Tim Cook introduced the new Mac mini at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Howard Gilman Opera House by gesturing to the sky. What followed was a video titled ‘The Arrival’ depicting a Mac mini descending like a UFO from the nighttime sky into the desert, which turned out to be a nighttime wallpaper from Mojave, Apple’s latest macOS update. It was a fun introduction to a computer that was last updated in 2014, and many Mac users had predicted would be discontinued.
Mac mini: The MacStories Overview
Apple Releases iOS 12.1 with New Emoji, Group FaceTime, and Camera Improvements for iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR
Today following its Brooklyn keynote event, Apple released iOS 12.1, the first major update since September’s iOS 12 brought Shortcuts, Screen Time, and more. Version 12.1 adds over 70 new emoji, introduces Group FaceTime with up to 32 participants, and lastly 2018’s iPhones get upgrades via camera improvements and dual SIM support.
Shortcuts 2.1 Brings New Weather and Clock Actions, iCloud Sharing Improvements, and More
In a release that largely focuses on performance improvements and digital well-being tools to curb notification overload and smartphone addiction, Apple’s Siri shortcuts initiative in iOS 12 stands out as one of the most exciting developments in modern iOS history. Perhaps even more impressive than developers’ adoption of Siri shortcuts though has been the response to Apple’s Shortcuts app, which enables the creation of custom shortcuts that can integrate with apps, system features, and even Siri.
In addition to a thriving community that continues to prove how combining users’ imagination with automation can elevate iOS productivity, Apple itself has so far shown a remarkable commitment to the Shortcuts app by listening to the community and ensuring a smooth transition from Workflow. Traditionally, Apple’s App Store apps receive major updates then linger for months before the next big set of changes; with Shortcuts, Apple has kept the TestFlight beta channel active, pushing for the same development pace that characterized Workflow before its acquisition.
The result is Shortcuts 2.1, released today on the App Store with a variety of bug fixes, iCloud improvements, and, more importantly, new actions that integrate the app even more deeply with iOS 12. If you’re not familiar with the Shortcuts app, I recommending reading the dedicated section from my iOS 12 review first; if you’re an existing Shortcuts user and rely on the app for key aspects of your iOS workflow, let’s dig in and take a look at what’s new.
Apple Announces Release Dates for New iPad Pros, Macs, and iOS 12.1
Apple announced release dates for the new hardware unveiled during the keynote held at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Howard Gilman Opera House today and iOS 12.1. Here are the dates for each:
iPad Pros:
Pre-Order Date: Today
Ship Date and in stores: November 7th
iOS 12.1
Release Date: Today
MacBook Air
Pre-Order Date: Today
Ship Date and in stores: November 7th
Mac mini
Pre-Order Date: Today
Ship Date and in stores: November 7th
You can also follow all of our Apple event coverage through our October 30, 2018 hub, or subscribe to the dedicated October 30, 2018 RSS feed.
Replay Apple’s October 30, 2018 Keynote and New Product Videos
If you didn’t follow the live stream or announcements as they unfolded at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Howard Gilman Opera House today, you will be able to replay it on Apple’s Events site soon. You can also catch all the product videos on YouTube.
The keynote video will be streamed here and on the Apple TV using the Apple Events app. Also, a higher quality version should be made available soon through iTunes on the Apple Keynotes podcast.
Apple has posted new videos, including its product-reveals for the new iPad Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac mini on its YouTube channel too. You can find all those videos below after the break.
You can also follow all of our Apple event coverage through our October 30, 2018 hub, or subscribe to the dedicated October 30, 2018 RSS feed.
Halide Developer Ben Sandofsky Breaks Down How the iPhone XR Captures Depth Data→
Ben Sandofsky from the team that makes the Halide iOS camera app has a detailed post on the iPhone XR’s camera and how Apple creates Portrait Mode photos with a single lens. Sandofsky walks through how Apple uses Focus Pixels to develop a rough Disparity Map and combines that with a Portrait Effects Matte to create Portrait Mode images.
The results have some advantages, but also distinct disadvantages compared to the iPhone XS’s camera. As Sandofsky explains:
It seems the iPhone XR has two advantages over the iPhone XS: it can capture wider angle depth photos, and because the wide-angle lens collects more light, the photos will come out better in low light and have less noise.
However:
…most of the time, the XS will probably produce a better result. The higher fidelity depth map, combined with a focal length that’s better suited for portraiture means people will just look better, even if the image is sometimes a bit darker. And it can apply Portrait effects on just about anything, not just people.
Although Apple’s Camera app can only take Portrait Mode photos of people on the iPhone XR, the upcoming Halide 1.11 update will combine the XR’s Disparity Map and Halide’s own blur effect to apply a similar effect beyond human subjects. Sandofsky admits that the feature isn’t perfect due to the low quality of the Disparity Map created by the XR, but the photos included in his post show that it can take excellent pictures under some conditions.
It’s remarkable what is being done to squeeze depth information out of the XR’s single lens and instructive to understand how the underlying technology works. It’s also apparent that Apple has made significant advancements since the introduction of the first dual-lens cameras.
Daylite: Take Your Business Further with Mac CRM [Sponsor]
Daylite is different than most CRMs and that’s a good thing. Unlike other web-based CRMs that focus on customer relationships and sales, Daylite takes you further by going through the full customer cycle from closing the deal to finishing the project and it even allows you to access your information offline.
With all your team’s information in Daylite and accessible when you need it, your business runs smoother.
Daylite is specifically designed for Apple devices so you can integrate with Apple Mail on your Mac, and leverage features like Siri and Caller ID on your iPhone.
Daylite helps you and your team:
- Remember when to follow up by setting tasks & reminders
- Remember important details by tying emails, call and meeting notes to clients and projects
- Keep track of all the moving pieces on a project with tasks, emails, and calendars all in one place
- Streamline your sales and project processes with customizable pipelines and checklists
- Improve team efficiency and make collaboration easy by having everything organized & searchable in one place.
From meeting prospects & winning business, to managing the moving pieces on projects so they’re done on time, all the way through following up for referrals and repeat business, it’s all done in Daylite.
Ready to take your business further? Start your free 30-day Daylite trial today!
Our thanks to Daylite for sponsoring MacStories this week.
The Journalists and Processes That Drive Apple News→
Today Jack Nicas of The New York Times published a first-of-its-kind in-depth look behind the curtain of how the Apple News journalistic team operates. The piece highlights Apple’s distinct handling of the news, where human curation is a larger driving factor than at other major tech companies. Nicas writes:
Apple has waded into the messy world of news with a service that is read regularly by roughly 90 million people. But while Google, Facebook and Twitter have come under intense scrutiny for their disproportionate — and sometimes harmful — influence over the spread of information, Apple has so far avoided controversy. One big reason is that while its Silicon Valley peers rely on machines and algorithms to pick headlines, Apple uses humans like Ms. Kern.
The former journalist has quietly become one of the most powerful figures in English-language media. The stories she and her deputies select for Apple News regularly receive more than a million visits each.
Lauren Kern, the editor in chief of Apple News, heads a staff of journalists that span the globe. One of their chief responsibilities is selecting each day’s top stories for the app.
Ms. Kern leads roughly 30 former journalists in Sydney, London, New York and Silicon Valley. They spend their days consuming news across the internet, fielding 100 to 200 pitches a day from publishers, and debating which stories get the top spots.
Ultimately, they select five stories to lead the app, with the top two also displayed in a prominent window to the left of the iPhone home screen. They also curate a magazine-style section of feature stories. The lineup typically shifts five or more times a day, depending on the news.
Tim Cook Calls for Strong Privacy Protections
On Wednesday, Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke at the International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners in Brussels. Cook, who has stated many times that Apple believes privacy is a fundamental human right, called for federal privacy legislation. As transcribed in Ars Technica’s post on the speech, Tim Cook said:
We at Apple are in full support of a comprehensive federal privacy law in the United States. There, and everywhere, it should be rooted in four essential rights: First, the right to have personal data minimized. Companies should challenge themselves to de-identify customer data—or not to collect it in the first place.
Second, the right to knowledge. Users should always know what data is being collected and what it is being collected for. This is the only way to empower users to decide what collection is legitimate and what isn’t. Anything less is a sham.
Third, the right to access. Companies should recognize that data belongs to users, and we should all make it easy for users to get a copy of, correct, and delete their personal data. And fourth, the right to security. Security is foundational to trust and all other privacy rights.
Cook also commended the European Union on its General Data Protection Regulation, which went into effect earlier this year.
The importance of privacy to Apple is reflected on its website, during public events, and elsewhere. As the amount of data collected about everyone increases and the methods for creating sophisticated profiles of people with that data become more advanced, providing consumers with the tools to make informed decisions about what they share and control that data has become increasingly important. These aren’t issues that Apple can solve on its own, but as one of the largest global technology companies, it’s heartening to see the company taking a proactive stance on privacy.