Author: Sam Kohl

  • Mounting evidence suggests iOS 14 will be ‘S’ update

    Mounting evidence suggests iOS 14 will be ‘S’ update

    The news: Amid a global pandemic and the prevalence of bugs in iOS 13, evidence suggests iOS 14 will be a smaller ‘S’ update like iOS 12.

    • Previously, after stability and performance got out of hand in iOS 11, Apple issued a smaller iOS 12 update that was much more stable
      • iOS 13 was buggier than 11
    • More recently, iOS 14 was again rumored to have a significant focus on performance

    Our take: The thing right now is that we still don’t have enough info to know for sure…but based on the above evidence AND the fact that Apple employees working on iOS 14 were forced to work from home, the ‘S’ year is certainly plausible.

  • iOS 14 won’t feature call recording

    iOS 14 won’t feature call recording

    The news: The below image that has been circulating online for days now is real…but call recording is probably not coming to iOS 14, according to 9to5Mac (85.8% accurate).

    • While this feature is present in an early build of iOS 14, reliable sources say “it’s not intended to be made available to users”
    • The call recording feature is only available in internal builds of iOS

    Our take: The legal hurdles that Apple would have to pull to make this feature available would be astounding: call recording is illegal in many, many places. Couple this with the fact that it’s an internal feature and…yeah, this isn’t happening anytime soon.

  • Redesigned iMac with ‘iPad Pro design language’ to debut at WWDC 2020

    Redesigned iMac with ‘iPad Pro design language’ to debut at WWDC 2020

    The news: Apple’s long awaited iMac redesign is finally happening on June 22, according to Sonny Dickson (77.8% accurate).

    • The new iMac will feature ‘iPad Pro design language’
    • The bezels will shrink, similar to the Pro Display XDR
    • T2 chip and AMD Navi GPU will likely be present
    • The Fusion Drive will no longer be an option, suggesting SSDs will be standard

    Our take: This is the iMac so many of us have been waiting for. Very rarely to concepts actually translate into real products…but this may be an exception.

  • iOS 13.6 beta 2 released to developers

    iOS 13.6 beta 2 released to developers

    The news: Apple just released the first iOS x.6 update ever to developers, in yet another unprecedented move in firmware naming.

    • The version number has jumped due to the addition of a new SDK…it’s just unclear what was added currently
    • In News settings, there’s a new “Newsletters & Privacy” panel that currently links to a placeholder Apple ID privacy page
    • Health includes new Symptoms panel allowing you to record numerous conditions, source
    • Updated preference pane to download/install iOS updates automatically, source

    Our take: First iOS 13.4.5, then iOS 13.5, then iOS 13.5.5…and now iOS 13.6?

  • Transition to ARM Macs to be revealed on June 22

    Transition to ARM Macs to be revealed on June 22

    The news: At WWDC this year, Apple plans to reveal their transition to Macs with Apple-designed processors, according to Mark Gurman.

    • New Mac hardware with Apple-designed chips isn’t coming until 2021
    • Eventually, all of Apple’s Macs will one day includes these new ARM processors

    Our take: This will be the biggest internal change to Mac computers ever, and the implications here only seem to be good ones: better performance, graphics, and AI processing than Intel chips. Sign me up!

  • Download the official MacBook Air (2020) wallpaper

    Download the official MacBook Air (2020) wallpaper

    The news: For the first time in high-resolution, you can download the orange-red-pink swirling wallpaper that debuted first alongside the release of the 2020 MacBook Air.

    To download on mobile, tap and hold. Then tap “Add to Photos.” On desktop, right click and save as.

  • New ‘Summer’ Apple Watch bands and iPhone cases released

    New ‘Summer’ Apple Watch bands and iPhone cases released

    The news: Apple just dropped new fresh-looking summer bands and iPhone cases on their website, as spotted by MacRumors.

    • Linen Blue, Seafoam, Coastal Gray and Vitamin C are the new colorways for the Sport Bands
    • Linen Blue, Seafoam and Vitamin C are the new options for the silicone iPhone 11 series cases

    Our take: I never thought I’d see Apple name a color “Vitamin C…” Still, these all look pretty nice, and are definitely worth looking into if you are a fan of Apple’s first-party bands and cases.

  • Apple Card expanding interest-free payments to iPad, Mac and more soon

    Apple Card expanding interest-free payments to iPad, Mac and more soon

    The news: Apple is expanding interest-free payments to more products “in the coming weeks,” according to Mark Gurman.

    • iPads, Macs, Apple Pencil, iPad keyboards and Pro Display XDR get 12 months of interest-free financing
    • AirPods, Apple TV and HomePod gets 6 months of interest-free financing
    • iPhone retains 24-months with no interest

    Our take: Interest-free payments are absolutely something I’ll be taking advantage of in the future, but I think the real kicker for the Apple Card could be more exclusive cash back deals.

  • iOS 14 may support 3rd-party Control Center widgets

    iOS 14 may support 3rd-party Control Center widgets

    The news: This year’s major iOS update may allow developers to add widgets to Control Center, as suggested by two sources.

    Our take: With no credible sources recently reporting that home screen widgets are still in the cards for this year, perhaps the original widgets image was actually showing a revamped version of Control Center all along. This sounds most realistic to me, especially with all of the disruption that COIVD-19 caused.

  • iOS 14 icon may show new home screen functionality

    iOS 14 icon may show new home screen functionality

    The news: Reportedly present in an early December 2019 build of iOS 14 is a glyph that seems to show an app icon expanding into a larger block…or widget, according to @blue_kanikama.

    • In the build, the icon is reportedly located at /system/AppleInternal/Applications/SlimmerJimmerLite.app/AppIcon60x60@2x.png
    • However…other sources have cast doubt on widgets coming this year

    Our take: I’m split on this one: but I have a feeling that even after all this there won’t be widgets in iOS 14. As mentioned by Jon Prosser, the home screen widgets probably aren’t coming until next year.

  • 5.5-inch iPhone 13 prototype shows no notch & USB-C

    5.5-inch iPhone 13 prototype shows no notch & USB-C

    The news: A possible 5.5-inch iPhone prototype for release in 2021 has surfaced, according to Macotakara (67.4% accurate).

    • The notch has been removed, presumably due to in-display Touch ID replacing it
    • Also present on this prototype is USB-C (something most sources have said will never materialize)

    Our take: Like the last iPhone 13 leaks, these should be taken as entertainment over anything else. The final design for this year’s iPhone lineup reportedly isn’t even complete. Yet, we’ve been hearing more and more about the removal of the notch on at least one 2021 model…so this is a good sign.