#409 -  AR Glasses are ALMOST here

This week: Apple’s AR glasses are about to be announced! At least according to one very reliable analyst…. we discuss. Plus: Mac OS Catalina is out, but you probably shouldn’t install it—we'll tell you why. And Final Cut Pro just got a massively faster in a new update, and a long awaited iOS 13 feature FINALLY goes live.

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On the show this week

@erfon / @lkahney / @lewiswallace

This week's story links

macOS Catalina is out with new apps, Apple Arcade, Sidecar and more

• Apple’s big update for Macs, macOS Catalina, is finally out today bringing with it a host of new features, apps, privacy improvements, and much more.
• But if you have lots of Adobe plugins, or older apps that aren't 64-bit, you should hold off.

Apple’s first AR glasses could arrive in second quarter of 2020

• Kuo reports in a note to investors, seen by MacRumors, that Apple’s first AR glasses will enter mass-production as soon as the fourth quarter of this year. They could arrive in early 2020.
• The device will be marketed as an iPhone accessory, and will rely on an Apple handset for computing, networking, and the sensors required for augmented reality.

Apple Prime? Giant bundle of entertainment services under consideration

• Currently, its biggest fans have to sign up separately for Apple Music ($9.99 a month), Apple TV+ ($4.99 a month), Apple News+ ($9.99 a month) and Apple Arcade ($4.99 a month). A bundle would allow people to get all of these as a single subscription — presumably at a lower cost.
• Apple is reportedly mulling offering all its entertainment services in one giant bundle as a sort of “Apple Prime.” If true, then a single subscription would include the company’s music, video, and gaming services
• It’s that last part that’s supposedly the sticking point with people in the music industry, according to Financial Times. These executives are concerned that reducing the amount subscribers pay would mean less money going to music producers.

Final Cut Pro X gets new Metal engine for big performance boost

• The latest version of Final Cut Pro X is out now with a new Metal engine that promises a big performance boost. It also make optimizations for the all-new Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR.
• Apple also brought the same Metal engine to Motion and Compressor, too.
• The new Metal engine in Final Cut Pro 10.4.7 improves playback and accelerates graphics tasks like rendering, real-time effects, and exporting on compatible machines.
• Apple says you will enjoy performance that is up to 20% faster on the newest 15-inch MacBook Pro, and 35% faster on the iMac Pro. And that’s not all you get in this update.
• Sidecar support lets you extend Final Cut Pro X onto an iPad in macOS Catalina. You can then use the second screen, connected wired or wirelessly, as the browser or viewer, Apple says.
• You can now also select which internal or external GPU is used to accelerate graphics processing.

Spotify update brings Siri support in iOS 13, new Apple TV app

• One of the many changes and new features in iOS 13 is a SiriKit API that lets third-party music streaming services take advantage of Apple’s virtual assistant for the first time.
• Well this week the Spotify update we’ve been waiting for since the launch of iOS 13 has landed. The latest version of the app finally adds Siri support, so you can ask the virtual assistant to play artists, tracks, and more.
• You can ask Siri to play artists, albums, tracks, and playlists after updating to the latest version of the app. Simply remember to add “with Spotify” to the end of your Siri requests.