Tag Archives: iOS 13

Tech

iPhone 11 Pro Max: Leading the Way to the Future of Media and Photographic Innovation

Video
https://www.apple.com/105/media/us/iphone-11-pro/2019/3bd902e4-0752-4ac1-95f8-6225c32aec6d/films/product/iphone-11-pro-product-tpl-cc-us-2019_1920x1080h.mp4
Apple video showing the new iphone 11 pro

iPhone 11 Pro Released at Special Event…

They all said it would be boring. That you should skip this year’s model and wait for September 2020. That it would be ugly. And were they wrong? In all the ways that matter, yes, once again they were all wrong. Here’s why:

[Want specs and highlights and a list of reasons why this is a device worth upgrading to? See below.]

First take a look at some of the announcements that just broke regarding possible anti-trust violations by Google, Facebook and Amazon. And, yes, apple is on the radar too, according to reports.

Although it is easy, and, for many, tempting, to lump Apple in with the gang of violators, it is wrong in one extremely important respect.

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In each case, the huge and monopolistic tech behemoths are guilty, not of the traditional price gouging necessarily, which is the simple minded way to define monopoly, but rather, in the most egregious and damaging area for society as a whole: stifling and impeding innovation in order to preserve monopoly advantages and profits.

Is there a better search engine than Google? A better eCommerce web site than Amazon? A better social media network than Facebook and it’s owned subsidiaries?

Read More: Here are some Milestones that will Lead to the “Apple Decade” in the 2020s

In every case the answer is maybe there could be, but we will never know as long as these massive monstrosities control the majority of the business models, in each case, that they originally innovated, but now seek only to monopolize.

In order for innovation to continue, make no mistake, other companies would not only need ideas and a creative drive, but also resources. Resources that the marketplace could easily provide, if not virtually completely controlled by the existing giants. Better search engines, better social media platforms and most of all, more and better ways to buy products online.

Only the death of these companies could guarantee that those dreams become a reality.

Photo / Apple

Apple Stands Alone as the One True Innovator (Along with Tesla for EVs)

What about Apple? Apple is based 100% on the need, desire and belief in innovation. Steve Jobs set this drive in motion and embodied the DNA of a person with a core goal to innovate at all costs. Apple continues to follow that credo, chapter and verse.

Read More: iPhone 12 and 5G Revolution, Tesla Takes Berlin and Butterfly is Finally Toast

Today’s September Special Event was nothing less than a re-affirmation of the pure focus on any and all innovation, as a core principal and goal.

What innovations were announced? The reality is that the list is so long that it will take dozens of articles to detail the changes to our shared digital lives that have been announced and are being released by Apple in 2019.

Disclaimer: Here at Lynxotic we have a saying: “The Second Wave is Coming” and it is about the eventual results and improvements to our digital lives that this article, and the Apple Event today, are all about.

Lynxotic

Often the focus in the media seems to be on the price of a phone, if its new camera is improved enough to be worth buying instead of a cheaper Samsung, and similar, perfectly valid concerns. Apple’s focus is more on finding a way to take us into an unknown, better, future, for technology, communication and creativity.

The first Mac computer was very expensive, many would say overpriced, but without it where would the state of computing and tech be today? And the iPhone being in reality a hand-held computer with a voice calling feature was predicted to be a failure and criticized as unneeded by many. How’d that work out?

No different now, critics are bound to say, that the iPhone 11 pro announced today “only” has enormous advances in iPhone camera technology, not only for shooting photos but for virtually “pro” potential for videography.

https://www.apple.com/newsroom/videos/iphone-11-pro/iPhone11_Pro-sharp-4k-cc-us-_1920x1080h.mp4
Apple video showing the video recording possibilities of the iphone 11 pro

Machine Learning and the 3 Layer approach to design

As the features and capabilities of the new devices from Apple become more advanced it becomes more and more difficult to fashion the improvements into a single product feature or change.

Wired magazine says “it’s all about the cameras”, is that really true? In a way, yes. The iPhone 11 Pro has no less than three 12 megapixel cameras, along with a triple-lens array. In some modes featured in a presentation from Filmic all three cameras were shown recording video simultaneously.

Read More: Five New Books about how We can Change the Direction of the USA in November

But the real story, underneath the story, is more complex. The M.L. or machine learning capabilities (A.I. But not?) that are only possible within an ecosystem that builds its own chips, creates its own operating systems and application software, as well as its own hardware. Then, from the design stages to final end user, tweaks each to maximize the overall performance.

Machine learning within the iPhone has been quietly growing over the last two years and is starting to pick up steam. However, because the ways that the triumvirate of processors, software and hardware work together to make the impossible possible are so complicated they are seldom mentioned. It also appears that these updates are also happening in between iOS upgrades, under normal operations and aided by iCloud.

Make no mistake, the results and improved capabilities that arise from this constant innovation are going to change our digital lives for the better.

DL

This may seem trivial. Who cares about better photos? Better videos? Increasingly, as we live more and more in a digital world, the quality of the experience of that “surrogate” world matters. It is barely a subject being discussed, but going forward it will become more and more meaningful as various technologies converge and evolve in tandem.

That is The Second Wave. And just like the first wave that started in 1984 when Steve Jobs announced the 1st Macintosh, Apple will be at the forefront of the creative innovation, even while Google, Facebook and Amazon do their best to stifle innovation and maintain their strangle-hold on their little empires.

The Second Wave will slowly rise and a richer more creative digital life will emerge. Thanks, in part, to the announcements at the Apple Special Event today, especially the iPhone 11 Pro and it’s great new cameras.

(Apple: “The new TrueDepth camera introduces a new 12MP camera with a wider field of view to capture selfies, and next-generation Smart HDR enables more natural-looking photos. Expressive selfie videos take on a whole new look with the TrueDepth camera that now records 4K video at up to 60 fps and 120 fps slo-mo.”)

Additional Features

  • The new Apple-designed U1 chip uses Ultra Wideband technology, the first ever in a smartphone, for spatial awareness. With iOS 13.1 coming on September 30, AirDrop gets even better with directionally aware suggestions.
  • Face ID, the most secure facial authentication in a smartphone, gets up to 30 percent faster and easier to use with improved performance at varying distances and support for more angles.
  • Spatial audio provides an immersive surround sound experience and Dolby Atmos delivers powerful, moving audio to iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max.
  • Gigabit-class LTE up to 1.6Gbps and Wi-Fi 6 allow for even faster download speeds2 and Dual SIM with eSIM.3

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Cutting Edge, Tech

iOS 13 Tips: How to Use and Manage the new Share Menu for iPhone and iPadOS

Video
https://video-lynxotic.akamaized.net/iOS13-ShareMenu-Master.mov
Video showing how to use and manage the new “share menu” in iOS13 and ipados 13

Unlock new Convenience and Powers using the iOS 13 Share Menu

In the video above we showcase the somewhat hidden tricks needed to unlock the full potential of the new share menu for iOS 13 and iPadOS. The video uses iPadOS in order to give a better view within the video aspect ratio vs. the narrow iPhone screen dimensions. The streamlining of work across iPhone, iPad and Mac is much improved and expanded with the updates to iOS 13, iPadOS and macOS Catalina.

The share menu can vary from app to app, many use most often from within Safari or the Mail app, however, for this video we chose the Apple News app as the operations are essentially the same. Third party apps may have different choices of compatible apps to use for sharing and, naturally, different types of content (photos, news story links, PDFs, etc.) would be share with and can be saved into other apps in various ways compatible with those formats.

All-in-all this is a very powerful addition to the iOS / iPadOS toolbox and is but a tiny piece of the puzzle of new features and options built into this upgrade. Stay tuned for more tips and tricks and, if you prefer, you can also view the video on YouTube (below). Please, as always, subscribe and follow!

Photo / Apple

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Breaking News, Tech

Apple releases iOS 13.1: Download Now

Video

After the initial release of iOS 13 proved to be a little buggy (but beautiful), today Apple released iOS 13.1 with updates and features along with added safety. Some features added since last weeks initial update include a “share ETA” feature in Apple Maps, as well as improved AirDrop performance.

iPad OS 13.1 is also going live in front of tomorrows release of the new seventh-generation iPad entry level. Orders start tomorrow with deliveries and in-store availability “later this week” according to Apple.

This is going to be an extremely eventful September and October for those who own a Mac, iPhone and iPad. With mac OS Catalina due out sometime in October (exact date not specified by apple yet) it will be weeks before all the new features are “digested” by our brains. Added to the fun is the fact that many features, such as Side-Car for Catalina, which allows the iPad to be used as not only an extended second screen but also as a sort of satellite stand alone control device for the Mac you choose as the source. We are working on live experiments with this feature and it is amazing, especially in conjunction with iPad OS 13.1. Stay tuned.

Although there are many, many new features, and this is the first year that there are three new major OS releases (4 if you have an Apple Watch) and the learning curve deserves a much more in depth look than just a hurried list of features and specs and comparisons to the same hurried lists from last year. These new updates will virtually define the word “synergy” and it will take months for the upgrades to be fully immersed into our digital worlds.

https://www.apple.com/105/media/us/iphone-11-pro/2019/3bd902e4-0752-4ac1-95f8-6225c32aec6d/films/product/iphone-11-pro-product-tpl-cc-us-2019_1920x1080h.mp4
iPhone 11 Pro video by Apple

After last year’s Mojave update marked the first real emergence of iCloud and shared features across all devices as a ninja-superpower force, the triumvirate of iOS 13, iPad OS 13 and Catalina looks to be an even more incredible coming of age for the eco-system writ large.

This is really great news of those who use the devices on a daily basis professionally, just as the new omnipresent “pro” tag has taken hold, and, although it is understood that bugs will come and eventually get squashed, this really is the new platform we have waited for.

Find books on Big Tech, Sustainable Energy, Economics and many other topics at our sister site: Cherrybooks on Bookshop.org

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Photography, Tech

iPhone 11 Pro Max: Night Mode for all and Elon Musk’s Cyborgs come to life

Video

On Friday we took out the new iPhone 11 Pro Max for a spin and got some Manhattan Beach photos and video footage. Saturday night we did some Night mode tests. The tests revealed some amazing revelations. Below are reactions and examples.

First, the autopsy. According to Apple, intelligent software and A13 Bionic are behind what makes Night mode possible. This, while in the past would be considered a compromise, is now an integral part of the concept of this new technique for shooting photos in very low light situations.

In traditional photographic techniques a long shutter “speed” setting would leave the shutter open, collecting light, for several seconds, even as long as hours for very advanced experimental shots. Although the results can be spectacular the set up, requiring virtually perfect conditions, make these type of photos “pro only” for the most part.

The long shutter opening is the starting off point for Night mode but that is where the similarities end, for the most part. Ultimately the way the iPhone 11 Pro produces ultra-low-light images is the beginning of what is bound to be a long and interesting road; software assisted real-time image processing using machine learning and all manner of highly sophisticated tech enhancements only possible within Apple’s unique total eco-system of chips (hardware), software and A.I.

Sept 13 Keynote featuring the iPhone 11 Pro image processing systems using Bionic A13 chip, GPU and Neural Engine

But in the “real” world it is precisely the simplicity that takes this little upgrade into a whole other head space. First – no tripod needed (unless you are doing ultra max long exposure, and even then you can get by with a steady hand). This alone is, for anyone that has tried long exposures without stabilization, just astounding. Night mode senses that a potential photo can be enhanced and turns on automatically – and the results can be seen (in approximation) live before shooting. Once you shoot there is a delay – from, generally, 1-12 seconds (but usually 3-5 seconds) while the light is gathered and the software goes crazy. At the end is an almost noiseless photo that appears as if light was there that really wasn’t. It’s very odd. But often breathtakingly beautiful.

In the image below you can see the camera app layout during Night mode. On the bottom left you see the automatic setting (in this case set to 3 seconds) and if you tap on that icon the manual controls pop-up (on the right side of the image below) where you can manually adjust the exposure time or, if you want to disable Night mode and take a “normal” shot in low light, you can set it to zero.

iPhone 11 Pro in camera app with Night mode activeand with an auto-setting of 3 seconds

Here is where it gets interesting. And, a little confusing. Confusing because newer iPhones are already automatically enhancing and increasing the “simulated exposure” settings. This means that, to get a photo of what the human eye actually sees in a given low light situation, you either have to use different software with manual settings or simulate the darkness in Lightroom / Photoshop, etc.

So, all the “with and without” Night mode comparisons all over the internet? They are all misrepresenting the “real” situation. To illustrate we have done a mock up with the 3 levels – first on the far left is the simulated “human” light situation and the middle is the Night mode off setting and finally the Night mode end result:

Below, you see the “human vision simulation” and on the right the basic Night mode enhanced version. The room had basically zero light in it except the very dim led Christmas lights on the tree in the subject.

What are we looking at here? We are talking about some sort of Navy Seal, Ninja “let’s take pictures in the dark -cause we can” kind of thing! The Apple examples below, while beautiful and fantastic, don’t even begin to address the Pandora’s Box we are opening here:

https://video-lynxotic.akamaized.net/apple-night-mode.mp4
Apple Instagram night mode video

What one feels when exploring uses of this tool is that it is simply an increased range of lighting situations that suddenly become available and viable. The “usual” thought process of what a photo reveals vs. what the eye sees is literally gone. And one has to start thinking in a completely different way about what, when and where a photo can be taken.

Shot in virtually total darkness with iPhone 11 Max Pro

What is remarkable about the photo above is nothing, except that it was pitch black and the sign was unreadable to the naked eye. If this was a shot needed for a Lifeguard video shoot and the sun had already set, no worries, sun not required. The end result is “normal” but the idea of shooting in the darkest corners and the result looking “normal” is quite strange indeed.

The shot below is a more traditional type of long exposure setting. A girl with a flash light happened to run by and that is where the decorative line was created. So far, other than a shot in nothing but moonlight such as the Apple Joshua Tree in Mojave example in the above video, using Night mode to recreate high contrast “traditional” long exposure photos is actually far less effective than re-thinking the entire photo-taking process to incorporate settings that heretofore were simply not viable for any camera, let alone a “cell-phone” camera.

We are all Cyborgs and the Door is opening to the Second Wave

Elon Musk said recently “we are already Cyborgs” because we carry cellphones. The idea is, a la Marshall McLuhan, that our iPhones (and computers and media and all tech) are extensions of our senses and, ultimately, ourselves. So now, just like that, we have Night Vision. Perhaps the use of the word “Bionic” for the A13 chip is no accident. But it is us, iPhone users, that are becoming Bionic.

“We are already Cyborgs”

Elon Musk at “Super-intelligence: Science or Fiction” conference

Here at Lynxotic, we are dedicated to the exploration of all new “languages” that can be used online. Photos led to film and film to video and now, via the internet we also use various evolving hybrids: animated gifs, live photos, Emojis, Animojis, Memojis, and now “Slofies” and Day-for-Night-mode shots that represent an experience that can only be possible as a Cyborg or Bionically enhanced human.

More and more, so many of us, particularly those of us that work in tech and media, live “inside” our computers and devices. Although our blurry eyes attest to some of the downsides of this life, upgrades, particularly to software relating to the sensual, sensory experiences we share daily, are a very big upside. When you are bionic and live inside your “phone” an upgrade to your vision is nothing less than a tune-up for your soul.

” When you are bionic and live inside your “phone” an upgrade to your vision is nothing less than a tune-up for your soul.”

– D.H.

We believe that we are in ultra-early times in the Second Wave. Just as a grunting cave man was “pre-Shakespearean” in his communication skills, we are searching for new ways to reach out to one another over digital networks and every new tool or method can change our digital lives, irreversibly. Night mode will be one such tool.

Photo shot using iPhone 11 Pro Max, Manhattan Beach CA on 9-20-19 using equivalent 52mm lens

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Business, Cutting Edge, Tech

The War is Over: The Good Guys Won – WWDC Day Explodes with Software and Hardware For The Ages

Video
https://lynxotic.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/MACPRO-M64.mov

APPLE RELEASES MAC PRO AND PRO DISPLAY XDR –

Oddly fitting, it seems, to be writing this on the 75th anniversary of D-Day, and imagining a very different, yet strangely similar, world outcome at stake. As pundits and trolls debate prices and feature sets, something larger is happening just beyond the threshold of perception.

The superior ecosystem of integrated elements, conceived as a whole, is beginning to emerge after 35 years. And, as if rising from a fog, the outline of the way we will create and communicate via digital networks in the future, is getting clearer.

Read More: 2019 Was a Huge Year for Apple: Here are some Milestones that will Lead to the “Apple Decade” in the 2020s

Beginning with a new Mac Pro featuring up to a 28-core, Xeon processor, and a new Pro Display XDR, a 32in, 6k Retina with a million to one contrast ratio and a billion colors, both announced along with macOS Catalina and iOS13, all due out in the Fall, there appears to be a pattern emerging.

FOUR PILLARS OF HOPE

In our most recent article covering WWDC: 8-core MacBook Pro and iPod Touch with A10 chip Released to Coincide With iOS and macOS Upgrade Announcements at WWDC, a trinity of forces was mentioned:

“With overall improvements in connectivity coming with 5g, not to mention all the satellite systems being built, the trinity of hardware muscle, accelerated software evolution, and hi-speed networking will be the “one more thing” of the era to come”.

The real story is about the improvements in the creative and computational power coming together on three fronts:

“If you want to teach people a new way of thinking, don’t bother trying to teach them. Instead, give them a tool, the use of which will lead to new ways of thinking.”

― R. Buckminster Fuller

Powerful fast hardware (nobody is complaining about the speed and power of the new Mac Pro), extended functionality of software – whether embedded within macOS Catalina, or from third parties, and then, finally, the-up-and coming speed and low latency of 5G and satellite networks.

Read More: Big Tech headed for a Storm of Changes once the Novel Coronavirus Fades from Center Stage

However, a fourth, and very important force, not to be forgotten, is user sophistication. Seldom mentioned, it is barely a ‘thing’, yet without this essential component, the adoption of new technologies and communication methods could not move forward.

The gradual evolution of user adoption and skill will always gradually follow where the tools lead. For example, the ‘Digital Hub‘ of 2001 was a mystery, at the time, to a public that had barely begun to adopt the digital camera, and yet is completely obvious in hindisght.There’s a battle here, but it’s not for the stock price, revenue targets or market share. It’s for hearts, minds and the fulfillment of a sacred vision of a young Steve Jobs. To build a set of tools, overtake the Condor and soar above the mundane.

This combination, the rapidly emerging four pillars, will be nothing short of a revelation for the ages, all at a time when Moore’s Law is said to be dead or at least dying. And I didn’t even mention AI or machine learning.

“What a computer is to me is, it’s the most remarkable tool that we’ve ever come up with, and it’s the equivalent of a bicycle for our minds.”

– Steve Jobs

“I think one of the things that really separates us from the high primates is that we’re tool builders. I read a study that measured the efficiency of locomotion for various species on the planet. The condor used the least energy to move a kilometer.

The rest of the quote above from Steve Jobs:

And, humans came in with a rather unimpressive showing, about a third of the way down the list. It was not too proud a showing for the crown of creation. So, that didn’t look so good. But, then somebody at Scientific American had the insight to test the efficiency of locomotion for a man on a bicycle.

And, a man on a bicycle, a human on a bicycle, blew the condor away, completely off the top of the charts.”

Mac Pro IMAGES:

[gdgallery_gallery id_gallery=”3″]

photos by Apple

THE SECOND WAVE STARTS WHEN THE FOUR PILLARS ARE COMPLETE

What shines through is the path that Apple has kept all throughout the years and into today. Steve’s continuing, guiding hand prevented the core value propositions and and underlying goals from changing. And hallelujah to that.

My understanding is that a great part, if not the greatest part, of that ethos, was that human creativity and communication are paramount. And that building tools, to enhance and engender those, are a scared quest, worthy of noble men and women.

Now, here we stand, in a world that cries out for, and is even in danger of perishing without, a new higher level of communication and creativity.

And the tools are arriving, hopefully in-time, so let us be thankful to Steve’s great legacy, to Apple’s perseverance, and now pull together – and get to work…

Pro Display XDR IMAGES

[gdgallery_gallery id_gallery=”4″]

photos by Apple

FROM WHENCE ALL WEALTH?

Much has been made of the high prices and perceived ‘lack of innovation‘ in this, most recent, stream of new products from Apple. One ‘Fair and Balanced’ news organization’s headline screamed that Apple was considered ‘criminal’ for charging $999 for a monitor stand.

Sometimes, information comes at us all so fast, our brains need some time to catch up to reality. T his year’s WWDC was a bit like that, an avalanche of updates and features, exploding from 90 foot screens.

“And whence will come the wealth with which we may undertake to lead world-man into his new and validly hopeful life? From the wealth of the minds of world-man — whence comes all wealth.”

– R. Buckminster Fuller

A thousand dollar stand? Horrors. 50k for the maxed out system, boo hoo. ‘You can buy a gaming PC for around the same as the stand’. So what?. Next we’ll see an article calculating that if you buy 10 Pro Display XDRs and 10 stands that’ll be over $60,000! And somebody groaned! Quel Scandale! Apple haters are still hating and if it bleeds, it leads. And missing the story like it was the the broad side of a barn.

As a species, Buckmintser Fuller probably also said, we have been on training wheels. Well, now they are coming off, and we will need every ounce of power we can get our hands on if we are going to innovate and communicate ourselves out the messes we’ve created in this world.

Are these the tools meant to help content creators contribute to Apple’s shift from primarily hardware profits to income from subscriptions and services? Yes.

They are also the tools to help creators, communicators and scientists to innovate and ideate our way out of a road to possible self-inflicted extinction. Oh, yea, there’s that.

So let’s stand up and cheer for the company that is trying, like Steve wanted, to give us the best tools. ‘Cause heroes are hard to find, these days. Hero companies? There’s only one, or maybe two.

Apple is leading the way with serious simultaneous improvements in 2 of the 3 pillars of the golden triangle: more muscular hardware such as the new Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR, shown here, and a new galaxy of capabilities that will grow out of iOS13 and macOS Catalina, both announced and showcased this week at WWDC.

Find books on Big Tech, Sustainable Energy, Economics and many other topics at our sister site: Cherrybooks on Bookshop.org

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Cutting Edge, Entertainment, Lifestyle, Tech

8-core MacBook Pro and iPod Touch with A10 chip Released to Coincide With iOS and macOS Upgrade Announcements at WWDC

Video

AHEAD OF WWDC, APPLE QUIETLY RELEASES TWO UPGRADED MACHINES

https://lynxotic.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Apple-WWDC.mov

Hiding behind the search for earth-shattering hardware improvements, the whole apple ecosystem, using a combination of incremental speed and power increases, coupled with major system software improvements, is the real emerging story to watch from this year’s WWDC

Before Mojave, the macOS version that began, in earnest, the process of integration with iOS apps and features, a simultaneous upgrade to iOS 13 and macOS 10.15 Catalina would have perhaps yielded a yawn.

With a new MacBook Pro featuring an 8-core, 9th generation chip, and a new iPod Touch with the Apple A10 processor and With a new Mac Pro likely to be announced this week, there appears to be a pattern emerging.

Read More: 2019 Was a Huge Year for Apple: Here are some Milestones that will Lead to the “Apple Decade” in the 2020s

With iMacs upgraded in March and the Mac mini already last October, it seems the entire Apple inventory will be refreshed by the end of 2019.

The one missing piece to the puzzle could be software. And, as if on cue, WWDC this week is expected to drop news on a variety of projects, but perhaps the best will be the two system software upgrades for iOS and macOS.

‘ONE MORE THING’ SYNDROME?

Doesn’t it seem, at times, as if the magic of hardware advances and even inventions of previously non-existent technology were expected to be a “given”? Suddenly, the absence of astoundingly new devices, created from thin air, is treated almost as a failure. 

Anyone who attended CES 2019 would have noticed that we are in an era of gradual, incremental change. Many decry the lack of “innovation” yet seem to miss where the real action is and, even more, where it likely will be. 

“The Future Might Be Sexier Than You Think”

– D.L.

Read More: Big Tech headed for a Storm of Changes once the Novel Coronavirus Fades from Center Stage

Based on the various updates alluded to above, Apple has set the stage for a year of incremental hardware improvements. 

The Mac Pro is expected to be a complete re-design, iPhones are always a mixed bag or upgraded with some new features. But what all of these share, is the dependence on, and ability to benefit from, improvements in system software and apps, both free from apple and at various cost from third parties. 

THERE’S A REASON SYSTEM IS IN ECOSYSTEM

Quietly, almost imperceptibly, macOS has been improving in leaps and bounds. Mojave was the first version of macOS where many long evolving technologies began to ripen. One need only look at the iCloud saga to see an example. Born as “Mobile Me” almost 20 years ago (!!) only with the Mojave / iOS 12 partnership did it really begin to show its potential.

[gdgallery_gallery id_gallery=”6″]

photos by Apple

Naturally, the more machines and devices connected to the same iCloud account the more useful it is. But, in a small business setting, with a few computers, iPhones, and iPads, it really begins to shine and becomes more useful with each (free) upgrade.

[gdgallery_gallery id_gallery=”7″]

photos by Apple

A few items from the list of functioning features already present in the Mojave / iOS 12 iCloud system:

  • Synchronized Desktop and iCloud folders, accessible also on iOS
  • Synchronized and shared notes with virtually any content
  • Synchronized photos and videos across all devices
  • Synchronized passwords and usernames when using Safari on any device
  • AirDrop also between devices and machines in or out of the account
  • Hand-off between nearby machines and devices
  • Various app Sync and hand off features: Apple News, Books, GarageBand, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, Find Friends, and more

IS THAT ALL?

It’s not so much the length of the list but the way the depth of the functionality of each part of the software expands over time. Every function or app listed above was, admittedly, barely ready for prime-time when first released.

But, with each update, including the “minor” ones, the functionality increases and often new features are added. Sometimes one has to dig for them and other times they ‘just work’, only better.

The one caveat is that relatively ‘fast’ internet access on all devices at all times is mandatory. With overall improvements in connectivity coming with 5g, not to mention all the satellite systems being built, the triumvirate of hardware muscle, software sophistication and hi-speed networking will be the “one more thing” of the era to come.

Will it be sexy like the first photo-pinch on the first iPhone ? Perhaps not. But with layering software systems, S.a.a.S. for businesses and AI infusing more and more ‘everyday tasks’ (tasks that once required expansive hardware, software and a computer science degree) with a ‘wow’ factor as yet to be measured, the future might be sexier than you think.

HOW’S THAT FUTURE LOOKING AGAIN?

Apple is leading the way with serious simultaneous improvements in 2 of the 3 pillars of the golden triangle: more muscular hardware such as the new MacBook Pro and iPod Touch, shown here, and a new galaxy of capabilities that will grow out of iOS13 and macOS 10.15 Catalina, both announced and showcased this week at WWDC.

Find books on Big Tech, Sustainable Energy, Economics and many other topics at our sister site: Cherrybooks on Bookshop.org

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Lynxotic may receive a small commission based on any purchases made by following links from this page.