I love CacheFly. Reality is without them you wouldn't be hearing this show right now. They make sure that you get these episodes as quickly and reliably as possible and they want to also help do that for your website and business.
When websites don't load people lose interest. For each second a page takes to load it costs a company ~16% in engagement. Fewer visits means fewer customers. That's not good for anyone.
CacheFly has your back. With their new Web Optimization capabilities, all of your content will be optimized before it's delivered to visitors without requiring any development effort from you.
With the recent addition of Cachefly’s flexible edge application platform and implementation services, their capabilities reach far beyond those of any traditional CDN. CacheFly's Web Content Optimization solution includes:
Powerful APIs for solving content distribution problems
On the fly Next-gen Image optimization
Application Load Balancing
Smart asset delivery
Listen, if your website is directly tied to your revenue - and you know it is - optimize your site's content… Now. Guarantee the best user experience for all of your customers no matter where they are or what device they're using.
The good people at CacheFly are even going to provide a free optimization consultation for listeners of this podcast. That's right - just for you!
Know exactly where your site stands today with a Lighthouse Score report and learn how CacheFly's Web Optimization solution can help add 60pts instantly to your score visit mac.cachefly.com.
News
Apple planning ‘multiple’ Fall events
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman
He expects the first to be Apple’s iPhone event likely to happen in early September
Key updates, outside of new processors, are likely to be camera upgrades, the better displays, and the smaller notch.
At the event he’s also predicting the 3rd gen AirPods, the updated iPad Mini along with the 7th generation Apple Watch.
The next even he feels would likely happen in next and will be Mac focused
Didn’t give an announcement date, but said they would be on-sale by the 2 year anniversary of the 16-inch MacBook Pro (Nov)
Specifically to announce the updated M1 versions of the MacBook Pros
There was word this past week that the MacBook Pros have entered final production
The 14-inch and 16-inch versions with the next iteration (M1X) versions of Apple Silicon
DigiTimes is getting even crazier saying Apple will hold multiple September events
Including one focused on the 9th generation entry level iPad
The same report suggested that Apple is wanting to eventually bring titanium chassis to the iPad line, but that it’s too expensive at the moment
They claim Apple is hoping to ship up to 60 million iPad units this year
Digging into the updates a bit more
iPhone 13
All the same screen sizes and most of the design from the iPhone 12 (except smaller notch)
New camera capabilities, improved Ultra Wide Lens w/autofocus
LiDAR on ALL models
Video “Portrait” mode, called “Cinematic Mode”. Also ProRes support
A15 Chip, faster, but same core counts as the A14
Apple ProMotion 120Hz display on the Pro models.
According to Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives there will be a 1TB storage option for the Pro models
Might be needed if ProRes is a thing.
Leaks of the possible “Dark Rose Gold” color, but it’s really dark if real. More like a Space Rose Gold.
Apple tested in-screen touchID for the iPhone 13 according to Gurman, but it didn’t make the cut this year.
Apple’s ultimate goal is in-screen FaceID
FaceID on high end and in-screen TouchID on lower end devices or FaceID w/notch
Apple Watch 7
New “flat” edge design w/ flat display (match iPhone)
thinner profile and ever so slightly larger display
possibly larger (elongated) speaker slits
Faster processor.
Adding Time To Run and Audio Meditation classes for Apple Fitness+
Possibly a new green color
AirPods 3
Design similar to the AirPods Pro
New in-ear shape (to better isolate sound) and shorter stems
Likely no noise cancellation
iPad Mini 6 and iPad 9
Complete redesign on the mini with thinner bezels (possibly TouchID moved to sleep/wake button)
A15 chip
8.5-inch display in the same case size.
USB-C connector
Smart Connector (implying accessories)
2nd gen iPad Pencil support
9th gen iPad
Faster processor
Slimmer design
M1X MacBook Pros
Mini-LED displays
10 core M1X 8 performance and two high efficiency
16 and 32 core GPU options
Support for up to 64GB or RAM
No TouchBar
Return of MagSafe, HDMI ports, and SD card slot
Apple Pay dominates “debit” transactions
A new report of US use of mobile wallets showed that 92 percent of all mobile wallet debit transactions in the US were done via Apple Pay.
Overall digital wallet us was up 51 percent year over year according to the report.
Samsung Pay and Google Pay accounted for 5% and 3% of mobile wallet debit transactions
It helps that more places accept Apple Pay
The study said 74 percent of the top 100 merchants now accept Apple Pay
And 65 percent of ALL US retailers are accepting Apple Pay.
SharePlay delayed
One of the cooler new features Apple showed off at WWDC for FaceTime is reportedly delayed
In the recent OS betas Apple has disabled the FaceTime SharePlay with Apple noting the feature will be coming “later this year”
SharePlay will allow FaceTime users to share their screens, watch movies and TV shows in sync together, listen to music and contribute to a group playlist, and more.
It’s a bummer the feature is delayed, but it’s better to do that then possibly risk releasing it before it’s ready.
Another killer feature, Universal Control, has also yet to make an appearance in the betas.
This let you share a mouse and keyboard across multiple devices
Apple has not said if this feature would also be delayed at launch.
Apple has now added a “Classic” option to the changes in Safari on iOS
The new tab interface had moved the address bar to the bottom of the screen on iPhone
Now you can toggle that off and get the address and tabs back on top like in iOS 14
They also tweaked the bottom bar and tab design to not “float”
There was a firmware update to the new Apple TV remote
It’s installed silently
The internal version number of 9M6772, but you won’t see it in the Apple TV Remote settings
Also no idea what the update does. Likely just bug fixes and performance improvements
The next M-series Mac mini
Mark Gurman says it’s coming in the “next several months”
It’s expected to have the next generation of the Apple M1, so maybe the “M2”?
But Gurman thinks an M1X edition.
Also claims there will be lost of new ports
four USB4 / Thunderbolt 3 ports, two USB-A, Ethernet, and HDMI out.
Including possibly picking up the iMacs magnetic power port (or a version of it?)
Jon Prosser claimed in the past a design change with a “plexiglass” top, like a return to the original Mac mini?
Sponsor: LinkedIn Talent Solutions
LinkedIn Jobs
Today, many small business owners are busier than ever. Because they are focused on managing and growing their business, they can’t always spend the time they wish they could on recruiting. That’s why LinkedIn Jobs has made it easier to find and hire the best candidates for free…
As a employee LinkedIn was the first place I went to to begin my search when I needed to go back to work full time. The opportunities to network are so important and LinkedIn is the best place to do that.
I was able to quickly find dozens a great job listings and opportunities based on my qualifications and preferences
Create a free job post in minutes on LinkedIn Jobs to reach your network and beyond to the world’s largest professional network of over 750 million people.
Focus on candidates with the skills and experience you need. Use screening questions to get your role in front of only the most qualified people.
LinkedIn Jobs helps you find the candidates worth interviewing, faster.
Did you know every week, nearly 40 million job seekers visit LinkedIn? Post your job for free at https://linkedin.com/maccast. That’s LinkedIn Dot Com Slash MACCAST to post your job for free. Terms and conditions apply.
Feedback, commentary, opinions
Feedback: Apple living room strategy
“I am more than willing to pay the premium price for the Apple TV set top box, because the interface and features are MILES beyond what the smart tv Apple TV+ app can offer.”
Some still felt that alternative options (if you just need a streamer) like the Roku are a great alternative
You can save money (most expensive Roku is USD $99.00 w/ 4K Dolby Vision + Dolby Atmos)
Maybe not quite as great UI or fancy remote, but has buttons.
Supports voice commands
Listening on remote and built in remote finder
No Apple Music app, but does do AirPlay and supports HomeKit
Feedback and reaction from Apple CSAM
Our community seems to be pretty split on this issue.
Some, like me, see what Apple is doing and feel like there has been a bit of an over reaction from the media and tech community
Still many are worried about the possible misuse beyond just scanning for CSAM
In fact, some researchers at Princeton, who developed and built a CSAM system similar to Apple’s were so worried about the possibility of the system being used by governments to detect content other than CSAM that they warned against using their own system
Saying they believed it "could be easily repurposed for surveillance and censorship."
One listener pointed me to the some numbers from the 2020 report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s (NCMEC) CyberTipline
The study had identified over 21.7 million reported incidents
Google cited 546,704 incidents, Twitter had 65,062, Snapchat reported 144,095, and TikTok found 22,692. Facebook had 20,307,216 reports
Apple had just 265
It’s worth pointing out that Apple’s number is likely low BECAUSE they claim they don’t currently monitor or scan for CSAM
in fact in a chat log uncovered by the Apple / Epic lawsuit Apple anti-fraud chief Eric Friedman said Apple’s platform was, “the the greatest platform for distributing child porn”
Still others see this as a clear backtrack on Apple’s own stated commitment to privacy
Repurpose your AirPorts
Rick wrote in to say that he just used an old AirPort Express with a USB printer to create a network printer
Now he said he was using it as an AirPrint printer (print direct from iOS), but it’s worth noting that AirPort Express will not make a non-AirPrint printer have AirPrint.
Another great use for an older AirPort Express 802.11n (2nd Gen) is to use it as an AirPlay 2 device for speakers.
You can attach a set of powered speakers (or a receiver) via the 3.5mm jack
Can also add them to the Home App
Tap “+” add accessory
Tap “I don’t Have a Code or Cannot Scan”
Should find the AirPort Express and allow you to add it.
If you have an older 1st Gen AirPort Express you can still AirPlay, but it’s AirPlay 1
If you have Time Capsule or a AirPort Extreme you can also use it to a USB hard disk on your network
Plug the hard disk in to the base station’s USB port
Open the AirPort Utility app on your Mac, located in the Utilities folder in the Applications folder.
In the graphical overview, select the base station you want to configure, then click Edit. You may need to enter a password for the base station.
Click Disks.
Select “Enable file sharing” to let users share files on the disk, and “Share disks over WAN” if you want to provide remote access to the disk over the WAN port.
Do one of the following to secure the disk:
Secure the disk with a disk password: Click the Secure Shared Disks pop-up menu, then choose “With a disk password.” Enter a disk password, then enter it again to verify it.
Secure the disk with your base station password: Click the Secure Shared Disks pop-up menu, then choose “With device password.”
If you want you can secure the disk with individual user accounts.
If you want your new password to be in your macOS keychain, select “Remember this password in my keychain.”
When you’re done, click Update to save your changes.
It’s worth noting you can also do many of these things using an old Mac as well.
Podcast HomePod Sync
Sean has a couple of HomePod minis and loves them.
He uses them to play Podcasts, but has encountered a frustrating issue… if you start a Podcast on the HomePod then pause it or stop it. When you want to pick it back up later on a device it doesn’t remember your position or mark podcasts fully played on the HomePod as “played”.
I was testing this and for me what seems to be the issue is when you ask Siri to play the podcast for you directly from the HomePod. For that it seems like it streams directly
and yes the “Sync Podcasts” in on and “Update Listening History” is on and “personal Requests” is on.
If I open the Podcast App on my device and then select the HopePod as the output (using the AirPlay) button then everything stays in sync
The best “workaround” I can think of is to use the “handoff” feature if you have an iPhone with a U1 chip.
Make sure it’s enabled in “Settings > General > AirPlay & Handoff” Make sure “Transfer to HomePod” is on.
When you have the podcast playing on the HomePod and before you leave put your device near the HomePod to transfer the audio from playing on the HomePod to playing on your device.
The you can stop it from the device and it will maintain that position.
You can do the opposite to play from your device to the HomePod.
Anyone else have issues with Podcast syncing between iOS devices and HomePods?
Another thing noted was that when playing from your device to the HomePod the sleep timer function doesn’t work.
