shownotes_20230402

Opening
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News
  WWDC Dates announced
    Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 5 through June 9 at Apple Park
    Will be in-person for those lucky enough to score a ticket
      Entire conference will also be available online for all developers.
    We expect to get a look at the next versions of software
      iOS 17, iPad OS 17, tvOS 17, macOS 14, and watchOS 10
    Next watchOS could be big
      At least that’s what Gurman is saying in his latest newsletter
      Gurman thinks it will be an “extensive upgrade” since to date the hardware hasn’t changed much
    Maybe get a sneak peek at the AR/VR Headset an realityOS?
      Maybe not according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo
        Says the date might be pushed back due to uncertainty that it’s ready to create an “iPhone Moment”
        Kuo claims Apple has decide to delay the mass production schedule until the middle to the end of the third quarter of 2023
        All the compromises to design an specs might lead to low sales. Thinks maybe only 200,000 to 300,000 units will be manufactured and shipped this year
        Price is still expected to be $3000 to $4000 USD, maybe higher.
    15-inch MacBook Air
      Another possible announcement could be new M3 MacBook Airs including the rumored new 15-inch version
      I’d give it a slim chance, but not as slim as an Apple Silicon Mac Pro announcement which some think also may be possible.
      On the MacBook Air side this week we also have report from “The Elec” that Samsung is working on 13.3-inch OLED display panels for a new Air
        They think that Apple picked Samsung because LG, who reportedly is working on new OLED displays for future versions of the 11 and 13-inch iPad Pro wouldn’t have the capacity to also do the panels for the MacBook Air
        There have long been rumors of Apple wanted to move all the iPads, MacBooks, and MacBook pros to OLED (well really microLED, but Apple has been struggling with that)
        They say Samsung may also do panels for the 11-inch iPad.
        They don’t give a date for when the move to OLED will happen.
          Timelines from other analysts like Ross Young and Ming-Chi Kuo have placed OLED iPads sometime in 2024 and OLED MacBooks by maybe 2026, so we have a bit of a wait
  Apple releases new OS Updates
    Apple put out new updates for Macs and all the iThings
    macOS Ventura (13.3), iOS 16.4, iPad OS 16.4, tvOS 16.4, HomePod OS 16.4, watchOS 9.4
    Some highlights
      21 new emoji including jellyfish, pink heart, and a moose
      Books has it’s page turn animation back
      Voice isolation for calls on iPhone
      Find duplicate photos and videos in a shared photo library.
      Apple Pencil hover adds tilt and azimuth support
      New architecture for Home app is back
        Need to activate it in the Home app settings
      Dim Flashing Lights in tvOS, an accessibility option to automatically dim the display of video when flashes of light or strobe effects are detected (can help prevent triggering seizures in people with epilepsy)
    Over 30 security updates
    Apple also released security updates for iOS 15.7.4 and iPadOS 15.7.4 and Safari 16.4 for macOS BigSur and Monterey
  Apple car project news
    We’d already heard recently from Bloomberg that Apple may have had to reduce it’s vision for it’s car project
      The goal was supposedly full autonomous functionality without a steering wheel or pedals. Kind of like a living room on wheels where you could interact and enjoy the ride
      The original price point was also expected to launch close to $120K
      Now it’s said they’re going the more “traditional” route in terms of vehicle design and that it will be limited self driving and with a price under $100K. The hope is to launch around 2026
      This week, according to Economic Daily News, they say the vehicle will, like most do, relay heavily on LiDAR sensors and that Apple’s current partner for sensors for the iPhone ands iPad, Wenmao, will also supply them for the Apple vehicle.
      Though the piece does note it might take a bit for the supplier to ramp up to “vehicle grade” sensors.
      Guess with a 2026 launch they’ll have some time.
  ‘Imagine’ leaves Apple TV+
    Imagine Entertainment, the entertainment company headed by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer, had an exclusive first look deal with Apple, but that looks like it’s coming to an end.
    They have now moved their deal over to Amazon Studios according to the Hollywood Reporter
    Apple announced the theatrical release date for their new Martin Scorsese film, “Killers of the Flower Moon” which stars Leonard DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Jesse Plemmons, Lily Gladstone, Brendan Fraser and more.
      It will debut on October 2023 in theaters worldwide starting with a limited release on October 6th and “going wide” on October 20th
      They did not share a dat for when it would arrive on Apple TV+
    Code found in tvOS 16.5 beta hints at "Multi-view" stream
      Likely intended mostly for sports content, but would allow for multiple PIP supporting up to 4 streams simultaneously
      A report from “TechCrunch” says Apple acquired an AI video compression company called WaveOne earlier this year.
      Apple didn’t make an announcement, but a former WaveOne’s executive said it was sold to Apple. The website shut down in January and many WaveOne employees are now working for Apple.
      Their tech uses AI to analyze video to optimize the compression and decompression algorithms and prioritize important content allowing the less important stuff use more aggressive compression resulting in smaller files.
    HomePod and HomePod will be officially available in Singapore starting April 6.
      Pre-orders for the HomePod began in Singapore on March 30
  New Apple chip in iPhone 15
    An anonymous source on the MacRumors forums is claiming the new iPhone Pro models will have a special micro-processor to handle functionality of features at extreme low power or when the iPhone is off.
      This source doesn’t have a long track record, but they did leak accurate info about the Dynamic Island last year
    This chip would replace functionality currently handles by Apple’s main SoC, the “Super Low Energy Mode”
    Part of the reason for the new processor is likely the rumored switch to solid state capacitive touch sleep wake and volume buttons.
    The chip would handle quickly detecting button presses and the leaker claims Apple is testing functions with both Taptic and non-taptic presses
    They also claim it can hand “3D Touch” like functionality.
    In addition to button stuff the chip may also handle low-power functionality of things like Bluetooth, Find My, and Apple Pay express transit.
    Later when questioned about usage with gloves and cases the leaker claimed iOS 17 would have a sensitivity setting to adjust the buttons and handle cases and gloved usage just fine.
    According to the French site “MacGeneration” Apple will expand the removal of the SIM tray in favor of eSIM to France with the release of the iPhone 15 this year
      This was a “feature” of the the US iPhone 14s this past year.
      Since same models sold in France are sold throughout the EU and UK it’s believed, if true, that move to e-SIM only iPhone’s could be a much wider move for Apple this year.
      Originally the concern with eSIM was lack of support, so makes traveling and using dual SIMs tricker. Now more carriers support eSIM and swapping or adding SIMs it much easier.
    Ming-Chi Kuo’s latest comments claim this years iPhone 15 Max will feature a periscope telephoto lens supplied exclusively by Largan
      A telescoping lens uses a series of lenses and prisms along with a mirror allowing the telephoto lenses to be housed inside the phone. This means you can get at least a 10x zoom and not need a large external telescoping lens
      Kuo report focused on the fact that Apple got the supplier to reduce the part cost to just around USD $4, leaving them a very think profit margin
      For us… the news is that this years iPhone 15 Max should have very nice optical zoom, if only on one model.
      It’s believed the feature may (or may not) roll out to other iPhone models next year.
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Feedback, commentary, opinions
  SSD vs HDD backup followup
    Our friend Robert has a warning about using SSDs, or any media really, for archival storage
      Any drives that are stored not powered or being used in a computer are subject to “data rot”
      Robert noticed that the documentation for most SSDs state they are not rated for offline storage longer than a year
        Lots of research and testing shows they could last up to 5 years, but no manufacturer seems to want to assure you of anything longer than 1 year
      That said it’s not just SSD
        Magnetic media, hard drives will also degrade over time, just maybe more slowly than SSDs
        Even optical media, like DVDs or CDs will fade and breakdown over time.
      So, again why having multiple forms of backup is critical, but also for archival storage media shifting and rotating is also key.
        How many of you have a 3.5-inch floppy drive or CD-ROM drive today?
    I also got some feedback from Dan about SSDs as backup drives and speeds
      Play comment from Dan
      The dirty truth about USB 3, which we’ve covered in the past
        There are multiple versions and revs
        USB 3.0 is 5Gbps (called SuperSpeed)
        Then there came USB 3.1 which actually had two versions (revs)
          USB 3.1 Gen 1 - 5Gbps, same as 3.0 and also called “SuperSpeed”
          USB 3.1 Gen 2 - 10Gbps, SuperSpeed +
        Then they did USB 3.2 (supposed to be clearer, NOT)
          USB 3.2 Gen 1 - 5Gbps and still called SuperSpeed USB
          USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 - (two lane bus) so it can do 20Gbps
      And now we have USB 4 which basically = Thunderbolt 3 and ThunderBolt 4 in terms of speed at up to 40Gbps
      For all of this you’ll also likely need the right quality and length of cables, but we won’t go own that rabbit hole as we’ve been there before.
  Multiple Displays with MacBook Air
    Apple’s M2 MacBook Air is a great machine (so is the M1 for that matter)
    But, when it comes to external displays they fall behind their Intel ancestors as, [according to Apple](https://support.apple.com/guide/macbook-air/use-an-external-display-apd8cdd74f57/mac), they only support a single external display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz.
    Apple promised to remedy the situation, but so far still has not and considering the M2 came out with the same limits I wouldn’t hold my breath.
    David has switched over completely from Windows to Mac, complete with iPhone and iPad, and went with a shiny new M2 MacBook Air, but has run into this limitation and was looking for a possible workaround.
    There IS a way to get two or more displays connected to an M1 or M2 MacBook or MacBook Air that has the single display limit, but it involves a solution that is technically not supported and your milage may vary.
    Basically it relies on a combination of hardware adapters or docks and 3rd party drivers and software which needs to use the Macs CPU and GPU, to drive the display
    They key is getting a USB-C or Thunderbolt dock or adapter that supports multiple display technologies. Specifically a combination of Alt Mode, which allows USB-C ports to transfer data/video via multiple interfaces like Display Port and DisplayLink technology
      It’s the DisplayLink that requires [Display Link software](https://www.synaptics.com/products/displaylink-graphics/downloads/macOS) on your Mac
      The latest version, 1.8.1, is currently compatible with macOS Ventura 13, Monterey 12, and Big Sur 11
    Once you have the drivers and a supported dock then you just connect things like normal, typically the displays will connect via Thunderbolt/USB-C (DisplayPort) or HDMI ports on the dock.
      The first display will use the AltMode connection which is a direct pipeline to the main GPU
      Additional displays will then use the DisplayLink software on your Mac leveraging the CPU and GPU to drive data to the display.
    This can all “work”, but as David has discovered it not necessarily always the best experience
      He’s noted the solution is “buggy”, slows down his Mac, and requires frequent restarts.
    Now… the DisplayLink software in the Mac needs to interface with the DisplayLink tech in the hub or adapter. I don’t have any direct experience with these solutions, but I imagine that like many things quality/brand of the hub or adapter might play a role.
    [Pluggable](https://plugable.com/products/ud-6950z) is a brand with an OK reputation and they have a solution for M1 and M2 Macs
      Supports 4K and 1920 X 1080 HD displays
    All this to say that “yes” you can possibly get more than one external display working, but it’s technically not supported and could possibly be more trouble than it’s worth. If you really need two (or more) external displays you’re probably better off getting a 14 or 16-inch MacBook Pro or an M2 Mac mini
  iMac SSD upgrade
    Javier is upgrading his iMac 27 inches (2015) Fusion Drive drive to a SSD drive and has a question.
      “How do I transfer all the same data from the old fusion drive to a new SSD before installing it?”
    The main thing is going to be to prep the new drive before you install it into the iMac.
    You’ll need a way to connect the bare SSD to your Mac so you can format it, install macOS, or clone to it depending on how you want to upgrade.
    For connecting the drive there are a couple of options…
      1. Bare drive adapter: https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/newertech-universal-drive-adapter. I’ve used this for years and it’s a handy tool to have
      2. Use an enclosure: https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/ES2.5BU3B/
      3.Use a “toaster” drive dock: https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/NewerTech/Voyager/Hard_Drive_Dock
    Each option has some advantages depending
      Bare drive adapter is cheap and handy.
      Enclosure is nice, especially if you have additional 2.5-inch drives as you can then swap in a drive when you’re done and use it as an external for other things
      The “toaster” is easy and handy. You can use it with bare drives for storage and backup.
    Once it’s connected to your Mac you could format the drive, install macOS and then boot to it and use your TimeMachine to “migrate” everything to the SSD.
    Or… if you have cloning software like Carbon Copy Cloner… you could simply clone your iMac drive to the SSD, making it “bootable” of course
    Could also just format the drive and clean install MacOS to it. Then after the swap, boot the iMac and run migration assistant to “restore” from a backup or TimeMachine.
  Find Carrier Apple Freebies
    Some carriers now offer free or discounted access to Apple Services.
    You can now check to see if you have any of those from your iPhone
      Go to Settings
      Tap your name at the top
      Tap Subscriptions
      Scroll down and look for Carrier Plan Benefits
      Might say, “Your cellular plan doesn’t include any new subscriptions to Apple services.” if you already pay for the service or your carrier benefit is expired
Closing
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