Maybe Apple didn’t capitulate after all. According to Rene Ritchie the 4K YouTube on iOS is actually “courtesy of the AV1 codec, which is supposed to replace the H.265 Apple’s been using, and the VP9 Google’s been using” though it’s unclear if this detente is limited to 4K devices like AppleTV or all devices through AirPlay
@ChrisUpchurch That’s the XKCD comic I cite the most often!
I agree that a touch “Mac” is coming. Wasn’t part of the announcement that iOS apps will be able to run natively on Apple Silicon? If Apple never goes touch-Mac, people will be very confused by some of these.
Doubtlessly, if only some apps are ported, they’ll need to conform a little to the Mac’s UX (cf. bad standards). But expecting their developer ecosystem to do this seems harder than “just” using the touch hardware they’ve already perfected in a slightly new form factor.
Maybe it’s AR hints, and not touch hints that we are seeing:
Hmmm…
That looks like a very plausible explanation – much more than convergence to touch. And Siri’s globe does have a drop shadow, which would make her “floating” well in an AR environment. Great find!
Any improvements to Apple Calendar??
Looks like they simplified the idebar/toolbar, and redesigned the widget, but that’s it.
Ok thanks. I guess I will keep using a 3rd party calendar app. I don’t get why they Don’t make the Apple calendar app sooo much better.
It gets the job done for most, it offers privacy, but it’s not a profit center. It falls in the category with Calculator, Notes, and iWork, offering acceptable-to-surpisingly-good features built in, but the freedom to use a third-party option if you need more.
Several years ago I had a lot of glitches with AC and moved to Google Calendar. AC has definite privacy advantages but GC overall has more features, works fine in a browser, and Readdle Calendar 5 on iOS connects directly to it as well, as does Todoist. Unfortunately there isn’t an outstanding Mac app for GC but I use a web-wrapper app to access it. (It says it’s a MAS app… but apparently is not longer available in the US MAS.)
Additionally, it’s hard to make a calendar app better without making it more opinionated, more complicated, or more involved on the server side. All the good third party apps get into these tradeoffs. I respect Apple tries to make theirs work quickly for more typical/common use cases, even if that means it’s simpler.
I appreciate Apple Calendar for that same reason–not terribly opinionated. The only thing I really would like–and this is an iOS/iPadOS issue–is for the calendar to handle attachments on MS Exchange calendars. The feature was announced in iOS 13 and worked a little during the beta, but then disappeared. I believe it still works fine for non-Exchange calendars. But, my most pressing need for calendar attachments is on Exchange.
I’m just so relieved that Mail finally has its share sheet. /s
Dieter Bohn from The Verge with a nice overview and demo of iOS 14 widgets, smart stacks, and app clips (of which I’m personally a little dubious):
Apple video overview for developers on Apple Silicon (which I guess is the new official name), porting apps, Rosetta, the new booting and startup options, installing old macOS versions, using kexts
Widgets again… Sigh… Will they never learn… 
It’s actually a big improvement. Like in iOS 14 and iPadOS 14, MacOS Big Sur brings dynamic icons that display live app information. It duplicates the new iOS widget functionality in that instead of opening weather, calendar or fitness tracking apps, you can use to see an overview of their core information.
I’ve never been a big widget user in Mojave, and even though I have a few installed (SnipNotes, Calendar, Forecast Bar, Yoink Clipboard History, Batteries) I almost never use them. I could see that changing at least somewhat with the new OS.
What is going on with Apple Mail?
I’m not on a beta, but the lack of attention that mail has seemingly received is concerning. I work for a company where Gsuite and Gmail are dominating and the lack of support for Apple Mail is super concerning. I’m holding out, but for how much longer, I can’t say. Basic features like send later are lacking and I’m finding it harder to justify using Apple Mail over 3rd party options.
Most people stick with stock apps because they haven’t hit the limits on those apps but Apple wants you to choose a 3rd-party solution if you outgrow their offerings. Similar to what I wrote earlier in this thread about Calendar, Mail is not a profit center; as with Calculator, Notes, and iWork it offers basic solutions aimed at being acceptably useful for most (who mostly have basic needs), while letting them choose a replacement more targeted to their needs if needed. If you want send later in mail don’t wait for Apple to implement it (I doubt they ever will), there are lots of alternatives including Spark (free) and Airmail ($10/yr, though it might be double that to use on both Mac and iOS).
Sometimes Apple’s included software goes above and beyond (Notes, Numbers) and sometimes it doesn’t (Calculator, Calendar).
I see your thinking here, but 3rd partys are often bad at adopting system features. Havn’t found a mail app with good share sheet integration besides the Apple one yet, so I have to use that one.
I totally get what you’re saying, and agree that there are times when moving to 3rd party apps is needed and necessary. And you’re also right that Apple wants you to move on in certain cases, and it’s celebrated that 3rd party options exist. I’m so with you.
And I truly believe that Mail will get some love eventually. Notes did, Reminders did. I guess I’m thinking about when features go from being “bells and whistles” to “basic.” Send later seems to be a good example. Quick unsubscribe another, which Apple integrated.
But anyway, of course these aren’t real issues just preferences. The ability to easily and seamlessly capture an email’s location for entry into Omnifocus will forever feel like magic to me. And I don’t feel like any 3rd party options exist that are quite as good.
