This episode of the Maccast is brought to you by Zocdoc. More on them later in the show.
News
Possible iPhone event dates
We now have some indicators of when Apple could be holding it’s iPhone 15 event
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman then event will likely take place on September 12th or 13th
I’d predict Tuesday the 12th, will pre-orders happening on possibly on the 15th. Gurman claims shipments could start arriving on the 22nd.
But… if there are production issues, as has been rumored that pre-order date could be later
9to5 Mac had a report that more than one iPhone carrier partner has told employees that they can’t take time off during the week of the 13th, so that seems to be further evidence that that could be the week for the next iPhone announcement
The event is expected to use the same “pre-recorded” format that we’ve grown used to following the pandemic
There will be select press invited to watch at Apple Park with time in the “hands on” area outside the Steve Jobs theater
Case leak of a report iPhone 15 Pro (they say “Ultra”) shows the mute switch replaced with a multi-function “action” button, like that on the Apple Watch Ultra
It will offer new functionality that replaces some of the old stuff and is contextual based on App
For example, a light press triggering the autofocus while a hard press captures a photo
Also the power down will be moved to action button + sleep wake button combo (vs the volume button incantation we have today)
There’s also rumors of a future update for the iPhone Se model that will basically be a revised iPhone 14, but that it will have an “action” button too.
Pro models are rumored to start at a minimum of 256GB of storage (vs 128GB in the non-Pro models) and all model could offer up to 2GB of storage.
Predictions that the starting prices on Pro model will be raised about USD $100. So 1099 for the base Pro and $1199 for the base Pro Max.
There are also rumors that the iPhone 15 Pro models could upgrade the case material from stainless steel to titanium, like the Apple Watch Ultra.
Would allow it to potentially be lighter and more durable.
Continue to get “leaked” images of the iPhone 15 models with a USB-C port.
I think it’s a forgone conclusion at this point that as of this year it will make the death of the Lightning connector on future Apple products.
“The Information” claims that Apple made a “sweetheart” deal with TSMC for the 3nm chips that will be exclusive to the iPhone Pro models for the first year
They claim not only that Apple got exclusivity for their chips using the new 3nm process, but also that Apple will not pay for defective chips
Analyst Ming Chi Kuo clarifies that this doesn’t mean Apple doesn’t pay for the cost of defective chips
Chips are sold in two ways, finished goods buy and wafer buy
Wafer buys mean you pay for the wafer and get the chips you get. Apple does have, and has always had, a finished goods deal and yeas they only buy “good” chips. But, “TSMC allocates most of the cost of defective chips to the selling price of each finished chip.”
So Apple pays more per chip, which offsets the costs of the “lost” defective chips.
Yield rates are reportedly at around 70-80 percent, so about one fifth of the chips don’t meet Apple’s standards and they won’t have to pay for those.
If true this gives Apple a possible big advantage with access to the 3nm tech for a year before their competitors
For the A17 processor they is debate on the RAM, but recent reports are seemingly indicating it will have 6GB in the Pro models just like the current iPhone 14 Pros
One difference could be a 6-core CPU and a 6-core GPU, vs the 6-core CPU and a 5-core GPU of the A16 Bionic
Also worth noting that references in the latest Apple TV betas seem to support the rumor that the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus models will not have A17 chips
Their model numbers are 15,4 and 15,5 (15 being the same as the iPhone 14 models). The Pro models are listed as 16,1 and 16,2
M3 Macs are on the horizon
We’re still expecting a follow up Mac event in October with the introduction of the first M3 Macs
Mark Gurman claims Apple has started testing a Mac with model identifier “Mac15,12” and an M3 chip. Likely a version of the Mac mini
It features an 8-core CPU (four efficiency cores and four high-performance cores) with a 10-GPU and 24GB of RAM.
Those cores line up with the base M2 chip, but the piece also notes a M3 Pro chip with 12 or 18 cores, which would be up from the 10 and 16 currently offered in the M2 Pros.
The M3 chips are also supposedly using the 3nm process from TSMC
The first M3 models will likely be the 13-inch MacBook Pro, the 24-inch iMac, and the 13-inch MacBook Air.
Plus maybe an updated Mac mini?
On the horizon for next year according to Gurman is the M3 Max chip which should debut in new MacBook Pro models
It’s expected to have a 40-core GPU and a 16-core CPU with 12 high performance cores and four efficiency cores. (vs 12 CPU and 38 GPU in the current M2 Max)
It would also use the new TSMC 3nm process
Don’t expect much in an Apple Watch 9
It’s expected to be largely the same design and feature set as the Apple Watch Series 8
The main tweak is likely going to be the S-Series chip which could see additional cores for better performance.
One new thing might be an all new band design with the launch of the Series 9
Said to be made of, “weaved fabric materials and magnetic buckle”
If you’re looking for the next major update to the Apple Watch look to next year says Gurman
According to the analyst the Apple Watch X will be the biggest update to the Apple watch since it’s original release.
Improvements could be:
A thinner design
New magnetic attaching system for watch bands, this would offer more internal room for bigger batteries
Other possibilities could be micro-LED display and blood pressure sensors.
Apple will have “magic” batteries
Well… at least the Apple Vision Pro might
There were references spotted independent Apple code researcher, aaronp613 (on Twitter (X))
They seem to indicate that the 2-hour external battery that attaches to the headset via MagSafe will be called the “Magic Battery”
A series of Apple patents around Vision Pro also dropped last week and include references to all kinds of possible future accessories
One interesting one is a device that could turn any large flat surface into a gesture control surface, like a large Magic trackpad
Apple adds AI music “Discovery”
Apple has added a new “Discovery” station for Apple Music subscribers
Like the other “Made for you” style playlists the idea is to help with music discovery
The big differences are that the Discovery station is design for continuous play
Also, and more importantly, it uses an AI algorithm to play music that you have not heard before that the AI think you might like based on your music preferences.
There is also the companion “Personal” station with used the algorithm to build a station based on play history, likes, and other factors in Apple Music.
You can trigger the “Personal” station from Siri by asking her to play “Music you think I’d like”
I can’t figure out how to get her to play the new Discovery Station
Apple appears to be doing away with the dedicated Trailers app and moving it into the TV app
A new section recently appeared in the TV app in the US called “Watch the Latest Trailers,"
There is also a banner on the Apple Trailers website that says, “The Apple TV app is the new home of iTunes Movie Trailers”
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Feedback, commentary, opinions
Secure Mac browsers
David says he’s a fan of Safari, but for some websites he has to use another browser (I assume for unsupported features)
David says for security and privacy reasons he has chosen to use Opera, which offers a free built in VPN, as it offers a good balance of ‘ease of use’ and security
He also says some have recommended Arc browser, https://arc.net/. Which the site claims was built “from the ground up to be private and secure”
Most of that seems to come down to their privacy policy and search / tracking.
I would recommend reading the privacy policy and choosing for yourself.
So David asks about other browsers we might recommend…
He also needs something that has decent compatibility with plug-ins like BitWarden
I know Brave, https://brave.com/ browser is one I had people recommend, but I have never used it.
MacOS has an iCloud feature called “Private Relay” that will hide your IP address from tracking in Safari and the Mail app.
This can cause issues on some sites that might require seeing your IP. This might be a business or education network, one that does rate limiting, or a service that doesn’t count against your data cap, say from your cell provider.
You can temporarily disable private relay for a site:
iPhone or iPad: Tap the Page Settings button (aA), then tap Show IP Address.
Mac: In Safari, choose View > Reload and Show IP Address.
You can also turn off Private Relay in Settings:
iOS: Open the Settings app, then tap Wi-Fi. Next to the Wi-Fi network, tap the More Info button. Scroll down and tap Limit IP Address Tracking.
For cellular network, go to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options, and tap Limit IP Address Tracking.
Mac (Ventura or later): Choose Apple menu > System Settings. Click Network in the sidebar, then click the network service that you're using (such as Wi-Fi) on the right. Click the Details button next to the name of the network that you're connected to. Turn off "Limit IP address tracking."
One option would be to just use a VPN
This is a very good option when you’re using public internet.
You’ll need to trust your VPN provider and their policies.
I have used a few including NordVPN and ExpressVPN (both have been sponsors)
You can also use tracking blockers
Safari has nice built in features
You can look at what’s being blocked by clicking the “Shield” icon in the browser bar.
You can tap and hold or right click in the URL bar to view and change the settings for a particular site.
Just know with tracking blockers they might interfere with the functionality on some sites, so you might have to disable or adjust settings depending on the site.
Missing Location Services
Rick wrote in to tell me about an issue with Location Services on macOS Venture that came up after updating to version 13.5
Seems like after the update if you go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services you will no longer see the list of apps that have permission to access location services
Worse, it seems like you can give or deny access to apps to location service after upgrading.
The update came out on July 26th and Apple still has not issued a patch.
What gives Apple?!!
Securing your Mac on campus
Ben says he’s sending his daughter, and her Mac, off to college in the Fall. Congrats.
But he wonders:
1. Is it wise to enable the Mac’s built in firewall since she will be on the school’s WiFi and wired network while at school?
2. Any other software or tips that you recommend to keep her MacBook safe while at school?
I would say it’s always wise to enable the Macs built-in firewall.
I have mine enabled. You can easily grant permission to apps when they need it. But it will prevent unknown apps and services from making inbound connections to your Mac.
Know your networks…
Make sure the network, especially Wi-Fi, are the right ones. People will try to “spoof” them.
Look for the lock, vs say an unsecured network with the same name.
Manage and clear the “known networks” list
System Settings > Network > Wi-Fi
Consider turning off “Ask to Join Networks”
Click on “Advanced”… and review the list of “Known” networks. Remove any old networks you don't’ access and any “public” networks.
Disable shared services
Make sure you’ve turned off services like File Sharing, Music sharing, remote access, etc.
If you don’t your Mac could be accessible to others on the same network.
System Settings > General > Sharing. Make sure all of these are turned off.
If you need sharing on, make sure the access is restricted to only those you want to give access to.
Click the “i” icon and set-up users and permissions on each service before you activate it.
Check AirDrop and make sure it’s restricted
Should not be “Everyone”
Click on “AirDrop” in the Finder and at the bottom of the window check the “Allow me to be discovered by” settings. Should NOT be “Everyone”
Consider using a VPN, if it’s allowed by the campus.
Use a different DNS…
Not as much a security thing, but a reliability thing. Though some will filter and block malicious sites.
The campus will have one, but you might not have to use it.
You can change your DNS network settings to use something like “Fast” (Cloudflare)
