I often link to news stories that share the tell of someone whose life was saved by an Apple product, such as an Apple Watch. Just this week, for example, Ambar Rodriguez of KSNV in Las Vegas shared the story of a man who credits his Apple Watch with saving his life after his blood sugar got low and he fell unconscious. And Destany Fuller of KSWO News in Oklahoma shares the story of a woman who received an Apple Watch notification that she was in AFib; she decided to go to see a doctor and learned that if she had not come in, she probably would have died within days. But only rarely is the author of the story also the subject of the story. Daniel Eran Dilger has been writing about Apple technology for decades; I first linked to one of his articles in the tenth edition of In the News back on June 12, 2009. The title of his latest article for Apple Insider is Apple's Crash Detection saves another life: mine. He crashed while using a rental scooter and ended up knocked unconscious on the side of a bridge and losing blood. Fortunately, his Apple Watch called for help, and when he regained consciousness, he found himself in a hospital. Check out the story for more details. Reading his story makes me happy that my wife, my two kids, and I all wear an Apple Watch. And now, the other news of note from the past week:
- Paul Thurrott has been covering Microsoft and writing about Microsoft Windows since the 1990s, and he has switched back-and-forth between the iPhone and Android and other smartphone platforms over the years. This background provides him with a unique perspective for reviewing the iPhone 15 Pro Max, and sure enough, he wrote a very interesting review. I don't agree with all of his opinions—for example, he thinks Apple should have done more with the camera, whereas I'm loving the results I have been getting with both the regular and the 5x zoom lenses—but I do agree with his conclusion: "Apple still delivers the best overall smartphone experience available today, as always. Whether you’re a convert or not, you will not be disappointed."
- Apple released iOS 17.1.1 this week to fix a few glitches, as noted by Zac Hall of 9to5Mac.
- Apple updated other operating systems this week as well. For example, Juli Clover of MacRumors notes that watchOS 10.1.1 fixed an issue that caused some Apple Watches to drain the battery more quickly than expected.
- Clover also reports that the new HomePod 17.1.1 makes Siri more responsive.
- If 17.1.1 doesn't solve your problems with Siri, and if you happen to be Barbra Streisand, you can always just call Tim Cook for tech support. Zac Hall of 9to5Mac reports on an appearance by Barbra Streisand on the BBC in which she explains that after Siri kept mispronouncing her name, she simply called Tim Cook and had it fixed.
- Ashley Belanger of Ars Technica reports that cops in Washington, DC, are handing out free AirTags (and Tiles) so that folks can hide them in their vehicles and use the devices to try to recover the cars after they are stolen. You may recall that six months ago, I reported that New York City had done the same thing. I haven't been keeping an AirTag in my car, but in light of this report, I'm going to start doing so.
- If you are interested in getting started with using Apple HomeKit devices in your home, or you just want to learn more about it, Paul Lamkin of The Ambient wrote a great, comprehensive guide to everything you need to know about Apple's HomeKit smarthome technology.
- Apple announced that Taylor Swift is the 2023 Apple Music Artist of the Year. My home certainly contributed to the play count, especially after my daughter and wife recently went to the movie theater to watch The Era Tour concert.
- Andrew O'Hara of Apple Insider reviews the new Apple Pencil (USB-C).
- If you don't want to pay $79 for the new Apple Pencil (USB-C) you can instead pay $69.99 for the Adonit Note+ 2. Both of those devices attach by magnets to an iPad for storage, and for both you need to plug-in a USB-C cord to charge them. However, as noted by Rael Hornby of Laptop, the Adonit stylus lacks the hover feature of the low-end version of the Apple Pencil, but it adds support for pressure sensitivity, comes with interchangeable nibs, and has a shortcut rocker switch for switching between tools or colors. As much as I love my Apple Pencil, I've also had great experiences with Adonit styluses over the years, so it seems like a decent alternative choice.
- Would you rather use a high-tech pin on your chest instead of carrying around a smartphone or Apple Watch? Stephen Hackett of 512 Pixels discusses the $699 Humane AI Pin, which was announced this week, a product developed by two former Apple employees.
- Season 4 of For All Mankind starts today on Apple TV+. This is one of my absolute favorite shows on any network, and I cannot wait to start watching it. The third season ended in 1996 and the fourth season begins in 2001, so as Amber Neely of Apple Insider reports, Apple released a number of fake news clips to explain what happened in the fictional world of the series between those two years. The show did the same thing for prior seasons, and it is always interesting to see the alternative takes on significant events that did happen in the real world.
- And finally, Apple TV+ also released a trailer for the new show Hannah Waddingham: Home For Christmas, which premieres November 22. I have no idea if this show will be worth watching, but I do know that on the few occasions when Hannah Waddingham sang on the Ted Lasso show, her voice was excellent. I'm sure that other Ted Lasso cast members will show up in her holiday special, so for now at least, this is the closest that we have to a Ted Lasso spin-off show.
