### Issue 1861 - Tuesday 6th June, 2023

## In Today's Issue

- WDC 2023: 15" MacBook Air, M2 Ultra infused Mac Studio & Mac Pro, software updates galore
- Apple Vision Pro is not a VR headset, is a "spatial computer"
- SEC sues Binance for operating an unregistered trading platform for US investors
- Random stuff from WWDC 2023
- Cheap KEF speakers, Lenovo USB keyboard, Sony 85mm lens, Samsung Pro Enduance microSD, 10% cashback on Ultimate gift cards, Kogan 365-day SIM, refurb Sony headphones, Logitech MX Master 3S mouse, Bimawen 4K OLED portable monitor, Dell 27" IPS Black monitor, Samsung Galaxy Tab S8

## The News

### WWDC 2023: 15" MacBook Air, M2 Ultra infused Mac Studio & Mac Pro, software updates galore

The MacBook Air now comes in a 15.3" flavour. There's now an M2 Ultra SoC and it's available on an upgraded Mac Studio (along with the M2 Max) and, at last, the Mac Pro. The Mac Pro is pretty much the Mac Studio with an M2 Ultra SoC but in a big case with a couple of PCIe slots. iOS 17's headline feature is "major upgrades to the phone experience" with "Contact Posters" and "Live Voicemail". iPadOS 17 now has a customisable Lock Screen and Live Activities, watchOS 10 has a "new design language" and "Smart Stack", "which enables users to see timely information that adapts to their context". macOS Sonoma lets you add Interactive Widgets to your desktop and includes "stunning new screen savers". Full WWDC keynote is available on YouTube.

### Apple Vision Pro is not a VR headset, is a "spatial computer"

Now we get to the keynote's main course - the Apple Vision Pro spatial computer. It's an augmented headset that runs "visionOS" and contains an impressive hardware stack in a slick looking package. No hand controllers, it's all eye-tracking, gesture and voice based. There's a lot going on here so watch Apple's 10 min "trailer" to get an idea of what Apple reckons it's useful for. Goes on sale "early next year" in the USA only, for US$3,499. The EyeSight feature that lets you see people's eyes as they use the headset is incredibly creepy. Nilay Patel got a hands-on demo with the Vision Pro and while it's the best headset he's used, it's not really like the slick marketing videos from Apple and that "wearing this thing felt oddly lonely". The bits in the WWDC keynote of a father watching his kids play while wearing them and then wearing them while at a birthday party (nobody else is wearing a headset) is unsettling to me.

### SEC sues Binance for operating an unregistered trading platform for US investors

The SEC has sued Binance (the world's largest cryptocurrency trading platform) and its founder Changpeng Zhao for having "unlawfully solicited US investors to buy, sell, and trade crypto asset securities through unregistered trading platforms available online at Binance.com and Binance.US". The smoking gun is Binance's chief compliance officer telling another compliance offer that "we are operating as a fking unlicensed securities exchange in the USA bro". The SEC alleges that Binance and Zhao "actively conceal[ed] who was operating the platform... and even where and with whom investor funds and crypto assets were custodied" and "attempted to evade US securities laws by announcing sham controls that they disregarded behind the scenes so that they could keep high-value US customers on their platforms". Par for the course with cryptocurency, no?

## Something I Saw On The Internet

### Random stuff from WWDC 2023

- Journal is a new Apple app "that allows iPhone users to regularly log their daily activities" and "will use on-device machine learning to curate personalized suggestions for users to commemorate within their digital journal, pulling information from contacts, pictures, music, workouts, location data, and more".
- The AirPods Pro are getting Adaptive Audio that will "constantly analyze your environment and adjust ANC and transparency for the optimal listening experience", conversation awareness that will "automatically activate transparency mode and lower the volume of music when the AirPods detect speech" and "much better background noise reduction".
- FaceTime is coming to Apple TV in tvOS 17. It uses an iPad or iPhone as the camera and will "intelligently center speakers and even adapts the frame if others join in". SharePlay is supported so you can "watch movies and TV shows together with friends or family over FaceTime with a side-by-side interface". The camera API will be available to 3rd party apps on the Apple TV too.
- With macOS Sonoma, Safari on the Mac can divide websites up into profiles, similar to the containers feature in Firefox. It'll also be able to turn websites into web apps via a "Add to Dock" feature. I like this. Hopefully it supports notifications like on iOS.
- Unfortunately, Word, Excel and Teams already exist for the Vision Pro headset.
- Private browsing in Safari on iOS is now locked behind Face ID/Touch ID, so if someone has access to your unlocked phone, they'll need the PIN to see those cheeky tabs.
- StandBy Mode in iOS 17 lets you use the phone as a "useful home hub" when placed horizontally on a charger and shows info like "the time, weather, a calendar, music controls, your photos, and more".
- NameDrop in iOS 17 lets you bring two iPhones or an iPhone and an Apple Watch close together to share contact info. Surprised Apple didn't do this sooner.
- Auto Correct will be powered by on-device machine learning to improve accuracy and hopefully stop replacing fuck with duck. The dictation feature will also get some machine learning love that'll make its speech recognition more accurate.
- Everyone in the Sizzle's Slack channel is excited about the ability to share the status of an AirTag with other people via the Find My app. It also "eliminates those annoying tracking alerts".
- iOS 17 needs an iPhone XS or newer (sorry iPhone 8 and X users) and macOS Sonoma drops support for every 2017 or older Mac except the iMac Pro. iPads with an A10 SoC or newer are supported for iPad OS 17, which means the 1st-gen iPad Pro and 5th-gen iPad are shit outta luck.
- macOS Sonoma is getting a "Game Mode" that "prioritises CPU and GPU power for the running title, thereby improving gaming hardware performance across the board" and "doubled the Bluetooth sampling rate for paired Xbox and PlayStation controllers, while a new Game Porting toolkit for developers makes it easier to port games from other platforms".

## Bargains

- KEF Q350 speaker pair - $749 from Digital Cinema
- Lenovo Preferred Pro II USB Keyboard - $8 from Australian Computer Traders
- Sony SEL85F18 FE 85mm f/1.8 Lens - $639 from Digital Camera Warehouse after cashback
- Samsung PRO Endurance 128GB microSDXC - $23.46 or 2x for $43.64 from Amazon USA
- 10% cashback on Ultimate Everyone gift cards (JB, GG, EB, OW) via the ShopBack smartphone app
- Kogan 365-day pre-paid SIM, 120GB data, unlimited calls & SMS, eSIM support - $99 from Kogan
- Refurb Sony WH1000XM5B noise cancelling wireless headphones - $409 from Sony's eBay store
- Logitech MX Master 3S wireless mouse - $118 from Jaycar
- Bimawen 13.3" 4K OLED HDR portable USB-C/HDMI monitor - $303 from Aliexpress
- Dell UltraSharp U2723QE 27" UHD IPS Black USB-C Monitor - $671.40 + delivery from Shopping Express
- Entire range of Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Android tablets on sale at Telstra, JB & Amazon

## Image Of The Day

Vision Pro helps you remain connected to those around you. EyeSight reveals your eyes and lets those nearby know when you're using apps or fully immersed in an experience. When someone approaches, Vision Pro simultaneously lets you see the person and reveals your eyes to them. (Apple)

## The End

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