Soundbyte 335 – January 2023

ChristopherNews, SoundByte

Happy New Year and welcome to SoundByte! In this issue:

January Meeting

Join us on Zoom next Tuesday, January 10 for our first meeting of 2023. We will start the evening with our regular look at Apple News in Newsbyte and then we’ll take a deep look at Home automation while reviewing what new kit we received over Christmas or in the sales!

Check the email this newsletter came in for the Zoom link and follow us on…Mastadon🐘! (@LondonMacUser@mastadon.social)

2023 Prediction Time

New year is a time for resolutions and as we move past reviews of 2022, it time for some crystal ball gazing at what’s to come in the future. For me, rather than social media stardom, I dream of a heat-pump with mechanical ventilation that’s designed to help me get a net zero house. But the BBC has come up with a list of innovations that might take the world by storm in the next year or so. Have a look here.

iOS 16.2 and improved security

Apple have released a major iPhone update, iOS 16.2, with karaoke-style singing (ED – Wot??] in Apple Sing (in Apple Music), a new Freeform collaboration app (unlimited canvas) and for the first time the option to fully encrypt your Apple account including in iCloud. (ED – use with extreme care! Don’t forget your password!). Read more on Mac Rumors and have a look at this interview on iCloud security with Apple’s Craig Federighi.

Da Vinci comes to iPad

The popular professional Mac video editor DaVinci Resolve has just been released for iPad. Joining other pro-level apps like Photoshop and Luma Fusion, DaVinici Resolve for iPad includes desktop-class colour correction and editing tools, multi user collaboration and artificial intelligence enhanced controls. Before video editors get too excited though, it is important to remember that the iPad is still an iPad and the best iPad apps will likely work very differently to Mac apps. This may mean having to learn new ways of working. Have a look at how Sara Dietschy got along.

Scan without a scanner

Do you have a scanner? Is it still working? If not, don’t forget that if you have an iPhone with iOS 16, you have an excellent smart scanner in your pocket! I’m aware of two ways to get a proper scan e.g. of a letter or multi-page document.

In the iPhone, the built-in scanner is located in the camera in Notes and Files. Open a note and look for the camera button above the keyboard or click the three dots in the top right of Files. Select Scan Documents from the menu that pops up/down.

Apple notes scanner
Scanner built into Apple Notes and the Files app

When activated, the phone camera tries to look for the edges of a document. It draws a mask over where it thinks the edges are. So get your document ready to scan on a clear well-lit surface, before opening the scanner, for best results. 

Scanner in action

Once in clear view (ideally full screen for best details…), the scan will be automatic. If not, you’re in manual mode. Press the round camera trigger at the bottom to scan the first page. Auto/manual control is at the top right of the screen.  If on auto, change the page and the next scan will be automatic. Click save once you’re done! If using manual, and the edges are unclear it may ask you to drag handles around the image to capture the right size and all sides of the document, then you can click Keep Scan and then press the button at bottom to scan the next page or click save! (ED – auto mode is quite fast – maybe too fast if you’re fiddling with papers – in that case stick to manual!).

Find the finished scan either in your note or at the top of your files, if you scanned using the Files app. Long press the scan to get sharing/printing options. The quality of the scans should be excellent because the iPhone uses THE POWER OF APPLE SILICON to apply image processing, sharpen the edges and improve the contrast in text. 

More tests for Apple Watch Ultra

These ultra-marathon types still seem intrigued/sceptical about Apple Watch Ultra. Does the diving band make it a diving watch or just look cool. Does the rugged orange band make the watch tough, or just make you feel that way? Have a look at this review from the Verge where once again the Ultra is put through its paces:

I can’t believe it’s not a Studio Display! (redux)

Not a Studio Display

Your editor is typing this newsletter on a iPad Pro in iOS 16 with Settings > Display & Brightness > Retina Display set to ‘More Space’ and with Stage Manager turned on. This gives me a game-changing, multi-window, not quite; but nearly Mac-like feel when viewed on my Huawei Mate View Monitor*. But what’s special about this monitor is how it looks. At a glance, you enter an uncanny valley of Apple Display styling faux-metal colour and even an XDR style stand. Not to miss a trick, Samsung is on the money with their new monitor. Unlike the iPad-friendly squarish MateView, Samsung’s Viewfinity S9 goes straight for Mac professionals with a wide-screen 5K monitor with similar features to Apple’s Studio Display. Some Mac users seem a bit excited, have a look.

*I turn off More Space and Stage Manager, when I’m not using my external display. On my 11-inch iPad, it’s just too small, but when blown up on my 28-inch monitor it is glorious.

Behind the curtain: Stage Manager with More Space set to on, on my external monitor

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