shownotes_20211003

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News
  Redesigned Macbook Air in 2022
    Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had already said that Apple is working on the next generation of the M-series MacBook Air.
    We’re expecting a redesign, possibly with new colors, and the second generation of Apple Silicon, probably called the M2.
    Mark Gurman at Bloomberg be lieves the new machine will offer a thinner and lighter design, have two USB-C (and I assume Thunderbolt) ports, and bring back a MagSafe power connector.
    Jon Prosser had mentioned that he believes the new models will come in colors similar to the 24-inch iMacs released this year.
    Originally Kuo had given a vague timeline for the new MacBook Air of the “middle” of 2022. In this latest research note seen my MacRumors he’s narrowed the timeline down to the late second quarter or early third quarter of 2022.
    This is a bit later than earlier predictions and is likely being driven by continued component shortages.
    One rumored device that might not make an appearance in 2022 is an OLED iPad Air
      The site “The Elec” claims that Apple and Samsung have scrapped plans for the development of a 10.86-inch OLED displays for iPads.
      According to the report there were issues over which type of OLED panel to use or some issues with the profitability or both that caused the program to be abandoned
        It was supposedly a “single stack” OLED panel structure where red, green and blue form one emission layer. Apple was concerned that this type didn’t offer brightness and they were concerned about the panel’s longevity.
        Samsung wanted assurances that if they did a two-stack Apple would continue to use the design for a long time making the cost of developing such a panel worthwhile.
      Not the report claims that the earliest we’d see an OLED iPad is in 2023
      Ming-Chi Kuo also revised his claims that Apple would have an ‌iPad Air‌ with an OLED display net year.
        In a note to his investors he said that Apple would focus on mini-LED technology for iPad models in 2022.
  iPad Mini ‘Jelly’
    First noted by the Verge’s Dieter Bohn in a tweet. The debate over the new iPad minis screen and “jelly” scroll is getting quite a bit of press
    What users are noticing is that, in Portrait orientation, the right side of the display refreshes just a micro bit quicker than the left side. The causes a jiggle or waviness to the image when scrolling. It’s more noticeable with text.
    The issue that Bohn said was “subtle enough that it’s hard to film” has to do with how the LCD draws the image and the orientation of the controller inside the iPad
    Apple told ArsTechnica that there is nothing wrong with the LCD on the iPad mini and said that the effect is “normal” for LCDs. Commenting that the screen is designed to refresh line by line, which can cause a tiny delay between when the lines at the top of the screen and the bottom of the screen are refreshed, resulting in uneven scrolling issues.
    While it is true that the effect is present in many LCDs the effect does seem to be a bit more noticeable on the new iPad mini and iFixit in the teardown thinks they might know why.
    iFixit found that the controller board that drives the tablet's display is oriented vertically.
    The effect seems to happen, and is most noticeable, when the tablet's orientation doesn't match the placement of the controller board, because the line-by-line refresh happens relative to that board's orientation.
    Most iPads, like the iPad Air, have their control board oriented horizontally. Interestingly the iPad Pro also has it’s controller board oriented vertically like the new iPad Mini and while it too shows jelly scrolling when scrolling in portrait orientation the effect is all but masked by the displays faster 120Hz refresh rate.
    So the good news is technically there is nothing wrong with the new iPad mini’s display. The bad news is if the jelly scroll effect is something you can see and it bothers you well your out of luck because it won’t and really can’t be fixed.
    Apple is trying to address another more minor issue with the new iPad mini’s display and that is apps which are not optimized for the new edge-to-edge 8.3-inch display.
      Apple has reminded developers who are not using Auto Layout and size classes that may need to update their app and recompile with XCode to maximize their app for the new iPad.
      Un-optimized apps will still work, but users may see black bars on the sides of the app.
  iPhone 13 Pro Max has “best” display
    This is likely not a shocker, but the iPhone 13 Pro Max has been awarded the “Best Smartphone Display Award” by DisplayMate
    It earned the highest ever Display Performance Grade of A+ and dethroned last years iPhone 12 Pro Max display.
    The display matched or bested the display performance record of the iPhone 12 including setting the record for highest full-screen brightness a smartphones with an OLED display.
    The iPhone 13 Pro max also matched or set records for highest absolute color accuracy, highest contrast ratio, lowest screen reflectance, and more
    The iPhone 13 models displays might be a bit harder for repair shops to replace
      It was discovered that even if you take a screen from another Apple iPhone 13 and place it on a different device you’ll get an error message that the device is “Unable to verify this iPhone has a genuine Apple display” and FaceID is disabled.
      iFixit confirmed that even moving the TrueDepth camera assembly over to the repaired device doesn’t resolve the issue. Making it seem like the display is “serial locked” to the device
      iCorrect, a repair shop of the UK might have figured out what is going on.
        There is an integrated circuit on the display that is mainly used to convert the analog touch signals to digital signals. But in iPhone 13 that chip now also enables TrueTone, has a ROM with the non-genuine display message, and appears to communicate with FaceID
        They think the current communication with FaceID is a bug, so hopefully this is something Apple can fix.
        They also think that it’s a hint at how much more complex the screen ICs may get in the future and that that IC might be used when Apple enables under display TouchID and at that point it could disable the in screen Touch ID as TouchID did pair the TouchID sensor with the the device for security reasons.
    ChargerLAB discovered that the iPhone 13 Pro Max is capable of faster charging at up to 27W speeds when connected to a 30W or higher USB-C power adapter
      They also told MacRumors that the iPhone 13 Pro achieved max charging speeds of 23W in their testing.
      The report did point out that the iPhone 13 Pro Max does not sustain peak 27W power for the entire charging cycle due to heat considerations
  ‘Mr Corman’ will not get second season
    The Joseph Gordon-Levitt's AppleTV+ series Mr. Corman will not be getting a second season according to Deadline
    It will only be the second AppleTV+ series to not get a second season after the J.J. Abrams / Sara Bareilles show Little Voice.
    The report notes that the show received mostly solid reviews but that it apparently failed to pull in a wide audience so it will not be getting another season.
    Joseph Gordon-Levitt will continue to have a presence on Apple TV+ though as his new animated children's series Wolfboy and the Everything Factory just debuted on Apple TV+ a couple weeks ago.
    Apple has announced a deal to bring a series based on the “Amber Brown” children's book series by Paula Danziger to Apple TV+
      The release says the show will offer “an unfiltered look at a girl finding her own voice through art and music in the wake of her parents’ divorce.”
      The project is being led by Bonnie Hunt who will serve as a writer, director, and co-producer of the series
      The show will star Carsyn Rose and Sarah Drew
    Apple has picked up a four part documentary series about the rise and fall of Nissan and Renault's former CEO Carlos Ghosn.
      James Jones, who did On The President's Orders and Mosul, is leading the project
      The project currently does not have a title or a release date.
    Apple has reportedly landed another major film project for Apple TV+ that will star George Clooney and Brad Pitt and be directed by Spider-Man director Jon Watts
      As reported by Deadline the film is currently untitled but is a thriller that follows two lone-wolf fixers assigned to the same job.
      One conditional of the deal was that the film have a theatrical release prior to coming to Apple TV+
  Apple’s secrecy is annoying security researchers
    Apple’s lack of communication and action seems to be upsetting security researchers
    Apple has a bug bounty program but seems like we get a lot of reports on how Apple is not doing a great job following through. For a company who touts security and privacy as a tentpole the look is not good.
    A researcher who goes by illusionofchaos shared frustrations with Apple’s program [in a blog post](https://habr.com/en/post/579714/)
    Noting they reported four zero day vulnerabilities this year between March 10 and May 4
    Of those only one was fixed in iOS 14.7 (without giving credit) and as of the release of iOS 15 the other three remain, which is what caused the researcher to go public.
    The three open vulnerabilities include a flaw that allows apps downloaded from the iOS App Store to read data like Apple ID credentials and information about a user's contacts. A flaw allows any app to check whether any other app is installed on a device. And a flaw that allows apps with location services permissions to gain access to Wi-Fi information.
    There have also been reports of Apple failing to pay out on bug bounties which is not good.
    Another flaw in AirTags was exposed this week in a [post by KrebsOnSecurity]()
      This one from a security consultant and penetration tester Bobby Rauch who discovered that the phone number entry that you use when putting an AirTag into lost mode contains no data validation or sanitization.
      Basically it means you can enter whatever you want, including arbitrary computer code. That code could be used to send a “finder” of an AirTag to a phishing site where an attacker might get them to enter personal information (say an iCloud login)
      Rauch reported the bug on June 20th and told Apple he planned to publish his findings within 90 days (a quasi standard time public disclosure period used by Google’s Project Zero)
      After not responding to repeated inquires by Rauch for an update and just days before his disclosure deadline Apple wrote, said they planned to address the weakness in an upcoming update, and asked him not to disclose the vulnerability.
      Since he did chances are Apple will not give him credit for the discovery and I would assume any bug bounty payout might be denied as well (part of Apple’s program policy)
    UK security researcher this week also announced a vulnerability with Visa cards set as the default card for Express Transit in Apple Pay (called Express Travel in the UK)
      This is the system that allows you to tap in and out at the train gates to pay for transit without the need to use Face ID or Touch ID authentication
      Researchers showed that a hacker could trick the contactless system to perform arbitrary transaction. Now the system is designed to have a low maximum transaction amount and there is a daily cap meant to offer additional protection, but the researchers also demonstrated that hackers can make a dummy payment terminal that mimics the behavior of a public transport terminal without the limits and caps.
      Apple says the issue is with Visa’s system, and that any unauthorized payments are covered by Visa’s zero liability policy.
      Visa claims they’ve studied variation of these schemes in their labs and claims they are impractical to execute at scale in the real world
      Since the exploit is limited to Visa cards an easy way to protect yourself would be making sure you use a MasterCard or Amex as the default card for Express Transit in Apple Pay
  Apple Watch 7 orders soon?
    When Apple announced the Apple Watch at their California Streaming event they did not have a firm date on when preorders would begin.
    Now YouTuber Jon Prosser is saying that his sources are telling him Apple Watch Series 7 will be released to customers in mid-October. So pre-orders could start as early as this week.
    Leaked emails from Apple’s Apple Watch fashion brand partner Hermes also indicate a date for next week saying, "Apple Watch Series 7 will be available for preorder beginning October 8. 2021
    Also supposedly still on track for this year:
      Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman is still saying that Apple will hold a Mac focused event to announce M1X powered MacBook Pros within the next month.
      And a new DigiTimes report says that Apple has an updated version of AirPods already in production with plans to get them released before the end of the year.
  Siri loses some accessibility features
    There are reports on the AppleVis forums used by low vision and blind users that some helpful commands that were in Siri appear to me missing after the iOS 15 update.
    Now users of iOS 14 also say the Siri features are gone for them too, so it’s likely not just an OS update
    The commands used to provide details on phone calls, voicemails, and sending emails no longer appear to be working
      Do I have any voicemails?
      Play my voicemail messages
      Check my call history
      Check my recent calls
      Who called me?
      Send an email
      Send an email to [person]
    A user on the AppleVis forums spoke to Apple support and was told that Apple is aware of the issue, so it’s possible the commands were removed in error and could return.
Sponsor: SimpliSafe
  SimpliSafe
    There’s big news from my favorite home security company... SimpliSafe just launched their new Wireless Outdoor Security Camera.
    That’s right, SimpliSafe, the system that U.S. News & World Report names “Best Home Security System of 2021,” just got even better.
    This brand new, outdoor security camera is engineered with all the advanced tech and security features you want and need to help keep you and your family safe.
    I love my SimpliSafe system. The expandability and flexibility it has is a big part of that. Setup was also super easy and now the option to add a Wireless Outdoor Security Camera will make it even better.
    The new Wireless Outdoor Security Camera has an ultra-wide 140 degree field of view, so you can keep watch over your entire yard.
    It has 1080p HD resolution with an 8x zoom. That means you can zoom in and clearly see things like faces and license plates to capture critical evidence.
    It has a built-in spotlight with color night vision, so you can keep an eye on what’s going on day and night. It’s super simple to set up and usually just takes minutes.
    And it has an easy-to-remove, rechargeable battery, so it doesn’t need an outlet and can go anywhere on your property.
    This camera has it all and it integrates with your SimpliSafe Home Security system, extending its protection to the outside. Together it means every door, window and room are protected, and now your property will be too.
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Sponsor: LinkedIn Talent Solutions
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    LinkedIn Jobs helps you find the candidates worth interviewing, faster.
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Feedback, commentary, opinions
  iOS 15 battery issues? Do you use Spotify?
    Users of Spotify are reporting issues with battery life after updating their iOS to the latest versions.
    The trouble seems to effect Spotify running on both iOS 14.8 or iOS 15
    The good news is the company is aware if the issue and looking into it. The bad news there is not a fix yet.
    The company has asked users to try and disable background app refresh to see if that curbs the battery drain.
      Disable it for Spotify under Settings -> General -> Background App Refresh
    Some users, myself included, seem to be having intermittent touch issues on iPhone 13s with iOS 15
      I’ve had this in multiple apps including Mail and Safari
      Seems to maybe be an iOS bug and not a device bug
      iOS 15.0.1 doesn’t seemed to have resolved it, at least not for me.
    Good news Apple plans to expand it’s enhanced 3D city experience in Maps
      Right now it’s in London, Los Angeles, New York City, and the San Francisco Bay Area
      Apple says it will bring the feature to Philadelphia, San Diego, and Washington, D.C. later this year and to Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver next year.
  HomePod just gets better
    New feature that let’s you turn down the bass
      You can just ask Siri, hey turn down the bass or turn off the bass
      You can also do it from the Home app
        Open the Home app
        Tap and hold on the HomePod to access the device menu
        Tap “Settings”
        Tap “Reduce Bass” on/off switch.
    Controlling Apple TV 4K with HomePod and Siri
      Finally!
      Turn on Apple TV. Ask Siri to play a show or show you a show. Control playback, pausing, or skipping in show you’re watching. So coo and no need to press and hold the button on the remote.
    One feature I don’t use, but I know folks do is the ability to use a HomePod or set of HomePods as dedicated speakers for the Apple TV 4K
      Sounds amazing but Andreas had tried it in the past with his 2018 HomePods and ran into some issues
      Specifically he said after the 14.6 update when using this feature the HomePod would get extremely hot
      He also saw reports on Reddit of people experiencing similar issues.
      He says he contacted Apple support and they seemed to have resolved the issue, but that the HomePod 2018 is warm when it is used as output for the Apple TV
      Is anyone else experiencing this issue?
  “Disk Not Ejected Properly” why?
    Since running the latest Big Sur update Vince has started having trouble with an external SSD
    He’s getting constant “Disk Not Ejected Properly” error pops ups.
    I haven’t personally noticed any issues but I did see some reports online of people having this issue, but with earlier Big Sur updates.
    I think there’s a chance that it’s just coincidental timing and not related to the OS update.
    I personally have had periods where I would get constant “Disk Not Ejected Properly” errors from my external drives.
      In my case I traced to back to a USB hub that had basically gone bad. I had noticed that depending on where in the hub I plugged in the drives it would be drives past a certain point that would have the issue.
      I replaced the hub and the issue went away.
    There’s a good [support article](https://www.lacie.com/support/kb/disk-not-ejected-properly-on-mac/) from LaCie that discusses some reasons you might see this error
      Defective external drive cable
      Defective external desktop drive power supply
      Defective computer USB or Thunderbolt port
      Failing external drive
      Issue related to macOS update or the update process
    They also offer some troubleshooting
      Test the external drive using a different cable
      Test a different power supply (external desktop drive)
      Connect to a different USB or Thunderbolt port on your computer
        Direct connect to the Mac, if you use a hub, and see if the issue goes away.
      Diagnose your external drive using Disk Utility and FirstAid. Click here for instructions
      Reset NVRA or PRAM on your Mac
    Might help to adjust the Energy Saver setting when connected to a power adapter
      System Preferences > Battery (Energy Saver)
      Enable “Prevent computer from sleeping automatically when display is off”
      Disable “Put hard disks to sleep when possible”
  Quick Tip: Portrait Apple Watch Face
    Play comment from Gary
    You set this all up in the Apple Watch app on your phone
      Open the Watch App
      Tap the “Face Gallery” tab at the bottom
      Tap “Portraits”
      Then tap Choose Photos and select up to 24 “portrait mode” photos
      Then choose a style (font) and complications (up to two)
      Then you can tap photos to see the photos you’ve selected.
        You can drag them to control the order
        Tap a photo and you can adjust it’s position/ cropping and how the time is displayed (top, bottom, or behind)
      Make sure you tap the “add” before you leave the “Portraits” mode otherwise you’ll lose everything.
  Keynote presenter bug
    With the release of iOS 15 I think Apple also updated their iLife (do we still call it that?) suite.
    Doug has encountered a Keynote bug he wanted to share with the community
    It has to do with running a presentation using multiple iPads
    So one iPad connected to screens and a projector and another iPad to control the slides and get presenter notes
    The bug is in the notes.
    Some of the slides have notes and some don’t
    When on a slide that has presenter notes and changing to a slide that does not have notes the notes from the previous slide still appear with the new slide.
    The workaround for the bug is to put a character in the presenter notes on the slides where you don’t have notes. Just add a “period” to that note for example
    Doug plans to report this bug to Apple so hopefully it’s fixed soon.
Closing
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