Month: January 2023

 In celebration of Black History Month, Apple releases new Black Unity collection and content

Apple Inc January 18, 2023 0

January 18, 2023

UPDATE

In celebration of Black History Month, Apple releases new Black Unity collection and content

Apple commemorates Black History Month with exclusive content and curated launches celebrating Black culture and community. Starting today, customers can show their support with this year’s Black Unity Collection, which includes a special-edition Apple Watch Black Unity Sport Loop, alongside a new matching watch face and iPhone wallpaper. Beginning in February, all-new activations — including a series of Apple Maps Guides created by the Smithsonian, TV and film collections curated by Dr. Jelani Cobb, and more will be available to explore. Additionally, through its Racial Equity and Justice Initiative (REJI), Apple is expanding its support of five organizations focused on uplifting Black and Brown communities by unlocking creative potential through technology.

Apple Watch and iPhone

Members of Apple’s Black creative community and allies came together to develop this year’s Black Unity Collection and designed the new expressions inspired by the creative process of mosaic, celebrating the vibrancy of Black communities and the power of unity.

The Black Unity Sport Loop features the word “Unity” woven abstractly into the band using red, green, and black yarns that pay homage to the Pan-African flag, while a unique layering of yarns lends a sense of three-dimensionality to the letters. Additionally, the Unity Mosaic watch face incorporates geometric shapes in green, black, red, and yellow, and as the minutes change, each number uses pieces of other numbers to morph into new forms. iPhone users can also show their support with the new Unity wallpaper for their Lock Screen.

Apple is supporting Art Gallery of New South Wales (Sydney), Ghetto Film School (New York, Los Angeles, London), Music Forward (Los Angeles), Shout Mouse Press (Washington, D.C.), and The National Museum of African American Music (Nashville, Tennessee). Apple’s support for these organizations is a continuation of REJI grants over the past two years that helped organizations committed to providing economic, educational, and creative opportunities in communities of color.

App Store

The App Store will spotlight apps and games forging creative solutions for Black communities in areas such as music, banking, and gaming. Among these apps and games are Dot’s Home, a 2022 App Store Award-winning game designed to educate users on housing disparities experienced in communities of color and financial wellness apps such as Goalsetter, Altro, and CapWay that are empowering the community with financial resources. The App Store will also celebrate 50 years of hip-hop culture by spotlighting numerous apps that allow users to listen, watch, and learn the significance of this creative movement in both the past and present.

Apple Music

Apple Music will underscore the innumerable ways that Black artists have contributed to music and culture through healing, improvisation, reinvention, and so much more across all genres. The For Us, By Us playlist will be updated to capture expressions of resilience and resistance, and users can also enjoy new episodes of The Message and additional radio programming on Apple Music 1, Country, and HITS.

Apple TV App

Viewers can visit the Apple TV app to explore series and films curated by Dr. Jelani Cobb, dean of the Columbia University School of Journalism and a staff writer at The New Yorker. The theme of this year’s collections is “The Matter of Black Lives,” focusing on stories that illustrate three specific pillars: “Freedom in Black,” “Love in Spite Of,” and “The Mosaic.”

Apple Fitness+

Apple Fitness+ will share new workouts featuring playlists celebrating Black artists, as well as a new meditation dedicated to Black History Month led by Fitness+ trainer JoAnna Hardy. On January 30, Fitness+ will release a new episode of Time to Walk — an audio experience with some of the world’s most inspiring people — featuring legendary singer Patti LaBelle. On this walk, LaBelle talks about her famous cooking and the powerful role her late sister played in her life. That same day, Time to Run, an audio running experience featuring playlists and coaching designed to help users become more consistent and better runners, will introduce a new episode with Fitness+ trainer Cory Wharton-Malcolm, celebrating Black History Month with a run through South LA and songs from the artists who helped put West Coast hip-hop on the map.

Apple News

Throughout the month, Apple News will highlight compelling articles, interviews, and audio stories about the Black experience in America, including perspectives and analysis from top journalists. Curated collections will showcase stories from Black-led newsrooms, including Capital B, Essence, NewsOne, Howard University’s The Hilltop, and more.

Apple Podcasts

Every day, listeners open Apple Podcasts to hear from the world’s most inspiring and influential voices. And each year, Apple’s collections honoring Black History Month help listeners discover creators offering essential historical context and insightful perspectives on news and culture. Beginning February 1, Apple Podcasts will spotlight shows that embody the omnipresence of Blackness — the ways that Black music, media, spaces, and theory positively influence our understanding of the world and one another — from creators Bridget Todd, Bob the Drag Queen, Monét X Change, and Apple Music’s Ebro Darden. Listeners will also be able to explore a bespoke selection of podcast recommendations curated by Black disruptors — visionaries in their fields who resist the status quo to share beautiful art and innovation — such as environmental activist Leah Thomas.

Apple Books

During Black History Month, Apple Books will showcase its Read More Black Authors collection, connecting readers and listeners with great books and audiobooks across different genres.

Apple Maps

The Smithsonian created a series of Guides in Apple Maps to spotlight key landmarks in the struggle for civil rights over the past century (1900-1957, 1960-1978, 1980-2020). Users can explore the Guides to learn more about the events, people, and places that have shaped the nation’s history.

Pricing and Availability

The Black Unity Sport Loop is available for order on apple.com and in the Apple Store app today, and will be available in select Apple Store locations beginning January 24 for $49 (US).
The Black Unity Sport Loop is available in 41mm and 45mm sizes, and is compatible with Apple Watch SE, Apple Watch Series 4 or newer, and Apple Watch Ultra (45mm band only).
The Unity 2023 watch face will be available next week, and requires Apple Watch Series 4 or later running watchOS 9.3, and iPhone 8 or later and iPhone SE (2nd generation) or later running iOS 16.3.
The new Unity iPhone wallpaper for the Lock Screen will be also be available next week and requires iPhone 8 or later running iOS 16.3.
Apple Watch Black Unity Sport Loop packaging, Apple Store locations, and the Apple Store app will feature App Clip functionality for customers to easily download the matching Unity watch face, or customers can download from apple.com.

Press Contacts

Apple Media Helpline

media.help@apple.com

(408) 974-2042

 Apple introduces the new HomePod with breakthrough sound and intelligence

Apple Inc January 18, 2023 1

January 18, 2023

PRESS RELEASE

Apple introduces the new HomePod with breakthrough sound and intelligence

Delivering incredible audio quality, enhanced Siri capabilities, and a safe and secure smart home experience

CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple today announced HomePod (2nd generation), a powerful smart speaker that delivers next-level acoustics in a gorgeous, iconic design. Packed with Apple innovations and Siri intelligence, HomePod offers advanced computational audio for a groundbreaking listening experience, including support for immersive Spatial Audio tracks. With convenient new ways to manage everyday tasks and control the smart home, users can now create smart home automations using Siri, get notified when a smoke or carbon monoxide alarm is detected in their home, and check temperature and humidity in a room — all hands-free.

The new HomePod is available to order online and in the Apple Store app starting today, with availability beginning Friday, February 3.

“Leveraging our audio expertise and innovations, the new HomePod delivers rich, deep bass, natural mid-range, and clear, detailed highs,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “With the popularity of HomePod mini, we’ve seen growing interest in even more powerful acoustics achievable in a larger HomePod. We’re thrilled to bring the next generation of HomePod to customers around the world.”

Refined Design

With a seamless, acoustically transparent mesh fabric and a backlit touch surface that illuminates from edge to edge, the new HomePod boasts a beautiful design that complements any space. HomePod is available in white and midnight, a new color made with 100 percent recycled mesh fabric, with a color-matched woven power cable.

Acoustic Powerhouse

HomePod delivers incredible audio quality, with rich, deep bass and stunning high frequencies. A custom-engineered high-excursion woofer, powerful motor that drives the diaphragm a remarkable 20mm, built-in bass-EQ mic, and beamforming array of five tweeters around the base all work together to achieve a powerful acoustic experience. The S7 chip is combined with software and system-sensing technology to offer even more advanced computational audio that maximizes the full potential of its acoustic system for a groundbreaking listening experience.

With room sensing technology, HomePod recognizes sound reflections from nearby surfaces to determine if it is against a wall or freestanding, and then adapts sound in real time. Precise directional control of its beamforming array of five tweeters separates and beams direct and ambient audio, immersing listeners in crystal-clear vocals and rich instrumentation.

Users can listen to a catalog of over 100 million songs with Apple Music,¹ enjoy Spatial Audio with a single HomePod or as a stereo pair, or create a captivating home theater experience with Apple TV 4K. With Siri, users can access a range of music knowledge, and search by artist, song, lyrics, decade, genre, mood, or activity.

Elevated Experience with Multiple HomePod Speakers

Two or more HomePod or HomePod mini speakers unlock a variety of powerful features. Using multiroom audio with AirPlay,² users can simply say “Hey Siri,” or touch and hold the top of HomePod to play the same song on multiple HomePod speakers, play different songs on different HomePod speakers, or even use them as an intercom to broadcast messages to other rooms.

Users can also create a stereo pair with two HomePod speakers in the same space.³ In addition to separating the left and right channels, a stereo pair plays each channel in perfect harmony, creating a wider, more immersive soundstage than traditional stereo speakers for a truly standout listening experience.

Seamless Integration with the Apple Ecosystem

Leveraging Ultra Wideband technology, users can hand off whatever they’re playing on iPhone — like a favorite song, podcast, or even a phone call — directly to a HomePod.⁴ To easily control what’s playing or receive personalized song and podcast recommendations, anyone in the home can bring an iPhone close to HomePod and suggestions will surface automatically. HomePod can also recognize up to six voices, so each member of the home can hear their personal playlists, ask for reminders, and set calendar events.

HomePod easily pairs with Apple TV 4K for a powerful home theater experience, and eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel)⁵ support on Apple TV 4K enables customers to make HomePod the audio system for all devices connected to the TV. Plus, with Siri on HomePod, users can control what’s playing on their Apple TV hands-free.

Find My on HomePod makes it possible for users to locate their Apple devices, like an iPhone, by playing a sound on the misplaced device. Using Siri, users can also ask for the location of friends or loved ones who share their location via the app.

A Smart Home Essential

With Sound Recognition,⁶ HomePod can listen for smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and send a notification directly to the user’s iPhone if a sound is identified. The new built-in temperature and humidity sensor can measure indoor environments, so users can create automations that close the blinds or turn on the fan automatically when a certain temperature is reached in a room.

By activating Siri, customers can control a single device or create scenes like “Good Morning” that put multiple smart home accessories to work at the same time, or set up recurring automations hands-free like “Hey Siri, open the blinds every day at sunrise.”⁷ A new confirmation tone indicates when a Siri request is made to control an accessory that may not visibly show a change, like a heater, or for accessories located in a different room. Ambient sounds — like ocean, forest, and rain — have also been remastered and are more integrated into the experience, enabling customers to add new sounds to scenes, automations, and alarms.

Users can also intuitively navigate, view, and organize accessories with the redesigned Home app, which offers new categories for climate, lights, and security, enables easy setup and control of the smart home, and includes a new multicamera view.

Matter Support

Matter launched last fall, enabling smart home products to work across ecosystems while maintaining the highest levels of security. Apple is a member of the Connectivity Standards Alliance, which maintains the Matter standard, along with other industry leaders. HomePod connects to and controls Matter-enabled accessories, and serves as an essential home hub, giving users access when away from home.

Customer Data Is Private Property

Protecting customer privacy is one of Apple’s core values. All smart home communications are always end-to-end encrypted so they can’t be read by Apple, including camera recordings with HomeKit Secure Video. When Siri is used, the audio of the request is not stored by default. These features give users peace of mind that their privacy is protected at home.

HomePod and the Environment

HomePod is designed to minimize its environmental impact, and includes 100 percent recycled gold — a first for HomePod — in the plating of multiple printed circuit boards and 100 percent recycled rare earth elements in the speaker magnet. HomePod meets Apple’s high standards for energy efficiency, and is mercury-, BFR-, PVC-, and beryllium-free. Redesigned packaging eliminates the outer plastic wrap, and 96 percent of the packaging is fiber-based, bringing Apple closer to its goal of completely removing plastic from all packaging by 2025.

Today, Apple is carbon neutral for global corporate operations, and by 2030, plans to be 100 percent carbon neutral across the entire manufacturing supply chain and all product life cycles. This means that every Apple device sold, from component manufacturing, assembly, transport, customer use, charging, all the way through recycling and material recovery, will have net-zero climate impact.

Pricing and Availability

HomePod (2nd generation) is available to order for $299 (US) from apple.com/store and in the Apple Store app in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, the UK, the US, and 11 other countries and regions starting today, with availability beginning Friday, February 3.
HomePod (2nd generation) is compatible with iPhone SE (2nd generation) and later, or iPhone 8 and later running iOS 16.3 or later; or iPad Pro, iPad (5th generation) and later, iPad Air (3rd generation) and later, or iPad mini (5th generation) and later running iPadOS 16.3.
Customers in the US get 3 percent Daily Cash back when they buy directly from Apple with Apple Card.

About Apple Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV. Apple’s five software platforms — iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS — provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, and iCloud. Apple’s more than 100,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth, and to leaving the world better than we found it.

Apple Music requires a subscription.
Multiroom audio requires multiple HomePod speakers or AirPlay-compatible speakers with the latest AirPlay software.
Creating a HomePod stereo pair requires two of the same model HomePod speakers, such as two HomePod mini, two HomePod (2nd generation), or two HomePod (1st generation).
iOS 16.3 is required on iPhone for Handoff.
Home theater with eARC support requires Apple TV 4K (2nd generation) or later, running the latest tvOS software.
Sound Recognition will be available in a software update later this spring. Sound Recognition may detect smoke and carbon monoxide alarm sounds and send users notifications when recognized. Sound Recognition should not be relied upon in circumstances where users may be harmed or injured, or in high-risk or emergency situations. Sound Recognition requires the updated Home architecture, which will be available as a separate update in the Home app. It requires all Apple devices that access the home to be using the latest software.
Smart home accessories are sold separately.

iOS 16: How to enable more frequent live updates on iPhone

Dan Uff January 18, 2023 0

Live updates enables a user to get updated information when an event happens, such as scores from a live game. They appear on the device's Dynamic Island on the top of the screen.

If you're finding that the live updates aren't as up-to-date as you like, do the below to increase its update time.

Open the Settings app on iPhone.
Scroll down in settings and find an app that supports Live Activities.
Tap on ‘Live Activities’.
Obviously make sure that ‘Allow Live Activities’ is enabled.
Toggle the switch for “More Frequent Updates” to the ON position.
Repeat with other apps as desired.
That's it.

Dynamic Island is a new feature for iPhone 14 and iOS 16.

Exclusive Review: WFMZ Plus Streaming Service

Dan Uff January 17, 2023 0

This review is more for my local area, but I am doing this incase some of you would like to stream some local content from a small TV station.

WFMZ is a small, independent TV Station that has been on the air for over 45 years. The station shows local and international programming from around the world.

Recently, they came into the streaming wars by providing their own streaming web site and app called WFMZ Plus. This free app is available for Amazon Fire, Android, iOS, and others.

Besides being easy to download and install, the app's layout is semi easy to navigate. The live stream is the first thing you encounter. In order to view that content, the user must sign up for a free account online. After that, a user signs in by a random letter code and their username and password. Then you'll gain access to the main TV station's content via the live feed.

To get to the rest of the content, the user has to scroll down and then go over to the show/video that he/she wants to view.

Pros:

View local content for North Eastern Pennsylvania and Western New Jersey.
Get to live content right away (after logging in).
Easy to install.

Cons: