YouTuber Jon Prosser claims to have got his hands on a video from a software engineer
Looks like it could be the animation video for when you pair an AirTag with your device
Small white circular device, looks like a smooth whit button, with a metal disc on the back with an etched Apple logo
Designed to keep track of and help you locate items using the Find My App
There have been references in iOS betas
Expected to use the ultra-wideband technology and possible AR to show you where lost items are.
Prosser also says that the way they work is by “pinging” off other iPhones to report back their location when you lose an item
The thought is that Apple has had AirTags ready for a while, but due to pandemic, they’ve delayed the release.
Release is now slated for possibly this Spring depending.
Ming Chi Kuo has also said AirTags are due out this year
We’ve also started seeing leaks from accessory makers, like Nomad, of Air Tag related products
A keychain and glasses holder.
Apple’s first AR product
Ming-Chi Kuo believes Apple will release its first augmented reality device in 2021
Details on what the product is are minimal, but in the past Kuo has mentioned an augmented reality glasses product that would be tied to the iPhone.
An iPhone accessory really acting as a display only with processing, apps, etc running on the iPhone
Bloomberg has said in the past that the device might have an Apple designed System-in-Package chip similar to the S-series processors in the Apple Watch.
they also mentioned the product running an iOS based operating system dubbed “rOS”
Bloomberg has also mentioned a possible plan for two strategies.
AR glasses and a more robust AR/VR headset
DigiTimes claimed that Apple’s AR glasses prototype is about to enter the "second phase of development”
Apple my partner with Hyundai for Apple Car
In a report from Reuters the Korea IT News is saying that Apple and Hyundai will be partnering on the Apple Car
Earlier in the week Hyundai had confirmed to CNBC that they were in discussion with Apple on the project, but later revised their statement to remove any mention of Apple
They believe the vehicles could be manufactured at an existing Georgia factory owned by Kia Motors, a Hyundai Motor Group affiliate or that they may invest in a new US plant
The goal would be to produce 400,000 vehicles annually and the report says there may be a “beta version” of the Apple Car released as early as 2022.
Actual production is rumored to possibly be happening by 2024
A separate report from Bloomberg claimed the Apple Car is "nowhere near production stage" and could be ready in around five to seven years.
The Bloomberg report also notes a number a recent hires to the project including a former vehicle engineer from Tesla
New features coming to iPhone 13
DigiTimes claims that Apple’s LiDAR camera tech will be available on ALL the iPhone 13 models
Taiwanese supply chain sources also are claiming that the iPhone 13 will expand 5G mmWave support out side the US
mmWave networks are expanding in the UK, Germany, Canada, China, and Japan
DigiTimes has mentioned that Apple may getting ready to place orders fro new gallium nitride based chargers for upcoming products
They are likely looking to update their chargers to be smaller, something gallium nitride would allow them to do.
I already mention the Anker 20W gallium nitride charger which is the same size as Apple’s old 5W iPhone chargers
13 may finally bring Pro Motion Display
The site TheElec claims that both models of iPhone 13 will use low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) thin-film transistors (TFT) OLED panels made by Samsung Display.
The LTPO technology should allow the displays to use a 120Hz rate due to having a much more power-efficient backplane
Actually the displays are “variable” rate. Adapting the refresh rate as needs to adjust performance and battery life
So far Apple has only used Pro Motion in the iPad Pro
Design and sizes for the 2021 iPhones are expected to remain largely the same as the iPhone 12 models
There are reports that the body may get slightly thicker
We’re also hearing rumors that while the camera bump will stay Apple is considering a design where a Apple may add a single piece of sapphire glass covering all three lenses to make them look like a single camera
It’s also been noted that Apple may reduce the size of the TrueDepth camera meaning the iPhone 13 could have a smaller notch
Apple plans to release both second-generation AirPods Pro and a third-generation iPhone SE in April 2021 according to Mac Otakara
They say the new AirPods Pro will have a slightly narrower charging case
Maybe enabled by previous rumors we’ve had about Apple possibly eliminating the stems on the next generation of AirPods Pro
Unfortunately the report did not give any details about what to expect for the iPhone SE update, though I’d imagine at least a processor update would be in order.
2021 iPad Changes
Mac Otakara said in a report that they believe the 9th generation the entry level iPad may get a design refresh.
They claim Apple is looking to make it thinner and lighter bring it more in line design wise with the third-generation iPad Air
The display size would remain the same at 10.2-inches
They say it will also retain the TouchID home button and Lightning connector
The report also mentions the iPad Pro claiming that it’s design will be unchanged, but that the processor “may be significantly improved”.
They also mention the 12.9-inch iPad Pro model will be made slightly thicker to accommodate a new mini-LED display.
Mac Otakara is also reporting on updates coming for the iPad mini
They claim a new version with a larger 8.4-inch display
They say it too will offer thinner bezels and a design similar to the iPad Air 3 retaining the home button and a Lightning port
In other reports Ming-Chi Kuo has said he believes the next iPad mini would have a minLED display, but that is not mentioned in this report.
Mac Otakara says the iPad and iPad mini updates are slated to happen in March
Apple Silicon marketshare expected to increase in 2021
Sure seems obvious but the rate of increase might not be
TrendForce says the estimated market share Apple’s Silicon Macs is currently about 0.8 percent
But they are expecting that Apple could increase that to 7 percent by this summer with the release of new Apple Silicon systems including the rumored 14-inch MacBook Pro and the 16-inch MacBook Pro updates.
As for some of the rumors of Apple looking to get miniLED displays in Macs this year, it’s looking like that might not happen at least for one model
It’s still though that Apple could bring miniLED to this years 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros
But a new report from DigiTimes says minLED is not expected for the MacBook Air until 2022
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They offer a bunch of different mattress types
Soft to firm and mattresses great for cooling you down if you sleep hot. Even a Helix Plus mattress for plus-size folks.
I tend to sleep on my side and really like a firmer feel to my mattress so the quiz recommended a “Twilight” model
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Feedback, commentary, opinions
Big Sur: First impressions
I upgraded this weekend and here’s what i’m thinking
I kinda don’t like it
Probably just needs to grow on me, but the new UI is a BIG change for an old school Mac guy like me.
Maybe it’s my age?
The dock icons are weird.
The UI is off
“blue line” sidebar icons
Background transparent menubar
Can use System Preference > Accessibility > Reduce Transparency
This effects ALL transparency
There are also some 3rd party solutions, but the one that looks good is a paid app (not that important to me)
Menus rounded at the top? Really?!! Also rounded dock
Modals are weird looking
Thunderbolt / USB 4 Explained
The new M1 Mac come with Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports
Notice, not Thunderbolt 4 / USB 4, just “Thunderbolt”
And what is Thunderbolt 4 anyway?
Turns out, Mac users basically already have Thunderbolt 4 if they have a Thunderbolt 3 Mac.
The issue was Thunderbolt 3 had a bunch of features:
40Gb/s bandwidth, support multiple displays, power delivery, etc
But you didn’t have to offer all those to still say you supported Thunderbolt 3
Apple and Macs of course did, but many PCs didn’t
So with Thunderbolt 4 Intel said to call it that, you have to support the full feature set.
It’s just a marketing term and from an Apple users perspective Thunderbolt 3 = Thunderbolt 4
Also why Apple is now just calling it “Thunderbolt”
Thunderbolt 4 also adds “hubbing”
So we can finally have more than just “chaining” of Thunderbolt devices
Laurel was looking for a way to copy MP3 files from the Mac to the Files app on an iOS device
Attempting copy the songs by dragging them onto the device in the Finder just made them sync to Music
I tried this but it didn’t work for me. I assume because I use iCloud Music Library?
You can copy files to specific apps using the “Files” tab after you select the device
This works well if you have an app supports integration with the Files app
You can copy files from the Finder to that apps storage in the Files tab
Then access those files from the iOS device in the Files app and move them where you want.
If you have a Mac and iOS device that supports Continuity, then you can simply copy from your Mac and Paste in Files on the iPad
You can copy files or folders
There are third party apps, like [Yoink](https://eternalstorms.at/yoink/), that support Continuity and make the copying process a little more drag and drop
Yoink you can place files in a sidebar and then tap the Continuity icon on the iPad to copy them to Yoink. Then you can move them in Yoink or in the Files app to where you want them.
I think probably the easiest thing to do is to use iCloud Drive and add your Desktop and Documents folders to it.
Make sure you’re signed into the Mac and all iOS devices using the same iCloud account
Make sure iCloud Drive is turned on on the Mac and all iOS devices
From your Mac
Choose Apple menu > System Preferences. Click Apple ID, then click iCloud. On macOS Mojave or earlier, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click iCloud.
Make sure that iCloud Drive is turned on.
Next to iCloud Drive, click Options.
Choose Desktop & Documents Folders.
Click Done.
Note that after you set this up your Documents and Desktop folders will no longer be in your Home folder. They will exist in the iCloud Drive folder.
But now anything you place in your Documents Folder can be accessed from Files in this iCloud Drive folder.
Formatting Mac for Clean Install
Play comment from Niv
This is also why I recommend making a USB installer before you upgrade to a new OS
I have a tin with a USB installer for every version of mac OS X going back to Lion
