Apple Lied To Me

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After weeks of battling with a lemon (aka badly broken) refurbished MacBook Air M1 I'd ordered from Apple, going way beyond what was asked of me to diagnose what was wrong with the junk, I was *lied to* by their technician Greg that I could get a swap replacement today at the local (badly run) Apple Store. [Thanks Brandon and Adam for creating an irate. It was classic.] I took my money back and am no longer supporting Apple.

This is an extremely tough decision for me. But Apple has fallen so badly in every way I've interacted with them over the last five years that I am, for the sake of my own well being, cutting myself off from the company. (I've done beta testing for them for over a decade). 

I cried over it. That's how difficult this is for me.

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My summary of alternatives to BootCamp on M1 Mac computers

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There has been a lot of confusion and misinformation regarding Windows X86 software running on Apple's M1 Macs. I recently wrote up a summary to help people over at Apple's Discussions:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/252121081?page=3

I decided to post my summary here as well for those concerned:

Q: Will Boot Camp Assistance ever become available for M1 Mac Computers?

A: There will never be Boot Camp for Windows x86 on M1 Macs. This is because the M1 processors offer no ability to virtualize Windows x86, as opposed to modern Intel x86 processors which do. It's that simple. (And note that, despite confusion on the Internet, Boot Camp specifically made use of Windows virtualization, not emulation).

M1 processors are able to virtualize operating systems written to run on ARM architecture processors. As such, M1 compatible virtualization software, such as Parallels for M1 processors, can run Windows 10 for ARM and Linux for ARM. The list of currently compatible operating systems using Parallels virtualization can be found on this page:

https://www.parallels.com/products/desktop/resources/#requirements

Compatible operating systems include:

• Windows 10 on ARM Insider Preview
• Ubuntu 20.10, 20.04
• Fedora Workstation 33-1.2
• Debian GNU/Linux 10.7
• Kali Linux 2021.1

At this time, Microsoft is not making Windows 10 for ARM architecture available to the public except as a preview. The general consensus is that Microsoft are not going to put much further effort into Windows 10 for ARM, such as providing further drivers or software. (Note that Windows 10 for ARM cannot run Intel x86  software).

WINE, such as CodeWeavers CrossOver, has been updated to run WINE compatible Windows applications on M1 Macs. You can search the CrossOver compatibility Windows software list here:

https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility

You're going to find that a great many Windows programs are not WINE compatible, most particularly those that use Microsoft proprietary APIs such as DirectX. You'll also find compromised compatibility in many cases. IOW: WINE is no replacement for virtualization but may work great in some cases. Check the compatibility list linked above to be sure. (Note that both Homebrew and MacPorts, using the X11 system, may be able to run WINE compatible Windows x86 apps for free. But they require use of the Mac Terminal CLI to run).

There is a fairly large and growing number of emulators that run alternative operating systems on M1 Macs. Keep in mind that running software in emulation is comparatively slow.

With the help of Loner T at Apple Discussions I learned about the free QEMU emulation software that can be compiled for M1 Macs.

https://www.qemu.org

Digging around further, I found the following recent article instructing how to obtain and run the Windows 10 ARM Preview in virtualization (vs emulation) for free using QEMU on M1 Macs with at least 32 GB of free space:

Running Windows 10 on M1 Mac with QEMU & Hypervisor.Framework

https://randomblock1.com/blog/qemu-windows-mac/

It uses Homebrew via the Terminal CLI for downloading, building and installation.

To quote:

"M1 Macs don’t have support for Bootcamp. So, in order to have a working Windows environment, you have to do it all in a virtual machine. The problem is that QEMU isn’t optimized for M1 Macs, and virtualization is very slow… unless it uses MacOS’ Hypervisor.Framework. While this isn’t quite as performant as paid solutions (like Parallels), it works ‘fast enough’ and is completely free…. It’s not terribly fast, but it works well and is fast enough to do most things."

But again note that Windows 10 on ARM Insider Preview is limited to running only Windows 10 ARM native software, not X86 software.

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Mobile Phone Technology: Recent studies regarding the effects of RF radiation upon DNA

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After watching a 2019 PBS program created by Burt Wolf entitled "Travels & Traditions: Travel & The Danger of RF Radiation", I made a post at its YouTube page providing a summary of more recent studies regarding the effects of RF radiation upon DNA, a potential cause of cancer. These studies are applicable to mobile phone technology:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

... Below is more recent information along with URL links for reading. Please note that I am making this post for the purpose of sharing useful information. I have no interest in spreading FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt). Further studies specific the results of human exposure to RF radiation are required and forthcoming.

• March, 2018 the US NIH's National Toxicology Program completed their $25 million "Cell Phone Radio Frequency Radiation Study" and offered it for peer review. Public release of this study was delayed until October, 2018.

https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/results/areas/cellphones/

• August, 2018 the Ramazzini Institute in Italy completed and published their own study, "Report of final results regarding brain and heart tumors in Sprague-Dawley rats exposed from prenatal life until natural death to mobile phone radiofrequency field representative of a 1.8 GHz GSM base station environmental emission". Their study verified the results of the NIH study.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935118300367?via%3Dihub

• November, 2018 the world press began publishing articles regarding both studies.

https://www.prweb.com/releases/25_million_nih_study_proves_wireless_technology_causes_cancer_and_dna_damage_us_brain_tumor_association_com/prweb15885861.htm

https://ehtrust.org/key-issues/cell-phoneswireless/5g-networks-iot-scientific-overview-human-health-risks/

• November, 2018 the first petition was created to "Move Radio Frequency Radiation from Class 2b to Class 1". The petition is to be presented to IARC, WHO (International Agency for Research on Cancer, World Health Organization) upon reaching 20,000 signatures.

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/community_petitions/IARC_WHO_Move_Radio_Frequency_Radiation_from_Class_2b_to_Class_1/


Interpreting these results and applying them to the effects of current 3G/4G and upcoming 5G mobile phone technology upon humans remains somewhat tenuous. However, my understanding is that these are definitive studies indicating that RF radiation within a specified range, in sufficient concentration and exposure, is capable of damaging human DNA and causing cancer.

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Apple 5G in 2020? What if there's no 5G ever? *Updated With Cell Phone Radiation Report Links

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According to FastCompany.com, Apple is planning their first 5G iPhone to be released in 2020 using exclusively Intel’s 8161 5G modem chip.

Apple’s first 5G iPhone will arrive in 2020
Apple’s relationship with Intel is not all wine and roses, but the chipmaker will be the sole provider of modems for the first 5G iPhone.

Why the wait? The first 5G mobile phones are supposed to hit the market in early 2019!

There are problems. Apple has problems. 5G has problems.

Apple's problems are:

A) They're in the midst of a prolonged, contentious lawsuit with Qualcomm, who will be providing early 5G modem chips for Android phones. Apple has no interest in doing business with Qualcomm until and unless the lawsuit is settled.

B) Therefore, Apple has turned to Intel for 5G modem chips. But Intel's initial line of 5G chips have heat dissipation problems. Apple wants to wait until Intel's second generation of 5G chips, which won't arrive until 2020.

What are 5G's problems?

Q: Which "5G" are we talking about? 

• A wireless voice and data standard defined by the Third Generation Partnership Program (3GPP)?
- Release 15, 5G specifications
- Release 16, IMT-2020 submission for an initial full 3GPP 5G system

OR

• A vague marketing term that doesn't necessarily qualify as adhering to the real "5G" standard?
- Verizon Launches Proprietary 5G Fixed Wireless Service

A: Yes.

As with "4G", there's a difference between the standard and what is implemented by the various companies involved. IOW: Baloney ahead! Be careful what you're actually buying. I find it useful to keep an eye on the changing history, description and specifications of 5G provided at Wikipedia:
5G@Wikipedia

Meanwhile:

a) There's "5G NR" (New Radio), a preliminary standard from last December, being 'deployed' at a few places around the world. Whether these implementations will work within the finished 5G standard is uncertain.
b) There's the upcoming Verizon 'proprietary 5G', referred to in a link above, whatever that is. 
c) Testing continues of contrasting and potentially incompatible 5G send and receive hardware implementations in the field.
d) Health problems potentially caused by exposure to 5G EM frequencies have become of critical concern.

Regarding health problems, just yesterday the National Institute of Health was at last allowed to release a report from their US National Toxicology Program (NTP) proving that wireless radiation is a Class 1 Human Carcinogen. 
- $25 Million NIH Study Proves Wireless Technology Causes Cancer and DNA Damage - US Brain Tumor Association.com

“The $25 million US National Toxicology Program Study has proven again what other studies have shown us that wireless radiation is a Class 1 Human Carcinogen like cigarette smoke and asbestos and should be treated as such. The NTP study proved wireless radiation can cause cancer and it can damage our DNA which can lead to a host of serious diseases. We must warn people and minimize exposure. I along with more than 200 of my colleagues who are expert in the field have called for a moratorium on the roll out of 5G which promises to maximize our exposure to harmful wireless radiation...."

(I added bolding and italics above for emphasis).

Conclusion: 5G has problems. 

We're certainly not going to see the real thing from Apple in 2019. We may not see it in 2020. Considering the health implications, we may not ever see real 5G from anyone. Apple may well benefit from delaying their adoption of 5G technology.

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ADDENDUM

If you'd like to read and review the National Toxicology Program study of Cell Phone Radio Frequency Radiation, all the documentation is now available online here:

Cell Phone Radio Frequency Radiation

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Cell phones are currently used by 95% of American adults. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) nominated radio frequency radiation (RFR) used by cell phones for an NTP study because of widespread public use of cell phones and limited knowledge about potential health effects from long-term exposure.

NTP STUDIES & FINDINGS

NTP conducted toxicology studies in rats and mice to help clarify potential health hazards, including cancer risk, from exposure to RFR like that used in 2G and 3G cell phones. 

What did the studies find? 

The NTP studies found that high exposure to RFR used by cell phones was associated with: 

• Clear evidence of tumors in the hearts of male rats. The tumors were malignant schwannomas.  

• Some evidence of tumors in the brains of male rats. The tumors were malignant gliomas. 

• Some evidence of tumors in the adrenal glands of male rats. The tumors were benign, malignant, or complex combined pheochromocytoma.

For female rats, and male and female mice, it was unclear if tumors observed in the studies were associated with RFR used by cell phones. This is also known as equivocal evidence.

The final conclusions represent the consensus between NTP and a panel of external scientific experts who thoroughly reviewed the draft NTP technical reports at a public meeting in March 2018.

The results are based on NTP’s four categories of evidence that a substance may cause cancer: clear evidence (highest), some evidence, equivocal evidence, no evidence (lowest).

Fact Sheet

News Release, Thursday, November 1, 2018, 10:00 a.m. EDT

High Exposure to Radio Frequency Radiation Associated With Cancer in Male Rats

. . . High Exposure to Radio Frequency Radiation Associated With Cancer in Male RatsThese studies did not investigate the types of RFR used for Wi-Fi or 5G networks.

“5G is an emerging technology that hasn’t really been defined yet. From what we currently understand, it likely differs dramatically from what we studied,” said Wyde.

For future studies, NTP is building smaller RFR exposure chambers that will make it easier to evaluate newer telecommunications technologies in weeks or months, rather than years. These studies will focus on developing measurable physical indicators, or biomarkers, of potential effects from RFR. These may include changes in metrics like DNA damage in exposed tissues, which can be detected much sooner than cancer. . . .

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"Initial" Utility Support For APFS Is Here!

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Kudos to Micromat for being the first file system repair utility to be compatible with Apple's (as yet unfinished) APFS, Apple File System for SSDs (solid state drives) running macOS 10.13.x High Sierra! Well done chaps!

You can read about APFS compatibility added to TechTool Pro v9.6 here. 

Please note that this is only 'initial' support for APFS. But for now, IMHO this is sufficient support for APFS. Micromat states:

Trust us when we say that there is a lot going on with this new file system, so this is just *initial* support. Techtool Pro can now test and repair these disks, even eDrives on them, but we're still hard at work exploring the depths of this file system. Some more advanced features will be coming down the road. 

I've been using Micromat utilities for a couple decades and have never had troubles with their software. Some users have complained about the upgrade fee from TechTool Pro v9 to v9.5. The addition of APFS repair functionality in v9.6 makes the upgrade cost worthwhile.

Still on my radar are APFS repair compatibility in Alsoft's DiskWarrior and Prosoft Engineering's Drive Genius. I'm specifically interested in utilities being able to repair APFS drives. That's what I consider to be critical.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Meanwhile, there is not-a-sign of Apple progressing with APFS functionality on either hard drives or Fusion drives. There has been no explanation of why, despite there having been Fusion drive compatibility in the first High Sierra beta release. Also, there has been no workaround for the inability of HFS+ drives to access APFS drives. That's bad.

As such I continue to NOT recommend upgrading to macOS 10.13.x High Sierra UNLESS you're only working with SSD Macs. If any HD or Fusion drives are on your network, you're thoroughly stiffed, stung and stalled if you want them to access High Sierra SSD Macs. As such, I consider High Sierra to be an unfinished beta OS, not ready for prime time.

 It's time for the Apple Prod®™. Get moving Apple!!!

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Mac Professionals: Wait to upgrade to macOS 10.13 High Sierra

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For Mac professionals, I highly recommend NOT YET updating to macOS 10.13 High Sierra.

Only today, the release date of High Sierra, has Apple let developers know the APFS standard has been finalized. All developers whose software must directly interact with the Mac file system have been waiting until this specific day of standardization until beginning to recode and adapt their software.

As such, it is going to take some time for critical software to catch up with APFS and macOS 10.13 High Sierra.

Therefore, IMHO, waiting to update may be critically important.

Also keep in mind that APFS is specifically designed to work at this time with SSD Macs and NOT Fusion Drive Macs. Please read through this article for further information:

Apple File System in macOS High Sierra won’t work with Fusion Drives
At least not at launch.

IOW: APFS is NOT actually finished, despite Apple’s finalized standard.

You can read developer information about APFS here:

https://developer.apple.com/library/content/documentation/FileManagement/Conceptual/APFS_Guide/Introduction/Introduction.html

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Disk Utilities vs macOS 10.13 High Sierra: Updates Required (+ Addendum)

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There is zero indication that any current disk repair and recovery utilities with which I'm acquainted are going to be compatible with macOS 10.13 High Sierra. Instead, I'm reading reports that they're throwing errors when run on 10.13 beta.

Therefore!

I personally suggest holding onto your money before buying or upgrading ANY disk utility application. Within a month from now we'll know what's going on, so it's no big wait. Blowing dough on current disk utility software is likely to be a total waste.

The situation is that macOS 10.13 High Sierra formally introduces a new file system called Apple File System (APFS). It is foreign to ALL current disk utilities. As such, I'd count on them not working with the new OS.

Disk Repair and Recovery Utilities I've checked:

• Alsoft DiskWarrior: No mention of 10.13 High Sierra on their website.*
• Micromat TechTool Pro: No mention of 10.13 High Sierra on their website.
• Prosoft Engineering Drive Genius and DataRescue: No mention of 10.13 High Sierra on their website.
• 508 Software (CleverFiles) Disk Drill (Pro): They very kindly have provided a webpage describing their current work on updating their software for High Sierra HERE. Thank you!
• MacWare DiskTools Pro: Abandonware. I'd personally advise tossing it into the trash.

Other Disk Utilities?

I expect there are going to be compatibility updates for a lot of other disk related utilities. Off the top of my head, I can imagine updates to such utilities as:

CCleaner
Cocktail
DaisyDisk
Deeper
EtreCheck
GrandPerspective
MacPilot
Maintenance
Onyx
Yasu

It's possible Apple will provide an API layer to help these higher level utilities to continue to work on 10.13 High Sierra.

I have access via AppleSeed to macOS 10.13 betas, but I've avoided it due to my concern about being able to repair disk problems that may arise. Otherwise, I'd have tested all these apps directly. If readers have conducted disk utility tests on 10.13 and would like to share results, please post!

*My sympathies and best wishes to Alsoft, who were affected by Hurricane Harvey in Texas. 😿

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ADDENDUM

I've received a reply comment from Christianp at Micromat regarding both TechTool Pro and MacCheck:

[TechTool Pro] 9.5.2 is a maintenance update, while 10.13 compatibility will arrive in a future update. We never release an update with new OS compatibility until *after* the OS update is released, as Apple sometimes makes last minute changes.

Also, note that APFS is still in development, and Apple has yet to release a spec to developers, which will delay full APFS support from third-party utility makers. Nonetheless, basic APFS support in MacCheck should be available shortly after 10.13 is officially released.

Hopefully this helps.

I’ve verified that this is indeed the case, as per Apple’s statements at their developer website:

Apple File System Guide: Introduction

Important: This documentation contains preliminary information about an API or technology in development. This information is subject to change, and software implemented according to this documentation should be tested with final operating system software.

IOW: For a number of weeks after the official release of macOS 10.13 High Sierra, the ONLY disk utility we’re going have to repair 10.13 volumes is Apple’s own Disk Utility. I find that to be of considerable concern. It’s a motivator to WAIT to upgrade Macs to 10.13, IMHO.

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