Maccast 2016.09.09 - Show #584
V Opening
V Opening Music
* Music is Say Anything by Manda and the Marbles
V Sponsor: Gazelle
V Gazelle
* The new iPhones, and Apple Watches, are here
* Wanna get cash for your old iPhone? Gazelle makes it easy.
* It’s free and easy to get an online offer. Just answer a few easy questions, and get your instant price quote.
* And don’t worry if your phone is broken Gazelle will accept those too.
* Once you accept it Gazelle will honor it for 30 days.
* Shipping is free too and in many cases Gazelle will provide the box too.
* All personal information from the devices is removed.
* Payments are fast. Get a check in the mail, an Amazon gift card in your inbox, or a direct deposit into your PayPal account.
* Gazelle has over 1 million customers and has paid out over $200 million to it’s customers.
* Get cash for your old iPhone, iPad, or Mac today! Go to Gazelle.com.
V News
V Apple's iPhone event
V Opening ceremonies
* Carpool Karaoke bit, promoting it's new episodes coming exclusively to Apple Music
* Apple Music now has 17 million subscribers
V Announced Super Mario Run coming to iOS
* Can sign up on App Store to be notified when it's available.
* Also that there will be a Pokemon Go app for Apple Watch.
V iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus
V Form factor is largely unchanged. 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch sizes
* There are new Jet Black and Black colors. Also still have the Silver, Gold, and Rose Gold options.
* Jet Black is limited to the 128GB and 256GB sizes
V Solid-state home button
* All new Taptic engine
V Completely dust and water resistant
* IP67 rating
* 100 percent resistant to dust and sand
* Can be submerged in about a meter of water for up to 30 minutes.
* Even with the rating AppleCare+ will not cover water damage to your device
* Display resolutions are the same, but it's now 25 percent brighter with a wide color gamut and Cinema standard
V Stereo speakers
* One on the bottom and the other under the earpiece.
V Processors is new A10 64-bit four core processor
* Two high-performance cores that are 40 percent faster than the A9
* Two high-efficiency cores for battery battery life.
* Apple designed a performance controller to mange which cores are used when.
V Geekbench for iPhone 7 Plus seem to confirm it beats the A9X found in the iPad Pro for performance
* About 33 percent faster than the iPhone 6s in both single and multi-core tasks
* Apple also says the GPU performance is 40 percent faster
V The headphone jack is gone
V Apple gave 3 reasons for the decision
* Courage - this brought the most flack from the Internet-latti
* Lightning - A better modern all digital connection
* Space - Apple could use that space for more stuff. Taptic engine for the Home button, dual cameras, second speaker.
* Vision - Deliver a better wireless audio experience.
* They are including both Lightning EarPods and a Lightning to 3.5mm adapter in the box
* Extra Lightning to 3.5mm adapters will only cost you USD $9 bucks
V Camera
V iPhone 7 and 7 Plus both have an all new 12MP 28mm camera sensor
* Now a six element lens
* It has Optical image stabilization that Apple claims is 3 times better than the OIS on the 6s
* Wider f/1.8 aperture for better light capture
* 60 percent faster and 30 percent more efficient
V The iPhone 7 Plus also has a second 56mm telephoto lens
* Lets you have 2x optical zoom. Clever trick of switching between the wide-angle and telephoto lens
* Also will allow up to 10x optical zoom (5x on the iPhone 7)
* With an update available later this year it can simulate a shallow depth-of-field (a bokeh effect ). A feature Apple calls "Portrait".
* "Flicker" sensor to accommodate for light flicker.
* A True Tone Quad-LED flash provides 50 percent more light
V FaceTime camera was upgraded to 7MP
* Can now record 1080p HD video
* Added Auto image stabilization
* Battery life is up to 1 hour longer on the iPhone 7 Plus and up to two hors longer on the iPhone 7 over the 6s and 6s Plus.
V New cases
* There are new iPhone leather cases
* Because mainly of the camera changes your old cases will not fit
* The Apple leather cases now have integrated metal volume and sleep/wake buttons.
V Storage and pricing
* As expected the storage sizes were increased.
* Comes in 32GB, 128GB, and now 256GB storage options
* Prices are USD $649, $749, and 849.00 for the iPhone 7 and USD $769, $869, and $969 for the 7 Plus
* Ships and is in stores on September 16th
V Availability
* 25 countries on the 16th: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the U.S., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
* The next week, on the 23rd, it's on sale in Andorra, Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Greenland, Guernsey, Hungary, Iceland, Isle of Man, Jersey, Kosovo, Kuwait, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Maldives, Malta, Monaco, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia and Slovenia.
* India on October 7th.
V AirPods
* Up to 5 hours of playback
V Tap to activate Siri
* Use Siri to control playback and volume
* No on ear controls
* Sensors detect when you remove them from your ears and auto-pause playback. It will start again when you put them back in.
V Has mics in each earbud.
* Special sensors to detect where your voice is and focus the microphones appropriately
V Cool charging battery case
* AirPods can get a 3 hour of playback recharge in about 15 minutes
* The case gives up to 24 hours of battery life.
V Will have a special Apple designed W1 chip.
* Better wireless experience
* Better audio quality
V Seamless pairing
* Open the case and they start the pairing process on your device.
* Simultaneously connect to your iOS devices, Macs, and Apple Watches
V Settings sync to a paired Apple Watch and to other Macs and devices over iCloud.
* Apple says it allows seamless transition from one device to another
* Will be in the AirPods and new Beats Wireless headphones.
V Will work with other devices, even non-Apple ones, via Bluetooth and manual pairing.
* Auto pairing and iCloud sync works with Macs, iPhones (iPhone 5 and later), and iPads (iPad mini 2 and later).
* Fit is said to be similar to EarPods, but they do have a long stem which reviewers say help them stay in securely.
* Joke about losing the AirPods are overblown in my opinion
* Funny to me that so many are excited about the AirPods when so many have hated on the EarPods.
V You can opt to use one or two AirPods at a time and if you lose one there will be a way to buy just a single replacement
* If you have just one in it automatically puts it in mono
V AirPods are USD $169.00 and available in late October
*
V Apple Watch Series 2
V About the same size and shape
* Reportedly about 1mm thicker actually and gained about 3-4 grams of weight.
* New display that's two-times brighter.
* There is a new Ceramic case and the Edition versions seem to be gone.
* Also new Hermes version and bands and new Nike+ models with special "perforated" Sports bands.
V New S2 custom chip
* 50 percent faster with dual-cores
* New GPU that's two-times faster.
V Waterproof up to 50m
* Apple called it swim-proof (which makes no sense). Swim-approved.
* Added lap and open-swim workouts to Activity app in iOS 10.
* Screen will be locked and blanked for swim workouts. Water messes with the touchscreen interface and it saves battery
* A speaker that will "eject" the water after a swim so you don't have to wait for it to dry out.
* Spin the digital crown after a water workout to wake the watch and eject the water.
V Added GPS to the watch
* Should make workout distances more accurate without the iPhone.
* No comments on battery life other than "same all day battery" life.
V The "original" Apple Watch is replaced by the Series 1
* Basically the same, but with the upgraded Series 2 processor
* Only available in the Aluminum Sport band designs.
V Branding also seems to have changed slightly
* No longer Apple Watch Sport. Now the Aluminum and Stainless are just under the brand Apple Watch.
* You have Apple Watch Series 1, Apple Watch Series 2, Apple Watch Hermes, Apple Watch Nike+, and Apple Watch Edition
* Within that you have size, finish, and band options
V Pricing
* Apple Watch Series 1 starts at USD $269 and is available Sept 16th
* Apple Watch Series 2 starts at USD $369 and is Available Sept 16th
* Apple Watch Nike+ starts at USD $369 and is available in late October.
* Apple Watch Hermes starts at USD $1,149.00 and is Available Sept 23rd. (include Orange Hermes Sports Band).
* Apple Watch Edition (ceramic) starts at USD $1,249.00 and is available Sept. 16th.
V Extra Stuff
* iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus now in 32GB and 128GB
* macOS Sierra will be out on September 20th.
* The base storage capacity of the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 4 up from 16GB to 32GB
* iPad Pro's got a price drop. $50 on the 128GB versions and $100 off the 256GB models
* New Beats Headphones. Beats Solo3 Wireless On-Ear Headphones ($300), the Powerbeats3 Wireless Earphones ($200), and the BeatsX Earphones ($150).
V AppleCare+ Changes
* Incidental damage repairs are now all $99.00, even on older devices
* Now screen repairs are only $29.00 per incident.
V Before it even arrives we have "scratchgate" on the Jet Black model
* In the demo area some journalists noticed tiny scratches on the Jet Black models
* There is a note on Apple's iPhone 7 page that says, "Its surface is equally as hard as other anodized Apple products; however, its high shine may show fine micro-abrasions with use."
* They recommend using a case to avoid the issue.
* Macy's will have an Apple Store within a Store for Apple Watch in it's NYC Herald Square location and be selling Apple Watch in 180 store in time for the holidays
V Buying an iPhone
* Pre-orders when off relatively smoothly
* New Jet Black models sold out fast and the iPhone Plus and the 128Gb sizes seemed to go first
* Currently most models and configs are a 2-3 week delivery time. Jet Black is longer and the iPhone 7 Plus in Jet Black is delayed until November.
* In-store reservation for launch day or turned off, but they will re-open at 8:00am (6:00 AM in the UK) September 17th.
* You may still be able to get the iPhone you want at a retail store at 8:00 AM September 16th
* Some reports that if you can't get what you want from Apple you might try through your carrier store or a 3rd party retailer like Best Buy.
V iPhone Upgrade Program customers were apparently placed into a separate system than regular pre-order customers, and forced to reserve a new iPhone from a local Apple retail store, according to MacRumors
* As such options seemed to sell out more quickly for them
* Many carries are offering various forms of "free" upgrades, basically $650 bill credits paid back over 24 months, there ate also other caveats and limitations depending on your carrier.
V Next up, new Macs?
* AppleInsider ran a piece saying that DigiTimes was reporting on supply chain leaks that laptop manufacturers claim that they are in receipt of laptop-class Kaby Lake processors earlier than expected.
* They also make the leap that these might be MacBook Pro suitable chips.
* I say "leap" because if you've been following this at all then you know Intel has been bouncing around availability info on Kaby Lake chips like super balls.
* Originally laptop and "desktop" class chips were going to be available by the end of 2016.
* In July Intel said the first batches of chips, likely Y and U-series chips, suitable for ultaportables, convertibles and tablets, were in the hands of manufacturers earlier than expected.
* I guess the latest reports assume if Y and U series chips arrived early maybe the next ones are her sooner too. I doubt it.
* It might be conceivable that Apple could use Y-series for a Macbook Air update, but I doubt the Air will be updated.
* The Macbook Pro would use the H-series (quad-core) and iMacs would use the S-Series (also quad-core) chips and these are not expect to arrive this year, (maybe late 2016 at best).
V It's also worth noting that Kaby Lake is a slight rev of Intel's 14nm Skylake design. It's more like Skylake+
* The biggest deal is it's been tweaked for better 4K video handling and high-performance gaming
* There are also some processor and power efficiency improvements, but nothing earth shattering.
V If we get new machines next month expect them to have Skylake and expect Apple to take a PR hit.
* They can't wait another 3 months for Intel's Kaby lakes to ship.
V It is looking like will will get a Mac refresh, but the question is what models and when.
* I think in October, but all speculation
* A MacRumors reader emailed Tim Cook and he said Apple remains "very committed" to the Mac and "Stay tuned".
* Current thoughts are updated Macbook Pro and possibly Macbooks with USB-C ports
* Also maybe updated iMacs with new AMD processors.
* Maybe updated Apple 5K display
* The poor Mac Pro will soon, or has already, gone over 1000 days without an update depending on when you hear this podcast.
V Corey mentions his hope that with the updates Apple keeps the SD card slot
* Being a photographer and not having to use an external reader is convenient
* I wonder how much that reader is used. I like mine, but if I'm honest I only use it a few times a year.
V Apple doing App Store Housecleaning
* On the 7th Apple also started to clear out the App Store
* Currently there are over 2 million apps and even though Apple likes to announce the big numbers looks like they're willing to take a down number turn for a better customer experience
* Discovered through a note on the Apple developer blog
* "We are implementing an ongoing process of evaluating apps, removing apps that no longer function as intended, don’t follow current review guidelines, or are outdated."
V They aren't messing around
* The specific criteria, as always, is vague.
* It does seem that apps that are abandoned, are not using updated APIs, have unfixed linger bugs, etc. will be targeted.
* If App Review determines that changes need to be made to an app, the developer will be contacted and given 30 days to update it, after which it will be removed from the App Store;
* If an app crashes on launch, it will be removed from sale immediately; and
* Existing customers will still have access to apps removed from the App Store.
V There were a few other changes announced to devs via an email
V Going forward, app names will be limited to 50 characters.
* This has been abused by developers for search rankings
* Apple says there isn't customer value and name are truncated in many displays.
* Personally I think this is great news.
* I also personally maintain and archive of all my Apps in all their versions using ChronoSync and my Drobos.
V Shake up in Apple Car project
* A New York Times piece claims that Apple is "rebooting" it's car project.
* The piece says Apple recently closed parts of its self-driving car project and laid off dozens of employees
* A few months ago it was reported that the project, which is now under former Vice President of Technologies Bob Mansfield, was shifted from building vehicles to creating autonomous driving systems.
* Supposedly the recent layoff are related to this shift in focus.
* The report also claims that Apple is making progress and is already doing limited tests with self driving card in controlled closed environments.
* I still think Apple will first launch some sort of car or partnership focused on a car service. Likely with Didi Chung.
V Feedback, commentary, opinions
V iPhone "touch disease" feedback
* Mark was hit by the issue a few weeks ago on his iPhone 6 Plus
* Had the exact symptoms of Touch Disease. Unresponsive touch screen and grey bar appearing at the top of the screen.
* He made a Genius Bar appointment and they looked it over, determined there was an issue and they offered a replacement.
* I also had a report from another listener though who was told he's have to pay the out of warranty replacement cost which is USD$329 for a 6 Plus and USD $299 for an iPhone 6
* You should maybe try more than once and more than one route.
* Chris was having bluetooth issues with an iPhone 6SE, out of Applecare, and was told at the Genius Bar that he'd have to buy a replacement. He then called Apple support for a "second opinion", was escalated to 2nd tier support and they offered a free replacement.
V My advice for dealing with Apple support
V Always be polite and courteous
* Apple has systems and policies that can limit what options and service an employee at a specific level can offer you.
* Be honest about what the issues are, what you've done in attempting to resolve it, and admit when you're at fault.
* If you are dissatisfied with the resolution say something and state clearly what you think the resolution should be.
* Don't be afraid to ask to talk with a manager or second tier support if your not happy with the first resolution. Again when doing this be very polite.
* If the final answer is the answer accept it and move on.
* In extreme cases I know some who have had some luck in emailing Tim Cook, tcook@apple.com. One more time, be polite.
V Headphone jack fallout
V The backlash at Phil Schiller using the word "courage"
* Many reacted to his use of the word most alluding that courage is reserved for only "big C" courage. Like standing up to the bully in the courtyard
* But as [John Gruber points out]( http://daringfireball.net/2016/09/courage) this is a different kind of courage.
* Courage to make a choice that you know will be controversial when not making that change would be the easier path and avoid any controversy.
V Pros
* I personally think it will push some companies to innovate especially Bluetooth technology faster
* Potentially faster adoption of wireless options. More choices and lower prices.
* High quality digital connection and better audio using Lightning connection
* Carries power so headphones can have their own chips and technology. Adjust sound profiles, digital audio converters, etc.
* Space in iPhone for other things.
V Cons
* The current technology, 3.5 mm, really isn't "broken" (but it is "crusty").
* It makes some scenarios more complicated in the short run
* Dongles, dongles, dongles
V It's an Apple connector now
* Requires licensing and certification. Means some headphone makers will opt out.
* Not compatible outside Apple products. Lightning headphones will not work with your car, your alarm clock, laptop (even an Apple one)
V What do do about charging and listening at the same time
* Use Bluetooth headphones
* Belkin announced a $40 lightning to two Lightning port adapter. I'm sure other options will follow.
* Use Apple's iPhone Lightning Dock (USD $49)
V Headphone companies seem to see opportunity in the decision and had already been preparing for the switch.
* More profit in wireless headphones. NPD data shows wireless accounts for 17 percent of US sales, but 54 percent of the revenue.
* Bluetooth headphone sales are growing at six times the rate of the entire headphones category in the US.
V Some FUD
* This is about DRM. Could DRM be applied to it, yes. Will it? I don't think so. I certainly don't think Apple changed the connector so the could add DRM.
V Moving data to your new iPhone
* Mia wrote in with a great and time appropriate question
* She got her first iPhone which was a 5 and is now going to upgrade to an iPhone 7
* She wanted to know the best way to make the transition. She uses iCloud backup, so is simply setting up the new phone and restoring from iCloud the best way to go?
* You can do that for sure, but I've heard depending on your connection it can take some time.
V I prefer to use a local backup using iTunes
* Connect your existing device to your Mac
* Open iTunes and select your iPhone.
V In the Summary tab under Manually Back Up and Restore you can click Back Up Now
* Before you do it you might consider also checking the 'Encrypt iPhone backup' option
* You need to set a password for the backup and you need to remember what that password is.
* The advantage is encrypted backups will also contain your saved passwords and Health data.
* You can confirm your backup was made by checking iTunes > Preferences > Devices. Encrypted backups will have a "lock" icon.
* After you have your backup you can connect your new device and during setup choose 'Restore from iTunes Backup'.
* Connect your new iPhone to your Mac and select the backup you just made. It will ask for a password if your backup was encrypted.
V You could also use [iMazing]( https://imazing.com/guides/how-to-backup-an-iphone-ipad-or-ipod-touch-to-your-mac-or-pc-computer)
* iMazing can do a standard backup that is the same as backup up with iTunes
* Also will let you create a backup and export it to a .iMazing file
* The advantage of an .iMazing export file is you can save multiple versions of backups
* When you restore from iMazing it will give you more control over what files and data you want to restore.
* Backups do not include your iTunes Media Library, so any stuff sync'd from iTunes will be re-sync'd the first time after you restore.
V Building a personal cloud
* Vlad wrote in to ask about recommendations for building a "home" cloud that would allow access to iOS devices and macs from outside the house.
V He tried Western Digital Cloud drives but was unimpressed
* Hard to set up can configure, took a long time to sync and stored files on the Mac and the Drive (sync like Dropbox)
* What you're really looking for is a network storage system that will give outside access via the Internet
V There are a few solutions
* Transporter, now [Nexsan]( http://helper.nexsansupport.com/tfc_support) - These are on end of life. Sales have stopped and support will stop in a year.
* [Promise Apollo Cloud]( http://www.promise.com/Products/Apollo)
* Drobo 5n and the myDrobo + DroboAccess apps. [Drobo]( http://www.drobo.com/drobo-solutions/drobo-apps/)
* Synology DiskStation and DiskStation Cloud, https://www.synology.com/en-us/dsm/6.0/cloud_file_syncing
* I tried setting up the DiskStation Cloud and I couldn't get it to work, so not sure this solves the ease of use issue.
* The biggest issue with most of these on iOS is the integration. You are woking through an app and basically copying and sharing the files between apps.
* Services like Dropbox, Box, OneDrive, Google Drive have integration with iOS. Still most of these are syncing to your Mac.
* Apps like [Documents]( https://readdle.com/products/documents) by Readdle can help manage files from multiple sources like cloud services and FTP, and WebDAV servers.
* A final solution for power users might be to set up an FTP or WebDAV server and share that way.
V Closing
V Podcast Marketplace
V Thanks to my sponsors
* Smile
V Gazelle
* Gazelle. The fast and simple way to sell your used gadgets! Find out what your used iPhone, iPad and other Apple products are worth at Gazelle.com.
V Supporters
* Bandwidth for the Maccast provided by CacheFly at cachefly.com
* Advertising is handled by Backbeat Media at backbeatmedia.com
V Keep emails coming. Audio comments.
* maccast@gmail.com
V 281-622-4269 or 281-Mac-I-Am-9
* PLEASE LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
* MacCast Forum
* Follow me on Twitter
* Checkout the page on Facebook