Year: 2016

Apple Launches Repair Program for Multi-Touch Issues on iPhone 6 Plus →

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Apple has announced a Repair Program for iPhone 6 Plus models that exhibit screen flickering or Multi-Touch failures:

Apple has determined that some iPhone 6 Plus devices may exhibit display flickering or Multi-Touch issues after being dropped multiple times on a hard surface and then incurring further stress on the device.

If your iPhone 6 Plus is exhibiting the symptoms noted above, is in working order, and the screen is not cracked or broken, Apple will repair your device for a service price of $149.

Apple will contact customers who may have paid for a service repair related to this issue either through Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider to arrange reimbursement. If you have not been contacted but paid for a repair that you believe was related to this issue, please contact Apple.

The reimbursement amount will equal the difference between the price you paid for the original service to your iPhone 6 Plus and the $149 service price.

In short, if your 6 Plus exhibits this problem, Apple will service the device for a discounted rate. If you’ve already paid for the repair, Apple will reimburse you the difference. Simple enough.

However, this is very different from past Repair Programs in which Apple has fixed or replaced defective devices free of charge.

iFixit published a video about the issue back in August. The group believed that a drop can damage the screen controller, and Apple’s statement seems to back that up.

Clearly Apple believes this issues only surfaces after some amount of accidental damage that’s severe enough to damage this weaker connection in the phone, but not so bad that it breaks the display. That’s unusual, and I’d bet that there are going to be people who claim to have never dropped their devices, despite the failure being present.

Microsoft Surface Studio Reviews

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Microsoft’s new desktop has drawn a lot of attention, and some reviews went up earlier today.

The Verge’s Tom Warren thinks the large touch screen and pen support are going to tempt current Mac users:

The fact that Microsoft is even being considered an alternative to Apple’s line of machines for creatives is not something anyone, not even Microsoft, was expecting for the Surface devices. The Surface Studio won’t take over Mac-focused design houses just yet, but that it’s even a possibility is remarkable. The Studio is special because it knows exactly what it is and who it’s for — and it’s largely spot on. If Microsoft keeps developing its strengths here, some of Apple’s most loyal customers might well be tempted to switch camps.

Norman Chan at Tested believes the Studio is a new type of computer, not a direct competitor to the iMac. I tend to agree with this line of thinking — the Studio is a more of a Wacom Cintiq with a computer inside than an traditional desktop.

Devindra Hardawar at Engadget:

The Surface Studio is both familiar and new. It empowers us to work the way we always have, while also giving us entirely new modes of productivity. Personally, that’s a philosophy I can get behind — especially when compared with Apple’s habit of pushing consumers down new roads that aren’t necessarily improvements (hello, dongle life). But the Surface Studio’s high price and lack of expandability could make it a tough sell for an already niche market, especially for people already devoted to their Wacom tablets.

I don’t think this computer is going to be a huge hit, but I like that it exists. Microsoft is doing some really interesting stuff, and that’s good for the entire market.

I believe Apple when it says that touch is wrong for macOS, but this sort of product sure makes me wonder what professionals could do with it.

The Brushed Metal Diaries: Beyond Software

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In the Brushed Metal Diaries, we take a look at one of Apple’s most unique — and most hated — user interface paradigms.

I’ve written about the awful Brushed Metal user interface theme a bunch over the years, but OS X isn’t the only place this scourge on design has left its mark.

Here are some other places where Brushed Metal (or one of its cousins) have popped up over the years:

Original iCloud Marketing Material

iCloud with a Chance of Brushed Metal

iCloud in OS X 10.8

Poor OS X

Original Siri Button

Siri on the iPhone 4S

iPhone OS Dock

iPhone OS Dock

Apple Stores

Beijing Apple Store

On Apple’s Nostalgia

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In the wake of this morning’s news, I thought it would be worthwhile to talk a little bit about how Apple treats its past.

There’s no doubt that Steve Jobs didn’t like to look back. He donated Apple’s historical library to Stanford:

“The Apple collections, gathered by Apple’s impressive library and archival staff, reflect what amounts to the Apple crusade, as led by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, Mike Markkula and John Sculley,” said Michael A. Keller, Stanford university librarian, director of Academic Information Resources and publisher of HighWire Press. “Stanford is proud to have received this well-organized and complete record of the Apple story to date.”

The collections, which have been managed by records management and library staff at Apple since the mid-1980s, were intended for an Apple museum that was never built. They already have been moved to Stanford and will be housed and maintained for research use in the department of special collections in Green Library. Inventories and finding aids for researchers will be prepared during the coming year.

In addition to the museum collection, Apple is giving Stanford historical materials from the recently closed Apple corporate library in Cupertino. These include book and periodical collections about Apple computers and software, user group newsletters, artifacts, press releases and speeches. Records from the Apple Library Users Group and the Apple Library of Tomorrow program also are part of the gift.

Then there’s this, from 1990:

This Jobs quote adorns the wall outside of Apple’s Town Hall:

If you do something and it turns out pretty good, then you should go so something else wonderful, not dwell on it for too long. Just figure out what’s next.

Like many things however, this view of the world is changing in the post-Jobs Apple.

In 2014, Apple celebrated the Mac’s 30th birthday. There was the 40 Years in 40 Seconds video, and in the most recent event, a PowerBook 170 was one of many vintage notebooks included in the presentation. Old iPhones routinely get made into graphics for keynotes. Phil Schiller has denied rumors that Campus 2 will include a public museum, but I have heard multiple times that an internal library of old software and some hardware has been rebuilt in recent years.

The point is that while nostalgia was not part of Jobs’ DNA, it has resurfaced in Apple’s. The company is changing, and part of that includes things like this new book.

Some find it troubling or uncomfortable, but I don’t think it is. A photo book of Macs and iPhones isn’t what is keeping Apple from releasing a Mac Pro. A promo video including the iBook G3 didn’t force the company to remove MagSafe from its new notebooks.

Apple can continue to push ahead, even as it allows itself the occasional glance in the rearview mirror. The company has an amazing history, and it’s okay to be proud of it.

Connected #117: A Friend of Your Uncle of Your Cousin →

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This week on Connected, Federico and I talk about Apple’s new book, the Touch Bar’s potential and Snapchat possibly paving the way for future Apple glasses.

My thanks to our sponsors:

  • Casper: Because everyone deserves a great night sleep. Get $50 off with the code ‘CONNECTED’
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MacStories: The In-Between Macs →

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I’m happy to announce that I’m going to be doing some writing over at MacStories. Up first, a look at some weird “in-between” Macs Apple has released over the last couple of decades:

Every transition in technology brings a period of time in which less-than-optimal decisions have to be made. Price, features and timelines are always at war with one another.

It’s the first time the G4 Cube has been written about on MacStories. I know my strengths.

Kbase Article of the Week: Power Mac G4: Screen is Black, No Startup Tone, Drive Does Not Operate →

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The opening of this kbase article reads like a sad poem:

The Power Mac G4 computer screen is black. The boot tone is not present, the drive does not operate, the fan is running, and LED is lit.

This article is a rare one, in that it wasn’t originally mean for the public, as Apple states:

This article covers repair procedures for authorized service providers on selected Apple products, but we have published them in the Knowledge Base for the general public for educational purposes.

At this time, there are a limited number of repairs that a customer can perform and these are covered under the customer installable parts program http://www.info.apple.com/installparts. If you have not been authorized to perform these procedures, please contact Apple (800-APL-CARE in the USA) or your local authorized service provider to schedule a repair.

This part follows, and is in red (!) text on Apple’s website:

DANGER! This procedure exposes you to high voltages that can result in death or serious injury. DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS PROCEDURE IF YOU HAVE NOT BEEN CERTIFIED AS AN APPLE-AUTHORIZED TECHNICIAN.

Welp.

‘Designed by Apple in California’ →

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Apple has announced a new product I did not see coming:

Apple today announced the release of a new hardbound book chronicling 20 years of Apple’s design, expressed through 450 photographs of past and current Apple products. “Designed by Apple in California,” which covers products from 1998’s iMac to 2015’s Apple Pencil, also documents the materials and techniques used by Apple’s design team over two decades of innovation.

I’m more into this stuff than almost anyone, and I find this odd. Even after last year’s “40 Years in 40 Seconds” video, something this retrospective feels weird.

Especially this bit:

The book is dedicated to the memory of Steve Jobs.

Steve Jobs wasn’t one to look back. In fact, he donated Apple’s internal historical collection to Stanford upon his return to the company.

(Then again, Apple says the project has been in the works for eight years. Wild.)

Make no mistake, I will be buying one of these tomorrow, but I can’t help but wonder what’s behind it. Jony Ive’s fingerprints are all over this, and he’s quoted heavily in the press release. Is this his farewell tour, or just a project he wanted to get out the door now that Campus 2 is almost done?

Apple has been more in touch with its history in the last few years, but this is different. It’s Ive’s history.

I just wish it covered more than Ive’s hits of the last two decades. If you want a book like this that spans all of Apple’s history, check out Iconic.