AppleInsider podcast talks 'iOS 12' features, pro filmmaking on an iPhone, and Apple earni...

AppleInsider · February 2, 2018 1:39PM

This week on the AppleInsider podcast, Victor and Neil talk about rumored cuts to "iOS 12" and what stability means, the idea of running iPad apps on an Mac, and what we learned from Apple's earnings call and its biggest quarter ever.

iOS "dark mode" concept via Max Angelakis.

AppleInsider editor Victor Marks and Neil Hughes discuss:

"iOS 12" is said to put features on hold until 2019 ("iOS 13?") and instead focus on stability. We get nostalgic and talk about Snow Leopard OS X 10.6.
But... "iOS 12" / "macOS 10.14" is still rumored to run iPad apps on macOS, which doesn't sound like a light feature, exactly.
Uber broke their Maps extension that would allow you to order an Uber within Apple Maps. Victor brings up how this breaks SiriKit, and if we had a HomePod it would break Uber for HomePod as well.
Steven Soderbergh calls shooting on iPhone a 'gamechanger' and he wouldn't want to shoot on anything else. We speculate a little about what he's been using, and mention Sebastiaan de With's Halide, which Victor likes very much. Also name-checked: BeastGrip Pro and MoonDog Labs
We get into TV, mentioning YouTube TV's native app which was released pretty much after we recorded. We also talked about TabloTV for over the air television. Neil is beginning to sound like a cord-cutter, after all this time.
Up to three macs next year are rumored to have the T-series Apple chip in them, which isn't doing anything to quiet the rumor about running iOS apps on macOS.
e-commerce company Volusion is adding ApplePay payment processing to the web. Victor is still bullish on ApplePay.
Slack removed their Apple Watch app, which we both feel like is a weird move, given its utility at a time when the watch is becoming more independent of the phone.
Victor takes a moment to talk about MS Office 2016 unifying their code base across all devices and platforms. It's historic and despite no one caring, Victor marks the moment.
Neil and Victor talk about earnings and the different lenses through which they can be viewed.
Neil mentions Animoji karaoke, and Victor brings up SBS Animoji, which has the capability of making 60-second animoji rather than the 10-second version.

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cgWerks · February 5, 2018 3:50AM

I have to disagree with Victor about the only two groups of Mac users being iOS developers and old-Mac-people who won't adapt their workflows to iOS. My hunch is that this is what possibly too many at Apple also believe, but it's isn't accurate. And, I agree that maybe Apple's long-term strategy is to push people over (so they can ditch the Mac).

The problem is that there are a lot of Mac users who are creatives, or just people with complex workflows who went to the Mac due to productivity gains. iOS is convenient and sometimes superior, but most of the time, it is a compromise (portability for loss of productivity).

iOS simply isn't up to the task (nor is it designed to be). Sure, if Apple keeps adding Files type stuff into iOS it helps, but the UI itself (which is a gain for some things) that is the problem. Could they write new UI aspects that would transform an iPad into a Mac like device when keyboard/trackpad are attached? Sure. But, why do that? Each form factor has it's physical advantages, and the OSs have their functionality and workflow advantages. Why is Apple so determined (it seems) to invent the El Camino? Build trucks AND cars, just like nearly every automotive company does.

While I'm sure it is better now (split screen, more RAM, Files, etc.), I did actually use an iPad for 2-3 years as my sole mobile environment. I wasn't doing the same kind of work I do now, but even so, I often felt held back and slowed down. With what I do today, not only would it slow me down, but I'm not even sure if it is possible. My son (an iOS user since birth) is saving up for a Mac because he wants to produce YouTube videos and that kind of stuff on his own. He's tried various editors on his iPad, but even he realizes it isn't going to cut it (even though it is his more native environment).

vmarks · February 8, 2018 7:08PM

cgWerks said:

I have to disagree with Victor about the only two groups of Mac users being iOS developers and old-Mac-people who won't adapt their workflows to iOS. My hunch is that this is what possibly too many at Apple also believe, but it's isn't accurate. And, I agree that maybe Apple's long-term strategy is to push people over (so they can ditch the Mac).

The problem is that there are a lot of Mac users who are creatives, or just people with complex workflows who went to the Mac due to productivity gains. iOS is convenient and sometimes superior, but most of the time, it is a compromise (portability for loss of productivity).

iOS simply isn't up to the task (nor is it designed to be). Sure, if Apple keeps adding Files type stuff into iOS it helps, but the UI itself (which is a gain for some things) that is the problem. Could they write new UI aspects that would transform an iPad into a Mac like device when keyboard/trackpad are attached? Sure. But, why do that? Each form factor has it's physical advantages, and the OSs have their functionality and workflow advantages. Why is Apple so determined (it seems) to invent the El Camino? Build trucks AND cars, just like nearly every automotive company does.

While I'm sure it is better now (split screen, more RAM, Files, etc.), I did actually use an iPad for 2-3 years as my sole mobile environment. I wasn't doing the same kind of work I do now, but even so, I often felt held back and slowed down. With what I do today, not only would it slow me down, but I'm not even sure if it is possible. My son (an iOS user since birth) is saving up for a Mac because he wants to produce YouTube videos and that kind of stuff on his own. He's tried various editors on his iPad, but even he realizes it isn't going to cut it (even though it is his more native environment).

I think I should have said that this was how I think the Mac is viewed by some at Apple.

Apple builds trucks and cars, until they decide they don't want to build trucks any longer. What is the history of Apple's pro applications on the Mac, or even just pro Macs being updated?

El Camino? That's Ranchero, my friend

cgWerks · February 8, 2018 10:53PM

vmarks said:
I think I should have said that this was how I think the Mac is viewed by some at Apple.

Apple builds trucks and cars, until they decide they don't want to build trucks any longer. What is the history of Apple's pro applications on the Mac, or even just pro Macs being updated?

El Camino? That's Ranchero, my friend

Yea, if that's what you meant, then I completely agree... and is what makes me afraid as a Mac user.
If so, that would be a very short-sighted and limited view. (Which, is how a typical tech company would think... which gets back to the new vs old Apple debate.)

Atomic77 · February 9, 2018 2:14AM

Who cares about Mac? The PC or windows computer is the far superior platform. I still like the iPad though.

cgWerks · February 9, 2018 3:29AM

Atomic77 said:

Who cares about Mac? The PC or windows computer is the far superior platform. I still like the iPad though.

I do. No, they aren't. And, I like the iPad too, it just isn't a Mac replacement for people with more complex workflows.

vmarks · February 9, 2018 12:06PM

Atomic77 said:

Who cares about Mac? The PC or windows computer is the far superior platform. I still like the iPad though.

Try a Mac for two weeks (one to get over the differences in UI - apps don't quit when you close the window necessarily, fullscreen versus zoom window controls, etc.) and one week to really get the hang of your workflows in it. Then try a Chromebook for a week. Then go back to Win 10. I'd be curious to hear what you think about trackpad, build quality, and OS & applications after that. I'd believe superior for some tasks, but far superior is harder for me to get at this point. Have MS closed the gap? Maybe, but I still see people with Surface Pro using an external mouse, which seems to break the idea of that device for me. Something's not right with that.

cgWerks · February 10, 2018 12:58AM

vmarks said:
Have MS closed the gap?

While I don't use Windows a whole lot anymore**... I'd say, to some extent, yes. But, the ugliness is still there (ex: registry), it's just hidden better for a typical user. That said, as Mac app development has opened up, the UIs aren't as consistent and Mac-like anymore.... even Apple's own apps. That's part of the debate over the state of the Mac, as it has been slipping (at least in that regard).

But, they haven't closed that gap... it just might be close enough now, that if you use particular apps and/or build the right machine up (hardware-wise) either are a pretty viable option. I'm on the fence, as I'd have no issue making a Windows machine work for me, but I'm not ready to leave the Mac-eco-system yet, and am holding out hope that certain recent moves by Apple indicate they've had a change of heart. If not, then I'm likely gone in the next year or two.

But, if I do, it won't (at least initially) be because it's better, but because I'm jumping off a sinking ship.

** I've been a Mac user since the late 80s, but spent much of my IT career working with Windows.

AppleInsider podcast talks 'iOS 12' features, pro filmmaking on an iPhone, and Apple earni...

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