I bet my spouse is starting to wonder why I'm sending her so many text messages. I'm testing my new shortcut, of course. No, I didn't create a shortcut to annoy my spouse. She likes to track our spending, and my new shortcut tells her what I've been purchasing.
This blog gets you started with a drop-dead simple shortcut, and then describes the shortcuts I created to help track my spending. But first—
The…
We are thrilled to announce the launch of Club AppleVis. Club AppleVis offers members and friends of our community a means of directly contributing towards the financial costs of operating AppleVis—thus ensuring that we can continue to deliver the information, help, and support that so many people have come to value and rely on over the past 8 years.
In part, the launch of Club AppleVis is a response to…
Traditionally, it's any new iPhones which are the highlight of Apple's fall product launches. However, for this year's “Gather Round” event, it was the Apple Watch Series 4 which was the star of the show for me. It was in my opinion the most ground-breaking in terms of product evolution; and, whereas I was somewhat underwhelmed by the three new iPhones, the Apple Watch had me impressed and…
As reported by Mac Rumors, Apple has today released iOS 12.0.1 to the public.
According to Apple's release notes, iOS 12.0.1 contains the following fixes:
- Fixes an issue where some iPhone XS devices did not immediately charge when connected to a Lightning cable
- Resolves an issue that could cause iPhone XS devices to rejoin a Wi-Fi network at 2.4GHz instead of…
Welcome to the September 2018 edition of AppleVis Unlimited, our monthly series which aims to highlight what's new and noteworthy on the AppleVis website. Below, you'll find a selection of the best content posted to AppleVis - from new app entries, to app updates, to the latest news and podcasts. For easier navigation, the major sections of this post are at heading level 3, and each individual item is at heading level 4.
For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, the nights have started to draw in and temperatures drop. This can mean only one thing - we're now in what is traditionally Apple's main season for new product launches.
Last week saw the releases of iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and Apple Watch Series 4. The iPhone XR will begin shipping next month, and it's likely that at the very least there will also be an update to iPad Pro before the season ends. Beyond this, there might be new MacBooks;…
Apple brings augmented reality (AR) to your phone with Measure, the first native AR app in iOS 12.
Apple's Measure app is visually compelling for sighted users, but also reasonably accessible for blind users. This blog describes taking measurements as a blind or low vision user, and enumerates improvements for Apple's consideration to make the app easier to use.
Keep in mind the Measure app is not available on all iOS devices. According to…
Today, Apple released macOS 10.14, named Mojave. As always, this is a free upgrade for Macs that support it. The good news is that we haven't found any serious bugs in our testing, so if you're running High Sierra already, you can probably upgrade without worrying about running into problems with the new OS. The less-great news is that there are no accessibility updates for us to talk about in Mojave. Much like…
Apple has today released watchOS 5, [saying that it will enable you to do “even more with your Apple Watch”:
Activity competitions with your friends. Brand-new workouts. Innovations to help you take your running further. And more intelligent, fun ways to keep you connected to the people and information you care about. With watchOS 5, you can do even more with your Apple Watch from your morning workout…
Apple has today released tvOS 12. In this post we highlight some of the new changes and features that this update will bring to the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV.
. It is perhaps unsurprising that the platform which received the least attention during Apple's WWDC keynote earlier this year, is also the one which sees the fewest new features and significant changes in the…
iOS 12 is now available to the public; this post contains details of the accessibility bugs for blind and low vision users which we believe to have been introduced in iOS 12, as well as details of the bugs from earlier versions of iOS which have been resolved in this release.
As is now our routine practice, each new bug has been given a severity rating; these ratings are based upon what we believe to be the implications for accessing and using iOS features and functionality and the…
Apple has today released iOs 12, proudly claiming it will “make your iPhone and iPad experience even faster, more responsive and more delightful.”
Below we offer an overview of some of the general changes and new features in iOS 12; along with details of some new accessibility features and changes that VoiceOver and braille users can expect.
It's time for our yearly dose of hardware upgrades from Apple. Today, the company held its traditional September press event, showing off the latest in iPhones, Apple Watches, and more. The event was titled "Gather Round". We're here, as usual, to tell you exactly what was announced.
For those of you in a hurry, here's the TL;DR.
Welcome to the August 2018 edition of AppleVis Unlimited, our monthly series which aims to highlight what's new and noteworthy on the AppleVis website. Below, you'll find a selection of the best content posted to AppleVis - from new app entries, to app updates, to the latest news and podcasts. For easier navigation, the major sections of this post are at heading level 3, and each individual item is at heading level 4.
Q: Why is a laser beam like goldfish?
A: Because neither one can whistle.
That was a line from Mike, the joke-telling computer in Robert Heinlein's classic novel, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. Reading this book made me curious about the current state-of-the-art for computer generated humor. And what, if any joke apps might be available for my iPhone.
Joke-telling computers are still an area of active research. What we'd really like…
Welcome to the July 2018 edition of AppleVis Unlimited, our monthly series which aims to highlight what's new and noteworthy on the AppleVis website. Below, you'll find a selection of the best content posted to AppleVis - from new app entries, to app updates, to the latest news and podcasts. For easier navigation, the major sections of this post are at heading level 3, and each individual item is at heading level 4.
Back in June of this year, ill-advised as it is, I was walking out of my apartment complex while typing a text message at the same time. Into and over a large flower pot I went, picking up a few cuts and bruises to my shins, but much worse than that, to my horror, realizing my iPhone X had gone flying through the air, lending heavily on the concrete ground. For a few moments, as the phone lay on the ground, I owned what a friend later dubbed “Schrödinger's iPhone”, it's fate as yet unknown.…
Today has seen another round of software updates from Apple, with minor releases for iOS, macOS, Apple Watch, Apple TV and HomePod.
With major updates due this fall for each of these platforms, it is extremely likely that the focus of today's releases is on bug fixes and under-the-hood performance improvements to address issues discovered since the previous releases; and that there are no significant user-facing changes.
According to…
AppleVis Unlimited: What's New and Noteworthy for June 2018
Welcome to the June 2018 edition of AppleVis Unlimited, our monthly series which aims to highlight what's new and noteworthy on the AppleVis website. Below, you'll find a selection of the best content posted to AppleVis - from new app entries, to app updates, to the latest news and podcasts. For easier navigation, the major sections of this post are at heading level 3, and each individual item is at heading level 4.
…I may have sporadic internet use for the next several months. My wife and I are moving back to our little cabin in the woods, on a remote island in the middle of Lake Michigan. Its a place we both love, in a cabin we rebuilt ourselves. After living there for thirteen years, we had moved down to lower Michigan hoping for a better economy. We also had moved closer to family from both sides. However, after pursuing plans in the fast-paced world of a "better economy" and our cost of living…