Greetings and happy end of summer to all!
Apple had a bunch of announcements this week, which I’m here to report on. I feel like writing this newsletter a little differently — rather than a top-down roundup, instead I’ll zero in on what I think was neat, if not necessarily the marquee items, and then I’ll touch on the rest.
Here’s a thing I think is really cool: AirPods Pro 2 — no new model, same ones they’ve been selling for a while — are going to receive a firmware update (a simplified definition of firmware is that it’s unseen internal software that exists for the purpose of making hardware work) that will turn your $249 AirPods Pro 2 into full blown, custom-tuned hearing aids. This is essentially an enhancement of these devices’ transparency mode which allows you to hear the outside world as though they’re not in your ears at all. Anyway, with this new capability, the AirPods Pro 2 will test your ears for the contours of your hearing loss, if any, and then, if it’s sufficient, offer to amplify your surrounding environment so you can hear more clearly, uniquely tuned to you. That’s cool! So, rather than spending thousands on a fancy hearing aid, or having an ugly grey thing in your ear, or not hearing people clearly, you’ll just look like anyone else having a work call, or jamming out to tunes, while you can hear what people are saying to you more easily. I love this. Apple’s waiting on FDA approval for this, but hopefully we’ll see the feature arrive by the end of the year. Also great: the same forthcoming software update is going to offer even more effective noise canceling, as well as formal “hearing protection,” so I will look forward to that the next time a subway is screeching onto the tracks.
Here’s something else I think is cool: All of the new iPhone 16 models are going to get a new button on the side, called the camera button, that will allow you to not just take photos and videos in a jiff, but also to quickly tweak the settings of the camera app without having to futz around with many tiny taps. I’ll need to see it to see how much I like it, but being that I’m always annoyed at how long it takes to get the dumb thing out of video mode and into photo mode or vice versa, I’m looking forward to this.
Here’s something I think is interesting: Apple has had three different AirPods models for sale: the $129 original, with a long stem and the same shape as their wired EarPods headphones; the $249 Pro, with a stubbier shape, sizeable silicon tips that seal in your ear, and optional noise canceling; and a rarely talked about in-between model, the $179 AirPods 3. which resemble the Pro, but which don’t seal in your ear or offer noise canceling, making them a higher-quality (so Apple says), differently-shaped version of the original ones.
Apple has now replaced the OG AirPods with the $129 AirPods 4, which have a slightly adjusted shape and a smaller charging case; and they’ve replaced the AirPods 3 with the $179 “AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation,” which have the same shape as AirPods 4, but bring the Pro’s most distinguishing feature, noise cancellation, to a non-ear-sealing, cheaper model; also comes with a Pro-like case that can be found with Find My. With the new software improvements to the AirPods Pro I mentioned above, the entire AirPods line has now been meaningfully upgraded without any increase in price. Some people are very married to the fit of the originals, though, so if that’s you, get to Amazon or Best Buy or some other non-Apple retailer to grab remaining stock while you can.
Apple’s wired EarPods, in all three plug endings (USB-C, Lightning, and traditional headphones) happily remain still available. If you have a potential need to use them in more than one place (e.g. for the headphone jack on your Mac, and your iPhone 14), consider getting the headphones-plug model, plus Apple’s Lightning-to-headphone adapter, which you can attach or remove as needed. (If you have an iPhone 15 or later, you could instead get the USB-C plug model, and attach it to a USB-C port on your Mac, instead of the headphones port.) During a workday, I always have these with me in case my AirPods Pro run out of juice.
Here’s something I’m really excited about, as your Mac Expert: the forthcoming version of macOS and iOS will allow remote control of an iPhone from your Mac. I think that means that, for the first time, I’ll be able to get in there and do stuff for you on your iPhone when we’re working remotely, rather than you having to do all the tapping and typing.
Here’s something I don’t personally care about, but you might: I’m not an Apple Watch guy, but that’s mostly just because I’m not a watch guy. I’ve tried, but in the end I just don’t want a thing on my wrist. However, I know some of you love your Apple Watches, and the Apple Watch 10 seems like a pretty nice advancement over its predecessors, providing a larger screen in a slimmer and lighter body. If you prefer the Watch Ultra, though, you got nothing new except a black color.
Here’s something I find interesting, but I don’t yet know what to make of it: Apple is doing their own spin on AI, calling it “Apple Intelligence,” debuting across their most recent devices in the next couple of months (older devices, including even the non-Pro models of iPhone 15, won’t get it). My interpretation of Apple Intelligence, so far, is: practical stuff that you might want to do with your computer or phone, rather than open-ended question and answer mechanism like ChatGPT, that’s probably less capable than what the big AI companies (OpenAI/Microsoft, Google) are hyping, but, unlike those companies, Apple Intelligence is privacy-respecting. Much of Apple Intelligence is just computation on your own device that happens to use some of the advanced capabilities of their newest chips; when it needs more firepower, they’re offering a “private cloud” in which your data is sent away for processing, but which is not scraped or monetized or kept beyond where it would be useful to you. And, for those open-ended questions, Siri will be enhanced (it could hardly be made worse), supposedly with greater comprehension ability. Apple is also offering some kind of opt-in ChatGPT integration, if you do want its benefits without having to use its app or Web site.
Apple’s certainly trying to thread a needle here — for years, they’ve been pitching themselves as the Big Tech company that respects your privacy. There are many ways they can be found hypocritical and inconsistent in that regard, but it’s also largely true when compared to Google, Microsoft, Meta, and the rest of our tech company overlords. They’ve never been particularly good at AI — Siri is weak, Apple Maps isn’t as good at Google Maps, iPhone predictive text is meh, et cetera — so there might be a dual purpose served here, which is “we don’t do this as well, but at least you get more privacy.” Also, large language model generative AI (which is what all of the current big “AI” products are using) may have already plateaued — that’s another story for another day — so Apple might be hedging their bets in case the hype and money wave recedes. But we’ll soon enough know whether what they’re offering is useful to you and me.
Ok, here’s what else Apple announced:
macOS and iOS updates
On Monday, September 16, Apple will be releasing major updates to all of its significant operating systems, in particular macOS 15 Sequoia, and iOS/iPadOS 18. I’ll go over some of the major features of these next month, but their marquee feature will be the aforementioned “Apple Intelligence” woven into various apps. I’ll cover these new macOS and iOS features more in detail next month. Other features I’m happy to see will be a proper, user-friendly application for keeping passwords, possibly negating the need for a third-party password manager, at least if you’re a Safari user.
As per usual, we recommend you hold off on upgrading to macOS Sequoia for a bit. We’ll let you know when we think it’s fine, but my rule of thumb is it’s safe after about 3 months. That’s plenty of time for any serious kinks to have been worked out.
iOS upgrades are harder to avoid — Apple really pushes them on you. The last several years have mostly been ok from the outset, without any major quality problems, but if you want to give the new version a little time out in public to make sure, immediately (before Monday) update your iPhone to iOS 17.6.1 (under Settings > General > Software Update). Once that’s done, return to the same area, tap on Automatic updates, and disable both “iOS Updates” switches. Also, if your Mac, iPhone or iPad isn’t of sufficiently recent vintage, you may not be eligible for these updates. If you have any questions about any of this, please ask!
New iPhone
Oh, is there a new iPhone? Yes, there is! I bet you almost forgot.
iPhone 16 — in its four models (base, Plus, Pro, and Pro Max) — goes on pre-sale Friday, September 13 (let us hope this timing does not augur poorly), and becomes generally available a week later, on September 20. Pricing remains the same, at $799, $899, $999, and $1,199 for the base configurations, and a variety of new colors are available, which are going to remain largely irrelevant for most of us who put protective cases on our phones.
Keep in mind that these prices can be significantly reduced when you trade in a previous phone, and in that regard, cell phone carriers offer much more than Apple does, in some cases up to $1,000 for any old iPhone you happen to have, provided you’re willing to commit to the new phone for three years (if you upgrade sooner, you’ll partially forfeit the promotional credit).
Apple continues to keep older models around as cheaper alternatives. iPhone 15 ($699), 15 Plus ($799), 14 ($599), and 14 Plus ($699) remain available, along with the stalwart iPhone SE ($429), soldiering along as the last small iPhone that still has a round home button; it’s an iPhone 7 on the outside, and and iPhone 14 on the inside. However, if you buy an iPhone expecting many years of use, buying an older model may mean that you get cut off sooner from future iOS updates.
The Plus model is a larger-screen version of the base model, with the same capabilities, and the Pro Max has a similar relationship to the Pro. As usual, the Pro models are primarily for those who want the best camera — it has a zoom lens that the non-Pro models lack, and other photography-related features. (However, those who opted for an iPhone 15 Pro or 15 Pro Max model last year will gain access to Apple Intelligence features, while 15 and 15 Plus users will not, so the Pro models are not always only about the cameras.)
New features that are common to all iPhone 16 models are: an Action Button, first introduced on the 15 Pro and Pro Max, which replaces the ringer switch; it can be configured to behave as a ringer toggle, but, if you prefer, it can instead be configured to perform any number of other functions, such as flashlight or calculator or Do Not Disturb or magnifying glass, or, if you want to get deep, something you customize. There’s also the new camera button that I discussed above. The 16 models have newer processors, for better performance, and all models support Apple Intelligence. One intriguing new feature that combines the camera button with Apple Intelligence (I’m really trying to come up with an abbreviation for that which isn’t “AI”) is the ability to point at an object you’re looking at and get info about it. There are other, more esoteric features, but some of them will arrive on older iPhones with iOS 18, which I’ll cover in another newsletter later this year.
The 16 Pro and Pro Max offer, as expected, better cameras, including a zoom lens; one significant improvement on the 16 Pro non-Max model is a 5x optical zoom, which was previously only available on the 15 Pro Max. (For comparison, recent Pro non-Max models had 3x optical zoom.) Battery life is improved. The Pro and Pro Max are also a bit larger and heavier than before; I don’t really care about the weight, but size creep on iPhones has been making me nuts for years. With that said, I’ve always adapted, and I imagine I will here as well; I’m sure that many will prefer the larger screen.
As for the ever-present question: should you upgrade? If you’ve got a 14 or 15, probably not, unless the latest and greatest appeals to you. If you’ve got an iPhone 8, iPhone X, or iPhone SE 1st generation (square sides), or an older model, then absolutely you should upgrade, as you’re stuck on iOS 16, and that’s going to lead to app and web incompatibility. If you’ve got an iPhone XS, XR, 11, or 12, you’ll still be able to run iOS 18 and good with all current apps and websites, but your phone might feel slow and laggy, and your battery might be worn out by now, so I’d still suggest looking into upgrading. If you’ve got a 13, you could go either way; it’s still a top-notch phone, but when I compare my 13 Pro to Caroline’s 15 Pro, I can feel that hers is just a bit snappier. (But if you’ve got a 13 mini and like that small physical size, hold on to it for as long as you can!) Also, if you’ve got an iPhone that’s under a 30- or 36-month carrier promo that isn’t yet fully paid off, then you might want to wait until it is, if you want to get the full benefit of the promotional credit.
So, that’s most of the highlights!
As always, we’re here for you, and care about your life being better by your tech running as smoothly as it can! If you’ve got Wi-Fi trouble, if your calendars are out of sync, if you aren’t sure what Mac you should buy, if you’ve got trouble printing, if iCloud seems mysterious, if Google Drive doesn’t make sense, if you want email at your own domain…we are here!
Also, we have a new service we are offering — one of our esteemed Experts, a true mensch named Ronald, specializes in digital organization! If you’re overwhelmed by your photos, or the documents on your computer, he’s brilliant at helping you make things orderly, in a way that I frankly could never be, no matter how well I understand the tech. Give us a call and we’ll tell you more, or check out our Web page about photos and file organization.
If you have any questions about any of Apple’s announcements, or any of our services, let us know!
(September 2024)