For some reason this weeks rumors were loaded with details on the ever exciting… wait for it… iPhone 15 cable. Woooooo!
Last week we discussed the possibility, at least on the Pro models, that Apple could support Thunderbolt transfer speeds with the new USB-C connection
Now we’re hearing even if that is the case… you might need a different cable than Apple will provide in the box.
The good news is it’s believed Apple will include slightly longer 1.5m (vs 1m) color matched braided USB-C cables with this years iPhones.
And they’ll be thicker, so presumably less prone to breakage
The bad news seems to be that they will be USB 2.0 cables so will max out at a 480 Mbps transfer rate.
So what if you have a Pro model and want that sweet sweet Thunderbolt 4 speed…
No worries… rumors claim Apple will happily have a 0.8 meter Thunderbolt 4 transfer cable that’ll let you whisk data off your iPhone at up to 40Gbps, you’ll just have to pay extra for it.
Good news is it will also support charging up to 150W. What?!!! Cable will support that speed, chances are the iPhone will max out much lower. Possibly up to 35W according to some rumors.
We still are hearing this years iPhones will likely cost more
How much more?
Well… the hike seems to be limited to just the Pro models, but expectations are an increase of USD $100-200 bucks
And this actually could have an impact on sales… analyst Jeff Pu said in a note that Apple has likely cut iPhone 15 production from around 83 million units for 2023 down to 77 million.
Reason…”demand concerns” along with supply chain constraints
Other rumors that iPhone 15 Pro Max shipments will be delayed until October. With other models launching September 22nd.
So what are you getting with the Pros for that extra cash and longer wait time?
Titanium chassis
Thinner display bezels
An “Action” button.
USB-C, with possible Thunderbolt transfer speeds
With color matched 1.5m USB-C USB 2.0 cable
6x telephoto “periscoping” lens (Max only)
A17 Bionic processor
8GB memory (vs 6 currently)
Qi2 charging
Double the current storage options (256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB)
Some new colors, silver, space black, gray (Titanium), and special dark blue
And if you’re more an iPhone “standard” person…
Almost none of that.
Do get the color matched 1.5m USB-C USB 2.0 cable,, and likely the Qi2 charging.
Sizes are expected to still be 11-inch and “13-inch”, maybe just a tad bigger than the current 12.9”
Gurman says the new Magic Keyboard will give the iPad Pro and even more “laptop like” look and have a larger trackpad
New features coming to AirPods 2
Likely around the release of iOS 17 in September.
Apple will finally deliver some key new features for owners of existing AirPods 2 via a major update of the the software.
Adaptive audio. This basically uses AI and machine learning to blend the existing Noise Cancellation and Transparency modes. The AirPods will sense your environment and “adapt” to your situation automagically
Conversational Awareness. This is the feature that will automatically sense when someone starts a conversation with you and automatically lower the volume on your AirPods.
It also add voice enhancement to the speaker so you can better hear them along with actively reducing background noise.
Finally, the first time you experience it, Siri will jump in and let you know what is happening with a message.
Mute and Unmute
During a phone call you’ll now be able to press the stem on your AirPods to mute or unmute yourself during the call.
Personalized Volume. Uses AI and machine learning to, “understand environmental conditions and listening preferences over time to automatically fine-tune (your) media experience.”
Faster automatic device switching
Hopefully it can also be smarter? I’ve often been on a phone call only to have my AirPods switch back to my Mac or iPad for no apparent reason.
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Feedback, commentary, opinions
Email hosting followup
Allan says he’s been using [Proton Mail](https://proton.me) and likes it.
Looks like for 10 email addresses and 1 custom domain it’s USD $3.99/mo which seems pretty good.
It includes a “medium speed” VPN
Jim recommends Fastmail. Play comment.
Looking for a font manager
Brian emailed me with a request that, honestly, I have not heard in a while
“I am looking for a Font Management program that can organize my fonts. But not Suite Case or other subscription apps”
Back in the day apps like Font Suitcase, from [Extensis](https://www.extensis.com) were critical on the Mac
Because there were font compatibility issues and loading issues if you had TONs of fonts. Plus conflicts.
Looks like the product became Suitcase Fusion and now Connect Fonts?
With support for OpenType fonts and other formats along with Apple building in FontBook I’ve not heard about font managers much in recent years.
Looking at FontBook, which is built in, Applications > Font Book
You have the ability to load new fonts and check for conflicts
You can also organize and create collections of fonts. They even have “smart collections”
You can activate or deactivate collections on the fly.
You can view font faces and styles.
So, are you using a font manager other than FontBook these days? If so, what and why?
Cleaning up ‘disabled’ software
Rick pointed out a section in the System Information app (Applications > Utilities > System Information) that shows software on your Mac that has been “disabled” for various reasons
Open ‘Applications > Utilities > System Information’ and click on the “Disabled Software” to see the list
The list for me, and Rick, seems to mostly be old system extensions (kext) files that are either unsigned or don’t have user consent.
What’s not clear is how you’d locate these items or how to remove them.
If they’re extensions you could check the ‘System > Library > Extensions’ to find the files listed.
It might be better to just make sure to use an uninstaller app, like [Clean My Mac X](https://cleanmymac.com/) to make sure all apps and their supporting files are removed.
Even still… it might be not that big a deal. Chances are these are just old files from previous installations that have been left behind. They are probably not taking up much space and you can safely ignore them.
If it really bothers you or there are a lot of files… it might be time for a clean install the next time you upgrade macOS.
