This week, in addition to the usual links, app debuts, and recap of MacStories' articles and podcasts:
MacStories Weekly: Issue 191
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Siri in iOS 13: SiriKit for Media, New Suggestions, and a Better Voice
Another year, another batch of Siri improvements aimed at enhancing what’s already there, but not radically transforming it. Siri in iOS 13 comes with a handful of changes, all of which are in line with the types of iteration we’re used to seeing for Apple’s intelligent assistant. Siri now offers suggested actions in more places and ways than before, its voice continues becoming more human, and perhaps this year’s biggest change is a new SiriKit domain for media, which should enable – after the necessary work by third-party developers – audio apps like Spotify, Overcast, and Audible to be controlled by voice the way Apple’s native Music, Podcasts, and Books apps can be.
Apple Highlights Arcade Titles in New Video
Today on its YouTube channel, Apple published a new video highlighting some of the titles coming to Apple Arcade once it launches next Thursday alongside iOS 13.
The video spends nearly two minutes providing quick glimpses at a lot of Arcade titles, while lingering for extended periods over a handful of titles that haven’t been seen much before, such as Earth Night, Hot Lava, Skate City, and more.
The demos Apple shared on-stage at its September event received mixed responses, but I would expect a much more enthusiastic response to greet this video. Everything showcased looks fantastic, offering interesting stories, gameplay mechanics, and visuals. If Apple really does have 100+ games like this at or near launch, Arcade is going to quickly become a very compelling service.
New HomePod Details Emerge→
The HomePod was conspicuously absent from yesterday’s Apple keynote. However, the company has quietly updated the HomePod’s product page with new details, as spotted by Benjamin Mayo of 9to5Mac.
Firstly, the radio stations feature is launching on HomePod on September 30. However, the previously-announced multi-user support and the music handoff features are not coming in September. Apple simply says ‘later this fall’. They also teased a new white noise mode that they hadn’t talked about before…
The new Ambient Sounds feature will allow users to play sounds including “ocean waves, forest birds, rainstorms, and more.”
Although Apple doesn’t say so, the September 30th timing for radio station support suggests that the feature is dependent on the release of iOS and iPadOS 13.1, which is due for release that same day. The company’s OS release schedule is far more complicated this year than in the recent past. For those interested in all the product launch and OS update release dates, we’ve collected a complete list of all dates on MacStories.
New iPhone Cases Join a New Lineup of Apple Watch Bands
The new iPhones and Apple Watch Series 5 won’t arrive on your doorstep for a little while yet, but you can order iPhone cases today for delivery September 13th and admire them until your new hardware arrives. Many Watch bands will be available on September 20th, but some of the pricier models won’t be in Apple Stores or delivered until sometime in October. Note too, that some of the Hermès bands don’t come in both Watch sizes.
To make comparing colors easier, we’ve created a gallery of every available case and band after the break; all 58 of them.
Apple Asks Developers to Submit iOS 13 Apps for Review
Ahead of the upcoming public releases of iOS 13 on September 19th, Apple has told developers via its developer website that App Store submissions are open.
On its developer news site Apple highlights the advantages of iOS 13:
With iOS 13, your app can take advantage of Dark Mode, a dramatic new look for iPhone, Sign in with Apple, the fast, easy way to sign in to apps, and the latest advances in ARKit 3, Core ML 3, and Siri. Build your apps using Xcode 11 GM seed, test them on iOS devices running the latest GM seeds, and submit them for review.
Apple also took the opportunity in its post to remind developers that:
Starting April 2020, all new apps and app updates will need to be built with the iOS 13 SDK and support the all-screen design of iPhone XS Max or later.
Apple has added many features to its operating systems that developers can take advantage of to improve existing apps and create all-new ones that were impossible before the new APIs were introduced.
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 Watch Series 5: The MacStories Overview
This morning at Apple’s special event at the Steve Jobs theater in Cupertino, Stan Ng took the stage to announce the Apple Watch Series 5. The new device features an always-on display for the first time ever, the same 18-hour battery life that every Apple Watch has had, and a built-in compass. The Series 5 is also the first Apple Watch to be available in titanium (alongside the standard aluminum, stainless steel, and ceramic).
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.
iPhone 11 and 11 Pro: The MacStories Overview
Today Apple hosted its annual September event at Apple Park in Cupertino, unveiling new hardware for the fall and the launch details of its latest services. New iPhones were a large focus of the event, as always, with Apple debuting three flagship models: the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max. All new models will be available for pre-order this Friday, September 13 starting at 5AM PDT, and will ship the following Friday, September 20.
The iPhone 11 is the successor to last year’s iPhone XR model, with a 6.1-inch LCD display, while the two Pro models succeed the iPhone XS and XS Max, retaining their 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch sizes in newly upgraded OLED screens. These names represent a shift in how Apple is positioning its different iPhone models. 2018’s iPhone XR model was presented by Apple as the lower cost sibling of the XS and XS Max flagships. The device’s high level of feature parity with the XS line meant it was actually the best option for the masses, but Apple’s naming and marketing failed to communicate that well. This year there’s no question: the iPhone 11 is the flagship iPhone, while the Pro and Pro Max exist as higher end options for customers who value the specific advantages they offer. Ultimately, however, all new models share far more similarities than differences.
Each new iPhone comes with a variety of improvements, such as the upgraded A13 Bionic chip, which enables significant battery improvements, plus there’s faster and easier to use Face ID, increased water resistance, spatial audio, and more. Over and above all these things, however, the clear emphasis for Apple this year was on cameras. Though the 11 Pro and Pro Max offer the greatest improvements, the standard 11 likewise seems poised to offer significant leaps forward in photo and video capabilities.