Ever since the original Macintosh, introduced in 1984, there have been peripherals, like the a keyboard and mouse, included with most desktop computers. Some of the peripherals, in particular the mice, have not always been the most well received.

As time has gone on the Mac line of computers have received a set of upgrades that enhance a user's experience. One of these upgrades was brought over from the iPhone and iPad. That feature is Touch ID.

Touch ID uses a fingerprint for this authentication, however, it is not an image of your fingerprint. Instead, it is a mathematical hash that cannot be directly accessed by the system and securely stored in a place called the Secure Enclave.

When you attempt to authenticate with Touch ID, the Touch ID sensor computes a hash of your finger and compares it with the fingers stored in the Secure Enclave and if there is a match, then the authentication request succeeds. If it does not match, then it fails and you have to try again.

On Intel Machines, Apple built some custom silicon, called the T2 chip, that would be the interface between the Secure Enclave and the built-in Touch ID sensor.

At their World Wide Developer Conference in June of 2020 Apple announced that they would be moving away from Intel chips to their own custom silicon. The first of these chips was introduced in November of 2020, and the System on a Chip is called the M1. The M1 is similar to the A-series of chips found in the iPhone and iPad.

There were three devices introduced as the first machines, the 13-inch MacBook Air, the lower-end 13-inch MacBook Pro, and the lower-end Mac mini. The MacBook Air and MacBook Pro have built-in Touch ID sensors on their keyboards. The Mac mini does not have a keyboard included.

In April of 2021, the first desktop machine with Apple Silicon was introduced, it was an upgrade to the 21-inch iMac, a new 24-inch M1 iMac. The 24-inch iMac included a new set of colors, a new profile, and a new accessory, a Magic Keyboard with Touch ID.

When it was introduced, many wondered how long it would be until Apple released a standalone keyboard with Touch ID. Apple has done just that.

Magic Keyboard With Touch ID

There are only two different types of Magic Keyboards, the Magic Keyboard and the Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad. There is a variant of these two that includes a Touch ID sensor. This review will cover the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, although everything in this review also applies to the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad.

The Magic Keyboard with Touch ID is not the first Magic Keyboard, far from it. The first Magic Keyboard was introduced in October of 2015. The Magic Keyboard does not have any external batteries and connects via a lightning cable.

The same still applies to the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, except instead of it being a USB-A cable to lightning cable, it is now a USB-C to lightning cable. The reason for this is because all of Apple's modern devices have USB-C ports and do not have USB-A.

The Magic Keyboard with Touch ID is charged via a lightning cable. You can use either a USB-A, or USB-C to lightning cable.

USB-C Cable

There is one thing to mention about the included USB-C to Lightning cable. It is significantly different than a normal USB-C to lightning cable. The difference is that the outer jacket has a braided sleeve. It is not known whether or not these cables will last longer than standard cables, but my initial take is that they should last longer, because they do seem to be a it better constructed. But, as I stated, only time will tell if this is truly the case.

Design

Beyond the actual connections for connecting the keyboard to your Mac, the keyboard itself has seen some slight changes. Most notably, the edges of the keyboard is now rounded. As a side note, the Magic Trackpad and other refreshed Magic Keyboards also have this same rounded look.

When you are using the keyboard, you may notice that some of the keys have changed. Most notably, the four corner keys, Function, Right arrow, Touch ID, and Escape are all rounded to match the corner radius of their respective corners, as to match the keyboard.

Beyond the rounded keys, the font on the keys themselves is a bit darker than on previous models, which should allow the letters to be easier to see.

Beyond the font being darker, there have been tweaks to the symbols on the keys. The Function, Control, and Option keys all have their corresponding Mac Menu symbols on the keys. These are 🌐 , ^ and ⌥, respectively. This is a big plus because if you do need to use a key combination it will be a lot easier to figure out the proper keys to use.

The special keys are not the only ones who received some new iconography. Three other keys, F4, F5, and F6 also have new icons. F4 has a magnifying glass, which indicates searching, F5 has a microphone, which indicates Siri. F6 has a half moon, which indicates quick access to sleep.

The darker font, new icons, and rounded keys to mirror the radius of the corners are all nice additions and provide a nice set of updates. Now, let us move onto Touch ID itself.

Touch ID

The Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, as the name implies, has Touch ID. The Touch ID sensor will only work on Macs with an M1, or newer, chip. Meaning that the Touch ID sensor will not work on Intel-based machines.

You can still use the keyboard on any bluetooth-enabled device, but the Touch ID will only work on a Mac. Additionally, even though the latest iPad Pro models have an M1 in them, they cannot use the Touch ID sensor. The reason for this is likely due iOS expecting a Touch ID sensor to be directly connected, and not available over wireless.

When you connect the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID to your M1 Mac for the first time, you will need to securely pair the two devices. This is done by pressing the power button twice in rapid succession. The reason that this is needed is so the Magic Keyboard can exchange its public hardware key with the Mac. This pairing can only be performed when the on screen steps indicate to do so.

Enrolling Fingerprints

As mentioned earlier, Touch ID fingerprint hashes are stored in the Secure Enclave on the Mac. This is true whether it is an Intel or Apple Silicon machine. There is a limit to the number of fingerprints that can be stored in the Secure Enclave at a single time. The limit is three fingerprints. This differs from an iOS device that has Touch ID because those devices can store up to five fingerprints at a time. You can enroll the same fingerprint more than once, but that might not be the best decision.

Enrolling a fingerprint using the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID is the same as enrolling a fingerprint on a MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iPhone, or iPad with Touch ID.

In order to enroll a finger perform the following steps:

1. Connect the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID to the Mac using a USB-C, or USB-A, to Lightning cable. A Notification will appear.
2. Tap on the notification to begin the pairing process.
3. When prompted press the power button on the Mac in rapid succession.

4. Open Up System Preferences.
5. Locate the "Touch ID" system preference.
6. Click on the "Touch ID" system preference.
7. Click on the "+" fingerprint icon. You will be prompted for your password.

8. Enter in your password.
9. Follow the prompts for placing and lifting your finger.
10. Again, follow the prompts for lifting and placing your finger to get the outer edges.

Once you have gotten all of the angles of your fingerprint, the fingerprint hash will be saved and you will get a screen similar to the image below.

Options for Touch ID

In the Touch ID system preference you can choose which system options are able to use Touch ID. The full list of options are:

• Unlocking your Mac
• Apple Pay
• iTunes Store, App Store, & Apple Books
• Password Autofill
• Use Touch ID sensor for fast user switching

By default all of the options will be checked. However, you can control which actions will be available for Touch ID to best suit your needs.

Pricing

If you have a Mac mini, or could really use Touch ID on an external keyboard for your MacBook Air or MacBook Pro, and you have an Apple Silicon Mac, the Magic Keyboard with Touch might be a good solution. However, be prepared to pay for the convenience.

The Magic Keyboard with Touch ID is, in a word, expensive. The standard Magic Keyboard is $99, but if you want Touch ID as well, it will be another $50. So, it is $149. If you really need Touch ID it is the only solution. Otherwise though, I do not know if this price is worth the overall cost.

Closing Thoughts

The Magic Keyboard with Touch ID is a standard Magic Keyboard, so it can be used with any Mac you want, or even a PC if you would like, but the Touch ID sensor will only with Macs with Apple Silicon. The Magic Keyboard with Touch ID may be a great solution for those who use a MacBook Air, or MacBook Pro, in clamshell mode so you can still use Touch ID.

When you begin to pair the Magic Keyboard with your Apple Silicon Mac, you will need to perform an initial handshake between the two devices by pressing the power button twice at the appropriate time, which will be provided to you when it is needed.

The keyboard has some new design features, like the rounded corners for not only the keyboard, but also for the four corner keys. Beyond this, there is a darker font, some new iconography, and symbols on special keys. All of these changes will make it easier to use the Magic Keyboard in all situations.

Overall, the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID seems like it is quality, but it is not cheap. If you know you really need Touch ID for a particular Mac, be prepared to pay for it. If you just need a keyboard, the non-Touch ID version might be a more worthwhile purchase.

Today Apple has released some upgrades. This includes a new set of "Magic" accessories and some additional upgrades for the Intel Mac Pro. Let us start with the Graphics Cards for the Intel Mac Pro

Graphics Card

Apple indicated that the transition from Intel to their own Silicon would take two years. We are just over halfway through those two years. One of the devices that has not been upgraded yet is the Mac Pro.

In order to allow the Intel Mac Pro to remain relevant, Apple has added three new video card options. These are:

• Radeon Pro W6800X MPX Module
• Radeon Pro W6800X Duo MPX Module
• Radeon Pro W6900X MPX Module

Each of these can be configured when you order a new Intel Mac Pro. If you do add these they will cost, $2400, $4600, and $5600, respectively. If you already have a 2019 Intel Mac Pro, you can also get these as standalone for $2800, $5000, and $6000 respectively, or $400 more.

Each of these graphics cards have 32GB of GDDR6 memory in them, so they should be plenty fast when it comes to utilization. Apple has also released an accompanying white paper that will provide performance characteristics for the graphics cards.

New Magic Accessories

The Mac has its own set of accessories, like keyboards, trackpads, and mice. Apple has prepended these with the word "Magic". Therefore, they would become Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpads, and Magic Mice.

When Apple introduced the 24-inch iMac with M1 earlier this year, they came in a range of colors and the keyboards, trackpads, and mice that you would get with the Mac would match the color of the color of the Mac.

The 24-inch iMac did not just have a color-matched keyboard, but there were three keyboard options. These are:

• Magic Keyboard
• Magic Keyboard with Touch ID
• Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad

When these were announced many wondered how long it would be before Apple would allow these to be purchased on their own. Well, today is that day. All three of these, along with the Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad are available to order. These are only available in silver. The standalone keyboards will cost you $99, $149, and $179 respectively. The Magic Mouse is $79 and the Magic Trackpad is $129.

You can still purchase the older Magic Keyboard with Numeric Pad for $129.

The Touch ID sensor that is on the Magic Keyboards with Touch ID will not work with Intel machines. They will only work with Macs with M1.

While it is not 100% known, it would make sense that the keyboards with Touch ID will work with any Mac, but the Touch ID will not work on Intel Machines.

Closing Thoughts

All of these items are available to order today. The Magic accessories should arrive by Friday, if ordered today. The graphics cards will arrive August 16th to 18th, if ordered today.

It is not known if Apple will release the Magic accessories in colors at a later date or not.

Now that the last full month of summer is upon us, it is time for me to post the list of titles that I read during July of 2021. Unlike my guess when I posted the Reading List for May 2021, I actually listened to more items than I expected.. Here is what I did manage to listen to. I listened to 13 titles. Of these, ten were new. The reason for this is that most of them, seven of the ten, were Great Courses. Great Courses are broken into 30 or 45 minute chapters, so they can be easily listened to in small chunks. Additionally, I can not listen to one for a few days and it will not be a problem to pick it up again.

Out of all of the items I listened to, I would recommend New Arcadia: Stage One by Eric Jason Martin, particularly if you like '90s video games.

Disclaimer: The links below will provide a bit of a commission if you purchase anything.

Previous Reading Lists:

• June 2021
• May 2021
• April 2021
• March 2021
• February 2021
• January 2021

It may seem a bit odd that Apple released a new battery pack for the iPhones a full 10 months after introducing the devices, but that is what they have done. In fact the MagSafe Battery Pack was quietly released just over a week ago. The world is opening up a bit more and people are beginning to travel, so it may actually be the right time to release it.

The MagSafe Battery pack is reminiscent of the older Battery Cases that Apple created for the iPhone XS in that it will provide some extra power for your iPhone. The biggest difference with the battery pack, as compared to the battery case, is that it is magnetic and does not need to be attached to your phone all of the time.

The MagSafe Battery Pack is designed to be able to change any MagSafe iPhone. This includes the entire iPhone 12 line from the iPhone 12 mini, to the iPhone 12 Pro Max.

The MagSafe Battery Pack

The editor of my books, Barry J. Sullivan, provided a review and it is short and to the point. His review is: "The battery magnets are strong and the phone and battery aren’t going to separate easily. The battery and phone combined is heavy."

In reality, that is probably the best summation of the MagSafe Battery Pack. The magnets are indeed strong, and the battery pack and iPhone it is on will not separate during normal use, and the combination is indeed quite chunky.

The MagSafe Battery Pack has only one port, a lightning adapter, to plug in the lightning cable to charge. The MagSafe Battery Pack also has a light indicating whether the MagSafe Battery Pack is charged, or charging. If it is charged it will be green, otherwise it should have an orange light.

The MagSafe battery pack has a matte finish to it, which does provide a bit of grip. And when it is connected to the iPhone 12 mini, it will go edge to edge. However, with the iPhone 12, or iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro ax, the battery pack will be within the edges of the device.

Even though it does not go edge to edge, it can actually be an advantage. This is because it can provide a bit of a lip so you can rest your finger underneath the battery pack while holding it.

Using the Battery Pack

If you are charging your iPhone from the MagSafe Battery Pack you will only get 5-watts of power. The reason for this is likely to minimize the heat and provide the maximum change of your device. This is because any excessive heat will cause the battery to drain faster, resulting in less of a charge overall.

It should be noted that the MagSafe Battery Pack is not a pass-through charger, meaning that you cannot charge the phone, charge the battery pack, and then charge something else. There is no MagSafe charger on the back of the battery pack that would be needed to make this possible.

However, if you are charging the battery pack itself, that is a different story.

Charging the Battery Pack

The MagSafe Battery Pack has a lightning port on it. This is designed to allow you to charge an iPhone. However, the MagSafe Battery Pack itself needs to be charged. There are two different ways of changing the MagSafe Battery Pack. One is to charge it by plugging a lightning cable into it directly. The second is to plug in an iPhone with the MagSafe Battery Pack attached.

Either method will charge the both the iPhone and the MagSafe Battery Pack, provided that you use a 20-watt power adapter.

When you charge the MagSafe Battery Pack through an iPhone, it is possible that your iPhone will charge to 80% before the MagSafe Battery Pack begins to charge. This is to make sure that your iPhone has enough charge before the MagSafe Battery Pack.

When you are charging your iPhone with the MagSafe Battery Pack, it will charge at a maximum of 15 watts when plugged into a powerful enough power brick, meaning that the small 5-watt charger just is not going to cut it.

Checking the Charge

While the MagSafe Battery Pack does have a light to indicate whether or not it is charged, there is no way to see the percentage of charge on the battery pack itself. Instead, you will need to use your iPhone. This is done by checking the charge by using the Battery Widget on the iPhone.

The Battery Widget will show you the charge of the MagSafe Battery Pack and whether or not it is currently charging.

Possible Tip

The MagSafe Battery Pack is designed to attach to the back so there is none of the battery pack showing. However, given that it is magnetic, and the magnets are strong, you can technically attach the MagSafe Battery Pack at a 90-degree angle so it sticks out one of the sides. When in this configuration, you can technically use your iPhone with one hand.

It should be noted, that this is not the designed behavior and is likely not recommended by Apple.

A second thing to note is that the MagSafe Battery Pack is indeed a MagSafe charger, meaning that you can charge other Qi-enabled devices, like AirPods. While the MagSafe Battery Pack is quite useful, it does have a couple of downsides.

Downsides

The MagSafe Battery Pack is not perfect, and it does have some flaws. The chief amongst these is that it cannot provide a full charge an iPhone 12 Pro Max. You would think that a battery pack that is designed for the entire iPhone 12 line would be Abel to provide one full charge to the entire line, but that is not the case.

The second downside is the limited color choices. You can have any color you want, provided it is white. Do not get me wrong, if Apple is going to provide only a single color, it will absolutely be white, but it does seem like a lost opportunity to at least match the iPhone colors that are in the iPhone 12 line.

There is one last thing that is not directly related to the MagSafe Battery Pack, but also applies to many of Apple's other devices. On the battery pack there are the required registration markings. The problem is not that these are there, in reality, it makes sense that they are where they are, because they are hidden most of the time. The problem, as I see it, is that there is absolutely no contrast between the gray used for the battery pack and the gray used for the text is effectively non-existent. While in most cases this is not a problem, it can become one should you ever need service and you cannot read the text on the battery pack.

Closing Thoughts

The MagSafe Battery Pack is great idea in concept and has been executed pretty well. The fact that it only charges at 5 watts can be problematic if you just needed a quick charge. If that is the case, then you might just want to plug your iPhone in using a cable.

The MagSafe Battery Pack is primarily used to charge an iPhone, but since it is a MagSafe charger it can be used to charge other Qi-compatible devices. When charging an iPhone it will not full charge an iPhone, but it can provide enough charge to get you through the day, if you need it.

The MagSafe Battery Pack is $99, or the equivalent in your local currency, and is available now. It is only available in one color, white.

There is a new version of wwriteLite available, version 7.2.3. This is a minor bug fix that fixes an issue where the "Sun" icon would not be shown as available in the list of app icons.

As always this is a free update to wwriteLite and it is available now. You can view the full list of changes by checking out the Change Log on the wwriteLite website.

Version 7.2.2 Notes

Another minor bug update. This time it fixes an issue where the platform would be detected properly.

Version 7.2.1 Notes
This is a minor bug fix that fixes an issue where you could not see the Markdown Preview text when using Dark mode and when the file being previewed is not using a template.

Version 7.2.0 Notes
It looks like Bill Lumbergh and Dom Portwood have finally decided to jump into the 21st century. They have decided that all TPS reports needs to be submitted in Markdown for easy conversion to HTML so they can be viewed on the Initech, LLC intranet, called Ininet. Therefore, wwriteLite now needs to be able to support Markdown.

With version 7.2.0, you can now write Markdown, preview it by tapping on the Document icon in the toolbar. Once you have previewed your markdown you can import a CSS file from the Document Picker or via URL. Once used, the file will be downloaded and stored so you can use it on other files as well. You may also delete the CSS files by tapping on the “trash” icon in the menu bar.

Also added in this version is a new “Open Source” screen which lists the open source libraries used within wwriteLite. This is accessed via the “About” screen.

There is one tweak as well, the “Drag” icon has been removed and replaced with the Markdown Preview.

Today Apple quietly released a new MagSafe accessory called the MagSafe Battery Pack. The MagSafe Battery pack is a MagSafe accessory that attaches magnetically to your iPhone, or MagSafe Case. Therefore, it is compatible with the iPhone 12 line.

The MagSafe Battery Pack can charge either wirelessly or with a lightning cable. It is recommended that you use a 20-watt charger, or higher, to get the maximum charging speed.

You can order a MagSafe Battery Pack in any color you want, as long as it is white. The MagSafe Battery Pack is available to order now for $99, or the equivalent in your local currency, and it will ship in 3 to 5 business days.

The MagSafe Battery Pack does require iOS 14.7, so be on the lookout for that to be released soon. I have ordered a MagSafe Battery Pack and will do a review of it in due time.

The first half of 2021 has now concluded, which means it is time for me to post the list of titles that I read during June of 2021. As mentioned in the Reading List of May 2021 post, I did end up listening to fewer items over the course of June than in previous months. Here is what I did manage to listen to. Out of the nine titles that I listened to, there was only one new title, the others I have previously listened to them. The reason for not listening to as many books is due to working on my books about Apple's new operating systems.

Disclaimer: The links below will provide a bit of a commission if you purchase anything.

Previous Reading Lists:

• May 2021
• April 2021
• March 2021
• February 2021
• January 2021

Today Apple unveiled a line of 22 different International Watch bands, along with accompanying Apple Watch faces. The International Watch Bands are Sport Loops. The list of available countries is:

• Australia
• Belgium
• Brazil
• Canada
• China
• Denmark
• France
• Germany
• Great Britain
• Greece
• Italy
• Jamaica
• Japan
• Mexico
• the Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Russia
• South Africa
• South Korea
• Spain
• Sweden
• United States

These Watch bands are considered limited editions, so they will only be available for a finite amount of time. Therefore, if you want to get one, you should order it soon. Each watch band costs $49, or the equivalent. And as of this writing, some are currently unavailable for purchase.

Source: Apple

Today Apple held its World Wide Developer Conference where they provide information about what is coming in the next version of their operating systems, and Apple announced a lot of things including new features iOS 15, iPadOS 15, watchOS 8, and macOS 12. Let us start where Apple started, with FaceTime.

FaceTime

FaceTime is Apple’s audio and video calling software that will allow you to communicate with others and it is getting a bunch of changes. 

FaceTime will now allow you to choose how much background noise to let onto the call. You can either use “Voice Isolation”, which will reduce background nose through machine learning, or you can use “Wide Spectrum” which will include your voice and everything in the background. You will be able to easily switch between the two.

While on a FaceTime call audio will be improved as well through Spatial Audio. Spatial Audio will automatically have audio seem as though it is directional. This means that if someone is on the right side of the screen, the audio will seem as though it is coming to your right, just as if you were in the same room.

While you are on a video call, you can turn on a new grid view. Grid view will provide everyone with the same size tiles and the active speaker will have an outline around their tile.

FaceTime has always been an Apple device-only feature, and it will largely remain that way, at least with native apps. There is a new feature called FaceTime links that will allow you to generate a FaceTime link and share it anywhere, including to those who may be on Android and Windows, through their browser. This will be a great way of getting everyone together so everyone uses the same platform, and it will remain end-to-end encrypted.

SharePlay

FaceTime is a good way of being able to communicate with others, but when you want to be able to consume the same media, it may not always be easy to do. This is where SharePlay comes in handy.

SharePlay is a new way of being able to, as the name implies, share and play things simultaneously. This could be something like listening to Apple Music or watching a movie on Apple TV. It is not limited to just Apple services, third-party apps can support it as well. Some third-parties are already working on integrating SharePlay into their apps, including Disney+, Hulu, ESPN, Twitch, TikTok and others.

If you use a streaming app, all of the audio and video will be synchronized, so you can all be at the same spot. When you use SharePlay you will be able to share your screen, you will be able to show someone what you see, which makes it great for tech support and being able to help someone through a problem spot.

Next, let us look at another item used for communication, Messages.

Messages

Messages is one of the primary communication tools used on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. People share all sorts of things within Messages, like links, pictures, articles, and more. Right now, there is no easy way to gather all of this information together. 

Now, with the latest operating systems, media that is shared with you will be able to be found in the appropriate app. Photos will appear in the Photos app, any articles will appear in News, and podcasts will appear in Podcasts. 

When you are ready to consume that, you can, and you can even jump right back into the conversation to discuss it once you ready to do so.

Focus

Life is full of distractions and constant interruptions. With the ever increasing remote work happening for a certain segment of the population you may want ways to be able to concentrate on certain tasks during specific periods through the day. There is a way feature called Focus that lets you do just that.

Focus will allow you to create different homepages on your devices for certain times throughout the day so you can focus on the task at hand.

On device machine learning will help identify which apps are used throughout the day and suggest them for during those times. The same can be said for notifications and messages. Of course you will be able to override suggestions and even create your own custom Focus sessions.

The biggest feature though is that all of the focus sessions will synchronize across all of your devices, so you can have the same consistency no matter what device you use.

Maps

Apple is expanding maps to include more detailed maps so that they include things like marinas, buildings, and they can indicate elevation. Along with this, there is are new road colors and labels that will help you determine which lane to get in during your trip. Maps will also make it easier to identify things like turn lanes, bike lanes, taxi and bus lanes, and crosswalks so you can be aware while driving.

These features will be coming to some countries this year and more in the future. 

If you enjoy using maps at night, there is a new Nighttime mode, which will change the look with a moonlit mode.

For those who use public transit, there are some features for you like nearby stations, the ability to pin your favorites, and this will work with the Apple Watch so you will be able to know which stop you need to take to get to your destination.

iPadOS

The iPad is seeing some major changes, including getting Widgets on the home screen like iOS got with iOS 14. This includes a specialized Extra Large widget specifically designed for use on the iPad. 

There are some new widgets coming as well including widgets for FindMy, Contacts, Game Center, and a redesigned Files widget. Along with this the App Library is now on iPadOS, and is available in the Dock at all times, so you can quickly access any app. Beyond this though, you can also use the App Library to quickly move entire pages of applications, or hide them, all with a few quick gestures.

Multitasking has gotten some great updates, including the ability to always access Split View and Slide Over, right from any app. You simply tap on the three buttons at the top of the app and the controls will appear. Simply tapping on one of the buttons will switch it. And if you are using only one app at the moment, it will bring up the home screen so you can select the app you want to use in split view or slide over.

There is a new Shelf feature that will allow you to easily temporarily move windows so they can be accessed more easily later on. 

Notes

One of the big uses of iOS and macOS is the ability to takes notes. There is a new feature called QuickNote that will let you start a new note from anywhere. These are not just basic notes, but instead they are fully functional notes that you can either enter text via a keyboard or you can use the Apple Pencil to write in. 

Notes now also has a new feature called Tags, so you can easily organize your notices and find them within search. If you want to share a note with someone, you simply have to mention them in the note and they will get a notification that a note was shared.

Swift Playgrounds 

One of the most requested features is the ability to not only run, but develop apps directly on the iPad. That is now possible with Swift Playgrounds. The new version of Swift Playgrounds will allow you to build, run, and submit apps directly to the App Store. These will be limited to SwiftUI apps, but even this is a HUGE step forward. This is one feature that I will definitely be testing.

Safari

Safari is getting an overhaul. There is a new feature called Tab Groups. Tab Groups allow you to organize different sets of tabs together. These can be accessed together as a group and opened up as a group. These synchronize across all of your devices so you can access them on your iPad, iPhone, and Mac. If you add or remove a tab from the group, it will be automatically synchronized between them.

Along with this, the tab bar is redesigned so the tabs are at the top and the tab bar will adopt the color of the website, so it all looks like its a single page.

iCloud

iCloud is seeing some new features as well. This includes new account recovery options, digital legacy, and some privacy additions. 

It is inevitable that at some point someone is going to lose access to their iCloud account. However, there are some new account recovery options that will allow you to add trusted individuals who can receive a code to allow you to login, should you somehow lose access to your account.

There are two inevitable things in life, death and taxes. While Apple cannot help with the second one, they can with the first, with the new Digital Legacy program. This program will allow the important information to be passed down to family members, so others will have it when you are no longer around. 

iCloud is getting some additional features called iCloud+.

iCloud+

iCloud includes a feature to allows you to store HomeKit video. This is limited to five cameras. That will no longer be the case, once you upgrade to iCloud+. You will be able to have unlimited cameras connected, and they will not count against your iCloud storage limit.

Privacy is an important aspect in today’s modern society. Many companies will use whatever information they can to track you across websites. This information can include IP address, so they can obtain a general location. 

When you go to sign up for a service you may not want to give away your email address, so there is a new feature called “Hide My Email”. This feature will generate a randomly generated email address that you can provide to the company and it will forward to your main email account. 

There is an option to allow your data to be sent through two different relays so that the services cannot ascertain your location and they cannot track you. In reality, this sounds like an Apple VPN and is similar to the Mozilla VPN service.

Next, let us turn to macOS.

macOS

macOS 12 is Apple’s next version of macOS. Each version of macOS has its own name, and this year’s is macOS Monterey. 

macOS gets a bunch of features that have already been discussed, including SharePlay, Spatial Audio, the microphone modes, grid view, and macOS Monterey supports FaceTime links.

Just like FaceTime, the features in QuickNotes are supported on macOS, including tags. Any Focus configurations will be supported on macOS as well, which is great for productivity.  Maps gets all of the same features including Globe Mode, the new transit features, and the new landmarks, and Night mode.

There are three new features coming only to macOS. These are AirPlay, Shortcuts, and Universal Control.

AirPlay

macOS has long been able to send what is playing from a Mac to another device. However, you have not been able to send things to a Mac. This changes with macOS Monterey, provided you have a supported Mac. 

Shortcuts

Apple introduced the Shortcuts app with iOS 12 in 2018 and built in the app with iOS 13 in 2019. Shortcuts is a way of being able to automate iOS. This is now coming to macOS. Apple indicated that this is going to be the platform going forward, but it will be a mull-year transition to Shortcuts, but AppleScript is still supported.

Universal Control

There are a number of users who use multiple devices, like an iPad and a Mac. Many users would like to be able to easily move between their Mac and their iPad. There are some third-party apps and hardware that allow you to do this, but it is not built into the system. But with macOS Monterey it is, provided you have supported Macs and iPads.

When you use Universal Control you can use your Mac to move between your iPad and the Mac, using the trackpad on your Mac. This is not limited to just being used between a Mac and an iPad, but you can use it between two Macs as well.

There are some limitations, like both devices need to be on the same iCloud account, within 30 feet, have two factor authentication enabled and not sharing an internet connection.

This will be a great way to enhance productivity if you need to easily move between Macs and iPads.

Closing Thoughts

This is just a sampling of what Apple has announced with today’s WWDC keynote. There are more things related to Health, the Home, and I did not even cover watchOS, which has some stuff like a mindfulness app, respiration rate tracking, and two new workout types Tai Chi and Pilates.

There are so many new features that can be found within the operating systems. You can see previews for macOS Monterey, iOS 15, iPadOS, and watchOS.

All of these changes will be coming later this year with the release of the various operating systems. 

Here is the iPad Pro availability for the late evening of June 6th, 2021.

The 11-inch iPad Pro has not changed in terms of availability, but the 12.9-inch iPad Pro has improved by a week. It now has a 4 to 5 week availability instead of a 5 to 7 week delivery range.

Changes for Apple

• Wi-Fi Only - 128GB Silver iPad Pro 11-inch has changed from Jun 9 - Jun 16 to Jun 15 - Jun 22
• Wi-Fi Only - 256GB Silver iPad Pro 11-inch has changed from Jun 9 - Jun 16 to Jun 15 - Jun 22
• Wi-Fi Only - 512GB Silver iPad Pro 11-inch has changed from Jun 9 - Jun 16 to Jun 15 - Jun 22
• Wi-Fi Only - 1TB Silver iPad Pro 11-inch has changed from Jun 9 - Jun 16 to Jun 15 - Jun 22
• Wi-Fi Only - 2TB Silver iPad Pro 11-inch has changed from Jun 9 - Jun 16 to Jun 15 - Jun 22
• Wi-Fi Only - 128GB Space Gray iPad Pro 11-inch has changed from Jun 9 - Jun 16 to Jun 15 - Jun 22
• Wi-Fi Only - 256GB Space Gray iPad Pro 11-inch has changed from Jun 9 - Jun 16 to Jun 15 - Jun 22
• Wi-Fi Only - 512GB Space Gray iPad Pro 11-inch has changed from Jun 9 - Jun 16 to Jun 15 - Jun 22
• Wi-Fi Only - 1TB Space Gray iPad Pro 11-inch has changed from Jun 9 - Jun 16 to Jun 15 - Jun 22
• Wi-Fi Only - 2TB Space Gray iPad Pro 11-inch has changed from Jun 9 - Jun 16 to Jun 15 - Jun 22
• Wi-Fi + Cellular - 128GB Silver iPad Pro 11-inch has changed from Jun 9 - Jun 16 to Jun 15 - Jun 22
• Wi-Fi + Cellular - 256GB Silver iPad Pro 11-inch has changed from Jun 9 - Jun 16 to Jun 15 - Jun 22
• Wi-Fi + Cellular - 512GB Silver iPad Pro 11-inch has changed from Jun 23 - Jun 30 to Jun 29 - Jul 7
• Wi-Fi + Cellular - 1TB Silver iPad Pro 11-inch has changed from Jun 30 - Jul 15 to Jul 7 - Jul 21
• Wi-Fi + Cellular - 2TB Silver iPad Pro 11-inch has changed from Jun 30 - Jul 15 to Jul 7 - Jul 21
• Wi-Fi + Cellular - 128GB Space Gray iPad Pro 11-inch has changed from Jun 9 - Jun 16 to Jun 15 - Jun 22
• Wi-Fi + Cellular - 256GB Space Gray iPad Pro 11-inch has changed from Jun 9 - Jun 16 to Jun 15 - Jun 22
• Wi-Fi + Cellular - 512GB Space Gray iPad Pro 11-inch has changed from Jun 23 - Jun 30 to Jun 29 - Jul 7
• Wi-Fi + Cellular - 1TB Space Gray iPad Pro 11-inch has changed from Jun 30 - Jul 15 to Jul 7 - Jul 21
• Wi-Fi + Cellular - 2TB Space Gray iPad Pro 11-inch has changed from Jun 30 - Jul 15 to Jul 7 - Jul 21
• Wi-Fi Only - 128GB Silver iPad Pro 12.9-inch has changed from Jul 9 - Jul 23 to Jul 7 - Jul 21
• Wi-Fi Only - 256GB Silver iPad Pro 12.9-inch has changed from Jul 9 - Jul 23 to Jul 7 - Jul 21
• Wi-Fi Only - 512GB Silver iPad Pro 12.9-inch has changed from Jul 9 - Jul 23 to Jul 7 - Jul 21
• Wi-Fi Only - 1TB Silver iPad Pro 12.9-inch has changed from Jul 9 - Jul 23 to Jul 7 - Jul 21
• Wi-Fi Only - 2TB Silver iPad Pro 12.9-inch has changed from Jul 9 - Jul 23 to Jul 7 - Jul 21
• Wi-Fi Only - 128GB Space Gray iPad Pro 12.9-inch has changed from Jul 9 - Jul 23 to Jul 7 - Jul 21
• Wi-Fi Only - 256GB Space Gray iPad Pro 12.9-inch has changed from Jul 9 - Jul 23 to Jul 7 - Jul 21
• Wi-Fi Only - 512GB Space Gray iPad Pro 12.9-inch has changed from Jul 9 - Jul 23 to Jul 7 - Jul 21
• Wi-Fi Only - 1TB Space Gray iPad Pro 12.9-inch has changed from Jul 9 - Jul 23 to Jul 7 - Jul 21
• Wi-Fi Only - 2TB Space Gray iPad Pro 12.9-inch has changed from Jul 9 - Jul 23 to Jul 7 - Jul 21
• Wi-Fi + Cellular - 128GB Silver iPad Pro 12.9-inch has changed from Jul 9 - Jul 23 to Jul 7 - Jul 21
• Wi-Fi + Cellular - 256GB Silver iPad Pro 12.9-inch has changed from Jul 9 - Jul 23 to Jul 7 - Jul 21
• Wi-Fi + Cellular - 512GB Silver iPad Pro 12.9-inch has changed from Jul 9 - Jul 23 to Jul 7 - Jul 21
• Wi-Fi + Cellular - 1TB Silver iPad Pro 12.9-inch has changed from Jul 9 - Jul 23 to Jul 7 - Jul 21
• Wi-Fi + Cellular - 2TB Silver iPad Pro 12.9-inch has changed from Jul 9 - Jul 23 to Jul 7 - Jul 21
• Wi-Fi + Cellular - 128GB Space Gray iPad Pro 12.9-inch has changed from Jul 9 - Jul 23 to Jul 7 - Jul 21
• Wi-Fi + Cellular - 256GB Space Gray iPad Pro 12.9-inch has changed from Jul 9 - Jul 23 to Jul 7 - Jul 21
• Wi-Fi + Cellular - 512GB Space Gray iPad Pro 12.9-inch has changed from Jul 9 - Jul 23 to Jul 7 - Jul 21
• Wi-Fi + Cellular - 1TB Space Gray iPad Pro 12.9-inch has changed from Jul 9 - Jul 23 to Jul 7 - Jul 21
• Wi-Fi + Cellular - 2TB Space Gray iPad Pro 12.9-inch has changed from Jul 9 - Jul 23 to Jul 7 - Jul 21
• Pro 11-inch Magic Keyboard - White has changed from Wed, Jun 2 to Tue, Jun 8
• Pro 12.9-inch Magic Keyboard - White has changed from Wed, Jun 2 to Tue, Jun 8
• Pro 12.9-inch Magic Keyboard - Space Gray has changed from Wed, Jun 2 to Tue, Jun 8

iPad Pro 11-inch

iPad Pro 12.9-inch