shownotes_20210912

Opening
  Opening Music
    Music is Say Anything by Manda and the Marbles
News
  Apple ‘California Streaming’ Event
    The event
      Tuesday, September 14 at 10:00 a.m at the Steve Jobs Theater, but no in-person attendance
    iPhone 13
      Faster A15 processor with the same core counts as the A14
      Improved camera sensors across the board and 'cinematic video' mode. Updates to night mode to detect stars
      ProRes video recording for the Pro models
      Increased battery sizes across the line up including an extra 1 hour of usage time for the Mini variant
        The Pro might see those batteries eaten up by new features like the 120Hz Pro Motion display.
        They are also expected to bring slight increases in thickness and weight.
      According to Gurman the new LEO satellite features “will only work in areas without any cellular coverage and only in select markets”
        And not for calls only for “emergency” features.
        He does claim that Apple is looking to someday deploy it’s own fleet of satellites to send data to devices, but notes that is “years away from taking off”
      Some new color options
        iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 13 in Black, Blue, Purple, Pink (replacing Green), White, and PRODUCT(RED)
        iPhone Pros: Matte Black (replaces Graphite), Silver, Gold, and Bronze (replaces Pacific Blue)
      Conflicting reports about storage options on the lower end models
        One report claimed Apple was dropping the 256GB option on the iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 13
        Ming-Chi Kuo says it’s the opposite with Apple dropping the 64GB storage option across the line
      The Pro models are also expected to be offered with a 1TB storage option.
      Good news is despite earlier rumors about possibly price increase, newer reports are that prices across the line should remain the same.
      Still warnings of possible component shortages so some models and configurations could be in short supply
    Apple Watch Series 7
      New flat edge design with slightly larger displays and sizes (41mm and 45mm)
      No new sensors are expected, though some were hoping for blood pressure monitoring.
      Gurman thinks while Apple will announce the new model that it’s possible there could be a “mix of the models shipping late or in small quantities.”
        production issues with the new display are said to be to blame
        Though a recent report from Ming-Chi Kuo says that Apple has resolved production issues for Apple Watch Series 7 and they will launch “on schedule” later this month.
    AirPods 3
      Design similar to the AirPods Pro, but no noise cancellation
        Shorter stems and squatter case design
      20% bigger battery in battery case
      improvement to sound especially in the bass and lower end
      AirPods 2 will possibly stay in the line-up and get a lower price or AirPods 3 could be offered at a higher price according to Min-Chi Kuo
  The “next” event
    M1X Apple Silicon MacBook Pros
      Still coming in the “next couple weeks” according to Bloomberg
      new 14-inch model and updated 16-inch version
      high-end M1 chips, MagSafe magnetic charging, HDMI ports, an SD card slot, miniLED screens, and no Touch Bars
    iPhone 14
      Jon Prosser is already on about the next “next” iPhone
        No notch, with a hole-punch front camera instead
        No camera bump facilitated by an increase in the case thickness (more room for extra battery?)
        A titanium frame
        Return to round volume buttons, like old school iPhones (iPhone 4 and iPhone 5)
        Redesigned speaker and mic grilles that have elongated slots with mesh covers instead of a series of holes.
        Retain the Lightning connector
      Under display Face ID technology
      Possible end of the “mini” in the lineup. 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch displays (iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Max, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max)
    Apple Watch Series 8
      In a brief note Ming-Chi Kuo mentioned that Apple could bring temperature measurement to the next Apple Watch
    AirPods Pro 2
      Apple is reportedly testing new designs for possibly release in 2022
      Would drop the stems and have a styling more like the Apple's Beats Studio Buds.
      Possible improvements to the active noise cancellation.
      Additional sensors to provide additional Fitness functionality
    Apple Silicon might move away from ARM
      A “recent job posting shows Apple looking for a “RISC-V (“RISC Five”) High Performance Programmer”, reported by Tom’s Hardware
      RISC-V, is an open-source architecture instruction set and an alternative to the ARM RISC instruction sets that Apple currently licenses for it’s processors.
      Apple has to pay the license fee for every ARM core, so as cores add up the fees go up too.
      It might be that Apple is looking to use a “hybrid” approach with some ARM cores and some RISC-V cores
  A focus on Apple Car
    Now that iPhone rumor season has started to wane (or maybe not?) seems like attention has turned to what might be Apple next big move.
    The project has sort of been on and off for years with management and focus shifting several times
      Started as early as 2014
      Focus shifted to autonomous vehicle “systems” in 2017
    DigiTimes claims Apple has been in talks with car makers like Toyota and Japanese and Asian suppliers like LG and SK Group in targeting a 2024 release timeframe for Apple Car
    Newer reports out of Korea are claiming that Apple has had to forego it’s search for an auto industry manufacturing partner and will instead proceed on it’s own
      According to the reports Apple is sending out Requests for Information (RFI), Requests for Proposals (RFP), and Requests for Quotation (RFQ) to global automobile part manufacturers
      The main reason seems to be competition and time as many auto makers are focused on development of their own electric and autonomous vehicles
    A focus on “breakthrough” battery technology from a Reuters report
      Radically reduced cost and increased range
      Apple is expected to manufacture EV batteries in the US
    According to LinkedIn profiles spotted by MacRumors Apple recently hired a couple of former Mercedes engineers
      Including Dr. Anton Uselmann, who has a doctorate in mechatronics, and worked on steering systems at Mercedes as well as at Porsche
      But they did apparently lose Doug Field again, according to Bloomberg, this time to Ford
        Field was a VP on the special projects team, but oversaw the day to day efforts of the car project team. Apple’s John Giannandrea (Senior Vice President Machine Learning and AI Strategy) was reportedly leading the project.
        He was at Apple in 2013 when Tesla hired him away, then he returned to Apple in 2018, now he’ll be gong to Ford where he actually started his career in 1987
      Not long after it was reported Field was leaving a Bloomberg report said that Apple Watch head, Kevin Lynch (VP of technology), would be stepping in to take over
        Lynch had been brought into the car project to manage the teams developing the underlying software
        Presently Lynch reports to Apple’s COO, Jeff Williams. Not clear if that will now change.
        Does anyone else find it a bit odd that the guy who lead the development of Flash, a technology Apple fought hard to kill, is now in charge of what might be Apple’s “next big thing”?
        No one can deny the amazing work Lynch has done leading Apple Watch, it’s just funny to me how the tech world works.
    There is also some evidence that Apple may have been the buyer of a 5,000+ acre former Chrysler proving grounds track in Arizona
      The land consists of 34 separate parcels which were purchased for $125 million in cash
  Apple delays CSAM scanning rollout
    In a statement to 9to5Mac Apple said, “Based on feedback from customers, advocacy groups, researchers and others, we have decided to take additional time over the coming months to collect input and make improvements before releasing these critically important child safety features.”
    The new features were schedule to roll out by the end of the year as part of the updates to iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey
      It included a feature that would scan Photos uploaded to iCloud for potential Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM).
      They system would use on device matching via image hashes matched against an image hash database provided by the NCMEC and other child safety organizations.
    Apple’s update also included new parental controls for Messages to protect children from sharing and view explicit images as well as updated knowledge information for Siri and Search. Those features also appear to have been delayed.
  Apple’s AR/VR headset plans
    Latest from “The Information” claims the first version of Apple’s AR/VR headset chips are ready for trial production.
    TSMC will be developing three chips for the device, but those are at least a year away from mass production.
      The SoCs are not as powerful as what is found in Apple’s other devices
      They won’t have AI or machine learning capabilities
    The first generation of the headset therefor will require a tethered wireless connection to a a phone, computer or tablet which will handle the processing for controlling and displaying virtual, mixed and augmented reality images.
    Apple has also finished designing the image sensor and display driver for the headset, though it’s being reported that it’s “unusually large”.
    The first AR/VR headset could be released as soon as 2022
    After this first headset debuts Apple will reportedly follow with a more refined pair of AR glasses possibly sometime in 2023
  Apple TV+ News
    ‘Dickinson’ will end with season 3 which will air on November 5th. Reported by Variety.
      Creator and show-runner Alena Smith said in a statement that said that, “When I set out to make ‘Dickinson,’ I envisioned the show as a three-season journey”
      I think this is the second Apple TV+ series to end after “Little Voice” which only saw a single season.
    Apple picked up the documentary "The Fight Before Christmas"
      It will premiere on November 26th according to “Deadline”
      It’s the story of lawyer and Christmas lover, Jeremy Morris, who wanted to plan the biggest community Christmas event in America but was shutdown by his home owners association
      The fight over the event then “snowball out of control”
      The film is directed by Becky Read, who produced "Three Identical Strangers"
    "On the Rocks" will be released on Blu-Ray and DVD next month, the first ‌Apple TV+‌ movie to be made available on physical media.
    Three new kids shows coming to the platform
      According to Variety
      Wolfboy and Everything Factory, Get Rolling With Otis, and Puppy Place
      Wolfboy and Everything Factory is the first and is a 10 episode animated series executive produced by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, HitRecord, Bento Box Entertainment and Michael Ryan
        It will premiere on September 24
      Get Rolling With Otis is based on a popular series of books published by Penguin Random House about a little tractor with a big heart
      Puppy Place is based on the book series by Scholastic. It’s about a brother and sister who love dogs and their experiences fostering puppies.
    Also the TV series “Yo Gabba Gabba"
      Apple TV+ announced a new partnership with WildBrain
      Yo Gabba Gabba! episodes and specials will release exclusively on AppleTV+ and Apple is ordering the production of 20 new half-hour episodes.
      Apple will also carry the 66 episodes of the series already produced as part of it’s back-catalog content.
    A new report from the Information claims that they have current subscriber numbers from someone “in the know” at Apple
      They claim Apple’s TV service has 40 million subscribers as of this summer with about half of those being paid.
      They also say that Apple plans to spend about $500 million marketing TV+ in 2022 and will strive to release at least one new original TV show or movie per week in 2022.
      The report also claims to have insight into why Apple has not produced an inexpensive Apple TV “stick”
        It was something proposed by Apple executive Tim Twerdahl who came to Apple in 2017 after he worked at Amazon, Roku, and Netflix
        Tim thought it would make it more affordable for people to access the service
        He was overruled by Greg Joswiak and Phil Schiller who worried that an inexpensive hardware product lower Apple’s reputation as a premium brand.
        Instead they opted to reach the low end of the market by developing the AppleTV+ app for the lower cost products from companies like Samsung, Roku, and Amazon
  You’re not using Apple Pay, why?
    Despite another report that recently showed mobile tap to pay payments being up and Apple Pay being one of the preferred ways to tap, a new reports shows overall people who have Apple Pay are not using it.
    A new survey from PYMNTS says that 93.9% of consumers in the US with Apple Pay activated on their iPhones do not use it in-store to pay for purchases.
    Based on PYMNTS' national study of 3,671 U.S. consumers conducted between Aug. 3-10, 2021
    The survey also showed that Apple Pay adoption is still about the same as it was at launch in 2015 right around 5%.
    Contactless credit and debit cards that don’t require additional authentication like FaceID or TouchID may be the reason
  Apple launches Map improvements in Italy
    This according to MacStories
    Maps improvements have rolled out in Italy, San Marino, Vatican City, and Andorra.
    Feature updates including more detailed maps with 3D buildings. Look Around, lane guidance, speed camera data, Natural Language Guidance, and improved navigation
  You motorcycle could damage your iPhone
    Apple put up a new [support document](https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212803) that says the cameras on their iPhones could be permanently damages by exposure to certain vibrational frequencies such as those generated by high-power motorcycle engines.
    Specifically camera lenses with optical image stabilization (OIS) or closed-loop autofocus (AF) are susceptible to this damage because of their gyroscopes and/or magnetic sensors
    Apple is recommending that customers not directly attach their iPhones to the handlebars or chassis of motorcycles and the vibrations could result in damage
    They also recommend for lower powered vehicles like scooters or electric mopeds that users use a vibration-dampening mount to minimize the chances of any damage.
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Feedback, commentary, opinions
  Some recent feedback
    On the removal / replacement of FaceID or the “notch” by adding under display TouchID
      Duane reminds us that the TrueDepth camera system and sensors are not exclusive to FaceID
      It is used for other features like portrait selfie photos and AI for Memoji and other apps.
      So even if under display TouchID did become a thing it’s likely be in addition to, not in replacement of the TrueDepth camera system and presumably FaceID.
    Saving local disk space
      Daniel point out that if you have a Mac and connect a couple of iOS devices that are set up for local back that can quickly use up your disk space
      The backups are stored in the MobileSync folder of your home Library folder (~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/)
        On a Mac with macOS Catalina 10.15 or later you can manage these in the Finder
        Select the device, under Locations, then click “Manage Backups…” you can then see the backups for a device and delete any to free up space. (only do so if you have other backups, like iCloud).
      Daniel pointed me to [an article](https://www.guidingtech.com/change-iphone-backup-location-mac/), not for the faint of heart, that provides instructions how to move the MobileSync backups to an external drive using symlinks.
        I personally have not had good experiences moving default system folder and functions to external drives. Many people report having success without issues.
  Apple v Epic ruling confusion
    You all know this is not my favorite thing to talk about and the announcement of a ruling in the Apple v Epic case this week is a great example of why.
    The reports of what the judgement was and what it means for Apple, Epic, and more importantly us and developer is a mess of confusion and debate.
    And in my mind the reality is it means almost nothing because it’s a lawsuit and appeals will certainly be pending (and already are).
    But lets try to understand it all anyway shall we?
    The top level breakdown is that Apple “won” in 9 out of the 10 claims against it.
      Did not find that Apple is an antitrust monopolist in the submarket for mobile gaming transactions
      Ruled in favor of Apple’s claim that Epic Games' was in breach of their App Store
        Epic will have to pay Apple 30% of $12.1 million for money earned between August and October 2020, and 30% of any revenue earning from November 2020 until today
      Found that Apple was within their legal rights to terminate the Epic Games developer account
    The court did find that Apple's conduct in enforcing anti-steering restrictions is anticompetitive and it’s in the “remedy” for this that it gets confusing thanks to “legalese”
      [Apple is] permanently restrained and enjoined from prohibiting developers from including in their apps and their metadata buttons, external links, or other calls to action that direct customers to purchasing mechanisms, in addition to In-App Purchasing and (ii) communicating with customers through points of contact obtained voluntarily from customers through account registration within the app.
      This ruling goes into effect in 90 days, though I’m guessing Apple will file to have it withheld as it works on an appeal.
    What does that mean?
      Some believe it’s clear evidence that Apple has to allow IAP from other services
      Most others just fell it means that developers are allowed to point to and marker payments alternatives that are available outside the app.
      Interestingly Epic seems to see the latter as they are appealing and will NOT bring Fortnite back to iOS until they can offer their own in app payment service.
    I think the latter interpretation is likely the correct one, but it is up to the court to decide and as a recent Verge piece points out my guess is we’ll now see developers push to see how Apple responds which will likely be by blocking the apps and more lawsuits will ensue. fun times!
  Thing of the Moment: iPod Socks Wallpaper
    Found thanks to [this post](https://www.idownloadblog.com/2021/09/12/ipod-socks-wallpapers-a-multicolor-pack/) at iDownload Blog
    These [amazing iPod Sock wallpapers](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/ipod-socks-wallpaper) pay homage to one of the “Forgotten Apple’s” I covered in a recent episode.
    They’re created by [@basicapplyguy](https://basicappleguy.com) who says he has “a disproportionate, bordering on irrational, adoration for iPod Socks!”
    He thoroughly studied the stitching and patterns in the Apple socks and says “Each pixel in these wallpapers was lovely mouse-clicked by hand”
    I believe him, these are gorgeous.
    You should checkout his Blog as it has a ton of other great wallpaper designs and posts related to Apple.
Closing
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