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AppStories, Episode 213 – Music Part 2: Music Discovery, Playback, and Utility Apps→

This week on AppStories, we introduce part two of our music miniseries, with a focus on third-party music discovery, playback, and utility apps.

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Apple Announces Online Media Event for April 20, 2021

As first confirmed by Federico on Twitter, Apple has announced a media event for April 20, 2021 at 10:00 am Pacific. The event will be held online only.

In an unexpected twist, the date of the event was leaked by Apple’s digital assistant Siri as reported overnight by MacRumors. When asked about the date of the next Apple event, Siri responded that it would be April 20th at Apple Park.

Based on changes coming with iOS 14.5, Apple is expected to introduce AirTags for tracking personal items, which is expected to work like the third-party Find My network devices announced last week. There has also been widespread speculation that the company will introduce new iPad Pros, and with the recent discontinuation of the iMac Pro, we may see new M1 Macs too. In addition to hardware, Apple will likely make iOS and iPadOS 14.5, watchOS 7.4, tvOS 14.5, and macOS 11.3 Big Sur updates available soon after the event.

Spotify Announces Car Thing: Dedicated Audio Streaming Hardware for Drivers

Source: Spotify.

Source: Spotify.

Spotify has announced Car Thing, a dedicated Bluetooth-enabled audio controller for your car. Car Thing, which is Spotify’s first foray into hardware, is currently available by invitation only to Premium subscribers in the US.

Spotify’s new device is unique in that it isn’t a standalone product; it requires a mobile phone to work. The device itself is a touch screen with a handful of physical buttons and a big knob for navigating the service’s offerings. Data for streaming music or podcasts is provided by your mobile phone, which connects to Car Thing over Bluetooth. Car Thing doesn’t have a rechargeable battery or built-in speakers either. Power is provided by a USB-C to USB-A cable that must be plugged into a power source, and sound can be routed to your car’s audio system with a dedicated cable or over Bluetooth.

Source: Spotify.

Source: Spotify.

Car Thing, which also comes with dashboard mounting hardware, is controlled using its touch screen, programmable buttons along the top edge of the device, the knob, which allows drivers to scroll through the service’s content, and Spotify’s new ‘Hey Spotify’ digital assistant feature. Ashley Carman of The Verge had an opportunity to try Car Thing for a couple of days and had this to say about the device:

The voice controls mostly worked — for some reason it only got tripped up on a Kid Cudi request — but I grew frustrated with the steps it took to control music. When a song that I didn’t like played, it took longer to say, “Hey Spotify, skip” than it would have to just tap the skip button on my phone. I generally felt like I could more efficiently navigate Spotify just by using my phone at stop lights. The device does shine, however, when you ask the voice assistant to start a playlist, and it registered those commands easily.

Carman also notes that currently, Car Thing requires a data connection because it can only stream audio, although Spotify did not rule out a future update for accessing any downloaded content.

Source: Spotify.

Source: Spotify.

Car Thing is a fascinating product. Many users who already rely on features like Apple’s CarPlay and Android Auto will probably be content to continue to use those options, which offer other apps and services too. However, for drivers with older vehicles that don’t have built-in entertainment systems or ones that integrate with Spotify already and heavy Spotify users who like the idea of a dedicated Spotify interface, Car Thing is an intriguing option. I’m very curious to hear more about what it’s like to use in practice and get my hands on one myself.

If you live in the US and are a Spotify Premium subscriber, you can sign up to join the waitlist to receive the Car Thing. If you’re chosen, Spotify will send you a free Car Thing and only charge you $6.99 for shipping.

Quinn Nelson’s Approach to Home Automation→

I’ve experimented with a lot of HomeKit devices over the past few years, and I often think about how I would set my home up if I were starting from scratch. That is exactly what Quinn Nelson of Snazzy Labs has done with his new home:

Nelson’s video shows off some fantastic HomeKit devices, but more important than the gear is his approach to home automation. There are a lot of important lessons in this video. However, the two that resonated with me the most based on my experience are the benefits of sticking with one platform to reduce complexity and the importance of having manual options for smart devices. More often than not, I’ve regretted it when I’ve lost sight of those two principles.

Like Nelson, I’m a big fan of the Lutron Caséta line of HomeKit lighting products. We installed a light switch in our living room about two years ago, and I haven’t had a single issue with it ever. Now I just need to try to resist the urge to see what it would cost to replace my bedroom shades with the fancy Lutron Serena shades Nelson also showed off.

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MindNode: Ever Had a Geistesblitz? [Sponsor]

A Geistesblitz is a flash of inspiration that hits you when you least expect it. For instance, when you’re in the shower or walking the dog. It can often lead to a flood of new ideas.

Hi! I’m Markus, the founder of MindNode. If you’re like me, then a moment like this soon leads to a head spinning full of fresh ideas. This can be easily overwhelming and also frustrating. It’s precisely this feeling that motivated me to create MindNode.

MindNode started as a simple mind mapping app with the purpose of making it easy to capture new ideas. It’s now evolved into a brainstorming app that helps users from their first spark of inspiration to fleshing out their ideas and bringing them to life.

Recently, we added outlining, a great way to seamlessly move between capturing and organizing ideas as a mind map or an outline. Although the app has grown throughout the past 13 years, I still believe that it’s during the first moment of a new idea where MindNode shines. So, the next time you have a Geistesblitz, why not give MindNode a try?

Try MindNode for free on iOS and macOS: mindnode.com/download.

I’d love to hear if MindNode was able to help you and how it went: Email Markus

Our thanks to MindNode for sponsoring MacStories this week.

MacStories Unwind: Music and HomeKit App Reviews, an Update on the Epic Games Lawsuit, Arcade, and the Find My Network

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Sponsored by: Daylite – Do Big Things With Your Small Business

This week on MacStories Unwind:

MacStories

Club MacStories

  • MacStories Weekly
    • Federico shares a ‘smart append’ shortcut for plain text files
    • John shares some favorite movie tracker apps plus a shortcut for creating a ‘Watch Later’ playlist of videos using Downie

AppStories

Apple Arcade Update

Unwind

AppStories, Episode 212 – Music Part 1: How We Listen→

This week on AppStories, we talk about Apple Arcade’s big expansion and the iOS component of John’s retro gaming project before beginning a new mini-series focused on music. For the first installment, we focus on hardware and services, covering our current setups, how we listen to music, and the services we use.

Sponsored by:

  • Backblaze – Get peace of mind knowing your files are backed up securely in the cloud. Start a free 15-day trial with Backblaze today
  • Pillow – Sleeping better, made simple.
  • Privacy – Smarter payments. Get $5 to spend on your first purchase.

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Apple Court Filing Details ‘Project Liberty,’ Epic’s Plan to Free Itself of App Store Commissions

Just past midnight Pacific time today, Apple filed Proposed Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law in its legal dispute with Epic Games. The document, a standard pre-trial filing, is designed to serve as a road map for the trial judge, explaining the facts Apple expects will be admitted into evidence at trial, how the law applies to those facts, and the decision Apple believes the court should reach. In other words, it’s a one-sided account of the disputes meant to persuade the judge that Apple’s legal positions are correct. Epic has filed a similar pleading in the case arguing its side of the story.

That context is important to keep in mind because until the judge issues a ruling, filings like these remain legal posturing. That doesn’t mean that Apple’s filing doesn’t contain facts that may be found to be true through the trial process, but until that trial happens, it’s best to approach these sorts of pleadings with skepticism.

That said, the document Apple filed includes some interesting revelations that the company backs up with reference to the documents and other evidence gathered during the pre-trial discovery phase of the litigation. Perhaps the most interesting tidbit is the additional backstory about something Epic called Project Liberty, a plan that Apple says was hatched by Epic in 2019 to free itself from App Store commissions and that Epic’s CEO Tim Sweeney recently mentioned in an interview with CNN.

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Apple Announces Find My Network and Three Initial Accessory Maker Partners

Today, Apple updated the Find My app to allow third-party products to take advantage of its network of devices to locate lost and stolen belongings from the app’s new Items tab. According to Apple’s press release:

“For more than a decade, our customers have relied on Find My to locate their missing or stolen Apple devices, all while protecting their privacy,” said Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “Now we’re bringing the powerful finding capabilities of Find My, one of our most popular services, to more people with the Find My network accessory program. We’re thrilled to see how Belkin, Chipolo, and VanMoof are utilizing this technology, and can’t wait to see what other partners create.”

The Find My network program, which is part of Apple’s Made For iPhone program, allows accessory makers to hook into Apple’s Find My network to locate belongings securely and privately. Apple also said it is publishing a draft specification for chipset makers later this spring, so they can take advantage of the precise, directional capabilities of Apple’s short-range U1 chip.

Apple announced three initial partners who are incorporating Find My into their products. VanMoof is integrating the feature into its S3 and X3 e-bikes, Belkin is including it in its SOUNDFORM Freedom True Wireless Earbuds, and Chipolo is using Find My in its ONE Spot item finder. Find My’s integrations with these third-party products will work just like it does with Apple devices allowing users to do things like play a sound, locate items on a map, and put them in Lost Mode to lock them. Apple says all three partners’ products will be available next week, with more partnerships to rolling out soon.