John Voorhees

5429 posts on MacStories since November 2015

John is MacStories' Managing Editor, has been writing about Apple and apps since joining the team in 2015, and today, runs the site alongside Federico. John also co-hosts four MacStories podcasts: AppStories, which covers the world of apps, MacStories Unwind, which explores the fun differences between American and Italian culture and recommends media to listeners, Ruminate, a show about the weird web and unusual snacks, and NPC: Next Portable Console, a show about the games we take with us.
@johnvoorhees@macstories.net
@johnvoorhees.macstories.net
voorhees@macstories.net

Apple’s September 10 Keynote By The Numbers

As usual, Apple sprinkled facts, figures, and statistics throughout the keynote today. Here are highlights of some of those metrics from the event, which was held at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, California.

iPhone 11

  • Updated 12MP TrueDepth 26 mm, f/1.8 wide camera with 6 elements that can take 4K video at 60 fps and 120 fps slow motion video
  • A new wide camera sensor with 100% Focus Pixels and 3x faster autofocus in low light
  • All-new 12 MP 13 mm, f/2.4, 5-element ultra wide camera with a 120 degree field of view
  • 36% brighter True Tone flash
  • 12MP front-facing camera, which enables landscape selfies, and supports 4K video

iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max

  • IP68 rating for water resistance up to 4 meters for 30 minutes
  • The Super Retina XDR screen plays HDR video with up to 1,200 nits of brightness and a 2 million to 1 contrast ration
  • The A13 Bionic chip (also in the iPhone 11) has 2 performance cores that are 20% faster and 30% lower power than the A12 and 4 efficiency cores that are 20% faster and 40% more efficient than the A12, has 8.5 billion transistors, and can handle 1 trillion operations per second
  • 15% more energy efficient True Tone display with 458 pixels per inch
  • New 12MP, 26mm, f/1.8 wide camera with 100% Focus Pixels
  • New 12MP, 52mm, f/2.0, 6-element telephoto camera that allows the sensor to capture 40 percent more light than the iPhone XS
  • New 12MP, 13mm, f/2.4, 5-element ultra-wide camera with a 120 degree field of view
  • Apple’s Deep Fusion camera technology combines 9 images into one high dynamic range photo

7th Generation iPad

  • 60% of buyers are first-time iPad owners
  • The Retina display has almost 2.5 million pixels

You can follow all of our Apple event coverage through our September 10, 2019 hub, or subscribe to the dedicated September 10, 2019 RSS feed.

Apple Introduces Larger Screen 7th Generation iPad with Smart Connector

Today, at the keynote event at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, California, Apple announced a replacement to the sixth generation, 9.7-inch iPad. The new 7th generation version of the device extends the diagonal measurement of the Retina display by one-half inch to 10.2 inches. The new iPad also adds a Smart Connector, which makes it compatible with Apple’s Smart Keyboard, another first.

Other than that however, the iPad’s specs remain the same. The iPad features an A10 Fusion chip, 8MP rear-facing camera with f/2.4 aperture, records video at 1080p and 30fps, 1.2MP front-facing camera with f/2.2 aperture, and stereo speakers. The pricing is also the same too, starting at $329 ($299 for educational buyers). The Smart Keyboard costs $159.

Perhaps most interesting is how close the 7th generation iPad is to the existing iPad Air, which has a 10.5-inch Retina screen and Smart Connector too, but starts at $499. For the extra price what you get is an iPad with a little bigger screen that’s slightly lighter and thinner, has a fully-laminated, True Tone display, better front-facing camera, higher frame rate slow motion video, and faster A12 Bionic chip. Those are meaningful differences, but ones that may be hard for consumers to understand looking at the two iPad’s next to each other in an Apple Store. Still, it’s nice to see Apple fit a bigger screen in an iPad body that’s only modestly larger than prior models.

You can follow all of our Apple event coverage through our September 10, 2019 hub, or subscribe to the dedicated September 10, 2019 RSS feed.

Replay Apple’s September 10, 2019 Keynote and New Product Videos

If you didn’t follow the live stream or announcements as they unfolded at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino today, you can replay it on Apple’s Events site and catch all the the product videos on YouTube.

The keynote video can be streamed here and on the Apple TV using the Apple Events app. A higher quality version should be made available soon through iTunes on the Apple Keynotes podcast.

Apple also posted new videos, including its product-reveals for the new iPhones and Apple Watch Series 4 and a two-minute speed run version of the event on its YouTube channel. You can find all those videos below after the break.

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Apple Unveils Apple Arcade Game Subscription Details

Today, Apple took the wraps off of Apple Arcade, the game subscription service that will bring a curated selection of games to iOS devices, the Apple TV, and Macs. Although the service was originally announced in March, until today, few details were available.

During the keynote event at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, California, Apple shared new details about Arcade, which will be available beginning September 19th on iOS, September 30th on iPadOS, and in October on macOS Catalina. As promised, Arcade features games with no ads, In-App Purchases, or other add-ons. Instead, for $4.99 per month, subscribers can download any of the games in Arcade’s catalog on their devices from the dedicated Arcade tab in the iOS and Mac App Stores, and a separate pre-installed Arcade app on Apple TVs. Games are available to up to six family members through Apple’s Family Sharing feature, sync progress across devices with iCloud, and do not require an Internet connection to be played.

Phil Schiller had the following to say about Arcade in Apple’s press release:

“We are so excited to launch Apple Arcade on the App Store. A curated selection of over 100 new and exclusive games from many of the most innovative game developers in the world is the perfect complement to the App Store’s existing massive catalog of games,” said Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “We think customers of all ages are going to be delighted that a single subscription gives the whole family unlimited access to the full catalog of amazing Apple Arcade games, all without any ads or additional purchases, while knowing every game must meet Apple’s high privacy standards.”

The new Arcade tab in the App Store will feature personalized game recommendations, game trailers, and editorial content that appears to be similar to what the App Store editorial team has been creating since iOS 11. Apple says:

The catalog will exceed 100 games in the coming weeks as new titles are introduced, with more games to come every month.

As rumored, Arcade will cost $4.99 per month and Apple will offer a one-month free trial.

It’s heartening to see Apple take an interest in promoting high-quality games with artistic value. I’m hopeful that the promise of services revenue will push Apple even further to make its devices first-rate gaming platforms. Helping game developers produce and promote top-notch games for its platforms is a fantastic first step. However, whether Arcade will succeed will depend largely on the undisclosed terms of Apple’s business deals with developers. If that piece of the puzzle works for everyone involved, next I’d like to see Apple address hardware limitations of its devices, especially the Mac, which has difficulty handling anything but the simplest games.

You can follow all of our Apple event coverage through our September 10, 2019 hub, or subscribe to the dedicated September 10, 2019 RSS feed.

Apple Announces Release Dates for OS Updates, New iPhones, and Apple Watch

Apple announced a lot of dates today. Here’s a rundown of all the dates mentioned in the keynote:

iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max

  • Pre-orders: 5 a.m. Pacific on September 13, 2019, which is a time change from prior pre-orders
  • In Stores and Deliveries: September 20, 2019

7th Generation iPad (10.2-inch)

  • Pre-orders: Today, September 10, 2019
  • In Stores and Deliveries: September 30, 2019

Apple Watch Series 5

  • Pre-order: Today, September 10, 2019
  • In Stores and Deliveries: September 20, 2019

iOS 13.0

Release Date: September 19, 2019

iOS 13.1

Release Date: September 30, 2019

iPadOS

  • Release Date: September 30, 2019
  • Note: Apple has not said whether the version that ships on September 30th is iPadOS 13.0 or 13.1.

iOS and iPadOS

Features Coming Later This Fall After iOS and iPadOS 13.1:

  • AirPods audio sharing
  • HomeKit Secure Video & routers
  • iCloud Drive folder sharing
  • HomePod/AirPlay 2 in scenes & automations
  • Image Capture API
  • Screen Time communication limits
  • Announce Messages w/ Siri

HomePod Features

  • Radio Station Support: September 30, 2019
  • Features Coming Later This Fall:
    • Multi-user support
    • Music handoff
    • Ambient Sounds

tvOS 13

Release Date: September 30, 2019

watchOS 6

Release Date: September 19, 2019 for Series 3 and later Apple Watches and later this fall for Series 1 and 2

macOS Catalina

Release Date: October 2019

Services

Apple Arcade

Release Dates: September 19, 2019 (iOS 13); September 30, 2019 (iPadOS and tvOS); October 2019 (macOS Catalina)

TV+

Release Date: November 1, 2019

You can follow all of our Apple event coverage through our September 10, 2019 hub, or subscribe to the dedicated September 10, 2019 RSS feed.

Classic iOS Game Service GameClub Is Coming this Fall

First announced in March just ahead of the annual Game Developer Conference in San Francisco, GameClub has released a video revealing that the classic iOS game subscription service is coming later this fall. GameClub is working with developers of classic iOS titles that no longer work on modern hardware or versions of iOS to update and re-release them as part of their service free of ads and In-App Purchases.

Since March, GameClub has been running a free public beta test that has released updates of classic games like Hook Champ, Incoboto, Rocket Ski Racing, Super Crate Box, Legendary Wars, and Mage Gauntlet. During the beta period, those games have been free to play by anyone who signs up, but will become part of the subscription service this fall.

MacRumors reports that the subscription service will include over 50 titles at launch with new games released weekly, adding that:

In addition to classic titles, after launch, GameClub plans to expand into new and original premium games.

GameClub pricing hasn’t been announced, although the company told MacRumors it would be a ‘small monthly fee.’ The company has also said that if you owned one of the classic games they are bringing back, you’ll be able to download it again free of charge even if you don’t subscribe.

Apple is on the cusp of launching its own game subscription service called Arcade. At first blush, that may seem like it puts GameClub in a tough spot, but I don’t think so. Unlike Arcade’s curated collection of new titles, GameClub’s catalog is packed with proven classics curated by GameClub’s Vice President of Business Development and former TouchArcade editor-in-chief Eli Hodapp. Nostalgia for classic games and increasing efforts to preserve them in recent years puts GameClub in a unique position to carve out an important role for themselves. I can’t wait to hear the final details and try GameClub myself.

AppStories, Episode 128 – Organizing iOS 13’s New Share Sheet

On this week’s episode of AppStories, we cover Apple’s new second-screen feature coming to macOS Catalina and iOS 13 in the fall and what it means for both platforms.

Sponsored by:

https://staging.macstories.net/podcasts/appstories/episodes/128/embed/

AppStories - Ep. 128 - 50 minutes

Organizing iOS 13’s New Share Sheet

FedericoJohn
AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

AppStories Episode 128 - Organizing iOS 13’s New Share Sheet

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49:54

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AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

This week, Federico and John introduce the fourth anniversary of Club MacStories and then discuss the changes coming to iOS and iPadOS 13’s share sheet and how it has begun to change how they use it.

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