Welcome to Soundbyte! In this issue:
- August Meeting
- August PhotoWalk
- New Apple Store in London
- Apple in court again
- Goodbye Sir Jony
- M2 Air Reviewed
- Under pressure – iPhone locks
- Godot’s car
- Membership Discounts
August Meeting
Join us next Monday, August 8th at 7:45 pm BST (UTC+1) for our August Meeting. This month’s meeting is online and Zoom only. Feel free to join us from your garden, balcony or wherever that is comfortable.
Time to grab your beach towel, it’s the holiday season! 🏖️ This month we will look at travelling with technology. This can be tricky at times so we will cover everything holiday-related including the best travel apps; staying safe when using free hotel Wi-Fi and which travel adapter do I need while I’m away?
Please find the link to Zoom in the SoundByte email.
Don’t forget to follow LMUG on Twitter and in our podcast Brew & Byte.
August PhotoWalk
We are hosting a second event this month, please join us on August 22 in London for a summer Photowalk!
We will meet on the front steps of the world-famous St Pauls’s Cathedral at 18:30 before wandering the local area.
Crossing the Millennium Bridge, armed with both Cameras and iPhones, let’s learn the best ways to take pictures. Use your creative license to capture the world! We may even stop at the Pub for drinks after. We will finish at Waterloo Tube Station. Pack light and wear walking shoes for the best comfort.
Send us your photos so we can pick a winning image at our September 12 meeting. We might even have time to look at the best ways to store, edit and share your images…
New Apple Store in London
Apple has opened yet another stunning Apple Store in central London. This time located on the Brompton Road near Harrods. It is again, a beautiful restoration combining old and new by Apple and Fosters + Partners. They describe it as a ”calm oasis in a bustling vibrant part of London.”
Have a look at this video of the opening day.
On a related note, how about having some nostagia for the original brave and audacious Apple Stores. Someone has created a detailed simulation for the Mac. Open it here.
Apple in court again
Never a stranger to litigation, Apple has settled a class action lawsuit against it for its innovative Butterfly keyboards. Apple deny wrongdoing (and remember, they design laptops years ahead, it can take time to reverse course). The claim is that Apple sold these notorious keyboards in MacBooks, knowing they were unreliable. Apple has settled for $50M. See more on BBC News.
Apple is also in the dock for its payments system. This story has lots of components, but it is about competition between companies for your money; not consumer rights., Read the details again on BBC News.
Goodbye Sir Jony
What you are looking at above is Sir Jonathan Ive’s first product for Apple. He redesigned the clunky Apple Newton, giving it a clicky telecoping stylus that slotted horizontally into the top, echoing a ringed note pad, making the Newton design true to itself. He went further and designed an integrated lid that swung back over the top, completing the elegant anthropomorphism. I owned one of these designs and it was a joy to hold and play with, despite the intelligent yet slow Newton software behind it.
A few years later he was discovered by Steve Jobs on his return to Apple in 1996. At the time Jony was playing with computer designs using translucent plastics. The rest is history.
The news is that Sir Jony has finally left Apple, as his Love From consultancy contract ends.
If you missed the first book, and didn’t buy the second, take a moment to enjoys his greatest designs for Apple here.
And watch him talking about that and his future here:
Exemplifying the maxim that design is not what it looks like, but how it works, a notable achievement and legacy that Ive leaves behind at Apple is the aluminium unibody enclosure. You will find it in the Watch, iPad, Macs and most famously the MacBook Air and Pro.
It was one time Sir Jonathan took the stage to explain his team’s dramatic innovation. Watch him below. Three cheers for Sir Jony! Hip Hip Hooray! (x3) Long may he craft a better world.
M2 Air Reviewed
The new MacBook Air is now on sale. It is best laptop for most of us. The only qualification is it might struggle with some hard core games and professionals should be shopping for the Mac Book Pro. But for what it is – a laptop for regular people, it is peerless, even against PC laptops. Watch Engadget’s review below:
Under pressure – iPhone locks
Let’s hope you never get into a situation that requires you to quickly lock your phone, but there is a new way coming to do just that. I don’t mean screen lock, I mean a lock that requires your passcode to unlock it again, not just your face or finger (that could be used in a coercive situation). Read more about this feature coming later this year on TidBits.
Godot’s car
Have you given up waiting for Apple’s Car? Apple has been rumoured to be working on a car for years now. All we have seen so far is Car Play, which is great, but not really it. It is very un-apple not to make the whole widget, so what is going on? Have a look at the latest soap opera commentary here:
MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNTS
Find below the special offers available to our full price paying members. Access these great discounts from the discounts page in the member’s section of the LMUG website.
- LoveHandle PRO – Magnetic Kickstand + Phone Gripz: 20% Discount
- Special Offer – G-Hold Devices: 30% Discount
- Special Offer – AirTamer Air Cleaner: 30% Discount
- AgileBits 1Password 7: 25% Discount
- Eve Products: 25% Discount
- EverWeb by RAGE Software: 50% Discount
- Opus ][ Complete Collection: 25% Discount
- Que Publishing Products: 35-45% Discount
- Take Control Books: 30% Discount on All eBooks
- Teams ID, a Password Manager for Teams: 33% Discount
- TechTool Pro: 50% Discount
- TidBITS Content Network for Apple professionals: Get a free month of tips and articles!