Mark Gruman believes that the launch date for iPadOS 16 could be the week of Oct. 24th
That would time it just ahead of Apple’s Q4 2022 earnings call in Oct 27th
Assumption is the OS release would also be in-line with the announcement of rumored new products
New MacBook Pros, Mac minis, iPads, and Apple TV
With that date looming and no invites for an event sent out yet (plus an earnings call the same week), the possibility of there being an event seems less and less likely.
It’s even starting to look like we could see the new iPad sooner and maybe Macs later
Gurman noted that a new M2 iPad Pro could be coming “very soon” along with a new entry-level iPad
But he noted that updated 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros with M2 Pro and M2 Max chips could be introduced at a later date
Maybe also later will be a new M2 Mac mini and possibly the new M2 Pro Mac mini
Gurman also said that Apple might be planing a new iPad docking accessory that would change the iPad into a “home hub”
Like a Home Pod speaker docking stand
Might be the rumored AppleTV, iPad, HomePod combo product he spoke about earlier in the year
DigiTimes is reporting Apple could relay on “hybrid” OLED tech to make iPads thinner in 2024
The tech combines rigid OLED glass substrates with flexible OLED thin-film encapsulation
It also has a lower production cost according to the report since it doesn't require a backlighting layer
Good news this week for Windows users who subscribe to Apple services
Microsoft announced that they offer Apple TV and Apple Music apps. in the Microsoft Store next year and early betas will be available soon
Currently Windows users have to use Apple’s web portals to access their Apple TV and Music content on their PCs
Or use the crusty old iTunes for Windows
They also announced that the Windows 11 Photos app is adding iCloud integration. So Windows users will be able to browse their iCloud Photo Library inside the Windows Photos app
Apple savings plan
Apple and Goldman Sachs announced a new Savings account for Apple Card users
The PR said it will be rolled out “in the coming months” and it will be “high-yield” though they didn’t announce a rate
It will allow users to take their Daily Cash from their Apple Card and transfer it into the Savings account with no fees, minimum deposit, or minimum balance requirements.
Users can also deposit or transfer additional funds to or from their Savings account through a linked bank account
Ive produced short coming to AppleTV+
Apple announced an upcoming short film coming to Apple TV+ this holiday season.
"The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse” is a film based on a bestselling book from Charlie Mackesy of the same name
The story focuses on the friendship between the boy and the animals as they go on a journey to find the boy a home. It’s a story of “kindness, friendship, courage and hope for viewers of all ages” according to Apple.
The film is executive produced by Jonny Ive and Woody Harrelson
It will feature the voices of Tom Hollander as The Mole, Idris Elba as The Fox, Gabriel Byrne as The Horse. A newcomer, Jude Coward Nicoll, will voice the Boy.
The Peanuts holiday specials will not be available on PBS this year
Apple has an exclusive deal for all Snoopy and Peanuts content with WildBrain
Over the past few years Apple has made the classic Peanuts holiday specials like “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” and “A Charlie Brown Christmas” to be available on PBS, but not this year.
Apple will have the classics and a combination of new specials available to Apple TV+ subscribers.
The classics will still be available to non-subscribers, but only on Apple TV+ and only for a limited time
It’s the Great Pumpkin will stream for free from October 28 through October 31.
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, November 23 through November 27
A Charlie Brown Christmas, December 22 through December 25.
More talk of ads on AppleTV+
Digiday is reporting that Apple plans to sell video ads in early 2023
Belief is Apple might be considering an ad-supported tier for Apple TV+ like many other streaming services have been doing
That could suck if Apple decides to increase the price of the paid tier from USD $4.99/mo
JustWatch is out with their Q3 2022 report on subscribers to US streaming services and Apple TV+ has gained another 1 percent
They say Apple TV+ now has a 7 percent share of the US streaming market
That puts them closer to Hulu which has around 10 percent
Apple’s demands might be slowing their deal to get NFL Sunday Ticket
According to a report from CNBC
Basically Apple wants the rights, and is willing to pay for it, to air local games in all markets and internationally (not subject to blackout)
Problem is the NFL has existing deals with broadcasters like Fox and CBS and they have never sold international broadcast rights for NFL games.
International news
ET News reported that Apple would finally be adding 5G support for iPhones in India via a software update in December
Apple reportedly met with the Indian carrier Airtel and has been allegedly testing 5G support on iPhones in Mumbai and New Delhi.
Apple then confirmed in a statement to TechCrunch that they will release a software update in December bringing 5G support for compatible iPhones on Indian carriers
Ming-Chi Kuo continues to report that Apple is looking to further reduce it reliance on manufacturing in China
Shifting more iPhone production to India
Moving more MacBook production and assembly to Thailand.
It will be a slow process taking between 3 to 5 years
The latest updates to HomePod mini software added Siri support for Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish languages
But here’s the thing… you can currently buy a HomePod mini in Denmark, Finland, Norway, or Sweden.
So does this mean you may be able to soon? Most likely, we hope.
A court in Brazil has ruled that Apple must provide chargers to any Brazilians who purchased an iPhone after October 13, 2020
They also assessed Apple a $19 million dollar fine for “social damages" over the companies decision to not include a charger with the sale of an iPhone
Apple was also levied a $2.34 million fine by the Brazilian Justice Ministry for the same reason back in September. They have appealed that ruling and have not paid that fine.
I suspect the same will happen with this latest one.
Apple popular among teens
Some studies out this week show that teens love Apple products
Piper Sandler has done their “Taking Stock with Teens” report and notes that 31 percent of US teens own an Apple Watch and another 16 percent say they plan to buy one.
Some analysts, like Philip Elmer-DeWitt, have questioned the survey as it tends to skew to more affluent American suburbs.
The same report also mentions that 87 percent of American teens own an iPhone and that 88 percent expect their next phone to be an iPhone.
The Apple Watch is popular outside teen circles as well, at least according to Counterpoint Research
They say in the first half of 2022 that 30 percent of iPhone owners in North America now own an Apple Watch
iPhone 14 Plus sales slow
But maybe not as bad as you think
DigiTimes says that customers are by far opting for the Pro versions of the iPhone 14 and sales of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 plus are slow, but steady
Still they say total shipments of the iPhone 14 models are expected t be about the same in the back half of the years as they were for the iPhone 13 models last year.
Apple Headset Iris scanning
From “The Information” who claims to have spoke with two people who have worked on Apple’s rumored AR /VR headset
Claim Apples device will use biometric Iris scanning to allow wearers to log-in and make purchases
Would make it easier for multiple users to share the headset
They also say Apple will use eye tracking to dynamically adjust the graphic fidelity of the displays in the wearers peripheral vision as a way to reduce GPU processing power
Apple has reportedly been targeting a deign that would be lightweight and comfortable. It’s said to resemble a pair of ski goggles
The device will also have 14 cameras and will capable of capturing body movements including the legs
Apple Car Spatial Audio
Apple and Mercedes-Benz announced that they will be bringing Apple Music spatial audio support with Dolby Atmos to select Mercedes-Benz vehicles worldwide
The rollout includes the latest Mercedes-Maybach, EQS, EQS SUV, EQE, and S-Class models with a 31-speaker Burmester 3D or 4D sound system that is a $4,550 or $6,730 upgrade respectively.
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Email from Adam who shared a different kind of Apple support story
What about support from “Apple” when it’s not technically Apple, but their service partners?
In Adam’s case specifically Apple Card and Apple Cash.
Apple Card is Goldman Sachs
Apple Cash is Green Dot
Adam used Apple Cash to try and tip a delivery person who delivered an appliance to his home.
When he attempted to send the cash it failed, iOS gave the error "Apple Cash services unavailable."
Adam had heard this can happen sometime after setting up a new device and he had recently updated to a new iPhone 14 Pro
The “fix” is to e toggling Apple Cash off and back on, which he did
That worked and he successfully sent the cash to the delivery person.
Then he noticed that two identical payments had been deducted from his Apple Cash.
He contacted Apple Support and was redirected to Green Dot.
Green Dot denied his claim because they said it was authorized and there was really no other resolution, at least not through Green Dot.
So this bring up a good point about how Apple’s 3rd party partners are also part of the perceived customer service relationship and that directly reflects back on Apple in the eyes of most consumers.
Device left behind
Jeff wrote in to discuss a cool feature he’d like to see on Apple Watch.
If you swipe down on your Apple Watch you’ll see an icon of an iPhone when the Apple Watch is connected or not connected to your iPhone
Green if connected, red with a slash if disconnected.
Occasionally people leave home or the office with the phone still on the table or charging. The Watch could easily pop up an alert when it first gets out of range.
In Watch OS 8, this is actually now a thing via the FindMy app
Open the “Find my Devices” app on the watch
Tap on the iPhone to get the options
Scroll down and tap the “Notify When Left Behind” option and toggle it to on.
I would assume on Apple Watch you’d need a cellular versions with a cellular connection to get the notification.
This feature can be set-up for iPads, iPhones, and AirTags
In the App on the Mac you can also define “zones” where you would not get notified when a device is left behind at a specific location… say like your house.
Open the Find My App
Choose a device
Click the “info” icon
Click on “Notify When Left Behind”
Under “Notify me, except at:” add any locations you don’t want to be notified from.
There are also suggestions based on your frequent locations which you can add by clicking the “+” icon
Multiple wireless audio streams
Justin wrote to comment after hearing a recent Maccast where we were helping a listener who wanted to be able to send audio to multiple output sources, analog and digital, on his Mac at the same time.
Justin had a similar need to send audio to a Bluetooth amplifier connected to a speaker and his iMac at the same time.
He gave my tip of using Audio Midi Setup and setting up a multiple output interface a try, but as I noted in the show ran into the limits of not being able to independently control volume levels
So he also tried out Loopback, but ran into issues of the audio on the Bluetooth connection being slightly out of sync with his iMac
I had recommended Loopback to the last listener specifically because the new was for multiple “wired” connections both digital (I assume USB) and analog.
For wireless audio with multiple output it is ver tricky to keep everything in sync.
If you get a wireless speaker or device that supports AirPlay 2 that issue should be solved for you.
If you have a mix of wireless devices like Bluetooth speakers or older AirPlay devices then I would look at [AirFoil](https://rogueamoeba.com/airfoil/mac/) from Rogue Amoeba
This is awesome because it works with all kinds of wireless audio
Apple TV, Bluetooth, Airplay devices, Sonos, Google Chromecasts, Cast TV & Cast Speakers
