Thirteen has been an unlucky number for Apple. Since the summer, Apple's rollout of iOS 13 has been plagued by misstep after misstep as features were pulled from the initial release, showstopping bugs made it out anyway, and countless updates and iterations have been made to get things right. Apple isn't anxious to make the same mistake next year with iOS 14. The company's software chief is overhauling the way Apple test software to make sure it doesn't happen again, according to a new Bloomberg report.
Craig Federighi
Craig Federighi goes into detail about iPadOS, Catalyst, and more in new interview
Craig Federighi is Apple's SVP of Software Engineering, and he had plenty of time on stage at this year's Worldwide Developers Conference keynote to talk about a lot of the new things Apple is launching this year. But now that the keynote is wrapped up, Federighi is making the rounds, discussing those features, and offering up a few more tidbits of information along the way.
Full Fusion Drive compatibility with boot support is coming ‘very soon’ to Apple File System
According to Apple's software engineering head, Craig Federighi, full compatibility with boot support for Mac Fusion Drives is coming soon to Apple File System (APFS).
Apple’s Federighi explains why Face ID is a single-user affair
Face ID permits a single user to register their face, as opposed to Touch ID which supports up to five different fingerprints. Apple's chief of software engineering explains why.
Apple’s Federighi allegedly confirms there will be no Mac event in October
Apple has no plans whatsoever to hold a media event this month to introduce new products or update existing ones, shooting down speculation that the company might be holding a Mac-centric product event in October as it did in years past.
3D Touch app switching gesture to return soon to iOS 11, says Apple
With iOS 11, Apple has inexplicably removed the popular app-switching gesture that was available on iPhones with 3D Touch. Fortunately, it's just temporary because Apple's reportedly confirmed bringing that tremendously useful feature back with a future iOS 11.x update.
Apple has considered Apple Watch-like Nightstand mode for iPhone X
Apple has allegedly considered an Apple Watch-like Nightstand mode for iPhone X, according to a purported response to an email from MacRumors reader Zain.
Apple dispatches Craig Federighi to dispel Face ID worries
Craig Federighi, Apple's chief of software engineering, discussed Face ID in a telephone interview Friday with TechCrunch's Matthew Panzarino.
Folks who clean demo units threw off Face ID during iPhone X keynote
Prominent Apple blogger John Gruber says that “white glove folks who clean every demo unit” botched Craig Federighi's onstage demo of Face ID during Tuesday's iPhone X keynote.
Apple’s software chief Craig Federighi takes over Siri development from Eddy Cue
Apple has officially moved Siri development leadership from Eddy Cue, its Senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services, to Craig Federighi, who is the company's Senior Vice President of Software Engineering.
Apple introduces macOS High Sierra
Apple's Senior Vice President of Software Engineering Craig Federighi has taken the stage at Apple's WWDC keynote to introduce the next major version of macOS. They're calling it macOS High Sierra.
Think of this like a Mountain Lion-style update—Craig said "we wanted to spend this year perfecting Sierra." There have been several improvements made, but it doesn't sound like much in terms of new features.
“macOS High Sierra delivers important forward-looking technologies and new opportunities for developers wanting to tap into the power of machine learning and create immersive VR content on the Mac,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “The core technology innovations in macOS High Sierra, combined with our advances in hardware, will continue to push the Mac forward in exciting new ways.”
Among those new ways is a faster Safari. Craig says Safari in High Sierra is the "fastest browser in the world." It also has a few new features like blocking AutoPlay videos and something called 'Intelligent Tracking Prevention,' which uses machine learning to protect your privacy from sites/ads that want to track you.
There is also Mail enhancements, a new file system—Apple File System replaces HFS, improvements to the Photos app, enhanced 4K support, and Metal 2 for better graphics performance. An important note: Metal 2 supports external graphics, which opens up the door for Virtual Reality content creation.
Other new features:
Safari can automatically use Reader to open articles in a clean, uncluttered format, while Autoplay Blocking stops media with audio from automatically playing in the browser. Mail search gets faster and easier with Top Hits, which puts the most relevant results at the top of a user’s message list. Siri on the Mac responds with a natural and more expressive voice, and when using Apple Music, it learns music preferences, creates custom playlists and answers music trivia. Notes adds simple tables, where a user can type in cells, make edits and move rows and columns. Spotlight provides flight status information, including departure and arrival times, delays, gates, terminals and even a map of the flight path. iCloud File Sharing lets users share any file stored in iCloud Drive and collaborate with other people.macOS High Sierra is available in developer beta form today, and will be released to the public this fall.
Apple is “sorry” about “a pause” in Mac upgrades
A quick look at MacRumors' Buyers Guide is all it takes to realize Apple's neglected its Mac fans with slow upgrades. Part of the problem lies in Apple's heavy reliance on Intel. Making matters worse, the chip maker abandoned its tick-tock release schedule as it's become economically unsustainable.
Perhaps that's why Apple summoned its senior executives Phil Schiller, Craig Federighi and John Ternus for “a small roundtable discussion about Mac” with five journalists (Matthew Panzarino, Lance Ulanoff, Ina Fried, John Paczkowski and John Gruber).