Sir Apfelot newsreel week 46, 2023

Another weekend is coming up. And of course you will also be given the right reading material. With this week's Sir Apfelot newsreel, I will introduce you to the Apple and tech news that caught my eye in calendar week 46 of 2023. Among other things, these reports include: Google AI delivers better weather forecasts, YouTube videos with AI must be labeled, Android clone delivered instead of iPhone 15 Pro Max, iMessage functions on Android smartphones from Nothing, Apple's App Store Award 2023, news about visionOS developments, and more!

Sir Apfelot as a podcast

If you enjoy both the Sir Apfelot Blog and podcasts, then you should check out the Sir Apfelot Podcast. Lynne and Jens address interesting topics and throw their own experiences and opinions into the mix.

Here you can find the various platforms on which you can listen to (and now also watch) the two of them:

• Sir Apfelot Podcast on Let's Cast
• Sir Apfelot Podcast at Apple Podcasts
• Sir Apfelot Podcast on Spotify
• Sir Apfelot Podcast on Amazon Music
• Sir Apfelot Podcast on YouTube

GraphCast: AI delivers more accurate weather forecasts more efficiently and quickly

Deepmind, Google's AI forge, has introduced “GraphCast”. This is an AI for weather forecasts. This should run on a single processor and not only produce results faster than simulations carried out on large computers. These should also be even better, last longer into the future and be more energy efficient. To put it concretely: the weather forecast for 10 days should be made in less than a minute. In addition to everyday weather forecasts, GraphCast from Google Deepmind is also intended to improve warnings of extreme weather events. Details about GraphCast are available in the in-house blog and in Science magazine.

AI content on YouTube: Labeling and complaint options for deepfakes

While YouTube, as reported last week, which itself wants to use AI to make it easier for its audience to interact with videos, there should be new AI guidelines for creators. Everyone who uploads a video created with AI should have the obligation to make this transparent. There is also the option of reporting a video if it appears in the form of a deepfake. If you are seen as a life-like CGI figure or as a face copied into a real video, you should be able to contact the new complaint office. Details about the new guidelines and options are available on the YouTube blog.

Ordered Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max, got junk clone with Android

There is currently a story making the rounds that started on Reddit and is supported by a similar report on TikTok. The story is that someone ordered an iPhone 15 Pro Max directly from Apple, but an Android clone arrived in the package that was subsequently delivered. This had an Android design based on the iOS design, but otherwise had little in common with the iPhone and iOS.

The hardware and performance are very poor, they say. It also came pre-installed with apps that Apple would never pre-install on an iPhone - YouTube, Facebook and TikTok. Now a few questions arise: Who replaced the devices? And why? Of course, the original iPhone could have simply been stolen. However, it may also be the case that the replacement device should be used to access Apple ID, payment data, login data, etc. (Which)

Nothing and Sunbird: iMessage functions on the phone (2) with Android

"Nothing is the first smartphone manufacturer to offer a solution to one of the biggest frustrations in communication between Android and iOS users“, It says on the official website to the so-called Nothing Chats. The “Nothing Chats” application, developed together with Sunbird, is intended to enable Android users to enjoy several iMessage advantages when communicating with iPhone users - the three dots when someone writes, voice messages, high-resolution images , Etc.

Later there will also be read receipts and message reactions. Nothing and Sunbird do not reveal how this is implemented. Sunbird refuses to disclose the source code and convert the Sunbird app or Nothing Chats into an open source offering. Nevertheless, you should give Sunbird your own Apple ID data in order to be able to use the offer. So you have to hope that there won't be a data leak and that the messages won't be accessed by third parties at some point. (Additional source, Sunbird website)

Better than SMS and MMS: Apple says it will support RCS from 2024

It's not clear whether it has something to do with the efforts of Sunbird and Nothing Phone or whether Apple has finally come to its own accord. But in any case, there now seems to be an official commitment to adopt the RCS standard (RCS = Rich Communication Services) for exchanges with Android users. Messages between iPhones and Android devices should then no longer be used as SMS and Media will no longer be sent as MMS.

Thanks to RCS, higher resolutions for photos and videos are supported, larger files and voice messages can be exchanged. Apple wants to implement the standard “later next year” – probably with iOS 18 or iOS 18.x. Apple wants to continue to stick to its own iMessage standard for communication between iPhone users. (Which)

More details about Google payments to device and software companies

It is now well known that Google pumps billions of dollars into other companies every year so that they can make the Google search engine the standard in their systems and browsers or on all their devices. In the last few weeks and months, various amounts of money have been thrown back and forth in order to further inflate the extent of the matter.

There are now more figures in the mix: a full 36% of Google advertising revenue went to Apple. In 2021, a total of $26,3 billion is said to have flowed to other companies to position Google as a search engine. Samsung is said to have received a total of $8 billion within four years; but also, among other things, to e.g. B. to place the Play Store and other Google services prominently. (Sources: 1, 2)

Sideloading on the iPhone: It's happening next year!

Apple must open its iPhone operating system iOS to additional app stores in 2024. Apps should then no longer only be available and downloaded via Apple’s own “App Store”. The EU regulation will take effect from March 2024, forcing Apple to allow sideloading. However, Apple can still set regulations and guidelines that can regulate and restrict other app stores. As some sources report, the sideloading system is said to be “highly controlled.” The ManagedAppDistribution framework, which is already used for internal company apps on operating devices, will be used here. (Which)

Already in the sideloading starting blocks since August: Setapp App Store on iPhone and iPad planned for 2024.

Apple presents finalists for the 2023 App Store Award

Once again, Apple is handing out a few apps with its own award. This year's App Store Awards 2023 will be in the categories "iPhone App of the Year", "iPhone Game of the Year", "iPad App of the Year", "iPad Game of the Year", "Mac App of the Year", "Mac Game of the Year". of the Year", "Apple Watch App of the Year", "Apple TV App of the Year", "Apple Arcade Game of the Year" and "Cultural Impact". Except for the latter, each category offers three nominees. However, ten apps made it to the final for “Cultural Influence”. 

Not all apps mean something to me personally, but I would directly recommend these offers that I know of:

• Lost in Play (iPad game): I have already played this game three times on the PC. It's a beautifully comic-style puzzle game with a fun story for all ages. It's also fun to play together.
• Return of Monkey Island (Mac game): If you like the previous Monkey Island games from LucasArts, you will also enjoy this one.
• Too Good To Go (Cultural Influence): Participating restaurants, supermarkets and bakeries offer leftover food at a special price via this app (especially in larger cities). You get full and can save money at the same time.
• Unpacking (Cultural Influence): A game that is superficially about unpacking boxes after moving into a new apartment. But (no) story is told. The app description in the App Store states, among other things: “Over eight parades, you'll have the opportunity to get acquainted with a person you'll never see and experience a story you'll never be told."

I'm sure the other apps that are finalists for the 2023 App Store Awards are also great. So be sure to take a look at the official overview.

visionOS Beta 6 offers first insights into setup videos

When you use the Apple Vision Pro Headset for the first time and set it up, there are of course a few instructions and tutorials that are played directly via the device. The first of these are included in the current visionOS Beta 6. Two of them were shared on Twitter by the account @M1Astra.

It works in the first about “input training”, i.e. the explanation of how to select objects (with your eyes) and how to interact with them (with hand gestures). In the second It's about setting up your own avatar with the external camera, which you point at your own face. (Which)

Telegram shows what the visionOS app should look like

It's not just the tutorial videos shared on Twitter that show that the release of the Apple Vision Pro is slowly approaching. More and more studios and developers are also showing what they will offer for VR and AR headsets. The messenger offer from Telegram For example, should appear as an AR offer. For example, a trailer that can be accessed via Telegram in Du Rove's channel shows the selection of individual chats, the playback of videos, the display of animated stickers and the like. Sources: 9to5Mac article, Telegram video (requires Telegram app).

iPhone 15 Pro (Max) can record 17.2D videos in landscape mode starting from iOS 3

Both the iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max can record so-called “spatial video” starting with the upcoming system update to iOS 17.2. This 3D video format can then be played on the Apple Vision Pro headset. You can read more about the numerous innovations and updates in iOS 17.2 here: What's coming to the iPhone with iOS 17.2. In the article I describe, among other things, how to activate spatial video recording and how much storage space the recordings use.

Johannes Domke

After graduating from high school, Johannes completed an apprenticeship as a business assistant specializing in foreign languages. But then he decided to research and write, which resulted in his independence. For several years he has been working for Sir Apfelot, among others. His articles include product introductions, news, manuals, video games, consoles, and more. He follows Apple keynotes live via stream.