Apple sent out invites for an event in New York on October 30th at the Howard Gilman Opera House (The Academy of Music) starting at 10 AM EDT, so 7 AM for us west coasters.
Will be streamed.
The invite and page on Apple's site revealed at least 370 different artist interpretations on the Apple logo with the tag "There's more in the making"
The location and invite seem to indicate a content creation focus maybe on art and a new Apple Pencil?
They are expected to announce the new iPads with design cues taken from the latest iPhones.
11-inch and 12.9-inch sizes.
USB-C connector.
Aside, Apple is now selling a USB-C Apple Watch charge cable.
Mac mini updates & Mac mini Pro?
New "lower priced" MacBook. What's the future of the Air? 13-inch MacBook?
iMac revision with newer Intel processors and updated GPUs. Possibly, "significant display-performance upgrades", TrueTone?
Ming-Chi Kuo also thinks a new iPad mini equipped with an upgraded processor and a lower-cost panel is coming, but stops short of saying it will happen at the event.
Only saying late-2019 or early (spring) 2019.
Maybe good news for iPad mini fans.
Gives same timeframe for updated AirPods and the AirPower
HomePod trails smart speaker market
In a report out from Strategy Analytics
Survey of 1,011 US smart speaker owners from July to August
HomePod accounted for just 4 percent
Not surprising that Amazon is dominating at 61 percent (23% Amazon Echo, 21% Echo Dot, plus other models). Google Home was at 17 percent with the Home at 8% and Home Mini at 7%
The HomePod did best out the Google Home Max (2%)
Back in September the firm claimed Apple had 70 percent of the $200+ market
The obvious reason for Amazon’s dominance is the price. Many homes have multiple cheap “dot” units.
Rekindling rumors of Apple expanding the HomePod line with a less expensive option.
I still think they’ll wait out the holidays.
The “R” is for…
Nothing really according to Phil Schiller in an interview with Engadget
He said the letters Apple uses never stand for something specific.
He also commented on the PPI issue and said, “If you can't see the pixels, at some point the numbers don't mean anything. They're fairly arbitrary.” adding "I think the only way to judge a display is to look at it. … "
And he's not wrong.
And before you go all HDR and not 1080p on me, it's a phone screen. Seriously.
The reality is the resolution has been 326PPI (what Apple calls “retina”) on every non-Plus sized iPhone since the iPhone 4.
One thing that has been bothering me the number of folks calling the XR “affordable” or saying it’s a “premium” phone at a not “premium” price
Remember when the original iPhone $499 and $599
The iPhone 8 was $699
The XR is $749.00
Pre-orders are up and I know many of you successfully got your orders in
Apple seemed to have a enough pre-order stock for most models and configs to remain available until Monday.
Yellow and Product RED models seemed to sell out the quickest.
Ming Chi Kuo called demand "better then that" of the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.
Still he said pre-order demand right after launch is lower then that for the iPhone XS models, but expects it to remain more stable as time move son and more older iPhone owners look to upgrade.
CIRP data also indicated that iPhone XS series sales were strong
Orders evenly split between iPhone X S and iPhone XS Max
Combined accounted for 16 percent of US iPhone sales for the quarter (despite only being available for 10 days of the entire quarter). The iPhone X accounted for 14 percent and the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus 15 percent and 17 percent.
Hands on videos and early reviews
All super positive and many noting there seems like very few reasons to pay the $250 - $350 premium to get the XS or XS Max
Many of the early units went to YouTube lifestyle and tech YouTubers.
Gruber does a great job pointing out where the big value is
Storage, you get an extra 64GB for just $50 and 128GB is really the "right" storage amount for most users.
In the XS models there is no 128GB option and the jump to 256 will cost you $150
We also now know repair costs
Similar to those for the iPhone 8 Plus, which makes sense
$199 for screen replacements and $399 for other damage.
For perspective and iPhone XS Max is $329 for the display and $599 for the device.
AppleCare+ for your XR is just $149, so if you're a habitual iPhone abuser you might consider it.
Macs with Apple chips in 2020?
Originally rumored by Bloomberg in 2012. Apple was planing to take it's chip design prowess to the Mac.
The question was when? Now Apple analyst Ming Chi Kuo tells his clients he has the answer.
2020, no later then 2021.
He thinks Apple will use longtime chip partner TSMC to do the production based on "some form" of the A series processor
So an A14 or A15 design?
Some of the benefits:
Apple would not be plagued by Intel release cycles and delays
Higher profits due to lower processor costs
Possible PC market share gains if they lower costs of Macs
Product differentiation
Even tighter integration of the hardware and software allows Apple to do more with "less"
A models we've seen them successfully deploy in iOS devices for years.
Recent examples in the neural engine for AR and ML tasks on device and Enhanced image signal processor (ISP) for image processing.
Also a lot more control of the power profile for longer battery life with better performance in laptops.
Most reports do feel Apple would start with laptops first.
Makes sense with A-series processors in iPhones and iPads already being said to be having "laptop" level performance and benchmarks
Apple focuses car on batteries and performance
A few bit of Apple "Titan" car related news this week.
Patent application for "Converter Architecture. Basically taking the high voltage battery energy needed for the car and converting it down to a lower voltage suitable for subsystems like air conditioning systems, the dashboard, infotainment units.
Most vehicles already use converters for this but Apple is looking to make them more efficient and reliable.
The patent seems to reveal this tech might have come out of project Titan and references "high" voltage value sin the range of 800 volts (serious high performance). The Tesla Model S uses a battery voltage of 375 volts.
Apple wants a built in system for cars to "convoy" and use peloton (drafting) to improve efficiency and reduce battery drain
basically using sensors to find the optimal follow distance and prioritizing vehicles with more battery to the front of the convoy.
They also mention in convoy "refueling" from one vehicle to another, even in a chain with higher battery level cars passing some of their "fuel" reserves to those with lower batteries.
Our short 'BeautyGate' nightmare is over
It's almost like it never began
The Verge reveals and Apple confirms they are adjusting the Smart HDR algorithm in iOS 12.1
It'll be tweaked to preserve more detail.
It was actually a bug. The system was often choosing a frame with a longer shutter speed. Losing detail in the process.
US Apple video service in 'early' 2019
The publication 'The Information' claims to have the scoop.
They say it'll roll out in the US first but that Apple wants to quickly expand the service to more then 100 countries.
Possibly "within months"
They also backup CNBC's clams that the service will be free for Apple device owners. With revenue coming from selling access to other premium services like HBO and STARZ
It was also announce those week that Steve Carell with be joining the cast of Apple's upcoming drama series about a morning talkshow starring Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston.
Sponsor: Smile
TextExpander
TextExpander helps you communicate smarter.
Create snippets for things you type – or copy and paste – all the time.
Make snippets for short things you use constantly:
email addresses
website addresses
today's date
Make snippets for long things you use regularly:
directions
reference requests
proposals
answers to common questions
Summon these snippets in any app on Mac, Windows, iPhone, and iPad using an abbreviation, or search for them using a hotkey while you're typing.
I mentioned last week the "gotcha" of needing to reset up user accounts in the same order
Steve game me a better terminal command to get the UIDs
`ls -n /Users`
The third column will have the account UIDs, it'll also show you the account names you need to use
Another thing I discussed was getting old app settings and support files back by copying out of the '~/Library/Applications Support' and '~/Library/Preferences' folders
Before you migrate you drag the App into the AppDelete window. It will find the App and all it's supporting files. Then instead of "deleting" the app there is also an option to create an "Archive"
It then zips it up in the ~/Library/Application\ Support/AppDelete/AppDelete Archives" folder (default)
After "archiving" all the apps you want to migrate, backup that entire folder.
Then on your fresh install, install AppDelete and under 'Tools > Install from Library…' Point it back at the backup of your archived apps and it will restore the app and all it's supporting files back to their proper locations on your new fresh system.
Saves, in may cases, the need to re-enter serial numbers.
My only concern would be it's not quite as "clean" of an app install. Also if you just wanted to remigrate all your Apps then just running migration assistant and using it would be more efficient.
Shortcuts (Workflow) has been removed from the Apple Watch in iOS 12
Dan let me know as he had a Workflow he used daily on his watch. Frustrating.
As far as I know external drives, including Time machine drives, still only support HFS+ formatting. So TimeMachine backups in Mojave still work exactly the same. There are no changes needed.
For Photoshop CS 5, the app should still run just fine in Mojave.
You just need to make a small settings change in System Preferences > Security & Privacy.
In the "Accessibility" tab just check "Allow the apps below to control your computer".
Really encourage you to update your apps or find alternatives that run on the new operating system.
You can use which ever version of 1Password you think works best for you. I personally love the subscription version since switching because of the new features and having all my stuff sync via their cloud service. I also have the “family” plan so being able to control and separate passwords based on my family members is great. I think it’s a great value.
As for accessing passwords when offline. The data is sync’d and stored locally when you open the app, so the worst case scenario is you might not have access to recently added password if they were added on another device.
Missing in-car notifications?
I have an old 2001 Subaru, so I don't get the benefits of fancy CarPlay (and no I can't afford the $700+ after market units either)
Still a lot of you have CarPlay (yes I'm jealous) and Michael told me about something that cropped up after he upgraded his devices to iOS 12.
Unfortunately for him it was his wife who first noticed the issue and she was not too happy.
She was no longer getting notifications on the cars infotainment system.
On each device and when that device is connected to the cars infotainment system you need to now adjust the 'Bluetooth' settings
Settings > Bluetooth
Tap the "i" (info) icon
Toggle on 'Show Notifications'
Here you may also find other options like 'Sync Contacts'
Time Capsule troubles
Peter has run into an issue with his TimeCapsule and hasn't been able to find a resolution
He's getting a message that says, "Time Machine completed a verification of your backups on “Peter's AirPort Time Capsule”. To improve reliability, Time Machine must create a new backup for you."
When the message occurs, Time Machine will lock the sparse bundle which prevents future backups from occurring. A damaged sparse bundle cannot be repaired with Disk Utility. Time Machine backups that result in a verification error should be considered damaged.
There are possibly three causes for this message: Network issues, power issues, hardware failure
So check your wi-fi and make sure the Time Capsule is getting a good consistent reliable signal
Make sure your power to the TimeCapsule is good and you're not losing power.
Scan the disk to check for a failing HDD
With the age of many TimeCapsules at this point I'd feel pretty confident (if you've ruled out wifi) that the drive is starting to go.
A last ditch effort would be to attempt to reformat the drive and start Time Machine backups from scratch.
If the error returns then maybe replace the Time Capsule.
There are numerous network drives and NAS system that support TM backups over the network now. Synology, Drobo, Wester Digital, etc.
Closing
Podcast Marketplace
Patreon Supporters
This show would not be possible without the direct support from our Patreon Supporters
If you enjoy this podcast and want to support it's development visit Patreon.com/maccast
We are edging toward our first tier and I added a goal at that level. A bonus interview episode every other month.
And please don't feel there is a need to pledge. This show happens because I love doing it and I love this community.
Just listening and participating in this awesome community is more then enough support.
You can also help by emailing in comments and questions, writing a review on iTunes, and recommending the show to your friends and family. Every little bit helps.
It's a honor and privilege to bring this show to you each week and I feel incredibly lucky for every way you've provided the opportunity for me to do so. Thank you.
