I think it’s finally iPad time:
The event is scheduled for 7 AM Pacific.
Category: Apple
Charles Edge Passed Away on Friday →
Adam Engst, writing at TidBITS:
This one is way too close to home. News started to spread this morning on the MacAdmins Slack, Rich Trouton’s Der Flounder blog, and Tom Bridge’s site about how our friend and Take Control author Charles Edge died suddenly and unexpectedly on 19 April 2024.
I spoke to Tom and Charles a couple of times over the years about their podcast, and he had a way of explaining technical details that few do. Charles was a giant in the Mac Admin community, and he will be missed.
FineWoven is Unraveling →
Hartley Charlton, writing at MacRumors:
Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories, according to the Apple leaker and prototype collector known as “Kosutami.”
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Kosutami explained that Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories due to its poor durability. The company may move to another non-leather material for its premium accessories in the future.
As he points out, Kosutami has published correct leaks on FineWoven for months. I suspect that Apple is going to be changing direction yet again when it comes to its accessories.
Apple Announces Support for Used Parts in iPhone Repairs
Today Apple announced an upcoming enhancement to existing repair processes that will enable customers and independent repair providers to utilize used Apple parts in repairs. Beginning with select iPhone models this fall, the new process is designed to maintain an iPhone user’s privacy, security, and safety, while offering consumers more options, increasing product longevity, and minimizing the environmental impact of a repair. Used genuine Apple parts will now benefit from the full functionality and security afforded by the original factory calibration, just like new genuine Apple parts.
The process of confirming whether or not a repair part is genuine and gathering information about the part — often referred to as “pairing” — is critical to preserving the privacy, security, and safety of iPhone. Apple teams have been hard at work over the last two years to enable the reuse of parts such as biometric sensors used for Face ID or Touch ID, and beginning this fall, calibration for genuine Apple parts, new or used, will happen on device after the part is installed. In addition, future iPhone releases will have support for used biometric sensors. And in order to simplify the repair process, customers and service providers will no longer need to provide a device’s serial number when ordering parts from the Self Service Repair Store for repairs not involving replacement of the logic board.
Locking repair shops out of utilizing used parts has been at the heart of many right to repair conversations in recent months. In fact, Apple’s news comes just a couple of weeks after the governor of Oregon signed a right to repair bill into law, designed to take aim at the practice of part pairing. Kevin Purdy at Ars covered the news:
The law, like those passed in New York, California, and Minnesota, will require many manufacturers to provide the same parts, tools, and documentation to individuals and repair shops that they provide to their own repair teams.
But Oregon’s bill goes further, preventing companies from implementing schemes that require parts to be verified through encrypted software checks before they will function. Known as parts pairing or serialization, Oregon’s bill, SB 1596, is the first in the nation to target that practice. Oregon State Senator Janeen Sollman (D) and Representative Courtney Neron (D) sponsored and pushed the bill in the state senate and legislature.
“By eliminating manufacturer restrictions, the Right to Repair will make it easier for Oregonians to keep their personal electronics running,” said Charlie Fisher, director of Oregon’s chapter of the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), in a statement. “That will conserve precious natural resources and prevent waste. It’s a refreshing alternative to a ‘throwaway’ system that treats everything as disposable.”
Apple lobbied against the Oregon law, but in its press release, John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Engineering says:
For the last two years, teams across Apple have been innovating on product design and manufacturing to support repairs with used Apple parts that won’t compromise users’ safety, security, or privacy. With this latest expansion to our repair program, we’re excited to be adding even more choice and convenience for our customers, while helping to extend the life of our products and their parts.
According to The Washington Post, this new system will start with screens, batteries, and cameras for the iPhone 15 line and will expand in the future.
In addition to the changes around parts pairing, Apple’s press release includes two other announcements, as John Voorhees writes at MacStories:
The iPhone’s Activation Lock and Lost Mode are being extended to used parts as a deterrent to thieves pulling apart iPhones for their parts. If a lost or stolen part is detected, Apple says its calibration capabilities will be restricted. Also, Apple says it will expand the Parts and Service History section of its Settings app to include information about whether parts used in an iPhone are new or used.
I suspect those two items will be the next chapters in this on-going story.
My Spatial Persona Impressions (Updated)
I just spent some time playing with spatial Personas with Jason Snell, and I have to say, having Personas free from their floating boxes makes the whole thing much more personal.
When you join a call, the other person is directly in front of you. You can see their Personas and hands, floating in your room. If you’re in an Environment, they appear there as well. It really felt like Jason was in the PodCabin with me.
Sometimes things gets a bit weird, as they can come crashing through your Home View:
The real magic comes when sharing content or an app experience with SharePlay.
Jason sent over a link to a Freeform document, and when I opened it, his Persona suddenly appeared next to me, with our document out in front of us. Combined with the Vision Pro’s excellent spatial audio, I had the distinct feeling that we were working together on our document in a way that sharing a document on a Mac or iPad just doesn’t deliver.
Here I am, stuffed in a Kallax inside Jason’s office while we were working:
After our ideation session, we played a round of Battleship in the excellent Game Room on Apple Arcade. After I sunk all of his ships, we watched a few minutes of For All Mankind in a couple of immersive environments.
Personas are still a bit weird, but I think freeing them from their boxes makes them feel totally different and much better. If you have a Vision Pro, it’s worth checking this out, especially with SharePlay in the mix.
When you’re done, give each other a high-five!
2024-04-03 Update: I was on a group call with Jason Snell, Myke Hurley, James Thomson, and John Voorhees and it was a true blast:
Myke’s head and hands hovering near my cardboard cutout of Casey Liss:
Jason, John, and Myke being cool dudes:
I tried petting Jason’s cat:
It’s great for the Hokey Pokey:
Being able to show the guys some recent additions to my Apple collection was pretty cool:
They used to ship software on cassette!
Spatial Personas Launching on Vision Pro Today
Today, Apple is launching spatial Personas to users of the Vision Pro. In short, this allows a caller’s Persona to break free of a singular box during a FaceTime call and puts them directly into the space of the person on the other end of the call.
This should give a much better sense of presence when on a call with another Vision Pro user, and allows people who are not in the same place to share content more easily and naturally, especially when using SharePlay.
Spatial Personas are rolling out to all users whose devices are running visionOS 1.1 or later, and requires a reboot for the feature to show up as an option while on a FaceTime call. You do not have to be running a visionOS beta to use spatial Personas, but as of this writing, it was not available to me on a test call. However, these images from Apple show what we can expect:
New Apple Immersive MLS Video Dropping Today →
Apple has announced that new immersive video is coming to Apple Vision Pro users today at 6 p.m. Pacific. Jason Snell has more:
I’m excited to see the finished product — all of Apple’s immersive videos have been pretty amazing — but I have to point out that this five-minute highlight packages is being released 110 days after last year’s MLS Cup Final. That’s not great turnaround time. If immersive video for sports is going to be a thing, turnaround is going to need to be a lot faster.
I couldn’t agree with John Gruber more:
Perhaps the single most surprising aspect of Apple’s launch plan for Vision Pro is the relative dearth of original immersive content. It’s the most compelling experience with the product but there’s hardly any of it. I would have thought Apple would drop new immersive content at least a few times per month, if not weekly, but this MLS Cup highlight film is the first new one since launch.
WWDC 2024 Announced →
Apple today announced it will host its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) online from June 10 through 14, 2024. Developers and students will have the opportunity to celebrate in person at a special event at Apple Park on opening day.
Free for all developers, WWDC24 will spotlight the latest iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS advancements. As part of Apple’s ongoing commitment to helping developers elevate their apps and games, the event will also provide them with unique access to Apple experts, as well as insight into new tools, frameworks, and features.
“We’re so excited to connect with developers from around the world for an extraordinary week of technology and community at WWDC24,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations. “WWDC is all about sharing new ideas and providing our amazing developers with innovative tools and resources to help them make something even more wonderful.”
I’ll be in San Jose for a few days and am looking forward to it.
macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 Released
The newest version of macOS includes fixes for:
- USB hubs connected to external displays may not be recognized
- Copy protected Audio Unit plug-ins designed for professional music apps may not open or pass validation
- Apps that include Java may quit unexpectedly
As of this writing, Apple’s “What’s new in updates for macOS Sonoma” page isn’t updated yet, but you can grab the update via System Settings.
Breaking Down the DOJ’s Case Against Apple →
Unlike most of us Apple Bloggers, John Voorhees actually went to law school. Like David Sparks, he left the law to become a writer and podcaster, so his article on the DOJ’s suit against Apple is the one I’ve been waiting for. Over on MacStories, he has broken down the complaint filed last week.
I learned a ton in reading through this, and I think you will too. I’m not going to blockquote any of it, just to make you click through to MacStories.
United States DOJ Sues Apple →
Lauren Feiner, writing at The Verge:
The US Department of Justice and 16 state and district attorneys general accused Apple of operating an illegal monopoly in the smartphone market in a new antitrust lawsuit.
The DOJ and states are accusing Apple of driving up prices for consumers and developers at the expense of making users more reliant on its iPhones. It alleges that Apple “selectively” imposes contractual restrictions on developers and withholds critical ways of accessing the phone, according to a release.
The initial filing can be read as a PDF here.
Apple has issued a statement on the lawsuit:
At Apple, we innovate every day to make technology people love—designing products that work seamlessly together, protect people’s privacy and security, and create a magical experience for our users. This lawsuit threatens who we are and the principles that set Apple products apart in fiercely competitive markets. If successful, it would hinder our ability to create the kind of technology people expect from Apple—where hardware, software, and services intersect. It would also set a dangerous precedent, empowering government to take a heavy hand in designing people’s technology. We believe this lawsuit is wrong on the facts and the law, and we will vigorously defend against it.
Manuals, Specs, and Downloads →
Chris De Jabet pointed me to this new page on Apple’s Support site. I totally dig it.