shownotes_20231015

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Pre-roll
  Zocdoc
    This episode of the Maccast is brought to you by Zocdoc. More on them later in the show.
News
  iPhone 15, feeling the heat
    Reports of iPhone 15s overheating and even some users citing swollen batteries on the new device
    Led some people to speculate that maybe the new aluminum substructure and titanium chassis was the source of the issues
    Apple claimed it was an unusual iOS 17 software bug and not the materials
      In fact, they claim the new materials should be even better at dispersing heat than the previous stainless steel chassis
    Also there are reports that some specific apps, like Uber and Instagram, are causing over heating issues on iPhone 15s
    There have also been sporadic reports of the wireless charger systems in BMWs overhearing iPhone 15s and possibly even damaging or destroying the NFC chip
      As 9to5 Mac points out though, these report are not new nor isolated
      They cite reports of issues in Audis, Teslas, and Fords with user saying phones can get hot to the point of giving the “over temp” warning.
    Limited reports on Reddit, according to 9to5 Mac of iPhone 15 users calming they are getting distorted and crackly audio from their speakers when the volume is turned up too high
    Apple released iOS 17.0.3 that specifically addresses the overheating issue as well as offering other updates, security, and bug fixes. This includes patching one actively exploited zero-day exploit.
      Apple is also reportedly working directly with some app developers to better optimize their apps to avoid overheating.
      several apps have already issued updates, so I’d advise checking the app store and updating apps frequently if available.
      A couple outlets, including ZDNet, did before and after heat tests using Forward-Looking InfraRed (FLIR) camera and confirmed a reduction in heat on the devices. Going from well above 105 degrees Fahrenheit, down to maxing out in the low 90s after the update.
      It’s not clear what Apple changed and they likely won’t say
        Some were speculating that Apple might throttle performance to save heat
        There is currently no evidence that is what they did.
    Some users reporting sporadic wi-fi issues in iOS 17
      I’m noticed some oddities in some apps, like Discord.
      Also what seems like slow “reconnect” times after waking a device from sleep.
      Toggling wi-fi and restarting apps sometimes helps for me.
    Apple also release iOS 16.7.1 with significant security updates for owners of iPhones and iPads that don’t support iOS 17
  Apple Pencil 3
    And interesting, but possibly thin, rumor about the next Apple Pencil from Twitter user Majin Bu
    The next version could offer magnetic tips to support differing art styles.
    You already sort of get this with many apps, but I guess maybe this would offer a more real / tactile experience for artists.
  Micro LED coming to 2025 Apple Watch Ultra
    According to a Weibo leaker and also Haitong International Securities Jeff Pu.
    We’ve heard rumors of Apple Micro LED displays for years and runors of them coming to many different devices
    This leak calims it will be a 10% larger display at 2.12-inches
    Apple has been working on the tech for over six-years making startegic acquisitions to advance the technology.
    Display offer improved brightness, color reproduction, and viewing angles.
    Ming-Chi Kuo’s recent take on 2023 Apple Watch sales
      "Apple Watch shipments in 2023 are expected to decline by approximately 15% YoY to 36-38 million units."
      He also doesn’t see significant updates for Apple Watch in 2024
        And doubts it will get a micro-LED display or blood glucose monitoring in 2024.
  Where’s the Fall iPad Mac Event?
    Here we are at almost mid October and the rumors are light at best
    M3 Macs are looking more and more unlikely
      Supply chain reports seem to be pointing to new notebook updates in 2024
      Some in the community are still holding out hope for an M3 iMac or Mac mini update, though I doubt it.
    DigiTimes was saying Apple was planning a MiniLED update for 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pros before the end of the year.
      They say the updated displays would achieve up to a 10% increase in brightness at the same power levels, so basically bringing better energy efficiency
      Mark Gruman has already predicted M3 Pro and M3 Max updates for these systems, but not until at least mid-2024
    What about an iPad Air update
      For sure is overdue and Mark Gurman has said previously that an update could happen this year
      It would likely be minor improvements, like a bump to M2, or M3 (but that would likely mean next year)
      Minor front and rear camera updates
      9to5 Mac had a report that Apple is working on two new version of the iPad Air 6
        They speculate the “second” model to maybe come in a larger size than 10.6-inches or "a more expensive model with better specs."
    Research firm Omdia claims Apple is looking at possibly bring OLED displays to the iPad Pro lineup in 2024 and then eventually rolling it down into iPad Air and iPad mini versions by 2026
      Display sizes would come in at 11 inches and 12.9 inches, with panels supplied by LG Display and Samsung.
    Possible minor spec bump, to an A16 processor, for the iPad Mini, which maybe a bigger update next year?
    Mac sales fell dramatically in Q3 2023 according to both IDC and Gartner
      IDC estimates that global Mac shipments fell 23.1% year-on-year, while Gartner has the number at 24.2%, against an overall PC market decline of around 8%
      As 9to5 Mac points out though, a big part of this was Apple saw a big uptick from the “pandemic bump”
      basically now sales are falling back to the typical pre-pandemic levels.
  Apple Vision Pro still faces problems
    According to Mark Gurman Apple’s engineering teams are working hard to address a couple of engineering challenges they faced with the first generation Vision Pro, which of course isn’t even out yet
    At one pound they are concerned it’s still too heavy for some users and some will complain about neck strain even after short periods of use
      For the current model the only solution that is really an option is the optional over the head strap
    The other challenge is prescription lenses which pose more of an issue with logistics
    They either have to stock them in store, both for try on and for sale, or they ship custom from the factory
      If they do the latter, what happens when a prescription changes?
      There are also health / legal issues as it could push Apple’s device a “health device” category role and subject to rules and regulations
    Digital avatars (personas) will not be able to scan faces with glasses on and users will have to add pre-set styles of “virtual” glasses.
    Latest beta of VisionOS indicates the headset will support display refresh rates up to 100Hz
      It will actually be able to switch between 100Hz, 96Hz, and 90Hz.
      The 100Hz is adjusted to compensate for a 50Hz “flicker” from artificial lighting
      96Hz to support video content filmed at 24 frames per second.
      90Hz is sort of the “default” mode and will be used for “Travel Mode”, like when on a plane.
    Gurman says Apple might remove the external EyeSight display to get a future lower cost version of the VisionPro
      Says Apple is targeting a USD $1500-2500 price point
      Other cost saving might come from using fewer sensors and using a lower end processor
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Feedback, commentary, opinions
  iCloudy
    There’s a somewhat disturbing but [excellent post](https://sixcolors.com/post/2023/10/bitten-by-the-black-box-of-icloud/) about iCloud and how it’s basically a “black box” by Dan Moren over at “Six Colors”
    The gist is something that I think almost ALL iCloud users experience at some point and it’s when it just stops working for some reason, but it’s unclear why.
    Typically it goes something like this…
      Some iCloud service stops working or syncing on A device
      You start troubleshooting
        Quitting and reloading apps
        Restarting your systems, network, etc.
        Checking Apple’s [System Status](https://www.apple.com/support/system status/) page
        Turning off and back on the impacted iCloud service
        Then the most extreme, logging out and back into iCloud.
      Often, one of those steps works and you move on.
    If they don’t then it’s the call to Apple Support, which Dan did.
      They will typically walk you though all the same stuff and if that doesn;t resolve it might pass you to tier two support
    This happened for Dan and here’s where it gets interesting. The rep looked at things and responded, “…that explains it”, put him on hold, then came back and said things should be back and working int 12 hours. But couldn’t explain why.
    Sure enough 12 hours later it was all working again.
    Dan notes unconfirmed posts on Reddit with Apple users claiming Apple’s iCloud servers were sometimes put in maintenance mode for 12 hours
    There also the possibility of subpoena or national security letter request that could require the shutdown of a server where the public might not legally be allowed to know about it.
    But regardless… we’re all at the mercy of the iCloud black box.
  Hard drive mounting issues
    The dreaded, “Disk not ejected Properly” message
    Charles recently ran into issues with an external 8TB drive that was used for archive and backup not want to stay mounted.
    The drive itself seemed to be fine
    They typical way I would troubleshoot this would be to do things like:
      Run Disk Utility and check the drive
      Try connecting it directly to your Mac
      Try a different cable or replacing the cable
    Charles was able to get the drive to stay mounted long enough while connected directly to his Mac, vs through the Anker Hub, to be able to pull a full Time Machine backup.
    While attempting to Carbon Copy Clone the drive to a new external his Mac went to sleep and he got the “Disk not ejected Properly” message
    I typically also adjust the “Prevent automatic sleeping on power adapter when display is off” setting to be “On”.
      So when connected to power it will not sleep automatically.
      Also set the “Put hard disks to sleep when possible.” setting to “off”.
    I had issues with my Anker dock because it’s vertical and the weight of the USB-C cables pull down. That would make the connection unstable. I used OWC [Clingon](https://www.owc.com/solutions/clingon) cable clips and it solved my issues.
  Refresh display refresh
    Varun was doing an experiment using his 16-inch M2 MacBook Pro to see what it’d be like to use a display without ProMotion
    This was to make a buying decision between the iPhone 15 Pro Mac vs iPhone 15 Plus
    He went in and changed the refresh rate from settings in Displays from “ProMotion” down to 60Hz
    The issue was once he made the change his M2 MacBook Pro lost significant battery life
      Varun said in the email, “I thought 60hz was more power efficient.”
      This is not correct because ProMotion uses a variable refresh rate, so up to 120Hz, but I think it can go as low as 1Hz. So when you Mac is just sitting there it will lower the refresh rate saving power.
    The issue Varun is having now is that he reset the setting back to “ProMotion”, but is still having horrible battery life
    In the old Intel days I would recommend resetting the NVRAM / PRAM, but that is not a thing with Apple Silicon based Macs
    I did find and [Apple Support Article](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/picture-change-resolution-mchlp2660/mac) about what to do if your Mac won’t display correctly after making a display change
      You can restart the Mac in “Safe Mode” and then go to System Settings > Displays and choose “Default”
      Safe Mode on Apple Silicon machines:
        1. Shut down your Mac
        2. Press and hold the power button on your Mac until “Loading startup options” appears.
        3. Select your startup volume.
        4. Press and hold the Shift key, then click Continue in Safe Mode.
          The computer restarts automatically. When the login window appears, you should see “Safe Boot” in the menu bar.
    Any other ideas from the community?
Closing
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