John Voorhees

5640 posts on MacStories since November 2015

John is MacStories' Managing Editor, has been writing about Apple and apps since joining the team in 2015, and today, runs the site alongside Federico. John also co-hosts four MacStories podcasts: AppStories, which covers the world of apps, MacStories Unwind, which explores the fun differences between American and Italian culture and recommends media to listeners, Ruminate, a show about the weird web and unusual snacks, and NPC: Next Portable Console, a show about the games we take with us.
@[email protected]
@johnvoorhees.macstories.net
voorhees@macstories.net

iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max: The MacStories Overview

Earlier today, Tim Cook took the stage at Apple Park’s Steve Jobs Theater to announce Apple’s fall product lineup. As with past fall keynotes, Apple’s announcements included all-new iPhones. Some of the details of the new iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max leaked earlier this morning, but as usual, there were still surprises.

Design

The iPhone XR marks the completion of Apple’s transition to the new form factor introduced last fall with the iPhone X. The iPhone XR will take some people by surprise. At 6.1 inches diagonally, the new XR has a bigger screen than the XS, but it’s also more affordable than the smaller 5.8-inch device. In contrast, the iPhone XS and XS Max are an evolution of the design of the iPhone X.

The iPhone XR is also differentiated visually from the XS and XS Max by its new color options. The new phone is available in six colors: black, white, red, yellow, coral, and blue. That’s one more color than the iPhone 5c, Apple’s last foray into a large selection of colors. When you account for the four carriers and three storage sizes, that means a whopping 72 variations in the US.

Like the XS, the back of the iPhone XR is glass, but instead of a stainless steel band around the edge of the device, Apple has used aluminum that’s colored to match the back of the device. The XR’s aluminum frame looks good but lacks the shine of the steel used on the XS and XS Max, which sets it apart visually from the more expensive models.

The other design difference between the XR and its new siblings is the camera. As discussed further below, the XR is a single-lens, 12 MP, wide-angle camera, and, like the iPhone 8 it succeeds, it has a flash that’s outside the camera assembly. Instead of being next to the camera’s lens as it was on the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus though, the flash on the XR is just below it.

In contrast, the design of the new iPhone XS is nearly identical to last year’s iPhone X, as is the iPhone XS Max, except for the fact that it is larger. The other visual differentiator between the new models and the iPhone X is the addition of a new color option. The XS and XS Max come in three colors: Space Gray, Silver, and a new Gold model.

Apple has also designed the iPhone XS and XS Max with the greatest water resistance yet. Both devices have an IP68 rating which means they can withstand submersion in water up to 2 meters deep for 30 minutes. The iPhone XR, in contrast, is rated IP67, which means it can withstand up to 1 meter of water for 30 minutes.

Read more

Apple’s September 12 Keynote By The Numbers

As usual, Apple sprinkled facts, figures, and statistics throughout the keynote today. Here are highlights of some of those metrics from the event, which was held at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, California.

Apple Watch

  • The display is roughly 30% larger than the Series 3.
  • Up to 8 complications fit on one of Apple’s new Watch faces.
  • The speaker is 50% louder.
  • Series 4 40mm case dimensions: Height 40mm; Width 34mm; Depth 10.7mm.
  • Series 4 44mm case dimensions: Height 44mm; Width 38mm; Depth 10.7mm.

iPhone

  • Apple is about to ship its 2 billionth iOS device.
  • The iPhone XS’s 5.8-inch display is bigger than the screen on the 8 Plus and features 2.7 million pixels and 458 ppi.
  • The screens on the iPhone XS and XS Max have 60% greater dynamic range than the iPhone X.
  • The display on the iPhone XS Max has 3.3 million pixels and the same pixel density as the iPhone XS.
  • The iPhone XR display has over 1.4 million pixels and a 326 ppi pixel density.
  • The A12 Bionic processor that powers the new iPhones is a 7nm chip with 6.9 billion transistors, a 6-core CPU (2 high power cores and 4 high-efficiency), a 4-core GPU that’s up to 50% faster than before, and an 8-core neural engine that can process 5 trillion machine learning operations per second.
  • The neural engine works up to 9 times faster on Core ML operations and uses less than 1/10 the energy.
  • Apps launch up to 30% faster with the A12 Bionic chip.
  • Size and Weight:
    • iPhone XR
      • Height: 5.94 inches (150.9 mm); Width: 2.98 inches (75.7 mm); Depth: 0.33 inch (8.3 mm).
      • Weight: 6.84 ounces (194 grams).
    • iPhone XS
      • Height: 5.65 inches (143.6 mm); Width: 2.79 inches (70.9 mm); Depth: 0.30 inch (7.7 mm).
      • Weight: 6.24 ounces (177 grams).
    • iPhone XS Max
      • Height: 6.20 inches (157.5 mm); Width: 3.05 inches (77.4 mm); Depth: 0.30 inch (7.7 mm).
      • Weight: 7.34 ounces (208 grams).
  • Water Resistance
    • iPhone XS and XS Max
      • Rated IP68 (maximum depth of 2 meters up to 30 minutes) under IEC standard 60529
    • iPhone XR
      • Rated IP67 (maximum depth of 1 meter up to 30 minutes) under IEC standard 60529

iPhone Camera

  • The wide angle rear-facing cameras on the iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max are 12MP.
  • The rear-facing camera on the iPhone XS and XS Max have a f/1.8 wide-angle lens and f/2.4 telephoto lens. The iPhone XR has a single, wide-angle f/1.8 lens.
  • The front-facing camera is has a 7MP, f/2.2 telephoto lens that is 2 times as fast as the iPhone X’s.
  • The iPhone XS and XS Max image signal processor can run 1 trillion operations on every photo you take.

iPhone Battery Life

  • The iPhone XS gets 30 minutes more battery life than the X and the XS Max, 1.5 hours more.
  • The iPhone XR gets 1.5 hours more battery life than the iPhone 8 Plus.

You can also follow all of our Apple event coverage through our September 12, 2018 hub, or subscribe to the dedicated September 12, 2018 RSS feed.

Apple Asks Developers to Submit iOS 12 and watchOS 5 Apps for Review

Ahead of the upcoming public releases of iOS 12 and watchOS 5 on September 17th and macOS Mojave on September 24th, Apple has told developers via its developer website that App Store submissions are open.

On its developer news site Apple touts the advantages of the new iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR:

iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR feature a trio of all-screen displays paired with A12 Bionic and the next-generation Neural Engine. A12 Bionic is the smartest and most powerful chip ever in a smartphone, and is designed for performance in mind with Core ML, ARKit, Metal, and more. And now Face ID works even faster than before to securely and privately unlock, authenticate, and pay.

Apple has added scores of new features to its operating systems that developers can take advantage of to improve existing apps and create all-new ones that were impossible before the new APIs were introduced.

You can also follow all of our Apple event coverage through our September 12, 2018 hub, or subscribe to the dedicated September 12, 2018 RSS feed.

Replay Apple’s September 12, 2018 Keynote and New Product Videos

If you didn’t follow the live stream or announcements as they unfolded at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino today, you can replay it on Apple’s Events site and catch all the the product videos on YouTube.

The keynote video can be streamed here and on the Apple TV using the Apple Events app. A higher quality version should be made available soon through iTunes on the Apple Keynotes podcast.

Apple also posted new videos, including its product-reveals for the new iPhones and Apple Watch Series 4 and a two-minute speed run version of the event on its YouTube channel. You can find all those videos below after the break.

You can also follow all of our Apple event coverage through our September 12, 2018 hub, or subscribe to the dedicated September 12, 2018 RSS feed.

Read more

Apple Expands AppleCare+ on iPhones with Optional Theft and Loss Coverage

AppleCare is Apple’s extended warranty program. Every iPhone comes with a 1-year limited warranty and 90 days of phone support. If you pay for AppleCare+, the price of which depends on your model of iPhone you buy, the warranty is extended to two years as is phone support.

AppleCare+ also covers accidental damage. Customers are entitled to two incidents during the two years and are charged $29 for new screens and $99 for other repairs, which is significantly less than the repairs would cost otherwise.

Today, Apple announced an extension of AppleCare+. Now, Theft and loss can be covered too providing additional value to customers. In addition to being available for the new iPhones announced today, theft and loss coverage will be available for customers with the iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s, 6s Plus, 7, 7 Plus, 8, 8 Plus, and X according to Apple’s AppleCare site.

Theft and Loss coverage includes Apple’s new Express Replacement Service and 24/7 priority phone and chat access to AppleCare representatives for up to two incidents. Find My iPhone must be turned on for coverage to be effective. Replacement costs $199 for the iPhone 6, 6s, 7, and 8, $229 for the iPhone 6 Plus, 6s Plus, 7 Plus, 8 Plus, and XR, and $269 for the X, XS, and XS Max.

You can also follow all of our Apple event coverage through our September 12, 2018 hub, or subscribe to the dedicated September 12, 2018 RSS feed.

Apple Announces Release Dates for OS Updates, New iPhones, and Apple Watch

Apple announced release dates for updates to its OSes and new hardware at the keynote held in the Steve Jobs Theater in Apple Park today. Here are the dates for each:

iPhone XR:

  • Pre-Order Date: October 19, 2018
  • Ship Date and in stores: October 26, 2018.

iPhone XS, and XS Max:

  • Pre-Order Date: September 14, 2018
  • First Wave of Countries Ship Date and in stores:1 September 21, 2018
  • Second Wave of Countries Ship Date and in stores:2 September 28, 2018

iOS 12

  • Release Date: September 17, 2018

Apple Watch Series 4

  • Pre-Order Date: September 14, 2018
  • Ship Date and in stores: September 21, 2018

watchOS 5

  • Release Date: September 17, 2018

macOS 10.14 Mojave:

  • Release Date: September 24, 2018

You can also follow all of our Apple event coverage through our September 12, 2018 hub, or subscribe to the dedicated September 12, 2018 RSS feed.

  1. Shipping initially to Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Guernsey, Hong Kong, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Japan, Jersey, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, the UAE, UK, US, and the US Virgin Islands. ↩
  2. Shipping to Andorra, Armenia, Bahrain, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, India, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malta, Monaco, Oman, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and South Africa ↩

Is Apple Neglecting Beats’ Headphone Business in Favor of Its Own?→

The Verge has a story today by Micah Singleton in which he wonders whether Apple still cares about Beats, the company it acquired in 2014. As Singleton notes, no new products have been released under the Beats brand in 2018, and The Verge’s sources say we shouldn’t expect that to change at Apple’s keynote tomorrow.

Nonetheless, Beats continues to have marketing successes, like recently becoming the official headphones of the NBA and USA Basketball. However, the dearth of new products coupled with competition from Apple’s wireless AirPods and rumored premium over-the-ear headphones puts Beats in a tight spot, which Singleton argues is a mistake:

Apple has its eyes set on the high-end audio market to compete against the likes of Audio-Technica, Bose, and a rapidly improving headphone ecosystem. But neglecting the team that has been able to sell slightly above-average headphones at a breakneck pace for nearly a decade doesn’t seem like a smart business move for either party. If you are the official headphone company for United States Basketball, it seems wise to continue releasing new headphones. And if you are Apple — and your history with headphones and speakers has precisely one win, despite many attempts — you should lean on the company you own that hasn’t missed yet.

Beats jump-started Apple’s music streaming efforts, but other than adding the W1 chip to its wireless headphones in late 2016 and 2017, there have been few signs of Apple’s plans for Beats. I hope Singleton is wrong about Apple neglecting Beats because it would be a shame to squander the company’s valuable brand, though I suspect he may not be.

Permalink

Twitter To Livestream Apple’s Fall Keynote→

TechCrunch has confirmed that Apple is expanding how its September 12th keynote can be consumed. In years past, Apple keynotes were limited to streaming in Safari and the Apple Events app. This past summer, Apple expanded browser-based streaming to include Firefox and Chrome.

Yesterday, Apple began offering reminders of its event via Twitter, which the company has done in the past. As Sarah Perez of TechCrunch notes, however, the wording for tomorrow’s event was a little different:

Instead of saying “follow” the event on Twitter, the tweet says “…watch the #AppleEvent live on Twitter.” (Emphasis ours).

Watch implies a live stream, and the tweet itself featured an animated GIF as another hint.

That wording kicked off speculation that Twitter would stream the keynote, which TechCrunch and other media outlets have since confirmed.

Apple will hold its special event at the Steve Jobs Theater tomorrow at 10 a.m. PDT. Besides the Apple Events app and Twitter livestream, the event will be available on apple.com.

You can follow all of our Apple event coverage through our September 12, 2018 hub, or subscribe to the dedicated September 12, 2018 RSS feed.

Permalink

How the Stanford Heart Study App Saved Jason Perlow→

Last fall, Apple launched the free Heart Study app in partnership with Stanford University. The study, which was closed to new participants in August and has begun to end for some early participants, was available to US residents over 22 years old with an Apple Watch Series 1 and newer. The app used the Apple Watch to monitor the user’s heart rate for atrial fibrillation, a leading cause of stroke.

Over the course of the Stanford study, stories have surfaced of instances where it discovered dangerous Afib conditions that were undiagnosed before. One such recent story comes from ZDNet writer Jason Perlow. A self-described Apple critic, Perlow purchased a refurbished Series 2 Nike+ Apple Watch earlier this year to test it.

Skeptical about whether the device would be something he would use much, Perlow nonetheless signed up for the Heart Study. Within a few days, Perlow received a notification asking him to contact a doctor at Stanford. The Heart Study app had detected signs of previously-undiagnosed atrial fibrillation. Perlow had the condition treated by a team of heart specialists, but as he concludes:

I owe my life to my Apple Watch. Because it started this whole machine rolling. And I was very lucky to have my Afib caught during the last three months of public enrollment in the Heart Study, which ended in early August.

I participated in the Heart Study too. Like Perlow, I forgot about it for long stretches. I’m fortunate that I didn’t receive the sort of alert Perlow did, but in September, Stanford sent me a notification that my participation in the study was ending. It turns out that over the course of 188 days, Stanford collected 1,743 heart measurements from me. Multiply that by the thousands of people in the study, and the potential the Apple Watch has for medical research is remarkable, while at the same time helping individuals like Perlow one at a time.

Permalink