The Information claims that Apple briefed a “larger” group of employers on their plans to release an AR headset by 2022 and more sophisticated AR glasses in 2023
The information was reportedly shared by Apple's VP of AR and VR development Mike Rockwell
Attendees of the meeting reportedly had to their iPhones with tamper-proof stickers with unique QR codes to block the cameras.
the presentation also included videos and explanations, updates from other teams involved in the project, and a discussion of the "thermal architecture" of the headset by executives.
The timeline is significantly longer than some analysts, such as Ming Chi-Kuo, have predicted.
In the meeting executives discussed that fact that these types of devices would replace the smartphone in “roughly a decade”
Mentions features like darkening the lenses when the AR features are active to let the outside world know the wearer is “distracted”
Would plan to start coordinating with 3rd party developers in 2021 to ensure apps are available at launch.
That doesn’t mean we won’t see other AR tech from Apple before 2022
Mark German at claims Apple is working on "a range of augmented and virtual-reality devices"
He says new sensor technology will debut in a new iPad Pro in the first half of 2020
Featuring two camera sensors and a 3-D system that will let people create three-dimensional reconstructions of rooms, objects and people.
He says that same tech will hit iPhones in 2020 as well.
Apple Watch Series 6 development
According to Ming Chi-Kuo.
Faster wireless connectivity, better performance, and be more water resistant.
Thinks Apple could employ liquid crystal polymer (LCP) for the interconnects on the mother board and use it for the antennae to achieve the desired results
LCP is a low-cost organic flexible substrate with some unique electrical properties
It also has a very low resistance and it behaves consistently across the entire radio frequency making it a good option for 5G technologies
Moving to Wi-Fi 6 in the watch, like on the iPhone, also seems like a probably next move.
Could also be the first Apple device to use a microLED display.
Sleep tracking is another feature Apple has been reportedly exploring. They would need to deal with battery life to make that a possibility.
16-inch MacBook Pro arrives
Apple introduced the new 16-inch MacBook Pro
With a larger display and slimmer bezels
Has a resolution of 3072×1920 at 226 pixel-per-inch
New Magic Keyboard with an all new scissor mechanism
Physical Esc key and TouchID
an inverted T arrow key arrangement
1mm of movement (vs 0.5mm in the old butterfly)
About 0.5mm more space between keys
Still has a TouchBar
Though moved slightly further away from the physical keyboard to avoid accidentally touches.
Core i7 and i9 processor option with up to 8 cores.
Offers better thermal profile for more longer sustained CPU and GPU performance at maximum clock speeds.
Up to 64GB of RAM
Up to 8TB of SSD storage
512GB is standard.
AMD Radeon Pro 5000M graphics options
Upgraded six-speaker audio system. Better microphones, and more.
Two specs not upgraded were the wi-if and the FaceTime camera
Still has a 720p FaceTime Camera
The WiFi is an 802.11ac chip and not the newer Wi-Fi 6 like the iPhone 11 lineup has.
The new MacBook Pro starts at $2,399 USD and if you max it out it’ll come in at USD $6,099
Apple did discontinue the 15-inch MacBook Pro.
Don’t hold too much hope for the new “Magic Keyboard” becoming the standard across Apple’s notebooks
Phil Schiller said in an interview that Apple is continuing with “both” keyboard designs.
We also finally got an availability month for the Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR, December.
Apple TV+ launch shakes up org chart
Deadline reported that Kim Rozenfeld, Apple’s head of current scripted programming and unscripted content is stepping down and returning to producing for his own company Half Full Productions.
In fact he’s already got a first-look deal with Apple.
Rozenfled was the Executive VP of Current programming before he was picked up by Apple early in the development of Apple TV+
Matt Cherniss, who serves as the head of scripted development for Apple TV+, will take over responsibility for scripted series.
The Wall Street Journal is also reporting that Apple is in talks to sign an exclusive production deal with former HBO CEO Richard Plepler
Under the agreement his new company RLP & Co. would exclusively produce original content for Apple TV+.
Bloomberg says Apple is considering a subscription media bundle
Would need to re-negotiate with News+ publishers who are already not super happy about the results
The bundle would bring together News+, Apple TV+ and Apple Music under a single price.
Publishers on News+ split the revenue with Apple 50/50 and then get a cut of that pool based on how many of their articles are read.
The idea would be to get more subscribers on News+.
Apple could roll out the bundle next year.
Stanford publishes Apple Watch Heart Study results
The full study results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine
Over 400,000 participants who wore an Apple Watch over a period of 8 months
Of all the participants about 2,000 received a notification from their Apple Watch of irregular heart beat.
Of those 84% of the detections by the Apple Watch were confirmed to be atrial fibrillation
The report says further study is needed, but that result indicates that this kind of passive monitoring can be effective
The study also seemed to confirm the theory that atrial fibrillation is common in older people.
Apple also this week launched it’s Research app
Participants in the US can sign up for Heart & Movement, Women’s Health, and Hearing studies.
Signups all happen inside a single app.
After enrolling participants use their iPhone or Apple Watch to contribute movement, heart rate, and noise level data captured during everyday activities
The app explains how data will be used and allows a user to control the type of data shared with each study.
AirPod Pro firmware update
Apple updated the firmware from 2B584 to 2B588
No notes on exactly what the update does.
Possibly could address connectivity issues
The firmware update will install automatically when connecting the AirPods Pro to your iPhone or iPad
You can check your firmware by:
1. Opening the Settings app
2. Tap General
3. Tap About
4. With the AirPods Pro connected, scroll down to AirPods Pro and tap it.
The firmware number is listed under "Firmware Version."
There is no way to force the update, but you need to have the AirPods in the charging case, with the case on a charger, and within range of the connected host device.
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Feedback, commentary, opinions
Which MacBook Pro config
One question I was asked this week was what things to consider if you were purchasing a new 16-inch MacBook Pro
Basically, what's the best price to configuration to performance ratio
The answer is it really depends on your needs.
Some users are going to be all about maxing out the storage
Others want the best processor, most cores, and best GPU
Still others might want more RAM
Good news is I think the "base" configuration in this years line up is a pretty darn good config for the price.
