Face ID on Twins

Two identical twins had the chance to test out Face ID and see if it could tell the two apart. Mashable and Business Insider both ran this test. Mashable found that twins could unlock the iPhone with just one face registered, while Business Insider found the opposite. For them, the iPhone would only unlock for one of the twins. Regardless, it's probably better to have someone related to you be able to unlock your phone than a complete stranger. 

Microsoft Rep Installs Google Chrome During Pitch

This is a truly funny video to watch. During a presentation on how to migrate to Microsoft Azure, the presenter, a representative of Microsoft, found Microsoft Edge to be crashing too much during the demo. To remedy this, he decided to install Google Chrome during the presentation. After that, the presentation seemed to work fine. Microsoft had the unfortunate pleasure of having to upload the video as it was an official video pitch to their YouTube channel. Despite this, the presenter handled it very well and took it like a champ.

iPhone 11 Production

According to Ming-Chi Kuo, we will see improved production with the iPhone 11. Issues with producing the TrueDepth camera didn't do Apple many favors with this launch. With this issue out of the way, we could see a much more stable launch for next year's iPhone.

Final Cut Pro X 10.4

A new version of Final Cut Pro X will be released by the end of the year. That’s just in time for the iMac Pro. This update will include HVEC support which will bring improved lossless compression compared to H.264. In addition, this update will have VR support. That is very exciting. Looking forward to seeing this update in action.

Apple gave a sneak peek of #VR video features in next versions of Motion 5 and Final Cut Pro X at 1 Infinite Loop today pic.twitter.com/vAtZeeuY4o

— Alex Gollner (@Alex4D) October 28, 2017

Best Buy's iPhone X

Best Buy, I don't think I've ever seen you live up to your name. Last night, for the pre-orders of the iPhone X, Best Buy marked up their prices of the smartphone by $100 [Source: MacRumors]. Now, Best Buy has some justification for this. Let me tell you about it. What is it? Because flexibility has a cost. Flexibility? Being able to pick your carrier and plan. Oh, but isn't that the same for Apple but the cost is $100 less. Yes. So, what's the point? Who knows? It seems a bit ridiculous to pull something like this. People probably waited on Best Buy's website just to be greeted with a $100 surcharge with no explanation. With the phones selling out in 5 minutes, you have no choice but to impulse buy. A very scummy move on Best Buy's part.

Image Credit: MacRumors

iPhone X Pre-Orders

The iPhone X pre-orders start tonight. Due to the high demand, you're going to want to make sure you're prepared. Obviously, make sure you know the capacity and color you want. The general consensus at this point is that Space Gray with 256 GB of storage will be the most coveted model. Have the last four digits of your SSN handy as well if you don't have them memorized. At 12:01 a.m. PDT, pre-orders will officially start, so be ready. Good luck!

Sound Check

If you're like me, then you probably make the drastic mistake of pairing light piano music with big band music in the same playlist. So when you turn up your volume on your headphones to hear the piano music better, you get blasted with a brass band without warning. To help avoid this, turn on Sound Check. For iOS, just go to Settings > Music > Sound Check. For iTunes, open iTunes, go to Preferences, and check it on in General.

New Apple Homepage

In preparation for the iPhone X, Apple has revamped their homepage to revolve around it. The page features the phone, along with several animated images that showcase its features. Despite the limited supply, Apple is very determined to advertise iPhone X as its flagship product.

Apple Lists Cars Compatible with iPhone 8 Wireless Charging

With the iPhone 8 and iPhone X getting wireless charging, Apple has listed car models that are compatible with the Qi wireless charging standard. However, Apple cannot confirm that each model listed will be able to fit the iPhone, as cubby sizes vary. It should be noted that this is just for charging and will not support CarPlay.

No October Event for HomePod and iMac Pro

We were expecting some form of an event, likely in October, for the HomePod and iMac Pro. Both products are supposed to be released by the end of the year. Craig Federighi has confirmed that there will be no October event. MacRumors reader Luke asked, "Will we see an October keynote event?" and Federighi by saying "I think we're all Keynoted out for the season! :-)". At this point, we can assume there is no event planned for these products and there will just be a simple press release. 

iPhone X and the iPhone Upgrade Program

We all know about the slim supply of the iPhone X that will inevitably sell out very quickly. For iPhone Upgrade Members, many are planning on upgrading to the new phone. However, they have to go through a loan approval process. To alleviate this, Apple is giving these people a head start on the approval process. This will start on Monday, October 23, where eligible customers can go on the Apple Store app and begin the checkout process for an iPhone X. Once approved, the customer can have a smoother checkout process when pre-orders begin on October 27 at 12:01 PDT.

Apple Stores Won't Upsell Customers to iPhone X

With Apple producing their most expensive iPhone yet, the iPhone X certainly isn't for everyone. And with supply shortages, demand is very high. That being said, Angela Ahrendts, Apple's retail chief, stated that Apple will not be attempting to upsell customers to the iPhone X. She states that not everyone needs the most expensive iPhone.

"Internally we said the tagline was 'an iPhone for everyone,'" she said. "I prefer that we ask you who you're buying it for. If they're 6 or 7 years old, what do they need? If it's someone who's leaning into something else, what do they need? We do that with Mac, we do that with iPad, why wouldn't we do that with [the] phone?"

The Mac Mini's Future

With the Mac Mini not getting an update for over three years now, many are questioning the future of the computer. The Mac Mini lets users bring their own accessories, like a display and keyboard. For this reason, it's very affordable compared to other Apple products. Tim Cook has responded to an email addressing the state of the machine [Source: MacRumors]. He states that it will be "an important part of our product line moving forward."

'Hey, Siri' Listens Better After a Failed Attempt

Apple has published a new entry in their Machine Learning Journal. It details how 'Hey, Siri' works better after a failed attempt. In short, there are two thresholds for how likely Apple heard the phrase. At the higher threshold, Siri starts listening to your request. However, the lower threshold lowers the sensitivity for a followup attempt. It's very interesting to see the inner workings of Siri.

Touch Bar Media Button

When playing music or media, Touch Bar will add a fifth button to the compressed Control Strip on the right. However, there are some instances where it can change. With a phone call, the button will change to a green phone icon. With Xcode, you'll get a debug icon. And with BetterTouchTool, you'll get their logo. It's a nice surprise to occasionally discover these new icons.

The iMac Pro Isn't Dead

It wouldn't surprise me to hear that the iMac Pro got delayed until next year, given how much time has passed since we heard about it at WWDC. But Geekbench records beg to differ. These records give strong evidence that the iMac Pro have the scores shown below. I'm not super great with hardware, nor am I great with the whole "PC Master Race" scene, but if anyone wants to see the scores in more detail, check out the Geekbench records.

Discord Video Chat

In a highly anticipated update, Discord has finally rolled out video chat to all users. With this update, users can share screens and video chat with up to 10 people in a channel. This is a pretty momentous update for no other reason than video chat on Discord has made a name for itself. For more information, watch the entertaining video below.

Apple Pencil Support Coming to iPhone in 2019

According to The Insider, Apple is looking to add Apple Pencil support to iPhone in 2019. I’m not saying I’ve been needing this feature, but really? 2019? I’d like to say Apple’s flagship stylus works with more than just one device sooner. I’m not a big fan of styluses because of Steve Jobs, but I understand that they’re good in the right situations, especially if the stylus is not required. That being said, it seems like the Apple Pencil is due for an update in support. Locking it behind iPad Pro models will not sell these very well. Adding support for iPhone would be a step in the right direction. 

Avoiding Apple ID Phishing

There is an easy way for malicious developers to request Apple ID credentials while looking completely legitimate. Simply display a prompt with the exact text the legitimate prompts would have. This isn't something you should be constantly worried about since these apps are rare and likely won't come from popular apps. Felix Krause wrote an excellent article about this topic. In short, to verify these popups are legitimate, just press the home button. If you exit to the Home Menu, it's a hoax. If nothing happens, it's legitimate and from the system. This is the best way to ensure you're not a phishing victim.

Image Credit: Felix Krause

iOS 11 is Installed On More Active iOS Devices than iOS 10

iOS 11 is now on the majority of active iOS devices. Just over three weeks and iOS 11 is at 47.32% adoption [Source: Mixpanel]. iOS 10 is at 46.01% adoption, with the remaining 6.67% on an older version. This is the tipping point I suppose, since the OS is on the majority of devices. As an Android developer, I can confirm what Apple says about Android adoption is true, and having more users on your latest operating systems helps a lot with keeping apps fresh and accessible.