Category: Apple
Older Software Losing Access to iTunes, App Store Payment Changes⇢
I got this email from Apple last night:
On June 30, 2018, Apple will implement changes to continue to ensure your financial data is protected when you make purchases on the iTunes Store or App Store.
Our records show that you may be accessing the store from an older version of iOS, macOS, or Apple TV software:
- iOS 4.3.5 or earlier
- macOS 10.8.5 or earlier
- Apple TV Software 4.4.4 or earlier
To be able to change your payment information with devices running the software listed above, you’ll need to update to a more recent software version.
macOS Mojave Now in Public Beta
There are three links you need:
- Jason Snell’s coverage of the beta and his first look at the OS
- Apple’s Public Beta webpage
- This 250 GB external SSD to run it on because it is an early beta and you shouldn’t be running it full time yet.
Apple News Launching 2018 Midterms Section⇢
The 2018 Midterm Elections section helps readers follow the latest on the elections with breaking news, exclusive highlights and analysis from reliable sources selected by Apple News’ team of experienced editors. Readers can quickly get up to speed on the most relevant topics and candidates by accessing the new section in the Apple News app from a banner across the top of the For You tab, as well as through Top Stories and the Spotlight tab.
Apple Opens Service Program for MacBook, MacBook Pro Keyboard⇢
Apple has determined that a small percentage of the keyboards in certain MacBook and MacBook Pro models may exhibit one or more of the following behaviors:
- Letters or characters repeat unexpectedly
- Letters or characters do not appear
- Key(s) feel “sticky” or do not respond in a consistent manner
Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider will service eligible MacBook and MacBook Pro keyboards, free of charge. The type of service will be determined after the keyboard is examined and may involve the replacement of one or more keys or the whole keyboard.
An Update on AirPower⇢
Mark Gurman, writing at Bloomberg:
Company engineers have been toiling away to address problems. One challenge is making sure the charger doesn’t overheat. Another is the complexity of the circuitry, according to people familiar with the device’s development.
Then there’s this:
The AirPower charger is also more advanced than the current competition because it includes a custom Apple chip running a stripped down version of the iOS mobile operating system to conduct on-device power management and pairing with devices. Apple engineers have also been working to squash bugs related to the on-board firmware, according to the people familiar. They asked not to be identified discussing a product that hasn’t been released yet.
Tim Cook on The David Rubenstein Show⇢
I don’t usually link to Tim Cook interviews, but this one really jumped out at me. In it, Cook talks about the time leading up to him taking over the company and the early days of the iPhone in a way I found very enjoyable to watch.
On Shortcuts⇢
On the surface, Shortcuts the app looks like the full-blown Workflow replacement heavy users of the app have been wishfully imagining for the past year. But there is more going on with Shortcuts than the app alone. Shortcuts the feature, in fact, reveals a fascinating twofold strategy: on one hand, Apple hopes to accelerate third-party Siri integrations by leveraging existing APIs as well as enabling the creation of custom SiriKit Intents; on the other, the company is advancing a new vision of automation through the lens of Siri and proactive assistance from which everyone – not just power users – can reap the benefits.
On macOS Mojave’s Dark Mode
The most obvious change to macOS coming later this year is in the inclusion of Dark Mode.
When Apple redesigned macOS back in 2014 with Yosemite, it included a less ambitious version of the feature. Here’s a bit from my review:
To say that Yosemite comes with a “Dark Theme” is vastly over-stating the “Dark menu bar and Dock” option found in the “General” preference pane:
As shown above, OS X’s new dark mode only affects the menu bar, Command+Tab UI, drop-down menus, the Dock and Spotlight. Everything else — from Finder windows to built-in apps — remain their normal, bright selves, no matter what System Preferences says.
Apple Watch Rumored to Move to Solid-state Buttons⇢
Mark Sullivan at FastCompany is reporting on a change that I definitely think is coming to the Watch at some point:
Apple will stick with the Watch’s current button configuration, with a button and a digital crown situated on one side of the device, but neither will physically click as before. Rather than reacting to the user’s touch by physically moving back and forth, the new buttons will vibrate slightly under the fingertip, using the haptic effect Apple calls the Taptic Engine. (The digital crown will still physically rotate to navigate through content.)
Things Removed in macOS 10.14 Mojave⇢
It really seems that Apple is cleaning house in some corners of macOS. Something big is coming this way, it feels like.