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Managing the Internet Access of HomeKit Devices with the Linksys Velop Mesh WiFi Router System

At WWDC 2019, Apple announced that HomeKit support would be coming to WiFi routers. Not a lot was known about what that would entail, until recently, when new and updated routers with HomeKit functionality began to hit store shelves. A few weeks ago, Linksys sent me its Velop Tri-Band Mesh WiFi Router System that added HomeKit support late last month. I’ve been using the system for a few weeks now and want to share the setup process and explain what HomeKit-enabled routers offer that other routers don’t.

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Apple Q4 2020 Results - $64.7 Billion Revenue

Apple has just published its financial results for Q4 2020. The company posted revenue of $64.7 billion. Apple CEO Tim Cook said:

“Apple capped off a fiscal year defined by innovation in the face of adversity with a September quarter record, led by all-time records for Mac and Services,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “Despite the ongoing impacts of COVID-19, Apple is in the midst of our most prolific product introduction period ever, and the early response to all our new products, led by our first 5G-enabled iPhone lineup, has been tremendously positive. From remote learning to the home office, Apple products have been a window to the world for users as the pandemic continues, and our teams have met the needs of this moment with creativity, passion, and the kinds of big ideas that only Apple can deliver.”

Estimates and Expectations for Q4 2020

Due to the uncertainty caused by the global pandemic, Apple did not provide financial guidance for Q4 2020 during its last earnings call.

Going into today’s call, though, Yahoo Finance said that:

AAPL is expected to report adjusted earnings of $0.71, down from $0.76 in the prior-year quarter, according to third-party consensus analyst estimates. Revenue is projected at $64.1 billion, roughly flat versus a year ago.

Graphical Visualization

After the break, we’ve compiled a graphical visualization of Apple’s Q4 2020 financial results.

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Clips 3.0 Brings New Video Aspect Ratios and an Upgraded iPad Experience

Clips is finally growing up.

Since its debut in 2017, Clips has offered a variety of fun, easy to use tools for making or editing videos, but it has always been hamstrung by one severe limitation: you could only create videos with a square aspect ratio. I’ve always found Clips far more accessible than other video creation apps, such as Apple’s iMovie, because it was designed from the ground up for mobile. The inability to create standard widescreen videos, however, or even portrait videos for Instagram stories, was a dealbreaker. As a result, my use of Clips has only been intermittent; despite liking the app a lot, I’ve only ever created two legitimate projects with it.

My use is sure to increase now. With today’s 3.0 update for Clips, Apple is finally eliminating the app’s requirement for square video while simultaneously making its iPad experience far better than before. Clips 3 is what the original app should have been, and it might just mean Apple finally has the ingredients for a hit.

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Apple Signs Jon Stewart to Expansive Deal for TV+ Series and More→

Lacey Rose at The Hollywood Reporter details a new deal struck between Apple and Jon Stewart:

As part of an expansive, multi-year deal with Apple, the Emmy-drenched former writer, producer and host of The Daily Show is set to front an all new current affairs series for the streaming service. The show, which will run for multiple seasons, puts Stewart back in the anchor’s chair as he explores a host of topics at the center of both the national conversation and his own advocacy work.

Stewart has stayed largely out of the limelight since ending his long and successful run with The Daily Show in 2015, so this is a big get for Apple TV+, and potentially other projects Apple has in the works. For example, the report mentions that a podcast is expected to result from the deal. Most important though is the TV+ series mentioned above, with hourlong episodes each covering a single topic.

Apple’s plans for TV+ in 2020 have been heavily impacted by the current pandemic, resulting in a content slate that’s had more gaps than expected. It looks like the service could be poised for a big 2021.

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Using Soor’s Widgets and Magic Mixes

Soor's iOS 14 widgets.

Soor’s iOS 14 widgets.

As I detailed in a recent episode of AppStories, I’ve spent several weeks tweaking my iPhone’s Home Screen and playing around with different approaches to widgets and app icons. The layout I eventually settled on (which you can find in the AppStories show notes) takes advantage of dark mode to create the illusion of widgets “blending” into the wallpaper – specifically, the Soor widgets at the top of the page. Given how I believe Soor’s developer Tanmay Sonawane has taught Apple a lesson when it comes to building Apple Music widgets for iOS 14, and considering the app’s most recent update, I thought I’d write about these widgets in more detail.

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Microsoft Is Rolling Out iPad Pointer Support to Its Office Suite→

Microsoft’s suite of productivity apps, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are being updated on a rolling basis over the next couple of weeks to add pointer support to the iPad versions of the apps. According to a Microsoft blog post, the update will:

give iPad users using a mouse or Apple’s new Magic Keyboard easy cursor control, fluid navigation, and precise adjustments. When moving a finger across the built-in trackpad of Magic Keyboard, the cursor transforms into the tool you need depending on the content you’re pointing to.

Microsoft is also updating the start screens and ribbon of each of its apps and mentioned that it has further updates planned in the upcoming months, including contextual menus and offline support for documents stored in the cloud.

I don’t have the new features announced yet, but I’m glad to see Microsoft adopting iPad pointer support. Especially with apps like Excel, the ability to use a precise pointer is useful when selecting cells in a large spreadsheet.

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Sketch: The Design Platform Trusted by Over One Million People [Sponsor]

Sketch is a design platform that combines an award-winning native Mac app with powerful, cloud-based collaboration tools. Since it first launched in 2010, Sketch has become the go-to toolkit for over one million people — from freelancers and solo app developers, to the world’s largest design teams.

From the very beginning, Sketch have proudly called the Mac their home — and it shows with their app. It combines thoughtful features, an intuitive interface, and the best of native macOS technologies.

With Sketch, you get all the things you’d expect from a great Mac app — from a native UI with dark mode support, to custom shortcuts and great integration with Apple’s hardware.

Whether you’re a complete beginner or a long-time Mac user, Sketch feels instantly familiar. Controls and tools work just the way you’d expect them to, making it easy to turn your ideas into fully-polished designs and prototypes.

When you’re working with others, you can save designs to Sketch’s Cloud platform and share them with a link. Collaborators and teammates can view them and leave feedback in any web browser, on any platform. Developers can even inspect files and download production-ready assets when it’s time for handoff, all at no extra cost.

Sketch have some exciting updates coming up too — with an all-new UI for macOS Big Sur and real-time collaboration with other designers, right inside the Mac app. And with a 30-day free trial to get you started, there’s never been a better time to check it out.

Our thanks to Sketch for sponsoring MacStories this week.

MacStories Unwind: The All-New iPad Air, Halide Mark II, Reeder 5, and Creative Pro Apps

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Sponsored by: SaneBox – Organize Your Inbox (and Never Waste Time on Email Again) With SaneBox

This week on MacStories Unwind:

MacStories

Club MacStories

  • MacStories Weekly
    • MacStories Favorite: Keep
    • A collection of technologies that will shape the future of Apple’s products
    • Ryan’s system for setting up a new iPhone
    • Lots of new and updated apps and more

AppStories

Unwind