TechCrunch has published an internal Twitter email that includes the company’s explanation for shutting down their API that powered many features in useful apps like Tweetbot and Twitterrific.

While the email likely won’t convince irritated Twitter users who are seeing features removed from their favorite apps, the internal communication is the most open Twitter has been about its thinking on the matter:

more…

A refresh of the MacBook Air to celebrate a decade of sales could rejuvenate a MacBook model that has seemingly been left behind. Could Apple be planning to update the MacBook Air, and if so, what changes are on the cards?

Back to school season is in full swing as we move through the month of August. With many students already back in the classroom and many preparing, it’s crucial to start off the year with the right technology and accessories to succeed.

Read on as we round-up some of the best technology and accessories for use this school year…

more…

Skype allows you to talk to friends, family and co-workers across the Internet without the inconvenience of long distance telephone charges. Using peer-to-peer data transmission technology, Skype eliminates the central server as a middle manager.

Today, millions of individuals and businesses are taking advantage of Skype's diverse communication features:

• Free Skype-to-Skype
• Landline and cellphone calling
• SMS and instant messaging
• Voicemail
• Free video calls
• Call forwarding to your phone when you're offline

Skype-to-Skype calls, video calls, and instant messaging are free, 24 hours a day, anywhere in the world. Users can make phone calls and send SMS messages at great value Pay-As-You-Go rates, or make unlimited calls to certain countries with a subscription.

Version 8.28.0.41:

• Release notes were unavailable when this listing was updated.

...

After the passing Thursday morning of the legendary Queen of Soul, Apple's CEO says "her voice will keep lifting us, through the music she gave the world."

Tim Hardwick, MacRumors:

The new plans include 100GB storage for $1.99 a month, 200GB for $2.99 a month, and 2TB for $9.99 a month (down from $19.99). The free 15GB for non-paying users remains. There’s also a new family option for divvying up a single storage plan amongst up to five members.

And Apple:

Apple’s iCloud monthly storage plans aren’t so different: they start with 5GB free storage for non-paying users, then offer 50GB for $0.99, 200GB for $2.99, and 2TB for $9.99.

To me, 5GB might as well be zero. The smallest configuration for Apple’s most popular phone, the iPhone X, is 64GB. What does that 5GB offer for a 64GB phone? It seems paltry. To me, this is stingy and bad optics.

At the very least, I think Apple should match Google’s free 15GB and unlimited free photo storage. Even better, raise that bar. As is, this feels like nickel and diming people who are spending as much as $1,000 for a phone.

...

This is definitely more interesting than useful. Just a historic artifact.

∞ Read this on The Loop

Along with announcing a new approach to customer service and some perks like a free year of Pandora Plus for customers yesterday, T-Mobile is offering a new free 30-day trial program to attract new customers. Although there are a few caveats, the trial doesn’t require customers to switch carriers or numbers and is totally free.

more…

BundleHunt has a new offer this morning with over 40 popular Mac Apps available from just $5. Here’s how it works, simply pay the initial $5 fee than you can add each listing at your leisure for an additional $1 each. Many of these apps sell for over $10 individually, so this is a great time to load up your Mac with popular titles. Each one becomes a permanent part of your library with the option of adding additional licenses. Hit this landing page for more details or head below for a few standout apps.

more…

Neil Cybart:

There are three drivers behind Apple’s return to revenue growth:

1. iPhone. The average selling price (ASP) of iPhone is up $100 year-over-year.
2. Services. Apple is seeing strong revenue growth from the App Store, licensing, and AppleCare.
3. Wearables. Apple’s wearables platform is gaining sales momentum as Apple Watch and AirPods go mainstream.

Lots of interesting detail in the article. On that last bullet, I am seeing Apple Watch and AirPods everywhere now.

When I am out running, I see more and more other runners with AirPods in their ears. Mainstream is the right term here.

On a related note, I get why Apple sticks with white as the only color. As was the case when the iPod first started, those white headphones were incredibly important to the branding. I see AirPods white as a similarly important brand marker.

...

Another report claims the 2018 iPhone models will include Apple Pencil support.

M036654042e928cadea70fbaa0215f75c4

Reddit discovered references to a "Steam Play" compatibility wrapper this week, and while there's no official announcement, it does indicate that Valve's support for Linux isn't over yet.

Today the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that relates to an enhanced automotive passive entry system. The patent makes no mention that it applies to autonomous vehicles which is interesting. The system could use an iPhone, Apple Watch or other wearable device to lock and unlock vehicles doors, open the trunk, start the vehicle and may support an in-vehicle wireless charging system for Apple devices and more.

Apple’s new campus is pretty impressive, and even things like opening the cafeteria doors is something worth watching. In this case, it’s because the doors are multi-story tall glass panels that slide out of the way to expose the dining area to nature. Apple CEO Tim Cook shared a GIF on Twitter showing the doors in action. Check it out!

Lunchtime at Apple Park just got a whole lot more exciting

Sony announced that it has sold 3 million PlayStation VR (PSVR) headsets as of the end of July, showing that its popularity has declined little since the fall 2016 launch. At the end of 2017, Sony had sold 2 million units, meaning it has sold another...

DxO PhotoLab (was DxO Optics Pro) provides a complete set of smart assisted corrections that you can manually fine-tune at any time. Take control on every aspect of your photos: effectively remove noise, get rid of light constraints, recover color details, apply sophisticated optical corrections, and enhance details.

Features

• DxO Smart Lighting - Optimizes the dynamic range of your image and brings out the details from both under- and overexposed areas.
• DxO ClearView - Intelligently boosts local contrast and effectively removes distant haze.
• DxO PRIME - Automatically denoises high ISO RAW images and recovers accurate details and colors based on our exclusive algorithms.
• Optical Corrections - Leverage your gear with tailored automatic corrections based on DxO’s renowned scientific expertise in measurement and calibration.
• Introducing U...

Jamf, which specializes in Apple ecosystem management, has announced that it made a successful company-wide global migration to Apple technology possible for Rituals, one of the fastest growing luxury brands in Europe. 

Rituals has more than 670 stores in 27 countries around the globe. In fall 2016, Rituals kicked off their Apple implementation with a pilot program of 20 MacBook devices in their corporate headquarters. Staff feedback on the ease of use, flexibility and device stability cemented Rituals’ decision...

FallCall Solutions, the creator of the FallCall Lite app for Apple Watch and iPhone, has teamed up with Mytrex — a provider of monitoring services in the Personal Emergency Response System (PERS) market — to bring fully-integrated emergency medical monitoring services into the Apple ecosystem, including the iPhone and Apple Watch.

"When developing FallCall Lite, we wanted to change the way subscribers access the highest quality 24/7 personal emergency monitoring in the country," says Shea Gregg, MD President of FallCall Solutions.  "No longer will users need to fill out paperwork or fax updated subscriber lists to a central monitoring provider.  FallCall Lite's integration with Mytrex allows our customers to sign-up, change responders and maintain their subscriptions-all electronically.”

FallCall Lite is free and available at the Apple App Store. Standard features include...

The Oculus Rift is finally welcome in Viveport, HTC's VR store. When it launched in 2016, Viveport seemed a bit redundant, since it wasn't hard for Vive owners to find VR experiences on Steam. But it turned into a truly great deal last year with the...

Teen pleads guilty to downloading 90GB of secure files from Apple's internal systems and accessing customer accounts in repeated hacks from his suburban home.

Take this as further evidence of a full-fledged “Apple Car” or, as I do, evidence of new features planned for the iPhone and perhaps the Apple Watch: Apple has filed for a patent (number ) for “enhanced automative passive entry.”

Lots of modern cars allow entry using a key fob, and some cars allow starting by a button when the key fob is inside the car. Such operation is called passive entry and passive start, which use a position of the key fob to unlock the car, allow starting the car, and provide other functionality. The location of the key fob is determined using magnetic signals emitted from magnetic antennas in the car. The magnetic signals are measured by the key fob and sent to the car for determining a location of the key fob. 

Apple says the key fob can be bulky and be an additional item that a user must carry. What’s more, the magnetic fields are short range, and current techniques are susceptible to hackers, which can allow a thief to access the car and...

We've known for a long time that Twitter's third-party apps would bear the brunt of the platform's API revamp, and even though those changes aren't due to come into effect until tomorrow, they're already causing trouble. Today's update to Tweetbot fo...

Google's rebranding of its cloud storage service from Google Drive to Google One has taken a major leap forward, with the tech giant now allowing anyone in the United States to sign up for the plan, not just users already paying for online storage capacity.

When Samsung acquired Harman International Industries last year, it was pretty obvious the tech brand had eyes on the Harman Kardon audio division. The pair have worked together on a few projects since --smartphones and tablets featuring Harman-owned...

I wouldn’t have foreseen much overlap in the market for Apple memorabilia and that for throw pillows, but one Kickstarter campaign seems to be proving me wrong …

more…

Last year DisplayMate claimed that "based on their extensive lab tests and measurements the iPhone X becomes the Best Performing Smartphone Display that we have ever tested, earning DisplayMate’s highest ever A+ grade. Now it seems that the new Samsung Galaxy Note9 smartphone display may be the new champ according to DisplayMate's latest review.

ForkLift is a powerful file manager and ferociously fast FTP client clothed in a clean and versatile UI that offers the combination of absolute simplicity and raw power expected from a well-executed Mac software.

ForkLift will connect to any remote server SFTP, FTP, WebDAV, Amazon S3, Backblaze B2, Google Drive, Rackspace CloudFiles, SMB, AFP and NFS shares on your local network,- pretty much anything you can plug into or hook up to a Mac. ForkLift also carries a complete toolbox for managing your files, including Folder Synchronization, Multi-Rename, Archive handling, Application deleter, editing files over remote connections and many more. All these power features are packaged into a Finder-like, dual-pane interface that delivers superior workflow while remaining absolutely familiar to use, along with Quick Look, Spotlight search and all.

Features

• Completely rewritten entirely in Swift
• ForkLift Mini
• Two-way Sync...

As Uber and Tesla have learned, it doesn't take a lot of bad press to shatter public trust on autonomous vehicles. Ford has taken that lesson to heart, saying it would rather instill confidence in self-driving cars than be first to market. In a lette...

What’s more important to you, security or convenience? Maybe you can have both.

Once more with feeling: Streaming TV is not cable all over again.

Sidewalk Labs still has a ways to go before it realizes its futuristic vision for Toronto's Eastern Waterfront, but we now know what the smart neighborhood could look like. The Alphabet-owned company has released (PDF) mock-ups and illustrations for...

Bartender lets you organize your menu-bar apps by hiding them, rearranging them, or moving them to Bartender's Bar. You can display the full menu bar, set options to have menu-bar items show in the menu bar when they have updated, or have them always visible in Bartender's Bar.

Features

• Lets you tidy your menu-bar apps how you want.
• See your menu-bar apps when you want.
• Hide the apps you need to run, but do not need to see.
• Have the clean looking menu bar you want.
• Rearrange your menu-bar items as you wish.

Version 3.0.47:
New Features / Improvements:

• macOS Mojave Support
• In macOS Mojave Bartender 3 will prompt for accessibility authorization. It has support for dark mode, has hardened runtime enabled and is notarized for added security

Bug Fixes:

• Ask for Accessibility Authorization - Bartender 3 will now ask for Accessibility...

If you're attending Saint Louis University this semester, you'll find more in your dorm room than the usual tiny furnishings. The school has unveiled plans to provide all 2,300 student residences on campus (both dorms and apartments) with Echo Dots...

This afternoon, Apple CEO Tim Cook took to Twitter regarding updates to the lunchroom at the company’s spaceship headquarters.

more…

OneNote is your very own digital notebook. With OneNote, you can capture that flash of genius, that moment of inspiration, or that list of errands that's too important to forget. Whether you're at home, in the office or on the go, your notes travel with you. And you can share your notes and collaborate with others, across multiple devices!

Here are some more ideas on how to use OneNote:

• Capture rich notes for classwork, meetings, or research
• Keep track of your shopping list and mark items off wherever you are
• Create an itinerary and keep track of your travel plans for your next big vacation
• Take pictures of receipts and bills to remove some of the paper clutter
• Collaborate and share ideas with your team
• Research items and prices to make the best purchasing decision
• Keep and edit all of your notes

Version 16.16:

• This month’s update is bug fixes only....

NetShade is an anonymous proxy and VPN app+service for Mac. Unblock your Internet through NetShade's high-speed proxy and VPN servers spanning seven countries.

• NetShade masks your IP address as you browse the web, by routing you through a proxy server. Anonymous proxies are becoming more and more popular in this age of heightened security and privacy concerns, and NetShade provides an effective and straightforward interface to easily protect your privacy. NetShade currently runs nine high-quality, super-fast, dedicated proxy servers located in the US and Europe.
• In addition to HTTP proxy, all of NetShade's servers offer a robust encrypted SSL for those times when privacy is of the utmost importance.
• NetShade 7 introduces IPv6 support. Even if your ISP doesn't yet support IPv6, you can now get an IPv6 address from one of NetShade's proxy or VPN servers. Unblock content that was previously inaccessible by using IPv6.

The...

djay Pro provides a complete toolkit for performing DJs. Its unique modern interface is built around a sophisticated integration with iTunes and Spotify, giving you instant access to millions of tracks. Pristine sound quality and a powerful set of features including high-definition waveforms, four decks, audio effects, and hardware integration give you endless creative flexibility to take your sets to new heights.

Note: This application contains in-app purchases.

Version 2.0.8:

• Added support for Pioneer DDJ-400 and DDJ-SX3 DJ controllers
• Improved reliability and performance for playback of streamed tracks
• Improved maximum Automix transition duration to allow 32 bars
• Fixed media library search order sometimes not being retained when switching playlists
• Fixed adding QuickTime movie files to library not working correctly
• Fixed loading video files without...

Apple CEO Tim Cook shared a rare glimpse at Apple Park's inner workings on Wednesday with a video showing off the facility's cafeteria doors, two massive, motorized floor-to-ceiling glass panels that slide open for natural building ventilation.

A typical Overwatch match is hectic and fast-paced. You can't exactly consult strategy guides in the middle of a manic team fight to figure out the best course of action, so you've probably had to rely on your own experience and knowledge of the game...

This week Benjamin and Zac discuss Group FaceTime’s delay, Twitter’s destructive API change, new details about AirPower, iPhone rumors including Apple Pencil support, Apple Car development, and much more.

9to5Mac Happy Hour is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play Music, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

Sponsored by Hyper: Visit...

After following these simple instructions, you'll be able to dual-boot your Mac into Windows.

Wireless chargers are a dime a dozen nowadays, with a slew of companies attempting to hop on the bandwagon now that Apple has rolled out Qi support to its latest iPhone models. In the past, we’ve taken a look at options from companies like Aukey, Nomad, and many more.

Now, popular accessory maker iOttie is out with its latest products for the iPhone 8 and iPhone X. The company has released a pair of wireless chargers dubbed the iON. Read on for our thoughts…

more…

The article’s opening paragraph puts it bluntly. “The world’s largest lifeguard organization claims there’s a direct link between child drownings and the smartphones parents hold in their hands.” Parents know that kids under 4 must be watched like a hawk, especially around water. Or do they?

T-Mobile has one of the fastest mobile networks around, according to a recent study, and it's eager for more people to check out its service. To give potential customers a taste of the network, T-Mobile is offering a free 30-day trial in Atlanta, Bos...

I still remember the first time I saw the iMac in real life at the 1998 Macworld Expo in New York City. I watched Apple techs set up several dozen of them in Apple’s booth at the Javits Center ahead of the Steve Jobs Keynote. I will always maintain that the iMac saved Apple. Without it, the company wouldn’t have survived long enough to accomplish all the amazing things it did in the ensuing years and we would all be the poorer for it.

∞ Read this on The Loop

Next month, Apple is expected to unveil three new iPhones, each with differing specs/features. According to analyst firm Trendforce, the large 6.5-inch "flagship" model will support up to 512GB of onboard flash storage. Apple Pencil support will also be "offered as an option," although the company didn't specify which models will support the stylus. Apple Insider reports: The company expects that the the 6.1-inch LCD version will come with Face ID, Dual-SIM technology. The firm expects it to retail for between $699 and $749. The 5.8-inch OLED iPhone will be priced at $899 to $949. The 6.5-inch device will come in storage capacities up to 512GB, with one variant of the size potentially having dual-SIM support and expected to be "limited within $1,000 threshold as to encourage purchasing from consumers," according to Trendforce. Both the 5.8- and 6.5-inch OLED models are expected to have 4GB of RAM. The 6.1-inch LED devices will have 3GB of RAM, the same as the iPhone X. The analyst...

These “changes” will also affect those of us who use Twitterrific as well as any other third-party Twitter client. Amazing to watch Twitter slit its own throat almost in real time.

∞ Read this on The Loop

Pokémon GO will be getting an update soon that will let parents easily manage their kid’s profile and permissions.

more…

Breaking dry spaghetti noodles into precisely two parts might seem impossible, but scientists at MIT have done exactly that. In a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers report how they twisted the noodles...

Apple’s Mesa, Arizona facility was the previous home to GT Advanced Technologies, the sapphire glass supplier, before it went bankrupt back in 2014. Now the 1.3 million square foot building is one of Apple’s data centers and local publication, The Arizona Republic got the rare access to take a look around.

more…

The Japanese government has opened an investigation into whether Apple engaged in anti-competitive behavior when it applied pressure to prevent publishers from working with Yahoo Japan's Games Plus platform.

The eighth developer beta of iOS 12 quickly corrects some of the issues we saw in the retracted seventh beta seven. Now that our devices are usable again, AppleInsider takes a look at new features and improvements in the seventh and eighth betas of iOS 12.

Japan is investigating allegations that pressure from Apple forced Yahoo Japan to pull back from a game platform that competes with the App Store, reports Nikkei.

The article says Yahoo told “multiple business partners that it was forced to cut back because of pressure behind the scenes from Apple.” The Japanese company relies on the U.S. tech giant for part of its profits in the form of sales through the App Store.

The isn’t Apple’s first problem in Japan. Last month Japanese regulators at the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) said Apple may have breached antitrust rules by forcing mobile service providers to sell its iPhones cheaply and charge higher monthly fees, denying consumers a fair choice.

The FTC said that the Japanese unit of the Cupertino, California-based company forced NTT Docomo, KDDI Corp., and SoftBank Group Corp. to...

After making it out of a Japanese antitrust investigation unscathed just last month, Apple is being probed once again by the country’s Fair Trade Commission over alleged interactions with Yahoo and its Game Plus platform. more…

There seems to be a new epidemic among iPhone users. Called “iPhone 7 loop disease,” it can affect older iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus models.

As good as iCloud backups are, you also should back up iPhones and iPads to your Mac -- but that can take a big chunk out of your computer's storage. AppleInsider shows you how to stop clogging up your Mac's drive.

VOX just sounds better! The beauty is in its simplicity, yet behind the minimal exterior lies a powerful music player with a ton of features and support for all audio formats you should ever need. VOX was originally developed following the principles of clarity, simplicity and versatility. Thus, the minimalistic interface incorporates both essential and unique features, which let you:

• Listen to your music regardless of the format:
• Play numerous lossy and lossless audio formats;
• Export playlists in various formats (PLS, M3U, XSPF);
• Open different playlist types including M3U, PLS, XSPF and the popular CUE format used to store CD rips;
• Play audio files stored on NAS devices and other network drives.
• Rule your music with ease:
• Control the player from the main interface, Dock context menu or main menu controls;
• Automatically search for all the missing album artwork from...

In France, the right to disconnect from work has been solidified into law. In the El Khomri law, every employee contract must include a negotiation of obligations required of an employee regarding how connected they are outside of office hours.

A new study has found you may be suffering from excessive stress and anxiety about work expectations even if you don’t actively check work emails in your off-hours. The mere expectation of being in contact 24/7 is enough to increase strain for employees and their families, the new research suggests. In today’s ultra-connected world, with many people often getting work emails sent to their smartphones, a growing number of countries and companies are endorsing “right to disconnect” laws, recreating a much-needed boundary between work and home.

The company pulled the earlier version due to performance issues, and the new release gets the iOS 12 developer beta program back on track.

Apple is planning to release an updated MacBook Air towards the end of the current quarter, which ends in September, according to one research firm.

Last year, YouPorn Foresights used AI to predict what the most popular search terms would be in porn. This year the company did something similar. The data science and machine learning teams trained a recurrent neural network to look at the current most popular performer names, and have now created what science has predicted that the next generation of stars will call themselves. There are 69 names, both male and female, and the results are hilarious. As you would expect from AI, the names sound weird and goofy. My favorite names from the list are Man Master, Al Gorr (obviously my future kid), Summer Sax, and Paris Buttomina. It’s a safe-for-work list that you can check out here.

M036654042e928cadea70fbaa0215f75c4

Apple today seeded the eighth beta of an upcoming iOS 12 update to developers for testing purposes, just a few days after seeding the seventh beta and more than two months after introducing the new software at the Worldwide Developers Conference.

Registered developers can download the new iOS 12 beta from Apple's Developer Center or over-the-air after installing the proper certificate.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.

iOS 12 beta 8 comes just two days after the release of iOS 12 beta 7, which Apple was ultimately forced to pull a few hours after it was released due to performance issues....

Editor’s note: 20 years ago today, Apple officially released the iMac. To commemorate the anniversary, we are reposting this article that originally appeared on the iMac’s tenth anniversary on August 15, 2008.

The iMac made an instant impression when Apple first unveiled it in May 1998. But it didn’t start to really shake things up unitl it began to ship—which happened 10 years ago on August 15, 1998. Arguably the most influential desktop computer of the last decade, the original iMac’s specifications seem quaint by today’s standards. For $1,299, you came home with a 233MHz PowerPC G3 processor, 32MB of RAM, a 4GB hard drive, a 15-inch built-in monitor, and stereo speakers—all in an amazingly stylish case.

To read this article in full, please click here

Apple will release a new MacBook Air at the end of the third quarter, according to Taiwanese research firm TrendForce. That lines up with either September or October, depending on how the wording is interpreted.

TrendForce also refers to a new MacBook Pro in future tense, but it is surely referring to the models released in July, when the third quarter began:The second quarter was the transition period when Apple was preparing for the releases of the upcoming new MacBook devices for the year. TrendForce therefore expects MacBook shipments to again post a large QoQ increase in 3Q18, as Apple will be releasing a new MacBook Pro at the start of the quarter and a new MacBook Air at the end of the quarter.The report does not provide additional details, but both Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and...

[Update: Build 16A5357b now available, up from 16A5354b. Note that users who downloaded but didn’t install beta 7 may need to remove the file from Storage Settings.]

We expect Apple to release iOS 12 developer beta 8 for iPhone and iPad today after pulling iOS 12 developer beta 7 on Monday. The release earlier this week included initial performance issues that eventually caused Apple to pull both the OTA update and IPSW restore images for the build.

more…

Are we getting any closer to breakthrough battery that will allow our iDevices to last a week? It appears such a solution is technically here right now. One company that makes solid-state batteries can only produce 30,000 per month. The company thinks that a mass production solution is only ...

Kelly Guimont and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to talk about what might be coming in the next Apple Watch along with what product announcements may be coming this fall. They also look back at the iMac 20 years after it first shipped.

djay Pro provides a complete toolkit for performing DJs. Its unique modern interface is built around a sophisticated integration with iTunes and Spotify, giving you instant access to millions of tracks. Pristine sound quality and a powerful set of features including high-definition waveforms, four decks, audio effects, and hardware integration give you endless creative flexibility to take your sets to new heights.

Note: This application contains in-app purchases.

Version 2.0.8:

• Added support for Pioneer DDJ-400 and DDJ-SX3 DJ controllers
• Improved reliability and performance for playback of streamed tracks
• Improved maximum Automix transition duration to allow 32 bars
• Fixed media library search order sometimes not being retained when switching playlists
• Fixed adding QuickTime movie files to library not working correctly
• Fixed loading video files without...

File this rumor under Moonshot. Oft-accurate analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who made a name for himself by nailing features in the iPhone and iPad long before they’re set to release, had made a wild prediction for his new company, TF Securities. In a research note acquired by Business Insider, Kuo predicts Apple will release a pair of augmented reality glasses in 2020 and an Apple Car sometime between 2023 and 2025.

But this isn’t the same as Kuo’s usual predictions, which are based on supply-chain reports and sources. This one is purely speculative based on educated guesses. He says so in the report. Both may come true, and both may come true within the time frame Kuo says, but I’m taking them with a healthy serving of salt.

To read...

M036654042e928cadea70fbaa0215f75c4

Juli Clover, MacRumors:

There’s a thriving market for unofficial, aftermarket iPhone parts, and in China, there are entire massive factories that are dedicated to producing these components for repair shops unable to get ahold of parts that have been produced by Apple.

The entire Apple device repair ecosystem is fascinating, complex, and oftentimes confusing to consumers given the disconnect between Apple, Apple Authorized Service Providers, third-party factories, and independent repair shops, so we thought we’d delve into the complicated world of Apple repairs.

Terrific, fascinating read.

∞ Read this on The Loop

Variety:

HQ Trivia is taking a leap to bigger screens: The mobile quiz show startup has launched an app for Apple TV. The company announced the new app on Twitter Tuesday.

The new app makes it possible to both watch the daily quiz show as well as vote with the help of the Apple TV’s remote control.

HQ Trivia is a clever idea, a game show that comes to your iPhone, replete with entertaining hosts and witty patter. It’s got a social component and works well with a group of people.

Porting it to Apple TV is a good idea, but it could be even better. As is, it is simply one more device on which you can play. Instead of playing on your phone, you play on your TV. That’s fine.

But I’d love a version that brings the banter off-line, like the excellent Jackbox Party Pack games. If you’ve got a group of friends coming over, I’d suggest giving these a try. Fun...

CNBC:

Apple has a team exploring a custom processor that can make better sense of health information coming off sensors from deep inside its devices, job listings show.

Here’s an Apple job listing for a Sensor ASIC Architect (ASIC being Application-specific integrated circuit).

Building custom chips for narrow functions can help Apple add new features and improve efficiency of its hardware while protecting its intellectual property from would-be imitators.

Rene Ritchie just posted an excellent Vector episode that talks about Apple’s chip ambitions. Apple’s chip investments are paying dividends and they are slowly specializing, expanding their proprietary chips, bringing capabilities to future products that other...

Instagram accounts are getting hacked in big numbers right now so you should enable two-factor authentication on your account. Read on to learn how.

M036654042e928cadea70fbaa0215f75c4

Nvidia has revealed its new Turing architecture for use in GPUs, one which boasts dedicated cores for use in ray tracing, and while consumer cards are yet to be announced, Quadro RTX Turing GPUs are already being touted for their ability to support real-time 8K video playback.

Sarah Jones, Joel Kinnaman, Michael Dorman are joining the cast of Ronald D. Moore’s sci-fi series for Apple. Variety says,

Joel Kinnaman, Michael Dorman, and Sarah Jones have all been cast in the series, which takes place in a world where global space race never ended. Kinnaman will play Edward Baldwin, one of the top NASA astronauts. Dorman and Jones have been cast as Gordo and Tracy Stevens, a prominent NASA couple.

Apple is lining up what looks like a power house of shows with big names writing and producing, as well as very talented actors. The first shows are expected to start rolling out some time in 2019, and I’m really looking forward to see how they stack up against Netflix and Amazon original content.

...

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has a good (if imperfect) track-record, but his latest note – in which he predicts that an Apple Car will go on sale sometime in the 2023 to 2025 timeframe – needs to be viewed in rather a different light to his usual ones.

Kuo has excellent supply chain contacts, giving him good insight into Apple’s short- and medium-term plans. Once a product is actually in production, the complexity of Apple’s supply chain means it’s hard to keep secrets.

But even before volume production begins, manufacturing lines need to be set up, molds need to be created, test-runs need to be carried out. So suppliers will be in a position to know a lot about Apple’s medium-term plans, and Kuo’s contacts can begin feeding him solid information …

...

Happy birthday, iMac. The ground-breaking all-in-one was launched on May 6, 1998, at a Macworld Expo by Steve Jobs. I’ve owned every iteration of the iMac since then, so I’m expecting Apple to give us a cool new version any day now.

The first all-in-one had a radical (for the time) design (by Jony Ive), a CRT monitor, motherboard and CD-ROM drive housed in a colorful translucent egg-shaped housing, versus the more traditional desktop tower tethered to an external monitor. It packed a 233-MHz PowerPC processor, a 4GB hard drive and sold for $1,299 in the U.S.. Despite the May unveiling, it didn't ship until August of that year. Since the iMac G3's 1998 debut, Apple has introduced several revisions to the desktop machine, launching design revisions in 2002, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2012, and 2015. 

So what can we expected from the 20th anniversary iMac? A major form factor redesign would be exciting, but I’m not anticipating one (more on that, in a sec). What I AM anticipating...

djay Pro provides a complete toolkit for performing DJs. Its unique modern interface is built around a sophisticated integration with iTunes and Spotify, giving you instant access to millions of tracks. Pristine sound quality and a powerful set of features including high-definition waveforms, four decks, audio effects, and hardware integration give you endless creative flexibility to take your sets to new heights.

Note: This application contains in-app purchases.

Version 2.0.8:

• Added support for Pioneer DDJ-400 and DDJ-SX3 DJ controllers
• Improved reliability and performance for playback of streamed tracks
• Improved maximum Automix transition duration to allow 32 bars
• Fixed media library search order sometimes not being retained when switching playlists
• Fixed adding QuickTime movie files to library not working correctly
• Fixed loading video files without...

More people will be able to access the Alexa-Cortana collaboration their companies unveiled last year, now that the team-up is available as a public preview. Unfortunately, you can only take it for a spin if you're in the US, but this is still a much...

You've been there before - you move a couple of 4K movies to your iPhone or iPad for offline viewing and all of a sudden you're out of space. Well, worry no more! The 64GB iKlips II Lightning iOS Flash Drive is on sale in the Apple World Today Deals Shop for $69.

Available in a variety of colors and capacities (32, 64, and 128GB), the iKlips II works with all Lightning-equipped iPhones, iPads, and iPod touch models. Just load the iKlips iOS companion app on your device, and have full control of transferring, viewing, or storing big files. 

• Transfer files of all sizes between iOS & Mac or PC
• Take anywhere thanks to its compact size & high-strength aluminum shell
• Use the extended connector...

WiFiSpoof quickly and easily allows you to change your WiFi MAC address via hot-key or the system menu bar.

Version 3.3:

• It is now possible to create global rules for unknown networks
• A new column has been added to the Rules table to show which Rule is currently active
• The active column has been renamed to enabled
• Unconnected network devices are now not displayed
• Fixed a potential issue with rules changing while editing
• Fixed an issue where changing system language could corrupt rules

• OS X 10.11 or later

Download Now]]>

Samsung has unveiled a 5G modem that meets all the latest standards and can hit 6Gbps mmWave speeds. The Exynos Modem 5100, built using Samsung's 10-nanometer process, conforms to the latest 3GPP release 15 spec for sub-6GHz and mmWave 5G spectrums....

British console game TimeSplitters saw massive popularity in the 2000s. Its humor, artistic style and cheeky pop culture references earned the three-game series a passionate fan base, but despite its success, the title subsequently lay dormant. Until...

Feral Interactive has announced that the historical strategy game ROME: Total War – already available for iPad – will be coming to the iPhone on August 23 …

more…

Griffin Technology’s elegant Elevator elevates a laptop such as Apple’s new MacBook Pro up 5.5 inches, which offers several advantages. 

For one, it opens up extra desktop real estate for a keyboard and mouse. It helps keep your laptop cool as the elevated computer has air circulating all around it. And it’s healthier for you.

How so? Healthycomputing.com, a source for office ergonomics, recommends positioning the top of your screen level with your eyes and sitting at least an arm's length from the screen. Both of these key ergonomic standards are made possible using Elevator with an external keyboard.

The Griffin stand is easy to assemble and showcases your laptop’s good looks. However, it has a slight wobble to it, which was a bit disconcerting. Still, the Elevator’s nonskid pads on the top keep your Mac laptop from sliding around; nonskid pads on the bottom...

The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) has recently turned power back on in the city of Ponce, and it can now say that it's done restoring customers' electricity across the island. Ponce was the last neighborhood to be reconnected to the gr...

CNBC reported earlier in the month that MoviePass would be changing its business model yet again, this time reverting to a $9.95/month fee, but now limiting subscribers to a maximum of three movies per month. That report turned out to be correct, and the new plan kicks in today – but not without a problem or four …

more…

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

Morning there! Welcome to the Morning After. Today, we'll take you on a tour of SpaceX, it's the beginning of the end for Telltale's Walking Dead and there's a new actor playing Spock.

The presence of deals on Apple hardware tends to be a clear sign that the next-gen is on its way.

Users can now snag Apple’s AirPods for $140 with free shipping, provided you have a Costco membership.

If you don’t have a Costco membership, you can head over to Amazon and pick up a used pair for just $144.98, down $14.02 (or 9 percent) from the normal retail price. If you don’t get them used, they currently retail for $190.65, well above the $159 you’ll get for them in the Apple Store.

The next-gen AirPods are rumored to feature a form of noise canceling.

The future AirPods, with iOS 12, may also function as rudimentary hearing aids.

Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

Via Macworld,...

You don’t need to be an expert or spend a fortune on cutting-edge gear, these first steps will lay a foundation you can build on.

You’ll find Denon’s Heos HomeCinema HS2 soundbar and wireless subwoofer a solid, feature-rich package.

NetShade is an anonymous proxy and VPN app+service for Mac. Unblock your Internet through NetShade's high-speed proxy and VPN servers spanning seven countries.

• NetShade masks your IP address as you browse the web, by routing you through a proxy server. Anonymous proxies are becoming more and more popular in this age of heightened security and privacy concerns, and NetShade provides an effective and straightforward interface to easily protect your privacy. NetShade currently runs nine high-quality, super-fast, dedicated proxy servers located in the US and Europe.
• In addition to HTTP proxy, all of NetShade's servers offer a robust encrypted SSL for those times when privacy is of the utmost importance.
• NetShade 7 introduces IPv6 support. Even if your ISP doesn't yet support IPv6, you can now get an IPv6 address from one of NetShade's proxy or VPN servers. Unblock content that was previously inaccessible by using IPv6.

The...

If you've been waiting to be able to access your Android phone's files and notifications on your Windows desktop, you can relax. The PC app, called "Your Phone," is now available for everyone, not just Insiders.

In more recent revisions of macOS, Apple has swapped the old Save As functionality for Duplicate. So, instead of allowing you to re-name and re-locate your very important Pages document, it instead creates the same version with ‘copy’ tacked on to the end, in the same exact location as the original one.

more…