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tvOS
Last week at WWDC a new version of tvOS was announced which is set to come out sometime this fall. Apple has been promoting the app experience heavily since the latest Apple TV hit the shelves last fall and many of the upgrades to tvOS make it even easier to enjoy those apps. Here are some of the updates to look forward to in the Fall.
**Siri** will now specifically look for content in a specific app. You have been able to search content generically using Siri and it automatically does a general search. I will say my one complaint is that it does seem to prefer pulling content from the iTunes store. I was excited to see that you can now specify, for example, Netflix or YouTube when you’re looking for content with Siri. I’ll be excited to see how well Siri will be able to search specific apps for the content that I am looking for. Overall I have found that the Siri function on the Apple TV works extremely well.
**App badging** is finally coming to Apple TV, but what is it? Those little red dots that appear next to your apps on your iPad or iPhone letting you know there is something is new about the app will now appear next to the app. Additionally **automatic app downloads** are also going to be available with the new tvOS. When you download a universal app or game on your iPhone or iPad, it will automatically send it to your Apple TV.
**Single sign-on** is another new feature in the upcoming tvOS. For those with supported cable or satellite providers you’ll now just need to enter your provider’s information once and you’ll have automatic access to any supported apps. Currently you have to enter your information for each individual app you wish to use, so this feature is going to save users a lot of time and allow for faster access to content. As a bonus, this feature will also be available in iOS 10 so you’ll only have to sign on once for each of your devices.
**Light or dark** will be a new feature to tvOS and one that I admit I think I need to see and use to gain an appreciation for it. Similar to features you can turn on in iBooks and Night Shift in iOS, you’ll be able to set your Apple TV background to light or dark depending on your viewing environment. This will allow you to optimize your view of different apps within Apple TV. This flexibility is great when using my iOS devices but I admit I can’t just yet wrap my head around the advantages when I am watching TV.
**HomeKit** makes its Apple TV debut in the new tvOS and continues to make it even easier to access and control HomeKit compatible devices like your lights, the temperature in your house or lock the downstairs door before heading off to bed. Other improvements were also announced in Apple Music and in Photos allowing users to access their favorite media in new ways and faster than before.
Now if only fall was here so we can all try this out! OK, I won’t rush summer; it never lasts long enough as it is.
Watch This
I am really surprised that I have taken to the Apple Watch so completely. It is not that I use it as a fitness device although I DO have goals…that I seldom meet. But, I wear it every day even though it was over 50 years since I regularly wore a watch.
Q: So, what do I use it for?
A: ApplePay, sports scores, texts, answering my iPhone Dick Tracy-style, weather and a lot of other stuff like checking the time. 🙂
I was very interested in the latest version of *watchOS* that was introduced by Apple at WWDC; *watchOS 3* has some pretty dramatic changes in store for your *Apple Watch*. The first, and most noticeable for me, is that the little scribbles that you can send to your friends when you press the side button is gone. Okay, I used that like 4 times to send little drawings to Grace or my hearbeat but pretty useless for that important button. Now, pressing that button will give you a *Dock* which you can configure with your favorite apps, which I find a lot more convenient than trying to get my big fat finger on that tiny little icon.
Something you will get used to pretty quickly, but is a huge improvement, is that it is easier and faster to perform common tasks including replying to a message, starting a workout, or skipping a track. Apps launch much faster. Swipe up from the bottom of the watch face to access your important settings in *Control Center*.
Apple added new watch faces, too, including Minnie Mouse (I don’t get the fascination with Mickey and Minnie), Activity, or Numerals, and you can customize them with more complications like Music and Workout. Switch faces with just a swipe, so you can have the Activity face for the gym and the Modular face for work. And easily configure your faces in the Apple Watch app on your iPhone. Configuring your watch faces on your iPhone is much easier than on the tiny watch face.
There are some improvements to the *Activity app* including some for the more competitive folks. You can share and compete with activity sharing. Send and receive real-time progress updates when friends finish workouts or earn achievements, and reply with encouragement or smack talk. Activity rings are optimized for wheelchair users, there are two wheelchair-specific workouts, and there’s a new *Time to Roll* notification.
There was a lot of time spent on the new *Breathe app* and while I like it and have tried it out a few times it is not as groundbreaking as Apple made it out to be. It must have been someone’s pet idea. The new Breathe app encourages you to take moments in your day to do short, deep-breathing sessions. The beautiful, calming visualization and haptic cues guide you through deep, full breaths in sessions lasting from one to five minutes. And when you’re done, you’ll receive a helpful heart-rate summary. I ended up turning of Breathe notifications after a few sessions.
You know those squiggly drawings we talked about that were eliminated? Well, they were actually just moved where they belong: into *Messages*. Set off fireworks or stick a sticker. Share a secret with invisible ink or reply in your own handwriting. You can even draw letters on the display and Apple Watch turns it into text. All your options including larger emoji, sketches, taps, and your heartbeat are in the same place, so you can send and respond to messages faster than ever.
The new *SOS* feature is a handy safety item to complement your *Medical ID* that we talked about a couple weeks ago. Quickly and easily call for help if you’re in a critical situation. Press and hold the side button and your Apple Watch will automatically initiate a call with 911 or other emergency services numbers in other countries. SOS can also send a message to the people you’ve chosen as your emergency contacts, so your family and friends are alerted as quickly as possible.
The *Timer app* which I use all the time is revamped and makes it easier to start timing, but best of all is *Auto Unlock*. While it is not yet implemented in the current betas, Auto Unlock will unlock your Mac when you are wearing your watch. Very, very handy!
_Dear Friends_,
Hey, guess what? I am a Cubs fan and I have been for my entire life. When I was a very young child my family lived in Wrigleyville near the Cubs stadium. My mom would take my brother and I to games, especially on “Ladies’ Day” and we would wander around the field and got to know many of the players. My favorite player at the time was Hank Sauer who won the NL MVP but Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks was there, too. I once won tickets to a Cubs play-off game with my statement that “my Mom used Wrigley Field as a daycare center”. Okay, so that is all a lead-in to say that this might actually be THE YEAR! Go Cubbies! Grace and I are going to take a little tour of the midwest this year for a motorcycle trip with, of course, a stop at Wrigley!
I have my annual golf outing with old friends, Larz Barber, Melinda Moulton and Dave Sellers. Dave and I usually manage to squeak out a victory but who knows this year. Sometimes it is hard to hit the ball since we are laughing so hard.
Emily is going to talk about tvOS this week and I’ll be reviewing watchOS 3. I am using the beta of watchOS but haven’t taken the leap yet with my Apple TV. I’d hate to see that it was not compatible with MLB Team Pass.
This week’s Kibbles & Bytes Exclusive features an Apple Factory Refurbished MacBook that hasn’t even landed yet. We have a few of the “*gold MacBook*”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900002271/gold-macbook-with-applecare-for-only-1089-99? with 1.1 GHz processor 8GB Ram and 256GB drive coming in next week. These are refurbished by Apple and carry the same 1-year Apple warranty as new Macs. This week we are bundling this MacBook with AppleCare which extends that warranty from 1 year to 3 years and extends Apple’s toll-free technical support from 90 days to 3 years. This is a great opportunity to snag a MacBook for the lowest price we can find. Gold MacBook with AppleCare for only “**$1089.99!**”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900002271/gold-macbook-with-applecare-for-only-1089-99?
Dreaming of Tablets
I have to admit that I was a little bit disappointed there were no new hardware announcements at or around WWDC. I didn’t really expect any at the actual conference itself, but I was hoping the MacBook Pro would get their expected refresh in the month of June. As much as I love it, I’m looking to get a little bit more horsepower for video editing than my 2014 MacBook Air can provide. I’m sure we’ll see the MacBook Pro refresh at some point over the next few months, so I guess I can wait.
Just for giggles, I did think a little bit this morning about whether or not I could feasibly replace my laptop with a tablet. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro is very impressive. The screen is about the same size as my 13-inch Air, but with Retina, the resolution is much higher. Combine a quality keyboard (either Apple’s own or one of the many 3rd-party options) with the Apple Pencil, and I almost think I could do it.
On my laptop, I’m always multitasking. I’ve got Safari open with dozens of tabs. I have a few terminal windows open. I probably have a few instances of Skype running. Messages, Photos, and any number of other apps are all available for me in an instant. This would’ve been the deal breaker for a tablet previously, but with the split screen and Picture-in-Picture options in the latest versions of iOS, I think I might be able to deal. Switching between running apps that aren’t in split-view is pretty smooth too.
Another big annoyance I have with tablets is the lack of trackpad and keyboard. A few months ago I put a keyboard case on my trusty iPad Air and I don’t know how I lived without it for so long. I do a lot of writing so a keyboard that’s functional massively increases the usefulness of a device for me. I tend to use my iPad a lot more now, and the small size means I can carry it all over the place and be much more productive wherever I end up with it. The lack of a trackpad mostly affects how I select, drag, etc. I think iOS has gotten a lot better at those types of actions, and with the addition of an Apple Pencil, there are further options even beyond what a trackpad can do. Might I find myself doing more handwritten diagrams and writing on an iPad Pro?
Sadly, I think I’ll still be holding out for the new MacBook Pro, but I was very surprised how close a tablet was to working for me. I guess if the new MacBook Pro live up to some rumors I’m not crazy about, like the new butterfly-hinge keyboards found on the Macbook line, I might have a really tough decision to make. Sure I could always get the previous generation MacBook Pro, but if I’m getting new hardware, I like to future-proof as much as possible. We shall see. Would a tablet really work for me and my work style?
My granddaughter, Khadija, is bringing some of her friends over for a sleep-out tonight. There have been a lot of reports of bears in the neighborhood (but I won’t mention that…or will I?) and the other night I was driving home and a huge moose meandered across the road. Some nights I like to sit on the porch and listen to the coyotes and foxes making noise. Lots of wildlife in the Green Mountains!
I’ll have to work on my strawberry daiquiri recipe in anticipation of my big 4th of July party. I watched the movie Independence Day last night with Grace and she asked me when it first came out. I was surprised to see it was 20 years ago! Yikes, time flies when you are having fun. I think the new Independence Day movie is in my plans sometime this weekend.
Thank you for reading this issue of Kibbles & Bytes!
Your Kibbles & Bytes Team,
_Don, Emily, Hadley, Mike & Amy_