Apple Updates AirPods Firmware to v4E71
Image via Apple
11 MAY 2022 - There’s an update out for most of the AirPods. That’s AirPods 2, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max. A piece from 9 to 5 Mac says the most up-to-date firmware is 4E71.
Why the update? ’tis not for mere mortals to know. “Unfortunately,” the piece says:
…Apple does not provide release notes for AirPods firmware updates. Instead, users have to wait for the update to hit their AirPods (…), then poke around to find out if anything has changed.
How do you force the update? You can’t! The piece says “new firmware versions will install when the AirPods are connected via Bluetooth to your iPhone.” If you want to know whether you’ve got the new firmware, why?
Anyway, here’s how to find out. 9 to 5 Mac says:
Open the Settings app on your iPhone
Navigate to the “Bluetooth” menu
Find your AirPods in the list of devices
Tap the “i” next to them
Look at the “Firmware Version” number
Then - celebrate or despair. Your call.
Apple Discontinues iPod Line
11 MAY 2022 - And finally today, you could make the case that the iPod died years ago - that replacing the dedicated media device with an iPhone minus the phone part marked the passing of what iPod was or had been. But now, it’s official.
In an uncharacteristic move, Apple on Tuesday issued a press release announcing the end of the iPod product line. What killed iPod? It was Apple. Quoting Tuesday’s press release:
Since its introduction over 20 years ago, iPod has captivated users all over the world who love the ability to take their music with them on the go. Today, the experience of taking one’s music library out into the world has been integrated across Apple’s product line — from iPhone and Apple Watch to iPad and Mac — along with access to more than 90 million songs and over 30,000 playlists available via Apple Music.
Quoted in the press release - Apple senior VP of Worldwide Marketing Greg Joswiak, who said:
Music has always been part of our core at Apple, and bringing it to hundreds of millions of users in the way iPod did impacted more than just the music industry — it also redefined how music is discovered, listened to, and shared… Today, the spirit of iPod lives on. We’ve integrated an incredible music experience across all of our products, from the iPhone to the Apple Watch to HomePod mini, and across Mac, iPad, and Apple TV. And Apple Music delivers industry-leading sound quality with support for spatial audio — there’s no better way to enjoy, discover, and experience music.
Eh. I had a wonderfully romantic evening once that started with me and a lovely woman sharing a single pair of earbuds as we switched back and forth between her iPod and mine getting to know… new music…
iPod hasn’t been iPod for a while. And yet, there is something sad about seeing it officially done in. If you want the last one, get there before they’re gone. Apple says:
Customers can purchase iPod touch through apple.com, Apple Store locations, and Apple Authorized Resellers while supplies last.
What Happened at Shanghai’s Riotous Quanta Plant
10MAY 2022 - Taking a look at recent unrest in Shanghai, China - 9 to 5 Mac ran a piece Monday listing three possible reasons Quanta workers revolted late last week. You remember the piece over the weekend - the one that had Quanta workers in a Shanghai facility running past crowd control after weeks of working in the contract manufacturer’s “closed loop.” The three factors listed by 9 to 5 Mac:
Not being able to go home-away-from-home
Over the weekend we heard that “tensions at the Quanta factory (…) boiled over after workers tried to return to dormitories after their shifts…” The closed loop thing should make going back to dorms lemon squeezy. And yet, 9 to 5 Mac says workers on break Thursday were “seemingly required” to take their break on the work floor, which is hardly conducive to relaxation. No word on why they couldn’t go to where their stuff was, but that seems to have been a bit of a breaking point.
Fear of Infection
According to the piece, workers who had been in COVID quarantine were set to come back to work. But, the piece says, people who’d not been in quarantine “were said to be mistrustful of the screening process for release…” Not wanting to be sick, they didn’t want to be trapped with people they thought would get them sick.
Fear of Infection: Part II
If COVID infection spread, workers were apparently worried that the plant would go into “total lockdown,” according to the report, “with nobody allowed to exit even if they were at the end of their scheduled time there.”
Not to be calloused, but this is an Apple show and one does have to wonder what this means for Apple. According to the piece from 9 to 5 Mac:
Business Insider says that Quanta’s Shanghai plant is responsible for around 20% of worldwide MacBook Pro production, and that this was initially operating with just 2,000 employees against the 40,000 usually employed there. While it was aiming for 50% within a few weeks, this incident – and growing levels of infection within the city – now make the target appear ambitious.
You know what’s gonna be fun? When Apple announces new Macs at June’s WWDC - encouraging people to order now in time for the holidays.
I’m probably kidding.
Apple More Reliant on Engineers in China
Shanghai, China - Image by Jeremy Zhu from Pixabay
10 MAY 2022 - COVID-19 has forced a number of changes on the modern world. Masks are a thing, both east and west. Personally, I’m more comfortable getting shots than I used to be. Also, Apple and other companies working in China have started to relax a bit of their control. That’s according to a piece from The Wall Street Journal (via Apple News+).
Apple used to fly about 50 engineers and execs from San Francisco to Shanghai every day, according to the Journal. Then COVID-19 hit and nobody went anywhere for a while. Now, as you’ve heard repeatedly here, China’s still really restrictive on travel in the time of COVID. It’s still hard to get into China, and folks who do get in face weeks of quarantine before they’re allowed to do what they went to do. The report says, many who thought it was still worth doing are starting to have second thoughts, now that various cities are going into and out of lockdown like somebody stuck in a revolving door.
Apple is said by the Journal to be tackling this in a couple of ways. First, employing a little thing they like to call “technology.” That’s said to run the gamut, from video feeds of assembly areas to keep eyes on factory floors, to the use of augmented reality - letting engineers on this side of the Pacific guide counterparts on the other side on the best way to insert tab-A into slot-B.
The second thing they’re said to be doing is listening to those counterparts. According to the Journal:
China-based engineers initially served as the eyes and the ears of their U.S.-based counterparts, people familiar with the practice said, but gradually they were given more authority to resolve problems themselves.
For instance, instead of sending product- and assembly-related information from China to Cupertino for a decision, engineers in China would also include their analysis. And China-based engineers who in the past generally would have reported problems to Cupertino would instead send proposals for resolving the problem, the people said.
Will you allow me a moment to editorialize? While The Wall Street Journal is a good source for business and financial news, it also serves as a mouthpiece for business and financial folk. While many things happen in the world at once, it’s interesting that as Apple faces blowback form employees in the U.S. over the Cupertino-company’s return-to-office plans, The Wall Street Journal runs a piece on how some of what Apple used to rely on workers in the U.S. for is now shifting to workers in China.
Funny.
WebXR Proponents Say Apple “Holding Back” Web AR
10 MAY 2022 - There’s a piece out there that says Apple is holding back augmented reality on the web. You may think Apple is holding back AR by holding back whatever AR hardware everyone expects the company to make. That is not the argument presented by industry insiders in a Protocol piece, though. Apple Insider highlights that. According to the insiders, Apple is holding back AR on the web by not adopting WebXR. The report defines that, saying:
WebXR was created by a coalition of companies that included Meta, Google, Samsung, Mozilla, and Magic Leap. The format enables augmented reality experiences in a web browser, but only where it is supported.
It is not supported in Safari, and that - the insiders argue - is holding back mobile AR. It is worth noting though, Apple does have a solution for folks who want AR on iPhone. Apple Insider reminds its readers about “the Apple-Pixar sourced USDZ format introduced with ARKit 2.0” way back in 2018. Sort of seems like, if they wanted to reach iPhone users, maybe they could also develop in a coding language that works on that platform. It kind of reminds me of Apple's Flash fight.
Apple Insider seems to take umbrage. The way that site sees it:
While an argument can be made for Apple to support the competing standard, it can't be based on the idea that Apple is holding web-based AR back, because it simply isn't true.
The piece goes on to say:
Apple is one of the driving forces behind promoting augmented reality and its benefits, and Safari's USDZ format is part of pushing that narrative forward. The competing WebXR standard may yet appear in a future Safari update, driving competition innovation for web-based AR.
Until then, it seems Apple has chosen a side in yet another format war.
Report: Cue Shuffles Personnel to Focus on Streaming and Advertising
10 MAY 2022 - It sounds like Apple’s head of Services, Eddy “The Butler” Cue has made some personnel moves. Business Insider (via Apple News) says the exec has taken a bit off of one guy’s shoulders and elevated another.
Secret so-and-sos say Peter Stern has been relieved of any duties tied to advertising. He’ll reportedly focus more on the Cupertino-company’s streaming initiatives. According to the piece:
[Apple] is expected to make a play for a raft of sports broadcasting rights, including the NFL's Sunday Ticket and the NBA, when they come up for renewal. Stern, who joined Apple in 2016, previously led Time Warner Cable's internet, phone, video, and “intelligent home” businesses and was involved in acquiring the media rights to the LA Dodgers.
The NFL and NBA could be huge for Apple TV+, meaning Stren’s plate’s kind of full. Leaving advertising with Stern would actually leave his plate overflowing, which is where Todd Teresi comes in. Or, back in. Teresi was the head of Apple’s iAd unit from its introduction in 2010 until it was shuttered in 2016. He’s still been working Apple’s advertising side, though, answering to Stern. “The Services portfolio is too big now, with too many other growing segments,” according to an unnamed insider. “The ad business is big enough to live on its own,” which it will apparently do under Teresi, answering to Stern and Cue.
All of that, again, according to secret people said to know something about something. “An Apple spokesman declined to comment,” according to Business Insider.
Jason Issacs and Lior Raz Join Apple TV+ Series “The Crowded Room”
10 MAY 2022 - The Apple TV+ series “The Crowded Room” will be seriously crowded with talent. Already announced for the show are Tom Holland - best known as the MCU’s Spider-Man, “The Dropout’s” Amanda Seyfried, and Emmy Rossum of “Shameless,” as well as “Mayor of Kingstown’s” Emma Laird, Hellboy’s Sasha Lane, and “Catch-22’s” Christopher Abbott. Now, a piece from Deadline says Lucius Malfoy is joining the list. Well, Lucius Malfoy… Gabriel Lorca… take your pick. Jason Issacs has been added to the show’s call sheet, as has “Fauda’s” Lior Raz.
If you’ve lost track of which show this is, 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).
Holland will star and executive produce, along with the show’s writer Akiva Goldsman. No word on a premier date for the series.
Registration Open for In-Person Apple Park WWDC Viewing Party
10 MAY 2022 - A reminder for members of the Apple Developer Program: If you want to try to score a ticket the Apple Park WWDC viewing party, you’ve got a little over one-day left. While this year’s Worldwide Developer Conference is online-only again, Apple is hosting “a special day for developers and students at Apple Park (…) to watch the keynote and State of the Union videos together…” Space is limited, and so is time. Would-be attendees need submit their requests by tomorrow - Wednesday 11 May at 9:00 a.m. Pacific. Folks should hear back the following day at or around 6:00 p.m. Pacific.
Apple’s WWDC 2022 is set to run from Monday 6 June through Friday 10 June.
Report: Quanta Workers Bridle at Shanghai “Closed Loop”
09 MAY 2022 - Apple’s only supplier for MacBook Pro has seen a bit of social unrest. Bloomberg says workers at a Quanta facility in Shanghai, China kind of got tired of the factory’s “closed loop” thing and busted out late last week.
China has been super quick and super strict with COVID related lockdowns over the past few months. That’s caused still more kinks in an already kinked up supply chain for all kinds of companies, including Apple. The manufacturers that have fared best are the ones that have employed a “closed loop” approach. That’s described by Bloomberg as a system “in which workers live and sleep on-site or in nearby accommodation that they’re shuttled to.”
To keep the gears turning for the likes of HP, Dell, Microsoft, and Apple, Quanta’s been running a closed loop in Shanghai since the start of April. Last week, five weeks proved a bit too much, it seems. According to the report, hundreds of employees at the facility “clashed with authorities and flooded past isolation barriers after weeks under lockdown…” The piece goes on to say:
Tensions at the Quanta factory (…) boiled over after workers tried to return to dormitories after their shifts, according to Taiwanese media outlet UDN. More than 100 jumped over a gate and ran past the staff without regard for their guidance, it said.
Good news for manufacturing: “Operations at the facility returned to normal by Friday morning,” according to one worker. At the same time, Bloomberg says, “it’s unclear how long the closed loops can be sustained, given the resources required to feed and house thousands of workers at a time.”
Plus, it seems like it might be getting to them.
Yet another variable.
Blowback Over Apple’s Back-to-Work Agenda
Head of Machine Learning Leaves Over Physical Return to Work Policies
09 MAY 2022 - While Quanta workers rebel over having to stay at work, one Apple exec has decided to not go back to it. Apple Insider says Ian Goodfellow, the Cupertino-company’s director of machine learning, has ended his time with Apple after a three-year run. Among his reason’s - Apple’s plans to bring people back to the office.
Apple workers at the corporate level are meant to be back at their offices two-days a week currently. Plans are for that to ramp up to three-days a week by Monday 23 May. And Mr. Goodfellow is not down with it. The piece on his departure cites a Twitter post from Zoe Schiffer of The Verge. According to that:
Ian Goodfellow, Apple’s director of machine learning, is leaving the company due to its return to work policy. In a note to staff, he said “I believe strongly that more flexibility would have been the best policy for my team.” He was likely the company’s most cited ML (Machine Learning) expert.
Open Letter Calls Apple Out Over Back-to-Office Hybrid
While he may be the highest profile Apple employee displeased with Apple’s back-to-work-at-work plan, the jolly Googfellow is far from the only one. Engadget ran a report last week on an open letter published by Apple office workers. Like Goodfellow, they too cite inflexibility in Apple’s plans as a sticking point. Quoting the letter to Apple corporate:
You have characterized the decision for the Hybrid Working Pilot as being about combining the “need to commune in-person” and the value of flexible work… But in reality, it does not recognize flexible work and is only driven by fear. Fear of the future of work, fear of worker autonomy, fear of losing control.
This is followed by accusations of hypocrisy. Quoting the letter again:
We tell all of our customers how great our products are for remote work, yet, we ourselves, cannot use them to work remotely? How can we expect our customers to take that seriously? How can we understand what problems of remote work need solving in our products if we don't live it?
Perhaps the most stinging rebuke - the employees seem to argue that the physical return to work is potentially discriminatory. The letter argues that the move will lead to a “younger, whiter, more male-dominated, more neuro-normative, more able-bodied” workforce.
No word on a response from Apple.
Recent BMW’s Shipping Without CarPlay Support (Yet)
09 MAY 2022 - Coming soon to some recent BMW’s, a feature they’ve had for years!
Huh?
According to a piece from Engadget:
Due to the ongoing chip shortage, BMW is temporarily shipping some vehicles without support for Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, according to report from Automotive News Europe. According to a statement the company gave to Automotive News Europe, BMW has changed suppliers and begun using a chip that does not fully support Android Auto or CarPlay. As a result, the company continued in its statement, affected vehicles will receive an over-the-air software update by “the end of June at the latest.”
So, they’re shipping with a chip that doesn’t support CarPlay, but will by the end of next month without anything having to be physically replaced.
Sometimes the future is crazy in a good way.
Evercore Analyst a True Believer in Apple’s Eventual AR/VR Play
09 MAY 2022 - We may have to give Evercore analyst Amit Daryanani a new designation where Apple is concerned. For his belief in Apple’s prospects in a device or devices dedicated to augmented reality and virtual reality, we may need to dub him a “true believer.” Apple 3.0 posted part of a note from the analyst, wherein he named whatever Apple does in AR/VR as an “underappreciated growth vector” for Apple stock. Quoting his note:
AAPL has been working on AR/VR solutions for the last 4+ years and we expect the hype into a formal launch in late 2022 to serve as a catalyst to the stock price.
Apple is rarely first to market with a product, but they almost always release a product that defines the category. We expect a similar dynamic in AR/VR as companies like Meta are already selling headsets, but we think the market remains in its infancy and there is still plenty of time for Apple to release a product.
See? True believer. Conservatively, if Apple’s AR/VR offering is as big a hit as Apple Watch he thinks Apple’s window to the metaverse could add ~$18B to sales. If it’s a AirPods-sized hit, it could contribute as much as $38B in sales in AdRock’s estimation.
Daryanani has an “Outperform” rating on Apple shares. His price target on the shares is $210.
Beats Announces Special Edition Paria Farzaneh Powerbeats Pro
Image via SSENSE.com
09 MAY 2022 - News of another special edition offering from Beats. MacRumors has word of a new set of Powerbeats Pro designed by English-Iranian artist Paria Farzaneh.
They’re… fine? MacRumors describes them as having “a special and funky yellow and dark purple pattern…” To me they look like digital camouflage, but in yellow and dark purple instead of the usual earth tones.
If it sounds like I’m being dismissive, I’m not. They’re really not unattractive. Plus, if you like her work, the piece says the stoppers “come in a unique box and with special stickers.” NOW how much would you pay?
Well, they’re $250, so that’s how much you’d pay. They’re available exclusively through the website SSENSE.
New York Times Talks Design with Prop Master for Apple Series “Severance”
09 MAY 2022 - If you’re curious about the design language of the mind-bending Apple TV+ series “Severance,” there’s an article you should check out in the New York Times. The paper of record had a chat with the show’s prop master Catherine Miller.
What inspired their computers? How did those lucite pictures come to be? Where can you get those blue finger traps? Spoiler: You can’t. Find out why and where they got theirs in the New York Times.
“The Oprah Conversation” with Elliot Page Wins GLAAD Award
Oprah Winfrey and Elliot Page on “The Oprah Conversation” - Image via Apple
09 MAY 2022 - Clear more space in Apple’s trophy case. iMore says the Apple TV+ series “The Oprah Conversation” has won a GLAAD Media Award. According to the piece, those awards:
…recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community and the issues that affect their lives.
The piece says Apple TV+ and the show earned the award for the episode featuring Elliot Page and his “first on-camera interview after disclosing that he is transgender, describing his life struggles and his message for trans youth.”
Variety: Will Smith Film “Emancipation” Likely Pushed to 2023
09 MAY 2022 - News around Apple TV+ that is disappointing on some level, but nowhere near surprising. Variety says the Antoine Fuqua-directed film Emancipation has almost definitely been pushed into 2023.
The problem? Two words: Will Smith. Three more words: Slapping Chris Rock. According to Variety:
…the movie would have been the first release for Smith following his assault on comedian Chris Rock during the 94th Oscars. As a result, he was banned from attending the Oscars and other Academy-related events for 10 years.
While no official date had been set for the film, Variety says “it was expected to be the streamer’s next potential awards project this year after winning best picture for ‘CODA.’” There is talk that the film’s director is still deep in post-production and that the film might not have been ready for release this year anyway. That may be so. Then again, it may be cover for waffling around the release. While some inside Apple are said to still be trying to salvage a late 2022 release, one insider says “it’s the unspoken truth” that the film will not be out this year.
Apple Original Films offered no comment for the Variety report.
Apple’s First Store Outside U.S. Has Date with Demolition
Apple Ginza in the Sayegusa Building in Tokyo, Japan - Image via Apple
09 MAY 2022 - A relatively recent piece of Apple history has a date with a wrecking ball. The Mac Observer says the building that holds Apple’s first international store is set for demolition. Plans are for Tokyo’s Sayegusa building, home to Apple Ginza, to be taken down by the end of this year.
“Originally built in 1967,” TMO cites a report from Japan Property Central that says “the 8-story building is set to be demolished to make way for a 10-story building.” Amazingly, that will only net them an extra 600 square feet. The building that stands there now is said to have 42,400 square feet. The new one will have 43,000 square feet. But - you know… new building smell, I guess.
No word on whether Apple will relocate the store. TMO points out that “the Ginza district is Japan’s most famous area for upscale shopping.” At the same time, Apple does have four other stores serving Tokyo.
Plans to Do Away with Passwords
Image by Gino Crescoli from Pixabay
06 MAY 2022 - Thursday 05 May was World Password Day, and it saw Apple, Google, and Microsoft pledging to kill the password.
Makes me kind of worry about Mother’s Day.
According to a press release on Apple’s site:
In a joint effort to make the web more secure and usable for all, Apple, Google, and Microsoft today announced plans to expand support for a common passwordless sign-in standard created by the FIDO Alliance and the World Wide Web Consortium. The new capability will allow websites and apps to offer consistent, secure, and easy passwordless sign-ins to consumers across devices and platforms.
What, you may wonder, is FIDO? Short for Fast IDentity Online, the FIDO Alliance was formed just under ten-years ago “to address the lack of interoperability among strong authentication technologies,” and make the username/password thing easier on users.
Of course, the easiest thing is to reuse the same password form multiple sites and accounts. The release says that is a security nightmare, since it “can lead to costly account takeovers, data breaches, and even stolen identities.” Instead of passowrds, the three tech-titans and FIDO say:
Users will sign in through the same action that they take multiple times each day to unlock their devices, such as a simple verification of their fingerprint or face, or a device PIN. This new approach protects against phishing and sign-in will be radically more secure when compared to passwords and legacy multi-factor technologies such as one-time passcodes sent over SMS.
The release says that’ll happen thanks to two new capabilities announced Thursday:
Allow users to automatically access their FIDO sign-in credentials (referred to by some as a “passkey”) on many of their devices, even new ones, without having to reenroll every account.
Enable users to use FIDO authentication on their mobile device to sign in to an app or website on a nearby device, regardless of the OS platform or browser they are running.
A brighter future awaits, huh? We’re not there yet though. On our way, The Checklist by SecureMac marked World Password Day talking about passwords. Scary stats plus a bunch of password dos and don’ts. That’s The Checklist by SecureMac - hosted by Mac OS Ken’s Ken Ray. You’re looking for Checklist No. 277 - World Password Day 2022. Find it wherever you find podcasts or on the show’s site: SecureMac.com/Checklist.
Facebook Halts Recruiting as App Tracking Transparency, Other factors Take a Bite
06 MAY 2022 - Remember how Facebook used to follow the activity of iOS users across various websites and applications without the user knowing? Then Apple started the whole App Tracking Transparency thing, forcing Facebook to get permission before tracking user activity? That has apparently hurt the social network. The Mac Observer says, “Facebook’s parent company Meta has informed staff that the company is freezing recruitment” after missing revenue growth expectations. According to the piece:
Meta CFO David Wehner stated in an all-staff email, “We’re facing headwinds including slower revenue growth than anticipated at the start of the year”. Wehner further elaborated, “This is due to a number of factors, including the loss of signal from iOS changes.”
Loss of signal. Like you chewed off your radio collar or something.
To his credit, Wehner isn’t only blaming Apple’s App Tracking Transparency. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and “the general macroeconomic environment” were also cited by the CFO.
Bug Has Apple Music Replacing Other Apps in iPhone Dock
06 May 2022 - Something strange happened Thursday with the Apple Music app on iOS. According to a pierce form MacRumors:
Apple Music appears to be affected by a bug that is causing the app to install itself directly into the dock when downloaded from the App Store, with the app even replacing other first and third-party apps located in the dock.
Apparently, some people had it replace Spotify and other non-Apple apps in the dock, leading them to suspect the worst. It wasn’t just happening to non-Apple apps though, nor was it replacing like with like. Sure, the Spotify/Apple Music switch happened for some people. When MacRumors tested it though, Apple Music displaced the Mail app and Dropbox in the dock. Meanwhile, TechCrunch saw it replace the Camera app, Twitter, and Safari.
Weird bug.
Of course, if it’s a day that ends in “y” it’s a chance for Epic CEO Tim Sweeney to prove what a bleeping bleephole he can be. Once news of something that had noting to do with him hit, he took to Twitter to say:
I just verified this on iOS 15.4.1. With Spotify installed and on the dock, installing Apple Music removed Spotify from the dock and put Apple Music there - without asking. Happens without Apple Music being run, so clearly Apple has rigged their OPERATING SYSTEM to do this!
Yeah. Because with antitrust regulators crawling on Apple like bedbugs - this is obviously part of a nefarious plan. Not. Adding to a piece he’d written on the issue, Oliver Haslam at iMore got clarification form Apple. According to his update:
Apple tells me that it knows this Apple Music bug is being experienced by some people and that it's looking into it. Hopefully a fix isn't too far away.