Ready for an iPad Pro Max?

The Korean website The Elec is reporting that one of Apple’s Chinese OLED suppliers for iPhones, BOE, is looking to build 15-inch panels for a future iPad

We’ve heard before, from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, that Apple’s engineers have been toying with the idea of even larger iPads but so far this is just experimentation at this point

The Elec piece also notes that the large iPad display project is in the early stages of development.

9to5 Mac also reported from their sources that Apple is investigating larger display iPads and is also developing designs with a notch to possibly match the iPads visual identity with other products like the iPhone and M1 MacBook Pros

Still all these reports are clear these ideas are still in R&D land and there’s no knowing if Apple will bring any of it to market

I personally feel that the 12.9-inch iPad Pro is already huge, so not sure about a 15-inch model

Still, there are likely some who would enjoy an even bigger screen, possibly as a laptop replacement.

If Apple were to do it, I think they’d need to expand even further on iPadOS to bring more features and better support for multitasking apps.

Apple’s requirements and standards for an OLED iPad panel are said to be high

The Elec even notes this week that Apple has given up on bringing an iPad with an OLED display to market this year.

I fact that backs up earlier reports made by Ming-Chi Kuo

The issue is said to be getting a high enough quality panel to meet Apple’s standards at a price Apple would be willing to pay

Still the report goes on to say that Samsung may be able to meet Apple’s requirements by 2024 by using a new next-generation manufacturing process

In addition to larger displays… we’d heard plans that Apple wants to bring MagSafe wireless charging to the iPad

Last year Mark Gurman said Apple might add an all glass back to the iPad to facilitate bi-directional wireless charging

Now 9to5 Mac claims their sources say the idea for an all glass back have been scraped possibly because it would make iPad more prone to damage and breaking

The new idea according to their report is to add a larger “glass” Apple logo to the back of the iPad that would allow wireless charging.

They would also have stronger magnets for alignment and a faster charging system then the current MagSafe in the iPhone

They piece also says this years iPads will have larger batteries, an iPhone 13 like camera module, and possibly will use the rumored M2 processor.

And we’re still expecting an update to the iPad Air soon

The iPad Air 5 is the works according to Macotakara and it could arrive along side the update iPhone SE this Spring.

They claim it will basically have specs similar to the updated iPad mini.

A15 Bionic

12MP ultra-wide front-facing camera with support for Center Stage

5G connectivity

It would reportedly keep the same design and they don’t mention if it would have updated colors

Apple TV+ eyes, sports. Again.

Seems like we’ve heard this all before and I have a feeling Apple never really stopped pursuing live sports for Apple TV+, but a couple stories this week indicate Apple is getting pretty serious about trying to bring live sports to the service.

A report from the New York Post mentions that Apple is in “serious talks” with the MLB about bringing live baseball to the Apple TV+ service for the next season

There are not a lot of exact details, but the theory is Apple wants to pick up weekday national games which were recently given up by ESPN.

It’s not mentioned but hopefully if Apple were to get the deal the gave would be part of the existing service though I suspect too they could offer them up as some sort of “add-on” package.

Wedbush analyst Dan Ives also came out with a report claiming that Apple is on a "aggressive hunt" for live sports content

Hey backs up his believe by saying that Apple has not acquired movie studio and sees live sports content as a path to grow the service

The note goes on to say that Apple is "ready to spend billions" on live sports content over the next four years and will see contracts for content from the NFL (Sunday Ticket), NCAA sports packages, NASCAR, and the NBA/WNBA among others.

Apple has been making a big push in recent years to beef up there services offerings and Apple TV+ is playing a bigger part in that.

Apple this week pointed the success of their tv shows and films in the first two years of the service noting that their shows have received “763 award nominations and 190 wins"

The awards and nominations also continued this week with Apple gaining 12 SAG Award nominations.

Nominations came for the films CODA and The Tragedy of Macbeth, and TV series Ted Lasso, and The Morning Show

Apple TV+ also received five Writers Guild Awards nominations for the series Ted Lasso, The Morning Show, The Problem with Jon Stewart, Helpsters, and Calls

Apple added a new upcoming movie about the 90s Beanie Baby craze to it list of upcoming Apple TV+ films

The movie is called “The Beanie Bubble” and will start Zach Galifianakis, Elizabeth Banks, Sarah Snook, and Geraldine Viswanathan

Sounds like it’s basically the story of the little know women who helped drive the Beanie Baby craze

If you’re interested in their real story checkout the HBO Doc “Beanie Mania”

The screenplay is based on the book, "The Great Beanie Baby Bubble: Mass Delusion and the Dark Side of Cute."

The movie will be produced by Apple Original Film and Ron Howard, Brian Glazer, and Karen Lunder’s Imagine Entertainment

No word on when production is set to start or when it will arrive on Apple TV+

Apple also announced a new 4-part documentary series about Abraham Lincoln that will arrive on Apple TV+ on February 18th

It is based on the award-winning book, "Abe: Abraham Lincoln in His Times," written by historian David S. Reynolds'

Apple says the series will be "a fresh exploration of President Lincoln and the complex journey to end slavery."

It will be narrated by Jeffrey Wright and feature the voices of Bill Camp as Abraham Lincoln and Leslie Odom Jr. as Frederick Douglass.

The power of Apple’s Headset

And of course by that I mean it’s adapter

Yeah and odd new tidbit to the Apple AR/VR headset rumors, but Ming-Chi Kuo in a note this week said Apple’s upcoming headset would use the same 96W USB-C power adapter as the 14-inch MacBook Pro

With that much power I assume it means a pretty substantial battery and that might prove challenging for weight?

He also repeated his info about the processors. That it would have two custom Apple chips. One 5nm and one 4nm with the main chip being comparable to Apple’s M1 and the other a bit “lower-end’ to handle the headsets many sensors

Kuo thinks the first version could see as many as 3 million units shipped by the end of 2023.

He also feels Apple will have a "more competitive second-generation product" and that headset numbers could rise to 20 million shipments by 2025.

Those numbers could be delayed a bit though if reports from Bloomberg are correct

They say that despite wanting to launch the product at WWDC this years that is not looking likely.

They claim sources close to the project have told them the device is having camera and software troubles as well as issues with overheating

Because of the development issues it looks as if Apple may hold off on announcing the product until maybe later this year or in 2023

Bloomberg still thinks Apple could offer technical previews of some of the software feature that would drive the new headsets at WWDC since iOS 16 would in theory be bring support for the headset

The headset itself has been reported to have it’s own “rOS” (codenamed Oak)

There is some possible good news from the report about pricing. No it’ll still be WAY expensive, but Bloomberg notes Apple targeting price points “above $2,000” which is a little bit better than the “$3,000” we’ve heard from previous reports

ProMotion or not ProMotion

That is the iPhone 14 question. At least this week.

We’ll that and camera news, the punch pill, and more.

First we have Haitong International Securities and analyst Jeff Pu claiming that ALL iPhone 14 models coming this year will have variable 120Hz refresh rate (ProMotion) displays

This report was later contradicted by display analyst Ross Young who claimed in a tweet that the ProMotion tech would remain an iPhone Pro only feature.

The reason… the supplier of displays for the lower end devices, BOE, just doesn’t have the production capacity at the moment to support that

And that all models, not just the Pros, will come with 6GB RAM

He also brought up and updated 48MP wide angle camera for all models. A rumor we heard last week from Ming-Chi Kuo and other. It was also mentioned this week by TredForce, so this one feels likely

Though I believe Kuo only noted the feature along with 8K video on the Pro models and that Apple would use pixel binning to let the lens shoot in 48MP or 12MP depending on the situation (low light)

As for losing that pesky notch this year… we’ve heard about the punch hole, we’ve heard about the pill. How about the “hole + pill design”

Display analyst Ross Young says Apple might just do both a hold punch and a pill shaped hole.

This would seemingly allow Apple to ditch the notch, but maintain a unique look for their devices

I think it’s important to remember what’s behind that notch

Infrared camera

Flood illuminator

Proximity sensor

Ambient light sensor

Microphone

Front camera

Dot projector

So it’s possible that FaceID under the display will not be a thing in this years iPhones

If it is a punch pill how will the UI be once again adapted to compensate? Will they use the extra space to bring back UI elements? Will we still have the “pull down” zones on the left and right for Notifications and Control Center?

Apple starts allowing 3rd party in-app payment

At least in the countries where they are now being forced to and of course there are some interesting caveats

First in South Korea

They passed a law 4 months ago that said both Apple and Google must allow developers to use third-party payment platforms for in-app purchases

Apple will provide an alternative payment system at a reduced service charge though the time line and the amount of the reduced fee were not discussed.

Google for example only reduced their fee by 4 percent.

Apple will be working with the Korea Communications Commission to bring itself into compliance

Apple also said it will comply with new regulations in the Netherlands and allow third-party payment options for in-app purchases for dating apps.

Apple will still charge a commission on the transaction

But they did add two new entitlements available to dating apps on the Netherlands App that will allow them to provide additional payment processing options

This means for Apps that are not exclusive to the Netherlands developers will need to maintain two app binaries.

Apple note that for purchases made though 3rd parties they will not be able to assist with refunds, purchase history, subscription management, or other issues

Apple is appealing the decision to a higher court.

Fewer users updating to iOS15

Apple has said on their developer site that iOS 15 is installed on just 72 percent of the iPhones released in the last four years.

That number is lower than previous iOS updates.

One thing that was different this year was Apple was still allowing customers to stay on iOS 14 and still receive security updates.

Looks like now Apple has changed their minds.

Previously Apple had a note on the Software Update screen encouraging users to update to iOS 15, but stating that if they chose not to they could remain on iOS 14 and still get security updates.

That language is now gone and it appears that iOS 14 users will no longer get security updates.

This happened after the release of the iOS 15.2.1 update last week

Apple seems to have pulled the iOS 14.8.1 update according to 9to5Mac

Now it’s not 100 percent confirmed that this is indeed the case or maybe just a bug, but it sure feels intentional.

Apple has always touted their high upgrade percentages to devs when a new iOS comes out and i’d guess they’re not super happy about this number being low.

9to5Mac is also reporting that it seems as if the “Noise Cancellation” feature for calls which is available through the Accessibility settings has been removed for iPhone 13 models

At first it seemed like a bug, but 9to5 Mac reader working with support was told that “Phone Noise Cancellation is not available on iPhone 13 models, which is why you do not see this option in Settings.”

They didn’t give a reason as to why, but did say that the feature is simply, “not supported”

As a possibly work around 9to5 notes that you can still activate the Voice Isolation feature on a call in the Control Center

BetterHelp

This podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp online therapy. Check them out at betterhelp dot com slash maccast.

The best way to think about therapy is through a bunch of analogies.

We get our cars tuned up to prevent bigger issues down the road (you saw

this one coming).

We get annual checkups and go to the gym to maintain physical wellness and prevent injury and disease.

We do chores regularly (some of us) to avoid a giant mess of a house (and roaches).

Going to therapy is like all of these; it’s routine maintenance for your mental and emotional wellness to prevent bigger issues down the road.

Going to Therapy doesn’t mean something’s wrong with you; it means you’re investing in yourself to keep your mind healthy.

BetterHelp is customized online therapy that offers video, phone and even live chat sessions with your therapist, so you don’t have to see anyone on camera if you don’t want to.

It’s much more affordable than in-person therapy and you can start communicating with your therapist in under 48 hours.

Why invest in everything else and not your mind?

This podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp and MacCast listeners get 10% off their first month at BetterHelp dot com slash maccast.

That’s B-E-T-T-E-R-H-E-L-P dot com slash maccast.

SimpliSafe

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Having an indoor camera that lets us monitor the living area is great. I can use my iPhone or iPad to check in anytime and I get motion alerts

Plus the system can easily grow adding new sensors like the new Outdoor Camera or the SmartLock

Setup is super simple and fast too.

SimpliSafe has everything you need to make your home safe. All monitored around-the-clock by trained professionals, who send help the instant you need it.

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Private Relay confusion

There was some he said she said confusion this week between Apple and T-Mobile over Apple’s new iCloud Private Relay feature (which is in Beta)

The issue happened when some users, after upgrading to iOS 15.2, noticed that the feature was disabled.

T-Mobile said it was likely due to a bug in iOS 15.2, but Apple claimed it was not

iCloud Private Relay is available to iCloud+ subscribers and is designed to protect your privacy by ensuring that when you browse the web in Safari, no single party—not even Apple—can see both who you are and what sites you're visiting.

It runs your requests through two separate, secure internet relays. One that hides your IP address and one that hides the address of the site you’re visiting.

When user went to check their settings they saw a message that said, “Private Relay is turned off for your cellular plan. Private Relay is either not supported by your cellular plan. With Private Relay turned off, this network can monitor your internet activity, and your IP address is not hidden from known trackers or websites.”

This lead some customers to accuse T-Mobile (or AT&T) of not supporting the feature.

Apple and T-Mobile later clarified that this is NOT the case and it’s more likely that the user possibly disabled the setting in the Cellular settings

Go to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options

And check that the “Limit IP Address Tracking” is enabled if you want to use iCloud Private Relay

The thing is ‌iCloud‌ Private Relay can be turned off on a network by network basis and then that message may appear.

You need to check the setting for each network. So that includes going into WiFi, Cellular Data Options, or Network Settings

To turn on the feature go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Private Relay

For WiFi Networks you go to Settings > Wi-Fi, then tap the More Info button

And check that the “Limit IP Address Tracking” is enabled if you want to use iCloud Private Relay

Apple is also updating their messaging on the toggle to make it clearer that it might be a settings issue. They are adding the words, “or has been turned off in the Cellular Settings” to the language that says it may also not be supported by your Carrier.

Airplay and Firewalls

Rick wrote in with an issue when he was trying to use AirPlay mirroring with his SmartTV

Actually first he had a question about the difference between AirPlay and Screen Mirroring

He noted that AirPlaying content worked fine from his iOS devices, but mirroring on his Mac didn’t

AirPlay is used to stream audio or video content from an app to an AirPlay device like the Apple TV.

You would typically access that from the Airplay button in the player or via the AirPlay button in the Control Center and just that apps content is streamed.

Screen Mirroring is accessed from the display menu item on your Mac or the Screen Mirroring button in Control Center in iOS and it will “mirror” or display your entire device screen on the TV.

Now the reason Rick wasn’t able to “mirror” to his SmartTV was that he had Apple’s Firewall enable and had turned off the “Automatically allow built-in software to receive incoming connections” option

To make sure the OSes built-in Apps can work through the firewall this option needs to be on or you will have to add individual apps you want to work to the list of “Allowed incoming connections”

To control the settings

Open System Preferences

Click on Security & Privacy and then the “Firewall” tab

Click the lock icon and authenticate with an admin login

Double check your settings

Uncheck “block all incoming connections”

Check on “Automatically allow built-in software to receive incoming connections”

You may also want to check the option for “signed software to receive incoming connections”

Or you can individually add apps you want to allow or block to the list by clicking the “+” icon and adjusting their settings.

SuperDuper backups stuck

Martian is having an issue with SuperDuper getting stuck at about 20,000 files when it smart updates to an external hard drive.

In his troubleshooting he tried two different drives, changed USB cords, restarted the Mac, etc. Nothing worked.

Then when he contacted SuperDuper support they recommended that he check to see if he had excess mdworker files on his system and that if there were a lot of those they might need to be cleared out.

OK, so first what is an mdworker and what does it do?

Mdworker is short for metadata server worker

There is also mds is short for metadata server

And basically these are he processes used by Spotlight to index your Mac.

When you are moving or copying large amounts of files these processes can kick in and start indexing your new content.

You can see these from time to time in Activity monitor using lots of CPU, but don’t worry because (at least typically) they are designed to behave as good OS citizens (they should yield to other processes that need active CPU)

But sometimes things might go bad and these can misbehave.

In fact recently some folks, when they tried to upgrade to Big Sur, found that the update would fail and then get stuck with a never ending progress bar.

For some reason impacted users had mdworker tens of thousands if not millions data files and these were causing their issues.

Now this has been fixed in both the Monterey 12.1 and Big Sur 11.6.2 Full installer

SuperDuper support sent Martian a link to an article, [macOS Upgrade to Big Sur Failed! Stuck Progress Bar fix & Prevention!](https://mrmacintosh.com/macos-upgrade-to-big-sur-failed-stuck-progress-bar-fix-prevention/) that detailed the issue and provided instruction on how to clear out the excess files.

There is a Terminal command in that article you can run to see how many mdworker files are on your system

Typically it should be low 20-400

On my Mac I actually had zero

If you do find that there are excessive files that same article has instructions on how to remove the directories.

Hopefully these instructions resolve your issue Martian. Let us know how i works out.

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