Just one tip, but does have a trick up it’s sleeve cap
Slightly cheaper at USD $79
Has A USB-C port under a sliding cap, which is pretty cool.
Still will also attach magnetically, but that just puts it to sleep to preserve battery. It doesn’t magnetically charge.
It has low latency, tilt sensitivity and supports hover, but no pressure sensitivity or double tap functionality.
Works with all iPad models that have a USB-C port.
It will be available in November.
The 1st gen and 2nd Gen Apple Pencils are also still on sale at USD $99 and $129 respectively.
What’s up next for Macs
Ming-Chi Kuo came out and said a few things…
MacBook sales as a whole are expected to be around 30% lower this year compared to 2022. Down to about 17 million units.
On a whole demand is down and Apple is revising shipment forecasts down by approximately 20% or more.
Kuo expects no new Macs this year
In fact, he agreed with an earlier rumor from Mark Gurman that the 24-inch iMac update will not come until 2024, though he stopped short of saying which M-series chip the system might get (bets are on M3)
Also said he expects Apple to release a 32-inch iMac with a mini LED display in 2025.
The hope is that new M3 models in 2024 will re-excite the market.
Still… Mark Gurman is holding out hope that Apple will still offer up a Mac focused event this month
He’s a bit vague about which models would be featured, though the 24-inch iMac seems like a good candidate
He also pointed out that many of the 13, 14, and 16-inch MacBook Pro supplies are delayed into mid-November eluding that they could get another update as well
Seems unlikely, but Gurman thinks could be possible.
He pegs the date as Monday, October 30 or Tuesday, October 31.
Said MacBook Air update won’t come until next year and that a 32-inch iMac would happen late-2024 or in 2025.
iPhone 15 demand is also looking a bit sluggish
Haitong International Securities analyst Jeff Pu says sales of iPhone 15s are lower than the iPhone 14 for the same period last year
Sales in China are being particularly hampered by a ton of competition from Chinese smartphones
Pu claims poor design on the A17 Pro chip is partly responsible for the overheating issues. He note that the 3 nanometer process on the chip is based on a manufacturing process known as “N3B.” which TSMC developed specifically for Apple because their own N3E process wasn’t ready yet. He expects Apple to use that process for the A18 as it will offer higher clock speeds and lower power consumption.
New iPads next year
According to Mark Gurman Apple should be launching new iPad models around March next year.
There should be new versions of the entire lineup including an 11th gen iPad, 7th gen iPad mini, and 6th gen iPad Air.
iPad Pro updates are likely later in the year and may be more minor updates.
An odd rumor from DigiTimes even claims that Apple will switch the iPad Pro 12.9-inch display back to an LCD with LCD backlighting
Getting rid of the existing version which offers mini-LED backlighting
They say it’s due to the high production cost.
This would contradict many other rumors that believe the iPad Pro models could move to OLED displays next year.
Another DigiTimes report discusses Apple’s development of a “foldable” iPad model claiming that “small-scale production could begin as early as the end of 2024.”
The size is sounding like a smaller, maybe iPad mini, sized device at around 9-inches. There have been rumors of development on sizes up to 20-inches.
The displays and hinges would be supplied by both Samsung and LG with a focus on reducing the visible “crease” that many foldable devices suffer from today.
Apple is also designing their own hinge system which the report says is much simpler than current designs making it more cost effective and easier to produce.
No new AirTags until 2025 according to Ming-Chi Kuo
Kuo says the devices will be part of a new spatial computing ecosystem that Apple is developing along side the Apple Vision Pro
So new AirTags will likely offer some integrated Vision Pro features, but Kuo offered no details as to what those would be.
An Apple prototype collector who goes by Kotsutami on Twitter showed off what appears to be a HomePod prototype with a large touchscreen
Looks like a 1st or 2nd gen HomePod, but with a much larger round display that is a touchscreen
9to5 Mac confirmed the images and says the device is Codenamed B720 and is in active development by Apple.
They say Apple has been working on rewriting some tvOS apps so they can work on different display formats
There are hints in tvOS 17 code that Apple Music and Apple Podcasts would be apps developed for the new display format
Hints that it could also show some notifications like phone calls, messages, etc.
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Feedback, commentary, opinions
iOS Backups without iCloud
Robert asks… can you backup locally to an iPad using a USB-C Drive
You can connect a USB-C drive and use the Files app to transfer all the data
This would not backup the apps or settings though. Only the data.
iMazing can also do “versioning” sort of like TimeMachine
I do see apps in the AppStore that claim to backup specific data like photos, contacts, documents, etc, but I don’t know anything about them and they don’t seem like “full” backup solutions.
At this point I feel like iCloud Backup is the best, and close to only option for backup without connecting to a Mac.
In-App Refunds gone wrong
Play comment from Scott
Unfortunately I have heard experiences like this before and usually the escalation gets worked out.
The first tier support reps don’t have really any power to override existing policies
For anyone who run into a situation like Scott’s where you get and redeem a code for an IAP, but then don’t see the content here’s what you need to do…
Because you’re redeeming the code outside the app… the purchase gets added to your account, but the app doesn’t know about it.
You typically will need to launch the game or app, go into the settings, and tap the “Restore” purchases button.
This would be the same if you also had uninstalled the app and re-installed it or if you downloaded the app on a new device.
Indexing without Spotlight
Brian was asking about an indexing app for external hard drives (I assume for disconnected, archive drives)
Spotlight of course will index external drives, does a good job, and is built-in. But, it will not return results form the index for disconnected drives
So, we need an index that creates a local searchable DB, but that is NOT Spotlight.
