicon machines can natively run iOS app, though developers can “opt-out” of the feature
        Google and Facebook are opting out.
    Early analysis of some apps running on Apple Silicon under Rosetta 2 are showing “faster” performance.
    Performance
      We’re still waiting fro “real world” testing
      Benchmarks are looking really good.
      M1 seems to be running at 3.2 GHz
      GeekBench single-core score of 1687 and a multi-core score of 7433
        Single-core performance is better than any other available Mac
          This is also true for Apple Silicon Macs running in Rosetta 2
        Multi-core score beats out the top of the line 2.4GHz Intel Core i9 model 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro
        Not the same for GPU. Macs with discreet GPUs perform better
    Should you upgrade to Big Sur
      Same rules generally apply… there’s bound to be some “bumps” with the release of a new OS
      If you rely on your machine for day to day work you might want to wait.
      Double check support for all your critical apps and hardware
      Make sure you have multiple backups and verify them before upgrading
      Consider installing the OS on a partition or external drive to test it prior to upgrading
  The “Gatekeeper” problem
    The release of Big Sur put a heavy load on Apple’s server causing slowdowns and failed downloads
    At the same time users of macOS Catalina, myself included, noticed that their apps were failing to launch or unresponsive
    The issue was Gatekeeper checking the validity of the apps over the Internet
    This is Apple’s Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP)
    If you’re not connected to the Internet then it will simply bypass the check.
    A security researcher and hacker Jeffrey Paul [posted](https://sneak.berlin/20201112/your-computer-isnt-yours/) concerns over the feature and privacy
      Claims the service sends, Date, Time, Computer, ISP, City, State, Application Hash, long with IP that could be used for crude geolocation
      Also claims that OSCP requests are transmitted unencrypted
      Apps like Little Snitch could block these requests, but in Big Sur the trustd daemon that makes these requests is in the ContentFilterExclusionList and can’t be blocked by any user-controlled firewall or VPN.
    OCSP doesn’t send an application hash, it sends hashed application certificate information
      The certificate is for the app developer, not the app
    Apple updated the [privacy protections](https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202491) section in their Gatekeeper support article to clarify things.
      The checks do not, and have never, contained information about Apple users or their devices
      Apple does not use data from these checks to learn what individual users are launching or running on their devices
      Apple has stopped logging IP addresses associated with Developer ID certificate checks, and any collected IP addresses are removed from logs.
        Now this is Apple’s logs, so would not include ISP logs
      Over the the next year Apple will introduce several changes to these security checks:
        A new encrypted protocol for Developer ID certificate revocation checks
        Strong protections against server failure
        A new preference for users to opt out of these security protections
  How to use Intercom
    Intercom is a new feature in iOS 14.2 that works with the iPhone, iPad, HomePod, and HomePod Mini
      Also works with watchOS 7.1, AirPods and CarPlay
    Set-up via the Home app
    You can also send messages
    To enable on your devices
      Open the Home App
      Go to Home Settings (under “house” icon)
      Should see “Intercom”
        You can choose “when” to get the messages. Never, When At Home, Always
        Control which people have intercom access
        Choose HomePods that get intercom messages.
    Send a message via Siri
      Trigger Siri and say ”Intercom" or Send an Intercom" followed by your message.
      Can also specify the message go to a specific room or zone
    From the Home App
      Tap the “intercom” icon (upper right on iPhone)
      Record your message.
      Tap “Done”
Closing
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