I love CacheFly. Reality is without them you wouldn't be hearing this show right now. They make sure that you get these episodes as quickly and reliably as possible and they want to also help do that for your website and business.
When websites don't load people lose interest. For each second a page takes to load it costs a company ~16% in engagement. Fewer visits means fewer customers. That's not good for anyone.
CacheFly has your back. With their new Web Optimization capabilities, all of your content will be optimized before it's delivered to visitors without requiring any development effort from you.
With the recent addition of Cachefly’s flexible edge application platform and implementation services, their capabilities reach far beyond those of any traditional CDN. CacheFly's Web Content Optimization solution includes:
Powerful APIs for solving content distribution problems
On the fly Next-gen Image optimization
Application Load Balancing
Smart asset delivery
Listen, if your website is directly tied to your revenue - and you know it is - optimize your site's content… Now. Guarantee the best user experience for all of your customers no matter where they are or what device they're using.
The good people at CacheFly are even going to provide a free optimization consultation for listeners of this podcast. That's right - just for you!
Know exactly where your site stands today with a Lighthouse Score report and learn how CacheFly's Web Optimization solution can help add 60pts instantly to your score visit mac.cachefly.com. (m-a-c-dot-c-a-c-h-e-f-l-y.com)
News
WWDC will be virtual again
Apple has officially announced WWDC21 and it will be virtual.
Under the tagline “a glow to behold” and using Memoji branding with an homage to Hair-force One’s video of the debut of Apple Silicon, the conference will happen June 7 through June 11
Since it’s virtual it will also be free and open to all members of Apple’s developer program
Last year the conference had over 72 hours of video content and Apple says they had 22 million viewers
They also held 4,500 1:1 Labs
The focus of WWDC tends to be all about the software and developers
Expect to get our first official glimpses at the OSes (iOS 15, iPadOS 15, macOS 12, watchOS 8, tvOS 15)
There will likely be a large focus on helping developers make the transition to Apple Silicon
There’s always a chance for some timed hardware announcements as well.
Will be interesting if Apple opens up any about the rumored upcoming AR / VR headsets. Maybe a “sneak peek”?
Apple open Find My to others
Apple might not have their own rumored AirTags bluetooth trackers out yet, but they did officially announce their third party Find My network accessory program
The new program will allow third-party Bluetooth devices to be tracked in the Find My app
Apple announced that Belkin (wireless earbuds), Chipolo (item finder), and VanMoof (ultra high end e-bikes) will all have devices available beginning this coming week.
There are specific rules and guidelines for vendors who want to participate in the Find My network. This include adhering to Apple strict privacy guidelines.
Apple will also be opening up access to the U1 specification to device makers "later this spring”.
Accessories that support Ultra Wideband can offer a directionally aware experience when nearby and are able to be tracked more precisely.
Tracking Ultra Wideband tags will require an Apple device that has Apple’s U1 chip, like the iPhone 11 or iPhone 12 models.
3rd party support in the FindMy app was added in the iOS 14.3, iPadOS 14.3, and macOS Big Sur 11.1 updates.
No Apple event yet, a theory emerges
So far we had heard reports that Apple was not as impacted by the global chip shortage.
If you were paying attention though, those reports were commenting about the effect for the upcoming iPhone.
While that still seems to be the case we’re now hearing from sources like Nikkei Asia that Apple’s supply chain for other products like iPads and MacBook Pros is not as unaffected.
Chips needed for displays and display components seem to be impacting the iPad and chips needed for final board assembly are disrupting MacBook Pro production according to reports.
We’ve been expecting that Apple would hold an event to announce new iPads and new Apple silicon MacBook Pros were also expected soon, but now it’s looking like we may have a possible reason why invites have not been going out.
Bloomberg is reporting they still expect an Apple event this month
They note the 12.9-inch iPad Pro model with miniLED display will be severely supply constrained due to low minLED display yields.
While iPhone production does seem unimpacted at the moment that could always change and report note, at the very least, iPhone component supplies are “very tight”
Apple has always been good at planning ahead for production, and the fact that they make HUGE orders helps too.
One reason the iPhone supply at lower risk
By the same token we’ve heard Apple is already working to book production capacity of 4nm chips with their partner TSMC
Current Apple A-series and M1 chips use TSMC’s 5nm process
No word on when we’ll see Apple products with new 4nm chips, but TSMC is expected to have volume production of the new process ready in Q4 of 2021, ahead of their original schedule which was in 2022.
2021 all about 120Hz
We continue to hear that this year Apple will be all about 120hz refresh rates.
When we talk refresh rates for Apple products you likely think iPad or now maybe iPhone.
Now there are hints that Apple may be looking to go all ProMotion on the Apple TV
9to5Mac found references to 120Hz support in the tvOS 14.5 beta
It would for sure require a new, as yet unreleased Apple TV, and you’d obviously need set that could support the 120hz refresh rate
Also needs an updated HDMi port. The 2.0 port in the 4K Apple TV won’t cut it. You need HDMI 2.1
It’s already been predicted for this years iPhone pro models and Digitimes was parroting it again this week with claims that this years iPhone pro models would be equipped with low-power LTPO displays allowing for up to 120Hz refresh rates
Add that feature to the rumors of improved cameras, under display touch ID, updated processors, and more and 2021 could be the best year for iPhone ever
They started the year strong. Counterpoint research has a report that says iPhone models were 6 out of the 10 best selling smartphones globally in January
Apple’s iPhone 12 topped the list followed by the iPhone 12 Pro Max and the iPhone 12 Pro
and Wedbush analyst Dan Ives expects this years iPhone to bring even bigger numbers for Apple.
He claims Apple could even beat their record year, 2015, where they sold 231 million iPhones
Ives thinks this year Apple could sell 240-250 million iPhones with a lot of potential “upgraders” (he estimates 350 million of them) eyeing new iPhones this year.
In the US many of those upgraders are likely to bee teens
New data from a survey fo 7,000 US teens by Piper Sandler shows that 88% of US teens own an iPhone and 90% expect an iPhone to be their next phone
In addition 70% of U.S. teens own AirPods.
US Teens also seem to be increasingly using Apple Pay, though “cash” is still their most popular way to get stuff.
Apple TV+ wants to be in movies
According to a report from the information Apple sees feature films as a way to attract subscribers to their Apple TV+ services.
They are apparently telling studio executives that they’d like create 10 to 12 movies per year for their Apple TV+ service.
Data has already shown that films like "Palmer," "Cherry," and "Greyhound”, and “The Baker” deliver significant spikes in viewership for the service.
To help with their efforts they’ve recently hired former vice president of feature films for the HBO Max, Jessie Henderson to join their team.
Apple also already has significant deals in place with Imagine Entertainment and Skydance Animation
Apple also seems to be loyal to their movie stars
Announcement for new Apple TV+ series this week staring Justin Timberlake (Palmer) and Tom Holland (Cherry)
Timberlake will star in a series based on the memoir of "The Gong Show" host Chuck Barris, "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind," written in 1984
There’s already a great film by the same title
But Barris claims in the book that the Gong Show was just a cover for his role as a CIA operative.
Holland will star in an anthology series called, “The Crowded Room”
The series will follow the story of Billy Milligan, the first person ever acquitted of a crime due to multiple personality disorder.
The 10-episode will be a co-production between Apple Studios and New Regency.
Apple added details this week about it’s new show that will bring Jon Stewart out of retirement including revealing it’s title
“Problems with Jon Stewart” will debut this Fall on Apple TV+
It’s a current affair series with each one-hour episode focusing on a single topic.
Apple is also expanding a couple of their service internationally
Apple TV+ may finally make it to South Korea
They’re reportedly looking to partner with SK Telecom and launch the service there later this year
And this week Apple Music TV expanded to the United Kingdom and Canada
It’s basically like classic MTV, playing videos round the clock and occasionally throwing in live music events
You can find it on the TV app or the Music App
Ready for a big screen iMac?
Seems like we may get a larger iMac when Apple finally ships their Apple silicon iMac updates
At least if you choose to believe a tweet by Apple leaker l0vetodream
The tweet simply said, "The iMac’s screen is really big, bigger than the biggest one”, and has led to a flurry of speculation in the community
We’d already heard reports of the possible redesign and comments that a new “chinless” iMac would be coming with a look inspired by Apple’s Pro Display XDR.
Could it also be the same 32-inch size? That seems plausible.
Previously it’s been said that Apple would replace the 21.5-inch model with a new 24-inch one.
Apple Arcades gots more game
They announced 30 new titles, well not all new, this past week
I say not all new because many of the titles are “classic” from the App Store. The difference is they are full unlocked via the service with no IAP.
The have two hole new categories, Timeless Classics and App Store Greats
Some of the new titles include “NBA 2K21 Arcade Edition,” “Star Trek: Legends,” and “Wonderbox”
Many of the legacy titles are “remastered” with titles like Monument Valley and Fruit Ninja
They now have over 180 titles. At USD $5.00/mo it’s not a bad deal.
Sponsor: Helix Sleep
Helix Sleep
Tell story about how, when I was younger, I was guilty of not “upgrading” my mattress
Don’t be like me and don’t just settle for a “generic” mattress. Get one that is customized for you.
Buying and getting a mattress from Helix is an amazing experience.
They help you get the right mattress with their two minute quiz, you can take it right now, just go to Helix Sleep dot com slash maccast.
It’s walks you through a new basic questions so they can match your body type and sleep preferences to the perfect mattress for you. It even works for couples.
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
It came and it’s great. Delivery is quick and the unboxing experience is just fun
The mattress is the perfect amount of firmness and support while still being soft and comfortable.
If you’re looking for a mattress, you take the quiz, you order the mattress that you’re matched to, and the mattress comes right to your door shipped for free. You don’t ever need to go to a mattress store again.
Helix is awesome, but you don’t need to take my word for it. Helix was awarded the #1 best overall mattress pick of 2020 and by GQ and Wired Magazine.
They have a 10 year warranty and you get to try it out for a hundred nights, risk free. They’ll even pick it up for you if you don’t love it - but you will.
Helix is offering up to 200 dollars off all mattress orders AND two free pillows for Maccast listeners at https://helixsleep.com/maccast. That’s HELIXSLEEP DOT COM SLASH MACCAST.
Feedback, commentary, opinions
Mysterious iPhone Order
Play comment from Eric
I did some Googling and found some reports of others having a similar experience. So it feels like some sort of scam, but HOW it’s being done is also a mystery to me.
The most likely to me would be if your password was somehow exposed, possible through another data breach and you were re-using your passwords.
Still, that does not explain how they would have got past two-factor authentication.
Is it possible, if you had someone’s full info, to place an online order over the phone or chat?
What’s also not clear to me is… how would the pick-up have worked?
Transferring AppleID purchases
Richard asks a very interesting question, “Do you know if there is a way to gift your digital content i.e. music movies etc.? The items you’ve purchased from Apple, and upon your death, that content can go to someone you specify?”
The short answer is, no. There is no way to transfer ownership of your purchases. They are tied to your AppleID.
Obviously if you have a “Family” account everyone in the family has access to all the purchases. But it’s all tied through the main owners account.
The reason you can’t “will” your digital content comes down to that “Terms of Service” that you read in full right? It states what you’r buying is not the content, but a non-transferable license to view, listen, or use that content or app.
All this said, there is a sort of workaround.
Just make sure your family has access to your login credentials.
A family 1Password account is a great way to manage this.
They still won’t be able to transfer the content to their accounts, but at least they can log-in and access the content, even after you’ve passed.
Also, I am NOT a lawyer and so this could possibly still violate the terms of service since you’re still accessing content that was not originally licensed to you.
Calendar and Mail search issues
Play audio comment from Brett
It’s amazing to me that this “bug” still exists
One setting to check is in Settings > Calendar >Sync. Be sure it’s set to “All Events”
Or adjust it if you want.
This will not make a difference for search though (because of the bug)
I’ve also had other listeners who are having issues with search and mailboxes in macOS Mail in Big Sur
The biggest issue seems to be trouble with the “universal” inbox after upgrading
I’ve had reports and screen screenshots of “All” mailboxes that are just messed up.
I also have listeners who say that searching is no longer working.
One thing to check for the “All Mailboxes” is to be sure they your Mailbox mappings are not pointed to the wrong place
In Mail go to Mail > Preferences and then click the Accounts tab
Select the account you want to check and then click the ‘Mailbox Behaviors’ tab
Make sure Drafts, Sent, Junk, Trash, and Archive are mapped (pointing to) the correct place.
If you are using IMAP you most likely want these pointed at the location on your hosting provider and NOT “On My Mac”
With Mail you might try one of two things:
First, before trying these, make sure you have full backups of your email (just in case).
Rebuild the Mailboxes
Select a Mailbox. Then under the Mailboxes menu choose “Rebuild”
Another option is to “re-index”.
Manually reindex your Mailbox:
1. Quit Apple Mail if the app is running.
2. Launch Finder and select Go from the Menu Bar.
3. Hold down the Option key and open the ‘Library’ folder
4. Go to Mail > V8 (or the previous version if you’re not on BigSur) > MailData. Locate and move all the files that start with Envelope Index, such as “Envelope Index” or “Envelope Index-wal.”, out to your Desktop.
5. Open Apple Mail. It should now build new Envelope Index files. Be patient as the rebuild process may take a while.
6. Hopefully everything will be back to normal. If so, you can get rid of the Envelope Index files from your desktop.
Looking for a universal remote
Logitech is discontinuing it’s Harmony line of universal remotes
A number of folks in the community, like Mark, love and use these remotes for their Apple TVs and other equipment
Logitech will continue to support existing customers. But they won't be making any new hardware.
High end pro home automation device, but does integrate with HomeKit.
Are there other models we’d recommend.
Funny thing is I use the Siri remote as my “universal” remote for my TV and Apple TV.
Using the HDMI-CEC (Consumer Electronics Control) feature.
Your iPhone has a secret Apple app
Well sort of.
You may or may not know that the camera app has a built in ability to scan QR codes
open the Camera app, point it at a QR code, boom
But did you also know there is a stand alone App pre-installed for scanning QR codes.
It wouldn’t be surprising if you didn’t. You can’t see it by default.
If you open Spotlight and type ‘Code Scanner’ you should see it
Now some of you may have already figured out the trick here… there is actually a way to “see” this app and some of you may already have it installed.
It’s the same app that you can trigger from Control Center.
If you don’t have it in Control Center already…
Open Settings > ControlS Center
Scroll down and under the “More Controls” section click the “+” next to “Code Scanner” to add it.
Kudos to iMore and their community for reveling this trick.
Thing of the Moment: From the Arcade
Apple Arcade that is
I had been waiting on “Wonderbox” and it is a ton of fun.
Sort of a mix of a 2D/3D platformer, Minecraft, and a game builder
You can play solo or with multiplayer
The coolest part in my opinion is as you play you earn various “pieces” terrain, enemies, environments, etc that you can then use to build your own levels that you can then share.
The user generated levels are also available for others to play and rate.
Let’s you become a mini game developer. (sort of)
My family also played “SongPop Party”
it’s basically “name that tune” with categories and playlists
You hear a song and then try to guess, multiple choice style, either the song title or the artist depending
It has modes for playing solo, with randomly selected players, or with up to 8 friends
