Archived Post

AWT News Update: March 27, 2017

Monday brought us a bumper crop of updates for operating systems and apps:

  • Remember to join us for AWT TV tonight at 6:30 PM PT/9:30 PM ET
  • iOS has been updated to version 10.3, changing all iOS devices to the new AFPS file system. Hear about the other OS changes for Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV.
  • Apple developers have until Friday morning to sign up for the WWDC ticket lottery
  • Facebook Messenger for iOS adds a live location sharing feature

The text version of the podcast can be viewed below. To listen to the podcast here, click the play button on the player below. Note to Apple News readers: you’ll need to visit Apple World Today in order to listen to the podcast.

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Text Version

This is Steve Sande for Apple World Today, and you’re listening to the AWT News Update for March 27th, 2017.

Just a reminder to join us tonight at 6:30 PM PT/9:30 ET for our new live streaming show, AWT TV. We’ll be talking all things Apple and tech, and invite you to join us, watch, and participate in the live chat. We’re on YouTube at https://youtube.com/c/appleworldtoday.

One of our topics of discussion this evening will be today’s updates. iOS was updated to version 10.3, bringing the new Apple File System, a way to find lost AirPods from Find My iPhone, and more to iPhones and iPads. macOS Sierra is now at version 10.12.4 which did NOT get Apple File System, but now has the great Night Shift capability built in. watchOS 3.2 is out as well, bringing Theater Mode and SiriKit for Apple Watch, and even tvOS received an update. tvOS 10.2 brings Watch Anywhere video rental support so that you can rent a movie on any device and watch it on any device. Pretty cool, huh? Oh, and by the way, there are other changes as well. There’s a new Apple TV Remote for iPad, and Pages, Numbers and Keynote for macOS and iOS now have new editing features as well as Touch ID for password protecting your documents.

Are you an Apple developer? If so, you can now sign up for the ticket lottery for the Worldwide Developers Conference. Information was sent to registered developers this morning, and through Friday morning, it’s possible to put in for the lottery. If you’re chosen, you’ll pay $1599 per person for the privilege of attending the top developer event, which will be held in San Jose, CA for the first time in years. In other WWDC-related news, two other conferences announced that they’ll also be relocating to San Jose. The AltConf and Layers conferences, which are held annually for those who do not get tickets to WWDC, are both moving to San Jose as well. AltConf will be held at the San Jose Marriott, which is right next door to the WWDC venue, which is the McInerny Convention Center.

There’s another update today, although this isn’t for an Apple product. If you use Facebook Messenger for iOS, you can now share your location with friends you’re chatting with with the new Live Location feature. Unlike the Google Maps location sharing feature we talked about last week on the update, Messenger sharing is limited to one hour. There’s also a large “Stop Sharing” button that can be tapped when you’re through sharing your location. The feature also provides estimated time of arrival estimates for friends who are driving or walking to meet you. The technology may take a while to make it to all Facebook Messenger users as it is being rolled out by country.

That’s all for today; I’ll be back tomorrow afternoon with another edition of the AWT News Update.

Steve Sande
the authorSteve Sande
Steve is the founder and former publisher of Apple World Today and has authored a number of books about Apple products. He's an avid photographer, an FAA-licensed drone pilot, and a really bad guitarist. Steve and his wife Barb love to travel everywhere!