Apple has also released iOS 12.1 beta 1 or developers
Group FaceTime appears to be back in the beta
Hints of landscape support for FaceID leading to speculation that new iPad Pros with FaceID are still coming.
Leak comes from Steve Troughton-Smith
Says the feature requires a “realignment of the front-facing sensors” so don’t expect support on iPhone XS Max.
Raise to wake doesn’t work if your iPhone is upside down.
Says the iPad code also seems to care more about if an external display is connected. Speculates this might support USB-C connector rumors.
iOS Simulator in XCode shows support for an external 4K display
Not possible with existing Lightning to HDMI adapter
Kuo had commented in the past that Apple may switch to USB-C and ship an 18W power adapter with USB-C support.
Memoji syncing over iCloud
iPhone XS teardown
Biggest change seems to be a single “L” shaped batter which has a slightly smaller capacity then two cell iPhone X one
2,658mAh versus 2,716mAh
Larger Taptic Engine and extended logic board in the XS Max
User Guide in the box included references to AirPower
It was likely printed a while ago, so not sure I read much into it.
Munster did a small survey of 50 people in line at the Apple Store
Not anything that can be really statistically meaningful, but still interesting
70 percent were there for a XS Max
71 percent said they were upgrading from a 2017 model
Seems bigger then I would have guessed, but makes sense because early adopters
Apple HomePod top ‘pricey’ Smart Speaker
Q2 2018 numbers from Strategy Analytics
HomePod has a 6 percent share of the mark, but that wasn’t enough to even make the top 5
Products were broken down by model, so Google Home mini was number one with 20 percent share, but together the Echo and Echo Dot accounted for 30 percent share.
Still Apple was the revenue leader with the HomePod. They accounted for a 16 percent share of global smart speaker revenue.
If you go by price point however, Apple dominates the $200+ premium Smart Speaker space with a 70 percent share.
Consumer Intelligence Research Partners estimated Apple had sold 3 million HomePods by mid-2018
Still that only represents about 2 percent of Apple’s customers
Apple expects iPhone XR success
Digitimes says Apple is ramping up production ahead of the October release date
They expect shipments to be around 20M units in October and that Apple is adjusting the mix into December to weight heavier toward the iPhone XR
With the less costly iPhone making up more then 50 percent of the product mix.
Details on how the single lens can do the “Bokeh” effect
Done “almost entirely” by algorithm
Graham Townsend, Apple's senior director of Camera Hardware said in an interview
Lens model in math and use that. Not just a “blur background”
Data recovery for T2 Macs
This was a question because the new MacBook Pros with the T2 chips appeared to be missing the internal data ports of previous gen models
Apple has now documented how that works with the T2
Does require a system that can be powered on
Apple’s repair staff will use a Thunderbolt (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) or Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to USB-A cable and another host computer as well as an external hard drive where the data will be transferred.
Depending on the the amount of data the transfer can take up to two days.
I old REALLY advise everyone have a good backup and recovery strategy
‘The Cap’ to star in Apple Series
Variety reports Chris Evans has signed on to star and executive produce a limited series called “Defending Jacob”
The show has a straight-to-series order from Apple’s Worldwide video division.
Based on the 2012 best selling novel by William Landay
The series was created, written, and executive produced by Mark Bomback, who will also serve as showrunner.
It tells the story of a father whose 14 year old son is accused of murder.
The show would be Apple’s 25th scripted series.
The Wall Street Journal has a piece that details Apple’s more wholesome strategy for it’s content and the risks that imposes
Apple has made clear, say producers and agents, that it wants high-quality shows with stars and broad appeal, but it doesn’t want gratuitous sex, profanity or violence.
Apple’s risks are higher if they upset consumers with their shows.
Piece says only a few of Apple’s shows could fall into TV-MA territory
Apple is open to anything and everything so long as there is no gratuitous violence or nudity, according to talent-agency people.
Sponsor: MasterClass
MasterClass
Imagine learning new recipes from Gordon Ramsay, or photography tips from Annie Leibovitz. Now you can — with MasterClass.
MasterClass offers online classes taught by some of the most talented and successful professional in their fields. The best in the world.
Each class is shot with cinematic production quality, and offers on-demand lessons loaded with exclusive content you’ll find only on MasterClass.
The production quality is the best I've ever seen in any online courses.
The content is not only education but truly entertaining and inspiring.
My daughter is an inspiring writer and I'm already super excited to share with her the courses from R.L. Stine (Goosebumps) and Judy Blume
You can choose lessons from classes taught by over thirty five masters, including:
Malcolm Gladwell on interviewing
Ron Howard on collaboration
Astronaut Chris Hadfield on traveling to Mars
And so many more.
They are also adding new courses all the time.
They are soon going to be adding documentary filmmaking from Ken Burns!!
And Werner Herzog already has a course in there, so you've got the top two documentary filmmakers in the world teaching you.
What I'm enjoying beyond the learning a subject is the creative inspiration
I'm absorbing new ideas and ways of thinking or problem-solving that go beyond the current lesson
Stuff I can apply elsewhere. So I might never make a documentary or a film, but the ideas can be translated to and applied to my podcasting or programming work.
Whether you are pursuing your passion or developing your career, you’ll find a MasterClass for you.
Maccast listeners can unlock access to EVERY MasterClass for a year, RIGHT NOW at MasterClass dot com slash MACCAST!
You’ll gain unlimited access to over thirty five world-class masters, all for one surprisingly low annual price. That’s MasterClass dot com slash MACCAST for unlimited access to MasterClass
Steve uses 3D Touch on his iPhone for the magnifier
Settings > General > Accessibility > Zoom.
Turn on Zoom and also enable Show Controller.
3D Touch the controller to activate the zoom.
3D Touch on the new Shortcuts app to access and trigger quick shortcuts
Appears to access the first 4 in your list inside the app
A few days with iPhone XS
Pickups had a little hiccup. Reservation system went down for about 90 minutes at my local Apple Store
Also reports of some shipment issues. With Apple notifying some customers their order might nit be ready for pickup.
Are there any immediate differences from the iPhone X?
Not really.
Small gap in the fit around the camera bump using my old case
Say the camera bump is larger? No, it isn’t thicker (according to Gruber)
Does seem to be just slightly longer and wider
My iPhone X Apple leather case seemed to fit OK. Is tight around the camera bump.
The sensor for core sleep wake might also be different.
Came with a SIM ejector tool.
Biggest immediate difference is the photos
They are just better.
Seems to take better images in places where the X doesn’t
As I suspected ‘computational’ photography, the new SIP, and the Neural Engine enhancements mean something
Live preview of “Stage” lighting effects.
Smart HDR may also be a factor?
Wide angle lens is a bit wider (equivalent to 26mm, vs 28mm) and sensor is 32 percent larger (larger pixels, to gather 50% more light)
Portrait mode photos taken on my iPhone XS are fully editable on iOS on my iPad Pro including the depth of field adjustments
Only ones transferred via iCloud Photo Library
Will also reportedly work in macOS Mojave.
Asymmetrical antenna lines and speaker holes kinda bug me.
For the 4x4 MIMO technology that will allow
Is it worth the upgrade?
I’m happy with it, but still feel it’s hard to justify the cost coming from an iPhone XS.
If you’re already in the upgrade program then yes.
Apple Watch Series 4
Getting a lot of accolades
Users upgrading from Series 0 through 2 are thrilled.
Siri waveform responds to your voice.
Fall detection is off by default if you’re over 65
If you’re active it could be set off more frequently by accident
Enable in the Watch app on your iPhone under the My Watch tab and Emergency SOS
Play Gary's comments on watchOS 5
My favorite feature is auto start and stop Workouts
Walkie talkie is not really feeling all that useful to me. I'm the only one in my family with Apple Watch
Scroll down to put it into "Not Available"
Yes DnD and Theater Mode does block it.
Family trip is the about the only application for it.
Are you missing some of your Activity achievements after updating?
Apple has acknowledged some people lost some of their limited edition achievements
You might be missing:
Thanksgiving Day Challenge 2016
Mother’s Day Challenge 2017
Veterans Day Challenge 2017
Thanksgiving Day Challenge 2017
China National Fitness Day 2018
Apple has promised to bring them back in a future update.
iOS 12
Performance on older devices
Everything should be enhanced across the board
Apps launching up to 40 percent faster
Camera from lock screen up to 70 percent faster
Accessing keyboard up to 50 percent faster
ScreenTime
Not sure how much I'll use it, but it's interesting to see the reporting and how detailed it is.
Grouped notifications are nice
Lot's of you are excited about Shortcuts and Siri Shortcuts
Most common seems to be using Siri with 3rd party podcast apps.
I'm not sure it's a feature I'll have much use for to be honest.
Love that my iPad Pro gestures are now consistent with my iPhone XS
Third party Maps in CarPlay
Supported in the Google Maps 5.0 update
Sync Google Maps to your cars built in display, but can’t use Siri voice control. Has it’s own voice search tools (might require screen interaction?)
Waze is still working on support.
iOS 12 password auto-fill
How it works:
Place your cursor in a login field
You get a button at the bottom of the screen.
It will show the suggested login and it’s source (app)
You can’t tap the “key” icon to access additional logins for that site.
How to enable:
Settings > Passwords & Accounts
Tap AutoFill Passwords
Check the supported apps
1Password will also ask if you want to enable copying 1-time use passcodes (2FA) to the clipboard.
Seems to work with 1Password, LastPass, and Dashlane.
Open to most password managers via and iOS API I believe.
iCloud Keychain also tries to “autofill” suggested passwords on registration forms
I find this a little annoying.
You get a “use strong password” button.
Can cancel out of it, but make a form mistake and it comes back
Only way to disable it seems to be to turn off auto-fill completely
Also, can’t have a 3rd party app generate the password.
Two-factor Authentication code concerns
Koen emailed in with a common question I get asked about with regards to 2-factor Authentication on the Mac and iOS
The fact that the 2FA code get's sent to all your "trusted" devices including the one you're currently trying to log in on.
The concern is that if someone is attempting to hack your iCloud or iTunes account from your device they would get the 2-Factor code
I think the confusion comes into play on what 2-factor authentication is designed to protect.
It's there to protect logging into and accessing your accounts.
Does that by requiring something you know (password) and something you control/possess (key, iPhone).
If both of those things are compromised then the 2-factors are not a protection.
So, if someone is able to log into your iCloud account because they have your password and they do it from your device, because they have physical access to it. they've already "cracked" the 2-factor authentication.
The good news is Apple provides several tools to make sure this doesn't happen.
You can set a password to protect access to your devices when they are out of your possession
Make sure goes to lock screen and requires passwords to unlock
You can manage and control trusted devices
1. Go to your Apple ID account page.
2. Sign in with your Apple ID.
3. Go to the Devices section.
4. Click a device to view it's details and remove it.
All devices get notified of a login attempt
You can remotely lock and wipe devices out of your control.
Additional layer: Encryption on your devices (iOS by default when locked) . Use FileVault on the mac.
