DECEMBER 2015 ST. AUGUSTINE MAC USERS GROUP DECEMBER 2015 APPLE

Special edition for iPad & iPhone

We have so much information to send your way that I decided to put the iPhone and iPad articles in a newsletter all their own.

Apple Pencil wows the critics While reviews of the Smart Keyboard were mixed, the Apple Pencil is winning raves across the board. Few actual artists have tested the new iPad stylus, which only works with the iPad Pro, but the Wall Street Journal’s newspaper’s illustrator found it easier to use than the Wacom tablet. “He was impressed most by how the glass-and-pen combo could imitate his art-paper experience: the gentlest tilts of his watercolor brush, light shading with his pencil and deep presses with a flat marker all were lag free, it's a pressure-sensitive stylus, designed for drawing, painting, note- taking, and—if you want—simply pointing your way around your device's interface”. WSJ’s Joanna Stern writes: “Accessory makers have had to develop workarounds to make iPad styluses that work with the tablet’s multi-touch display, to satisfactory but imperfect results. The Apple Pencil achieves what those styluses could not. “Using most third-party styluses with earlier iPads has always felt like drawing with a gumdrop, and even ones which go to absurd lengths to work around technical limitations have not been entirely satisfying,” says Fast Company’s Harry McCracken. “But by designing the iPad Pro’s touch screen for the Pencil as well as your fingertips, Apple has decisively overcome all of these issues.”

Firefox now available for iOS

Nearly a year ago Mozilla said it would bring Firefox to iOS. The new iOS version recently rolled out and is now available on the App Store for devices running iOS 8.2 and up.

Firefox for iOS brings all the standard features you’d expect from Firefox, including sync via a Firefox account for browsing history, bookmarks, and open tabs on other devices. The new mobile browser also has the non-syncable reading list feature. Early iPad Pro reviews: Apple's massive new tablet is a great iPad, but can't replace a MacBook ~ Caitlin McGarry Staff Writer, Macworld

The 12.9-inch addition to Apple’s tablet line-up is a massive iPad that will be familiar to anyone who’s used one of its predecessors. But its big display, while the most noticeable of the Pro’s features, isn’t its only selling point. Critics say the Pro’s 4GB of RAM is the reason why iOS 9’s trio of multitasking features—Split View, Picture-in-Picture, and Slide Over—are extra useful and lightning fast on the new tablet compared to older ones. Some say the iPad Pro is designed to replace a laptop in your work, which is a tall order—and one the new tablet doesn’t necessarily live up to, at least not yet. The iPad Pro is fast and powerful, but won’t replace a MacBook for most people. Critics are saying the Pro is a niche product because it doesn’t run OS X and is therefore limited in its power and usefulness. The Pro’s pros and cons

The iPad Pro could conceivably replace your notebook or desktop, depending on what you do for a living. If you don’t need OS X for work and are in the market for a new computer, Daring Fireball’s John Gruber says the iPad Pro is more powerful than the cheapest MacBook Air. “At a fundamental level—CPU speed, GPU speed, quality of the display, quality of the sound output, and overall responsiveness of interface—the iPad Pro is a better computer than a MacBook or MacBook Air, and a worthy rival to the far more expensive MacBook Pros,” Gruber writes. “The iPad runs all of your favorite iOS apps, but few have been optimized yet for the Pro’s super-sized screen. The verdict so far

The iPad Pro is a giant tablet. If you need a massive touchscreen to get work done, the Pro is right up your alley. It runs the hundreds of thousands of apps created for iOS, including a few new recent releases for the Pro’s launch, like the 3D sketching app uMake and new image- editing software from Adobe and others in Apps: Built for iPad Pro | Macworld. “The iPad Pro will no doubt make a lot of Apple users happy, especially if they use it for graphics,” Wall Street Journal’s Mossberg weighs in. “But I won’t be buying one, and I don’t recommend that average users do so either.” But Daring Fireball’s Gruber says the Pro isn’t just for graphic designers... “The iPad Pro is ‘pro’ in the way MacBook Pros are. Genuine professionals with a professional need—visual artists in particular—are going to line up for them,” Gruber writes. “But it’s also a perfectly reasonable choice for casual iPad users who just want a bigger display, louder (and now stereo) speakers, and faster performance.” Stay tuned for the definitive Macworld reviews of the Pro and its accessories. Tim Cook on iPad Pro: 'Why would you buy a PC anymore?'

Apple CEO Tim Cook is making the media rounds this week before the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, which Apple hopes will be a shot in the arm for its tablet sales, goes on sale Wednesday, November 12. So why does Cook think Apple customers will want a Pro over, say, a 12- or 13-inch laptop? In an interview published in Britain’s The Telegraph, Cook said the Pro will be all the computer that people could need. “I think if you’re looking at a PC, why would you buy a PC anymore? No really, why would you buy one?” Cook told the British publication. “Yes, the iPad Pro is a replacement for a notebook or a desktop for many, many people. They will start using it and conclude they no longer need to use anything else, other than their phones.” Paired with the $99 Apple Pencil and $169 Smart Keyboard, Cook believes the iPad Pro, which starts at $799 for a 32GB Wi-Fi model, will be a creative professional’s dream work machine. But what does that mean for smaller tablets like the iPad mini, and for Apple’s own line of notebooks and desktops? “I think it clearly creates some cannibalization —which we knew would occur—but we don’t really spend any time worrying about that, because as long as we cannibalize ourselves, it’s fine,” Cook told The Telegraph. Typeeto Magic keyboard software for all of your mobile devices

There are many third-party keyboards for iOS devices. But why purchase dedicated hardware only to have it become obsolete with new models next year when your existing Mac keyboard can be used instead? Typeeto is a clever little piece of OS X software that allows existing Mac keyboards to be used with iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Android smartphones or tablets, Apple TV, or most any device capable of pairing over Bluetooth, including game consoles. No special software is required on the receiving end— simply pair with your Mac, and Typeeto recognizes and adds these gadgets to the list of available devices. Select a device from the menu bar or use an assigned custom keyboard shortcut to quickly switching between them. Once connected, a small window appears on the Mac screen with animation that confirms input is being sent to the selected device; text entry happens in real time without noticeable lag, as if the keyboard was connected directly. Because Typeeto uses a Mac Bluetooth connection, any keyboard can be used, including my aging MacAlly IceKey, a wired, full-sized USB model. I also tested it with a Logitech K400 Plus, a wireless PC-to- TV combo that connects via USB Unifying receiver, which also worked great in keyboard mode (but not with the attached trackpad, naturally). Like other Bluetooth-connected devices Typeeto works within a range of approximately 32 feet. Although the software can theoretically connect to an unlimited number of devices, Bluetooth itself is limited to eight connections at a time. With iOS and Android, it’s worth noting the initial connection should be initiated from the device itself for best results.

While a device is active, a small window appears on the Mac display to confirming it’s in use, with animation as text is entered on the keyboard.

Typeeto automatically picks up the name of added devices, but these can be changed to whatever you’d like from the app preferences. Other settings include white or black color themes, the option to remove the app icon from Dock, or turn off sound effects, which offer audible feedback when a connection is made. The Option-Command-V shortcut can be used to paste text copied on the Mac side directly to the device, while Command-V works for pasting current device clipboard contents.

If you prefer a different device name, Typeeto can customize that and more from the app preferences.

Bottom line: If you spend most of your day near a Mac, Typeeto is a great investment that beats paying for separate mobile keyboard accessories for each device. The normal price is a bit steep (regularly priced at $20), but absolutely worth it at the current limited time sale pricing of $9.99, even for occasional use.

AS I AGE, I REALIZE THAT:

1. I talk to myself, because sometimes I need expert advice. 2. Sometimes I roll my eyes out loud. 3. I don't need anger management. I need people to stop making me mad. 4. My people skills are just fine. It's my tolerance of idiots that needs work. 5. The biggest lie I tell myself is "I don't need to write that down, I'll remember it." Apple ships first Smart Battery Case for iPhone 6s, iPhone 6 Macworld News December 8, 2015

Smart Battery Case shows own power status in iOS Notification Center

Apple has quietly launched its first ever case for the iPhone 6s that contains a battery, a product that has been sold by third party accessory manufacturers for quite a few years. The Apple iPhone 6s Smart Battery Case is claimed to protect the iPhone with a similar design to other Apple-produced iPhone cases, except a protruding battery on the back gives the held iPhone more power, extending its talk time by up to 25 hours and LTE usage by up to 18 hours. Using an "elastomer hinge design" to hold the iPhone 6s or iPhone 6 in place, the case is lined by a microfiber material and uses a silicone coating on the outside. Pocket-Lint notes that it is able to be charged by a standard Lightning cable, something not typically offered by other similar cases, and is compatible with other Lightning-based accessories. As for the "smart" element of the name, the battery case feeds back information to the iPhone about its current level of charge, instead of using a separate on-case indicator. Users will be able to see the "intelligent battery status" of the case from the iPhone lock screen and in the Notification Center. Shipping now with earliest deliveries expected on December 10, Apple is selling the iPhone 6s Smart Battery Case in a choice of white or charcoal gray colors for $99.

(No info as of date of this article regarding weight of new Case)

Wall Street Journal Review:

Apple Smart Battery Case Review: iPhone Battery Life Nearly Doubled - WSJ

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