About this time every year Apple announces the dates for its annual World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC). WWDC23 will be from Monday, June 5th to Friday, June 9th. Last year Apple held a small in-person event for some developers, they will be doing the same this year. You can apply to attend the in-person event. This needs to be done by April 4th at 9am Pacific Time. Those who are chosen will be notified by 6pm Pacific Time on April 5th.

Along with WWDC is the Student Challenge. Submissions for the Swift Student Challenge are due by April 19th. More information is availble on the Swift Student Challenge website.

Source: Apple Newsroom

Most announcements from Apple come via press release, or streamed video. But that is not the way that I found out that Apple is releasing Apple Music Classical on March 28th. Instead, I got a push notification from the Apple Music app that let me know that Apple Music Classical was coming. It is possible that a press release will be published, but as of this writing it has not.

Back in August of 2021 Apple announced that they had acquired Polyphonic, an app dedicated to classical music. According to the Apple Music Classical product page,

Get the app designed specifically for classical music. Available to Apple Music subscribers at no additional cost. Instantly find any recording in the world’s largest classical music catalog with search built for the genre. Enjoy the highest audio quality available (up to 192 kHz/24-bit Hi-Res Lossless) and hear classical favorites like never before in spatial audio, all with zero ads.

Apple Music Classical also makes it easy for beginners to get acquainted with the genre thanks to hundreds of Essentials playlists, insightful composer biographies, deep-dive guides for many key works, and intuitive browsing features.

The Ultimate Classical Experience * Get unlimited access to the world’s largest classical music catalog (over 5 million tracks) with everything from new releases to celebrated masterpieces, plus thousands of exclusive albums. * Search by composer, work, conductor, or even catalog number, and find specific recordings instantly. * Listen in the highest audio quality (up to 192 kHz/24 bit Hi-Res Lossless) and enjoy thousands of recordings in immersive spatial audio with Dolby Atmos. * Benefit from complete and accurate metadata to make sure you know exactly what and who you are playing. * Learn while you listen, with thousands of composer biographies, descriptions of key works, and more. * Listen using AirPlay on compatible wireless devices.

Requirements * Requires an Apple Music subscription (Individual, Student, Family, or Apple One). Not available with the Apple Music Voice Plan. * Available worldwide where Apple Music is offered, excluding China, Japan, Korea, Russia, Taiwan, Turkey, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Available features and content may vary by country or region. * Apple Music Classical is available for all iPhone models running iOS 15.4 or later. * To listen to music on Apple Music Classical, you must have an internet connection.

Apple Music Classical will only be available as an iPhone app at launch and it will be localized to English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish.

You can pre-order Apple Music Classical today from the Apple App Store. Apple Music Classical is included with any Apple Music subscription, so you will need to be subscribed to Apple Music in order to use the service.

For the last few years Apple has introduced a new color about six months after the latest iPhones were released. Last year with the iPhone 13 it was Green, and the iPhone 12 was Purple. Today Apple introduced a new iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, this time in Yellow. The yellow iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus is the exact same as the the other colors, which means it includes a dual camera system, Emergency SOS, and Crash Detection.

The Yellow iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus will be available for pre-order at 5 am Pacific Time on Friday, March 10th, 2023 and it will be available starting on March 14th in stores.

Silicone Cases

Along with a new iPhone Apple has also released a slew of new silicone case colors. The new colors include:

• Canary Yellow
• Olive
• Sky
• Iris

These new colors are available for order today, for the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max, for $49 each.

Apple Watch Bands

To go with the new case colors, ther are also some new Apple Watch Band colors. The Spring 2023 Apple Watch bands includes:

Solo Loop

• Canary Yellow
• Olive
• Purple Fog
• Sprout Green

Braided Solo Loop

• Bright Orange
• Olive
• Purple Fog

Sport Band

• Bright Orange
• Olive
• Sky

Hermès

• Orange/Blanc Swift Leather Casaque Double Tour (38mm, 40mm, and 41mm only)
• Rouge H/Bleu Saphir Casaque Single Tour (42mm, 44mm, and 45mm only)
• Rose Azalée/Noir Casaque Single Tour (38mm, 40mm, and 41mm only)

Just like the Silicone cases, the new Apple Watch Bands are available for purchase today and delivery begins later in the week.

Source: Apple Newsroom

We have just completed two full months in 2023, and it is time for February's reading list. Last month I said there would be at least one new title, this did not happen. I started a sequel to a book I had listened to, but I just did not find it all that compelling.

This is not the first book in the last six months that I have given up on because I did not find it interseting or compelling. I am not sure if this is the authors' writings not being interesting or if i just have a lower tolerance for uninterseting books. Furthermore, these authors are ones that I have enjoyed in the past, and continue to enjoy their books, but the latest of these two authors just have not done it for me.

Last month I listened to 12 books and none of them are first-time listens.

This month I want to highlight a book that I have listened to before. The title is "The Spaceship Next Door" by Gene Doucette.

When a spaceship lands in Sorrow Falls, a lovable and fearless small-town girl is the planet’s only hope for survival

Three years ago, a spaceship landed in an open field in the quiet mill town of Sorrow Falls, Massachusetts. It never opened its doors, and for all that time, the townspeople have wondered why the ship landed there, and what—or who—could be inside.

Then one day a government operative—posing as a journalist—arrives in town, asking questions. He discovers sixteen-year-old Annie Collins, one of the ship’s closest neighbors and a local fixture known throughout the town, who has some of the answers.

As a matter of fact, Annie Collins might be the most important person on the planet. She just doesn’t know it.

This is a longer title, but it is well worth the listen. I do find it to be an entertaining book. It is the first in a series, but I have not listened to any others in the series yet. As a side note, this is not one of the unintersting titles mentioned earlier.

I am not sure if there will be any new titles in March, but we shall see.

Previous Reading Lists