Apple Insider – Page 83

Posted on April 8, 2020 by sick skills — Leave a comment

You can still play HBO Go or YouTube on an old Apple TV after it gets abandoned

Tips

By William Gallagher
Wednesday, April 08, 2020, 11:16 am PT (02:16 pm ET)

As users report being unable to access DRM-protected YouTube content on their third generation Apple TV, HBO has officially announced that it is abandoning early Apple TV models too. But, you can still stream the content to the set-top with an iPhone and AirPlay.

If the Apple TV 3rd generation isn’t a museum piece, that remote control certainly is.

Apple currently sells both its most recent 2018 Apple TV 4K, and the preceding 2015 Apple TV HD, plenty of users are still on the prior models. As of April 30, 2020, however, they will no longer be able to view HBO apps —and some users are now reporting general issues with even YouTube.

“In order to provide the best streaming experience, we need to make some changes to our supported devices list,” said HBO in a statement on its site. “Starting on April 30, 2020, HBO GO will no longer be available on the Apple TV (2nd and 3rd generation).”

Unrelated reports on Reddit and in Apple’s own support forums are claiming that the YouTube app is broken on the 3rd generation, too. Some users are claiming that on attempting to play any video, they get only a message saying only that “An error occurred loading this content.”

In AppleInsider testing, we saw this issue on only a few selected YouTube videos with digital rights management embedded. For now, the majority of YouTube content plays perfectly fine, including all randomly-selected AppleInsider videos.

However, HBO abandoning these models, and YouTube owner Google having issues with it, is not surprising. The Apple TV (3rd Generation) dates from 2012, and the 2nd Generation is now a decade old. Neither support the App Store, so they only have the apps and the versions of apps that Apple installs or updates.

Users will still be able to watch HBO, YouTube, or any future problematic channels, however, because both of these models of Apple TV support AirPlay streaming. With the HBO, YouTube, or any other app playing on an iPhone or iPad, users can stream the output to the Apple TV. Streaming, even on a strong Wi-Fi connection, is not going to be as good or responsive as having a native app on the Apple TV, though, so this is just a work-around, and not a great one.

The easiest way to tell if you have an impacted model is to measure the height of it. If it is less than an inch thick, it is a second or third generation model. If you need a more discrete determination of model number, navigate to Settings, General, and About. The 2nd generation is model number A1378, while the 3rd Generation is either A1427 or A1469. The latter was for a revised version released in 2013.

Posted on April 7, 2020 by sick skills — Leave a comment

Apple Maps COVID-19 update refocuses local searches on hospitals, food deliveries

By Malcolm Owen
Tuesday, April 07, 2020, 12:06 pm PT (03:06 pm ET)

Apple has altered how Apple Maps shows nearby searches during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, with the app now focusing on providing quicker access to food deliveries, pharmacies, and grocery locations close to the user.

The old list (left), the updated list (right)

Users of Apple Maps are likely to be familiar with how the app provides a list of often-requested services and businesses in its search results, allowing for general searches for commonly needed locations. In a bid to make things easier for people to acquire supplies and medical attention during the coronavirus pandemic, Apple has updated the app to show a different list.

Discovered by iPhone-Ticker.de, tapping the search box will bring up the list of categories to “search nearby.” The list typically includes restaurants, fast food, rapid transit, cafes, and supermarkets, among other frequently-needed items, but on Tuesday the list has changed.

Tapping the search box now prioritizes default searches for pharmacies, hospitals, and urgent care near the top of the list. In some cases, the app will also show food delivery services as higher on the list than restaurants.

The change is subtle but highly useful for people who may be affected by official orders to stay at home and not to go outside, as well as to conduct social distancing. In many areas affected by the rules, food deliveries are preferred over restaurants, with the latter likely to be delivery-only or shut down entirely.

The change is slowly rolling out to users around the world. Not everyone is seeing the altered list at this time, with some AppleInsider staff seeing the updated roster while others do not at the time of publication.

Posted on April 6, 2020 by sick skills — Leave a comment

Apple to release new 13-inch MacBook Pro in May, leaker claims

By Malcolm Owen
Monday, April 06, 2020, 03:40 am PT (06:40 am ET)

Apple could still be preparing to refresh the 13-inch MacBook Pro in May, a leaker claims, which could get a 14-inch display without dramatically altering the overall physical size.

Apple is thought to be working on its usual refresh of the MacBook Pro lineup, one which could occur in the near future. Following the update to the iPad Pro range, it seems likely that Apple will launch updated MacBook-family products next, but it is suggested there may be a bit more of a wait before the company makes its announcement.

According to leaker Jon Prosser on Twitter, Apple will be bringing out a refreshed 13-inch MacBook Pro “next month,” meaning sometime in May. In a follow-up tweet, Prosser goes on to clarify it would be a refresh of the current 13-inch model, but a move to a bigger 14-inch display “is a big possibility.”

While the tweets could be considered educated guesses based on Apple’s usual product cadence, along with incorporating details from other rumor reports, Prosser also makes the claim the new model will have the codename “J223.” Prosser has also been making more Twitter-based pronouncements about Apple’s product line in recent times, with some level of accuracy, which frames the tweet’s details as being genuine.

On March 3, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo proposed there would be a replacement of the 13-inch MacBook Pro by one sporting a 14.1-inch Mini LED display. In Kuo’s note, the analyst doesn’t specify when the model would launch, except it would be sometime in 2020, and that product development of Mini LED will “remain unaffected” by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Kuo has also suggested in earlier notes a refreshed MacBook Pro model with the new scissor-switch keyboard mechanism would arrive in the second quarter of 2020, though stopped short of saying what models would be affected. Earlier Kuo predictions for 2020 MacBook Pro upgrades include notes dating back to 2019.

Posted on April 3, 2020 by sick skills — Leave a comment

Apple News outage briefly impacted selected users [u]

By William Gallagher
Friday, April 03, 2020, 03:40 am PT (06:40 am ET)

A small number of users worldwide were reporting that Apple News was down for a period of time on Friday morning, but there was no consistency to which territories were affected, and devices on the same network could be working.

These two iPhones are on the same network and using the same Apple ID. The iPad that the shot was taken with also has Apple News running, but it did take longer than usual to load.

Reports overnight claimed that the Apple News service was down, with users worldwide saying that the app wasn’t populated with stories, and then displaying an error message. That message said that the “feed is unavailable,” and recommended trying again later.

However, not only was Apple’s regular service status reporting no problems, Apple News is appearing as normal for most people.

More peculiarly, that included people who have multiple devices —one may have said the feed is unavailable, but the other showed the regular service. In some cases, the feed is taking longer than usual to appear.

In AppleInsider testing, the majority of iOS devices, and Macs, were all working correctly. In one test of four devices on the same network and with the same Apple ID, two worked perfectly, one was slow, and only one failed to load Apple News at all.

Update 7:00 A.M. Eastern time: Apple News appears to have been completely restored.

Posted on April 2, 2020 by sick skills — Leave a comment

Apple researching trackpad & gesture combo for controlling AR

Rather than attempting to manipulate AR objects through gloves or a game controller, a peripheral like a trackpad could allow users to select and manipulate what they see in front of them.

The four images at the top are meant to be being displayed in AR, while the trackpad-style device at the bottom is a physical one that the user can control

Alongside headsets like Apple Glasses which lets users see augmented reality, there’s a need to interact and manipulate virtual objects. This is often done by the user having to also wear a type of glove, but Apple is looking at creating a physical surface that can detect touch. It’s considering a large trackpad for controlling computer-generated environments (CGR) through ARKit.

“CGR environments are environments where some objects displayed for a user’s viewing are generated by a computer,” says Apple in US Patent No. <a href="http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-adv.html&r=114&p=3&f=G&l=50&d=PG01&S1=(apple.AANM.+AND+20200402.PD.)&OS=aanm/apple+and+pd/4/2/2020&RS=(AANM/apple+AND+PD/20200402)
%0D%0A”>20200104025, called “Remote Touch Detection Enabled by Peripheral Device.”

“A user can interact with these virtual objects by activating hardware buttons or touching touch-enabled hardware,” it continues. “However, such techniques for interacting with virtual objects can be cumbersome and non-intuitive for a user.”

Apple’s proposed solutions include a variety of “techniques for remote touch detection using a system of multiple devices,” but the principle one is a “peripheral device that is placed on a physical surface such as the top of a table.”

While a headset is showing a user a composite image of the real world around him or her, including this trackpad-style device, it can also be displaying virtual objects. Just as with a trackpad and screen on a MacBook Pro, the user can be looking at the virtual object while their fingers perform touch gestures on the trackpad.

A camera in the headset can locate the trackpad, and combined with that device’s touch sensitive surface, calculate what virtual objects the user is attempting to manipulate.

Drawings in the patent show a user selecting from a choice of images by tapping at a corresponding part of the pad. They show the user rotating objects, or resizing them, using familiar touch gestures and movements.

Most of the patent describes methods of registering touches, and of displaying the composite AR and real image. Part of the latter suggests using holograms projected onto surfaces.

Key to the patent application, though, is how the use of the trackpad-like device can change depending on the AR images being presented, and where the device is in relation to the user. The combination of the trackpad and the headset working together mean that the user can be told to reposition the peripheral touch device.

“For optimal operation, peripheral device can request additional space near or around itself such that camera sensor(s) are free from occlusions (e.g., obstructions),” it says. An error message can be displayed in the headset and cleared by the user moving the trackpad into a better position.

The top message is an error displayed on the user’s AR headset, and is cleared by the user moving the trackpad-like device to a better position

That chiefly means being in view of the headset camera and not obscured by other items, but can also be as specific as requiring the device be turned a certain way.

“In some embodiments, the set of operating conditions includes a requirement that peripheral device is in a suitable orientation (e.g., a surface of the peripheral device is approximately parallel with respect to the ground, is horizontal, is vertical, so forth),” it concludes.

The patent is credited to four inventors, Samuel L. Iglesias, Devin W. Chalmers, Rhit Sethi, and Lejing Wang. The latter has recently been credited on a similar patent regarding accurate handling of real and virtual objects, while Chalmers is listed on one about having digital assistants guiding users through AR and VR.

Posted on March 31, 2020 by sick skills — Leave a comment

Russia ban on iPhones, computers without government mandated apps postponed

By Mike Wuerthele
Tuesday, March 31, 2020, 03:49 am PT (06:49 am ET)

New legislation in Russia that will mandates all smartphones, computers and smart televisions to have Russian-made software pre-installed has been postponed, with provisions not kicking in until January 2021.

Apple’s iPhones are expected to be subject to Russia’s forthcoming ban

Russia’s lower house of parliament passed legislation in November 2019 that makes it mandatory for devices such as Apple‘s iPhone that feature apps to include pre-loaded Russian-made ones. The legislation threatening the ban encompasses smartphones, computers, tablets, and televisions.

“When we buy complex electronic devices, they already have individual applications, mostly Western ones, pre-installed on them,” co-author of Russia’s legislation, Oleg Nikolayev said at the time. “Naturally, when a person sees them, they might think that there are no domestic alternatives available. And if, alongside pre-installed applications, we will also offer the Russian ones to users, then they will have a right to choose.”

Tass isn’t yet clear on the reasons behind the postponement. The delay may be technical, but is more likely related to the COVID-19 outbreak that is complicating device production and development at the moment.

Russia’s own Association of Trading Companies and Manufacturers of Electrical Household and Computer Equipment has decried the legislation, saying that it would lead to less choice and more surveillance of the Russian people. The organization believes that western manufacturers will leave the Russian market instead of comply with the legislation.

Apps that are pre-loaded because of legislation would presumably not have to pass through a vetting process such as Apple’s with App Store submissions. There would be no way for users to know whether or not these apps contained state-supported official spyware.

The new legislation comes after the country has introduced increasing control and limitations on the internet. Thus far, companies including Apple have complied with the various laws, including Apple, which agreed to store user data on Russian servers.

Posted on March 29, 2020 by sick skills — Leave a comment

Comparing the 11-inch versus 12.9-inch 2020 iPad Pro

The new 2020 iPad Pros are powerful, stunning, and better than ever. We take a closer look at both sizes of the 2020 iPad Pro to see what the differences are in specs as well as what it is really like to use the larger or smaller versions.

The 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pros

Specs and features

One of the most common questions we receive ask if there is any difference in specs or performance between, say, the entry-level 11-inch iPad Pro and the maxed-out 12.9-inch iPad Pro. We are happy to say that no, there is absolutely no difference and you won’t be losing out on any performance by going for the smaller 11-inch iPad Pro over the 12.9.

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Between the two, the processors, internals, and other specifications are exactly the same, with the only difference being the larger display. The 11-inch has a 2388-by-1668 display at 264 pixels per inch while the 12.9-inch comes in at 2732-by-2048 at the same pixel density.

That means you don’t get a better display either, just a larger one, by going with the 12.9-inch.

Both devices run the same software and have the same accessories. They both work with the second-generation Apple Pencil and can be connected to the Smart Keyboard Folio or upcoming Magic Keyboard.

Keyboards

Speaking of keyboards, if you do a significant amount of typing on your iPad Pro, the 12.9-inch is a far better option for two distinct reasons.

On-screen keyboard displayed on the 11-inch (left) and 12.9-inch (right) iPad Pros

The first is the on-screen keyboard. Going from the 11-inch to the 12.9, the keyboard covers up far less of the display. Depending on the app, you can get far less usable space on the 11-inch model. The 12.9-inch takes up less than half the screen while the 11-inch is more than half the screen.

Then there’s the physical Smart Keyboard Folio.

Comparing the Mac’s Magic Keyboard to the iPad Pro’s 12.9-inch Smart Keyboard Folio

With this, the 12.9-inch has a full-sized keyboard. Comparing it to our Mac’s keyboard, they are the same size. This makes a world of difference when you move between a desktop or laptop and your iPad Pro. Your fingers gain a sense of muscle memory and when the keyboard keeps changing sizes, your fingers trip up and you make more mistakes.

The 11-inch iPad Pro has a compressed keyboard and doesn’t align with how your fingers were trained. It is still a solid keyboard, but requires your fingers to “relearn” the key placement each time.

Multitasking

An 11-inch (left) and 12.9-inch (right) iPad Pro with two apps in split view, one app in slider over, and a movie playing in PiP

Another significant differentiator is multitasking, as a lot of users don’t take full advantage of the multitasking abilities iPad Pro has. At the same time, you can open two apps side-by-side in split view, bring in another via slide over, and watch a movie in picture-in-picture.

If you do that on both displays, there is a stark contrast regarding what you can see. The 11-inch iPad Pro has very little usable space —even less if you tried to open up the keyboard to type.

The 12.9-inch, on the other hand, has plenty of space and is easy to write on while looking at a source, while monitoring your Twitter feed, while the news is playing in the background, or whatever your second task happens to be. It is a lot going on, but is manageable on the larger display.

Portability

A larger screen may inherently lend itself to more productivity, but it is hard to beat the compact size of the 11-inch. The 11-inch is a true workhorse in a small body and if you tote it around frequently, the 11-inch size may be the way to go.

We’ve been steadfast users of the 12.9-inch due to multitasking capabilities and the necessary space for video editing, but spending a few days again using the 11-inch has made us love that more compact size. Icons are a bit smaller —which is good if you like fitting more onto a smaller display but bad if you have problems with your eyes.

The 11-inch iPad Pro is not only the most powerful iPad, but it is the physically smallest other than the iPad mini. That is a great tradeoff if you want both power and portability.

We also prefer the 11-inch when it comes to media consumption. It is lighter and more comfortable to hold for long bouts of time while reading, playing games, or kicking back to watch a video.

Reading on the iPad Pro

In the end, it is hard for us to with any degree of certainty recommend one over the other. We are fond of the 12.9-inch for its display and production values but love how easy the 11-inch is to carry around.

If you fall into one camp over another, hopefully the decision is easy for you when picking up your new tablet.

Lowest prices on Apple’s 2020 iPad Pro

Instant discounts on Apple’s new 2020 iPad Pro are already in effect, with the latest deals at your fingertips in the AppleInsider 2020 11-inch iPad Pro Price Guide and 2020 12.9-inch iPad Pro Price Guide.

2020 11″ iPad Pro deals

2020 12.9″ iPad Pro savings

Posted on March 28, 2020 by sick skills — Leave a comment

Two iPhones and iPad used for NBC ‘Today Show’ outside broadcast

By Malcolm Owen
Saturday, March 28, 2020, 01:56 pm PT (04:56 pm ET)

The iPhone has shown its usefulness in one unusual work-from-home situation, with NBC Today Show host Al Roker revealing the use of two iPhones and an iPad as part of his remote broadcasting setup.

Al Roker’s iPhone setup for outside broadcasts (via @alroker/Twitter)

The coronavirus has forced many businesses and organizations to keep their employees at home where possible, with those affected being set up to do their jobs remotely. While many office-based roles can easily traverse to home-working environments, broadcasters are having to work out alternate ways to get their stars on-air, and sometimes broadcasting live.

In a Twitter post on Friday, Al Roker revealed his setup to broadcast for NBC’s “The Today Show,” filming live from outside his home. Roker appeared on-air live during the show, which appeared to operate as a typical outside broadcast to onlookers, but the tweet showed it was not a normal setup.

Yes. Made it to Fri-yay. Here’s my backyard setup for @todayshow and @3rdhourhourToday iPhone is Live U, other iPhone is return. iPad is prompter. And a LED light panel and an iRig/Sennheiser mic combo pic.twitter.com/DomHW57KTf

— Al Roker (@alroker) March 27, 2020

Roker advised he used a pair of iPhones to film his segments, with one iPhone 11 Pro used as the main camera while the other was a “return.” Using applications such as LiveU, the live feed from the iPhone’s camera was sent directly to NBC’s server, with the return iPhone showing selected video streams and clips provided by production, allowing Roker to have visual contact with other members of the team.

As well as the dual iPhones, pictured on stands, Roker also used an iPad as a prompter, an LED light panel, and a combination of a Sennheiser microphone and iRig hardware to provide audio.

LiveU is a live video transmission and streaming platform, one that NBC has extensive experience using. After becoming a shareholder of Euronews in 2017, NBC News and Euronews discovered they both used LiveU systems, and have since started to share video files between the organizations on the platform.

Given the video quality afforded by the iPhone’s camera, as well as services like LiveU, it is probable that NBC has used similar iOS-based setups for outside broadcasts in the past, or at the very least, will consider doing so in the future.

As for home users who may live-stream on services like Twitch or film vlogs for YouTube, the tweet demonstrates that a relatively small collection of consumer-grade hardware can achieve high video production values.

Posted on March 28, 2020 by sick skills — Leave a comment

Zoom iOS update removes ‘feature’ that sent user data to Facebook

By Mikey Campbell
Friday, March 27, 2020, 06:04 pm PT (09:04 pm ET)

Video conferencing service Zoom on Friday issued an update for its iOS app, removing an SDK that sent users’ data to Facebook without their express consent.

Zoom for iOS was updated today to remove Facebook’s SDK.

On Thursday, a report from Motherboard revealed Zoom’s iOS app was sharing user analytics data with Facebook without noting the practice in its privacy policy.

Specifically, the app used Facebook’s SDK to integrate “Login with Facebook,” a feature that provides quick and easy sign-in capabilities. By including the SDK, however, Zoom automatically connected to and shared information with the Facebook Graph API, even if a user did not maintain Facebook account.

The company also failed to adequately inform users of its data sharing practices.

After the revelation was made public, Zoom on Friday removed Facebook’s SDK for “collecting unnecessary device data.”

“The data collected by the Facebook SDK did not include any personal user information, but rather included data about users’ devices such as the mobile OS type and version, the device time zone, device OS, device model and carrier, screen size, processor cores, and disk space,” Zoom said in a statement to Motherboard.

Zoom is “reconfiguring” the Facebook login feature to allow users to sign on with Facebook through a web browser. Users will need to download an updated version of Zoom’s iOS app in order for the changes to take effect.

“We sincerely apologize for this oversight, and remain firmly committed to the protection of our users’ data,” Zoom said in its statement.

Posted on March 27, 2020 by sick skills — Leave a comment

Apple to debut multiple ARM-powered Mac desktop and laptop models in 2021

By Mikey Campbell
Thursday, March 26, 2020, 08:43 pm PT (11:43 pm ET)

Apple is predicted to integrate its custom ARM processors into multiple Mac models in 2021, with designs spanning both Mac desktops and MacBooks, according to TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Macs like Apple’s 2020 MacBook Air could benefit from ARM CPUs in 2021.

In a note to investors seen by AppleInsider, Kuo says Apple is moving forward with an “aggressive processor replacement strategy” that should bear fruit in the fourth quarter of 2020 or the first quarter of 2021. As part of the movement, the tech giant will bring its ARM chips to a wider selection of Mac desktops and laptops next year.

With Apple in control of chip design and manufacturing, the company will be able to introduce new Mac models at peak market demand, Kuo says. Importantly, Apple will no longer be held to the whims of Intel, which has in the past delayed development, manufacturing and shipment of promised silicon.

Further, switching to in-house designs will reduce processor costs by about 40% to 60%, Kuo estimates. Cheaper parts equate to cost structure flexibility and, perhaps, more competitive product prices.

Finally, ARM-powered Macs will enjoy market differentiation from Windows PCs, which almost exclusively rely on processors from Intel or AMD.

Just as Apple transitioned from Samsung-manufactured ARM chips to its own TSMC-fabricated A-series system-on-chip designs for iOS devices, Mac, too, should benefit from a distinct competitive advantage in pricing and supply. By “owning the stack,” the Cupertino tech giant will be able to customize its processors to define Mac’s unique hardware and software capabilities, whether it be a pro-minded MacBook Pro or iMac Pro workhorse, or a consumer-oriented thin-and-light like MacBook Air.

During the transition period, Kuo estimates annual Mac shipments will increase to 25 million to 30 million units, up from the current 20 million units.

Kuo also believes Apple will formally adopt USB 4.0 technology in 2022. Finalized last year, the protocol incorporates assets from Thunderbolt 3 and supports data throughput of up to 40Gbps, power delivery of up to 100W, and backwards compatibility with older USB formats and Thunderbolt 3.

Apple has been speculated to switch its Mac platform to ARM for nearly a decade, with initial rumblings coming shortly after the company debuted its first A-series chip with iPhone 4’s A4 SoC in 2010. Concrete rumors of an ARM-powered Mac arrived in February, when Kuo pegged hardware to debut in the first half of 2021. He more recently moved up that timeline, saying a MacBook with an Apple-designed CPU would reach market by the end of 2020.