New Year, New Audio Setup: SoundSource 6 from Rogue Amoeba
Federico and Myke talk about what they’re excited for in 2017.
On the latest episode of Remaster, we also talked about the updated Pokémon Bank online service and considered what might be announced at videogame conferences this year. You can listen here.
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Federico’s back, Stephen is the Mac mini Spokesperson and Myke needs to buy some stuff.
On this week’s Connected, we also had some interesting discussions about home automation (which Myke likes) and sleep tracking (which Myke doesn’t like – yet). You can listen here.
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Nice change to Apple.com currently propagating across various international versions. Here’s a comparison of the same webpage before and after the switch to San Francisco. I’ve never been a fan of the mixture of San Francisco and Myriad on the Apple website, and I dig the refreshed look. Looks like the transition to San Francisco is finally complete.
Each year, Ken Case of The Omni Group takes a look back at the past year and ahead to what’s coming next for the company’s products. It was a good year for Omni, which released a major update of OmniGraffle for Mac as well as updates to OmniFocus for Mac and iOS and OmniPlan for iOS. The year concluded with OmniGraffle for Mac and OmniPlan for iOS making Apple’s ‘Best of 2016’ list.
In addition to planned updates to OmniGraffle for iOS, OmniOutliner for Mac, and OmniFocus, Ken Case outlined ambitious plans to bring new automation features to its iOS apps with some help from Sal Soghoian, who has been reviewing Omni’s efforts:
In 2016 we scratched the surface with URL automation on iOS, but in 2017 we plan to roll out user automation on iOS in a big way across all our apps with a much richer set of capabilities. This automation support won’t be limited to a simple set of URL primitives; instead, we’re adding support for running JavaScript code: code that has the same level of deep support for manipulating the data in our apps as we’ve previously exposed to AppleScript.
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We’re also adding support for background scripts which can automatically respond to document edits.
Omni is going further with URL schemes too:
Oh, and did I mention that we’re including support for calling out to other apps by their URL handler? So you’ll be able to tie into the Workflow app and its already great ecosystem of automation. In OmniFocus, imagine the possibilities that open up when you can trigger a workflow just by checking something off!
The prospect of desktop-class automation in The Omni Group’s iOS apps is exciting and right in line with its original vision for the iPad.
Apple spoke to Jim Dalrymple of The Loop about its new app reviews API for developers. In addition to the details we previously reported, Apple told The Loop:
Apple is also limiting the amount of times developers can ask customers for reviews. Developers will only be able to bring up the review dialog three times a year. If a customer has rated the app, they will not be prompted again. If a customer has dismissed the review prompt three times, they will not be asked to review the app for another year.
In addition, App Store reviews can be marked as ‘Helpful’ using 3D Touch from an iPhone, which is a first.
These limits strike me as fair and should help prevent the new app reviews API from being abused.
Nice announcements from Gamevice today: the company is rolling out updated MFi controllers across the entire line-up that are lighter, add Lightning charging, and have better analog sticks. Jordan Kahn, writing for 9to5Mac:
Today the company is introducing a new version of the controller specifically designed for iPhone 7 and 7 Plus with a built-in headphone jack and a Lightning port for charging. It also has second-generation controllers launching today and later this month for iPads.
While the new headphone jack and Lightning port for charging are the standout features of the new iPhone 7 and 7 Plus controller, the company notes that it also upgraded the thumb sticks and made the controller lighter by removing the battery and using the iPhone to draw power.
I’ve been using my original Gamevice for the iPhone 6s Plus (which also works with the 7 Plus) to play the majority of console-type games I have on my iPhone (I’m about to start a new playthrough of Final Fantasy VII and I’ve played a few Super Nintendo games with Provenance). I like the device a lot and Lightning charging seems like a convenient addition. I’m going to consider the second-generation version for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro whenever it becomes available in Italy, too.
The Pokémon Company has released another Pokémon game for the iPhone and iPad: Pokémon Duel. First released in Japan, Duel is now available in the US App Store and many other countries. Duel is a strategic board game the object of which is to maneuver your Pokémon to a goal in your opponent’s territory. According to The Pokémon Company:
Selecting the six Pokémon for your team is an important part of Pokémon Duel. Each Pokémon figure has different strengths and a set number of steps it can take, so you’ll have to plan your moves strategically. Send your Pokémon along different routes in a rush to the goal, or block your opponent’s Pokémon from advancing.
When you get next to one of your foe’s Pokémon along your route, you’ll need to engage in battle to advance. Battles are determined by Attacks on each Pokémon’s Data Disk—spin the disk to see which Attack each Pokémon will use.
Pokémon Duel is available on the App Store as a free download. The game includes an in-game shop to purchase items with gems, which are collected by playing the game, but which can also be bought with In-App Purchases.
Dan M., writing on Medium about the state of Apple as a pre-mortem:
It is not easy to evaluate a company I love as if they have failed. I have spent tens of thousands of dollars on Apple products, and devoted countless hours studying, admiring and defending the company. However, I started noticing too many uncharacteristic cracks, and I realised turning a blind eye would not help Apple.
I don’t agree with all of the assumptions and conclusions taken for granted in this piece. For all its problems (above all, a slow rollout of third-party domains), I wouldn’t call Siri “souped-up Voice Control”. I don’t feel comfortable with any third-party narrative around Apple’s leadership and internal conflicts inferred from the outside. And, I’m not sure rethinking watchOS and iOS around “contextual triggers” would be the best idea for the majority of customers who, unlike techies, just want to open their 5 most-used apps quickly. In general, it feels like there’s a disconnect between some of the realities painted in this story and how I see people in real life use Apple devices and software.
But, there is also a lot I agree with: the Apple TV analysis is pretty much spot-on, and Dan raises solid questions about Apple’s approach to services and how their privacy stance may prove problematic in the future. Besides personal opinions and experiences, this article outlines potential problems with today’s Apple fairly, and it’s worth reading and discussing.
This week Fraser and Federico close out the Workflow programming series with some of the more advanced techniques in Workflow programming.
With today’s episode of Canvas, we finalize the Workflow series with one last round of advanced topics. You can listen here.
If you haven’t listened to the previous episodes of the Workflow series yet, now’s a good time to start.
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