apple

The Touch Bar Whisperer – Apples Quiet Giant

By Paul B. Kaiser on June 15, 2018

In 2016, Apple updated their MacBook Pro lie of laptops and with it came the infamous “touch bar” which replaced the function keys at the top of the keyboard. The MacBook Pro’s were updated in 2017, and with it came even more Apps that worked with the touch bar. The usual suspects like iMovie, Final Cut, Garage Band all have great short cuts and thoughtful multi touch functions.

But what seemed cool at first, quickly became a gimmick to the critics after it was launched. I have to admit that I thought the same thing, even thought I had not used it. The critics stated after using the touch bar for a few months that “it was not useful” and “it’s not worth the extra money.” Like all new Apple ideas, they are usually ahead of their time. It takes a bit for us to catch up. So now I’m here to tell you I think they’re all wrong.

I think the Touch Bar is not only cool, but useful, and sometimes quicker than using a mouse.

Now that I have used the MacBook Pro with touch bar for a bit, I now only find it useful but it adds fun back into the Mac. Its more than just a computer. Im engaging with the laptop in new ways. Rather than talk about it lets look at some of the touch bar layouts with shortcuts.

Basic functionality with Touch Bar.

You can expand from the bar above to these choices. And you can customize the touch bar as well. Which itself is very cool, by doing a drag and drop method.

Apple explains how to use and customize the touch bar here.

Your Favorite Emojis

Keynote

iMovie

iTunes

GarageBand

Here are two great movies to show you how to best use the Touch Bar.

Here is what Marques thinks. Because he is the coolest.

I recommend you check out the Touch Bar MacBook Pro, whether you use intensive graphics programs or just do general computing. It livens up the Mac and adds utility. If cost is a deal breaker, I totally understand. It is more expensive, however, with that increase you get bumped up to an I7 processor. Check out Best Buy or B&H Video for the best prices. They have a good return policy so you can drive them for a week or so. Enjoy!

WWDC18 – Notes to Self

By Paul B. Kaiser on June 4, 2018

No Mac hardware 🙁

Everything below will be out in the fall.

Final thoughts from Tim Cook

3:07 EST – Lot of Mac talk here

2:52 EST – New NEWS and Stocks to the Mac

Dark Mode Developer – oooohhhhh

New Dark Mode

Mojave – The dessert OS

Never mind its the OS – uggghhh

Here we go!!!!! Mac

The new cable box –

AppleTV App

You can put your college ID on your phone through these schools

3rd Party Apps available on Watch

New app called Walkie-Talkie seems pretty interesting – direct voice to another person with watch

2:04 – Apple Watch New watchOS 5

2:01 – FaceTime up to 32 people. Get your game face on.

1:53 – MeMoji’s Animate yourself

1:49 EST – For the Phone addicts you can see your usage – ScreenTime

1:33 EST – Siri Update

You can add your own phrases.

Update to Apple Photos looks a lot like Google Photos

1:25 – Legos in AR

1:22 – New Measure App in 3D

1:18 EST – New AR format

Performance on all devices with IOS12

1:14 EST – IOS 12 is coming

1:05

12:49 EST Almost ready to start. The Apple site is changing. APPs!

Apple Worldwide Developers Conference

See you here at 1pm PST

WWDC18 – The annual Apple Software announcements are today 1pm PST. The normal June announcements and updates to the software for iPhones, iPads and the Watch are all expected. The wild card announcements are with hardware such as, the Apple TV and the MacBook laptops.

I will be making mental notes that may make it to this blog, as the news come in today.
See you here at 1pm PST

Cool Apple Geeks

WWDC student scholarship winners get meet-and-greet with Tim Cook, and free AirPods

Students were welcomed at an orientation yesterday at the Steve Jobs Theater, whose speakers included Tim Cook and Lisa Jackson.
Winners had a photo op afterwards with Cook, and the opportunity to demo their apps to him. Apple’s CEO tweeted a link to a short video of students explaining their current or favorite app. See full story here on 9-5

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watchOS 5:

tvOS 12:

IOS 12:

macOS “Monterey” 10.14

New iPad Pros

New MacBook Pros

New iPhone SE 2

Could Apple Really Fix Healthcare for Physicians and Patients

By Paul B. Kaiser on January 28, 2018

Apple has been playing in the healthcare arena for the past few years, and they’re is still working hard to make the Watch an integral part of the wearable technology mix. But now Apple has taken on a whole new aspect by helping the physician help their patients. By using their technology, software and hardware, Apple may soon be the key to successful health outcomes for patients by storing medical records. By making the accessible to both patients and physicians in a secure environment is a long overdue promise. I hope they can do it.

So what is Apple’s plan?

Apple announced a new health effort as part of iOS 11.3. The new Health Records section in the Health app lets you gather and view all your medical records as well as the participating hospitals – see below. So that means that those hospitals and clinics will be able to push this data to your phone directly. You’ll receive a notification alerting you that you just received a new medical record. Data is encrypted on your phone and protected by your passcode.

Health Records is going to be a new menu in the Health Data section of the Health app. You’ll be able to add any file to this menu as long as it’s a CDA file (Clinical Document Architecture). Some hospitals already email you those files or make them available on their website. But Apple wants to automate this process.

The new Health Records section is available to the patients of the following medical institutions as part of the iOS 11.3 beta. In the coming months, more medical facilities will connect to Health Records offering their patients access to this feature. Further information for health institutions is available here.

Johns Hopkins Medicine – Baltimore, Maryland
Cedars-Sinai – Los Angeles, California
Penn Medicine – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Geisinger Health System – Danville, Pennsylvania
UC San Diego Health – San Diego, California
UNC Health Care – Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Rush University Medical Center – Chicago, Illinois
Dignity Health – Arizona, California and Nevada
Ochsner Health System – Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
MedStar Health – Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia
OhioHealth – Columbus, Ohio
Cerner Healthe Clinic – Kansas City, Missouri

Why will Apple make the difference?

Apple does four things very well. They know how to automate operations, simplify tasks, create an intuitive interface, and provide trust. The apps on iPad, iPhone, and Apple Watch are capable of helping medical professionals deliver personalized care.

“Our powerful hardware is built to keep up with the demands of healthcare organizations to make work faster and more efficient. And intuitive apps provide easy access to critical health information, so healthcare teams have all the resources they need to make the best decisions for their patients.”

An intuitive, familiar interface.

Apple’s advantage is to build on a platform people are already familiar with. “Apple devices and iOS apps allow patients to learn more about their conditions or treatment, doctors to view lab results and radiology images, and nurses to send and receive secure communication or to help ensure patient safety when administering medications.”

Apple can continue patient care at home.

At home, iOS apps enable patients to stay connected to their care teams between office visits. Healthcare organizations can use off-the-shelf apps or use CareKit to create apps that empower patients to manage their health. iPhone, Apple Watch, the Health app, and HealthKit-enabled apps and medical devices make it easy for patients to record their health data and share it with their care teams.

Clinical trials and medical research.

Medical researchers can take their studies into the real world by building apps with ResearchKit. The open source framework streamlines the process, making it easier for researchers to enroll participants, capture informed consent, and gather medical information more frequently, rather than only during periodic visits.

Safe and secure data.

We build every aspect of our iOS devices with security in mind. Touch ID allows doctors to use their fingerprints as passwords to access patient charts instantly. Regular software updates protect iOS from emerging security concerns. And we build in safeguards to ensure that both third-party and in-house apps can access data only in ways that are authorized by the user. This gives patients ultimate control over what is shared with their care teams or other apps.

Did Apple sell you an iPhone X or iPhone 10?

By Paul B. Kaiser on November 11, 2017

If you’re unaware of the Apple iPhone X pronunciation debate, then tell me if you pronounce the new iPhone X with the alphabet “X” or as the number “10”? No worries because everyone has been confused since the announcement. Some people argue that you say the letter “X,” while others believe the “X” is meant as the roman numeral for 10. For diehard fans it doesn’t matter. They still waited in line for days to get the phone.

Apple has settled the debate once and for all. The company said iPhone X is meant to be pronounced “iPhone 10.” The X marks the company’s 10th anniversary since the first iPhone hit the shelves in 2007.

Here are some hands on shots of the iPhone X from the Apple store today.

“The iPhone X is loaded with high-end hardware and new features”

The iPhone X is loaded with high-end hardware and new features, including multiple cameras, wireless charging and a beautiful display. However, Apple got rid of the home button on the iPhone X and launched a new feature called “Face ID” that unlocks the phone when the user looks at it. But I think everyone is pretty happy.

4 really nice things about the iPhone X

The sharpest display ever on an iPhone

The iPhone X features a colorful OLED display with more than 2 million pixels. That means sharper text for reading, more impressive video playback and more. Better yet, it has a screen that runs from edge to edge so you get a bigger viewing area without having to carry a larger phone.

Facial recognition

You can register your face with the iPhone X so that it automatically unlocks when you look at it. We’ve seen this before in phones such as the Galaxy S8, but Apple says its face unlock uses 3-D imagery that’s even more secure. It says the new tech can’t be fooled by even a professionally made mask of your face, and is more secure than fingerprint locks.

Animoji

This ties in to facial recognition but is fun enough that it deserves its own spot on the list. Apple developed new “Animoji” that allow you to create short clips of your own emotions and send them off as emojis to friends and family. Maybe you’ll make a silly face with the pig emoji, for example: Apple’s facial recognition tech will help the emoji resemble the exact expressions you’re making.

Cameras galore

Wide-Angle Camera

An ƒ/1.8 six-element lens, optical image stabilization (OIS), and a larger, faster 12MP sensor make the most popular camera in the world even better.

Telephoto Camera

Using a state-of-the-art seven-magnet solution, iPhone X includes a second OIS system in the powerful ƒ/2.4 telephoto camera. Together the two cameras enable optical zoom to bring you closer to your subject. And deliver amazing shots with Portrait mode.

The iPhone X has a 12-megapixel wide-angle lens and a second telephoto lens for zooming. Apple says it offers huge improvements over the cameras we saw in the iPhone 7 Plus, which was the first to offer a telephoto lens. Also expect to see less shaky videos, improved pictures in low light, and more. Also, a new front-facing “TrueDepth” camera is capable of taking those fancy portrait shots that debuted on the iPhone 7 Plus, which create a blurred background bokeh effect that looks much more professional.

4 Reasons Fans Waited in Line for the iPhone X

By Paul B. Kaiser on November 3, 2017

Why would fans wait 24 hrs in line for a iPhone X? Is it that good? It’s the hype of all hypes. Since the announcements from Apple, fans have been counting the days.

In san Francisco, Tim Cook, faithful throngs gleefully greet Apple’s iPhone X in Bay Area stores.

“We got in line at 4 AM to wait for an iPhone X “

“Andrew Chen was the fourth person in line, and he had been there since 2:00 p.m. the day before.”

At Apple’s flagship Fifth Avenue store in Manhattan, the line coiled up and down several times along 58th Street and extended across Madison and over toward Park Avenue. Apple was only letting in 10 customers at a time, so people were likely due for an even longer wait. Luckily, the weather in New York City was unseasonably warm and sunny.

So why did they wait? Here are the 4 things that distinguish the iPhone X from the others.

4 really nice things about the iPhone X

The sharpest display ever on an iPhone

Facial recognition

Animoji

Cameras galore

Wide-Angle Camera

An ƒ/1.8 six-element lens, optical image stabilization (OIS), and a larger, faster 12MP sensor make the most popular camera in the world even better.

Telephoto Camera

Get your Apple iPhone X fix here.

When it comes to phones I’m an Android guy but it doesnt mean I don’t envy the Apple folks. I work in IOS and Android – I like both, but the hype for Apple has a warmer feel when launching. The phone looks great and does some awesome things.

Has smartphone technology really peaked?

By Paul B. Kaiser on October 27, 2017

I have read several stories this year about the death of the smartphone, and how the technology is tapped out. I initially wrote them off as fake news or just looked the other way in denial. But after seeing the new releases of the Pixel 2, the iPhone 8 and the iPhone X, I’m really beginning to think they were right. It’s not that these phones aren’t the smartest devices in the world – they are. I mean they are computers in our pocket what the brainpower to fly a ship to the moon. The failure seems to be in the “lack luster” or the interest companies put into the phones. And maybe there isn’t much technology left to pack into these devices, but it’s hard to believe that Apple and Google aren’t introducing some new cool device that beams a holographic image or scans your body for diseases.

While there is plenty of hype and glitz when these phones have launched but they seem to be riddled with issues and glitches. The Pixel 2 has had screen problems and audio issues. The iPhone 8 is really the iPhone 7 for more money.The iPhone X face just looks like a awkward design. For the money that they cost, I think we all want more, or the same for less money. I mean generally speaking were getting new phones every 1-2 years.

And are these companies listening to customer feedback? Most people still want the headphone jacks in their phones. It feels like they are doing technology for the sake of technology – and to sell us new headphones.

New technology

So are Apple and Google working on anything cool besides VR? Not that VR isn’t cool but AI seems to have more use to a consumer. Here’s a rundown of some of their ventures.

Google is working on Google Lens, which is pretty cool. It’s the best of AI and technology combined. You can scan any thing, any person or data and it tells you what that object is – and files it under people or houses or whatever it is.

They are also working on getting the internet to the rest of the world called Project Loon. P roject Loon tries to solve this problem by taking it to the stratosphere. By using balloons, Google plans to provide Internet connection to the whole world. It works by acting as a node between the base Internet Service The balloons fly 20 kilometers (around 13 miles) above the ground. And Loons, powered by solar energy, can use the wind in the stratosphere to “sail” across the land.

Apple has these gems:

Project Titan – this is the Apple car that was rumored, then killed and now seems to be a reality. Apparently, Apple becomes “committed” to a project once the company begins spending huge amounts of money on tools, company acquisitions and other processes.

“We explore things with teams of people. And that’s a part of being curious,” Tim Cook said.

Apple is looking for the holy grail in healthcare. If it could monitor diseases like diabetes, hundreds of millions would buy what Apple is selling. CNBC reported that, Apple has hired a small team of biomedical engineers to work at a nondescript office in Palo Alto, California, miles from corporate headquarters. They are part of a super secret initiative, initially envisioned by the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, to develop sensors that can non invasively and continuously monitor blood sugar levels to better treat diabetes, according to three people familiar with the matter.

apple

Basic functionality with Touch Bar.

Apple explains how to use and customize the touch bar here.

Your Favorite Emojis

Keynote

iMovie

iTunes

GarageBand

Here are two great movies to show you how to best use the Touch Bar.

Here is what Marques thinks. Because he is the coolest.

No Mac hardware 🙁

Everything below will be out in the fall.

Apple Worldwide Developers Conference

Cool Apple Geeks

WWDC student scholarship winners get meet-and-greet with Tim Cook, and free AirPods

watchOS 5:

tvOS 12:

IOS 12:

macOS “Monterey” 10.14

New iPad Pros

New MacBook Pros

New iPhone SE 2

So what is Apple’s plan?

Why will Apple make the difference?

An intuitive, familiar interface.

Apple can continue patient care at home.

Clinical trials and medical research.

Safe and secure data.

Here are some hands on shots of the iPhone X from the Apple store today.

4 really nice things about the iPhone X

The sharpest display ever on an iPhone

Facial recognition

Animoji

Cameras galore

4 really nice things about the iPhone X

The sharpest display ever on an iPhone

Facial recognition

Animoji

Cameras galore

New technology

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