Ukraine-Based MacPaw Addresses Operations Amid Russian Aggression
Image via MacPaw
Mad props to a former sponsor of “Mac OS Ken.” MacPaw advertised their product “CleanMyMac X” on the show a little over a year ago. That company’s founder and CEO, Oleksandr Kosovan, laid out a blogpost Wednesday night. Under the headline “MacPaw’s Operations amidst the Russian Aggression against Ukraine,” Kosovan wrote:
Being humans of the 21st century, we all wish that the tragic days of war were a thing of the past. However, now once more, with the Russian aggression against Ukraine, we’ve been made to witness how easy freedom, independence, and the human right to life and choice are put on the line.
MacPaw was founded and operated primarily in Kyiv, Ukraine. For us, the security of our team members is paramount. We've prepared various assistance programs and launched an emergency plan to ensure the safety of our peers based in Ukraine.
Here’s what got me: The bulk of the post had to do with how the company plans to keep serving customers, even as their country is mauled by a bear. Additionally, they talked about how the privacy of their user information and the payment information of their users remains secure. “So in our day-to-day operations,” wrote Kosovan:
…nothing is going to change for you. MacPaw products will continue to work flawlessly and receive timely updates. Our support team will keep responding to all your messages.
We want to say thank you for all the incredible messages of support you've sent our way. Our team at MacPaw is staying calm, focused, and optimistic for a peaceful future of independent Ukraine.
This is not an ad, though they did support my work some time ago. I’m just - touched by the post. Touched by their commitment to their customers in the face of literal war. And I wanted to let you know how they were doing.
You can read the full post at macpaw.com/news.
Apple News Adds Local Coverage in Toronto and Montreal
Apple News is doing the local thing in Canada. iMore says the Cupertino-company’s news service is making itself more relevant to people in Toronto and Montreal, as well as to people who are super interested in Toronto and Montreal. Tweeted out by Apple watcher extraordinaire Rene Ritchie, sources for local coverage are said to include CTV News, Toronto Star, La Presse, Narcity, and others.
If it hasn’t affected your area, you may not have noticed how local Apple News is getting. According to iMore:
Just three weeks ago, Apple increased its local new coverage with a daily local newspaper in the San Fransisco Bay Area. In October of last year, the company launched local coverage in Charlotte, Miami, and Washington D.C. In the United States, Apple News now has local coverage for San Francisco, the Bay Area, New York, Houston, Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento, Miami, Charlotte, San Antonio, and Washington, D.C.
Mint Users Can Once Again Integrate Apple Card Use
Image via Apple
If you’re an Apple Card user and a Mint users, those two are playing together again. If you don’t know Mint, 9 to 5 Mac says it’s a “budgeting app that allows users to manage their finances all in one place.” Makes sense that that would work with Apple Card, and - to be fair - those crazy cats got together a couple of years ago.
Didn’t work great, though they seem to think the wrinkles are squished and the bugs ironed out. “Apple Card users have the opportunity once again to integrate their card usage within the Mint app,” according to the report.
Waits for Baseline MacBook Pros Shorten Significantly
If you’re cool buying “off the rack,” getting one of Apple’s latest MacBook Pros requires less patience. A piece from MacRumors says the Cupertino-company is “starting to catch up to 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro demand…” Four months later. Hard to blame them, though. There have been problems in the supply chain. Not sure you’ve heard.
Last month, the piece says, would-be buyers were looking at waits of several weeks. That was regardless of size or configuration. Now, MacRumors says, the wait’s down to two-weeks or less for baseline configurations of either the 14-inch or 16-inch machine.
Stories Deferred
Image Erik Mclean via Unsplash
Sometimes stuff just feels too fluffy. These stories felt silly to write up for this particular Friday, but - if you want to see them - here they are.
9 to 5 Mac: App Store users spend twice as much money on subscriptions as Google Play users
Apple Insider: Apple again voted most relevant brand to United States consumers
Apple: Apple Al Maryah Island opens Friday [25 March] in the heart of Abu Dhabi
Apple: Apple TV+ releases trailer for highly anticipated limited series “WeCrashed” ahead of March 18 global premiere
Apple Insider: Apple again voted most relevant brand to United States consumers
Canalys: iPad Owned the States to End 2021
Image via Apple
Even with nowhere near enough tablets ahead of the holidays, new numbers from Canalys show iPad owned the tablet space in the U.S. for the fourth-quarter of 2021. 9 to 5 Mac writes up some of the firm’s findings. By their estimation, Apple shipped 5.1 million iPads in the States in the December-quarter. That was down nearly 38% from the 8.2 million shipped for the same quarter a year earlier. Despite the drop, Apple was the way in front leader for fondle-slabs, with a 40.2% share of the U.S. market. Amazon was second with a 26.4%. Samsung was third with a 14.0%… and why shame the rest of them?
The piece says, “Demand for tablets as a whole decreased, as shipments declined 31%.” You kind of wonder, though, if that would have been better had Apple had enough iPads for the holidays.
Okay… But What About Computers?
Canalys also had a look at sales of traditional computers for both the fourth-quarter of 2021 and the full year. For the year, the firm had Apple shipping an estimated 10 million Macs. That was up 12% from the estimated 8.9 million shipped in 2020 - enough to give Apple fourth-place in traditional computers and a market share of 11%. No growth at year’s end, though. Rather, an estimated decline. Canalys figures Apple shipped 2.8 million Macs in the December-quarter. That was down about 3% from the 2.9 million it’s estimated to have shipped the same quarter a year earlier. That kept the company in fourth-place, though with a slightly larger market share. Canalys pegs that at 13.4%.
All of that is kind of odd. On Apple’s December-quarter earnings call, executives said the Mac saw sales of $10.8 billion, up 25% from the $8.7 billion grabbed for the same quarter a year earlier. Execs said that that marked as an all time revenue record for the category. And therein lies one of the problems with estimates like those made by Canalys. Did revenue go up because people are buying higher-end machines? Are people boosting their specs because they figure they’ll be working from home for who-knows-how-long? Or is Canalys simply wrong in its estimates?
Feel free to decide, since we’ll never know.
Fourth Round of Apple OS Betas Seeded to Public Testers
Remember all of those OS betas Apple released to developers on Tuesday? They went out to public testers on Wednesday. Apple Insider says the fourth betas of iOS/iPadOS 15.4, macOS Monterey 12.3, watchOS 8.5, and tvOS 15.4 are out to the public testing crew. If you’re part of that, get ‘em like you always do. And if testing beta software is something that only happens to other people but you wish would happen to you, poke your browser in beta.apple.com, and - as always - nothin’ kinky.
Well… almost always.
Latest Betas Bring Dutch Support for HomePod
Image via Aple
Something new seems to have popped up in this week’s betas. In addition to the less gendered voice for Siri in the States and the strengthening of AirTag, both of which we hit on Wednesday, a piece from iMore says there’s something new for HomePod. Or maybe someplace new.
The latest HomePod Software 15.4 beta seems to have snuck in with the one for iOS, bringing with it Dutch voice recognition for Siri. It’s not just that it speaks the language (and forgive me for not knowing whether it did before), but it can also differentiate between people when they speak.
What’s strange is HomePod mini is currently not available in the Netherlands - aka Holland, where they speak Dutch. Wouldn’t you think they’d speak Hollandaise? Anyway, the addition of Dutch has iMore (and probably others) wondering whether an expansion of HomePod mini availability will be part of Apple’s anticipated spring product event. We don’t know when or if that’s happening, though the date bandied about has been 8 March.
Rumor: Apple Retail Considers Lowering Mask Mandate for Employees
Tim Cook at the Apple Tower Theatre Opening in LA in June 2021 - Image: Ken Ray
When word went out that Apple was dropping the mask mandate for most stores in the U.S., I sort of assumed that that meant everyone. Apparently not. Apple Insider ran a piece Wednesday saying that the company is considering letting store workers drop their masks.
You know, a statement from Apple would be neat. Then again, they may not want to do that, what with the various restrictions in different areas and given the fluidity of the whole COVID thing. Indications in Wednesday’s Apple Insider story are that customers can go maskless in some areas in the U.S., though not others. Still, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says Apple is looking at loosening masking rules for its own employees. In a post on Twitter, Gurman said, “Hearing Apple is considering dropping the mandate for retail employees too in as early as two weeks.” Apple Insider says:
It's not clear whether such a move would only apply to the same stores where customers are no longer required to wear face coverings.
While that is technically true… really? I know that when I went to the Apple Tower Theatre opening in June of 2021, California had just relaxed its indoor masking rules. While most of the customers and a lot of the Apple employees (all the way up to Apple CEO Tim Cook) chose to go maskless, a lot of store workers kept theirs on. Maybe they weren’t vaxxed. Who knows? Whatever the case, even when all of the mask mandates are lowered, it seems likely we’ll still see many for the foreseeable future.
EU Head of Digital: Apple Would Rather Pay Fines Than Comply with Dutch Regulators
Image Tabrez Syed via Unsplash
When the Netherlands said that it would fine Apple for failure to comply with its order to allow third-party payments for dating apps in Apple’s App Store for that country, you kind of figured - for the fine to matter, it would have to be a lot. By Apple standards, it was not. Sure, €5 million-a-week could really add up. But local law bars the fines from adding up to an amount over €50 million. Apple watcher Gene Munster figures the company makes that amount every five hours. So really, there’s no hurry for Apple to comply - a point hit on by the EU's head of digital policy on Wednesday.
MacRumors has said head, Margrethe Vestager, saying as much during a speech on privacy and the digital economy. Quoting her speech:
Effective enforcement, which includes the Commission having sufficient resources to do so, will be key to ensure compliance. Some gatekeepers may be tempted to play for time or try to circumvent the rules. Apple's conduct in the Netherlands these days may be an example. As we understand it, Apple essentially prefers paying periodic fines, rather than comply with a decision of the Dutch Competition Authority on the terms and conditions for third parties to access its App Store. And that will also be one of the obligations included in the [Digital Markets Act].
The EU says the Digital Markets Act (DMA) is about leveling the playing field for smaller businesses, startups, and consumers against large, established platforms like the app stores and services run by Apple and Google. They don’t call them “platforms,” though. They call them “gatekeepers.”
That language seems hostile. At the same time, dealing with Apple is a bit like trying to trick a genie. The Netherlands says, “open up to third-party payments systems and lower your commission,” to which Apple says, “okay! We’ll drop our commission from 30% all the way down to 27%.”
Well… they did agree to lower their commission.
Lawyer Says Amsterdam Apple Store Assailant Has Died
Image via Apple
A sad, stupid end to a sad, stupid escapade. The Mac Observer says the lawyer for the armed assailant who held a hostage in an Apple Store in Amsterdam on Tuesday has died.
He’s requested water from the police. When it arrived by police robot, the assailant told the hostage to go to the door and retrieve the water. When he got to the door, the hostage chanced an escape. The hostage taker gave chase - and was hit by a BMW SUV driven by law enforcement.
Seems to have been a troubled individual, not just based on this week’s events. TMO says the man:
…had several run-ins with law enforcement in the past. Past charges included weapons possession and assault. Those familiar with the man said he “regularly displayed confused behavior.”
The lawyer says the 27-year-old never regained consciousness after being hit. A sad, stupid end to a sad, stupid escapade.
Three More Cast Members Announced for “The Crowded Room”
Squeeze three more into the Apple TV+ series “The Crowded Room.” Last week we heard that Amanda Seyfried had joined the cast. Earlier this week Emmy Rossum climbed aboard. Now, The Hollywood Reporter says they’re gonna need trailers for Emma Laird, Sasha Lane, and Christopher Abbott - as all three join the Tom Holland-led show’s first season.
The Reporter says Laird currently stars opposite Jeremy Renner in the Paramount+ series “Mayor of Kingstown.” Sasha Lane was in the David Harbor reboot of Hellboy and played one of the variant hunters in the Disney+ series “Loki.” And Christopher Abbott played Yossarian in the mini series adaptation of “Catch-22” on Hulu.
“The Crowded Room” goes before the cameras in March, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Apple TV+ Outs Trailer for “Pachinko”
if you’re not excited about the upcoming Apple TV+ epic “Pachinko,” wait’ll you see the trailer. Apple issued a press release Wednesday featuring one of those. Describing the show, Apple says:
Epic in scope and intimate in tone, the story begins with a forbidden love and crescendos into a saga that journeys between Korea, Japan and America to tell an unforgettable story of war and peace, love and loss, triumph and reckoning.
I don’t know why I’m surprised when trailers are stirring. That is what trailers are designed to do. But this one didn’t just get me excited for the show. It moved me. “Filled with universal themes of family, love, triumph, fate and resilience,” the release says:
…the series chronicles the hopes and dreams of a Korean immigrant family across four generations as they leave their homeland in an indomitable quest to survive and thrive. Starting in South Korea in the early 1900s, the story is told through the eyes of a remarkable matriarch, Sunja, who triumphs against all odds. It juxtaposes her story with that of her grandson, Solomon, in the 1980s.
And if that doesn’t make you want to watch it, you should seriously check out the trailer. You can catch that below. The first three episodes of “Pachinko” hit Apple TV+ on Friday 25 March. The remaining five episode will hit one-a-week on following Fridays through 29 April.
Apple Stores Lift Mask Mandates for Most of U.S.
Apple Tower Theatre in L.A. - Photo: Ken Ray
It looks like Apple Stores in the states are done with the masking thing. Again. For now. Apple Insider highlights a Bloomberg report, saying Apple “has revoked its mask mandate for customers at most retail locations” in the U.S. “The mask mandate remains in effect for locations in states with stricter pandemic guidelines, such as Hawaii,” according to the report.
With a “no mask required” level of comfort, can in-person in-store events be far behind? It seems not. The piece says Today at Apple classes will be back at Apple Stores for some locations as early as next week. Other locations are expected to add the classes back to the mix throughout the month of March.
Apple Thanks Police After Hours-Long Standoff at Amsterdam Store
Image via Apple
A dangerous day for an Apple Store ended safely on Tuesday. Well… not for the bad guy. If you were following Apple news at all during the day, you may have heard about the standoff between authorities and an armed assailant at an Apple store in Amsterdam. TechCrunch cites a Reuters report that says a man held “at least one person hostage for hours…” The piece also cites an AP report, saying “the gunman ran out of the store, and the police stopped him by hitting him with a car…”
Police have indicated that the hostage is safe. Apple has indicated the same for its customers and employees. TechCrunch had the Cupertino-company indicating in a statement that both groups were fine after, what the company referred to as, “this terrifying experience…” Apple’s statement went on to say:
We want to thank local law enforcement for their exceptional work and ongoing investigation… Our teams and customers took swift action and showed incredible strength and resolve today, and we are so thankful for the support and care they’ve shown each other under such challenging circumstances.
Big Bam Beta! (Round Four)
Back to work means a big batch of betas. The holiday-shortened week started with the fourth betas of iOS/iPadOS 15.4, macOS Monterey 12.3, watchOS 8.5, and tvOS 15.4. Those were seeded to developers on Tuesday, according to a few reports from MacRumors.
We’ve noted new features on the way over the last few rounds of betas, including the much anticipated arrival of Universal Control for macOS and iPadOS, the addition of Face ID with Mask, changes to how passwords without usernames are handled in iCloud Keychain, prompts for emergency contacts if emergency contacts are not setup in iOS, changes to the Apple Podcasts app, loads of new emoji, and - seriously - that list goes on. And it grew again on Tuesday.
The Siri Quintet for iPhone
On the sound side, a MacRumors report says Apple has added a fifth voice option for Siri in the United States. A Twitter post linked in the article IDs the voice as “Quinn.” It also has a short clip of the new voice speaking. Playing it back a couple of times - could be male. Could be female. I had thought that could be the point, then I came across a piece in Axios that says - “yep, that’s the point.” Describing the voice as “less explicitly male- or female-sounding,” the site says:
Apple confirmed the new voice was recorded by a member of the LGBTQ+ community, but did not offer further details.
The company did offer a statement though, saying:
We’re excited to introduce a new Siri voice for English speakers, giving users more options to choose a voice that speaks to them… Millions of people around the world rely on Siri every day to help get things done, so we work to make the experience feel as personalized as possible.
According to MacRumors:
The “American” voice is the only new voice that was added (…) for users in the United States, and there appear to have been no other updates to Siri's voice options.
Developers with the latest iOS 15.4 beta running can try running with that voice right now.
AirTag Protections Start Showing Up
Perhaps a less obvious change than the smooth sounds of Siri is the protections against AirTag stalking. Earlier this month, Apple outlined a number of changes meant to strengthen its AirTag device trackers against misuse. Now, just a couple of weeks later, some of those changes are turning up in beta form.
Another piece from MacRumors says the setup message mentioned by Apple has shown up in the fourth iOS 15.4 beta. Intended to warn would-be stalkers that “using an AirTag or another Find My-linked item to track someone without consent is a crime,” the MacRumors report says the AirTag setup screen now reads:
You can locate this item using the Find My network… Using this item to track people without their consent is a crime in many regions around the world. This item is designed to be detected by victims and to enable law enforcement to request identifying information about the owner.
Some of Apple’s other announced changes are turning up as well. “Going forward,” says MacRumors, “Apple is making sure that all accessories properly identify themselves so there is no more confusion about non-AirTag devices.” The site says that change is showing up in the latest iOS beta. The site also notes “some other minor tweaks…” The report says:
In the Find My app, there is no longer an option to toggle off “Item Safety Alerts,” with Apple instead offering “Customize Find My Notifications” and “Customize Tracking Notifications” options.
Apple has other AirTag protections planned, including improving Precision Finding for errant AirTags, displaying an alert with the tracker’s sound, tweaking that sound, and refining the unwanted tracking alert logic. Those changes are expected later this year.
What a Twist! Appeal Resurrects Infringement Suit Against “Servant”
“Servant” creator M. Night Shyamalan
In a twist worthy of an M. Night Shyamalan movie, a lawsuit against the Apple TV+ series “Servant” is back from the dead. In early 2020, filmmaker Francesca Gregorini sued Apple and “Servant” creator Shyamalan over alleged infringement. Gregorini said that the creepy Apple TV+ series not only lifted the plot of her film, The Truth About Emanuel, it also employed very similar “production and cinematography choices.” Too similar to be coincidental, in Gregorini’s estimation. According to a piece from Apple Insider:
Both works center around a mother who cares for a doll as though it were a real child and later begins to form strong bonds with a nanny hired to care for it.
The suit was dismissed when the judge hearing the case said that the two works were not similar enough for the case to proceed. Now, Apple Insider says it’s back. An appeals court has ruled that the 2020 dismissal was “improper,” saying “reasonable minds could differ on the issue of substantial similarity.”
No word in the piece on what happens next, though Gregorini was looking for quite a bit the first time around. “In the initial suit,” Apple Insider says the filmmaker:
…demanded damages, an injunction against further production, a recall of any inventory of the infringing material, supervised destruction of any inventory, disgorgement of all proceeds, and punitive damages.
Emmy Rossum Joins Apple TV+ Series “The Crowded Room”
Image from Showtime series “Shameless” - via IMDB
“The Crowded Room” is filling up quickly. Last week we heard word that Amanda Seyfried had joined the cast of the upcoming Apple TV+ series. Now Deadline says Emmy Rossum has been added to the call sheet. Rossum is probably best known for her nine-seasons on the Showtime series “Shameless.” Describing the upcoming show, Apple has said “The Crowded Room”:
…will explore the true and inspirational stories of those who have struggled and learned to successfully live with mental illness. The anthology’s 10-episode first season is a captivating thriller, inspired by the award-winning biography “The Minds of Billy Milligan” by Daniel Keyes. It tells the story of Billy Milligan (…), the first person ever acquitted of a crime because of multiple personality disorder (now known as dissociative identity disorder).
Spider-Man: Now Way Home’s Tom Holland will headline as Milligan. Seyfried will play a clinical psychologist caring for Milligan. As for Rossum, she’ll play Milligan’s mother. Deadline points out that she’s only about 10-years-older than Holland. Then again, the 25-year-old Holland doesn’t look out of place in the high school scenes in “Spider-Man,” so… make-up could make it work.
No word on when viewers get to peek into “The Crowded Room.”
More “Peanuts” Headed to Apple TV+
Image via YouTube
There’s another season of “The Snoopy Show” coming soon. Apple issued a press release Tuesday, saying that the show’s second season is about three-weeks away. That’ll hit on Friday 11 March. You can catch a trailer for it here:
But wait! There’s more! The same press release has word of a couple of brand new specials coming this spring. According to the company, “It's the Small Things, Charlie Brown” is “a new original special in celebration of Earth Day…” When we’re gonna party like it’s our Earth Day and sip Bacardi like it’s our Earth Day, amiright? Apple says “It's the Small Things, Charlie Brown” includes an original song by Ben Folds. That special is set to premier on Friday 15 April - a week before Earth Day. The other special, “To Mom (and Dad), With Love” looks to be a Mother’s Day special. Partly because “and Dad” is in parentheses and partly because Apple points out that it premiers on Friday 6 May, “just in time for Mother’s Day Sunday.”
Before any of that hits, Apple’s bringing a bunch of vintage Peanuts specials to its streaming service. The shows “Charlie Brown's All Stars!,” “You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown,” “She's a Good Skate, Charlie Brown,” “It's Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown” and “Snoopy’s Reunion” are all set to hit Apple TV+ in a little over a week, landing on Friday 4 March.
Bloomberg’s Gurman Shares Mac Expectations
Image via Apple
Bloomberg’s Gurman has Guesses on the Mac front.
I know they’re not guesses. They’re tips from sources. Either that or he’s got a time machines. I just love alliteration! And so, Gurman’s guesses.
Citing Mark Gurman’s Power On newsletter, iDownloadBlog says Bloomberg’s guy-in-the-know is looking for four new Macs before the summer. Those will likely be powered by currently unannounced and unreleased M2 Apple Silicon. Some may also be revealed during Apple’s currently unannounced and unconfirmed spring product event. That’s the one that’s expected to feature an 5G-enabled iPhone SE, a new iPad Air - and maybe something in a Mac. According to iDownloadBlog:
…Gurman said he expected Apple to release a new baseline MacBook Pro and a redesigned MacBook Air, along with updated Mac mini and 27-inch iMac models, before this summer. The Apple reporter expects all four models to be outfitted with Apple’s rumored M2 chip.
As for what’ll be first, Gurman says:
Given that two of the oldest Apple silicon Macs in the lineup today are the entry-level MacBook Pro and Mac mini, I’d guess that those models will be next to be upgraded…
To me, the weirdest thing about Gurman’s predictions is the inclusion of a few more M1 machines. I mean, he’s the one assuming the introduction of an M2 in the relatively near future. And yet, iDownloadBlog has him calling for a “replacement to the Intel-based 27-inch iMac with M1 Pro and M1 Max,” a “new Mac mini with Apple M1 Pro,” and a “half-sized Mac Pro workstation with the equivalent of two or four M1 Max chips.” I’m not saying that wouldn’t be plenty of machine. But won’t it be hard to get people to spend big money on an M1 anything once there’s an M2 on the market?
If talk of a “half-sized Mac Pro workstation” turns you off, Gurman does see a full-sized Apple Silicon Mac Pro on the way. He thinks that’ll have beefier processors than the current M1s or the anticipated M2s. Made for seriously hardcore developers, he’s looking for those to be announced around WWDC, with shipping expected in the fall.