Apple Announces Limited Edition Powerbeats Pro for NBA 75th Anniversary
Image via BeatsdyDre
As has been mentioned here earlier this week, I’m not a huge sports fan. I really got into hockey for a while and could see myself doing that again. But it’s been years, and it seems just as likely that I won’t get into hockey again. Flirted with football. Flirted with baseball. About the only big pro sport I’ve spent no time with any interest in is basketball.
So why do I want the latest pair of Powerbeats Pro so much?
It’s a rhetorical question. I know the answer.
MacRumors has word of the new stoppers, a limited edition pair meant to celebrate the NBA’s 75th anniversary. “Designed in collaboration with Canadian gift shop Better,” the piece says, “the special Powerbeats Pro feature Better and NBA logos with blue and red ear tips to match.”
Despite the futuristic reality of truly wireless, stereo earphones to which one can speak, there is something decidedly retro about the design. It screams 1976, with a color scheme that’s not red, white, and blue, but red, ivory, and blue. I’m pretty sure that’s what gets me in the feels.
But I’m not a basketball fan, and I’ve got a great pair of AirPods Pro, and the NBA Powerbeats Pro are $249.99 a pair and that’s a lot to pay for a thing I don’t need with a retro-look that, when in use, I wouldn’t even be able to see. They are pretty though… in a garish, bicentennial sort of way. They go on sale tomorrow - Saturday 19 February, according to the report.
New York State Attorney General Issues Sensible Warnings Around AirTag Stalking
The Office of the Attorney General for the State of New York has words of warning about Apple’s AirTag. Good news for the tech-literate: The whole thing is pretty sensible.
In a press release issued Wednesday, the Office of the A.G. explained what AirTags are and how they’re meant to be used. But, bad actors are doing bad things with them, and so New York Attorney General Letitia James issued her warnings, not only to potential victims, but to bad guys as well. Quoting Attorney General James:
Across the country, Apple AirTags are being misused to track people and their belongings to cause harm… Tracking people without their awareness or consent is a serious felony and will not be tolerated by my office. I urge all New Yorkers to pay close attention to their belongings and follow the tips provided by my office to stay safe.
And those tips are way sensible, including:
Listen for unfamiliar beeping.
Watch for “Item Detected Near You” notifications on iPhones.
If you have an Android device, download Tracker Detect from the Google Play Store.
Know that not all unfamiliar AirTags are malicious.
Check for updated guidance. [from Apple]
Update your Apple device’s operating system.
I think my favorite tip was the one that had the A.G.’s office advising people to be aware without jumping straight to freaking out. Under the tip, “Know that not all unfamiliar AirTags are malicious,” the office said:
While it is important to be careful, AirTags are sometimes legitimately lost by their users, and your device will alert you regardless. If an AirTag has been reported lost, your Find My notification will give you information to allow you to return it.
For New York residents who are (or suspect they are) the victim of AirTag misuse, the state A.G.’s office wants to hear from you. The office urges people to file a report on the misuse on the Office of the Attorney General’s website.
Advisory Group Seeks “No” Vote on Cook Compensation
Here’s something unexpected: There’s a group of Apple shareholders who think Apple CEO Tim Cook is making too much money. Apple Insider says Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), an Apple investor advisory group, is urging its clients “to vote against Cook's pay and bonuses package.” That vote’s scheduled for Apple’s annual shareholders meeting on Friday 4 March.
“In a letter seen by The Financial Times,” the piece says, “ISS said there was a ‘significant concern’ with the stock award given to Cook in 2021 — the CEO's first since 2011.” Throughout 2021, says Apple Insider:
…Cook was awarded stock worth $82 million. The executive's pay package also includes $630,630 in personal security costs and $712,488 for a private jet. ISS says the amount "significantly exceed" awards given by comparable companies.
I’m curious what metrics they’re using in determining “comparable companies.”
Not surprisingly, Apple’s Board of Directors is all for Cook’s compensation. It’s recommended that shareholders approve the deal. “Shareholders generally follow the board's recommendation,” according to Apple Insider. At a guess, that’s because they like the money they’re making off of Apple shares. The way Apple Insider sees it, the ISS letter is “mostly performative…”
Big, Bam, Beta! (Now for Public Testers)
Remember all of those betas that went out to developers on Tuesday? They made their various ways to public beta testers on Wednesday. MacRumors ran a couple of pieces on “hump day,” one announcing the availability of the iOS and iPadOS 15.4 betas for public testers, and another announcing the availability of the macOS Monterey 12.3 beta. Not long after, iMore ran a couple of reports of its own, one announcing the availability of watchOS 8.5 to the public testing peeps, and another announcing the availability of tvOS 15.4.
I’m not in the public beta program, so I can’t say for sure how you go about getting the latest betas. I assume it involves the usual incantations and rituals that I’ve always assumed it involves. If you would like to be a practitioner of these dark arts, more info is available at beta.apple.com.
And may the Lord have mercy on your soul.
Changes Coming to Passwords Without Usernames in iCloud Keychain
This week’s betas for Apple operating systems have brought a function change to iCloud Keychain. The Safari team’s Ricky Mondello has hit Twitter with news on the way Apple’s browser will handle saving passwords with no associated username. It’s gonna stop doing that. “Right now,” a piece from iDownloadBlog explains:
…iCloud Keychain is more than happy to save a password for an app or website that might not have a username associated with it. In the moment that might not be an issue, depending on how the log-in process is handled. However, down the road when the user tries to log in again but iCloud Keychain doesn’t have a username to go along with that password, issues can arise.
Starting with this week’s round of betas, according to Mondello’s Tweet:
…when Safari isn’t sure, it’ll prompt you for the username for a password, rather than silently save it sans user name. Sometimes Safari will prefill its best guess here.
And we didn’t sneak it in. We intentionally addressed a pain point.
Apple and Ericsson Headed to Court in June 2023
Image Tingey Injury Law Firm via Unsplash
So, there’s a series of legal battles brewing between Apple and Ericsson. I’ve mostly ignored them, though we did touch on them back in late January. We’d heard then that Ericsson had sued Apple for its continued use of 5G technology patented by the Swedish telecoms company. At that point, Apple had countersued, arguing that Ericsson suing Apple in different jurisdictions for various amounts indicated that Ericsson did “not want a Court setting fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory ('FRAND') terms for their patents.”
Honestly, it’s the suit/countersuit thing that kind of turned me off the story. Difficult to keep up and, besides, it’s only money. What? Ericsson’s gonna sue Apple out of existence?
Anyway, they have a new court date, and it’s almost a year-and-a-half from now. According to a piece from iMore, a U.S. District Court judge for the Eastern District of Texas - Marshall Division has:
…ordered that Apple and Ericsson would have to hash its legal dispute out in front of a jury in June of 2023. In the run-up to the case, both parties will be required to follow the usual court steps of finding witnesses, evidence, and potential other parties who may be involved.
Ericsson seeks no ban on devices in this particular case, nor is it looking for sanctions against Apple. All it wants is for the court to decide how much Apple should pay per-device for using Ericsson’s tech. Ericsson is said to want $5 per-iPhone. Apple would like to pay less. See you back here in June of ’23.
Three Cast Members Joining Season-Two of “The Mosquito Coast”
Image via Apple
New cast members are buzzing into the Apple TV+ series “The Mosquito Coast.” A piece from Deadline says Natalia Cordova-Buckley, Ariyon Bakare, and Ian Hart will join the show’s second season, joining returning players Justin Theroux, Melissa George, Logan Polish, and Gabriel Bateman. If you’ve not seen it, Deadline says:
The Mosquito Coast follows the events prior to Paul Theroux’s famed 1981 novel about obsessed, idealist inventor Allie Fox, who is on the run from the U.S. government and uproots his family for Mexico.
As for the new players, Ian Hart is likely best known for his role as Professor Quirrell in the first film in the Harry Potter series. You could almost say he’s rejoining the cast, having appeared in three episodes of “Mosquito Coast’s” first season. Ariyon Bakare you may know from the HBO series “His Dark Materials” and “Carnival Row,” the Amazon series “Good Omens,” and the films Life, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. And Cordova-Buckley you may have caught in the FX series “Mayans M.C.,” the CBS series “Coyote,” or ABC’s “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”
No word on when season two of “The Mosquito Coast” will hit the stream. The whole of season one is available to stream now on Apple TV+ (and there’s a season one trailer below).
Apple TV+ Adds One More Show and a Movie to SXSW Premiers
Apple is going to SXSW with more in store than we knew before.
I’m a poet, but didn’t even flaunt the fact.
In early February, we heard that Apple TV+ was premiering three shows at next month’s SXSW Film Festival. At the time, it was reported that Apple would use the festival to offer first looks at the Elizabeth Moss-led thriller series “Shining Girls,” the Jared Leto/Anne Hathaway limited series “WeCrashed,” and the untitled docuseries about Magic Johnson, since given the title, “They Call Me Magic.”
Now, Apple has confirmed that those shows are making the trip to Austin, Texas, along with a movie, and another series about which we had not heard.
The movie is Cha Cha Real Smooth, which Apple picked up at last month’s socially distanced Sundance Film Festival. And we finally get a description of that one, too. Describing the film, Apple says:
Fresh out of college and without a clear life path going forward, 22-year-old Andrew is stuck back at home with his family in New Jersey. But if there’s one thing that belongs on his nonexistent résumé, it’s how to get a party started, which lands him the perfect job of motivational dancing at the bar and bat mitzvahs for his younger brother’s classmates. When Andrew befriends a local mom, Domino, and her daughter, Lola, he finally discovers a future he wants — even if it might not be his own.
As for the surprise series premier, that would be the docuseries “The Big Conn.” Describing that one, Apple says:
The Big Conn is a four-part documentary series that tells the unbelievable true story of the larger-than-life attorney, Eric C. Conn, who stole over half a billion dollars in the largest Social Security fraud case in history. The series will also premiere with a companion podcast that will explore Conn’s con and unbelievable lifestyle further, with additional interviews and behind-the scenes details.
All four parts of the series will hit Apple TV+ on Friday 5 May. The companion podcast will hit the same day on Apple Podcasts.
1976 Apple Check Signed by Jobs and Woz Up for Auction
Image via RR Auction
What is a check for $3430 worth? As of this writing, $23,582. It’s kind of a special check, though. It is an Apple Computer Company check signed in July of 1976 by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.
MacDailyNews has run a write-up of an in-process sale from RR Auction. The site does go on a bit about the piece of paper. Then again, they’re trying to sell a cheque you literally can’t cash.
Signed by “steven jobs” and countersigned by “Steve Wozniak,” the check to Kierulff Electronics is printed with Apple’s first official address, which was actually “an answering service and mail drop that they used while still operating out of the famous Jobs family garage.”
“Based on the date of this check,” says the auction house:
…it likely represents a payment for parts used in putting together the second batch of Apple-1 Computers. As a document signed by Apple’s famed co-founders in the year of the company’s origin, and directly connected with the production of the Apple-1 Computer, this is an unparalleled, museum-quality piece.
Now how much would you pay? You’ve got a month to decide. The auction closes at 3pm Pacific/6pm Eastern on Thursday 17 March.
Counterpoint: iPhone Owned Half of U.S. Smartphone Market in 2021
Image via Counterpoint Research. Source: Market Monitor Service
While growth of services and growth of the Mac, driven by work-from-home trends and Apple Silicon, show that Apple is more than just an iPhone company, iPhone is currently the company’s bread-and-butter, and it won the U.S. last year. Apple Insider highlights new numbers from Counterpoint Research.
The numbers sort of went as one might expect. The first quarter of 2021, the first full quarter of sales for the iPhone 12 line, gave the company a strong start. iPhone sales dipped a bit in Q2, took another dip in Q3, then hit with a kick-out-the-jams comeback in Q4. Through nearly all of that, it owned half the market. According to Counterpoint, iPhone’s share of the U.S. smartphone space was 55% in the first quarter of 2021, 53% in Q2, a slip to 47% in Q3, before an end that was higher than the year’s beginning. iPhone wrapped Q4 with a 56% share of the U.S. smartphone space.
Impressive though that performance is, it sort of pales compared to the same quarter a year earlier. iPhone’s share in the fourth-quarter of 2020 was 65%, according to Counterpoint’s estimate. There are so many moving parts though. The fourth-quarter of 2020 saw the later than usual launch of iPhone 12, the staggered release of devices in the iPhone 12 line, the introduction of the first 5G-enabled iPhones, and the throes of the - then less-than-a-year-old pandemic. Meanwhile, the fourth-quarter of 2021 had supply chain issues.
It would be silly to fixate on that fourth-quarter difference for a few reasons, the biggest being, we can’t check Counterpoint’s numbers since Apple doesn’t report unit sales anymore. If we’re going to take their word that there was a fourth-quarter drop from one year to the next, might as well fixate on their other assertion - iPhone owned half the U.S. smartphone market for almost all of 2021.
Samsung was a distant second in every quarter, by the way. If that kind of thing concerns you.
Nikkei: TSMC Plant in Arizona May or May Not Be Late Firing Up
Image: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
Hope for the supply chain seems to be hitting snags in Arizona. iMore cites a Nikkei report that says TSMC is having trouble getting its semiconductor plant off the ground in the Grand Canyon State.
Crazy right? iMore - based in the UK, cites Nikkei - based in Japan, to talk about a plant planned for the U.S., which I then rewrite and present from the bleepin’ moon.
One day, maybe. A boy can dream.
Anyway, the problem in Arizona seems to be COVID-19 and the workforce, which could have been a great name for a band if not for… you know… COVID-19. “Complicated processes for obtaining the different types of licenses needed for construction” have also been a hindrance, according to the report. The piece says the hope had been to have the plant “ready to receive chip production hardware in September of 2022.” That’s looking more like spring of 2023, now.
All of that said, sometimes it feels like Nikkei puts negative news under a magnifying glass. Not so much to get a closer look, but to make it look bigger than it actually is. That same iMore piece cites the same Nikkei piece, saying, “TSMC reportedly built a buffer into its timeframes and could still be able to begin production [on] schedule, despite recent delays.”
Man - Nikkei is like the DigiTimes of respectable sites.
I will remind you, when it comes to the supply chain, eventually… ’s gonna be great™.
Big, Bam, Beta!
Apple’s parade of software betas started the next part of their march on Tuesday. MacRumors ran a few pieces, announcing the seeding of the third betas of iOS and iPadOS 15.4, macOS Monterey 12.3, watchOS 8.5, and tvOS 15.4 to developers. Those may be out to the public beta program by the time you read this. I don’t know. I’m not there yet. Either way, there is some newness about which to tell you.
Won’t Somebody Call Somebody?!?
On the safety side, a piece from 9 to 5 Mac says the latest iOS beta is now prompting people to designate emergency contacts in their iPhones if they don’t have any designated already. According to the report:
Right after installing the latest iOS 15.4 update on an iPhone, the Settings app shows an alert asking the user to review the settings of the Emergency SOS feature, which is used to call emergency contacts when you press and hold any volume button with the side button together.
Added with yesterday’s beta, 9 to 5 Mac says:
…it seems that it only appears for users who don’t have emergency contacts set up on their iPhone. Tapping the prompt takes the user to the Emergency SOS settings.
Podcast to the People!
If you listen to podcasts (and I suspect at least some of you do) there’s apparently a change on the way for you in the iOS beta. A report from iDownloadBlog the Apple Podcasts app is getting a couple of new features - “browsing by season and the ability to filter episodes.”
Sounds convenient, though - speaking as a daily podcaster - I say listen to everything, all the time, at normal speed, the way God intended.
But you do you.
“Control, control, you must learn control!”
It’s not just the computer in your pocket getting tweaked. So is the one your dad might actually recognize as a computer. A piece from 9 to 5 Mac says Tuesday’s macOS Monterey beta gives Universal Control options a new home. They used to be buried “in the Advanced option in the Displays pane of the System Preferences app,” according to the report. With this week’s beta, Universal Control gets “a dedicated toggle in the main interface of the Displays portion of System Preferences.”
So… yeah.
It’s kind of funny. As 9 to 5 Mac points out, the whole premise of Universal Control is “it just works.” Sometimes though, one needs even finer control. So… there you go.
Happy hunting.
Apple TV+ Orders New England Patriots Documentary
Image via Apple
Apple TV+ has ordered a documentary about the New England Patriots. Personally, I think this is great because if there’s one thing that’s not celebrated enough, it’s professional sports. And it’s good to focus on a ragtag group of misfits like the six-time Super Bowl winning fellows from Foxboro.
Called, “The Dynasty,” Apple’s press release on the show says:
The 10-part docuseries is based on the critically-acclaimed New York Times bestselling book by author Jeff Benedict. With unprecedented access to the New England Patriots, Benedict spent two years inside the organization, and chronicled the rise and historic 20-year run of the Patriots during the Brady-Belichick-Kraft era.
The series will be produced by Imagine Documentaries “in association with NFL Films…” No word in the release on when the series will hit the stream.
The Inspiration for the Apple TV+ Series “Severance” Is Exactly What You’d Expect
How do you create an anticipated show for Apple TV+? If you’re the guy behind “Severance,” start with a job you hate. Gearing up for this week’s premier, iMore highlights an interview between the show’s creator, Dan Erickson, and Variety. Where’d he get the idea for a show about a process that literally severs the work part of your brain from the rest of your life? Says Erickson:
I worked a string of office jobs when I first got to L.A., and one in particular was in this weird little windowless office… And I would be doing these sort of weird, seemingly meaningless, repetitive tasks all day long and it was just mind-numbing. And I caught myself one day walking in thinking, 'Man, I wish I could just totally not experience the next eight hours. I wish I could disassociate and just have it be 5 and suddenly I'm going home.’
And it occurred to me that that's kind of a messed up thing to catch yourself wishing for, considering we have limited, precious time on this Earth, and here I was wishing I could give some of it back… It really was born of my own corporate misery.
I think I’m looking forward to this show…
Directed by Ben Stiller, the cast is just insane. Adam Scott leads, with Patricia Arquette, John Turturro, Christopher Walken, and many more. “Severance” starts its run on Apple TV+ this Friday 18 February. You can catch a trailer for the show below,
Hardware Takes the Long Walk
Pour one out for the fourth-gen iPad, and if you’re still using one - treat it with kid gloves. MacRumors says that model has been deemed by Apple “obsolete.” Introduced in 2012, the fourth-generation iPad was the first to feature a lightning connector.
If a product is on Apple’s “vintage” list, you can still get it repaired, provided there are parts available. Once a product is “obsolete,” most you can do is shake your head, remember the good times, and start eyeing something made this decade.
If you’re toting an iPhone 6 Plus, your communicator lives to fight another day. A separate piece from MacRumors says that device has gone “vintage,” as far as Apple’s concerned. First released in 2014, discontinued in 2016, brought back for another tour in 2017 before its serious swan song in 2018 - it’s that second round that makes it “vintage,” a designation Apple can apply when a product has been off the market for more than five-years, but less than seven.
Microsoft Reopening Redmond and SF Bay Area Offices on 28 February
Strange to go here with a Microsoft story not directly tied to Apple, but it could be a sign of things to come. Engadget says Mr. Softy’s planning to reopen a number of its corporate offices by the end of this month. That would put the back-to-work crew back-to-work nearly two-years after COIVD-19 forced a run on “Out of Office” memos. The plan, according to Engadget, is for Microsoft:
…to enter the “final stage” of its Washington state return-to-work plan starting Feb 28th, at which point facilities (including the company's Redmond headquarters) and services will be completely open to workers and visitors alike.
The piece says that starts a 30-day-clock for staff and the managers who manage them to hammer out whatever work routine they’ve worked out, be it work-from-home, work-from-work, or a hybrid of the two.
The same goes for Microsoft’s presence in the San Francisco Bay Area, according to the report. Those will also begin the reopening process on 28 February. Reopening around the rest of the country will happen “as conditions allow,” according to the software giant.
I say it could be a sign of things to come. Engadget points out that Microsoft’s schedule is more aggressive that other titans of tech. Facebook isn’t planning for back-to-work-at-work until 28 March. “Apple and others have indefinite delays," according to the report.
Apple Registers Three Mac Models with the EEC
Another hint of new Macs coming soon. Though nothing’s been announced, we’ve heard rumors for the last week or so of an Apple product event in the first part of March. Speculation has the company announcing a 5G enabled iPhone SE, a new iPad Air, and maybe a new Mac or new Macs of some sort. Now, there’s support for that last one.
Back in mid-January the company filed what appeared to be new iPads and iPhones with the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC). Now, a piece from The Mac Observer says they appear to have done the same again with Macs.
It’s hard to know for certain what Apple has in store. While the company is required to register devices that employ encryption with the EEC ahead of their release, they can keep some info hidden. The reason we think there are iPhones and iPads on the way is because Apple has registered a number of devices that run iOS 15 and iPadOS 15. The Mac Observer indicates that Apple has since registered three Macs with the EEC, though the site’s not sure we’ll see all three at the anticipated March event.
One of the models registered is a laptop, and TMO has no problem believing we’ll see that. As for the other machines, while it’s possible they’ll be out as well, The Mac Observer thinks they could be held until this summer’s WWDC or later. “Since Apple sometimes registers model numbers with the Commission up to a year ahead of release,” the sits says it’s “possible that one of these new computers might not appear until the fall.”
Apple Releases Security Updates for Big Sur and Catalina Macs
Image via Apple
While rumors of new Macs abound, Apple started the week with updates for older machines. MacRumors says the company released macOS Big Sur 11.6.4 on Monday, as well as Security Update 2022-002 Catalina. While both are said by the company to be security updates, the Apple security updates page lists no vulnerabilities addressed. Which is kind of random.
Apple Support App for iOS and iPad Updated to v4.5
Apple released an update for its Support App on Monday, with a pretty useful feature. MacRumors says the company will ballpark the cost of run-of-the-mill repairs in the application. Made for iPhone and iPad, version 4.5 of the app includes a “My Devices” section. If something’s wrong with one of those, you can tap on it and access a few options. According to the piece:
Tapping on a common repair like a cracked screen, a cracked back, or battery service will provide an estimate of what the repair might cost alongside options to book a repair. There are no cost estimates for more complicated repairs like liquid damage or camera not working as expected.
Apple’s release notes say the application is now “available and translated for users in Ukraine.” It also includes unspecified “Performance enhancements and bug fixes.”
The Apple Support app is free. The updated version is available now in the App Store. [Direct Link]
Foxconn Partners with Vedanta on Semiconductor Manufacturing in India
Foxconn is putting some of its money where its “things are getting better in the supply chain” mouth is. Apple’s manufacturing partner issued a press release Monday, announcing a joint venture to make semiconductors in India. The Taiwanese manufacturer is teaming with the India-based multinational Vedanta to make chips on the subcontinent.
The joint venture seems less about getting the world out of the current semiconductor shortage than it is about longterm plans for India. Money lines from the press release include:
This first-of-its-kind joint venture between the two companies will support Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to create an ecosystem for semiconductor manufacturing in India.
And:
The targeted project (…) will provide a significant boost to domestic manufacturing of electronics in India.
That said, you’ve gotta figure that semiconductor manufacturing anywhere is good for semiconductor supply everywhere. No word in the release on when the joint venture will actually start cranking out chips.