Rumor: Apple to release iOS 10.3 beta with 'Theater mode' in January

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  • Reply 21 of 33
    mattinozmattinoz Posts: 2,322member
    I hope there are more iPad specific features than this...unless they're going to launch the new iPads in March with 10.4.
    Mmmm... see below

    mattinoz said:
    So the iPad centric update so far has zero iPad Centric features?
    after all why would they make rumored mode iPad only surely as stated it would be useful to all idevices.

    with other here rumor has been set free without being fully formed. 

    Yes!  There are several things that could be in play, namely:

    • Swift
    • Expansion of iCloud services
    • FoundationDB
    • New Apple File System
    • More Pro User support for iPads

    At some point in 2017, Swift will be stable enough to be used for critical Systems Software, not just apps -- Swift has come a long way since 2014.

    It appears that Apple is quite serious about expanding its iCloud offerings -- and increasing revenue from iCloud services.  But, currently, iCloud provides a bunch of unrelated silos of services, Photos, iTunes Match, Synching...  What is needed is some kind of common glue to amalgamate these services.

    FoundationDB was acquired by Apple in March of 2015 -- 3 months after a major release of the FoundationDB system. FoundationDB is Lean, Fast, Reliable, Distributed, Scalable, Transactional (ACID) and Flexible.  FDB, through a system of Layers allows multiple database architectures to share a common data store.  For example, you can have an SQL Layer and several NoSQL/non-SQL db structures  (Document, Graph, Hierarchical, etc.) share a common store.  It is interesting that one of these structures is hierarchical -- as in an Hierarchical File System.

    Apple's New File System:
    Apple File System is a new, modern file system for iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS. It is optimized for Flash/SSD storage and features strong encryption, copy-on-write metadata, space sharing, cloning for files and directories, snapshots, fast directory sizing, atomic safe-save primitives, and improved file system fundamentals.

    It appears as if AFS can benefit from, and build upon the features of FoundationDB whether AFS is being used on a single Mac or iDevice -- or accessing the various iCloud services.

    iPads, especially the iPad Pro, seem constrained for many Pro users...  Apple could offer additional iOS features for iPads or a more specialized proOS for iPads.  This would allow the iPad to take better advantage of: more Screen Size, Larger Battery,  more RAM, more Storage, more APU/GPU Power, a KB/Cursor, better Multitasking/background processing, Direct Interconnection to other iDevices/Macs, etc. -- while still exploiting the iPad Touch UI.  


    The update around x.3 for iOS has always been iPad centric so that part does make a little sense and it generally comes at this time of year. There are many ways Apple could indeed push the production power of the iPad and take it from safariPad to something that could seriously have a lot people thinking do I need a Mac/PC to be productive. Hopefully for me as you hint at see them not as two seperate devices but as a seamless computing whole. 

    I wonder why Apple didn't give the iPad its own OS at the last WWDC and maybe that is because they have too much going on at that time of year and well we know the iPad had very little love. Hoping they are setting up for a Real padOS with room for cross-over with the Mac. I think your right AFS and iCloud should be a big part of it. I'd also love to see a way for Mac apps to project a touch interface to an iPad (linked to the same iCloud account) wirelessly. 

    Also late Jan early Feb would be a great time to have an event each year that focused on Production products, Desktops, iPads Pros, production software. 
  • Reply 22 of 33
    macguimacgui Posts: 2,360member
    magman1979 said:Gotta love this... So some unknown shlep sends out some anonymous Tweets, doesn't cite a source of any kind to backup his claims, and news sites begin picking it up and re-distributing it on mass, as if it's a real news piece???
    Uh, that's what rumor sites do with rumors.



    magman1979 said:And I don't care if you say Ai cites it in the story or not, this should NEVER even be published, unless a source of the claim can be ascertained, and the claim at least traced back to the original source. This is just another Tweeting bozo looking for 5 minutes of fame by spreading fake news, which, I'm sure most Millennial's, will fall for.


    And I don't care what you don't care about. I like reading these and the reasoned responses, though they're usually few and far between.

    As mentioned, Sonny Dixon does have a decent track record with leaks and prototype product examples. 
  • Reply 23 of 33
    macguimacgui Posts: 2,360member

    A highly questionable rumor on Friday claims Apple is preparing the first beta release of iOS 10.3, thought by some to be an iPad-centric update, in early January with a new device mode called "Theater"...

    What, exactly, Theater mode accomplishes or how it works is unclear, but the name suggests a set of device settings suitable for use in a movie theater. For example, users might want to quickly disable system sounds and haptic feedback, block incoming calls and messages, and reduce initial screen brightness during a movie.

    These two paragraphs seem at odds. An avid movie-goer myself, I've never seen an iPad in a theater, not to say it hasn't happened. But I've seen phones of all shapes and sizes, and now and then someone wants to text or whatever (no calls that I've ever seen) and the light is really distracting.

    An iPad might be used in a home-theater environment, but how many users would worry about making it 'theater-friendly'. So this would seem to me to be a phone-centric feature, even if this is to be an iPad-centric update.

    Or, if it were to be aimed at iPads, maybe this mode is supposed to create a more theater-like presentation when viewing movies. As a video is launched the screen could dim, the 'desktop' dissolves into curtains which slowly open to reveal a theater screen. The movie starts and the screen fills the display. But methinks  that's a lot of 'gimmick' to actually be a mode.

    I'd like it, but it would garner the slings and arrows, pitchforks and torches of an outraged Apple ecosystem, and those who desire to storm it.

    So at this stage of the rumor, my money is on trying to make a potential movie-going d-bag into less of one.
  • Reply 24 of 33
    mattinoz said:
    I hope there are more iPad specific features than this...unless they're going to launch the new iPads in March with 10.4.
    Mmmm... see below

    mattinoz said:
    So the iPad centric update so far has zero iPad Centric features?
    after all why would they make rumored mode iPad only surely as stated it would be useful to all idevices.

    with other here rumor has been set free without being fully formed. 

    Yes!  There are several things that could be in play, namely:

    • Swift
    • Expansion of iCloud services
    • FoundationDB
    • New Apple File System
    • More Pro User support for iPads

    At some point in 2017, Swift will be stable enough to be used for critical Systems Software, not just apps -- Swift has come a long way since 2014.

    It appears that Apple is quite serious about expanding its iCloud offerings -- and increasing revenue from iCloud services.  But, currently, iCloud provides a bunch of unrelated silos of services, Photos, iTunes Match, Synching...  What is needed is some kind of common glue to amalgamate these services.

    FoundationDB was acquired by Apple in March of 2015 -- 3 months after a major release of the FoundationDB system. FoundationDB is Lean, Fast, Reliable, Distributed, Scalable, Transactional (ACID) and Flexible.  FDB, through a system of Layers allows multiple database architectures to share a common data store.  For example, you can have an SQL Layer and several NoSQL/non-SQL db structures  (Document, Graph, Hierarchical, etc.) share a common store.  It is interesting that one of these structures is hierarchical -- as in an Hierarchical File System.

    Apple's New File System:
    Apple File System is a new, modern file system for iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS. It is optimized for Flash/SSD storage and features strong encryption, copy-on-write metadata, space sharing, cloning for files and directories, snapshots, fast directory sizing, atomic safe-save primitives, and improved file system fundamentals.

    It appears as if AFS can benefit from, and build upon the features of FoundationDB whether AFS is being used on a single Mac or iDevice -- or accessing the various iCloud services.

    iPads, especially the iPad Pro, seem constrained for many Pro users...  Apple could offer additional iOS features for iPads or a more specialized proOS for iPads.  This would allow the iPad to take better advantage of: more Screen Size, Larger Battery,  more RAM, more Storage, more APU/GPU Power, a KB/Cursor, better Multitasking/background processing, Direct Interconnection to other iDevices/Macs, etc. -- while still exploiting the iPad Touch UI.  


    The update around x.3 for iOS has always been iPad centric so that part does make a little sense and it generally comes at this time of year. There are many ways Apple could indeed push the production power of the iPad and take it from safariPad to something that could seriously have a lot people thinking do I need a Mac/PC to be productive. Hopefully for me as you hint at see them not as two seperate devices but as a seamless computing whole. 

    safariPad -- I like that!  Yes, the ability to direct-connect the iPad and Macs as equals -- sharing screens, UIs, Apps, Files/Data, etc.

    I wonder why Apple didn't give the iPad its own OS at the last WWDC and maybe that is because they have too much going on at that time of year and well we know the iPad had very little love. Hoping they are setting up for a Real padOS with room for cross-over with the Mac. I think your right AFS and iCloud should be a big part of it. I'd also love to see a way for Mac apps to project a touch interface to an iPad (linked to the same iCloud account) wirelessly. 

    Also late Jan early Feb would be a great time to have an event each year that focused on Production products, Desktops, iPads Pros, production software. 


    I suspect you are correct that Apple had too much going on at last WWDC.  Could you elaborate on the advantage of "I'd also love to see a way for Mac apps to project a touch interface to an iPad (linked to the same iCloud account) wirelessly."

    edited January 2017
  • Reply 25 of 33
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    mattinoz said:
    I hope there are more iPad specific features than this...unless they're going to launch the new iPads in March with 10.4.
    Mmmm... see below

    mattinoz said:
    So the iPad centric update so far has zero iPad Centric features?
    after all why would they make rumored mode iPad only surely as stated it would be useful to all idevices.

    with other here rumor has been set free without being fully formed. 

    Yes!  There are several things that could be in play, namely:

    • Swift
    • Expansion of iCloud services
    • FoundationDB
    • New Apple File System
    • More Pro User support for iPads

    At some point in 2017, Swift will be stable enough to be used for critical Systems Software, not just apps -- Swift has come a long way since 2014.

    It appears that Apple is quite serious about expanding its iCloud offerings -- and increasing revenue from iCloud services.  But, currently, iCloud provides a bunch of unrelated silos of services, Photos, iTunes Match, Synching...  What is needed is some kind of common glue to amalgamate these services.

    FoundationDB was acquired by Apple in March of 2015 -- 3 months after a major release of the FoundationDB system. FoundationDB is Lean, Fast, Reliable, Distributed, Scalable, Transactional (ACID) and Flexible.  FDB, through a system of Layers allows multiple database architectures to share a common data store.  For example, you can have an SQL Layer and several NoSQL/non-SQL db structures  (Document, Graph, Hierarchical, etc.) share a common store.  It is interesting that one of these structures is hierarchical -- as in an Hierarchical File System.

    Apple's New File System:
    Apple File System is a new, modern file system for iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS. It is optimized for Flash/SSD storage and features strong encryption, copy-on-write metadata, space sharing, cloning for files and directories, snapshots, fast directory sizing, atomic safe-save primitives, and improved file system fundamentals.

    It appears as if AFS can benefit from, and build upon the features of FoundationDB whether AFS is being used on a single Mac or iDevice -- or accessing the various iCloud services.

    iPads, especially the iPad Pro, seem constrained for many Pro users...  Apple could offer additional iOS features for iPads or a more specialized proOS for iPads.  This would allow the iPad to take better advantage of: more Screen Size, Larger Battery,  more RAM, more Storage, more APU/GPU Power, a KB/Cursor, better Multitasking/background processing, Direct Interconnection to other iDevices/Macs, etc. -- while still exploiting the iPad Touch UI.  


    The update around x.3 for iOS has always been iPad centric so that part does make a little sense and it generally comes at this time of year. There are many ways Apple could indeed push the production power of the iPad and take it from safariPad to something that could seriously have a lot people thinking do I need a Mac/PC to be productive. Hopefully for me as you hint at see them not as two seperate devices but as a seamless computing whole. 

    safariPad -- I like that!  Yes, the ability to direct-connect the iPad and Macs as equals -- sharing screens, UIs, Apps, Files/Data, etc.
    How do you envision this happening?
  • Reply 26 of 33
    Soli said:
    safariPad -- I like that!  Yes, the ability to direct-connect the iPad and Macs as equals -- sharing screens, UIs, Apps, Files/Data, etc.
    How do you envision this happening?

    1. More Robust iPad Pro Hardware RAM, SSD, Bandwidth, etc.
    2. USB-C on iPad Pros
    3. New iPad proOS -- with macOS awareness when connected
    4. Extended macOS -- with iPad proOS Awareness when connected
    5. New or Updates to macOS Pro Apps and companion/corresponding iPad Apps  by Apple and 3rd-parties

    In other threads there was discussion that Apple could possibly introduce the A11X APU on the next iPad Pro (Spring 2017).  

    Likely, IBM would be  (is?)  all over this for their MobileFirst Apps. Same with other 3rd-party developers


    Why can't someone:
    • Develop [real] Xcode on an iPad Pro -- we did it for years on a lot less powerful Macs
    • Use the Apple Pencil to do everything from annotation on a system level, to I/O within an App -- standalone on the iPad Pro or on a connected Mac.
    • Use a KB/Trackpad with cursor on an iPad Pro to navigate, dragon/drop between iPad Pro and connected Mac
    • Draw or Manipulate controls on the Big Screen [Mac] from the Little Screen  [iPad Pro] and vice versa

    There are market needs out there -- and you don't need to bastardize the Mac hardware to bring a touch UI to it...

    Like Bill Atkinson once said after reviewing the Amiga hardware:  "We [Apple] can do that in software!"

    edited January 2017
  • Reply 27 of 33
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    Soli said:
    safariPad -- I like that!  Yes, the ability to direct-connect the iPad and Macs as equals -- sharing screens, UIs, Apps, Files/Data, etc.
    How do you envision this happening?

    1. More Robust iPad Pro Hardware RAM, SSD, Bandwidth, etc.
    2. USB-C on iPad Pros
    3. New iPad proOS -- with macOS awareness when connected
    4. Extended macOS -- with iPad proOS Awareness when connected
    5. New or Updates to macOS Pro Apps and companion/corresponding iPad Apps  by Apple and 3rd-parties
    1) Every generation has had "More Robust iPad Pro Hardware RAM, SSD, Bandwidth, etc." yet this hasn't yet occurred. Why do think it will happen now?
    2) Are you saying Apple will ditch their Lightning port interface in favour of USB-C on iDevices?
    3) So this is yet another version of iOS? And what does "macOS awareness when connected" mean?
    4) So this is the same as what you wrote for #3 or is this now for Intel-based Mac HW?
    5) When haven't apps been new or updated?

    You're throwing out "feel good" terms and buzzwords but you have no detailed no reasonable path, no market, no evolution for whatever it is you're talking about to happen. All this boils down to is some generic "whats", not how.
  • Reply 28 of 33
    teknishn said:
    Welcome to the Internet as we know it today.
    Welsome to the Sewer that is the Internet of today

    There fixed it for you.
  • Reply 29 of 33
    Soli said:
    Soli said:
    safariPad -- I like that!  Yes, the ability to direct-connect the iPad and Macs as equals -- sharing screens, UIs, Apps, Files/Data, etc.
    How do you envision this happening?

    1. More Robust iPad Pro Hardware RAM, SSD, Bandwidth, etc.
    2. USB-C on iPad Pros
    3. New iPad proOS -- with macOS awareness when connected
    4. Extended macOS -- with iPad proOS Awareness when connected
    5. New or Updates to macOS Pro Apps and companion/corresponding iPad Apps  by Apple and 3rd-parties
    1) Every generation has had "More Robust iPad Pro Hardware RAM, SSD, Bandwidth, etc." yet this hasn't yet occurred. Why do think it will happen now?


    I think Apple is very close to having enough raw compute/graphics power in the current iPad Pro hardware.  IMO, and that of others, the iPad Pro is limited by iOS.  A new iPad Pro (Spring 2017) could use an A11X or even an A10X that would exacerbate the iOS Limitations.  IMO, MS with its Surface offerings, including Surface Studio, have demonstrated how to do some right things wrong...  Typically this would be the time for Apple to step in and show the world how to do it right!
    2) Are you saying Apple will ditch their Lightning port interface in favour of USB-C on iDevices?
    Absolutely Not!  I am suggesting that USB-C should be used on the New iPad Pro. The current iPad Pro already has significantly different hardware than other iPads and iDevices -- why not give the New iPad Pro faster I/O and charging -- especially when connected to a Mac.  Seems like a natural evolution to me.
    3) So this is yet another version of iOS? And what does "macOS awareness when connected" mean?
    4) So this is the same as what you wrote for #3 or is this now for Intel-based Mac HW?
    For starters, when you connect the New iPad Pro [ARM AX] to a Mac [Intel] the macOS recognizes the iPad instead of the iTunes App.

    The macOS and padOS would communicate on a System Level (sharing screens, TouchIO, KB/Trackpad/Cursor IO, File System and files
    The macOS applications and padOS applications could be enhanced to communicate on an Application Level  --  Pixelmator, Photoshop, AutoDesk, FCPX, Logic, etc. would have touchIO from the New iPad Pro and Pencil.
    5) When haven't apps been new or updated?
    Didn't say they haven't been!  But having the New iPad Pro connected to a Mac as an equal gives Apple and 3rd-party developers new opportunities -- that were not possible before.  MS shows their Surface Pro with a rather crude Pen annotating a screen... There demo shows latency, broad strokes (only?) and poking at the screen (no palm rejection).  Apple already has a superior Display and Pencil with Palm rejection.  This makes it realistic to write apps that use granular Pencil input as never before!
    You're throwing out "feel good" terms and buzzwords but you have no detailed no reasonable path, no market, no evolution for whatever it is you're talking about to happen. All this boils down to is some generic "whats", not how.
    Yep!

    The only things I have going:  I think it's possible -- and I think it's time!


  • Reply 30 of 33
    Oh nm.  
    edited January 2017
  • Reply 31 of 33
    igorskyigorsky Posts: 755member
    Rayz2016 said:

    What, exactly, Theater mode accomplishes or how it works is unclear, but the name suggests a set of device settings suitable for use in a movie theater. For example, users might want to quickly disable system sounds and haptic feedback, block incoming calls and messages, and reduce initial screen brightness during a movie.

    I think I must be reading this wrong. 

    Are you suggesting that Apple is thinking of adding a feature that will encourage your average movie-going dipsh*t that it's okay to use an  iPad in a movie theatre auditorium?

    I must be reading this wrong.  If I'm not then I think this is a clear warning of the dangers of drinking and blogging over the Christmas period. 

    I think those dipshits will be using their devices in a movie theater regardless...some people are absolutely incapable of spending a couple of hours without checking Facebook or iMessage.  On the contrary, Apple is (hopefully) creating a function to make said dipshits less offensive.
    edited January 2017
  • Reply 32 of 33
    mattinozmattinoz Posts: 2,322member
    Soli said:
    safariPad -- I like that!  Yes, the ability to direct-connect the iPad and Macs as equals -- sharing screens, UIs, Apps, Files/Data, etc.
    How do you envision this happening?

    1. More Robust iPad Pro Hardware RAM, SSD, Bandwidth, etc.
    2. USB-C on iPad Pros
    3. New iPad proOS -- with macOS awareness when connected
    4. Extended macOS -- with iPad proOS Awareness when connected
    5. New or Updates to macOS Pro Apps and companion/corresponding iPad Apps  by Apple and 3rd-parties
    1) Every generation has had "More Robust iPad Pro Hardware RAM, SSD, Bandwidth, etc." yet this hasn't yet occurred. Why do think it will happen now?
    2) Are you saying Apple will ditch their Lightning port interface in favour of USB-C on iDevices?
    3) So this is yet another version of iOS? And what does "macOS awareness when connected" mean?
    4) So this is the same as what you wrote for #3 or is this now for Intel-based Mac HW?
    5) When haven't apps been new or updated?

    You're throwing out "feel good" terms and buzzwords but you have no detailed no reasonable path, no market, no evolution for whatever it is you're talking about to happen. All this boils down to is some generic "whats", not how.

    Yes I'll admit most of this desire for more interaction between Mac and iPad apps could be wishful thinking on my part. What can I say in an Architect I like to draw but deal with CAD on a desktop every day. I can draw on the iPadPro but getting that to interact with CAD for production is no easier or harder than if i just drew on a bit of paper in that both require a great deal of human interaction. It would be great to have a bridge but touch is very different to keyboard and mouse so it can't just be a simple show buttons on the iPad it needs to be though out by the App developers.  

    Still the problem is as you say as much to do about market and most production pro-apps run on small user bases with slim margins. These companies are struggling to keep up with the pace of change and a lot of the time rely on x86/GPU brut-force to deliver workable solutions. Even if they had time/money to move to ARM/iOS they are still going to get more sales bang for buck out of developing feature using that traditional route. Not to mention most have so much legacy code that they dare not touch that moving off x86 might leave them with no working code. So the only real hope is if MS and Apple make it easy for them.

    Microsoft have thier take on how to leverage the buzz into function and all reports are it's a pretty good start. 

    Yes big question for Apple is now to leaverage this desire and I think/hope they have been getting a few pieces in to place over the last few years. A push for multi-threading was the very start of this. After all if you can disengage the interface from the grunt processing then it comes down to a question of latency between the two.

    Take the Apple watch, sure lag almost killed the first version so not a great example, still the watch app was an extension of the phone app. It had a custom designed interface to suit the interaction style of small screen but handed off more demanding work to the phone. Apple improved the watch apps by making them more standalone but still with the ablity to call on their host app as a resource. TouchBar is a Mac example of this as well although the mini apps there are pretty much keyboard short cuts that look good, but still I think it shows the potential. Other extension in iOS use this same idea.

    So why not do the same with an iPad/Mac combo?

    Have an extension/app inside signed software. When the host software launches on the connected computer this interface app installs itself on the iPad and fires up. I sort of half expect the first version to require a cable connection as it could well be a question of bandwidth as to why it hasn't happened yet. Things like FoundationDB could be really important parts of this as they help greatly with the syncing, threading and bandwidth issue. 

    I think that would give a means for these developers to transition without throwing out old code and for Apple it might encoarge a few more to put MacOS interfaces on their apps as well. 
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