John Voorhees:

So, what do you do if you’re in a shared library and want to join a different one? There’s a button in the Photos section of Settings to leave a library, so you can do so with one tap, saving all of the photos in the shared library to your personal library or keeping just those you originally contributed to the shared pool.

[…]

However, it was clear by this point that it was going to take hours, not minutes, to process 25,000 photos. Still, after only a half hour or so, several thousand photos had already been moved to the new library.

[…]

What I like most about the setup process is that it’s not a black box. Instead of flipping a toggle and hoping for the best, the multi-step process explains what will happen simply and thoroughly, building the user’s trust by explaining every option and the consequences of each. That’s critical when it comes to something as precious as your family photos. So, overall, the iCloud Shared Photo Library setup gets two enthusiastic thumbs-up from me. Every team at Apple that’s designing an onboarding process should look to this flow as one of the best on the company’s platforms.

Tim Hardwick:

However, in a footnote at the bottom of its iPhone 14 press release, Apple says “iCloud Shared Photo Library will be available in a future software update.” It therefore looks like the new Photos iCloud feature will not make it to the first official version of iOS 16.

Previously:

• iCloud Shared Photo Library

USB4 Version 2.0 is in the works and when launched, it will allow for double the speeds of the current USB4 specification with existing USB-C cables. It will support up to 80Gb/s operation with both 40Gb/s USB-C passive cables and newly defined 80Gb/s active cables.


The updated specification was announced today by the USB Promoter Group, comprising Apple, Microsoft, Intel, HP, STM, and others. USB Type-C and USB Power Delivery specifications will be updated to enable the higher level of data performance, and updates are being made to enable higher performance USB 3.2, DisplayPort, and PCIe data tunneling to better take advantage of the bandwidth improvement.

As outlined in the announcement, the updated USB4 specification will include the following:

• Up to 80 Gbps operation, based on a new physical layer architecture, using existing 40 Gbps USB Type-C passive cables and newly-defined 80 Gbps USB Type-C active cables.


• Updates to data and display protocols to better use the increase in available bandwidth.


• USB data architecture updates now enable USB 3.2 data tunneling to exceed 20 Gbps.


• Updated to align with the latest versions of the DisplayPort and PCIe specifications.


• Backward compatibility with USB4 Version 1.0, USB 3.2, USB 2.0 and Thunderbolt 3.

The USB Promoter Group says that the updated specifications are expected to be published ahead of the USB DevDays developer events that are planned for November. The update is targeting developers at this time, with branding and marketing guidelines to be updated at a future date to include USB 80Gb/s for identifying certified products and cables.
This article, "USB4 Version 2.0 to Offer 80Gb/s Transfer Speeds" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Ryobi has come out with 3 new fast chargers for their 18V One+ cordless power tool system.

Each of the new chargers features a 4A charging rate, which Ryobi says doubles the speed of their standard 18V One+ charger.

There are 3 new chargers – a single-battery charger (PCG004), a dual-port charger (PCG005), and a 6-port charger (PCG006).

The chargers can recharge a Ryobi 18V High Performance 2Ah battery in less than 30 minutes.

The dual-port charger is a simultaneous charger that can recharge (2) Ryobi 18V One+ batteries at the same time.

The new 6-port (sequential) charger is said to be 30% faster than Ryobi’s P135 charger.

All of the chargers are described as being wall-mountable, and they can of course also be used on a benchtop or other flat surface.

The 6-port charger also features a carrying handle and USB-A charging port with 2A max output.

Pricing & Availability

Single Battery Charger (PCG004): $50
Dual-Port Charger (PCG005): $79
6-Port Charger (PCG006): $99

The new chargers are expected to launch in October, 2022.

Discussion

Higher performance battery chargers? Sounds good. Not everyone is going to want to upgrade to a faster Ryobi charger, but it’s great to have the option.

Is this their first dual-port charger? It’s also a simultaneous charger, and at a considerably lower price point than having to buy two of the single battery chargers.

The 6-port charger is an upgrade over Ryobi’s existing 6-port Supercharger, which launched 6 years ago.

All of the new chargers cost more than Ryobi’s existing standard-rate chargers – $5 more for the single battery charger, and $20 more for the 6-port charger. The dual-port charger is new.

In my opinion, the simultaneous dual-port charger is the star of the show here, but the single and 6-port chargers are also welcome additions to Ryobi’s 18V system.

This week, MinIO has claimed Nutanix Objects may be in violation of source licenses relating to Apache v2 and AGPL v3. MinIO is the creator of MinIO Object Storage, an open-source object storage platform made with community collaboration that gives users the freedom to innovate and improve. Open source licenses provide information on where the software originates and keeps it secure through transparency. It also guarantees basic freedom of use and distribution. This week, MinIO has claimed Nutanix Objects may be in violation of source licenses relating to Apache v2 and

Read the whole story

Apple:

Bugs are an inevitable part of the development process. Though they can be frustrating to bump up against, you can help squash these sorts of problems quickly by identifying the issue you’re running into, reproducing it, and filing a bug report through Apple’s Feedback Assistant.

[…]

You should always file feedback for any bugs you find while developing for Apple platforms; after all, we can’t fix problems we don’t know about. But how can you be sure that the information you provide is helpful for triaging the issue, rather than a bug-solving dead end? Here are our top tips for making sure your bug report is clear, actionable, and — most importantly — fixable.

Casey Liss (tweet, Hacker News):

Very quickly upon getting to work on my new computer, I realized that things weren’t working properly on this new machine. After some research, it appeared that some aspects of the Vision Framework were not available on Apple Silicon based Macs.

[…]

In the roughly 225 days since I filed that feedback, I received precisely zero… well… feedback.

[…]

I didn’t expect much to come of this [WWDC] lab[…]

[…]

Having my problem worked around, in the span of five minutes, with a single-line code change is both delightful and incredibly frustrating.

Frustrating because he took the time to file a good bug report with no response, frustrating because labs are only available once a year and not everyone can get in to one, frustrating because Apple was already aware of the bug but had neither fixed it nor documented the workaround.

Previously:

• Getting Feedback to Apple
• The Sad State of Logging Bugs for Apple
• Reporting Bugs as External Developers
• File Radars Early and Often

European Parliament (via Hacker News):

By autumn 2024, USB Type-C will become the common charging port for all mobile phones, tablets and cameras in the EU, Parliament and Council negotiators agreed today.

[…]

Under the new rules, consumers will no longer need a different charging device and cable every time they purchase a new device, and can use one single charger for all of their small and medium-sized portable electronic devices. Mobile phones, tablets, e-readers, earbuds, digital cameras, headphones and headsets, handheld videogame consoles and portable speakers that are rechargeable via a wired cable will have to be equipped with a USB Type-C port, regardless of their manufacturer.

Jon Porter:

The single biggest impact of this legislation is likely to land on Apple’s iPhone. While the rest of the smartphone industry has gradually converged around USB-C as a single, standardized wired charging port, Apple has steadfastly stuck with Lightning, the proprietary connector it introduced with the iPhone 5 way back in 2012. The EU’s legislation could finally force it to move on.

The EU’s rules are just a provisional agreement for now and will need to be approved by both the European Council and European Parliament before they become official. That’s expected to happen after summer recess, which ends on September 1st.

Rosyna Keller:

Of course, even with such mandates, Type C would still have the same major flaw Type B, Mini USB, and Micro USB all suffer from: the “male” connector is on the device, not the cable, and that tiny little part can break of or become misaligned, requiring port replacement.

I’m less worried about that than I used to be because I now use primarily wireless charging. I’m more likely to use a cable when travelling, and that’s when it’s frustrating to need separate cables for Lightning. With newer iPads using USB-C, too, Lightning is not even ubiquitous among Apple devices.

Chance Miller:

Now, a group of senators in the United States is looking to follow suit, calling on the US Commerce Department to adopt a similar policy to address the “lack of interoperability standards for charging and other device accessories.”

[…]

According to the senators, proprietary charging standards such as Apple’s Lightning port are an example of “planned obsolescence” that is “expensive and frustrating for consumers, and drives the proliferation of electronic waste.”

I don’t think it’s “planned obsolescence.” Switching now would generate more waste in the short term, as customers discard their Lightning stuff. Maybe it would reduce waste in the long term, though it’s not clear to me how these proposals address the long term, i.e. how we will ever move beyond USB-C after it’s been mandated.

Juli Clover:

The next-generation AirPods Pro could come with a long list of new features that include heart rate detection, the ability to function as a hearing aid, and a USB-C port according to a report from 52Audio.

Granted, I think a USB-C AirPods case has been rumored ever since the first version.

Previously:

• Proposed EU DMA: USB-C, Messaging, NFC
• How and Why Would Apple Kill the iPhone’s Lightning Port
• Lightning or USB-C on the New iPhones?