Apple WWDC 2022 announcements

[OtinG]

Well it looks like a couple decent MacBook updates with the new M2 processor:

• MacBook Air M2 13.6 inch
• MacBook Pro M2 13.6 inch

Glancing at the Apple Store, it looks like you can still get MacBook Air 2020 with M1 configuration but with only the 7 core GPU + 8 core CPU, so no 8 core GPU option now. So the configuration I bought with 8 core GPU + 8 core CPU and 16 GB RAM and 1 TB SSD is no longer available, but for $100 less than what I paid you can get that same configuration minus 1 of the GPU cores, or for $100 more you can get the same configuration but with M2.

The newer 2022 models come in M2 configurations only.

I don't think the difference between the MacBook Air M1 2020 13.3 inch and the new MacBook Air M2 13.6 inch is worth it yet though. Plus I don't like that stupid looking notch for a camera I won't use. I'll definitely hang on to my MacBook Air M1 2020. But it does sound like in 2 to 4 years it will be worth upgrading. I do like the better specs and the return of the MagSafe charging connector though, but not enough to upgrade yet.

TBH, I just half-way listened to the OS news while I did some other stuff, but nothing really peaked my interest much. Looked like mostly stuff for "sharing", and since I don't do that on electronic devices, I didn't pay close attention. But perhaps some good stuff for those who network a lot over devices and the internet.

I certainly heard NOTHING about improving the iPadOS file system to make it more useful and mac-like. Apple still seems to be stuck in the entertainment view of iPads and iPhones.

[OtinG]

So a few take aways from the M2 announcements:

• No more 8 core GPU options for new MacBook Air M1 configurations.
• The M2, like the M1, cannot “officially” support 2 external monitors.
• The new M2 models have better screens which now support 1 billion colors, albeit most likely through actual 8-bit screens + FRC to simulate 10-bit color.
• The MagSafe charging port is back.

I wonder if the MacBook Air M2 and MacBook 13.6” M2 have solved the issues with TB3/USB-C 4 ports being rather finnicky?

[tomsem]

Stage Manager (for iPadOS) looks interesting, and nice that there is better support for external displays (I guess only for iPad Pro with M1 or better?).

In addition to better file management in iOS, no mention of
- ability to consume audio with more than one app at a time
- why doesn’t physical keyboard support Mac press-and-hold to generate diacritics of the letter (and which virtual keyboard supports? There are ‘legacy’ shortcuts for some of them, but by no means is that as nice to use as press-and-hold. So you have to toggle the virtual keyboard on and off to use that, or install keyboards for other languages and memorize the key layouts for those.

And buried in ‘all new features’:

New accessibility options in Books
New themes and customization options such as bolding text, adjusting line, character, and word spacing, and more.

I’m still waiting for a reading app that supports multiple documents, or custom fonts. Books does support multiple open documents on macOS, why not on iPadOS?

[John F]

Originally Posted by tomsem

...

And buried in ‘all new features’:

Holy Cannoli! A post that has something to do with ereading.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by tomsem

- why doesn’t physical keyboard support Mac press-and-hold to generate diacritics of the letter (and which virtual keyboard supports? There are ‘legacy’ shortcuts for some of them, but by no means is that as nice to use as press-and-hold. So you have to toggle the virtual keyboard on and off to use that, or install keyboards for other languages and memorize the key layouts for those.?

At least when I’m using Universal Control from my Mac (or have a Mac keyboard attached to iPad), the Eject key (of all things) on the Mac’s keyboard reveals and hides the virtual keyboard on my iPad Pro, so I can then long press on the VK do get the diacritic options.

There does not seem to be keyboard shortcut to reveal/hide the VK in iOS 15. Some older advice seems to be ‘press down arrow to show VK, up arrow to hide it’ but that does not seem to work any more. Seems you have to tap the language selector in menu bar and then select Show keyboard.

But it’s all more convoluted than it would be to just implement the macOS behavior, with which you can select a diacritic with the keyboard alone.

[OtinG]

Originally Posted by tomsem

At least when I’m using Universal Control from my Mac (or have a Mac keyboard attached to iPad), the Eject key (of all things) on the Mac’s keyboard reveals and hides the virtual keyboard on my iPad Pro, so I can then long press on the VK do get the diacritic options.

There does not seem to be keyboard shortcut to reveal/hide the VK in iOS 15. Some older advice seems to be ‘press down arrow to show VK, up arrow to hide it’ but that does not seem to work any more. Seems you have to tap the language selector in menu bar and then select Show keyboard.

But it’s all more convoluted than it would be to just implement the macOS behavior, with which you can select a diacritic with the keyboard alone.

Although I've got a Logitech keyboard case on my iPad Air 2020, I so rarely use it that I hadn't even noticed the lack of this diacritical marks feature on an external keyboard. I'll have to test this evening, assuming I remember. I know I can get it to work on the popup iPad keyboard.

One of my major complaints about the current iPadOS is that typing with the popup screen keyboard is such a bleeping mess. It takes me probably four times as long to type text. Trying to use it with Excel or Numbers is enough to cause me to literally yell in anger. Even using the external keyboard, the process is so very frustrating. I realize the non-Pro iPads are likely seen by Apple as little more than entertainment and social networking platforms. But the so-called "Pro" models are advertised as laptop killers, yet even they have a crap keyboard system and crap file system that slows down their ability to do anything like office work, programming, professional photo and video editing, etc. I find myself relegating my iPads to little more than web surfing, multimedia viewing, and reading. Actually trying to do anything productive on them is a lesson in futility. They have more than enough power for these tasks, but iPadOS simply won't get the job done.

Every office-like task is über kluge. I get tired of the screen scrolling every time I select a spreadsheet cell, then I have to scroll to see it again. Enough with the million and one hand gestures already, especially for those of us with arthritis! I still like my iPads, but I'm frustrated that they are so very limited by Apple's lack of imagination and/or willingness to turn them into a true computing platform. I think the Pro models are an absolute joke without a decent iPadOS to take advantage of their power.

[tomsem]

While the rumors about Stage Manager proved true (I was skeptical), the more hyperbolic predictions (it’ll run macOS apps) not so much.

When XCode runs on iPadOS (for example) maybe it’ll be a ‘true computing platform’.

Spreadsheets are torture on any platform.

[trekk]

Originally Posted by OtinG

Well it looks like a couple decent MacBook updates with the new M2 processor:

• MacBook Air M2 13.6 inch
• MacBook Pro M2 13.6 inch

There is no change in the screensize of the new MacBook Pro M2, it still has a 13.3 inch screen. Only the new MacBook Air will have 13.6 inch.

New options in Books? I'd like that. The prices for the new MacBooks? Not that much

[tomsem]

More on the changes to Books app:

https://www.cultofmac.com/779687/app...app-in-ios-16/

More customization
When you tap Themes and Settings, you get options to change the font size and the background color. New color options in *iOS 16* include a lighter gray, a light yellow and a different shade of white.

In the interface you can turn on vertical scrolling and activate Light Mode, Dark Mode, match the device setting or match the ambient lighting with True Tone.

Tap on Options to bring up a choice of fonts and the option to bold the text. Accessibility settings help you adjust spacing between lines, words and characters. You can toggle full justification on or off. Apple also changed the way that pages turn. You swipe the whole page to the left to move on to the next one.

Generally, the changes offer you more customization options when you crack open the Books app on iPhone and iPad.

[tomsem]

Then there's this:

This magical iOS 16 feature scans your ears to give you better Spatial Audio

Spatial Audio already improves the sound of songs streamed via Apple Music, giving them a 3D feel with Dolby Atmos integration. With Personalized Spatial Audio, Apple says it can use the advanced imagery techniques its iPhones are capable of to create a 3D image of your ears and then use that information to better tune the 3D sound you listen to.

Also a description of the setup in the Beta:

https://appletoolbox.com/how-to-use-...dio-on-ios-16/

Ideally, this profile would 'live' in the headset so it could be used regardless of which device is connected, but it's not clear that's possible. Alternatively they could iCloud it, but that would raise privacy concerns (I would happily make an exception for this feature). And what about iPads with TrueDepth cameras?

[OtinG]

Originally Posted by tomsem

....Spreadsheets are torture on any platform.

Yes true, but on the iPads it is way worse. Tapping in a spreadsheet field causes the keyboard to popup, which scrolls things around and/or covers up where you were about to type. As a matter of fact, that happens in all sorts of apps, not just spreadsheets. I get tired of having to relocate the position I selected for text entry. What a PITA. The mini-keyboard is too small for my fat fingers. The big keyboard is so large it covers up too much of the screen making it difficult to look at the fuller picture of the spreadsheet or document without constant scrolling up and down. It is logistically a nightmare. And Siri dictation is a frigging joke and a no go for me. Apple gets a D- on usability of text input on iPads. Trying to get the cut/paste/copy etc. to work often takes several attempts. Using an external keyboard is really not what I want to do, as I might as well go grab my MacBook Air M1 and use it rather than trying to get a kluge external keyboard system to work with an iPad. Even typing a post into this forum thread is a royal PITA on an iPad, and nearly impossible on an iPhone.

[tomsem]

I would not dream of doing spreadsheets without a hardware keyboard (and keyboard shortcuts), even on Surface Pro running full-featured Excel. Of course that's going to be hellish.

Dictation is supposed to be improved in iOS 16:

All-new Dictation experience
While dictating on device, you can move fluidly between voice and touch. Type with the keyboard, tap in the text field, move the cursor, and insert QuickType suggestions, all without needing to stop Dictation.
Automatic punctuation
Dictation inserts commas, periods, and question marks for you as you dictate.
Emoji support
Insert emoji using your voice while dictating on device.
Dictation popover
Easily stop Dictation by tapping the new cursor popover.

[tomsem]

Files app is improved:

https://www.cultofmac.com/779734/ope...e%20newsletter

Complaints about the limitations in iPad’s version of the Files application go back years. That’s why it’s surprising that so many people overlooked that iPadOS 16 adds features that people have requested over and over.

The most useful feature is sortable columns. Previously, Files had semi-hidden options for arranging files in various ways. The upcoming version does this in a way similar to macOS, Windows, etc.

I also like that I can (finally!) find out how much drive space a folder is taking up.

Apple promises that the new version offers the ability to change file extensions – I can’t figure out how to do this, though. But I’m testing iPadOS 16 beta 1, and it’s possible the feature isn’t included yet.

There’s still room for improvement in the Files app, though. Most notably, I can’t see the size of a removable drive. (That, too, might be a beta 1 limitation.) Nor can I reformat a drive.

In short, the iPad Files application is about to get a lot more like the macOS files app.

[tomsem]

iPadOS 16 now lets device makers create drivers for iPad with ‘DriverKit’

For now, the DriverKit API in iPadOS 16 supports USB, PCI, and audio devices. Since this API is also available on the Mac, developers who have created macOS drivers that are ready for Apple Silicon can easily port them to the iPad. A driver can be distributed through the App Store as a regular app, but its capabilities extend to other apps.

As an example, having DriverKit on iPadOS will allow users to connect Thunderbolt audio interfaces on the iPad for the first time. This will also work for less complex devices, such as a USB microphone.

This is another Mx-only feature.

[ilovejedd]

I’m running 16 Beta on the M1 Pro 11. Stage Manager feels kinda useless on just the 11” display. Everything’s too small. Reckon this is something that’s better suited for those who plan on connecting external displays.

To be honest, all the changes feel kinda meh and I’m not really liking the change in Books (thank goodness I use Marvin which still works).

I haven’t been using the Pro 11 much recently (mostly on the mini 6 as a huge phablet) but of the iPadOS 16 features announced, I think Virtual Memory would probably be the one I’d appreciate most as time passes and things get even more bloated. Right now, I don’t experience a lot of reloads on M1+16GB RAM to begin with.