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News
New iPad Mini Later this Year
Kuo says Apple will release an updated iPad mini in the second half of 2021
This was in the same report where he said Apple would have a foldable iPhone in 2023 saying it would have an 8-inch foldable OLED display from Samsung
Beyond the date timing of the release not a lot of detail were provided
Previous Kuo had said Apple would update the iPad mini with a larger 9-inch display.
It’s also believed it would get a redesign taking queues from the current iPad Air with reduced bezels and the TouchID moved to the side button.
A “dummy” iPhone 13 Pro Max unit reportedly from Apple leaker Ben Geskin showed up on the Unbox Therapy YouTube channel
Supposedly shows the smaller notch and repositioned earpiece that has been previously rumored.
Much narrower notch
DigitTimes claims Apple is developing a significantly smaller Face ID sensor chip, about half the size of the existing one, as well
Also has “huge” camera modules
MacRumors also had schematics that seem to support this. Thicker camera bump.
Better low light performance and Sensor-shift stabilization
Most other aspects of the design seem to be unchanged. including still having a lightning port.
Kuo says we likely won’t see iPhones’s with Apple 5G modems until 2023 "at the earliest."
Apple is said to be working on offering faster speeds and improved latency
Another Hanks film coming to Apple TV+
Coming from Deadline. Apple has reportedly won the bidding for an upcoming sci-fi film starring Tom Hanks
The Amblin Entertainment film, called "Finch," is about a man, a robot, and a dog that form an unlikely family.
Hanks plays a robotics engineer who has created his own world with his dog while surviving in a bunker after a cataclysmic solar event has laid waste to the earth
When he is unable to care for his do he creates a robot to watch over it.
The story is about Hanks character’s desire to show the the joy and wonder of what it means to be alive.
Oprah announced that she is brining a new show on mental health this month to Apple TV+.
The series is a collaboration with Oprah, Dr. Bruce D Perry, and Prince Harry
Apple also announced a "retro-future dramedy" coming to Apple TV+ called “Hello Tomorrow”
It will star Billy Crudup (who also is in The Morning Show).
The 10 episode series is about a group of traveling salesmen who are selling lunar timeshares.
Crudup is also serving as an executive producer and the series is directed by Jonathan Entwistle.
Apple also announced another upcoming film from A24.
"The Tragedy of Macbeth" will be a black and white drama directed by Joel Coen and star Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand
As you might guess the film is based on "Macbeth" by William Shakespeare.
The film will be released in theaters later this year ahead of a launch on Apple TV+
Analytics firm Statista has estimated that Apple TV+ had about 40 million subscribers at the end of 2020
In 2019 it was estimated to have had 33.6 million
It’s been estimated that about 62 percent of Apple’s subscribers are on their promotional “free” plans
If accurate the numbers would mean Apple is just slightly above Paramount+ (36 million) and Hulu (39.4 million), but well below Disney+ at 100 million and Netflix at 207 million
Colors coming to MacBook
At least according to YouTuber and Apple leaker Jon Prosser
Same source that reportedly told Prosser about the colored iMacs said he’d seen a MacBook prototype in blue
Prosser later showed of renders of the product, noting that it was not clear if it was a new MacBook or MacBookAir
Did not have the “wedge” shape of an Air. White bezels and a white keyboard
Two USB-C ports
Colors are closer to the lighter pastel colors of the iMac stand and not the brighter back colors
Size of the bezels aren’t clear at this point.
No other details or launch timeline were given, but rumors have suggested there could be a MacBook Air update later this year.
Apple Music Hi-Fi
Not the iPod HiFi, but an update to Apple’s Music service that is say to be bringing high quality “lossless” audio streams.
Rumors claim the service will be offered as a “tier” that would cost the same as the existing $9.99/mo service
Does that mean it’s the same or separate?
References found in iOS 14.6 seems to also indicate HiFi streaming is coming
And the Apple Music beta on Android mentioned support for 24-bit/48kHz and 24-bit/192kHz lossless music streaming and new references in the Apple Music web app for ‘Lossless’ and ‘Hi Res Lossless’
There’s a “teaser” that showed up in the Music apps Browse section
“Get Ready - music is about to change forever”
3D spinning Apple Music logo. No sound.
Titled “Tune-in Video”?
May also include Dolby audio, Dolby Atmos with support for spatial audio
There some in the community who are speculating on a Tuesday press release for the updated music service, but also maybe the announcement of Apple’s AirPod 3s
Turns out people like privacy
Flurry analytics has looked at how many people have taken advantage of the new App tracking transparency feature in iOS 14.5 and the numbers are overwhelming in favor of privacy
They estimate that just 4 percent of customers in the US are opting in to allow their Apps to track them across devices
International users seem to be a bit more willing at 11 percent
AirTag has already been hacked
By a German security researcher, Thomas Roth, aka Stack Smashing
Was able to reprogram the NFC to have a different URL by dumping and modifying the firmware
So when the NFC is read by an iPhone the URL can go to another site, say for phishing
The research also notes that it could be possible to access the accelerometer and use it as a make-shift microphone
It’s possible Apple could look to further lockdown the firmware in a future software update.
And again M1 is fast
Benchmarks are showing the M1 iPad Pro is over 50% faster than the previous-generation iPad Pro
Not surprisingly it has virtually identical performance as the M1 Macs released last fall.
Beats the single core and multi core benchmarks of a top of the line Intel Core i9 16-inch MacBook Pro
The Metal graphics scores on the GPU are 71% faster than the previous-generation iPad Pro
The M1 iMacs are also smoking the previous generation in benchmarks
When compared against the 21.5-inch model it’s replacing it’s 56 percent faster when it comes to single-core performance and 24 percent faster when it comes to multi-core performance.
That said, it’s still slower in multicore vs the current high-end 27-inch iMac.
The M1 iMac's single-core performance is 38 percent faster, but the Intel iMac's multi-core performance is 25 percent faster.
Apple’s Space Gray iMac accessories have gone to “while supplies last”
Space gray Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad, and Magic Mouse
Likely just due to the fact that Apple discontinued the iMac Pro earlier this year.
Maybe it’s a sign Apple will sell the new colored versions separately?
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Feedback, commentary, opinions
PSA update your stuff
The past couple of weeks there have been patches and updates to the latest versions of macOs and iOS
Please update soon if you haven’t yet.
The updates contain critical security patches for 0-day exploits found in WebKit that impact in both macOS and iOS
Make sure your on at least iOS 14.5.1 and macOS 11.3.1
Remove old podcasts in “bulk”
Will decided to try Downcast after listening to the last Maccast
Likely it enough to switch, but wanted to delete the downloaded episodes from the new Apple Podcast app to save storage space in his device
Oddly, you seem to only be able to do it one at a time from the “Downloads” tab.
There isn’t a way to do it in the Podcast app, but you can make it easier from settings
Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage
Find and tap on Podcasts
Tap ‘Edit'
Then you can tap the red “remove” icon to delete the data by podcast.
FYI, if you use the Podcast app be aware that the new version will enable downloading of episodes on all “followed” shows by default.
Disable it by going to Settings on your iPhone or iPad.
Scroll down and tap on Podcasts.
Scroll down a bit and tap the toggle for Enable When Following to OFF (gray).
You’ll also need to go to each of your previously subscribed shows and tap ‘edit’ and then ‘settings’ to re-set how you want to receive, download, and order the shows.
Migrating to a smaller Mac
Like a lot of us Keith was inspired and excited by Apple’s new 24-inch M1 iMacs
He’s planning to buy one to replace his 2017 1 TB Fusion Intel iMac, but has some questions
Plans to “start from scratch” rather than restore from his Time Machine backup
Mainly worried about apps and getting the “native” versions when available.
You might still want to use migration assistant, but be selective about what you migrate
Apps: Select the Applications checkbox.
User accounts
Other Files & Folders: Documents and files from apps
System & Network: Computer settings
So skip the apps and install those from scratch
Have all your licenses and serial numbers handy, for the apps that need them. Or redownload from the App Store.
But you might still want to migrate the “Other Files & Folders”
Storage is the big issue. Moving from 1TB Fusion drive to a measly 256GB or 512GB might be tough. How to do it?
Time for some “house cleaning” and archiving.
About this Mac > Storage > Manage… to find large files
Use a tool like Clean My Mac or Daisy Disk
Move large libraries, like Photo Library or Media Library to an external drive
Use “Optimize” options to have items stored in iCloud rather than locally
Photos Photos > Preferences > iCloud
Have a full back-up first
macOS via the iCloud preference pane. Enable “Optimize Mac Storage”
And of course the RAM question
8 GB or 16 GB of unified RAM?
My same “old” advice always applies. Buy as MUCH as you can afford at the time.
16GB will allow more longevity and higher resale value in the future
That said… most people are reporting getting along just fine with 8GB thanks to how Apple has engineered the memory architecture
I think it’s important to remember that ALL the M1 Macs are “consumer” machines. Yes, they are “besting” some of the current pro systems in benchmarks, but they are priced and positioned as consumer models for a reason.
If you are a Pro or Prosumer you should consider waiting for the Pro versions of Apple Silicon
Using older displays
I was asked about connecting an old 17-inch LED Cinema Display
It has a Mini DisplayPort connector and the Thunderbolt/USB-4 port
You can get display adapters for a display that uses DisplayPort, Mini DisplayPort, HDMI, or VGA.
Key is making sure you find one to match the specs and features you want and need.
With the last iOS / watchOS updates Apple added a feature that allows you to unlock your iPhone (with FaceID) while wearing a mask if you are wearing an Apple Watch (Series 3 or later) [details](https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212208)
Your iPhone and Apple Watch need to have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on.
If you disable either on the iPhone for any reason the feature won’t work
You don’t need to be connected to a wifi network
Apple Watch needs to require a passcode and wrist detection must be turned on.
You need to enable the feature
1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Tap Face ID & Passcode, then type your passcode.
3. Scroll down to Unlock with Apple Watch, then turn on the feature next to your watch's name.
I find it a bit annoying, but EVERYTIME it unlocks your watch gives haptic feedback and shows an alert.
There’s a button on the watch to “relock” the iPhone
End of Apple’s Keyboard Service Program
Dan wrote to express some concerns and frustration over his MacBook Pro and the butterfly keyboard which has plagued so many MacBook owners
Apple introduced the design in 2015 on the 12-inch MacBook and was used on various models of MacBook and MacBook Pro until 2019
An extended program that covers 16 different models from keyboard issue for 4 year from the date of original purchase.
That’s good, but what happens after those 4 years?
Well, as Dan and many others are finding out. After that you are on the hook for Apple’s bad design choices.
Dan had two keyboard replacements under the program, but now the keyboards gone bad again, but he’s past the 4 years.
This will slowly happen to many more owners of these machines.
I think 4 years is fairly generous, but at the same time many of us will use Macs for much longer. My 2015 15-inch MacBook Pro is still going strong.
In this case it’s been fairly well established that Apple should have probably dumped the design a LOT sooner. They tried the “membrane” patch and wile that seemed to have helped later models a little. The older models still suffer.
It’s also tough timing as I think a number of “Pro” Mac users are in a waiting game for the new Pro Apple Silicon machines.
So I ask you… should Apple be doing more? Should they cover these systems longer and if so for how long?
I think maybe until the machine is replaced by the original owner.
Apple TV color calibration
Play comment from Dean
I played around with the feature on my Apple TV HD
I had some trouble with the calibration “disconnecting” and had to make a few attempts
I think I tended to hold it too close. I also have shaky hands, so that doesn’t help
At first it kept reporting that my color didn’t need calibration
I use the “movie” mode on my TV and apparently Apple’s tool thinks that is accurate enough
Switching to “standard” mode which is much cooler let me use and test the tool
I’m getting a new Apple TV 4K, so I’ll see how and if the experience is different with that model.
Apps not appearing to update
Kevin noticed that several of the Apps on his device were not showing up in the app updates in the App Store even though new versions were available
Turns out it was because the apps were “offloaded” from his device.
If you look at the app icon in from your home screen and see a cloud icon with an downward arrow that means the App is no longer on your device. You can tap it and it will download from the app store and open
I don’t remember when, but a while back Apple added the ability to “offload” apps to save storage space on your device.
This lets you remove the app, but not the apps files or data.
You can offload apps manually or automatically.
Kevin, in your case I’m guessing you have the “automatic” method enabled.
To offload manually:
Go to Settings > General > [Device] Storage
Tap on the app name
Tap “Offload App”
To have it happen automatically:
This is for “unused” apps
Go to Settings > App Store
Turn on the “Offload Unused Apps” option
Quick Tip: Find an AirTag’s Serial Number
This came from Bob
Open the Find My App and tap Items
Tap on the AirTag
Tap on the battery icon
This toggle to display the serial number and the firmware version on the AirTag
There is also a hidden “debug” mode
DO NOT change any of the settings if you don’t want to mess up your Airtag
Open the Find My App
Go to the Items tab and Tap on the Airtag
Tap the ‘Find’ button to enable find mode
Tap the name of the Airtag 4 times
You get an overlay that shows active data and sliders to make adjustments
