A few years ago, Apple CEO Tim Cook remarked in an interview for Popular Mechanics:”I think that when we look back one day and ask, what’s been Apple’s greatest contribution, it will be in health.” Earlier this week, along with introducing the new iPhone and new Apple Watch, Apple announced a new health feature coming to a current product. The AirPods Pro (2nd generation) introduced by Apple two years ago, which Apple is now calling AirPods Pro 2, is gaining the world’s first all-in-one hearing health experience. First, you will be able to use these AirPods and an iPhone to conduct a clinical-grade hearing test. The test takes about five minutes and will tell you your hearing loss in each ear. The test even produces an audiogram that you can share with a healthcare provider. Second, using the personalized hearing profile created by performing the hearing test, you can use these AirPods as a clinical-grade hearing aid, boosting the sounds around you in real-time to make it easier to hear people and your environment. The FDA announced yesterday that it gave its approval to what it called “the first over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aid software device.” Ben Lovejoy of 9to5Mac remarked that this feature is going to challenge social norms. Traditionally, when people have seen you wearing AirPods, they likely assumed that you were listening to music instead of them. But in the future, wearing AirPods could indicate just the opposite: that you are trying to hear them better than ever. Indeed, some people who were concerned about a social stigma associated with wearing traditional hearing aids might be more interested in instead wearing AirPods. Christopher Null of Wired notes that you can even use these AirPods as hearing aids during phone calls and streaming media, which no other hearing aids can currently do. Dulan Lokuwithana of Seeking Alpha reported that traditional hearing aid stocks fell on the news of Apple entering this market. I think it is great for Apple to add this new health feature, especially since many folks will not even need to purchase a new product to take advantage of the feature. And now, the other news of note from the past week:
As of 5am Pacific / 8am Eastern today, Apple started taking pre-orders for the iPhone 16 models. They will be available for delivery as soon as one week from today, or you can buy one in an Apple Store starting a week from today.
When I discussed the new iPhone 16 models, I noted that they can charge using MagSafe faster than ever—up to 25W. Tim Hardwick of MacRumors says that the new iPhone 16 models also support faster charging using the USB-C port: up to 45W.
Jovana Naumovski of Gadget Hacks identifies 22 features that you get on the new iPhone 16 models but don’t get on earlier iPhones.
In an article for Six Colors and Macworld, Jason Snell—who had a chance to try the new iPhones this week—says that the new Camera Control button on the iPhone 16 models is Apple at its best.
Ryan Christoffel of 9to5Mac discusses the three reasons to select an iPhone 16 Pro or Pro Max over the iPhone 16 or 16 Plus: battery life, bigger and better display, and camera advantages.
When Apple debuts Apple Intelligence starting next month, much of the processing will be done on your own iPhone to keep things private and secure, but sometimes it will need to access an online Apple server. Apple has taken pretty incredible steps to maintain the privacy and security of those servers, as noted by Apple executive Craig Federighi in an interview with Lily Hay Newman of Wired.
Years ago, Apple purchased the cellular model division of Intel and has been trying to come up with its own product to be used in the iPhone. For now, however, Apple continues to use modems sold by Qualcomm. Wesley Hilliard of AppleInsider says that the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max models use the Snapdragon X75 modem, which can apparently download up to 26% faster using 5G.
Although Apple introduced a new Apple Watch Series 10 this week, Apple is also about to add new features to the current Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2. Hartley Charlton of MacRumors discusses what is coming via a software update, including the ability to playback music and podcasts via the built-in speakers—a feature that I have wanted to have since the original Apple Watch.
Perhaps my all-time favorite Apple Watch band has been the Milanese Loop, and I have been wearing one regularly since 2015. This week, Apple introduced a titanium version of the Milanese Loop along with 33 new color options to 13 of its existing Apple Watch bands, plus new bands from Hermès, as noted by Hartley Charlton of MacRumors.
John Voorhees of MacStories identifies all of the small things that Apple announced this week.
This week, Apple updated the AirPods Max to support USB-C instead of Lightning. (Strangely, Apple did not make other changes to that device, such as ardrd a newer chip to support features available on other AirPods models.) Joe Rossignol of MacRumors looks at what products Apple is still selling that continue to use the Lightning port. There isn’t much left.
When I purchased my Apple Vision Pro, I knew that I would want a case to protect it, so I purchased the $199 Apple Vision Pro Travel Case, thinking that it would be the best one. While there is much that I like about that case, I don’t like that it is so big. David Sparks of Macsparky reviews the $159 / $179 Waterfield Shield Case for Vision Pro, which is much more compact, and he is a fan. If I had to do it over again, I think I would purchase this Waterfield case over the Apple one because a smaller case would be easier to pack inside of a knapsack when I travel.
In an interview yesterday on the CNBC show Squak Box, Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance said that it is “pretty sick” that, according to him, Apple benefits from Chinese slave labor, and also criticized Apple for not paying American workers a fair wage. Mike Wuerthele and Malcolm Owen of AppleInsider fact-check those statements, explaining why JD Vance is wrong and why these incorrect allegations are unfair.
And finally, Apple created a video called More Personal Siri to show a feature of the new Siri with Apple Intelligence that I would love if it actually worked this easily. (Hopefully, it does!) The video features Bella Ramsey, one of the stars of the HBO show The Last of Us, who is also well-known for playing Lyanna Mormont in Game of Thrones. She did another Apple Intelligence video called Email Summary, but I don’t think that video works as well—and indeed, that feature of Apple Intelligence doesn’t impress me as much. A third one called Custom Memory Movies is also pretty good, but the More Personal Siri one is the best:
Yesterday, Apple announced the 2024 edition of the iPhone, which once again comes in four models. First, there are the two iPhone 16 models: the normal size (6.1″ display) and the larger Plus version (6.7″ display). Second, there are the two iPhone 16 Pro models: the normal size (6.3″ display) and the larger Max version (6.9″ display). All four models support Apple Intelligence, a suite of technologies that will roll out over time, starting next month. And all four models feature more buttons: the two iPhone 16 models gain the Action button that was only available on the Pro models last year, and all four models get the new Camera Control button which looks like a great new way to take pictures. This year, you don’t lose any features by getting the smaller size instead of the larger size, which makes the purchasing decision easier. First, decide whether paying $200 extra for the Pro features is worth it for you. Second, decide whether you want a regular-size iPhone or a larger iPhone for $100 more. With all of the new features added this year, the iPhone 16 line looks like a great upgrade for lawyers and other professionals who want to do more with their iPhone, especially if taking great photos and videos is important to you.
The iPhone 16 and the iPhone 16 Plus
Let’s start by looking at the non-Pro models, which gain lots of new features.
Camera Control. The new Camera Control button comes with all four models, and it looks to be a great new feature. You can press the button to launch the camera app no matter what mode the iPhone is in. It is a physical button, so you can depress the button to take a picture, and apparently, there is zero lag between pressing the button and taking the picture. Or you can hold down the button to take video.
Better yet, if you push down on the Camera Control button just a little bit—not hard enough to take a picture—you can do all sorts of things. Press it lightly once to bring up controls that let you change the zoom level; swipe left and right across the button to change the setting. Double-press it lightly to get other choices such as lens selection, exposure selection, and photo style selection. A future software update will let you use the button to lock in the focus and exposure—similar to what a half-click on the shutter button does on a DSLR camera.
The Camera Control button can also work with third-party apps that take pictures. The developers of those apps can decide what options are available when you half-press and slide your finger. I hope we see some creative uses.
I’ll have to try it to know for sure, but this certainly sounds like a big improvement. Having a Camera Control button should reduce the time between when you want to take a picture and when you actually take the picture, helping to ensure that you don’t miss a key moment. And the numerous controls that you can access by swiping and half-pressing on the Camera Control will make it easier to get to the precise camera mode that you want.
Action button. Since we are talking about buttons, let’s next address the new Action button. When the first iPhone came out in 2007, it had a ringer switch on the side, and that switch stayed there until last year when the Pro model of the iPhone 15 changed from a ringer switch to an Action button. You can use the Action button to turn the ringer on or off if you like, but that’s not all. It can also turn on the flashlight, open an app, activate Voice Memos, activate the Magnifier, and much more. And “much more” means an unlimited number of additional things because you can use the Action button to trigger any action that you created in the Shortcuts app.
I’ve been using the Action button for the last year, and I like it. During the day, I use it to open the Camera app—something that I will no longer need once I get a new iPhone with a Camera Control. At night, it turns off the lamp on my bedstand. That sounds like such a simple thing but every single night when I go to bed I have my iPhone in my hand or nearby because I am about to place it on a charger overnight, and as I’m doing so, I love being able to press a simple button to turn off a light without having to tap multiple times on my screen to do the same thing in the Home app.
Apple Intelligence. Apple is very proud of the fact that all four iPhone 16 models have support for Apple Intelligence—a technology that is not out yet, but it will come with some features next month, more features later this year, and even more features in the future. Apple previewed Apple Intelligence a few months ago, and as I discussed at the time, there is quite a bit that it can do.
I myself have mixed emotions about the writing tools feature in Apple Intelligence because I feel like I know how to write (although I can always use help with spelling and grammar mistakes), but others might find those useful. I’m more interested in Visual Intelligence, a feature that can understand what you take a picture of. Take a picture of a store and get info about the store such as hours, website, etc. Take a picture of something that has a date written on it and you can create a calendar entry. Take a picture of a dog and see what kind of dog it is.
Siri is also much more powerful with Apple Intelligence. Whether it is providing you an answer itself or tapping into a resource such as ChatGPT, we should be able to get better and more relevant answers to questions.
Apple seems to be very excited about Apple Intelligence. My hope is that once I start using it myself, I will also gain enthusiasm. For now, I’m mainly just curious to see how it works.
Better processor. A big reason that the new iPhone 16 can handle Apple Intelligence is that it has a more powerful chip. Indeed, after using the A16 last year, this year’s model skips over A17 and goes right to using an A18 chip. Apple says that the powerful A18 chip allows the new iPhone to do much more while using less battery life.
Better battery. Apple said that the battery in the iPhone 16 is better than ever. For example, the iPhone 15 supported 20 hours of video playback, but Apple says that the iPhone 16 gains two additional hours and thus has 22 hours of video playback. The iPhone 16 Plus features up to 27 hours of video playback, an hour more than the iPhone 15 Plus with its 26 hours of video playback.
Better pictures and videos. Not only can you start taking pictures and videos faster than ever thanks to the new Camera Control, but pictures and video that you take can be better. A new 48MP Fusion Canera lens is supposed to do a better job when you change from 1x to 2x, even though it is just a software zoom not a true optical zoom. The 12MP Ultra Wide camera is also better, which not only provides better wide-angle photography but also allows for better Macro photography.
Also, if you own an Apple Vision Pro—or you just want to take 3D pictures and videos that you will one day be able to view on an Apple Vision Pro—Apple has moved the two lenses to a side-by-side position (when you are holding the camera in landscape orientation) and added the ability to take spatial photos and videos. Note that these spatial videos are still only 1080p, not 4K which is what I had hoped for, so you do give up some video quality when you change from 2D to 3D.
The sound of videos that you take can also be better. The new iPhones feature wind noise reduction. More impressively, there is a new feature called Audio Mix that lets you change the level of background sounds to make it easier to hear voices. According to Apple, Cinematic mode “[c]aptures all of the voices around you and consolidates them toward the front of the screen—just like sound is formatted for the movies.” In-frame mode “[o]nly captures the voices of the people on camera, even if people off-camera are talking during the recording.” and Studio mode “[m]akes voices sound like you’re recording in a professional studio equipped with sound-dampening walls. Great for vloggers or podcasters because the recording will sound like the mic is close to the subject’s mouth, even if it’s a few feet away.” This sounds incredibly useful and is a fascinating feature, proof that Apple has some really smart people working in the field of sound just like they have smart people working on preserving what you can see in a camera and preserve in an image.
Better MagSafe. If you use a power adapter that is 30W or higher, Apple says that you can get wireless MagSafe charging of up to 25W. This means that you can charge an iPhone 16 up to 50% in only 30 minutes on a wireless charger. Note that I think that you need to get a charger designed to support this feature. Apple sells one on its website for $39 with a 1 meter cord or $49 for a 2 meter cord.
Wi-Fi 7. Wi-Fi 7 is the latest version of Wi-Fi. It only became available in 2024 so it is not yet enabled in many devices, but when you do encounter Wi-Fi 7, this new iPhone will be ready for it with even faster Internet speeds.
The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max
The Pro versions of the iPhone 16 models are better in a few specific ways. They feature larger and better screens, have a more powerful processor, can take better pictures and video, and have a longer battery life.
Larger and better screen. Perhaps the most obvious difference with the Pro line is the size. The smaller model has a 6.3″ display instead of 6.1″, and the Max model has a 6.9″ display instead of the 6.7″ of the iPhone 16 Plus. For example, the iPhone 16 has 2556 x 1179 pixels, and the iPhone 16 Pro has 2622 x 1206 pixels. The iPhone 16 Plus has 2796 x 1290 pixels and the iPhone 16 Pro has 2868 x 1320 pixels. I’ll have to see these in person to see what the new screen size feels like, but there is definitely a little more room.
The Pro models also feature a smaller bezel, so the increase in screen size comes with slightly less of an increase in the overall size of the device.
The Pro models also have better screens. Just like last year, there is ProMotion for smoother motion and an Always-On display, allowing you to glance at your iPhone and see information without even having to touch it.
Better processor. The Pro versions of the iPhone 16 have an A18 Pro chip. That lets it do more and makes many of the other unique features possible.
5x optical zoom. Before I address the other camera improvements, I want to start by focusing on the zoom camera. Just like last year, you can get a 5x optical zoom with the Pro Max model. Unlike last year, that 5x zoom is also on the iPhone 15 Pro non-Max model. Thus, you don’t have to get a huge iPhone just to get an awesome zoom.
Last year, for the first time in my life, I got the large version of an iPhone instead of the smaller version specifically so that I could take advantage of the 5x zoom. I am so happy that I made that decision because there have been a ton of pictures that I took over the last year that were only possible because of the 5x zoom. When you are inside and the light is dim, 5x pictures are more grainy. But in a well-lit room, or if you are outside, you can get some amazing photos with the 5x zoom.
This year, I’ll have the option of getting the 5x zoom without having to get the larger iPhone, so I could go back to the smaller version of the Pro model. I’m thinking about that right now, but I will probably opt to stay with the larger model. I’ve gotten used to the larger size (even though it is a little more cumbersome to put in a shirt pocket), and when I’m looking at an iPhone screen, having more space is very nice. Even so, it is nice that you don’t have to go to the larger model if you just want the 5x zoom.
Better pictures and video. If you want the best possible pictures and videos, you’ll want the iPhone 16 Pro or Pro Max.
The UltraWide camera can take a 48MP picture, which is four times better than the iPhone 16 and last year’s iPhone 15 Pro. In theory, this means that you shouldn’t have to sacrifice quality just to go to the wide or Macro mode, which is great. I also suspect that this helps this iPhone to take even better spatial photography.
The video capabilities are also improved in various ways, including support for Dolby Vision video and 4K at 120 frames per second.
The Pro models also feature an anti-reflective coating on the lenses. Apple hasn’t said much about this feature, but I presume that it reduces lens flare.
The Pro models also feature better microphones: a studio-quality four-mic array. Add this to the wind noise reduction and Audio Mix that is also available on the iPhone 16 models and you get some impressive audio improvements.
Even better battery. I noted above that the battery is improved on the iPhone 16 models. They are even better on the Pro models, I presume because the iPhones themselves are a little bigger and thus can accommodate a bigger battery. For example, while the iPhone 15 Pro could handle 23 hours of video playback, the iPhone 16 Pro can handle 27 hours. The iPhone 15 Pro Max could handle 29 hours of video playback, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max can handle 33 hours.
Cases and Costs
The case of the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus is aluminum, and it comes in different colors: ultramarine, teal, pink, white, and black. The case of the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max is titanium and it lacks bright colors, coming in black titanium, natural titanium, white titanium, and desert titanium (a sort of light gold or brown).
The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus have a 128GB model: $799 for the iPhone 16 and $899 for the iPhone 16 Plus. The iPhone 16 Pro also has a 128GB model for $999. There is no 128GB model for the iPhone 16 Pro Max. All four models come with a 256GB model: $899, $999, $1099, and $1199 for the 16 / 16 Plus / 16 Pro / 16 Pro Max. You can see the pattern here. You pay an extra $100 to increase the size of the iPhone, and you pay an extra $200 to jump from the regular model to the Max model.
There is also a 512GB version for all four models. And for the Pro line, you can get a 1TB model for $1499 (Pro) or $1599 (Pro Max).
Last year, I got the 512GB model and I was happy with that size. It gave me plenty of space to take 4K videos. The shorter ones stayed in my Photos library, but the larger ones got moved to my computer and then turned into home movies using Final Cut Pro. So this year, I plan to stay with the same size and get either the $1299 iPhone Pro 512GB or the $1399 iPhone Pro Max 512GB.
Conclusion
The 2024 models of the iPhone look like nice upgrades. I’m excited about the new Camera Control button. And while I’m still uncertain how useful Apple Intelligence will be, it has the potential to be a big deal, and these devices will have the processor power to support Apple Intelligence. Moreover, Apple knows that many people (like me) love the iPhone because of its capabilities as a camera, and all of the models—but especially the two Pro models—excel in that area. I’m excited to get this new model.
Pre-orders start on Friday, September 13. Pre-orders should arrive starting on September 20, and they will also be available in stores starting September 20.
Today at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern, Apple will announce the 2024 versions of the iPhone. A limited number of members of the press were invited to come to the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, California, for the announcement, presumably so that they can get some hands-on time with the new products after the announcement. But because the announcement video will be streamed, all of us can watch the announcements as they occur. In addition to a new iPhone, there are rumors that we will see a new Apple Watch and perhaps new AirPods. But you never know what surprises Apple may have.
We begin this week’s episode of the In the News podcast with a discussion of the Apple Watch, looking at how far it has come in the past ten years and thinking about what new features might be added when Apple announces the Apple Watch Series 10 on Monday. Next, we discuss the new Photos app coming in just a few days or weeks in iOS 18, additional things that you can do with the Action button on an iPhone in iOS 18, the Smart Script feature coming in iPadOS 18, some great shows on Apple TV+, and more.
In our Where Y’At? segment, we discuss using AirTags to track discarded items.
In our In the Know segment, Brett discusses using the Wallet app to see info from a driver’s license, and I recommend that you create an Apple folder on your iPhone.
When Apple holds its next big product announcement event on Monday, September 9, the entire technology community will be curious to see the new features added to the iPhone. Me too, but I’m just as interested in learning about the new Apple Watch. It was ten years ago—September 9, 2014—when Apple announced the original Apple Watch. That was just a preview, and the first Apple Watch model did not go on sale until April 24, 2015. Nevertheless, since the next model is expected to be called the Apple Watch 10, and considering that it has been ten years since the first announcement, there has been speculation for the past year that Apple might do something special with this next version of the Apple Watch. Hartley Charlton of MacRumors looked at most of the rumors of what the Apple Watch 10 might include and created a comparison table with the Apple Watch 9. One rumor is that the Apple Watch 10 will add hypertension detection and sleep apnea detection—although there is a competing rumor that Apple cannot add these features as long as it remains in litigation with Masimo Corporation over patented pulse oximetry technology. (That lawsuit is currently set for trial on October 21, 2024, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, No. 1:22-CV-01378,) Another rumor is that both sizes of the Apple Watch will get a bigger case and screen, with the larger Apple Watch, which now has a 45mm case, increasing in size to perhaps as large as a 49mm case—the same size as the current Apple Watch Ultra—with a display size of 2.04 inches, which would be just a hair larger than the Apple Watch Ultra 2’s 1.91-inch display. And while Charlton predicts that the next Apple Watch will be thicker (higher on your wrist), I’ve also heard rumors that the next Apple Watch will be thinner. For someone who considers the Ultra just a little too big but who wants a larger screen and more battery life, the Apple Watch 10 could be the “just right” size. On the other hand, if both models of the Apple Watch 10 have larger cases, people who prefer a small Apple Watch may not be as happy. Of course, some or all of these rumors could be wrong, and we will learn the truth in just a few days. And now, the news of note from the past week:
Thank you for all of the early donations to St. Jude! There is still plenty of time to participate. Simply click here and then click the big green button. Easy peasy.
A major change in iPadOS 18 will be Smart Script, a technology that can improve your handwriting, fix handwritten spelling mistakes, and more. John Voorhees of MacStories tested this feature in the beta version of iPadOS 18, and he was very impressed with the results.
According to Charles Martin of AppleInsider, a man who the local news called “the James Bond of plastic recycling” was curious about the City of Houston’s claim that all plastic was accepted in the recycling program. So he put an AirTag in his plastic to track where it ended up and eventually learned that the city had collected 250 tons of plastic since 2022 but none of it had been recycled yet.
If you need more AirTags to track your plastic recycyling or anything else, a four-pack has a retail price of $99 and can routinely be purchased on Amazon for $80 to $85, but the cheapest that I have ever seen a four-pack offered for is $75, and it is at that price right now. Amazon is currently selling the four-pack for $74.99.
David Piere of The Verge discusses how far Apple Pay has come since Apple introduced it ten years ago and also discusses how it may change in the future.
If you want to listen to some music but don’t know what to pick, Apple Music can now pick music for you based upon your mood. As reported by Joe Rossignol of MacRumors, tap the Home tab, scroll down to Find Your Mood, and then select a mix based on your mood: feel good, energy, relax, focus, and feeling blue.
As we start football season, John Gruber of Daring Fireball discusses Apple’s announcement that the Apple Sports app will not only give you football stores but will also support Live Activities on the iPhone and Apple Watch. As you can see from the sample images in Apple’s press release, this will provide you with a quick and easy way to track the score in a game.
If you want to watch MLS soccer and you subscribe to Apple TV+, Benjamin Mayo of 9to5Mac reports that you can now do so for free for the rest of this season, which ends October 19. Just remember to cancel the subscription if you don’t want it to renew (and charge you) next year.
I have two recommendations for shows that I enjoyed watching on Apple TV+. First, I finished the mini-series called The Lady in the Lake. Natalie Portman and Maddie Schwartz are incredible actresses in this crime mystery that takes place in Baltimore in the 1960s. Lots of twists and turns.
Second, I watched the Director’s Cut version of Napoleon. It was a visual feast on the large virtual screen of my Apple Vision Pro, with amazing battle scenes and great views of Paris in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Perhaps the plot could have been better, but I still enjoyed it, and I especially enjoyed all of the scenes with Josephine (which I understand is a big part of the extended version of the movie).
And finally, here is some advice if you are trying to decide whether to watch The Lady in the Lake on Apple TV+. Rather than watch the trailer, which has some light spoilers, I recommend that you watch this short video called An Inside Look. It features short snippets from the show and clips of interviews with the actors and others and it gives you a sense of the feel of the show without any spoilers. If this video looks intriguing to you, then you should check out the show.
Cancer is horrible. We all know it, we have all dealt with it with our friends and families at some point, and I have no doubt that many of you reading this are dealing with it somehow right now. And as bad as all forms of cancer are, childhood cancer is particularly devastating.
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and a leader in the fight against childhood cancer is St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Since St. Jude opened its doors in 1962, the treatments developed at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to more than 80%. That is an amazing statistic. And they have so much more that they can do, from helping individual patients they are treating at their facility in Memphis to developing techniques that can be used to treat children around the world.
For the third year in a row, iPhone J.D. is part of the community that is working with the Relay podcast network to raise money for St. Jude. Relay is the network behind some fantastic tech-related podcasts, such as Upgrade, Mac Power Users, Connected, Clockwise, Automators, and so many more. By working together, the end result can be pretty amazing. Since 2019, the Relay community has raised over $3 million for St. Jude.
The process of making a donation is super easy, which I know first-hand because I just did it a few minutes before I wrote this post. Simply go to the page, click the big green DONATE button, click one of the two Relay awards options if either interests you (that part is optional, but you can get some fun stuff like stickers and screensavers if you donate more than $60 or $100), then checkout and pay. The whole process takes only seconds, and I guarantee that you will feel so much better knowing that you are part of the solution for families that are directly affected by childhood cancer today and those that will be dealing with it in the future.
I also have a limited special reward for iPhone J.D. readers. I still have some fantastic microfiber cloths with the iPhone J.D. logo on them that I have given away on rare occasions in the past (such as at TECHSHOW 2014). If you donate at least $100, instead of the standard Relay rewards, you can select to receive one of these. They are fantastic for cleaning an iPhone or iPad screen, and I also use one to clean my eyeglasses every day. This is a limited offer because I don’t have many of them left and the company that made them doesn’t exist anymore, but I have at least ten of them, so donate soon if you want to get one while they last.
Whether you donate $5 or $500, your donation will make a difference. A special thanks to those of you who contributed in the past and will contribute again this year!
We are almost a week away from Apple’s September 9 new product announcements, so Brett and I begin this week’s episode of the In the News podcast by discussing the speculation on what might be included in the 2024 version of the iPhone, including the rumor that there will be a dedicated hardware button for taking pictures. I’m enthusiastic about that possibility, but Brett is worried that it may be one button too many. We also discuss a possible update to the AirPods Max, new spatial videos coming out in just a few days for the Apple Vision Pro, the state of the Apple Books store, digital driver’s licenses, and more.
In our Where Y’At? segment, we discuss how one person used an AirPod to track down her child when the school could not find him.
In our In the Know segment, Brett mentions a website that pokes fun at a decision that Apple made many years ago and we discuss why that decision seems to have made sense. I explain how to protect your privacy by limiting what the Lock Screen shows when you get a new email.
We learned this week that September 9 is the day when Apple will announce the new iPhone for 2024. And as I explained earlier this week, while you are marking your calendar, you might also want to do so for September 9 in 2025 and 2026 as well. There are lots of rumors on what we might see, Ryan Christoffel of 9to5Mac does a good job of running them all down. Of course, we will see a new iPhone, and it is rumored to have a slightly larger display, more RAM (which will be helpful for handling on-device AI), a faster processor, new colors including a brown/tan/bronze color, 5x optical zoom on the entry-level models, better low light photography, and more. But the rumor that has intrigued me the most is a new physical button on the side of the iPhone that would serve as a shutter button to instantly take a picture without the need to launch the Camera app first. It is rumored to have some neat features such as the ability to focus by pressing the button lightly (similar to a half-press of the button on an SLR camera), take a picture by pressing it all the way, and zooming in and out by swiping left and right. Considering that it would be more accurate to call my iPhone an iCamera since I use it to take pictures frequently, the rumor of a shutter button has me intrigued. We might also see new models of the AirPods, a new Apple Watch that is thinner with a larger screen, a new iPad mini, and who knows what else. It is all coming in less than ten days, and I’m very excited about the announcements. And now, the news of note from the past week:
David Sparks of MacSparky discusses the rumor that Apple is about to release a second version of the AirPods Max. I have never had a need for an AirPods Max and they are too expensive to buy on a lark, but I’ve always thought that they might be fun to have in certain circumstances.
Joe Rossignol of MacRumors wonders whether we will see a new Apple TV in 2024, and suggests that a new model could include a camera for videoconferencing. Using a current Apple TV with an iPhone provides great quality for videochats with friends and family, but getting the iPhone connected to the Apple TV is a little complicated. Having a single unit with the camera built-in would be much nicer and easier to use.
This past week, Hawaii added support for storing a driver’s license in the iPhone’s wallet app. Unfortunately, as reported by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, you still need to have your physical ID with you when you are driving. Wallet support in Hawaii, like some other states, is offered as a convenience, not as a replacement. Here in Louisiana where I live, we have a digital wallet app called LA License that works just like a physical license so you can drive a car with just the digital license. It even works with TSA at a large number of airports, but TSA requires that you also have a physical ID when you travel.
Dan Moren of Six Colors believes that despite the potential for Apple to do so much more with Apple Books, the company instead seems to be headed in the wrong direction.
If you ever bring in your iPhone to be fixed and the Apple Store decides to replace it instead of fixing it, Apple is likely giving you a refurbished unit. That shouldn’t be a problem in most circumstances, but as Finn Voorhees explains, he could no longer use Snapchat when he got his replacement iPhone. Although the contents of the phone were erased, Snapchat was apparently still associating a hardware number for the device with a previous user that it had banned.
Apple says that AirTags are not designed for tracking people or pets, but people still do it. William Gallagher of AppleInsider reports on a woman in Illinois who put an AirTags in her kindergarten son’s backpack, and it is a good thing that she did so because the school lost track of her boy and she was able to track him to a school bus and find him again.
Ted Lasso is coming back! Michaela Zee of Variety reports that Season 4 of Ted Lasso is now being planned. Warner Bros. has picked up the options on British actors Hannah Waddingham, Brett Goldstein, and Jeremy Swift, and the actors who are part of SAG here in the U.S. will presumably be put under contract next. Jason Sudeikis is expected to have a much more limited role, and Phil Dunster (who played Jamie Tart) may be tied up on other projects, but as long as we have most of the cast along with the same great writing, Season 4 should be great fun to watch. Believe!
I have not yet watched the Napoleon movie on Apple TV+, in part because of the mixed reviews. I heard that it was a beautiful movie, but that much of the plot had to be cut out to reduce the running-time of the movie, making it seem more disjointed. As reported by Matt Grobar of Deadline, Apple has now released a Director’s Cut version of the movie that adds 48 more minutes for a new running time of almost three and a half hours. So this is the version that I plan to watch, perhaps breaking it into a few different nights as if it were a mini-series.
And finally, Season 4 of the fantastic Apple TV+ show Slow Horses debuts in just a few days on September 4, and here is a short, fun, spoiler-free video to get you ready:
Four years ago in 2020, when Apple introduced the Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE, Apple also introduced two new watch bands that have no buckles and instead use stretchy materials. As a result, you can simply slip them on and off of your wrist. One of those bands is the $49 Solo Loop, and as I noted in my review, it is one of my all-time favorite Apple Watch bands. I own a few in different colors, and I have worn them frequently for many years. The other one introduced in 2020 is the $99 Braided Solo Loop. I purchased one recently to try it out and see how it compares to the fantastic Solo Loop. Overall, it is a good band, and this is your best option if you like the idea of being able to quickly slip the watch on and off but you don’t like the rubbery feel of a Solo Loop. But if you do like the Solo Loop, I don’t consider this band twice as good even though it is twice the price.
The Braided Solo Loop, like the Solo Loop, doesn’t have a clasp, so you cannot adjust the size. That means that you need to measure yourself, or go to an Apple Store where they can measure you, to get the right size, from Size 1 to Size 9 for the 41 mm Apple Watch, and from Size 1 to Size 12 for the 45 mm Apple Watch. I have a larger wrist (around 21 cm), and I use a Size 12.
According to the Apple Watch website Bandbreite, the Braided Solo Loop has been available in 32 colors over the years, 7 of which are available this season. Perhaps we will get even more new colors on or after the Apple event on September 9, 2024. I had hoped to get a darker blue or green, but those colors are not currently available, so I went for black.
The Braided Solo Loop, like the Solo Loop, stretches to fit around your wrist. This makes it incredibly fast and easy to slip on and off. It also means that you don’t feel any sort of buckle against your skin. Also, there is no risk of a buckle coming undone or catching on something and your watch falling off.
Unlike the Solo Loop, which Apple says is made of liquid silicone rubber, the Braided Solo Loop is created by weaving polyester yarn filaments around silicone threads. So instead of a rubbery feel, the Braided Solo Loop has the feel of a textured, soft canvas except that it is stretchy. I know that some people complain that they get too much sweat caught under the rubbery Solo Loop band, although that has never been a problem for me. For those folks, the Braided Solo Loop may be preferable because it breathes more thanks to the weave.
Another result of the weave is that the band feels soft against your arm. The feel is somewhat similar to Apple’s Sport Loop, which is made of a nylon weave and is very comfortable, as I noted in my review from five years ago. But unlike the Sport Loop, you can easily stretch this band.
Although both the Braided Solo Loop and the Solo Loop are stretchy and thus hug your wrist, there seems to be less tension with the Braided Solo Loop. Don’t get me wrong, it is not like it is loose enough to slide up and down my wrist, which would be something that I definitely would not like. The elasticity keeps it in place. But it is just a slightly looser feel. I’ve heard a few reports that after years of use, the Braided Solo Loop can loosen up considerably, so much so that some people recommend going one size smaller with the Braided Solo Loop than you would with a Solo Loop. After less than two weeks of regular use, however, I haven’t noticed this Braided Solo Loop band getting any looser on my wrist, and I’m happy with selecting the same size that I use with the regular Solo Loop.
Conclusion
The Braided Solo Loop is a very comfortable watch band. It is easy to slip on and off, and the weave is comfortable against the wrist. Wearing this watch band is almost akin to slipping a comfortable sock on your foot. My only real complaint is the price. I find the Solo Loop band to be just as comfortable and easy to slip on and off at half the price. And because it is fun to have different color watch bands to match your clothes or your mood, I’d prefer having two Solo Loop bands in two colors than one Braided Solo Loop band.
Apple announced yesterday that on Monday, September 9, Apple will stream a video event at 10 Pacific / 1 Eastern. The YouTube page for the video is already online, but I usually watch using the page on the Apple website. And while Apple is not saying what it will announce, we all know that the event will at least include 2024 version of the iPhone. I suspect that we will also see the 2024 versions of the Apple Watch. Indeed, September 9, 2024, will be exactly 10 years after Apple first announced the Apple Watch (although it did not ship until April 24, 2015). I suspect we will also see new AirPods.
In the email that Apple sent around to announce the event, Apple included a glowing Siri logo combined with the Apple logo and the tagline: “It’s Glowtime.”
Does the obvious reference to Siri mean that we will see some new Siri-related features introduced on the 9th? Perhaps something related to AI: Siri + Apple intelligence? We’ll see.
Why Monday?
The choice of Monday, September 9, also strikes me as interesting because Apple usually holds this event on a Tuesday unless there is a late Labor Day, in which case it is usually on a Wednesday.
For many years now, when Labor Day occurred on September 4 or earlier, then Apple would hold the iPhone announcement on the Tuesday of the following week. For example, this occurred in 2023, 2019, 2017, 2014, and 2013. When Labor Day fell on Sept. 5 or later, then Apple would announce the new iPhone on the Wednesday that was two days after Labor Day. For example, this occurred in 2022, 2016, and 2015.
There have been two exceptions. The year 2020 was a notable exception due to COVID. Although Apple announced the new Apple Watch on Tuesday, September 15, 2020 (consistent with the pattern that I just noted), Apple alerted the world on July 30, 2020, that the iPhone introduction would be delayed several weeks, and the introduction finally occurred on October 13, 2020. The other exception was the very next year, 2021. Even though Labor Day fell on September 6, which would normally mean an iPhone announcement on September 8, Apple waited until the Tuesday of the following week, September 14, 2021, to have the new iPhone announcement. That one-week delay could have been because new iPhone supply was very low in 2021 due to the lingering effects of COVID, with people waiting up to four weeks to receive an iPhone 13 after it was purchased. Pushing back the announcement one week in 2021 may have been to allow for one additional week to build up the initial supply.
The traditional routine of introducing a new iPhone on a Tuesday—or Wednesday if it followed a Monday holiday—meant that Apple had one work day to prepare for the announcement, allowing Apple a day to get ready for the press to come to town to see the new iPhone in person. Even though Apple shifted in 2020 from live keynote addresses to streamed video announcements, it has still been hosting a (smaller) event on its campus for select members of the press to see the new iPhone in person.
But as noted above, this year, we have an exception to the normal pattern. Labor Day occurs early—on September 2, 2024—so applying the traditional pattern, we would expect an iPhone introduction on the Tuesday of the following week, which is Tuesday, September 10. Why is Apple instead hosting the event on Monday, September 9? Assuming that Apple is inviting members of the press to its campus that day, it will presumably have to pay some people to work on a Sunday to prepare.
John Gruber of Daring Fireball suggests a politics-based explanation for the move: “The first (and currently the only scheduled) debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump is on Tuesday 10 September — I’ll bet Apple set this one for Monday to give them a better chance at leading the news during the 24 hours after the event.” I suppose that is possible. I haven’t yet seen any other theories, and I don’t have one myself.
Whatever the reason for the Monday announcement this year, it is interesting that if Apple returns to its normal pattern in the next two years, that means that we will have three years in a row of new iPhones being announced on September 9: Monday, September 9, 2024, Tuesday, September 9, 2025, and Wednesday, September 9, 2026. I suppose that 9/9 does have a nice ring to it.
