There is a lot going on in the world of Apple right now, such as the pre-orders for the Apple Vision Pro that started this morning. (I placed an order, and have an appointment at my local Apple Store at 8:30 on February 2 to pick it up.) But one news item that I don't want you to miss is a change that is coming in iOS 17.3, which many expect Apple to release next week. This new feature will address a security issue that was exposed in early 2023 by Joanna Stern of the Wall Street Journal. I discussed it in this post. In short, if a criminal learns of your iPhone passcode (perhaps by having someone look over your shoulder as you type it in) and then steals your iPhone, they can then change the passcode and cause you a world of problems such as draining your bank account, forever deleting all of your photos, improperly using confidential information, etc. As Joanna Stern and Nicole Nguyen reported last month, and as discussed more extensively in this post by John Gruber of Daring Fireball, Apple has a number of solutions coming in iOS 17.3 that seem to be quite clever. But importantly, to take advantage of these solutions, you need to enable a new feature called Stolen Device Protection. So whenever you install iOS 17.3, please remember to consider enabling this new feature to give you additional protection against someone stealing your iPhone and taking over your Apple account. I'm especially sensitive to these issues because—like many readers of this website—I am an attorney with confidential information on my devices. But because of the chaos and potentially severe consequences that could come to anyone who falls victim to this scheme, I'm glad that Apple is doing something substantial to address this situation. I wish that Apple had acted more quickly, but I'm glad to have more protection soon. And now, the news of note from the past week:
- If you plan to get an Apple Vision Pro, one thing that you can look forward to is a great way to enjoy 3D movies. In the past, I've been unimpressed by most 3D movies because in a theater or using home theater glasses, you typically need to sacrifice brightness for the added dimension. But it looks like the 3D movie experience will be substantially better thanks to the numerous features of the Apple Vision Pro. Apple issued a press release this week to describe some of the new entertainment features that will become possible with an Apple Vision Pro, and it is worth reading that release to learn about it all.
- One entertainment feature that you will not have in the Apple Vision Pro, at least for now, is a Netflix app. Netflix provided a statement to Bloomberg to say that you can watch Netflix content in a webpage with the Apple Vision Pro (the same way that you can already view Netflix content on a Mac or PC), but Netflix does not currently plan to update its iPhone/iPad/Apple TV app to work with the Vision Pro. This means that you cannot download a show to an Apple Vision Netflix app to watch it on a plane, unless you are on a plane with sufficient Internet broadband for streaming. My hope is that at some point in the future, Netflix will expand its 3D streaming video offerings and at the same time bring an app to the Apple Vision platform for both 3D and non-3D movies.
- Apple invited a number of journalists who had previously tried out an Apple Vision Pro to do so again this week. One resulting report that I found particularly interesting is this one by Chance Miller of 9to5Mac because he provides some new information on the optional Dual Loop Band, the keyboard, spatial videos and Immersive Videos, the impressive Disney+ app, and the EyeSight feature that displays a representation of your eyes and other information on the outside of the device to improve interaction with people who are around you.
- Samantha Wiley of iLounge reports that the HBO Max app will fully support the Apple Vision Pro.
- John-Anthony Disotto of iMore identifies the over 150 3D movies that you will be able to watch on the Apple Vision Pro when it launches.
- Many years ago, Epic picked a fight with Apple because Epic wanted to be able to offer its own App Store on the iPhone and iPad. In the resulting antitrust lawsuit, Epic won some minor battles, but Apple was mostly successful. This week, the United States Supreme Court denied further review. John Voorhees of MacStories, who used to be a practicing attorney, explains what is next in this article. For one, Apple will start allowing app developers to provide users with a link for pay items on an external website instead of an in-app purchase, but because of various restrictions on the process, many developers may decide that it isn't worth the hassle. Additionally, Epic will have to pay Apple $73 million in legal fees. And perhaps worst of all for Epic, and as noted in this post by John Gruber of Daring Fireball, I doubt that we will ever see Fortnight return to Apple platforms: "iOS Fortnite players are like the children in an ugly divorce."
- Speaking of Apple's legal battles, while Apple pursues its federal court appeal of the ITC import ban, Apple announced this week that it will disable the blood oxygen detection feature in all new models of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 (because the appellate court denied Apple's request for a stay pending the appeal). If Apple wins the appeal, I'm sure that it will issue a software update to restore the feature on those devices. If Apple loses the appeal, perhaps Apple will reach an agreement with Masimo pursuant to which Apple can re-enable the feature. If you already own an Apple Watch with a working blood oxygen detection feature, then this change will not affect you. Wesley Hilliard of Apple Insider provides further details.
- I'm a big fan of 3-in-1 wireless chargers that work with StandBy mode and charge your devices at the maximum possible speed in the least amount of space. That's why I gave the Anker 3-in-1 Cube with MagSafe such a glowing review a few months ago. Rikka Altland of 9to5Toys has tried out the new Anker MagGo 3-in-1 Charging Station and is a big fan. At $110 on Amazon, this product is a little cheaper than the Anker Cube (currently $135) but works much the same way. Instead of being an official Apple MagSafe product, this is a Qi2 product, which means that it charges at the same speed. I hope to see even more Qi2 products like this soon so that creative product designers can come up with even more useful products like this.
- Apple announced this week that two members of its Board of Directors are retiring now that they have reached the age of 75. One of those people is former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, and John Gruber wrote a nice article about Gore and Apple.
- For a long time now, Apple has received the most revenue in the smartphone market, but that is because it focuses on more profitable models and lets other companies sell less expensive smartphones. But according to a report discussed by Ed Hardy of Cult of Mac, 2023 was the first time ever that Apple sold more smartphones than any other manufacturer. With a 20.1% market share, Apple just barely beat out Samsung's 19.4% market share.
- Thomas Daigle of CBC reports that a man in Toronto had his GMC Yukon SUV stolen—the second time that this had happened to him this year. This time, he had an AirTag hidden in the vehicle. He was able to track his vehicle to a rail yard, then the Port of Montreal, then the United Arab Emirates, and finally to a used car lot near Dubai. The fascinating article has tons of details on how the man tracked his stolen vehicle and tried, without success so far, to get the police and even Interpol to help him.
- If you watch the Apple TV+ show For All Mankind—and if you don't, you should!—then you know that last week, Apple aired the exciting final episode of Season 4. For some great behind-the-scenes information about the show, I recommend that you listen to the latest episode of the NASA Vending Machine podcast by Jason Snell and Dan Moren because they interview the co-creators and showrunners Ben Nedivi and Matt Wolpert.
- If you are a fan of musicals, I recommend the first two seasons of the Apple TV+ show Schmigadoon! However, if you are a fan of Schmigadoon!, I'm sorry to share this report from Zac Hall at 9to5Mac. Even though Season 3 has been written (with 25 new songs), Apple decided not to renew the show for a third season. That's a shame because it was a good show, and I have no doubt that I would have enjoyed another season of it.
- David Snow of Cult of Mac previews a new band Apple is selling as part of its 2024 Black Unity Collection, and it has a great look.
- And finally, speaking of great looks, here is a preview of a new TV series coming to Apple TV+ called The New Look. Inspired by true events, it tells the stories of Christian Dior, Coco Chanel, and others in the Paris fashion scene near the end of World War II when the Nazis occupied Paris. The cast and (of course) the wardrobe looks amazing. I hadn't heard anything about this show before this week, and based on this preview, it could be really great:
