Apple Event April 20

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by OtinG

Apple has said that the AirTag's BT has a 30 to 40 foot range, which is a bit shorter than I would have expected. BT is of course a radio frequency system, so if the AirTag is placed in a metal container the signal could be blocked as that would essentially be a Faraday cage. If the AirTag is near metal or behind or covered by other objects the signal could be adversely affected as well. And other radio frequency signals can also affect a BT signal. So if someone needs to locate a lost AirTag/item in a large house they might need to walk around a while to get within range.

Well, it should at least know ‘last known location’ if you are out of BT range. Then you go there and try to hone in. I think it is going to be a rare case that it is casually electronically isolated. If you are putting valuable things in a fireproof or security box, then you should not expect to find them there with an AirTag: you could AirTag the box so you can find THAT. The cases where it will not work are innumerable, but so are the cases where it will work.

What would work better?

I’m not able to come up with a use case for myself. I’ve temporarily misplaced my AirPod charging case a couple of times at the fitness center, but I’m not going to stick an AirTag on there. Maybe for my eyeglass case.

[OtinG]

If you drop something in your car, then the BT might not work from outside of the car. You should find it the next time you get in the car though. Other than that, I can’t think of any other case when the signal would be shielded by metal. If the cat takes the item upstairs and hides it then you might have to search for while to pick up a signal. If you left the item in a public place far away from home, you might find it, but I wouldn’t get too optimistic for a good outcome. If your toddler flushes the item down the toilet, welcome to parenthood!

[pwalker8]

I suspect that if you are not someone who is always losing things and finding them later, then you are not really part of the target audience for this product. I do not see me having much use for the product. I can see it being useful for my sister.

[John F]

As far as bluetooth not working through a car...

I have bluetooth in my car and phone, and my son sometimes uses the car. I can be in a room above the car with my phone, and when my son starts the car, my phone connects to the bluetooth in the car.

[OtinG]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

I suspect that if you are not someone who is always losing things and finding them later, then you are not really part of the target audience for this product. I do not see me having much use for the product. I can see it being useful for my sister.

Same for me, I am lucky in that I rarely lose anything, and I’ve never lost anything of value or of necessity (like the car keys). But I know some of my friends and family who have trouble keeping up with their things, and AirTags would likely help them out. I think they are too pricey to buy in quantity though. And I don't think they will be of much assistance beyond the owner's home.

[OtinG]

This MacRumors article, "How to Use Apple TV's iPhone-Based Color Balance Feature", walks you through the steps to use the new TV color calibration tool that will be available once iOS 14.5 and tvOS 14.5 are released next week.

Note: People who are participating in the beta programs already have access to iOS 14.5RC and tvOS 14.5RC, so there are some who have already tested out this new feature.

Requirements: iOS 14.5 and tvOS 14.5, a 2015 or newer ATV, an iPhone X or later (requires FaceID).

The calibration only works for TV streaming through an ATV. The calibration changes the settings within the ATV so that your ATV will send "your calibrated adjustments" to your TV. Your TV setting will NOT be changed, only thing that changes is what the ATV communicates to your TV. So the calibration changes will only be seen when streaming from the ATV. This will not affect color calibration on other devices or directly on your TV. Also, be aware that the color calibrations will NOT affect, make corrections to, Dolby Vision streams.

I will try this out when the iOS 14.5 and tvOS 14.5 updates are pushed to me in a few days.

The one question I have is about all of my different TV color settings. My new Sony Bravia TV has multiple settings for each connected device. For example, I’ve got the current model ATV 4K (2019?) connected to my TV's HDMI 1 port. For HDMI 1, I have the color options of Vivid, Standard, Cinema, Sport, Gaming, etc. What I don't know yet is whether I only need to select one of those options to perform calibration on, or whether I need to select each one separately and do calibrations. I'm hoping just one, and that the calibration feature will be smart enough to apply the changes for all the others.

I'm also wondering about other settings as my TV can be setup to use various combinations of HDR and SDR. I'm not sure if these settings will affect the calibration.

ETA: Here is a Youtube video on calibrating the color on your TV via new ATV feature.

[OtinG]

Just FYI:

Some of the new 2021 Apple items can now be pre-ordered as of today (30 Apr 2021). Looks like many of the items are projected to be delivered around May 21. The delivery dates might slide out though if there are a lot of orders made.

[drofgnal]

Originally Posted by OtinG

Just FYI:

Some of the new 2021 Apple items can now be pre-ordered as of today (30 Apr 2021). Looks like many of the items are projected to be delivered around May 21. The delivery dates might slide out though if there are a lot of orders made.

Yea, I configured an iMac for kicks. Added Ram to 16 gb, memory to 1TB, and key board with numeric pad. 2129.

I'll definitely be waiting till some of these get in the wild and see how they perform.

[OtinG]

Just for grins I checked on delivery dates for a few items about 10am this morning (May 1).

• AirTags single shows Mid May
• ATV 4K only slid a few days to the end of May
• AirTags 4 pack slid to Mid June
• ATV new remote slid to Mid June
• iMac various option levels slid to Mid June
• iPad Pro 12.9" fully loaded slid to late June and early July

Not sure if these delivery dates reflect popularity (the farther the slip the more were sold), or reflect that initial supply levels available on April 30 were sufficient, or some combination thereof. However, my guess is that the new ATV 4K isn't selling well, the ATV new remote and iMac are sells are okay but not stellar, and the new iPad Pro 12.9" is selling very well.

[tomsem]

I put iPad Pro 12.9 in my shopping cart Friday and I think it said Aug 1 delivery (but I don’t plan to get one for a few months). I actually ordered ATV remote Friday AM but don’t remember delivery date, I think it was in 2-3 weeks.

Seeing some reviews of AirTags that were not stellar — apparently the transmitter is too directional so the orientation may limit effective range.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by OtinG

Just for grins I checked on delivery dates for a few items about 10am this morning (May 1).

• AirTags single shows Mid May
• ATV 4K only slid a few days to the end of May
• AirTags 4 pack slid to Mid June
• ATV new remote slid to Mid June
• iMac various option levels slid to Mid June
• iPad Pro 12.9" fully loaded slid to late June and early July

Not sure if these delivery dates reflect popularity (the farther the slip the more were sold), or reflect that initial supply levels available on April 30 were sufficient, or some combination thereof. However, my guess is that the new ATV 4K isn't selling well, the ATV new remote and iMac are sells are okay but not stellar, and the new iPad Pro 12.9" is selling very well.

I would not be surprised if most people are approaching the ATV 4K from the same standpoint that I am, why should I upgrade my existing ATV 4K? So far I haven't heard an answer to that question. It seems to simply be an incremental upgrade more oriented towards new purchases.

[OtinG]

Originally Posted by tomsem

Seeing some reviews of AirTags that were not stellar — apparently the transmitter is too directional so the orientation may limit effective range.

Some people who have already received AirTags, and some of the boxes they came in showed a date of 2019 or 2020. Some are speculating that Apple had intended to release them as far back as 2019, but must have run into too many issues.

Originally Posted by pwalker8

I would not be surprised if most people are approaching the ATV 4K from the same standpoint that I am, why should I upgrade my existing ATV 4K? So far I haven't heard an answer to that question. It seems to simply be an incremental upgrade more oriented towards new purchases.

I agree. An incremental update four years after the initial ATV 4K release is fairly lame. Fortunately the ATV 4K 2017 is still a really great device.

They replaced the HDMI 2.0 port with a 2.1 port which allows faster streaming in order to push 4K HDR frame rates up to 120fps. Sounds good, but Apple decided to allow only 60fps and very little content is actually in 4K HDR and what is already looks good to me. BTW, there is a good amount of 4K content, but much of that lacks HDR.

They added Thread, but apparently consumers don't know or care much about it. Apparently it allows the ATV 4K to work as a Home device hub on steroids, but the appeal just isn’t there for the typical buyer.

They switched to WiFi 6, but if you don't have a WiFi 6 router then it does you no good.

They switched to a much better remote, but if that is the only reason one has to upgrade they can simply buy it separately for $59 + tax.

[tomsem]

Got the new Siri Remote today. For me, it was worth upgrading. I still have to turn the TV and sound system on and off with their remotes/power buttons, but back on the couch, I only need Siri Remote (we are almost 100% viewing only stuff streaming via AppleTV). I was able to teach it about the sound system volume/mute very easily. Much easier to navigate video now, also.

Now I’m wondering when iOS will update the Remote app (in control center) to add similar ‘2nd generation’ control.

[drofgnal]

I've been reading some good reviews of the iMac and its performance. I looked on line and my apple store had the configuration I'd want, silver, 16 gb memory and 1TB SSD. Unfortunately it is now unavailable. In fact anything 8 or 16 gb with 1 TB is unavailable with a July delivery.

Why do they bother to launch stuff with no availability?

[Almamida]

I was able to go pick mine at the Apple Store the day of release.
I picked a 12.9 256GB, but all models were available at the time I ordered mine ( The same morning)