iPad Productivity at Uni

I think a lot about productivity, and how to be more efficient when working. The most prominent challenge for me relates to University work. I've always found it easier to achieve "deeper work" (more extended, uninterrupted periods of working time) when working on side projects than when doing things for Uni. This will be a short post, but I'm writing it here as opposed to on Twitter because Twitter dot com doesn't need another Tweetstorm.

I'm in an arguably lousy habit of working on side projects while at Uni. It begins when I pull my laptop out on the bus, start working on something, and then continue that when I get to Uni. Sometimes this means spending the first few minutes of a class wrapping up said work. Later, during the next break between classes, I'll continue. Procrastiworking (doing productive work that just isn't the work you should be doing at present) isn't inherently bad; however, it does mean I'm not working on Uni work at Uni outside of time in class. I tend to do most of my Uni work at home, and I get it all done there without issue, so I guess I'm trying to complete more while at Uni.

In a hypothetical world where I only take an iPad to Uni (as opposed to the MacBook Pro I carry now), I would probably be able to complete about 80% of the work I need to. The remainder (subjects involving programming assignments) would have to be done at home, but seeing as though I already do most of my Uni work at home that would be fine. I could take notes with an Apple Pencil, access all of my folders and documents through the OneDrive (or Files) app, and browse the Internet to conduct research. iOS on the iPad has come a long way recently and is certainly up for the challenge.

In this hypothetical world, I can see things going one of two ways. Either the iPad helps with focus at Uni, or it doesn't. Sounds obvious, right? There's no decent IDE for me to open and start working on a project with, so in theory, I'd have to do Uni work. This would also apply to time on the bus. If I pulled out my computer - in this case, an iPad - the only productive tasks I could complete would be work for Uni. The second possible outcome is that I just find another way to be distracted. More Twitter perhaps? Goodness knows I need less of that in my life. If the latter proved to be correct, it would be a net loss of productivity. There would be no procrastiworking, but no additional "real work" completed either.

No conclusion has been reached here. It was just a fun little thought experiment on my last day of classes for the year. I almost certainly won't buy an iPad for Uni, but it's fun to think about different ways of working.

Even the act of writing this was a form of procrastiworking between classes. Bring on exams. 🙃

Petty 1.1

Today, the first major update to Petty (v1.1) goes live today on both the App Store and Google Play Store. It introduces a search feature - you can now search for any station in NSW, view its price list, and get directions. There's also a new Today Widget, and Apple Watch app for iOS users. The update also intentionally coincides with the public release of iOS 11, as it adopts some of the new iOS 11 design trends. Mainly the large title/navigation bars.

I was reluctant to adopt the new navigation bars, as I'm not a fan of the look, but after seeing iPhone X and how they blend in on that display, I became more convinced it's the right choice. It's also just a good general rule to follow the design patterns of the platform you're designing for.

Search, it's here! Ideally, this would've made it into v1.0, but I ran out of time. It can't be more straightforward to use. There's a search bar up the top of the app on iOS, or a search button on Android. Use it to search for petrol stations in NSW. Analyse the results to your heart's content.

If you're a widget person, there's now one for you on iOS. Petrol prices, they're everywhere. Why not, right? You can access the expanded version from Notification Centre, which shows you the closest station and its full price list. The smaller version, which can be accessed by 3D Touch-ing the Petty app icon on your home screen, just shows you the closest station, its distance, and address. There's no room for a price list there.

Do you wear a shiny computer on your wrist? If so, this update is for you. Petty now has an Apple Watch app. It will show you the nearest station, its distance, and its address. You also get the option to view the station on a map. That is all. I can't label the station, give it any other metadata, nor can you interact with the map. If you want directions, you'll be booted to the Maps app on the Watch. Unfortunately, that is a current limitation of showing maps on the Apple Watch. Hopefully, it changes in the future. This feature may be especially useful if you've got, or are getting, a fancy new Apple Watch with a red circle on the crown. If you do, that means you've got a watch with a cellular connection. You don't even need your phone to find petrol - how cool is that? It's almost as though I preempted the lack of need to carry your phone around while driving and running errands. I am, however, definitely overestimating how keen you are to know petrol prices. Moving on.

Actually, there's nothing to move on to. That's it for this update. I hope you like it. There will be more to come in the future. Let me know what you think.

Like the look of Petty? Download it here for free.

If you're a fan, maybe tell your friends, and then drop a 5-star review for Petty on the App Store and Google Play, it's appreciated. For more updates, you can follow me on Twitter - @zachsimone - where I'll sometimes post previews and sneak peeks.

HealthFace 2.0 Overview

This week's update to HealthFace is the first since May. On the same day that the last update hit the App Store, I had a Twitter exchange with the developer, Quentin. As a result of this exchange, I became a regular user of the app.

The new views in HealthFace 2.0 for data entry and extension customisation

HealthFace is a health app for iPhone and Apple Watch. Version 1.0 was all about displaying data from Apple's Health app on the watch face of an Apple Watch via the complications feature. Version 2.0 came out earlier this week and turned the app into so much more. It's now my go-to app for inputting data into the Health database on my phone. Manually inputting data through the Health interface is clunky and unpleasant. HealthFace solves this.

The new Apple Watch input feature 

My use of HealthFace begun by setting up a complication on the face of my Apple Watch to display a 7-day average of my Blood Glucose level. To this day, I have the same complication in the same spot on the same watch face on my Apple Watch. Around the same time, I began saving every BGL reading taken into the Health app on my iPhone. I have type 1 diabetes, and this information is useful at a glance to learn how well I've controlled my blood sugar for the last week. If HealthFace just offered custom complications, that would make it a good enough app to keep around. Over the last few months, I've excitedly watched it transform into something that takes it from a niche app and turns it into something for everyone - with or without an Apple Watch.

Using the Today Widget is a quick way to input data

Everyone has a health metric they need to track. For some, it's blood pressure, or volume of water consumed. For others, it's simply daily weight measurements. By keeping on top of these metrics, it keeps them front of mind, and can subconsciously encourage better habits. Every iPhone ships with the Health app which can serve as a fantastic collection of all kinds of health data. If there's a health-related metric you want to keep on top of, there's an excellent chance you can record that data in the Health app. HealthFace 2.0 enables easy entry of this data into your health database. You can enter it from the main iOS app, from a widget on iOS (meaning you can enter data when your phone is locked), and on the Apple Watch. I use all three methods depending on the situation I'm in, but I find input via Apple Watch particularly useful.

The input interface is unique yet intuitive 

Above is an example of the custom input mechanism built into the iOS app. There's a stepper to increment the value, and also a touchpad which can be used to "slide" the values. It's faster and more intuitive than using the Health app to save data.

The app is fully customisable. You can choose types of data and set them as "favourites." These favourites then appear across the iOS app, widget, and watch app, or you can choose different types of data for each app extension. e.g. Blood glucose and blood pressure on the widget, but water intake and body temperature on the Apple Watch. Everything Quentin's added to this update aids the goal of quickly adding data to health.

Interestingly enough, the "Complications" tab - which used to be shown on the first launch - is in the fourth spot as of v2.0. This illustrates the focus of the app has changed with this update, emphasising the other features of the app.

New icons!

As a nice bonus, there are some new custom app icons. HealthFace is no longer an app for just people with an Apple Watch. It's an app for everyone with an iPhone. It's available on the App Store for A$2.99 (US$1.99).

Apple Lays the Groundwork for Apple Watch That Monitors Blood Glucose

I've previously written about the significance of non-intrusive glucose monitoring, and what that would mean for both diabetics and non-diabetics. It's rumoured that Apple is working on it, and will likely tie it into a future model of the Apple Watch. Unsurprisingly, the Apple Special Event yesterday morning came and went with no mention of blood glucose monitoring in the new Apple Watch Series 3, which means it's at least a year away, if not two.

I couldn't help but notice that at WWDC this year there were many nods towards insulin delivery and blood glucose level tracking in the Apple Health app. It was even mentioned in the "What's New in Health" session.

Apple mention diabetes yet again. Tell me they aren't making a glucose monitor. #WWDC #T1D pic.twitter.com/oq1UEQYUuW

— Zach (@zachsimone) June 7, 2017

This shows, at the very least, diabetes management is something Apple is interested in. During the Apple Watch section of the presentation yesterday, Apple played a "Dear Apple" video highlighting many different ways in which Apple Watch has enabled its wearers to lead healthier lifestyles. You can watch the full video on YouTube.

I was particularly interested to see that the father of a young girl with diabetes was one of the narrators of the video. Around 90 seconds into the video, we hear this man read part of his letter aloud. He says, "Dear Mr Cook, our daughter was recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes." He continues 19 seconds later, "The integration of her glucose monitor with the Apple Watch lets us make sure her blood sugars don't go to dangerously low levels."

A few moments later, Jeff Williams took the stage to announce an improved heart rate monitoring app in watchOS 4. The new version of this app wasn't in any of the betas, so it came as a surprise. This app gives more detail and new measurements such as resting, and post-workout recovery heart rates. This kind of fundamental analysis makes the heart rate monitor on the Apple Watch more useful to more people, as you no longer need to rely on third-party apps to analyse the data. It's also useful coming from Apple as they're able to do more than third-party developers used to be - such as keeping the heart rate sensor on for a few minutes after a workout to get an accurate indication of a wearers recovery heart rate. They're also providing a complication to show the latest heart rate data, as well as offering notifications for abnormal heart rates. It's an important update, which I have no doubt will save lives.

Notification of abnormal heart rate is prep for glucose monitoring. A glucose monitor needs to notify the user of high/low blood glucose.

— Zach (@zachsimone) September 13, 2017

After thinking about it some more, I realised it's precisely the kind of app you'd need to make if the Apple Watch was to monitor blood glucose. There would be no point to a watch that measured blood glucose without having a way to display that data back to the wearer. Furthermore, for it to be truly useful, it would need to have the ability to send the wearer a notification if their blood glucose reached a level that was either too high or too low. In the middle of the night, this could prevent a person with diabetes from having hypoglycaemia. The features added to the heart rate app translate almost perfectly into what I'd expect an app for blood glucose monitoring from Apple would do. It feels like they're laying the groundwork for something else here.

Of course, nothing is certain until it gets announced. Every "rumour" that Apple is working on an Apple Watch with blood glucose monitoring could be false. However, based on what they've said and done lately, and the direction they seem to be headed in, I'd say that's unlikely. When blood glucose monitoring does come to the Apple Watch, it'll be reassuring to know that Apple has thought long and hard about it, and is ready to offer a feature that could be life changing for so many people. I'm excited for technology like this to exist, from Apple or otherwise, and if having to wait means the product is reliable when it comes, I'm happy to wait.

No, I will not stop talking about non-invasive BGL monitoring until it's a thing. Goodnight. 🙂

— Zach (@zachsimone) September 13, 2017

Pride.codes

If you've visited the main page of my site in the last week or so, you would've noticed a new banner in the top right-hand corner.

This clean, simple "Vote Yes" banner was designed and developed by Pat Murray and Jack Skinner, and is part of many banners available for website owners to implement, as a part of their Pride.codes project.

As Australians begin to receive their voting forms for the same-sex marriage survey, these banners are a nice way to show support for the LGBTQI+ community.

Some further examples include the front page of The Sizzle, Jake Araullo's site, and Pat's site.

The project is open source, and you can contribute on GitHub should you wish, or follow the Twitter account for updates.

If you're able, and would like to show your support, I'd encourage you to check out pride.codes, and add a banner to your site too.

Updating Your App for the iPhone 8 Navigation Bar

At their special event this morning, Apple announced iPhone X. This is the first iPhone without a rectangular screen, and it presents a variety of new design challenges. On cue, Apple has updated their Human Interface Guidelines.

There are a few things worth noting about iPhone X:

• Screen resolution: 2436px × 1125px (812pt × 375pt @3x)
• Status bar height: 44 points (until now, it's been 20 points)
• Status bar + large titled nav bar: 140 points
• Status bar + small titled nav bar: 88 points
• Which leaves you with 672 points for your app content when there's a large navigation bar, and
• 724 points of vertical space with a smaller navigation bar.

It also has a "notch" which gets in the way of the status bar, seen below.

Source: https://developer.apple.com/ios/human-interface-guidelines/overview/iphone-x/

Despite the larger screen, iPhone X doesn't use @4x scaling.

iPhone X display has 375 * 812 pt @ 3x. Unlike the Plus, that's the native resolution, so no more downscaling. pic.twitter.com/rHy98CqZpv

— Ortwin Gentz (@ortwingentz) September 12, 2017

There are a few things you can do to accommodate the notch in your app.

• Use a solid background colour for the status and navigation bars. This way, your UI "extends" up behind the status bar, and you don't have to worry about custom UI for all of the different possible navigation bar heights and sizes.
• If your app hides the status bar, reconsider that on this phone. The status bar will always be visible (except when displaying full-screen media). The area surrounding the notch isn't useful for much else, and I think users will come to expect visible status indicators.
• Adopt large title navigation bars in your app. Large titles were introduced in iOS 11, and give extra height to the navigation bar, while bolding the title, and moving it below the navigation button items. When the content below scrolls, say in a table view, this navigation bar "folds" up and the title is placed back in the middle of a standard-sized navigation bar. Using large navigation titles gives a clear indication to the user as to where they are in the app, and with the extended height of the iPhone X, vertical screen real estate isn't so much of a premium anymore.

To convert an existing navigation bar to one with large titles requires only one line of code: self.navigationController?.navigationBar.prefersLargeTitles = true

Source: https://developer.apple.com/ios/human-interface-guidelines/bars/navigation-bars/

If you're already using size classes, and haven't hard-coded your app's UI, then your app should scale nicely on an iPhone X screen. The iPhone X screen is 375 points wide, which is the same width we've been used to for three years since the introduction of the iPhone 6. The main difference here is the vertical height, which most UI's should be able to adapt to with ease.

Introducing Petty

About Petty

Introducing Petty. Petty is a mobile app to help NSW drivers find the closest petrol nearby. Available on iOS and Android, Petty is great for when you're in an unfamiliar area, or when you just want to check the price of petrol at the local service station up the road.

I should state upfront that Petty is only available to download in Australia 🇦🇺, and is only of use to those in the state of New South Wales.

Why Petty

Petty stands out by using the most accurate data, collected by the NSW government, and updated in real time as stations around the state change prices at the pump. Who needs unreliable crowdsourced data that's only updated every fortnight anyway?! It's also available on both major mobile OS platforms.

Features

• Sort by price and distance
• Set preferred type of petrol
• View the location of each station on a map
• Directions to each station through the Maps app
• Available on both iOS and Android
• A clean, modern design.

The ACCC estimates drivers who time their purchases of petrol and choose to buy from the lowest priced retailer can save $10 to $15 per 60-litre tank. (news.com.au, 2017) Petty can help with this, by always keeping you in the loop with up to the minute petrol prices.

Price (or lack thereof)

Petty is free to download, with a single in-app purchase that removes all advertisements and unlocks "premium" mode - meaning Petty will then remember your preferences for sorting by price/distance as well as your preferred petrol type. The iOS version also has an optional tip jar, because that's what the cool kids are doing these days. In the future, I plan to add more premium-only features.

Why ads

Ads aren't exactly great. I don't like ads, and you almost certainly don't like them either. In an ideal world, Petty would be free to download without ads, and hopefully premium mode would be enough to make a small amount of money. It's a side project, and any small amount is nice (I have put quite a bit of time into this), but I don't need it to make money. The simple reason why it has ads is that accessing the price dataset costs me. While I can afford to not make money off of Petty, I can't afford to lose money. If you dislike ads, premium mode will get rid of them. I hope that's a fair solution.

Android version

Petty begun as a iOS project mainly because I wanted to see just how good (or not so good) the NSW government was at providing a data set for devs, and I'm familiar with iOS development. It turns out, the dataset isn't half bad, and is incredibly accurate. The iOS app was probably about 80% complete when I decided to develop Petty for Android. Having never developed an Android app before, it was an interesting challenge and good learning experience. In hindsight, this would've been the perfect project to build with React Native, had the iOS version not been so far along. So between long weeks at work and Uni, the Android version was mostly built on my train rides to and from. Before you ask, it's written in Java and not Kotlin. The Android version isn't perfect and doesn't have the same level of polish as the iOS app, but for my first Android project, I'm pretty happy with how it's turned out.

Petty is the type of app that I could keep adding features to, and I have a pretty good list of ideas (thanks in no small part to the awesome group of beta testers). Now that 1.0 is out the door, you can expect to see updates rolling out over time with new features and additions.

Like the look of Petty? Download it here for free.

Want to get in touch? Reach me on Twitter, or shoot me an email.

Jeff Jarvis at the Launch of the UTS Centre for Media Transition

Last night I had the privilege of listening to Professor Jeff Jarvis - author, blogger, podcaster, advisor, and public speaker - talk at the launch of the UTS Centre for Media Transition.

Professor Jarvis gave insights into the future of media, beginning with the issue of fake news. He noted that it's less of an issue in Australia, but it was interesting to hear his take. Journalists need to be trusted by the public, he argued, and people should want to go to journalists for news.

He also spoke about business models saying, "There is no God-given right to make the money we used to." Jeff acknowledged the changing landscape making the point that media isn't so "mass" these days, and new, more niche journalism needs to reward value, not reach. One of the points he raised was that journalism needs to go to where the people are, even if that means making memes to get messages across.

Jeff briefly touched on the success of the likes of Facebook and Twitter, saying they won because they took risks and offered advertisers what journalists didn't - information about the audience.

It's no wonder Jeff is so well respected in the industry. He spoke well and was able to offer deep insights on a topic that he's knowledgable about. Sitting there, I was wondering if it's Jeff's background in technology journalism that helps him identify these issues, and see changes that need to be made. It's too easy to get stuck in our ways, but if industries don't move forward with the dramatic changes brought about by technology in mind, they may cease to have a place in the market.

Thanks to UTS for inviting such a great guest to launch the Centre for Media Transition. Everyone in the room walked away with something to think about thanks to the knowledge Jeff imparted upon us.

WWDC 2017 Keynote Ramblings

Most recent Apple presentations have been relatively fast-paced, but this morning's WWDC Keynote was the most rushed event I remember in a long time. Tim Cook came out and did his usual brushing off of the "Apple updates," other than to say Apple is doing just fine. It was funny the first couple of times he said it on stage, but Apple has now used this joke a few too many times for my liking. Just don't mention the "updates" at all. There were overarching themes of machine learning and privacy throughout the whole keynote, across every product line. The sheer volume of new APIs and features announced means that if you're a WWDC attendee who didn't have any questions for Apple engineers going into the conference, you almost certainly do now. This post doesn't aim to cover all announcements, but just the main things that I found interesting. If any of it is incorrect, I apologise as this mountain of information is still new and will take a while to digest.

It was made known from early on that Apple were presenting six different items to the audience today, with the obvious ones of tvOS, watchOS, macOS, and iOS made known from the beginning.

tvOS

tvOS was brushed over so quickly, all I remember from it is that Amazon content is coming to the Apple TV. They didn't have a lot else to say but did mention there will be more on tvOS later in the year. It's likely there will be a new Apple TV in September, and Apple will talk more about it then.

watchOS

watchOS 4 was up next. I wasn't expecting much from watchOS this year, after last year's massive updates and major rethink of most aspects of the system, from its design to the way you interact with it. It was pleasantly surprising to learn Apple had made some solid improvements to watchOS over the last nine or so months - more than I was expecting, anyway. I'm a fan of the new Siri interface on the watch, based around "cards" that show you relevant information throughout the day, changing depending on your calendar and time of day. This personalised Apple Watch experience contributes to the uniqueness of the device. After all, it is something worn on your wrist for anywhere between 12 and 23 hours a day and should be a representation of the wearer.

It's been clear for a while that the Apple Watch's strengths lie in the health and fitness space, and Apple has only improved that with watchOS 4. When in workout mode, audio controls are no longer only accessible by exiting the Workout app and opening the playback controller. Instead, audio controls are accessible by swiping to the right as another page inside of the Workout app. There's a new High Intensity Interval Training activity type, which is supposed to improve the accuracy of the heart rate tracking for CrossFit type workouts. Up until now, the Apple Watch heart rate monitor hasn't been particularly accurate in these situations, which has an impact on the accuracy of the active energy burnt during a workout according to the watch.

The activity rings for energy, exercise, and stand can become addicting, especially as you try to keep a streak alive. People love to "fill the rings" on their Apple Watch. As of watchOS 4, Apple Watch offers customised daily inspiration, and even an evening encouragement to help you get across the line and achieve the goal. As long term motivation, there are also different monthly challenges. It was mentioned in the keynote that all of the suggested achievements are realistic as they're custom to each wearer, and based on past results.

Health integration with a continuous glucose monitor was mentioned, meaning these devices can sync data directly to HealthKit via Bluetooth. I hope this was a nod towards the heavily-rumoured glucose monitoring in a future model of Apple Watch. As of today, there is no first party sleep tracking. I expect this to come alongside the next update to Apple Watch hardware.

macOS

The next version of macOS was announced at WWDC. It's version 10.13 and is named, "High Sierra." From what I saw on Twitter, most people - myself included - thought this was a joke when Craig Federighi announced it, but once it was repeated a few times by other presenters, we realised he wasn't joking. It's a weird name and will take some getting used to, but ultimately it's just a name and doesn't matter. macOS High Sierra brings the new Apple File System (APFS) to macOS. This is after a very successful rollout to iOS devices earlier this year with the iOS 10.3 update. There weren't many new features announced with High Sierra - it's essentially what OS X Snow Leopard was to Leopard. There were some improvements to the Photos app on macOS. I'm sure they're nice. The Mac is now compatible with virtual reality, something which Apple have been accused of ignoring up until now.

Also announced was a nice set of improvements to Safari. The two big ones were better privacy with Advanced Tracking Prevention, and no more auto playing videos. An example of the former is the situation where you view a product on a site and ads for it follow you around the web. The latter is self-explanatory.

It's also worth noting that there are now iCloud storage family plans available with either 200GB or 1TB of iCloud space. The biggest announcement as far as Macs were concerned was upgraded iMacs, MacBook, and MacBook Pro, as well as a price drop for the entry level iMac and MacBook Pro without Touch Bar. These were all updated to Kaby Lake processes. Apple also previewed an upcoming iMac Pro which comes in Space Grey and is essentially what we'd expect from a new Mac Pro plus a screen. It's worth noting this isn't the new Mac Pro - that's apparently still coming. The iMac Pro is shipping later this year. Oh, and the ancient MacBook Air got a processor speed bump. The more you know.

iOS

As expected, iOS 11 was announced and of the four software platforms received the largest amount of attention and stage time. There's a new design language, and I'm not a fan. The trend seems to be towards large title bars at the top of most table views within an app, which feels weird as if I'm in Messages I don't need a constant reminder of that fact by a big "Messages" header. It's also worth mentioning that signal bars for mobile signal strength have triumphantly returned (they were removed in iOS 7, for signal "dots"), and control centre is customisable. I know plenty of people who will be excited by the ability to add a mobile data toggle to control centre. The design language is certainly different but is an extension of the design changes started in iOS 10. I think there's a lot of refining still to go and won't be surprised if we see subtle changes to the design of iOS 11 right up until release. The card-based UI isn't as prominent throughout the OS as I thought it might be, and for now only looks like only the App Store was redesigned with a card-based design. I might've missed it, but there also doesn't seem to be a UIKit API for card based "popover" views - similar to what Apple have done in the Music app, and what Overcast has done with its "Now Playing" view.

One of my favourite new features is Do Not Disturb while driving. With iOS 11, iPhone uses its smarts to determine when you might be driving and won't show you notifications. It is possible to manually override this setting, say if you are a passenger, but I do hope drivers are sensible enough to leave it enabled. It is beneficial for the safety of everyone on the road. Distracted driving is a major issue, and this is a small way to help that.

Another favourite of mine is that messages now sync via iCloud. Until now, messages have been stored locally on each device, not on iCloud (for longer than about 14 days anyway), and when you set up a new device without a backup, your messages start from scratch. This all changes with iOS 11/macOS 10.13 - messages are stored and synced with iCloud. This means that not only are all your messages there on every new device you set up but because they are stored on iCloud fewer messages need to be stored locally. This will be a huge space-saver for many, especially those with 16GB or 32GB phones. Telegram's done this for as long as I can remember. Messages are always there when you sign into a new device, and they don't take up a lot of local storage because most are stored in the cloud. If Apple implements it half as well as Telegram, this feature will be a success.

Along with the aforementioned card-based redesign, the App Store was improved for developers with enhancements such as phased release/rollout of new app versions and auto-renewal with Apple Pay. I'm a fan of the pace with which changes and improvements have been rolling out to the App Store and iTunes Connect in the last 12 or so months.

The introduction of iOS 11 ended with a bang, with the announcement of ARKit - which brings augmented reality to iPhone/iPad via a developer API. It certainly seems promising, and Tim Cook has previously said he sees AR as the future, so it's good to see Apple addressing this. I don't have a lot to say on this now, but I am excited to see how it's used and what developers come up with in the coming months.

iPad

The next part of the presentation was devoted to iPad. I don't own an iPad but nevertheless was pleased to see Apple address so much time to it. Despite declining sales, they continue to have faith in the iPad as a product. It missed out on any major software update last year, so improvement this year was overdue. With iOS 11, it feels as though the iPad is finally putting on its big boy pants and gaining desktop features that are useful. Drag and drop, the dock (which is now used to switch apps), the ability to run three apps simultaneously, and the Files app are all major improvements that bring the iPad closer in capability to laptop and desktop computers, without the rest of the clunky OS.

They’re underselling 120Hz. It looks like real life.

— Jeff Nadeau (@jnadeau) June 5, 2017

The 12.9" iPad Pro got updated with the new display technology as well, but I get the feeling it isn't selling as well as Apple would like it to. The 10.5" iPad feels like a happy middle ground for Pro users. The cheaper, entry-level 9.7" iPad still exists for casual iOS users, but the 10.5" is the "Pro" workhorse iPad for professionals who want to get work done. I quite like the comment that iPad is for content consumption, but iPad Pro is for content creation. That isn't strictly true, but it's a general rule. At this stage, I could almost do all of my Uni work on an iPad. The hardware is powerful enough, and iOS is finally capable of adequately managing documents and moving data around between apps for this to be possible. The only exception is when I have to use software development IDE's.

HomePod

It's rare to have a WWDC keynote littered with hardware announcements, let alone entirely new products. HomePod is a new smart speaker for the home, with emphasis on the stereo quality. It doesn't feel like a direct competitor to a product such as Google Home. Google Home aims to be a smart assistant, whereas HomePod is first and foremost a fancy way to play Apple Music in the home. Siri is just a nice addition to this device, but not its primary feature. Apple emphasised the tech behind the audio quality, which is supposed to be impressive.

I'd say Beats is alive and well at Apple, but Beats don't sound that good. HomePod seems to have a significant focus on audio quality. #WWDC

— Zach (@zachsimone) June 5, 2017

Let's hope HomePod isn't too bass-heavy.

It is worth noting there is no developer SDK for this product, meaning developers can't (yet, anyway) write apps that run on HomePod. Between this and the fact that it isn't shipping until December, it makes me wonder why Apple introduced it at a developers conference. The only reason that comes to mind is that they wanted to get out ahead of the competition, and perhaps hope to put a stop to sales of competing products while people wait for the release of HomePod. Personally, I probably won't buy one of these. I can see it sitting in the kitchen or living area of a house to play music, podcasts, or audiobooks that multiple people wish to listen to at once, or just for some ambient music when guests are over. In my case, my family has a nice sounding Bose stereo in the kitchen that we can use when we want background noise or music in the house, and we all have access to Siri on our iPhone, so I don't see this as a product that would be useful in our case. Perhaps a second or third generation HomePod might be more compelling. It's an interesting answer to the question, "What can Apple do when phone innovation is slowing?" As a consumer product company, it's wise to make an attractive household accessory that extends the capabilities of Siri outside of the phone, watch and desktop, while also increasing 'lock-in' and the value of the Apple ecosystem. It's yet another device that Apple fans own, and almost certainly guarantees an Apple Music subscription - leading to higher service revenue for the fruit company.

Platforms state of the union

After the Keynote, WWDC attendees go off to lunch and then go back into the conference centre for another presentation called Platforms State of the Union. It's essentially a developer-focused presentation, as the main keynote has a target audience of the general public and members of the press. I'm still getting familiar with everything announced during the State of the Union, but from what I'm familiar with, there's plenty to be excited about:

• Swift 3 and Swift 4 code can be compiled in the same project.
• Wireless debugging, meaning developers no longer need to plug their iPhone or iPad into their Mac via a cable to run, test, and debug their apps.
• Initial impressions of Xcode 9 are that it's fast, and has plenty of features that help speed up the process of writing Swift.
• Refactoring is now a feature of Xcode 9.
• There is now a wider range of compiler warnings which help to help developers write better code. For example, the compiler will warn you if you make a call that updates UI on a background thread.

This is making me want to refactor code for the fun of it. #WWDC

— Zach (@zachsimone) June 5, 2017

There was a lot of information to digest this morning from the WWDC Keynote and State of the Union address. There's plenty I haven't had time to explore yet, but initial impressions are that all of these incremental changes will make day-to-day iOS app development more of a joy for hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of iOS developers worldwide.

The Significance of Non-intrusive Glucose Monitoring

Introduction and overview

A CNBC report from earlier today claims that Apple is working on a new version of the Apple Watch with the aim of enabling the device to non-intrusively monitor blood glucose levels. It's described as the "holy grail for treating diabetes." Currently monitoring glucose levels for Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetics involve multiple "pinpricks" per day with a needle in the finger to draw blood, and have the blood sample read by a small machine. Non-intrusive glucose monitoring would mean these pinpricks would either become unnecessary or required less often, as blood sugar levels could be read through the skin on a watch-like device. I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes nearly 16 years ago, and can conclusively say non-intrusive glucose monitoring would be life changing.

It's not the first time it's been reported that Apple is working on such a thing, but it's the first time this has been reported by a credible source. This excites me beyond belief, as it would transform diabetes management. I know it probably won't be a reality soon. However, when it does come to fruition it'll have a profound impact. This post aims to solidify some thoughts about the impact it could have for both diabetics and non-diabetics.

What would this mean for existing diabetics?

This would be the biggest change to diabetes management since the insulin pump. For those who don't know, an insulin pump is a device worn by diabetics that administers insulin on a regular basis through a cannula - which spares the user from manually injecting insulin multiple times throughout the day. You can't have too much control over your diabetes. Sugar levels in the human body fluctuate constantly, and having data recorded every 15-30 minutes would be a massive leap forward over the 4-6 data points most diabetes record per day currently. With intelligent software, being able to identify and act upon trends in this data will almost definitely lead to better management. Being able to smooth fluctuations in sugar levels will not only help a diabetic feel better day-to-day, but also limits the risk of them experiencing complications later in life. A simple tap on the wrist alerting you that your sugar level is rising or falling out of range would prove vital, particularly overnight. This won't only improve lives, but it has the potential to save them. For a device like this to be a success, it doesn't have to be 100% accurate. Even the blood glucose monitors we use currently aren't that accurate. It would just need to identify trends in a wearer's sugar level, and then that data could be acted upon (either with treatment, or a follow-up blood sample check). The end goal would be to rely on the non-intrusive monitoring entirely, but that might take many years of iteration and progress.

What would this mean for non-diabetics?

Those without diabetes stand to benefit from glucose monitoring too, just like those of us without known heart problems stand to benefit from heart rate monitoring in the existing models of Apple Watch. Being on top of one's sugar level is just another way to be more in tune with your health. Realising how eating a doughnut, or exercising affects your sugar level allows you to make better decisions. Not only that but wearing a device that collects this data could help to identify diabetes at an early stage - before it has serious health implications. As it stands, the onset of Type 1 Diabetes is pretty quick, but Type 2 diabetes can take significantly longer (years).

Apple's product line

From a product perspective, it begs the question - is this an add-on to the Apple Watch, or will glucose monitoring just be an addition to the product for everyone's benefit? Apple doesn't charge more for a watch with heart rate monitoring currently, but it isn't as much of a research and development challenge. They could treat it as a medical device, and price it accordingly - many thousands of dollars. With everything I know about Apple, I think this is unlikely. They are a consumer tech company, and this would just be a value-add to an existing product line. This makes more sense and increases the overall value of being in the Apple Health ecosystem.

Changing the world

So often tech companies talk about changing the world. It's almost a joke in Silicon Valley. Everyone is rushing around, hoping to create the "next big thing." Often, that said thing is just as significant as new emoji. Non-intrusive glucose monitoring is the type of technology that is truly transformative. Health and fitness are broad areas, but the focus on enabling and empowering people to lead healthier lives is a noble one. Technology such as this truly makes lives better. Not just more convenient, but better. It improves lives, and can also save lives. This kind of work is important. Would you rather be the engineer or scientist who works on Facebook's ad tech, or the one who makes non-intrusive glucose monitoring a reality? I know which side of the coin I'd rather be on.

Future of technology

Not too long ago a friend asked, "Where can technology go from here? Are laptops and phones just going to keep getting bigger and faster? What's left to innovate on?" I now have an answer to that question. The next step is companies competing to create things that improve lives. Sure, they're for-profit, and they want a return on the research and development investment, but that's a good thing. There's financial incentive to create the best possible product because that's what will benefit customers the most. If it's good enough, I doubt there will be a single diabetes educator or endocrinologist who fails to recommend an Apple Watch (or equivalent device) to their patients.

Concluding statements

It seems as though Apple have the lead with development in this field, and that's why this post was based on their device. However, this applies to any company who masters this technology first. There's not only a lot of possible financial gains, but also the opportunity to have a positive impact on the health of millions of people around the world.