WWDC 2021 Highlights and Discussion

[OtinG]

According to this 9to5mac article, here is why we probably saw fewer leaks and less accurate predictions for iOS 15 than we have seen in past years.

As analyzed by 9to5Mac, this may be related to an internal change in iOS 15 that hides features from engineers, which Apple has implemented to double down on secrecy.

Within the internal files of iOS 15 beta 1, each major feature introduced this year has a unique identifier (also known as a flag) that is associated with a “disclosure requirement.” In other words, this allows Apple to enable only certain new system features in internal builds so that an engineer or designer in one area doesn’t need to see everything that’s new in others.

To run an internal version of iOS, each employee must first install a special profile on the device — just as we do for downloading beta versions. However, each profile sent to employees determines which of these features will be enabled for each person working on new versions of iOS and possibly other Apple operating systems as well.

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by OtinG

BTW, I looked at the AirPods Pro online yesterday, and they only have a 4.5 hour battery life. So they probably are not a good choice for day long wear to help someone who is hearing challenged. They would still likely be a good choice for watching TV in the evening though. They are kind of pricey, but compared to professional level hearing aids they are fairly inexpensive, depending on your medical insurance of course.

I normally use mine at work so I use just one earbud at a time and swap when the battery runs low. The Pro hurts my ears though. I've even tried replacing the tips with foam but nada so I went back to the non-Pro version.

[OtinG]

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

I normally use mine at work so I use just one earbud at a time and swap when the battery runs low. The Pro hurts my ears though. I've even tried replacing the tips with foam but nada so I went back to the non-Pro version.

The comfort and fit does concern me. The non-Pro AirPods are shaped like the old wired headsets they used to include with iPhones. I can’t get those to stay in my ears. The AirPods Pro look like they might be uncomfortable, but more likely to stay put. I really like the design of the Sony WF-1000XM4 Noise Canceling Wireless Earbuds, but they might be uncomfortable too. But they do have 9 hour battery life. Over the ear type of earbuds work best for me as far as comfort goes, but I haven’t seen any AirPods with that design. I’m also not too thrilled about the hanging down stem on AirPods. Those look stupid and they would likely get hung on things too causing the AirPods to get dislodged from the ear.

[John F]

Originally Posted by OtinG

The comfort and fit does concern me. The non-Pro AirPods are shaped like the old wired headsets they used to include with iPhones. I can’t get those to stay in my ears. The AirPods Pro look like they might be uncomfortable, but more likely to stay put. I really like the design of the Sony WF-1000XM4 Noise Canceling Wireless Earbuds, but they might be uncomfortable too. But they do have 9 hour battery life. Over the ear type of earbuds work best for me as far as comfort goes, but I haven’t seen any AirPods with that design. I’m also not too thrilled about the hanging down stem on AirPods. Those look stupid and they would likely get hung on things too causing the AirPods to get dislodged from the ear.

I purchased my first set of Airpods at an Apple store, and back then, they let you try a pair for fit in the store.

I also have a Airpods Pro, and prefer Airpods for fit. The Pros, for me, come out too easy; just walking, never mind exercising, and the Pros will come out.

[OtinG]

Originally Posted by John F

I purchased my first set of Airpods at an Apple store, and back then, they let you try a pair for fit in the store.

I also have a Airpods Pro, and prefer Airpods for fit. The Pros, for me, come out too easy; just walking, never mind exercising, and the Pros will come out.

Since I’m going to wait until the end of the year to see about getting a set of noise cancelling ear pieces of some kind, I think the local Apple Stores will be opened for that by then. So that does seem like the best option--go to Apple Store, try out multiple options, get the best one for my situation.

I already know from years of owning those inexpensive, wired earbuds they used to pack into every iPhone and iPad box, that particular style of slick plastic never work for me. One ear they stay in fairly well, the other they won’t stay in at all. They are non-adjustable, no add-on tips of various sizes, so they simply don’t work in my case. The AirPods (non-Pro) look like they are very similar in design, so I doubt they will work either. The AirPods Pro do have various tips to use, but since a lot of people here and elsewhere complain they hurt after wearing for a while, i'll just have to try them out first to see. I really like the design of the Powerbeats Pro Totally Wireless Earphones because they are a behind the ear design, so in theory they won't need to be as tight in my ear. But so far I haven't seen any of the noise cancelling and spatial audio earbuds that have the behind the ear design. Maybe this Fall we will see more options and updates to those that are currently available.

[John F]

Originally Posted by OtinG

Since I’m going to wait until the end of the year to see about getting a set of noise cancelling ear pieces of some kind, I think the local Apple Stores will be opened for that by then. So that does seem like the best option--go to Apple Store, try out multiple options, get the best one for my situation.

I already know from years of owning those inexpensive, wired earbuds they used to pack into every iPhone and iPad box, that particular style of slick plastic never work for me. One ear they stay in fairly well, the other they won’t stay in at all. They are non-adjustable, no add-on tips of various sizes, so they simply don’t work in my case. The AirPods (non-Pro) look like they are very similar in design, so I doubt they will work either. The AirPods Pro do have various tips to use, but since a lot of people here and elsewhere complain they hurt after wearing for a while, i'll just have to try them out first to see. I really like the design of the Powerbeats Pro Totally Wireless Earphones because they are a behind the ear design, so in theory they won't need to be as tight in my ear. But so far I haven't seen any of the noise cancelling and spatial audio earbuds that have the behind the ear design. Maybe this Fall we will see more options and updates to those that are currently available.

I had my doubts aboht the fit for Airpods, but for me, they fit is very good. With the one-size-fits-all design, it will be hit or miss.

I wish the Pros had one size smaller tip, the smallest size is a littke to big for one of my ears.

I believe for noise cancelation, you are going to need a good seal. Behind the ear may prevent them from falling out, but I'm guessing they won't help much maintaing the seal. This is a problem with ny Pros: the sound quality and noise cancellation gets worse once the seal is broken, nd if I am doing any kind of activity, the seal doesn't last very long, maybe 5 minutes. And this happens even when riding the lawn mower or driving the car, for me.

[tomsem]

I have both regular AirPods and AirPods Pro. I have never had a problem with them popping out, or feeling uncomfortable with extended use. I use largest tip size for APP.

I didn’t get AirPods right away, I thought they’d fall right out and got Beats wraparound buds that have silicon tips. Those popped out constantly. I returned them to Apple Store and tried the AirPods and shook my head around: no issue, so I walked out with those.

With the APP, I was sure I was going to have issues with the silicon buds popping out and ordered some Comply foam ones right away, but the problem never materialized. There are tons of 3rd party tips to choose from if the Apple ones don’t fit right.

The main issue I have had with AirPods is they don’t like to go through the washing machine. I’ve managed to do this 3 times, most recently with the APPs. First time with AirPods, killed the charging case. The other two times, the right bud wound up with a hiss when in Noise Cancelling or Transparency mode; with that turned off they are fine and at higher volume I don’t hear the hiss. I replaced with AppleCare+ ($29) and the I did it again a couple of days later after getting the replacement. At some point, I’ll shell out another $29 to replace it again. Sheesh.

Buds with wires dangling out of them tend to pop out much more easily as one moves around because of gravity. I have some RayZ noise-cancelling (wired) buds I use when using mower and snowblower and for those I use foam tips; they mostly stay in securely, and when they don’t, the wire keeps them from going anywhere.

Spatial audio is already a feature in iOS 14. I haven’t tried it a lot, but with my iPad mini, if I keep my head mostly pointed at the screen it tracks pretty well, but if I turn away for a few seconds, the apparent source of sound shifts away from the screen; smaller head movements don’t disrupt it like that and it tracks well. It resets when you face the screen again for a few seconds.

[OtinG]

No doubt we all have unique ears, so getting a good fit is definitely hit and miss. In my case my right ear was messed up from a series of mastoid infections during early childhood and the surgeries required because of them. So I'm even more unique in finding good fitting earbuds than most people. Hopefully I will be able to find something that will work for watching TV and occasionally using them out in public to better understand conversations. I won’t wear them all the time, but they do need to be comfortable enough to wear for a few hours at a time. I'm not a fitness person, so I really don't need to worry about losing them while exercising. But on the other hand, they need to fit well enough not to slip out and get lost when I’m walking around.

I'm a bit unsure of how Apple is thinking the AirPods Pro will be used with the ATV 4K though. Are they assuming we will connect the AirPods Pro to the ATV via BT and directly listen to the ATV audio on the AirPods Pro? Or do they think we will wear our AirPods Pro connected to our iPhone, but use them to aid our hearing of the ATV audio coming out of our TV or soundbar system speakers? I think it is the second scenario. I hope so. With that scenario we still get the great audio from the speakers and sound system, plus we would also get the assistance of the Conversation Boost feature and the Spatial Audio feature because the ATV would get a signal from the AirPods Pro indicating that we are in front of the TV and watching, and that would in turn activate the Spatial Audio feature within the ATV.

I will be looking forward to hearing what testers have to say when they beta test these features.

[DaleDe]

Thanks a lot OtinG for all the information. I would suggest that you keep the first article current by revising it for changes.

Dale

[OtinG]

Originally Posted by DaleDe

Thanks a lot OtinG for all the information. I would suggest that you keep the first article current by revising it for changes.

Dale

You are welcome! I've been updating it a bit already as I learn more. I'll try to keep it as up to date as I can. I'm not a beta tester though, so I have to rely on what others are seeing and discovering.

iOS 15 is a fairly minor update over all, but they have included some really nice features.

[OtinG]

I just updated the OP of this thread to reflect what we have learned/heard since the Keynote. I'll try to keep it up to date. If you have anything to add to it or correct, let me know and I will make the edits.

[OtinG]

Mail Privacy Protection feature

Apple is adding the Mail Privacy Protection feature to Safari in iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.

This prevents email tracking pixels from secretly opening when you open email and stops them from tracking that you have opened the email. When enabled, Mail Privacy Protection hides your IP address and loads all remote content privately in the background, routing it through multiple proxy services and randomly assigning an IP address.

[salamanderjuice]

Originally Posted by OtinG

The comfort and fit does concern me. The non-Pro AirPods are shaped like the old wired headsets they used to include with iPhones. I can’t get those to stay in my ears. The AirPods Pro look like they might be uncomfortable, but more likely to stay put. I really like the design of the Sony WF-1000XM4 Noise Canceling Wireless Earbuds, but they might be uncomfortable too. But they do have 9 hour battery life. Over the ear type of earbuds work best for me as far as comfort goes, but I haven’t seen any AirPods with that design. I’m also not too thrilled about the hanging down stem on AirPods. Those look stupid and they would likely get hung on things too causing the AirPods to get dislodged from the ear.

The Beats Powerbeats Pro are basically over the ear earbuds Airpods in all but name. Apple owns Beats and they use the same H1 Wireless chip so it supports exactly the same stuff as Airpods.

[OtinG]

Originally Posted by salamanderjuice

The Beats Powerbeats Pro are basically over the ear earbuds Airpods in all but name. Apple owns Beats and they use the same H1 Wireless chip so it supports exactly the same stuff as Airpods.

I’m hoping Apple will extend their Conversation Booster feature to their Beats line. At the current time though, it appears that only the AirPods Pro support Conversation Boost. Hopefully 3rd party manufacturers like Sony will be able to offer support for Conversation Boost too.

Sony already has a set of Voice options that help out when listening to programming that contains a lot of conversation. One of their options claims that “dialogue range is stressed, and the parts of range difficult to be discerned by the elderly are boosted.” I use this option on my Sony Bravia and soundbase and two other Sony speaker systems I own. It does a decent job, but Conversation Boost looks like it will be much better because it works along with the mics.

[OtinG]

Here is good video from MacRumors demonstrating the new multitasking abilities of iPadOS.