Tag: #apple

Wenn Apple aktualisiert

DE-CIX Pressemitteilung:

Europas größter Internetknoten DE-CIX Frankfurt hat einen neuen Rekord im Datendurchsatz aufgestellt. Am 19. September um 21:26 Uhr (MESZ) wurde parallel zum Start der UEFA Champions League Saison 2023/24 und dem Software-Update eines namhaften Smartphone-Herstellers erstmalig ein Datendurchsatz von über 15 Terabit pro Sekunde (Tbit/s) verzeichnet (genau 15,29 Tbit/s).

iOS 17: AirTags endlich teilen

Eine Änderung, auf die ich mich richtig freue: Wenn die Chefin ihr iPhone heute Abend auch auf iOS 17 aktualisiert, dann kann ich endlich den AirTag, den unser Hund am Halsband trägt, mit ihr teilen. Bisher musste sie den fremden Tag, der sie “verfolgte”, ignorieren, aber ab heute kann sie den Hund selbst wiederfinden, wenn er sich verläuft.

Wobei: Man verliert vielleicht den Hund, aber der Hund findet dich stets wieder. Wenn er will. 😇

Apple AirPods are getting smarter

I love software updates that make after-market devices smarter. Last night my AirPods received a new firmare: 6A300 for the AirPods (Max) and 6A301 for the AirPods Pro 2. I am running iOS 17, which is a prerequisite for some new features.

Most important addition for people who use AirPods for conference calls: you can now mute/unmute a call with a single press. A double press will hang up the call. As a reminder: all current AirPods have Personalized Spatial Audio. The iPhone camera determines the shape of your earlobes and adjusts the spatial audio experience.

Another important customization is a part of the Headphone Accomodations inside Settings/Accessibility/Audio/Video. It lets you tune your AirPods to your hearing profile. The difference is absolutely stunning. I know somebody with a 90 percent hearing loss on one ear and only the AirPods allow him to hear stereo. You can build this profile with the Mimi Hearing Test. Once you built this profile, AirPods can act as a hearing aid focussing on the person in front of you.

The second generation AirPods Pro take all of this one step further. After the update, they can seamlessly adjust between Transparency and ANC, they will adjust the volume depending on the sound around you, and they will automatically lower media playback when you start speaking and switch on Transparency with a focus on the person in front of you.

Ever since the AirPods Max blew me away with their computational audio, I have amazed of what Apple is doing in the audio space. This stuff keeps getting better, and if possible without buying new devices.

Apple Software Updates

Nächsten Montag, am 18.09.23 ab etwa 18:00 Uhr erscheinen (unter anderem) iOS 17 und watchOS 10. Ich habe aktuell schon die Release Candidates installiert. Und mir machen vor allem die kleinen Dinge gr0ße Freude, wie dieses Peanuts Watch Face. Das hier ist das Always-On Display, das beim Aufwachen der Uhr einen hellen Hintergrund bekommt, auf dem Snoopy und Woodstock immer wieder neue Kapriolen aufführen. Das macht gute Laune.

Der Standby-Modus in iOS 17 lässt sich durch Widgets konfigurieren und zeigt nachts ein stark abgedunkeltes Display mit roter Schrift auf schwarzem Hintergrund. Voraussetzung: Das iPhone wird geladen und ist im Querformat aufgestellt. Aktuell nutze ich dafür meine Anker 622 Powerbank. Ich bin gespannt, was ich da noch so alles brauche. Ganz heißer Kandidat ist der Anker 3-in-1 Cube, der allerdings auch ordentlich teuer ist.

Weil es gerade im Bild ist. Dieses Jahr habe ich das iPhone im Apple Clear Case gehabt. Das hat sich sehr bewährt. Rundum guter Schutz, auch für Display und Kamera, keine Verfärbungen.

A few thoughts on the Apple event

Predictions for the Apple iPhone event were on point this year. Apple did not suprise and they also did not disappoint. And predictions were wrong in one important respect. Apple did not raise prices.

My thoughts in no particular order:

  • iPhone 15 gets the Dynamic Island that was introduced last year on the 14 Pro. It also has the A16 Bionic processor found in the 14 Pro. The main camera gets upgraded to 48 MPixel, also found in … the 14 Pro. What it does not get is the variable refresh rate display, which Apple calls Promotion. Hence, not always-on.
  • iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max get a new A17 Pro processor which once again blows past all other smartphones from any vendor. It also has a new internal architecture, much like the non-Pro 14 last year, that makes it more repairable. The frame drops the stainless steel which is replaced by Titanium, making the Pro model lighter than any before. Good change. Pro has a 3x telephoto lens and Pro Max goes to 5x.
  • The photo/video features are just blowing my mind. I need to wrap my head around all the details.
  • Apple drops Lightning and replaces it with USB-C. That is going to be popular with the Android crowd and tech nerds, but most regular iPhone users could not care less. Lightning is still superior in terms or durability and mechanical construction. Old accessories might no longer work. Apple will be happy to sell you new ones like the EarPods with USB-C connector. (EarPods are still the best casual microphone you can use, far superior to Bluetooth).
  • USB-C is a plug that can be used in many ways. On iPhone it supports USB 2, on iPhone Pro USB 3 with 10 Gbit/s. That is still not Thunderbolt like the iPad Pro uses. We will see what the charging cable will deliver. On iPad Pro it only support USB 2, so you need to buy a better (and thicker) cable.
  • Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 use a new chip based on the A15 making them faster. Peak display brightness goes up, but the design remains the same. A major design overhaul is expected for next year, when the Apple Watch turns 10.
  • Apple talks quite a bit about their progress towards their goal to become carbon-neutral by 2030. Apple Watch is the first product to get there. Apple is increasingly using recycled material and now is also dropping leather from all accessories. No more leather bands or leather cases. I like.
  • A neat party trick is the ability to double tap your index finger and thumb to execute the default option on Apple Watch, like dropping or answering a call, snoozing you alarm etc. This has been announced for the new watches only.

Did you see any suprises? What did you find interesting?

3000 days #dontbreakthechain

Yesterday I completed 3000 days where I closed all my rings on Apple Watch. That is more than 8 years. My longest streak has been more than a thousand days, but then eventually something happens that makes you miss da day. Sometimes it’s a bug in the software, and other times it is a bug in your body.

Counting from the first day that I closed my rings (600 kcal, 30 minutes exercise, 12 hours standing) it took me 3021 days to get to 3000. At the very end, on September 7 it showed 3000 days, did not give me the award, went back to 2999 and only on September 8 it awarded me.

3000 out of 3021, that is 99.3 % success. Being consistent makes all the difference. No matter what the weather looks like, no matter if you are lazy today, just go out and get moving. Many things happened in those eight years. I had surgery, I woke up in an ICU, I got teeth implanted, but I always picked myself up.

My habits have formed, I rarely check if I completed the rings, and that is how I missed 21 days, sometimes by just three kcal. But every single month looks like this calendar view.

iPadOS 17 gefällt mir

letztes Jahr habe ich unter den Beta Versionen von iPadOS ziemlich gelitten. Dennoch habe ich es dieses Jahr wieder versucht, mit viel besserem Ergebnis. Auch der Stage Manager gefällt mir nun. Auf dem Bild sieht man links eine iPhone App und rechts eine iPad App.