Apple iPhone and Watch Event 2023
Posted: September 12, 2023 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentApple Watch Series 9
The new S9 SiP Chip is 30% faster than Series 8. Siri requests are now processed on the Watch, making them faster and more secure.
You can ping your iPhone thanks to new Ultra Wideband support. Easier to find your iPhone when you set it down somewhere and forget.
The Watch 9 has double the brightness of Series 8, so the always-on display is more useful. It also darkens down to only 1 nit, so won’t bother if you wear when you sleep.
Series 9 will get a new gesture that only uses the watch hand, and doesn’t need the other. You tap your index finger and thumb together twice. You can use this feature to pick up a call or end a call for example. You can also use it to stop a timer, snooze an alarm, or play and pause music. Double tap will be available next month.
Watch 9 will be available in new Pink aluminum case.
Apple claims the new Watch 9 is 100% carbon neutral, certified by a third party. As predicted, Apple is dropping all leather in Apple accessories. Leather watch bands will be replaced with ‘Fine Woven,’ made of 68% post-consumer content.
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How about the Apple Watch Ultra 2. Well, it also has the new S9 SiP. In addition, it gets the 2nd gen Ultra Wide Band chip. Brightness is up to 3000 nits, so readable in bright sunlight. A night mode activates automatically.
The Ultra still gets 36 hours on a charge.
Apple is crowing about 95% recycled titanium.
The Apple watches…the SE is still available, and is $249. The Series 9 starts at $399. The new Ultra starts at $799. You can order today, they will be available September 22nd.
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The iPhone 15s get the Dynamic Island from the Pros—as expected. Dynamic Island can display a couple different items now.
Peak brightness is up to 2000 nits in bright lights, twice as much as iPhone 14.
Sizes stay the same…6.1” and 6.7”, and they have contoured edges to feel smoother. Color is infused right into the glass on the back. Colors are now pink, yellow, green, blue ,and black.
Apple is using 75% for recycled aluminum in enclosure. 100% recycled cobalt in battery, and 100% recycled copper foil in main logic board and MagSafe charger.
48MP comes to the iPhone 15 main cam. As some Androids, it can merge some of the pixels into one, giving a 24 MP photo with good resolution. They also use the middle pixels to give 2X telephoto…also like some Androids.
Machine learning allows the phone to take a shot in portrait mode automatically if there is a person in it.
The iPhone 15s get the A16 chip from last year’s Pro models.
The battery is bigger than last year’s model…as usual, Apple didn’t specify the actual capacity.
iPhone can connect with other devices up to 3 times further than last year with new generation Ultra Wideband chip.
Audio quality…new machine learning keys in on voice, and you can select a feature to cut down on background noise.
Emergency SOS via satellite. In addition to emergency, they are adding Roadside Assistance via satellite. This will get you help if your car conks out when’re you are somewhere that doesn’t have cell service. It is available from Triple A as part of member service.
Satellite is free for 2 years with iPhone 15.
As expected, USB-C comes to iPhone 15 (since the EU has required it.)
The phones will work with Qi or MagSafe for plug less charging.
iPhone 15 starts at $799, and 15 Plus from $899…no price increase from the 14s.
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iPhone 15 Pro
As expected, the Pro gets grade 5 titanium with a PVD coating. Black, white, blue, and natural finishes for the titanium.
Titanium is stronger and more durable, but lighter in weight. The phones get contoured edges and the thinnest bezels ever.
Sizes stay the same….6.1” for the Pro and 6.7” for the Pro Max as last year. The screens will be a bit bigger due to the smaller bezels.
The mute switch becomes a customizable Action button, as predicted. It is mute by default, but you can chose using it to start recording or launch the camera.
New Standby mode…if you turn the phone on its side while charging, Standby stays on…it can be your digital clock on your nightstand. You can also customize the screen for other information.
The 15s get the A17 Pro chip, which is a 3 nanometer chip…the first in the industry.
The Pros also get the USB-C connector, but it will transfer data much faster.
Apple claims that with their software, and combining cameras, you get the equivalent to 7 cameras.
The Pros get a more advanced 48MP main cam. Larger sensor. Reduces lens flare with new coatings, and better night mode. You can shoot in 24, 28, or 35mm focal lengths. Apple claims double low light performance in Portrait mode.
The Pro Max gets 5x optical zoom at 120mm focal length. 25% larger sensor, and f2.8 aperture…most of any phone this size. It features a ‘tetra-prism’ design and better stability. For macro zoom, it will do a 10x optical zoom.
With 15 Pro you can capture spacial videos, combining two cams to do it. This will be useful mainly for the Vision Pro headset when it comes out early next year.
As for pricing, the Pro remains $999. The Pro Max gets bumped $100 to $1199, but you get an increased 256 gigs storage standard. Preorders Friday Sept 15th, available September 22.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Apple Extends Deal for Qualcomm Modems; Google Pixel Watch 2 Features; Tesla $25,000 New Gen Car; Waze Security Cam Creepy Breach
Posted: September 11, 2023 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentOn the eve of the rollout of the latest and greatest Apple iPhones and Watches, Cupertino has cut a deal to extend its use of Qualcomm modems for 3 more years. Good news for Qualcomm, as Apple’s their biggest client. Macrumors.com notes that Apple had been expected to roll out their own custom 5G modem. Now, with this extension, they will continue with Qualcomm through 2026, at least in some models. Apple has been working on their own modem since 2018. It is possible that Apple could start using their own modems and gradually move away from Qualcomm. Qualcomm expects to still supply at least 20% of Apple’s modems by 2026.
We will have a full recap tomorrow of Apple’s iPhone and Watches they show off at their annual event…which starts at 10am Pacific time tomorrow will be streamed on Apple’s web site as well as YouTube.
Google has never made it their policy to be as secretive as Apple with their upcoming products and features. According to androidpolice.com, teaser videos for the Pixel Watch 2…which will be rolled out on October 2nd, show a fair amount. Other leaks indicate that the Watch will have an IP68 rating for water resistance, and will probably feature an EDA sensor to track stress levels, a tech ported over from Fitbit. It also appears from the video to be a bit thinner. Even with those improvements, the Pixel Watch 2 is not expected to be a major upgrade. Android Police called it ‘iterative.’
More pie in the sky from an Elon Musk company? Tesla is reportedly preparing to build a $25,000 electric car built on the company’s next-generation engineering platform. Axios says that Elon Musk biographer Walter Isaacson has detailed the plan to build a $25,000 electric car alongside an autonomous robotaxi that could ferry passengers around. Here’s the fly in the ointment: the car apparently has a futuristic design like the Cybertruck! Back in 2018 Musk promised a $25,000 car within 3 years. On the other hand, the long-delayed Cybertruck now isn’t slated for full scale production until 2024!
Data breaches and internet hacks bring almost a continuous stream of creepy and disturbing stories. Here’s one that popped up over the weekend. Mashable.com reports that some people who own Wyze security cams logged in to the company web viewer, and were able to look into other peoples’ homes! Apparently, the web pages of some people were ‘cached’ and then accidentally shared with others visiting the site. The merged feeds were caused by ‘a web caching issue’ that only affected desktop users during a 30 minute period on September 8th. Wyze claimed to be working on an immediate fix. The company had already gotten heat for an issue last year where a security flaw allowed hackers to access video storage for 3 years. This creepy leak wasn’t even caused by hackers! Maybe if you have been using Wyze cams, you would be ‘wise’ to dump them and go with another brand!
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ’technified’ for now.
China Widens Government Ban on iPhones; Honda will Use Tesla’s EV Charger Standard; Gmail Working on Emoji Reactions; Musk Borrowed a Billion From SpaceX to Help Buy Twitter
Posted: September 7, 2023 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentChina has officially mandated that its central government staff can no longer use Apple’s iPhone nor bring iPhones into buildings. Appleinsider reports that China claims it is due to security concerns, but it is thought to really be a retaliation in ongoing strained US/China relations. The ban so far appears to only be half-heartedly enforced, and in fact, there isn’t even a deadline for complying. Apple stock dropped 3% before the markets opened Thursday on the news. The Chinese government is a very small sliver of Apple sales and revenue, but the Chinese public make up sales that bring in 19% of Apple’s earnings.
Honda has just confirmed that it is the latest car maker to follow Tesla’s charger standard for EV’s, known as the North American Charging Standard. According to Techcrunch.com, Honda execs confirmed adopting Tesla’s port in August, but hadn’t given specifics. Now, Honda has announced that their EVs that go on sale in North America starting in 2025 will use the standard. EVs before that from Honda will have the CCS ports, but will come with an adapter that will allow use of the NACS chargers. The NACS standard means that cars can use Tesla’s Supercharger network, which the EV maker opened up to other vehicles last year.
Google is apparently working on a new feature for Gmail that will let users react to their inbox with emoji…at least on Android and iOS. 9to5google.com says some hidden code was spotted by Steven Moser. Emoji reactions, of course are already supported on other mail apps…Microsoft Outlook for one. The emoji are nice to have, especially if the email just requires an acknowledgement, and not a full reply. Apparently, emails gotten via BCC won’t support reactions, nor will encrypted messages or ones sent to large groups.
A report from the Wall Street Journal has found that Elon Musk borrowed a billion dollars from SpaceX, the rocket maker he founded at the same time he was buying Twitter for $44 billion. The Journal said they couldn’t definitively connect the billion dollar loan taking from one of his privately held companies to the purchase of Twitter, but that there is a strong correlation. Musk is thought to be worth some $200 billion, but doesn’t have that much in cash…in fact most of it is tied up in Tesla stock. Musk also sold $4 billion worth of Tesla stock the month after he bought Twitter. The Journal says the billion has now been paid back to SpaceX.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
EU Designates Tech ‘Gatekeepers’; App Store Launching on VisionOS; Xbox Dashboard Update-Game Streaming to Discord Friends; New Cars = Data Privacy Nightmare
Posted: September 6, 2023 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commenthe European Union Commission has shared a list of the 22 ‘Core Platform Services’ that must comply with the Digital Markets Act. DMA restricts companies from mandating their own services as default on their devices and enforces interoperability between apps such as messaging applications. The regulations passed through the European Parliament last year and have technically been in effect since May, though without the crucial “gatekeeper” designations. According to gizmodo.com, platforms named include TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube; app stores like Google Play, Apple App Store, and Meta Marketplace; browsers that include Chrome and Safari; and the major operating systems including Android, iOS, and Windows. Google came out worst of all the Gatekeepers, with most of its major services, including its bread and butter Google Search, making the list. Apple and Microsoft have already appealed to the EU Commission to exclude some of their products. Apple claims iMessage isn’t a gatekeeper. Microsoft is fighting the naming of Bing as a core platform. Stay tuned…this will be a long and complicated slog as all the companies try to weasel out of the gatekeeper designation.
Not quite a week out from Apple’s unveil day for the new iPhones and Watches, Cupertino announced that starting this fall, visionOS will include the App Store built-in, allowing developers to expand their testing of Vision Pro apps. 9to5mac.com notes that at WWDC, Apple claimed that Vision Pro will be able to run ‘nearly all iPhone and iPad’ apps that are presently in the App Store. Developers will also be able to build and optimize apps specifically for Vision Pro and the VisionOS. VisionOS doesn’t have the App Store yet, and remains in developer beta for now.
Microsoft is putting out a September update that includes the ability to stream your Xbox gameplay to Discord friends and variable refresh rate (VRR) improvements for the Xbox Series S / X consoles. The dashboard update also includes the new Xbox voice reporting feature and a new way to pair accessories to Xbox consoles. Theverge.com says that the updated Discord functionality means you can now stream your gameplay to anyone on Discord. It’s built into the Parties & Chats section of the dashboard, and a new “stream your game” option now appears once you’re connected to a Discord server.
Mozilla’s ‘Privacy Not Included’ Project has determined that 25 brands of cars with internet connectivity flunked the most basic privacy and security standards. Gizmodo.com reports that the failing brands included BMW, Ford, Toyota, Tesla, and Subaru. Those cars collect data about drivers including race, facial expressions, weight, health information, and where you drive. Some of the cars tested collected data you wouldn’t expect your car to know about, including details about sexual activity, race, and immigration status, according to Mozilla. Actually Mozilla said the very worst offender was Nissan. The carmaker’s privacy policy suggests the manufacturer collects information including sexual activity, health diagnosis data, and genetic data, though there’s no details about how exactly that data is gathered. Nissan reserves the right to share and sell “preferences, characteristics, psychological trends, predispositions, behavior, attitudes, intelligence, abilities, and aptitudes” to data brokers, law enforcement, and other third parties. Even usually solid Mercedes-Benz didn’t get off the hook…they ship with TikTok pre-installed in the infotainment system. We have moved from ‘let the buyer beware’ to add ‘let the driver beware!’
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Musk to Sue ADL; Microsoft Caves to EU-Unbundling Teams; Meta Partners with LG on 2025 Quest Pro; Spotify Limits Ad Payouts to White Noise Podcasters
Posted: September 5, 2023 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentElon Musk. Elon Musk. You’re thinking, ‘what crazy thing is he up to now?’ Elon is apparently accusing the Anti Defamation League of defaming him…he says they have falsely accused him and X (formerly Twitter) of being antisemitic. Techcrunch.com reports that musk says he has no choice but to file a defamation lawsuit against the Anti Defamation League. He also blamed the ADL for X’s falling US ad revenue. Musk said “Our US advertising revenue is still down 60%, primarily due to pressure on advertisers by @ADL (that’s what advertisers tell us), so they almost succeeded in killing X/Twitter!” Actually antisemitism has been a problem on Twitter for years, way before Musk bought the platform…ratcheting up noticeably due to some of the rhetoric surrounding the 2016 election. Even Elon noted the irony of suing the Anti-Defamation League for defamation!
Microsoft has caved to European Union authorities and will unbundle Teams form Office 365 and Microsoft 365 suites in EU markets. Thenextweb.com notes that the changes will start on October 1st. After that EU enterprise customers will be able to buy Office 365 and Microsoft 365 without Teams, and save a couple Euros a month. An antitrust investigation had commenced in 2020 after Slack filed a complaint.
Meta will partner with LG for future Quest Pro headsets. This according to uploadvr.com. There were reports last fall that Meta was in talks with LG Display for OLED microdisplays of future headsets. Microdisplays have significantly higher pixel density and can produce higher resolution in more compact headsets. Apparently, LG Electronics will handle production, using LG Display displays, LG Energy batteries, and other components from LG Innotek. The first product from the partnership is reportedly slated for 2025, priced at around $2000.
One of the nuttiest trends ever has to be people podcasting white noise…the static ‘whooshing’ sound that has been likened to light rainfall. Some Spotify podcasters have been raking in up to $18,000 a MONTH on this, amazingly. Now, theverge.com reports that Spotify has notified the so-called ‘white noise’ podcasters that they will no longer be eligible for cash under the Ambassador Ads program effective October 1st. The Ambassador Ad program pays creators based on impressions. Apparently Spotify has calculated that it will increase its annual gross profit by $38 million by cutting white noise podcasts from its talk feed. Have any of the people who listened to these white noise podcasts considered turning on a fan? Just wondering.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
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