Apple’s May 2024 Let Loose Event: All The Small Things

By John Voorhees

Apple’s presentation moved fast yesterday, and since the event concluded, more details have emerged about everything announced. We’ve been combing Apple’s product pages, social media, and other sources to learn more about everything announced, which we’ve collected below:

Chance Miller of 9to5Mac, reporting based on a memo sent to Apple Store employees that Apple will no longer include stickers in the boxes with the iPads introduced yesterday. Instead, retail stores will have a small number of stickers on hand for customers who ask for them.
One of the first things I noticed in yesterday’s video presentation was that Tim Cook’s shoes were different somehow. The detail wasn’t enough to identify them from the streamed video, but it turns out that they were Nike Air Max 1 ‘86’s that were ‘Made on iPad,’ which was embroidered on the tongue of the shoes. Apple has published a Reel on Instagram showing the shoes sketched on an iPad.
MacRumors reports that the new iPad Pros support lower refresh rates but not the iPhone Pro’s always-on feature. Nonetheless, the lower refresh rate support should help the iPad Pros extend battery life depending on how the iPad is used.
As I first learned from MKBHD’s iPad Pro first impressions video, the new Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro includes a 60W USB-C charging port, which is a significant increase from the previous model.
As Dan Moren explained on Six Colors, Apple appears to be binning the M4 chips in the new iPad Pro models with the 1TB and 2TB storage tiers sporting an additional performance core.
The Verge reported that the new iPads have eliminated physical SIM cards in favor of eSIMs, which is likely a space-saving measure.

You can follow all of our May 2024 Apple event coverage through our May 2024 Apple event hub or subscribe to the dedicated May 2024 Apple event RSS feed.

Apple’s May 2024 Let Loose Event: By the Numbers

By John Voorhees

Today’s Let Loose online Apple event was packed with facts, figures, and statistics throughout the presentation and elsewhere. We’ve pulled together the highlights.

iPad Pro

Source: Apple.

The new iPad Pro’s GPU is 10x faster than the original model and 4x faster than the M2 iPad Pro
The M4 chip is 50% faster than the M2
The M4’s 16-core Neural Engine is 60x faster than the original Neural Engine
The M4 uses a 2nd generation 3nm process
The M4 features 28 billion transistors

Source: Apple.

Apple has improved the thermal performance of the iPad Pro by 20% compared to the previous model
The Neural Engine can handle 38 trillion operations per second
The unified memory bandwidth is 120GB/s
The iPad Pro display supports 1000 nits of brightness for SDR and HDR content and 1600 nits peak brightness for HDR
Storage capacities range from 256GB to 2TB
The Wi-Fi version of the 11” iPad Pro is .98 pound (444 grams), and the 13” model is 1.28 pounds (579 grams). Adding cellular adds 2 grams to the 11” model and 3 grams to the 13” version.

Source: Apple.

The 256 and 512GB models have 8GB of RAM, while the 1TB and 2TB models have 16GB of RAM
The new models support Bluetooth 5.3
The 11” iPad Pro is 5.3mm thick, and the 13” model is 5.1mm thick
It’s possible to spend $3,077 on a fully-spec’d 13” iPad Pro with Apple Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard for iPad

iPad Air

Source: Apple.

There’s a new 13” model
The M2 chip in the new Air is 50% faster than the M1 and 3x faster than the iPad Air with the A12 Bionic chip
The iPad Air can be configured with up to 1TB of storage
The front and back cameras both have 12MP sensors
There are 4 colors available, 2 of which are new
The 11” Air is 1.02 pounds, and the 13” model is 1.36 pounds, both of which are heavier than their iPad Pro counterparts
Both models are 6.1mm thick
The 11” iPad Air maxes out at 500 nits of brightness and the 13” model at 600 nits for a 100-nit difference

Accessories and Other

Look at that beautiful row of function keys.

The Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro has a 14-key function row
The price of the existing 10th generation iPad was reduced to $349
Apple paid 0 tributes to Warren Buffet’s Paper Wizard

You can follow all of our May 2024 Apple event coverage through our May 2024 Apple event hub or subscribe to the dedicated May 2024 Apple event RSS feed.

Apple’s May 2024 Let Loose Event: Replay Today’s Keynote

By John Voorhees

If you didn’t follow the livestream of today’s ‘Let Loose’ Apple event, you can replay it on Apple’s Events site or YouTube.

The keynote video can be streamed here and on the Apple TV using the TV app. A high-quality version will also be available through Apple Podcasts as a video and audio podcast. An American Sign Language version of the event keynote is available on the Apple Events page too.

We’ll be adding links to the product videos released by Apple today as they appear on YouTube after the break.

Apple Reveals Its 2024 Pride Collection, Spotlighting LGBTQ+ Communities

By John Voorhees

Source: Apple.

Today, Apple introduced a new Pride collection highlighting LGBTQ+ communities. The collection includes a new Apple Watch Pride Edition Braided Solo Loop, a matching Apple Watch face, and dynamic iPhone and iPad wallpapers. The band goes on sale beginning May 22nd, and the watch face and wallpapers are coming in watchOS 10.5, iOS 17.5, and iPadOS 17.5.

Here’s how Apple describes the new brightly-colored Watch band:

The new Pride Edition Braided Solo Loop evokes the strength and beauty of LGBTQ+ communities with a vibrant, fluorescent design inspired by multiple pride flags, and features a laser-etched lug that reads “PRIDE 2024.” The colors black and brown symbolize Black, Hispanic, and Latin communities, as well as those impacted by HIV/AIDS, while the pink, light blue, and white hues represent transgender and nonbinary individuals.

Source: Apple.

The watch face is called Pride Radiance and, along with the wallpapers, uses dynamic multi-colored neon-style lighting:

Users can choose from a spectrum of colors to personalize their watch face and wallpapers. On Apple Watch, the colors trace each numeral of the watch face and react in real time as the user moves their wrist based on input from the gyroscope. On iPhone and iPad, beams of color spell out “Pride” and dynamically move when the user unlocks their device

The new Apple Watch Pride Edition Braided Solo Loop will be sold in retail stores, on apple.com, and via the Apple Store app for $99 on May 22nd in the US and Canada and on May 23rd in other locations.

Apple Reports Quarterly Revenue of $90.8 Billion for Q2 2024

By John Voorhees

Last quarter, Apple reported revenue of $119.6 billion, which included the holiday season and the first full quarter of iPhone 15 sales. Although Apple hasn’t provided financial guidance since the COVID pandemic, the company warned investors to expect a $5 billion year-over-year drop in revenue for its second fiscal quarter. However, the actual Q2 results were better than expected.

Today, those earnings are out and Apple reported Q2 revenue of $90.8 billion. As Apple reminded investors last quarter, Q2 2023’s revenue numbers were unusually high due to pent up demand for the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, which were in short supply during the company’s first quarter of 2023 due to COVID-related factory shutdowns.

According to Apple CEO Tim Cook:

“Today Apple is reporting revenue of $90.8 billion for the March quarter, including an all-time revenue record in Services,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “During the quarter, we were thrilled to launch Apple Vision Pro and to show the world the potential that spatial computing unlocks. We’re also looking forward to an exciting product announcement next week and an incredible Worldwide Developers Conference next month. As always, we are focused on providing the very best products and services for our customers, and doing so while living up to the core values that drive us.”

Going into today’s earnings call, the consensus among Wall Street analysts was that Apple would earn 90.37 billion an expected decrease that would a little less than the projected decrease cited by the company during its last earnings call. However, Apple beat both Wall Street expectations and its guidance.

The iPhone remains the cornerstone of Apple’s revenue. However, with sales down in China, analyst concern over whether Apple will incorporate AI into its products this year, and regulatory and antitrust pressure in the US and EU, the company’s outlook for the remainder of 2024 and into 2025 is more uncertain than ever.

Transit Is Still the Best-Designed Transit App on the iPhone in 2024

By Niléane

I like trains. I like them so much that, despite being 27 years old now, I still don’t have a driving license. I travel by train and use public transit exclusively to get around in my daily life. The island where I grew up had none of that, and it has made the car a fundamental necessity for most inhabitants there. But I’m fortunate enough to live in continental France now, in a city where I can get anywhere pretty quickly by hopping on a bus, tram, train, or even a high-speed train.

The result is that I spend a lot of time on my phone on a daily basis looking up transit itineraries and glancing at waiting times. Like in most places in the world where public transit is a thing, you can use the transit authority’s first-party application or website to do this. There is a universal truth about those apps and sites, though: they are almost always really bad. They’re slow, confusing, and often bloated with useless information. This is why, for so many years now – since I first arrived in France in 2014 – I’ve been a huge fan of Transit.

Transit is an amazing app that lets you look up transit itineraries and will even guide you along as you travel to your destination. The app has been around for a long time, but my mission today is simple: I want to tell you why I believe Transit is still the best-designed transit app available on the iPhone right now.

Let’s get into it.

Film Featuring the 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs and Shot in Apple Immersive Video Coming Later Today

By John Voorhees

When Major League Soccer’s season began last month, Apple announced that it would release a highlights film of the 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs that was captured in Apple Immersive Video. Well, Apple now says that the film, called 2023 MLS Cup Highlights, will be available later today on the Vision Pro. The film should be available at around 9 PM Eastern US time.

I’m excited to watch the film. I’m not an MLS fan, but I haven’t had a chance to see what it’s like to experience sports in an immersive environment yet. Sports and music concerts are areas I expect we’ll see a lot more of on the Vision Pro in the coming months.

WWDC 2024 Scheduled for June 10-14 Along with Special Event at Apple Park

By John Voorhees

WWDC24 will include an in-person experience on June 10 that will provide developers the opportunity to watch the keynote at Apple Park, meet with Apple team members, and take part in special activities. Space will be limited, and details on how to apply to attend can be found on the Apple Developer site and app.

Apple has announced that WWDC 2024 will primarily take place online again this year from June 10-14 2024. However, the company said that it simultaneously will hold a corresponding limited in-person event at Apple Park for developers, students, and press like last year.

In a press release issued by today, Susan Prescott, Apple’s Vice President of Worldwide Developer Relations and Enterprise and Education Marketing, said:

We’re so excited to connect with developers from around the world for an extraordinary week of technology and community at WWDC24 Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations. WWDC is all about sharing new ideas and providing our amazing developers with innovative tools and resources to help them make something even more wonderful.

Apple also had this to say about events that will be held at Apple Park during the conference:

WWDC24 will include an in-person experience on June 10 that will provide developers the opportunity to watch the keynote at Apple Park, meet with Apple team members, and take part in special activities. Space will be limited, and details on how to apply to attend can be found on the Apple Developer site and app.

There’s no time of year I look forward to more than WWDC. It’s a chance to preview exciting new technology, get together with old friends, and meet many of the developers whose work we cover. Last year was a wild ride with the introduction of the Vision Pro, and I doubt we’ll have a hardware reveal anywhere as exciting as that this year. However, with rumors of a significant redesign and new generative AI features coming to Apple’s OSes, what this year lacks in hardware surprises, could very well be made up for with new software.

Of course, MacStories readers can expect the same kind of comprehensive WWDC coverage we do every year. We’ll have extensive coverage on MacStories, AppStories, and MacStories Unwind, which will extend to Club MacStories too.

AppStories, Episode 376 – Shortcuts Wishlist (2024 Edition)→

Linked By John Voorhees

This week on AppStories, we take a hard look at Shortcuts to discuss what needs fixing and the new features we hope to see Apple announce at WWDC this year.