This morning Apple announced their all-new iPad and iPad Pro lineups via press release and a short announcement video. The new iPad (non-Pro) features new colors and an updated square-edge design that brings it in line with the rest of Apple’s modern iPads and iPhones. The iPad Pro has been upgraded to Apple’s M2 chip, and supports a new “hover” mode on the Apple Pencil. Apple also unveiled a new Magic Keyboard Folio accessory, which includes a detachable keyboard with a trackpad and function keys.
Category: Apple
Don’t Polish Your Apple Watch Ultra⇢
This poor Watch didn’t do anything to deserve such mistreatment.
On Starting Simple
You can’t go too long in this corner of the Internet without running into a report or rumor about Apple’s AR headset plans. As an example, here is The Verge’s Adi Robertson, writing about a feature that is supposedly coming with the new hardware:
Apple’s rumored virtual and augmented reality headset will reportedly use iris scanning tech for logins and payments, according to The Information. The report, which cites two people involved in developing the headset, says the scanning is supposed to make it easier for multiple people to use the headset with their own accounts.
Goodbye, ‘Notebooks’⇢
Benjamin Mayo has noticed something new going on with Apple’s website:
Apple appears to be rolling out a wide-reaching branding change about how it refers to its Mac portable lineup. Up until recently, Apple officially referred to the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro as “Mac notebooks” or just “notebooks,” leaning on the relatively outdated industry terminology of notebook computers.
But now, everything user-facing appears to be slowly converting to using a “laptop” nomenclature. Updates to the Apple Online Store product pages, articles in the Apple Support knowledge base, and even the Mac operating system is beginning to reflect this branding update.
Underscore Took the Apple Watch Ultra to the Scottish Highlands⇢
I was very excited when Apple announced the Apple Watch Ultra this fall. I’ve been wearing an Apple Watch on my wrist nearly every day since they were first released seven years ago. What was so exciting about the Ultra is that it seemed to be targeted directly at me. I’m an avid hiker/backpacker and love being outdoors, and I’ve used a regular Apple Watch to track these activities but would love for a device that even better fits this use.
Apple Lowers System Requirements for Stage Manager⇢
N. Ingraham, writing at Engadget:
Apple is making Stage Manager work with a number of older devices: it’ll work on the 11-inch iPad Pro (first generation and later) and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro (third generation and later). Specifically, it’ll be available on the 2018 and 2020 models that use the A12X and A12Z chips rather than just the M1. However, there is one notable missing feature for the older iPad Pro models — Stage Manager will only work on the iPad’s build-in display. You won’t be able to extend your display to an external monitor.
Apple Publishes Design Guidelines for Live Activities⇢
There are several things in this new article that jumped out at me. Up first, is how different phones will treat Live Activities:
In addition to displaying a Live Activity on the Lock Screen, devices that support Live Activities can display your app information in different ways, depending on whether the device also supports the Dynamic Island.
- On devices that support the Dynamic Island, the system displays Live Activities in a persistent location around the TrueDepth camera.
- On devices that don’t support the Dynamic Island, the system can display a Live Activity update in a banner that appears briefly while people view the Home Screen or use another app, but only if the app determines that the update is important enough to interrupt people.
Apple also has some guidance about what sorts of information should be shown in Live Activities. For example, developers should not show sensitive data in these UI elements, and should give users full control over starting and stopping Live Activity events.
"Built for the Outdoors"⇢
The most rugged and capable Apple Watch yet, Apple Watch Ultra can provide the information you need during a hike, run, or dive; make interactions easy with a single press of the Action button; help maintain your night vision when you’re active after hours; and emit a loud pulsing sound if you need help.
I haven’t needed any of the EXTREME features yet, but the Apple Watch Ultra marks the first time in a long time where people have come to ask me “Is that the new one?” while pointing at an Apple product in my possession.
Ultra Bands⇢
DC Rainmaker has tried on all of the Apple Watch Ultra bands and some of the details are really interesting. Mine is coming with the orange Alpine Loop, but I think a black/gray/orange Trail Loop could be me in my future.
Don’t miss Rainmaker’s review of the Apple Watch Ultra itself.
iOS 16.0.2 Released⇢
I can’t think of a stranger pair of bugs than the copy/paste panel and shaking camera issues that this update addresses.
The CarPlay Settings Disconnect
Like many of you, I spent part of my weekend setting up my new iPhone 14 Pro. For the last couple of years, I’ve used the direct transfer method, and it has yet to let me down. It took several hours, but when the transfer was done, my iPhone 14 Pro was identical to my outgoing 13 Pro.
Well, that’s not quite true, because 8 years into the CarPlay era, its settings still do not come over to a new phone during a migration. When I hopped in my truck on Monday, I had to take a few minutes to get everything back the way I want it.
iPhone 14 Made More Repairable⇢
Apple has completely redesigned the internals of the iPhone 14 to make it easier to repair. It is not at all visible from the outside, but this is a big deal. It’s the most significant design change to the iPhone in a long time. The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max models still have the old architecture, so if you’re thinking about buying a new phone, and you want an iPhone that really lasts, you should keep reading.