Another iPhone 8 render is out, giving us another look at what to expect when Apple officially announces the new smartphone model later this year. Steve Hemmerstoffer, known as @onleaks on Twitter, and his track record makes it very likely this is exactly what Apple plans to ship.
Jeff Gamet
Jeff Gamet is the Mac Observer’s Managing Editor, and co-host of the Apple Context Machine podcast. He is the author of “The Designer’s Guide to Mac OS X” from Peachpit Press, and writes for several design-related publications. Jeff has presented at events such as Macworld Expo, the RSA Conference, and the Mac Computer Expo. In all his spare time, he also hosts TMO’s Daily Observations podcast, co-hosts The iOS Show podcast, and makes guest appearances on several other shows, too. Jeff dreams in HD.
Articles by Jeff Gamet
Alexa Calling: Amazon Adds Voice Calling to Echo, Echo Dot
The just announced Echo Show isn’t the only device in Amazon’s lineup getting voice calling support. A new feature dubbed Alexa Calling is coming to the Echo, Echo Dot, and Alexa mobile app today. For now, the calling features are limited to the Echo lineup and Alexa app, but that could be the first step in turning the devices into speaker phones fro our homes.
Amazon's Echo Show, FBI's iPhone Hack Price Tag - TMO Daily Observations 2017-05-09
Amazon unveiled its Echo Show, and it has a display. Bryan Chaffin and the Maccast’s Adam Christianson join Jeff Gamet to share their reactions to Amazon’s newest Alexa device. They also have some thoughts on the unintended confirmation that the FBI paid $900,000 for the San Bernardino iPhone hack, plus Bryan coins “I’m gonna up that up.”
Amazon Unveils Echo Show with Display and Video Camera
The biggest un-surprise of the day comes from Amazon and its just announced Echo Show. The well-leaked new Echo model includes a built-in display and camera so you can get visual responses to your Alexa queries and make video calls, too.
FBI Paid $900K for San Bernardino iPhone Hack
The FBI refused to ever share how much it paid for the hack into San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook’s iPhone, but thanks to Senator Diane Feinstein we now know the price was US$900,000. The Senator accidentally spilled the beans during a Judiciary Committee meeting on accessing encrypted data on smartphones and personal computers.
Phil Schiller Says Siri-like Voice Assistants Need Displays
If Apple really is making an Amazon Echo competitor, what does their Siri speaker appliance really need? According to Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller, it needs a screen.
Siri Assistant Displays, Handbrake Malware - TMO Daily Observations 2017-05-08
A Siri appliance needs a display, or so says Apple’s Phil Schiller. Dave Hamilton and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to talk about voice assistants and how they feel about including a display. They also look at the recent malware attack on Handbrake.
Lightyear.fm Shows How Deep into Space Our Songs Have Traveled
Let’s say you could travel 50 light years from Earth, or maybe 100. What would you hear? That’s exactly what Lightyear.fm shows us, and it’s eerily awesome. The site’s developers used more than 120 years of data from Billboard to simulate the radio transmissions we’d hear—assuming the inverse square law of propagation didn’t exist, of course. What they came up with is akin to taking an FM radio on the Starship Enterprise and warping away from Earth. Listening to more recent songs is cool, but I loved the surreal sensation of feeling like I’m 100 light years from Earth catching hollow sounding early radio transmissions.
Don't Count on AirPods in iPhone 8 Box
Apple may bundle AirPods with this fall’s iPhone 8, according to an analyst report from JPMorgan. As great as that would be, at least for some iPhone fans, it’s not going to happen.
Apple Music in the Running for Prince Documentary, Unaired Concert Video
Apple Music is among the streaming services in the running for exclusive rights to unaired Prince concert footage from 1983 and content for a Prince documentary. The content is related to Prince’s Purple Rain movie and album, and could be a big win for the service that scores the deal.
iPad's Downward Trend, Fitbit's Wearable Decline - TMO Daily Observations 2017-05-05
iPad sales are on the decline, and John Martellaro thinks that fits into Apple’s master plan. John, along with Bryan Chaffin, join Jeff Gamet to share their thoughts on Apple’s long term iPad plans, plus they have something to say about Fitbit losing its place as the top wearables device maker.
Amazon Prime Video Finally Headed to Apple TV
Amazon seems to warming up to the idea of bringing Prime Video to the Apple TV, and it could come as early as this summer. Insider sources say Amazon and Apple have finally come to terms, which should make many Apple TV owners very happy.
Apple Dethrones Fitbit as the Top Wearables Maker
Apple has taken over Fitbit’s position as the top wearables maker for the first quarter of 2017. Wearable device shipments are on the rise, as are Apple’s sales, but Fitbit’s numbers are declining and the company laid off over 100 employees earlier this year.
Senator Feinstein Revives Encryption Back Door Bill with FBI Support
Senator Dianne Feinstein is dusting off her bill aimed at forcing technology companies to give the U.S. government access to the encrypted data on our smartphones, tablets, and computers. FBI Director James Comey is on board with her plan saying the inability to access our encrypted data is a major security threat to the country.
Apple's Developer Job Stats, iPhone 8 Function Bar - TMO Daily Observations 2017-05-04
Apple CEO Tim Cook says the company has created about 2 million developer jobs. John Martellaro and Jeff Butts join Jeff Gamet to dive into those numbers, plus they look at a rendering of what may be the function bar area on this fall’s iPhone 8.
Imagination Technologies Triggers Dispute Resolution Over Apple GPU Designs
It looks like Imagination Technologies and Apple haven’t found a way to kiss and make up because now they’ve entered into a formal dispute process. Imagination said on Thursday it started the process because it hasn’t been able to reach an agreement with Apple over licensing its tech for iPhone GPUs.
This Star Wars and Sgt. Pepper's Mashup is so Awesome Even the Empire Would Approve
Picture this: Star Wars meets Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Actually, you don’t have to picture it because Palette-Swap Ninja did just that, and it’s glorious. They created the ultimate Star Wars and Sgt. Pepper’s mashup album that tells the story of Princess Leia’s Stolen Death Star Plans, and you can watch the videos for each track on YouTube. If you’d rather just listen, the album is available as a free download at the Palette-Swap website. May the Fourth be with you.
Hulu with Live TV Streaming Service Launches on iOS, Apple TV, Xbox One
Hulu launched its live streaming service, called Hulu with Live TV, on Wednesday with 60 channels and a 50-hour cloud-based DVR system. Hulu Live will cost you US$39.99 a month unless you also want Showtime, which adds $8.99 to the price.
Apple's Q2 Earnings Report, Microsoft Surface Laptop - TMO Daily Observations 2017-05-03
Apple reported some big numbers during its second quarter earnings report yesterday, and raised a few questions, too. Kelly Guimont and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet look share their reactions to Apple’s iPhone and iPad sales, plus they have some thoughts on Microsoft’s just announced Surface Laptop, too.
Inventec Lands Deal to Make Apple's Siri AI Speaker
Inventec has reportedly scored a deal to build Apple’s Amazon Echo-like Siri speaker device. Apple hasn’t confirmed its personal assistant appliance is a real thing yet, but evidence keeps surfacing that seems to support it’s on the way.
Apple Watch, AirPods, Beats Sales Hit Fortune 500 Level
Apple Watch sales, along with AirPods and Beats headphones have hit Fortune 500 level, which means they’re bringing in over US$5 billion to Apple’s “other products” category. Company CEO Tim Cook shared that detail during the company’s second fiscal quarter earnings report on Tuesday.
Microsoft gets Serious About the Education Market - TMO Daily Observations 2017-05-02
Microsoft wants a bigger piece of the education market, and the company’s just announced new products mean the game is on for Apple and Google, too. Dave Hamilton and Jeff Butts join Jeff Gamet look at Microsoft’s new education strategy and what it means for the fight to win students.
Twitter Really Wants to be Your TV Source, Gets 12 New Live Streaming Content Deals
Twitter is moving aggressively into streaming video with 12 just announced new content deals, including Bloomberg and the MLB. The deals will bring original video exclusively to Twitter in the form of live shows covering sports, fashion, news, and more.
Final Polycarbonate MacBook Joins Apple's Obsolete Product List
Farewell, white MacBook, because Apple just added you to its vintage and obsolete products list. The 2010 13-inch MacBook with white polycarbonate body joined the unsupported hardware list on May 1, closing the final chapter on the laptop model along with three MacBook Pro models.