If you own an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max, as you spend time with family and friends over the next few weeks for the holidays, I encourage you to take lots of spatial video. The ability to do so was just added this week in iOS 17.2. Take that video now because, at some point in the future, you will own a device that will play them back in 3D. Perhaps you will be an early adopter and get the Apple Vision Pro in early 2024. Perhaps it will be a few years from now. But eventually, you will get there, and the ability watch spatial video and relive a memory from late 2023 is likely to be quite powerful. I say that because Apple had a small number of journalists take spatial videos over Thanksgiving and then, this past week, let them see their videos using a pre-release version of the Vision Pro. And the reviewers were very impressed. Scott Stein of CNet reports that watching his own home movies from Thanksgiving in 3D on the Vision Pro "made me feel like I was almost there" and "made me want to climb through that fuzzy-bordered window and join my family again on the other side." Raymond Wong of Inverse says that "the 3D has just the right amount of depth, not too strong or too weak" and that the "sense of presence really tugged at my heartstrings" and caused "a few tiny tears" that he had to fight back. Josh Rubin of Cool Hunting said that the videos work best when you record with plenty of light, but even the videos he recorded with less light available "had plenty of depth and the image quality remained crisp and not grainy." Lance Ulanoff of Tech Radar said that he was "startled by the quality and immersive nature of" panoramic photos when viewed in the Vision Pro. And as for spatial video, he said: "I suspect that when consumers start experiencing the Vision Pro and spatial videos for themselves they might be surprised at the level of emotion they experience from family videos – it can be quite intense." Photographer David Imel said that while the "spacial videos were cool ... the Panos were my favorite part. Seeing them in massive scale against the wall was amazing, and it feels like you can sort of peek inside the frame. The mountains felt huge. Better than seeing it printed." Brian Tong created a YouTube video that includes his recommendations for taking spatial videos—for example, try to avoid fast movements. He notes that foodies will especially love the ability to take immersive videos of dishes and then relive the experience later. He also said that, for Christmas, he is going to record his family members in spatial video discussing "what they're thankful for or what they're looking forward to" to create a time capsule because "I'm telling you, the spatial videos that I've seen with people just like kind of talking in camera, it feels different." So if you have the newest iPhone and can do so, preserve your own memories over the next few weeks, and then at some point in the future, you can relive them in a brand new way. And now, the news of note from the past week:
- iOS 17.2 comes with a new app from Apple called Journal, and Niléane of MacStories wrote a detailed review. I don't think that journaling is for me, but I have to admit that it is a slick app. I like how it automatically recommends topics based on your recent photos, music that you listened to, places that you were, and more. Better yet, if you already use a third-party app to journal, those apps can now tap into the same system (with your permission) to improve their own apps.
- Dan Moren of Six Colors also wrote a good review of the Journal app.
- Justin Meyers of Gadget Hacks came up with 59 new features in iOS 17.2. Some of the items he lists are minor changes, but others are really nice new features.
- Jonny Evans of Computerworld explains how an Apple TV can now be a Zoom meeting solution for small businesses thanks to the new Zoom app for Apple TV and the continuity camera option for the iPhone or iPad.
- After recently picking its favorite apps of the year, Apple has now revealed the most downloaded apps of the year, and Chance Miller of 9to5Mac has the list. Many of these I would have guessed, but others were a surprise to me.
- The crew at MacStories also selected their best apps of the year. Some of the winners are apps that I use and love (such as Ivory, Widgetsmith, and Flighty) and there are many more that I now want to try out.
- A big item in the news this week has been the Beeper Mini app for Android phones because it allowed an Android phone to communicate using Apple's iMessage service—i.e. change someone from a green bubble person to a blue bubble person. Then Apple flipped some switch to stop the service from working. Then it started working again for two days. Then it went down again, at least for some people. Who knows what the status will be by the time that you read this. But it all has been interesting to watch, and David Pierce of The Verge wrote a good article on the situation.
- Chance Miller of 9to5Mac explains what is new in watchOS 10.2.
- One new feature in watchOS 10.2 only works if you have a new model: the Apple Watch Series 9 or the Ultra 2. As Lisa Eadicicco of CNet reports, you will be able to ask Siri for health data. Why does this only work on these models? Because they have the powerful S9 chip, which means that Siri requests can be processed on-device, so your confidential health data remains confidential.
- You can now buy a house from your car. Sort of. Zac Hall of 9to5Mac discusses Rocket Homes, a CarPlay app that lets you browse homes for sale based on your car's location, so you can drive around and see what has curb appeal.
- If you have made the move to USB-C with your iPhone and don't like carrying around a Lightning cord just for your AirPods Pro 2, you can now purchase a new USB-C case for the AirPods Pro 2 for $99. I see that you can also buy a cheap knock-off version on Amazon for under $30 that seems to have positive reviews, but I'd be far too nervous to try that.
- If you find that certain people in your house (which I read as "teenagers") like to steal borrow-on-a-long-term-basis your iPhone chargers for their own personal use, Michael Potuck reviews Lock Socket, something that makes the charger a part of your outlet. It's $27.92 on Amazon.
- I've long enjoyed using Anker's products for portable battery power. Anker has a new system called the Prime power bank that features a portable charger and a charging dock. It comes in different sizes including this powerful version with 27,650mAh ($179.99 on Amazon). Rikka Altland of 9to5Toys wrote a review of the product. If you use portable batteries frequently, you'll definitely want to consider this solution.
- Here's another story about a person whose life was saved by wearing an Apple Watch, but this time the story catches up with the woman—and her baby—two years later. Megan O'Rourke of WXIX in Kentucky has the story.
- I haven't started watching it yet, but I know that the new season of Slow Horses has started on Apple TV+, and the first two seasons were so great that I am very excited to begin Season 3. Jon Burlingame of Variety talked to Mick Jagger about his great theme song for the show.
- And finally, besides the current season of For All Mankind, the other Apple TV+ show that I'm enjoying right now is Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. When I first heard that Apple was doing a Godzilla series, I actually thought that I might not be interested in this show because the Godzilla movies were not something that I got into when I was growing up. But I shouldn't have been concerned. This is just a fun show, and I recommend it if you are looking for something to watch. Here is a video called "What You Need to Know" that will give you a little of the flavor of the show without spoiling anything: