For a while now, there has been a rumor that Apple was working on a new product that was similar to a HomePod with a screen attached to it. This week, Filipe Espósito of 9to5Mac noted that the beta version of tvOS 18 has a new hidden interface that supports a touchscreen that the code refers to as "PlasterBoard." Nobody has a TV set in their living room with a touchscreen on it, so this code suggests that Apple is working on a device that will have an interface similar to tvOS but which has a touchscreen—matching the old rumors of a HomePod with a screen attached to it. On top of that, Mark Gurman of Bloomberg has reported that Apple is working on a table-top robot with a screen, which would seem to match this product if the screen is attached by an arm so that it can move around perhaps so that it always faces you in a kitchen. The combination of the rumors and the code in the beta software makes me think that this might be a real product that Apple is planning to release. Dan Moren of Six Colors has the same thought, and he writes about it in an article for Macworld. Do I need a HomePod with a screen in my life? I'm not sure, but I'm definitely starting to think about it now. And now, the other news of note from the past week:
- One of the things that I am looking forward to in tvOS 18 is Apple's new InSight feature which will show you information about the show you are watching. The feature is now working in the beta software, and Filipe Espósito shows what it currently looks like. Apparently, for whatever actors are on the screen, you can see a picture of the actor's face, the real name and the character name, and the music being played during the scene (if any). That looks great.
- Federico Viticci of MacStories says that while the Photos app has a new interface in iOS 18, it is growing on him as he uses the beta software and he likes how it improves the app.
- It was just last week that I mentioned that you could get Apple's AirPods Max over-the-ear headphones from Amazon for $100 off, selling for only $449. This week, if you select the green or pink model, they are only $398, a substantial discount from the $549 that you will pay at an Apple Store.
- It's been a frequent topic on iPhone J.D. of late that there are a large number of great shows on Apple TV+. But there are a small number of shows on Apple TV+ that are truly amazing, some of the best of the best. Ted Lasso is certainly on that list, and so is Severance. Thus, I'm excited that Apple announced this week in a new trailer on YouTube that Severance Season 2 will premiere on January 17, 2025. If the sophomore season is as good as the first season was, this will be awesome.
- Severance demonstrates a genre that Applt TV+ has been especially good at: sci-fi. For All Mankind, Foundation, Severance, Silo, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, and Dark Matter have all been excellent science fiction series. Constellation was perhaps not as good, but it kept me interested enough to watch it to the end, and Hello Tomorrow! was the only one that I started and never finished. I was thinking about Apple's excellent job with science fiction shows last night when I watched the first two episodes of Apple's newest science fiction show: Sunny. It has a great cast, features interesting technology, and it is clear from just a few minutes into the first episode that there seems to be something going on that we may not know about for many episodes (much like Severance). If you enjoy watching science fiction, I recommend that you start watching Sunny and catch up on any of those prior sci-fi shows that you might have missed.
- One thing that Apple TV+ has not yet done is produce a big, summer blockbuster movie. That will change next year when Apple releases in theaters and IMAX the movie F1 starring Brad Pitt and brought to you by Jerry Bruckheimer and Joseph Kosinski who did Top Gun: Maverick. Stewart Clarke of Deadline interviewed Bruckheimer and Kosinski to discuss the movie. Based on their obvious enthusiasm, this could be a very exciting film.
- James Fanelli of the Wall Street Journal reports that a candidate running for a county position in Florida got frustrated when his campaign signs kept getting stolen from an intersection so he put a replacement sign there with an AirTag on it. (It's unclear how he attached it.) Sure enough, that sign was stolen as well, but he was able to call the police who tracked it to a home where teenagers had been stealing signs.
- William Gallagher of AppleInsider reports that a man in Malaysia had his car stolen after it had been valet parked at a shopping mall. Fortunately, he had an AirTag in the car and was able to track it down and the thief was arrested.
- Juli Clover of MacRumors shares the story of a family in Colorado whose life was saved by a HomePod after their dog started a fire. The dog accidentally started the stove at night, and because some boxes were on the stovetop at the time, they caught fire, triggering a fire alarm. Apparently, that alarm wasn't loud enough to wake them up, but the HomePod heard the alarm and then sent an alert that did get the attention of the homewoners.
- Eddy Cue is the executive at Apple in charge of most of its services: Apple Music, Apple News, Apple Podcasts, the Apple TV app, Apple TV+, Apple Pay, Apple Card, Maps, Search Ads, Apple’s iCloud services, and Apple’s productivity and creativity apps. He doesn't do a lot of interviews, but he recently talked to Safwan AhmedMia of the SuperSaf YouTube channel to talk about what he does for Apple. It's a fun interview with lots of information that I had not heard before, such as the fact Find My started as an idea of an intern at Apple. And like me, Eddy says that he is also really looking forward to Season 2 of Severance.
- And finally, the Apple Vision Pro is going on sale in Australia, so Trevor Long of EFTM (which calls itself "an online Men’s Lifestyle Magazine") came to Cupertino, California to talk to Apple CEO Tim Cook about the Apple Vision Pro. In the video, Cook does a good job talking about why the Apple Vision Pro is an exciting product, and Cook discusses what he does with his own Vision Pro: