One major reason that Apple devices like the iPhone are superior to competitors is the great user interface. When I say that, I suspect that you start thinking about how things look on the screen, but sounds are an important part of the user experience as well. Twenty Thousand Hertz is a podcast about the stories behind sounds that you know very well, and the latest episode is called The Sound of Apple. It is an absolute joy to listen to, and it provides the backstory of sounds that you know on the iPhone, Apple Watch, and other Apple devices. This works great in a podcast format where you pay attention to what you are hearing, not what you are seeing. The episode to which I linked is Part 1, and apparently, a Part 2 is coming out on August 14. I highly recommend that you listen to this one. And now, the news of note from the past week:
- Apple released iOS 17.6.1 this week and similar updates for other platforms. If you haven't upgraded yet, you should do so soon to be safe. As Chance Miller of 9to5Mac notes, this update includes bug fixes that Apple considers to be important.
- John Gruber of Daring Fireball describes a big update to Flighty, my favorite travel app. The app can now both predict and explain flight delays, often giving you better information than the airline itself will tell you.
- Miller also notes that California will soon support storing your state driver's licenses in the Apple Wallet app, with Iowa and Tennessee also supporting this feature soon.
- David Sparks of MacSparky talks about the new Apple Vision Pro environment available in the Disney+ app (there is also a new one in the Paramount app) and explains why it would be nice if Apple found a way that you can use these environments outside of those applications. I agree—that would be nice—and hopefully, Apple has this feature on its list of future enhancements.
- If you have resisted buying a Nest thermostat for your home because it doesn't support HomeKit, William Gallagher of Apple Insider reports that the new version of the Nest Learning Thermostat uses the Matter standard, which means that it also works with HomeKit.
- When Apple first announced its upcoming movie called Wolfs starring both George Clooney and Brad Pitt, I assumed that it would first have a long theatrical run before it came to Apple TV+. But Benjamin Mayo of 9to5Mac reports that the film will only get a limited, one-week theatrical release on September 20 and then it will come to Apple TV+ on Friday, September 27. Given the two big stars in this movie and the fact that Apple is already working on a sequel, that surprised me.
- Matt Novak of Gizmodo submitted a FOIA request to NASA to find out which TV shows are available to watch on the International Space Station. He got a response, and it is an interesting list. It includes three Apple TV+ shows: For All Mankind, Severance, and Ted Lasso. Watching For All Mankind while you are in space sounds like a great way to enjoy the show.
- Zac Hall of 9to5Mac shares the story of a man in California who says that his Apple Watch saved his life by alerting him that his heart rate was very low. The doctors told him that he needed a pacemaker immediately.
- And finally, I've been enjoying a new show on Apple TV+ called Time Bandits. It is over-the-top silly, but it makes me laugh and has lots of great actors in it. If you are trying to decide if the humor of the show works for you, here is a two-minute clip from the first episode that introduces some of the characters. I consider it to be pretty spoiler-free, so you can watch this clip to you decide whether to start watching the series.
