A short time ago, Apple announced that it will hold an event on September 9, 2024, at 10 AM Pacific time with the tagline “It’s Glowtime.” Glowtime is likely a reference to the new capabilities coming to Siri with the updates coming to the company’s OSes. If history is any indication, in addition to a recap of changes to Apple’s OSes, we’ll also see new iPhones and revised Apple Watches. Rumors point to new AirPods too.
Insta360 has had a busy week. Earlier this spring, the company released the X4, an advanced 360º action camera, which became available at Apple.com for the first time last week. Then this week, the company released the Insta360 Flow Pro, an AI-powered gimbal for smartphones, including the iPhone. I haven’t had a chance to try either gadget yet, but both caught my eye for different reasons.
First, the Insta360 reminds me of the company’s One X2 that I reviewed a few years ago. As action cameras go, that was a great little device that took excellent video and photos for something so compact.
Source: Insta360.
Three years later, the Insta360 X4 goes much further. The candy bar-shaped camera is capable of 8K video at 30 fps and has a 2290mAh battery that Insta360 says lasts for 135 minutes, which is impressive if it bears out in real-world use. The bundle being sold on Apple.com, includes the camera, a lens cover, a carrying case, a 256GB microSD card, a USB-C cable, and the company’s Invisible Selfie Stick accessory. That last item is key because, through the magic of software, it can be removed from any scene you shoot, creating a third-person perspective without needing someone else to operate the camera.
The X4 also features a 2.5” screen that is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass. Plus, it can take 360º photos, capture different cinematic styles of video like slow motion, and be controlled with voice and hand gestures, making it an intriguing choice for solo creators. The X4 is also available on Amazon.
The Insta360 Flow Pro. Source: Insta360.
Smartphone gimbals have come a long way too. I tried a DJI Osmo 2 gimbal years ago, but it was bulky and difficult to calibrate accurately. Insta360’s new Flow Pro looks like it solves a lot of those friction points. The gimbal, which will stabilize video taken with an iPhone or other smartphone using AI, folds up, saving room in your bag. It also doubles as a tripod with a flip-out base that allows you to set it up to film yourself or others nearby tracking you to keep you framed in the scene. For iPhone users, the Flow Pro uses DockKit, the API introduced by Apple in 2023, that coordinates shots with the gimbal stabilizing them and keeping you in the frame. The only other iPhone accessory that I’m aware of that does this is the Belkin Auto-Tracking Stand Pro with DockKit, which is a tabletop or desktop device, not a gimbal. The Flow Pro, which is available on Insta360s’ website, also offers a fast, integrated pairing process for iPhone users.
It’s summer, which means I and a lot of others will be traveling, and both of these devices strike me as compelling travel companions. The X4 offers high-resolution video, 360º images, and a plethora of cool software tricks for creating unique videos. Meanwhile, the Flow Pro is the kind of accessory that allows you to take the camera you always have with you and use it in new and creative ways, extending its utility. I’m hoping to get a chance to test one or both devices later this summer and will report back.
Live Multicam, which allows users to record multiple streams of iPhone video using the new Final Cut Camera app;
support for creating and editing projects on external storage;
camera setting controls like ISO and shutter speed; and
new color grading presets, backgrounds, soundtracks, title styles, and more.
Final Cut Camera.
Final Cut Camera is available to download for free on the App Store and can be used standalone to record video or in conjunction with the iPad’s Live Multicam feature. Videos that you record are stored in the app itself but can be exported to Final Cut Pro or shared with other apps via the share sheet.
I received beta versions of both apps just before WWDC, so I only began testing them recently. Based on that early testing, working with a 25GB project stored on an external drive worked well, at least with my 2TB Samsung T9 SSD, which uses USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 for 20Gbps throughput. Final Cut Camera is straightforward to use, too, and I appreciate that it doesn’t dump the videos it records into Photos. However, I haven’t had a chance to test Live Multicam. I only have one iPhone (which is shocking, I know). Plus, I was unable to connect that sole iPhone to Final Cut Pro 2 for the iPad due to what appears to be a bug in either iOS or iPadOS 18.
That said, it’s good to see Apple iterating on the iPad version of Final Cut Pro and adding the iPhone into the mix for capture. My video editing needs are fairly simple, but for $49/year, Final Cut Pro 2 for the iPad strikes me as a good deal for a lot of video creators. As of publication, Final Cut Camera was not appearing on the App Store but should be available soon.
In the wake of the Digital Markets Act, Apple made a couple of worldwide changes to its App Review Guidelines, along with many EU-specific updates. One of the worldwide updates was to allow third-party game streaming services.
Today, Antstream became the first game streaming service to announce that it will launch an app on Apple’s App Store. Antstream is a retro game streaming service with a catalog of over 1,300 videogames. The service, which is available on multiple other platforms in the EU, US, and Brazil, will bring its licensed library of games to the iPhone and iPad next week on June 27th.
Antstream’s catalog covers a wide variety of retro systems, including the Atari 2600, Commodore 64, SNES, Megadrive, PlayStation One, and Arcade classics. Antstream Arcade normally costs $4.99 per month or $39.99 per year but will be available for $3.99 per month or $29.99 per year for a limited time when it launches on the App Store.
I haven’t used Antstream Arcade yet, but I’m looking forward to trying it to see what’s in the catalog and check out how it performs over Wi-Fi.
I’ve been playing around with Kino, a video camera app by Lux, on and off for the past day. That’s not long enough to do a full review, so instead, I got up this morning and headed out for a walk with Kino in tow to see what the default experience is like. The short answer is it’s excellent. Kino is designed to work well out of the box for a novice like me but offers manual controls for someone who needs less hand-holding. It’s similar to Lux’s approach to Halide, the company’s pro camera app, and my early experience with Kino has been just as good as it’s been with Halide.
Kino and Halide share a similar design aesthetic, so if you’ve ever tried Halide, you’ll have no trouble finding your way around Kino’s UI. There’s a record button at the bottom of the screen flanked by a button to access the video you’ve taken, which can be stored in your photo library or in the Files app, and a button for the app’s Instant Grade feature. At the top of the screen are controls for resolution, frame rate, and format presets, as well as a ‘Custom’ option. The top of the screen is where you’ll also see your audio levels and a button for switching between automatic and manual exposure. Just beneath the viewfinder are controls for toggling auto and manual focus, picking your camera lens, and a button for accessing additional controls and the app’s settings.
Like Halide, Kino also comes with a set of guides to get you started, which I haven’t tried yet because they weren’t available in the beta version of the app. However, if they’re anything like Halide’s guides, I expect they’ll be worth checking out if you’re new to shooting video and want to get the most out of Kino.
Some of Kino’s built-in color presets.
The app shoots beautiful video by default. Here’s an example of a short walk through Davidson College’s campus using all default settings, the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s Ultra Wide lens, and no post-processing.
The marquee feature of Kino is its Instant Grade. The app also comes with a collection of built-in color presets that you can preview in the viewfinder, making it easy to find one that fits your needs. The collection that comes with Kino has been created by video experts, including Stu Maschwitz, Sandwich Video, Evan Schneider, Tyler Stalman, and Kevin Ong. But you’re not limited to the presets that come with Kino. You can also import any LUT using the app’s integration with the Files app.
I visited a nearby lake and shot some video with Kino’s default settings enabled, and then tried each of its color presets:
The app also implements something Lux calls AutoMotion, which applies an exposure logic that gives video a cinematic feel. It’s another feature that just works out of the box for novices who don’t want to dig deeper. However, you always have the option to vary from the defaults, adjusting settings manually.
My first-run experience with Kino was great. I didn’t explore the app before heading out the door this morning, yet I had no trouble figuring out the basics and shooting video that looks good with no processing whatsoever. With more practice and some post-processing, I’m sure the results would look even better, but I love how well my video turned out with minimal effort. I’m planning to spend more time with Kino over the summer and look forward to checking out Lux’s guides to improve my video skills.
This week’s “Let Loose” Apple event was filmed on the iPhone and edited on the Mac and iPad. During the event, filmmaker Stu Maschwitz noticed that some scenes featured a shallower depth of field than is possible with the iPhone’s cameras. Although he doesn’t cite a source, Maschwitz says he figured out how Apple got those shots:
“Let Loose” was shot on iPhone 15 Pro Max, and for several shots where a shallow depth-of-field was desired, Panavision lenses were attached to the iPhones using a Panavision-developed mount called the “Lens Relay System.” This rig is publicly available for rent from Panavision today, although not currently listed on their website.
With Panavision’s new system, the iPhone’s own lens captures the areal image created by any Panavision lens you like. The iPhone provides the image capture, in ProRes Apple Log, of course.
In fact, “Let Loose” is the first Apple Event finished and streamed in HDR, pushing the iPhone’s capture abilities even further than “Scary Fast.”
Or think of it this way: Apple confidently intercut footage shot with the most elite cinema lenses available with footage shot with unadorned iPhone lenses.
I appreciate Maschwitz’s perspective on the capabilities of the iPhone’s cameras. Having rewatched this week’s event a couple of nights ago, I would never have suspected it was shot on a mobile phone if I didn’t know to look for the note at the end of the video.
Screens by Edovia is a screen-sharing app that lets you control your computer from another device, and today, version 5.2 is out with an excellent set of updates that improve the app’s performance and usability. However, the biggest change is that Screens now works on the Vision Pro, which is a big deal for anyone managing computers remotely.
I’m a longtime Screens user, but I was initially skeptical about using it with the Vision Pro. How useful or easy-to-use would Screens be when running on the device? The answer is ‘very.’ The Vision Pro version of Screens is a terrific addition to the previously-released iPhone, iPad, and Mac versions, and combined with the other changes in version 5.2, this is a bigger update than the point release might suggest.
In addition, on May 30th, Where Cards Fall, the excellent indie game by The Games Band that was published by Snowman and is already part of Apple Arcade, will be coming to the Vision Pro for the first time.
Source: Apple.
Where Cards Fall is a beautiful game that won an Apple Design Award in 2020. One of the game’s core mechanics is building structures from cards that help you advance from one level to the next, which strikes me as an excellent match for the Vision Pro’s spatial gestures.
Source: Apple.
Return to Monkey Island is getting the Apple Arcade ‘+’ treatment too. As Apple describes it:
Return to Monkey Island+ is an unexpected, thrilling return of series creator Ron Gilbert that follows the legendary adventure games The Secret of Monkey Island and Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge. The game continues the story of Guybrush Threepwood, his zombie pirate nemesis LeChuck, and his true love Elaine Marley. Return to Monkey Island+ is playable across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Players will solve puzzles and explore the islands with a clever evolution of classic point-and-click adventure game controls.
Anyone who grew up in the 90s on The Secret of Monkey Island should enjoy this game a lot. I’m also curious to try Tomb of the Mask+, a retro platformer.
Today, Apple introduced a new Pride collection highlighting LGBTQ+ communities. The collection includes a new Apple Watch Pride Edition Braided Solo Loop, a matching Apple Watch face, and dynamic iPhone and iPad wallpapers. The band goes on sale beginning May 22nd, and the watch face and wallpapers are coming in watchOS 10.5, iOS 17.5, and iPadOS 17.5.
Here’s how Apple describes the new brightly-colored Watch band:
The new Pride Edition Braided Solo Loop evokes the strength and beauty of LGBTQ+ communities with a vibrant, fluorescent design inspired by multiple pride flags, and features a laser-etched lug that reads “PRIDE 2024.” The colors black and brown symbolize Black, Hispanic, and Latin communities, as well as those impacted by HIV/AIDS, while the pink, light blue, and white hues represent transgender and nonbinary individuals.
Source: Apple.
The watch face is called Pride Radiance and, along with the wallpapers, uses dynamic multi-colored neon-style lighting:
Users can choose from a spectrum of colors to personalize their watch face and wallpapers. On Apple Watch, the colors trace each numeral of the watch face and react in real time as the user moves their wrist based on input from the gyroscope. On iPhone and iPad, beams of color spell out “Pride” and dynamically move when the user unlocks their device
The new Apple Watch Pride Edition Braided Solo Loop will be sold in retail stores, on apple.com, and via the Apple Store app for $99 on May 22nd in the US and Canada and on May 23rd in other locations.
