July 2, 2024

iOS & Apple news

Last month, afer Apple's WWDC announcements, John Gruber sat down with John Giannandrea, Craig Federighi, and Greg Joswiak for a discussion/interview. It is a 2-hour discussion but it can be easily broken into 30 min segments and it's worth watching. It gives a better understanding of how Apple is thinking about the new offerings, and includes a very thoughtful discussion of AI.

Apple Intelligence, by John Gruber. He summarizes and elaborates on his takeaways.

Joanna Stern summarizes Apple's AI offering (5 mins):

Marques MKBHD interviews Tim Cook. `AI...Siri... magic mouse... we talk about it all!' Watch (16 mins):

Here is a humorous snippet, where Marques tries to get Tim Cook to admit that the magic mouse is not the top Apple product:

A number of new iOS 18 features Apple announced last month at WWDC will not be available in the EU at launch, reports 9to5mac, via Bloomberg. Apple Intelligence (AI), iPhone Mirroring to macOS Sequoia, and SharePlay Screen Sharing, will not be available due to regulatory concerns about compliance with the Digital Markets Act.

Apple Fellow and App Store chief Phil Schiller will take on a board observer position at OpenAI , reports Macrumors, via Bloomberg.

With iOS 18, Apple is bringing Live Captions to FaceTime on the Apple TV 4K, reports 9to5mac.

iOS 18 to Bring These 5 New Features to AirPods Pro, reports Macrumors.

Macrumors gives an overview of 10 New Home Screen and Lock Screen Features coming to ioS 18.

Samsung to Begin Rolling Out Hotel Room TVs With AirPlay Support for iPhone and iPad.

[ RUMOR ] Apple developing new way to make iPhone batteries easier to replace, reports 9to5mac.

Apple wins an Apple Pencil patent aimed for use with Vision Pro & other devices, reports Patently Apple. `The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially granted Apple a patent that relates to a future version of Apple Pencil working with Vision Pro that includes a specialized sleeve integrated with sensors that Vision Pro could recognize.'

iOS apps

Finding Your Roots With Help From Your Phone: the NYTimes reports on using free apps and everyday tools on your iPhone to help you collect & digitize materials for a family-tree project. [ Gift link, no paywall.]

Olga tried Timeshifter during a recent trip to Athens and reported on her experience with the app. It can definitely help with jet lag management. To make the best use of the app, it helps to be organized. For example, to avoid packing your bags the night before you travel, so you have available down time for time shifting. Also, if you are open to taking Melatonin, the app helps you optimize the timing. If not, the app helps you manage timing of caffeine and exposure to light at optimal times. Timeshifting begins 2 days before your trip, and goes on for 2 days after your arrival. The same happens on the return. The first roundtrip is free. Beyond that, the app requires payment.

Kino was just released recently. `Kino lets you just press record and create cinematic video with color presets by some of the best experts in the field, or by importing your own LUTs. Pick, enable, and shoot—no edit required.'

iMazing has just been updated with a major new release. `iMazing is the world’s most trusted software to transfer and save your messages, music, files and data from your iPhone or iPad to your Mac or PC. Gain powerful backup, data extraction, media, and file transfer capabilities, and much more with iMazing.' Olga has been using it for a few years and recommends it.

tips & tricks

If you are using an iPad with an external keyboard, you are probably getting a floating keyboard at the bottom of the screen. There are a couple of easy ways to hide it.

gadgets & accessories

Echelon USB-C Rechargeable Wireless Mouse (White) is a wireless, rechargeable mouse that works well with a Mac or Windows. It is lightweight, low profile, nimble, and customizable. Olga recently started using it, as an alternative to the old Apple Mighty mouse that is no longer available (that's the one with the tiny trackball).

ALOGIc offers a lot of accessories and gadgets that are on sale for the 4th of July holiday.

Macrumors gives an overview of Alogic's recent accessories: Alogic's Echelon Series Delivers Budget-Friendly Keyboard and Mouse Accessories

For a limited time, Amazon discounted AirPod Max headphones.

These are my favorite HomeKit Secure Video cameras in 2024, reports Chance Miller for 9to5mac.

Pay

Apple is discontinuing Apple Pay Later, but will release other features this fall, including a globally available installment loan offerings, reports 9to5mac.

watch

Apple Watch: How to see calories burned – active, passive, and total.

Empirical Health for Watch is a watchOS app to monitor heart health and sleep. The app leverages AI with your data and real physicians, reports 9to5mac.

Some watchOS 11 features will be available for Series 6 or higher: Tap to pay and Ultra Wideband home keys.

general apps & services

AlDente is a macOS app for your Macbook. It lets you customize how much to let the battery charge when connected to a power source. This gives you more control than macOS and helps reduce wear on the battery.

Good Sign-Offs is a website with actual email sign-offs. Read some for inspiration or entertainment.

AlternativeTo.net lets you find alternative apps that are similar to an app you are considering.

next iPUG meeting

Our next iPUG meeting will be on Tuesday, August 6 at 7 pm.