LTA 133: September 2024

Panel:

• Bart Busschots (host) – @bbusschots

The show starts with some quick followup on a few long-running stories covered in recent months before diving into some regulatory stories, a few legal stories, a little HR news, and some highlights from Apple’s services and original content. The three main stories are Apple’s “It’s Glow Time” event, the release of the latest OSes, and repairability. The show finishes with a rundown of a few other quick Apple-related stories that made the news in September.

You’ll find detailed show notes below the fold, and if you enjoy this free show, please consider clicking on the donate button at the top of the left side bar – the show is free for you to listen to, but not for Bart to Produce!

Updates & Followup

Quick updates to long-running stories the show continues to track, and to stories covered in recent shows.

• Two important tax rulings for Apple:

  • The final ruling from the EU's highest court is in – Apple do have to pay the €2.4Bn fine for their tax arrangements in Ireland which has been sitting in escrow since the original ruling in 2016 — www.bbc.com/…
  • Cupertino wins a battle but loses the war over California's Apple tax ruling — appleinsider.com/… (The city gets to keep the taxes it's collected so far, but they were not actually OK, so they won't get to continue)

• The slow rollout of digital IDs continues: California becomes eighth state to support IDs in Wallet app — appleinsider.com/…

• Apple continues its work to diversify it's supply chain:

  • iPhone 16s (but not 16 pros) will be assembled in Brazil — www.macobserver.com/…
  • Apple Expands US Manufacturing with TSMC and Amkor in Arizona — www.macobserver.com/…
  • Apple starts making iPhone 16 Pro in India — www.cultofmac.com/…
  • Apple does hit a bump in the road though: Apple might rely on China for iPhone parts after fire destroys Indian factory — www.cultofmac.com/…

Regulatory Rundown

• After Epic, Microsoft Criticizes Apple’s App Store Policies — www.macobserver.com/… (in filing to Competition & Markets Authority investigation into cloud gaming)

• California governor vetoes major AI safety bill — www.cultofmac.com/…

• EU To Work With Apple for 6 Months For iOS Interoperability — www.macobserver.com/… (This is one to watch, bureaucrats getting involved in low-down tech decisions often ends very badly)

• Apple has complied with it's DMA requirements and made 3rd-party app stores available for iPadOS in the EU — www.macstories.net/…

  • Related: Setapp Mobile launches its EU app storefront in open beta — appleinsider.com/…
  • Related: Third-party Epic Games Store now available on iPad for EU users — appleinsider.com/…

Legal Latest

• Apple has filed to drop it's case against the grey-hat security company NSO Group (of Pegasus spyware infamy) because it fears discovery will do more to harm Apple users' security than a victory could — appleinsider.com/…

• Apple beats patent troll, wins suit over Secure Enclave tech — appleinsider.com/…

• Apple -v- Epic:

  • Apple is denied a last-minute request for a delay in producing documents, and gets reprimanded by the judge — www.macobserver.com/…
  • Apple has filed a 32 page request that the case be dismissed, citing two new precedents it says undermine the original finding against Apple's anti-steering rules — appleinsider.com/… (the details are complicated!)

Apple HR & Acquisition News

• Apple Oklahoma City union secures new contract with pay hikes, better working conditions — appleinsider.com/…

• The National Labour Relations Board (NLRB) has filed a formal complaint against Apple — appleinsider.com/…

  • Apple is accused of forcing employees to sign illegal confidentiality, non-compete, and non-disclosure agreements
  • The complaint also alleges that Apple over-enforced social media and misconduct policies

Apple Services & Original Content Highlights

• Apple Music:

  • Apple Music Vibes with Five New Mood Stations — www.macstories.net/…(Feel Good, Energy, Relax, Focus & Feeling Blue)
  • Apple Music Classical adds thousands of booklets to album listings — appleinsider.com/… (goes to version 2.0)

• Apple TV+:

  • Apple awarded 8 Creative Arts Emmys (from 72 nominations) — appleinsider.com/…

    • Outstanding Contemporary Hairstyling: The Morning Show
    • Outstanding Contemporary Makeup (non-prosthetic): "The Morning Show
    • Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music: Palm Royale
    • Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited Series: Lessons in Chemistry
    • Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Limited Series: Masters of the Air
    • Outstanding Directing for a Documentary: Girls Slate
    • Outstanding Cinematography: Girls Slate

  • Apple's latest movie Wolfs with Brad Pitt & George Clooney becomes the most-watched move on Apple TV+ ever — appleinsider.com/…

    • Related unconfirmed report: After Failures, Apple To Do Most Movies With Budget Under $100M — www.macobserver.com/…

• Apple continues to add games: Eight games join Apple Arcade, including Balatro+ and NBA 2K25 Arcade Edition — Apple PR

• Apple Podcasts gets some updates:

  • A new category and an editorial section named Series Essentials to highlight limited series podcasts — www.macobserver.com/…
  • Support for translations in 8 more languages — appleinsider.com/… (Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Italian, Portuguese & Brazilian Portuguese)

Main Stories

1. Apple’s It's Glow Time event

   • Apple's September 2024 Glowtime Event: Replay Today's Keynote — www.macstories.net/…

   • Watch Apple’s ‘It’s Glowtime’ event in just 90 seconds — www.cultofmac.com/…

   • Apple's press releases about the event, in order:

     • Apple introduces AirPods 4 and the world’s first all-in-one hearing health experience with AirPods Pro 2 — Apple PR

       • FDA approves AirPods hearing aid functionality — sixcolors.com/…
       • Physical Button on AirPods Eliminated; Gets a New Pairing Process — www.macobserver.com/…
       • ‘We’ve got to make it happen’: How Apple designed AirPods 4 for effective ANC — www.engadget.com/…
       • Related: Apple changes up AirPods Max colors, swaps in USB-C — www.cultofmac.com/…

     • Apple Watch Ultra 2 now available in black titanium — Apple PR

       • Apple Unveiled the Black Titanium Apple Watch Ultra 2 With Dual-Frequency GPS — www.macobserver.com/…
       • Apple actually released a lot of new bands: A complete guide to all of Apple's new bands for the Apple Watches — appleinsider.com/…

     • Introducing Apple Watch Series 10 — Apple PR

       • Apple Watch S10 Can Detect Sleep Apnea but Not Blood Oxygen — www.macobserver.com/…
       • How Apple remade the Watch: “We're not afraid of the new at all” — www.gq-magazine.co.uk/…
       • Review: Apple Watch 10: The best gets gloriously better [Review] — www.cultofmac.com/…

     • Apple Intelligence comes to iPhone, iPad, and Mac starting next month — Apple PR

       • Apple introduces new Visual Intelligence lookup for iPhone 16 — www.cultofmac.com/…

       • Apple Intelligence Promises Better AI Privacy. Here’s How It Actually Works — www.wired.com/…

       • A good overview of where Apple Intelligence will and won't be launching — www.macobserver.com/…

       • Apple Intelligence to gain support for even more languages in 2025 — www.cultofmac.com/… — English (India), English (Singapore), German, Italian, Korean, Portuguese & Vietnamese

         • An interesting observation from John Gruber, while Europeans will get Apple Intelligence on the Mac, this does not mean it's coming to the iPhone or iPad — daringfireball.net/…

       • Apple's new OS public betas offer a glimpse of Apple Intelligence — appleinsider.com/… & 2nd Public Betas of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 Are Out — www.macobserver.com/…

       • Hands-on with the first 10 Apple Intelligence features — www.cultofmac.com/…

       • Related: Apple Sticks to Climate Goals; Google Wavers Due to AI Demands — www.macobserver.com/…

       • Related: Both Apple & Meta decline to join the EU's voluntary AI pact — appleinsider.com/…

       • Related Analysis: Nilay Patel's iPhone 16 Pro Review Addresses the Nilay-Patel-iest of Questions: What Is a Photo? — daringfireball.net/…

     • Apple introduces iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus — Apple PR

     • Apple debuts iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max — Apple PR

       • iPhone 16 Pro hands on: All the new titanium colors — appleinsider.com/…

       • iPhone 16 Pro Max beats all comers in battery life test — appleinsider.com/…

       • iPhone 16 Pro is Apple's most repairable model yet — appleinsider.com/…

         • Related: Apple have overhauled the thermal protection around the battery — www.macobserver.com/…

   • Apple bring sleep Apnea detection to the new Apple watches, and to other recent models — appleinsider.com/… (Series 10, Series 9 & Ultra 2)

     • How Apple Watch sleep apnea detection works in watchOS 11 — appleinsider.com/…
     • Apple Watch's Sleep Apnea Detection Feature Now Available in More Than 150 Countries — www.macrumors.com/…
     • Apple Watch Sleep Apnea Detection Approved in Canada — www.macobserver.com/…

   • Camera Control and the cameras in general get a lot of reaction, and were the most important announcement IMO

     • Overhaul of photographic styles as well as Camera Control — appleinsider.com/…
     • iPhone 16 Camera Control button — the ultimate guide — appleinsider.com/…
     • Apple's developer documentation for Camera Control — developer.apple.com/…
     • Users’ on ‘Camera Control’: a Disgrace, Gimmicky, & Hard to Press — www.macobserver.com/…
     • Review: The best iPhone 16 feature is a throwback to what Apple does best — www.macworld.com/… (Jason Snell)
     • Review: iPhone 16 Pro Camera Review: Kenya — www.austinmann.com/…

   • Apple's September 2024 Media Event: All the Small Things — www.macstories.net/…

   • Check out new iPhone 16 cases from Apple (and … Beats?!?) — www.cultofmac.com/… (no more FineWoven!)

   • Apple's September 2024 Glowtime Event: By the Numbers — www.macstories.net/…

   • Fun Trivia: All the gorgeous San Francisco locations in Apple’s ‘It’s Glowtime’ event — www.cultofmac.com/…

   • Combined Reviews & Analysis:

     • iPhone 16 vs iPhone 16 Pro compared — Going Pro in 2024 — appleinsider.com/…

     • Compared: A18 vs A18 Pro — breaking down what's powering iPhone 16 — appleinsider.com/…

       • Related: iPhone 16 A18 processor isn't a 'binned' A18 Pro — appleinsider.com/…

     • Every iPhone 16 model got a battery boost — www.cultofmac.com/…

     • iPhone 16 and 16 Pro review: A worthy upgrade after three years — arstechnica.com

     • Jason Snell: Some notes from the iPhone 16 launch event — sixcolors.com/…

     • Om Malik My Thoughts About Apple’s iPhone 16 “Glowtime” Event — om.co/…

     • John GruberThe Things They Carried — daringfireball.net/…
       & The iPhones 16 — daringfireball.net/…

2. Apple’s new OSes release (ordered by Apple Press Release)

   • watchOS 11 is available today — Apple PR

     • review: watchOS 11: The MacStories Review — www.macstories.net/…

   • iOS 18 is available today, making iPhone more personal and capable than ever — Apple PR

     • Everything new in iOS 18 — www.cultofmac.com/…
     • Apple enables direct Thread control for smart home devices with iOS 18 — appleinsider.com/…
     • Review: iOS and iPadOS 18: The MacStories Review — www.macstories.net/…
     • Review: iOS 18 review: Good, but better with Apple Intelligence — appleinsider.com/…
     • Review: iOS 18 Review: Your iPhone, your way — sixcolors.com/…
     • Review: Reviewing iOS 18 for power users: Control Center, iCloud, and more — arstechnica.com/…

   • macOS Sequoia is available today, bringing Apple Intelligence, updates to Safari, and more to Mac — Apple PR

     • Review: macOS Sequoia review: the first macOS with more potential than new features — appleinsider.com/…
     • Review: macOS Sequoia 15.0 review: The opening act — sixcolors.com/…
     • Review: macOS 15 Sequoia: The Ars Technica review — arstechnica.com/…

   • Apple Maps introduces new ways to explore the world — Apple PR

   • iPadOS 18 is now available, taking iPad to the next level with powerful new intelligence features and experiences designed for Apple Pencil — Apple PR

     • Review: iPadOS 18 Review (ish): Math notes, calculator, and weird tab bars — sixcolors.com/…

   • tvOS 18 (didn't even get a press release ) — appleinsider.com/…

   • visionOS 2 (also no PR!)

     • Review: visionOS 2: The MacStories Review — www.macstories.net/…
     • Related: Apple kicks off blitz of worldwide visionOS developer events — appleinsider.com/… (First event was in Cupertino, CA, more planned in Toronto, Tokyo, Shanghai, Soul, as well as some online events)
     • Related: YouTube gets Apple Vision Pro app Juno kicked from App Store — appleinsider.com/… (a popular 3rd-party YouTube app since there is no official one)

   • Note: RCS has arrived into Apple-land

     • Initial carrier support is patchy — arstechnica.com/… & appleinsider.com/…
     • GSMA Plans End-to-End Encryption for Cross-Platform RCS Messaging — thehackernews.com/…

   • Related: After 20 Odd Years, Apple ID Gets Replaced; Hello Apple Account — www.macobserver.com/…

   • Related: Apple has already released (badly needed!) bug fixes for the OSes — www.macobserver.com/… (iPadOS 18.0 had to be withdrawn for M4 iPad Pros because it stopped them booting!)

3. Repairability was the sleeper-story of September 2024

   • Stolen iPhones Will Be Even More Useless From iOS 18 Onwards — www.macobserver.com/…
   • How To Use Activation Lock for Parts on iOS 18 — www.macobserver.com/…
   • Apple shares instructions for repairing the new iPhones 16 — appleinsider.com/… & www.macobserver.com/…
   • Related: iPhone 16 Models Now Use an Electrically-Released Adhesive — daringfireball.net/…

Quick Stories

• Apple launches new professional learning resources for teachers and expands global education grant program — Apple PR (for World Teachers' Day)
• Apple pre-announces PowerBeats Pro 2 in a 10 second teaser video on Instagram — appleinsider.com/… (Expected in early 2025)
• Apple's spooky Q4 2024 earnings are on Halloween — appleinsider.com/…

Legend

Note: When the textual description of a link is part of the link it is the title of the page being linked to, when the text describing a link is not part of the link it is a description written by Bart.