The Swiss watch industry isn’t overly happy about Apple becoming the top-selling watch brand in the world, and has tried various different routes in an attempt to fight back. Moser has already copied both the Apple Watch design and promotional video style, and is back with an even more bizarre dig at Apple’s offering this time …
The post Moser creates a $350,000 Apple Watch-inspired mechanical watch with no hands appeared first on 9to5Mac.
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Tesla will cut its number of full-time employees by 7%, and end its Customer Referral Program, to try and reduce the cost of the Model 3.
You can already interact with your Apple Watch by physical movements; namely, raising your wrist to “wake it up.” A new patent filing (number 20190018506) shows that Apple is looking at ways to take this to the next level.
It involves the smartwatch performing an operation in response to a positioning of a user's hand and/or an orientation of the electronic device. In the patent filing, Apple notes that devices configured to be worn by a user can allow a user to view and respond to various types of alerts, such as text messages, emails, voicemails, and calendar alerts. The tech giant says that user interfaces that enable a reduced-size electronic device to be efficiently used for viewing and responding to alerts are desirable.
Apple’s idea is for the Apple Watch to be able to perform actions pre-set by the user based on how the user tilts her wrist, rotates her arm, etc. One example: you might answer an incoming call on a cellular-enabled Apple Watch by raising your...
| Read more »China Singles Out Apple, Nike, Amazon and other International Firms for 'Misidentifying' Taiwan on their Websites with threats to these companies if they fail to comply with Beijing's wishes
| Read more »If anything else, the next-gen iPhone may feature a much faster antenna structure, thereby allowing for greater data throughput.
The rumor mill has it that the iPhone iPhone XR will feature a 4×4 MIMO antenna design, according to a Barclays research note.
4×4 MIMO, which is short to “multiple-input, multiple-output,” could significantly improve LTE transmission speeds by increasing the number of data paths between cellular towers and a mobile device to four. As such, the next iPhone XR could feature four antennas, allowing for faster data speeds.
The iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max models currently feature Gigabit-class LTE with a 4×4 MIMO antenna design, while the current iPhone XR supports 2×2 MIMO.
Granted, no matter how many antennas an iPhone may incorporate, data speeds can still be altered by factors such as network congestion, distance from the tower, physical obstructions, environmental conditions, and interference.
Still, it’d be a...
| Read more »Sometimes you have to tighten the belt a bit, even when your company was recently valued at a cool trillion smackers.
Apple will reportedly reduce the number of people it is going to hire. The decision follows its much-discussed revenue miss for the last quarter and concerns about iPhone sales numbers.
Following Tim Cook’s recent letter to investors regarding its anticipated revenue miss, the CEO held a meeting with employees wherein he told staff that there would be a reduction in new hires in certain areas.
While certain areas will be affected by the hiring freeze, Apple’s Artificial Intelligence division is not expected to be affected. The plans will also not affect its new office in Austin, Texas or the growth of its video team in Los Angeles. Mr. Cook was also reportedly keen to emphasize that a division’s importance to Apple’s future should not be measured by how many people it hires.
Following the meeting, Cook apparently met with a number of...
| Read more »Audiophiles still love listening to music on disc, but this high-end SACD player can also stream tunes from any source on your network—including the internet.
| Read more »With just three outlets and a $60 price tag, this one is a tough sell.
| Read more »Apple’s not a company that’s ever been afraid to kill off its products. At the height of the iPod mini’s popularity, Steve Jobs famously axed it in order to introduce the iPod nano. The underperforming iPod Hi-Fi got the hook, and in recent years we’ve said goodbye to both the AirPort line and most of the iPods.
But when a product lies fallow for many years, sitting without an update, it hangs in that liminal space between life and death, leading many to wonder whether it still has a future. Is it ready to shuffle off this mortal coil or could it be rescued from the edge of the abyss? The ...
| Read more »Using the Safari web browser in iOS 12, you can save a webpage in PDF format. Here’s how:
Open Safari on your iPhone or iPad.
Navigate to a site and then the webpage you want to save as PDF.
Tap on the Share button.
In the Activities sheet, tap on Create PDF.
When the PDF is created tap Done.
Tap on Save File To …
Choose the location to which you wish to save the webpage as a PDF.
(This how-to is based on my experiences and info on Apple's support pages — where the images sometimes come from.)
Calibre is a complete e-book library manager. Organize your collection, convert your books to multiple formats, and sync with all of your devices. Let Calibre be your multi-tasking digital librarian.
Manage, convert, sync, and more
Version 3.38.0
New features
One of the biggest ad data brokers has come out in support of Apple CEO Tim Cook's call for federal privacy legislation to regulate the collection and use of personal data in the United States.
In a statement Thursday evening provided to Business Insider, data broker Acxiom confirmed its support for federal privacy legislation. "Acxiom, like Mr. Cook, also supports a national privacy law for the US, such as GDPR provides for the European Union," it read.
A data broker acts as a middleman, transferring user data between different companies and parties. In his TIME op-ed yesterday, Cook called such an entity "a company that exists...
| Read more »iClock replaces the old Apple's default menu bar clock with more features, customization and increases your productivity.
Features:
MarsEdit is a blog editor for OS X that makes editing your blog like writing email, with spell-checking, drafts, multiple windows, and even AppleScript support.
It works with with most blog services including WordPress, Blogger, Drupal, Movable Type, TypePad, and many others.
Version 4.2.6:
Download Now]]>
Is your Mac sluggish when using Finder or is the app frequently crashing? Read on for how to restart Finder on Mac.
The post How to restart Finder on Mac appeared first on 9to5Mac.
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Responding to Apple CEO Tim Cook's crusade for strict data privacy regulations in the U.S., Acxiom, a premiere data broker, said it supports a unified set of laws governing data sharing practices while at the same time denying it is part of a so-called "shadow economy."
Bloomberg1 ran an eye-catching article by Mark Gurman yesterday. It currently has the headline “Apple Plans to Cut Back on Hiring Due to iPhone Sales Struggles”. The title of the web page (what you see in a browser tab, for example) is “Apple Cuts Back on Some Hiring After Selling Fewer iPhones”. And the URL slug for the article — usually a sign as to what the original headline was — is “apple-is-said-to-plan-some-hiring-reductions-amid-iphone-woes”.
These three headlines paint very different summaries of the story. Are they cutting back on hiring, or planning to? “Due to iPhone sales struggles” is lot punchier than “after selling fewer iPhones” — it attributes cause rather than merely implying it. And “iPhone sales struggles” paints a grimmer picture than “selling fewer...
| Read more »TextSoap can automatically remove unwanted characters, fix up messed up carriage returns, and do pretty much anything else that we can think of to text. Save time and effort. Be more productive.
Stop manually fixing text documents and emails. Let TextSoap help you automate away all that tediousness. And do it all from within your favorite app using TextSoap Menu. Enable it in preferences and access TextSoap in most apps that support standard copy and paste.
Easy to learn for casual users, TextSoap offers the flexibility that expert users need.
Version 8.4.10:
Note: Version 8 is a paid upgrade from previous versions. Upgrade information can be found here.
Fixed:
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
Cocktail is a general purpose utility for OS X that lets you clean, repair and optimize your Mac. It is a powerful digital toolset that helps hundreds of thousands of Mac users around the world get the most out of their computers every day.
The application serves up a perfect mix of maintenance tools and tweaks, all accessible through a clean and easy to use interface. Cocktail's features are arranged into five categories that helps you manage various aspects of your computer. It also comes with an automatic Pilot-mode that allows you to simply press a button and relax, knowing that Cocktail will take care of the rest.
Version 11.7:
Network Radar is an advanced network scanning and managing tool. Featuring an easy-to-use and streamlined design, the all-new Network Radar 2 has been engineered from the ground up as a modern Mac application.
Features
Supported Network Interfaces...
| Read 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:
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 8.37.0.98:
...
| Read 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:
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 8.34.0.78:
...
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An unconfirmed rumor shared on Chinese microblogging network Sina Weibo earlier this month claims Apple's next iPhone will boast a few key component upgrades including a 3x telephoto lens and massively upgraded 4,000 mAh battery with 15-watt wireless fast charging.
Sketchy new reports from Chinese website Weibo claim to offer up some interesting new tidbits regarding Apple’s upcoming iPhone 11. Most interesting is the possibility of a display with a higher refresh rate, similar to the 120Hz rate found on iPad Pro.
The report also calls for a larger, 4,000mAh battery on the Max model, with much faster 15W wireless charging also in tow.
The post iPhone 11 rumors: 4,000mAh battery, 120Hz display, faster wireless charging, more appeared first on 9to5Mac.
| Read more »Earlier this morning, Tim Cook penned an op-ed in TIME Magazine to call for comprehensive federal privacy reform. Now, Acxiom, one of the largest data brokers, has come out in support of Cook’s call for GDPR-like regulation in the United States.
The post Acxiom, one of the largest data brokers, says it supports Tim Cook’s call for GDPR-like regulation in the US appeared first on 9to5Mac.
| Read more »Earlier this month, Weibo user C Technology (via Wccftech) shared some alleged details about the upcoming successor to the iPhone XS Max, which may or may not be accurate.
The next iPhone XS Max has been pegged as the 2019 iPhone that will feature a triple-lens camera in 2019 by reliable sources, and the Weibo post offers additional details about the lenses. Apple will allegedly use a wide-angle lens, a super wide-angle lens, and a 3x telephoto lens. This would be similar to something like the Huawei P20 Pro, which also offers two wide-angle lenses and a telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom.
An alleged 2019 iPhone prototype with triple-lens camera, via...
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Nidec, a Japanese company that supplies vibratory motor parts for products like Apple's iPhone, is revising down 2019 sales forecasts due to what its chairman characterizes as an "extraordinary" decline in Chinese demand.
Jeff Porten’s visit to the CES Home and Health show floor included a smart mailbox for your deliveries, a battery accessible to the blind, a smartwatch you never charge, and news of an embarrassing moment for the CTA.
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As promised, Apple on Friday kicked off sales of HomePod in China and Hong Kong, bringing the Siri-infused speaker to customers in the region nearly a year after the device launched in 2018.
OmniFocus, the power user tool of choice for Mac task management, has reached version 3 on the Mac, the iOS version has caught up in features, and a Web version is in beta. Jeff Porten discusses task management in general, what’s new and great in OmniFocus, and where the trouble spots still are.
| Read more »Sling TV is rolling out a nice update to its Apple TV application that gives the app a leg-up on other platforms. Sling announced in a blog post today that Sling TV on Apple TV includes new recommendation features to help you easily find things to watch.
The post Sling announces new recommendation features coming to its Apple TV app appeared first on 9to5Mac.
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We have a deal on the TWIST+ World Adapter Duo for MacBook. With this device, you can turn any outlet into a 4-in-1 powerhouse. You can also charge up to 4 devices via the charger, 2 USB ports, and universal AC outlet. It’s $32 through our deal.
Apple on Tuesday released new Smart Battery Cases for the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR, offering a convenient but expensive way for iPhone users to get additional battery life.
The Smart Battery Cases will be in stores starting tomorrow, but we got our hands on the iPhone XS Max and XR versions early to check out the features and to see if they're worth the $129 price tag.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
Apple is offering the Smart Battery Cases in black or white, and while there are separate versions for the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR, each case costs $129 and appears to have the same capacity.
The cases look similar to the prior Smart Battery Cases Apple offered for the iPhone 7, consisting...
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In this episode, Bob LeVitus tells Bryan Chaffin all about the Cricut. This thing can cut 150 different substances, draw, write, and like I said, even sew. And you can control it from your Mac, iPhone, or iPad. They also discuss Rocket Book, which is part reusable paper (you can erase it!) and part app-based service that will scan what you write and draw and convert text with OCR. They cap the show with a look at Setapp and why they think this multi-app service for the Mac is great.
Netflix added 8.8 million paid subscribers last quarter, but Wall Street was worried its results did not justify heavy investment in content.
On Monday Samsung sent out invitations to their Galaxy S10 unboxing event that will take place in San Francisco on Wednesday February 20. The hint within the graphic would be that Samsung might introduce their folding smartphone. Then Samsung kicked it up a notch with two VP's spending time with the press to pump up their folding smartphone that will be launching later this year, if not in H1. A leaked video later in the week revealed a nice prototype from a Samsung competitor showing that they are going to be challenged this year. Will they spoil Samsung's party? Only time will tell.
| Read more »Slowing iPhone sales are dragging down Apple suppliers in Asia. Nikkei reports today that Apple suppliers are drastically reducing their 2019 forecasts due to an “extraordinary” drop-off in Chinese smartphone demand.
The post Suppliers slash 2019 forecasts as iPhone faces ‘extraordinary’ drop in Chinese demand appeared first on 9to5Mac.
| Read more »Since Steve and I can’t cover everything, at the end of each week day, we’ll offer this wrap-up of news items you should check out.
I’m still dubious we’re going to see an updated iPad mini, but two suppliers of touch panels in Taiwan say they expect to supply screens for the fifth generation iPad mini and a new 2019 iPad.
Apple CEO has penned an editorial for TIME magazine entitled “You Deserve Privacy Online. Here’s How You Could Actually Get It.”
The next-generation iPhone XR will feature a 4x4 MIMO antenna design, according to a Barclays research note obtained by MacRumors.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, an Apple chip manufacturer,...
| Read more »Find the best soundbar for music and movies and that's the perfect fit for your budget.
| Read more »Whether you want to revert to an app’s previous icon, or want to have some fun with customizing a variety of your apps, read on for how to change Mac app icons.
The post How to change Mac app icons appeared first on 9to5Mac.
| Read more »Apple has been signing and ordering new TV shows and movies at a swift pace recently, but Netflix doesn’t seem to be worried. The company released its Q4 2018 earnings today and reiterated that its focus isn’t on upcoming competition, but rather improving the experience for existing customers.
The post Netflix says its focus is on customer experience, not the threat of Apple’s upcoming streaming service appeared first on 9to5Mac.
| Read more »Major Apple suppliers in Asia have been cutting their 2019 sales forecasts and some have cited an "extraordinary" drop in Chinese demand, reports Nikkei.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), which supplies the A-series chips used in the iPhones and other devices, is forecasting a 22 percent drop in revenue for the January to March quarter. TSMC said there was a "sudden drop in demand" for high-end smartphones, also attributing its revenue decline to the U.S.-China trade war and economic uncertainty.
The same thing goes for Nidec, a company that supplies the vibration motor in the iPhone. Nidec has dropped its full-year profit outlook by upwards of 25 percent after slumps were seen in November and December."We have faced extraordinary changes," Nidec Chairman Shigenobu Nagamori told reporters at a Thursday news conference as the company...
| Read more »Does your iPhone have trouble making it through a full working day without dying? If so, then Apple’s just-released Smart Battery Case for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR may be the answer to your problem.
But with a better, yet still polarizing design, and a $129 price tag, the Smart Battery Case isn’t exactly an impulse buy. Do its smarts and new features like Qi wireless charging make it compelling enough to consider? Watch our new iPhone Smart Battery Case review video for the details.
The post Apple...
| Read more »According to Deadline, Apple is among those vying to lure JJ Abrams and his Bad Robot banner away from Paramount. However, the tech giant is probably a long shot as other potential contenders include Universal, Disney, Warner Brothers, Netflix, and Amazon.
Still Apple is an intriguing alternative, “as the cash-rich company looks to make Abrams a fulcrum for its own creative content ambitions in Hollywood,” the article adds.
Bad Robot is an American film and television production company led by Abrams. Under its Bad Robot Productions division, the company is responsible for the television series Alias, Lost, Fringe, Person of Interest, and Westworld, as well as feature-length films Cloverfield, Star Trek, Super 8, Star Trek Into Darkness,...
| Read more »It’s no surprise, but job openings at Apple with the term "Health" in their titles have been on a steady rise in 2017 and accelerated this fall into winter, according to new data from Thinknum.
The research group says the increase in "Health" jobs at Apple began in October 2017 when Apple listed just 15 jobs with "Health" in their titles. Today, it lists 75 such jobs. This rise coincides with the launch of the Apple Watch Series 4 and its health-health-related features.
“Interestingly, some of the more recent job postings in the ‘Health’ keyword set include QA — quality assurance — positions,” adds Thinknum. “This could indicate that Apple is in the final testing phase of some new health technologies. and new mobile operating systems that include health and fitness tracking technologies and apps.”
Apple has released a new Smart Battery Case for the latest iPhones. Here are our first impressions of the newly updated accessory.
The NHL has today announced that its teams will begin using iPad Pros with a new app designed by itself, SAP, and Apple to help coaches with the large amounts of data that is involved with the sport. The SAP/NHL Coaching Insights app will offer 60 real-time stats for individual players and teams.
The post NHL coaches to gain 60 real-time stats for players and teams with iPad Pro and new custom app appeared first on 9to5Mac.
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Walmart is reportedly abandoning plans to launch a Netflix-like streaming video service, which could take one more threat out of the equation for Apple's own upcoming launch.
Popular audio technology brand Dolby, most known for products such as Dolby Atmos and Dolby Cinema, has been secretly building a mobile augmented audio production app.
The post Dolby quietly testing upcoming mobile augmented audio production ‘234’ app appeared first on 9to5Mac.
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The NHL is aiming to provide coaches more information about how the team is faring during games, by issuing iPads running a new insights app on benches that offer more than 60 different real-time individual and team statistics to team management.
Updated 1/17/19 to reflect the inventory changes in the store.
Looking for a way to save some money on the latest Apple products? Consider a refurbished MacBook, refurbished iPhone, or refurbished iPad from the Apple Certified Refurbished store. A refurbished product is just like a new, but at a lower price.
Here’s a quick guide with links to the best deals you can find on the refurb store, along with a FAQ guide if you want to know more about the ins and outs of the Apple Certified Refurbished store and buying a refurbished MacBook, desktop Mac, iPhone, or iPad.
To read this article in full, please...
| Read more »Backblaze has remained a solid option for off-site backups as competitors like CrashPlan have ended their consumer plans. Today, Backblaze is rolling out version 6 with a lot of improvements including a fresh iOS app, 50% faster backups, network block lists, SSO for Gmail, and more.
The post Backblaze releases major update with new iOS app, up to 50% faster backups, network block list, more appeared first on 9to5Mac.
| Read more »Rumor has it that Apple is near a deal for a 10 part science fiction series that titleless at the moment. The series was created and co-written by Simon Kinberg and David Weil. Kinberg has been the creative backbone of the X-Men franchise at Fox...
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The content won’t appear until 2019, with the majority of the production happening in 2018. The list will be updated continuously, so be sure to bookmark this page.
Back by popular demand, Apple authorized reseller Adorama is knocking $150 to $225 off every 2018 15-inch MacBook Pro with Vega 16 or Vega 20 graphics for a limited time. Plus, Adorama will not collect sales tax on orders shipped outside NY and NJ.
Ever since Apple hit the jackpot with AirPods, the competition has been ramping up from other audio brands. CES 2019 revealed even more truly wireless earbuds on the way. That’s in addition to an already robust marketplace from well-known names in the industry along with a host of low-cost options. One new player in this space is Anker, who recently expanded its Soundcore lineup with the new Liberty Air True-Wireless Earphones. With AirPod-style for nearly 50% less, how does Anker’s latest audio release compare to the clubhouse leader? A quick look and comparison below.
The post Anker Liberty Air Review: Truly wireless earbuds for half the price of AirPods appeared first on...
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Ryan Christoffel writes about key things to think about if you want to adopt an iPad-first workflow.
Software limitations aside, the iPad clearly has a lot going for it; the iPad Pro is a more attractive Mac alternative than ever before. But moving to the iPad still involves some growing pains. The longer you’ve used a traditional computer, the harder an iPad transition can be. There are a few key things, however, that can help make your iPad adoption a success.
I’m not fully iPad-first yet because I still need to get a keyboard for it. But once that happens then my transition will be complete.
Apple has given the go-ahead for a ten-episode season of currently-untitled science fiction series as part of its ongoing original video content effort, a big-budget TV show created and co-written by Simon Kinberg and David Weil.
Sci-fi lovers rejoice! A 10-episode season of a sci-fi series is coming to the company’s unnamed video platform from David Weil and Simon Kinberg (via Deadline). [Apple TV Guide: All of the Original Video Content] Apple Sci-Fi The series will be created and co-written by Simon Kinberg and David Weil. Mr. Kinberg is known for…
There are a handful of USB-C portable monitors on the market, but a lot of them have mediocre reviews and include questionable trade-offs. A new Kickstarter campaign is looking to offer two compelling 15-inch USB-C portable monitors, a 4K model, and a 1080p touchscreen model which have hit over 700% funding in the first two hours.
The post 15-inch portable 4K USB-C and 1080p touchscreen monitors raise 700% of Kickstarter goal in 2 hours appeared first on 9to5Mac.
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Apple will reduce the number of people it is going to hire following its recent revenue miss and concerns about iPhone sales numbers.
Charlotte Henry and Andrew Orr join host Kelly Guimont to discuss the new collection of breached data and Tim Cook’s Time Magazine article.
Apple has been slowly but surely growing hiring rates for jobs related to “health” fields. The company’s job openings with the word specifically mentioned in the career title have increased 400% as the company continues to view health as its “greatest contribution to mankind”.
According to new data by Thinknum, Apple has 75 open job listings with the word “health” in the career title, as compared to just 15 openings in October 2017.
The post Apple increases ‘health’ related hiring as job openings rise 400% since 2017 appeared first on 9to5Mac.
| Read more »TextSoap can automatically remove unwanted characters, fix up messed up carriage returns, and do pretty much anything else that we can think of to text. Save time and effort. Be more productive.
Stop manually fixing text documents and emails. Let TextSoap help you automate away all that tediousness. And do it all from within your favorite app using TextSoap Menu. Enable it in preferences and access TextSoap in most apps that support standard copy and paste.
Easy to learn for casual users, TextSoap offers the flexibility that expert users need.
Version 8.4.10:
Note: Version 8 is a paid upgrade from previous versions. Upgrade information can be found here.
Fixed:
Apple appears to be one of the companies vying to pick up Bad Robot, the production studio founded by Star Trek, Star Wars, and Lost director J.J. Abrams.
The act of gambling on games of chance has been around as long as the games themselves. For as long as there's been money to be made wagering on the uncertain outcomes of these events, bettors have been leveraging mathematics to give them an edge on...
| Read more »At this point, it seems like Apple is adding more content for its upcoming video streaming service every other day. While the company has yet to announce its official plans, Apple’s deals with various movie studios, celebrities, and TV show concepts have been leaking for quite some time.
The post Apple green-lights 10-episode sci-fi series with Simon Kinberg and David Weil appeared first on 9to5Mac.
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The PCI-SIG standards body has ratified version 0.9 of the PCIe 5.0 connection specification, which could have implications for future Macs, particularly the upcoming modular Mac Pro.
Apple has given the green light to a 10-episode season of an untitled science fiction series created and co-written by Simon Kinberg (pictured) and David Weil, reports Deadline.
Kinberg is best known for his work on the X-Men film franchise, and has also written such films as Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Sherlock Holmes. He has served as a producer on others including Cinderella and The Martian, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. Weil is a producer and actor, known for Moonfall, Half Heard in the Stillness, and The Hunt.
Genre Films’ president of TV Audrey Chon will be an executive producer on the show, along with Kinberg and Weil. Deadline says specifics are under wraps for right now, that this is “...
| Read more »9to5Toys now has a new app! Download it to stay up to date on the best gear and deals on the web. Plus don’t forget to check us out on Apple News and sign up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.
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| Read more »Microsoft has hinted it could reveal the long-awaited HoloLens 2 next month. It sent out invites to a press event taking place on February 24th, which CEO Satya Nadella, CVP Julia White and technical fellow Alex Kipman will host. Given the names invo...
| Read more »Apple has inked a deal for a 10 episode season for an as-of-yet untitled science fiction series from Simon Kinberg and David Weil, reports Deadline.
Simon Kinberg is known primarily for his work on the "X-Men" series, as well as movies like "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," "Jumper," "Chappie," "The Fantastic Four," and "The Martian."
Image via Deadline
David Weil is known for "The Hunt," an upcoming TV show about a group of Nazi hunters in the 1970s.
Kinberg, Weil, and Genre Films President of TV Audrey Chon will serve as executive producers on the show, which is said to be a large budget, ambitious, character driven show.
No additional details are available about the series, with specific information being kept under wraps. The show is set to go into production this summer,...
| Read more »A new US wireless carrier customer study has been released today and T-Mobile has continued its streak of winning top honors over Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint with solid year-over-year customer satisfaction growth. More notably however, is that T-Mobile has beat out Verizon in the survey’s “quality brand” ranking.
The post T-Mobile beats out Verizon as top ‘quality’ brand as it sees 9% YoY increase in customer satisfaction appeared first on 9to5Mac.
| Read more »Ignoring all the silly qualifiers, this will be a pretty incredible event, especially for those of us on the West Coast of North America. Sadly for us here in the Vancouver area, the forecast is for rain Sunday evening.
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Photographers who are irritated about missing the perfect shot because it took too long to access their iPhone's camera could benefit from one potential feature Apple has considered, where the iPhone automatically enters the camera application when raised for a shot, even if it is still locked.
In 2019 as 5G systems and devices begin rolling out around the globe, Millimeter Wave technology is one of the key technologies behind 5G. Today four of Apple's latest millimeter wave antenna patent applications were published today by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
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If you have been on Facebook or Instagram recently, you will have noticed the “10 Year Challenge”. Users post a profile picture of themselves from 10 years ago and another from now. It is meant to be a harmless meme that laughs at ourselves and late 2000s fashion. But could there be something more sinister to it? Katie O’Neil wondered in Wired if the “10 Year Challenge” is actually helping Facebook develop a facial recognition algorithm.
Imagine that you wanted to train a facial recognition algorithm on age-related characteristics and, more specifically, on age progression (e.g., how people are likely to look as they get older). Ideally, you’d want a broad and rigorous dataset with lots of people’s pictures. It would help if you knew they were taken a fixed number of years apart—say, 10 years. Sure, you could mine Facebook for profile pictures and look at posting dates or EXIF data. But that whole set of profile pictures could end up generating a lot of...
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If you have the cash and the right living situation, the Botvac D7 Connected is a largely solid robot vacuum with a few catches and eccentricities.
While third-party Uno apps have been around for some time, Mattel released its own mobile version of the classic card game in certain countries and on Facebook Instant Games last year. Now, the toymaker and NetEase, through their Mattel163 studio, ar...
| Read more »A webhook is a small web trigger that when fired can easily send amount of small json to a web listener. Most modern software solutions support webhooks. They provide an easy way to trigger events from a piece of software to happen in another piece of software.
An example of this is when a smart group change happens in Jamf Pro, do something elsewhere. To start, you register a webhook in Jamf Pro by opening an instance of Jamf Pro, clicking on Settings, clicking on Global Management, and then clicking on Webhooks.
Registering Webhooks
From the Webhooks screen, click New.
New Webhook Screen
At the New Webhook screen, you will see a number of fields. Here,
Federal prosecutors in the U.S. are pushing a criminal investigation against Huawei. The Chinese firm is alleged to have stolen trade secrets from U.S. business partners, including T-Mobile U.S., the Wall Street Journal reported. This latest development puts even further pressure on the company. It has already been caught up in an investigation by the U.S. Government into intellectual property theft by Chinese companies. It’s CFO, Meng Wanzhou, was arrested in Canada in December 2018 at the request of the U.S.
The investigation grew in part out of civil lawsuits against Huawei, including one in which a Seattle jury found Huawei liable for misappropriating robotic technology from T-Mobile’s Bellevue, Wash., lab, the people familiar with the matter said. The probe is at an advanced stage and could lead to an indictment soon, they said.
...
| Read more »While recent reports have suggested Intel will supply Apple with 5G modems for 2020 iPhones, the chipmaker has struggled with its consumer 5G modems, to the extent that Apple has allegedly "been unhappy" with Intel's progress.
Despite its apparent displeasure with Intel, a report in November claimed that Apple had not considered reopening conversations with Qualcomm about supplying 5G modems for 2020 iPhones. Instead, Apple recently testified that it held conversations with Samsung and MediaTek as potential alternative suppliers.
In a research note obtained by MacRumors today, however, analysts at investment bank Barclays said they "still believe there is a good chance...
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Whatever it is ultimately named, the successor to the iPhone XR expected later in 2019 will be equipped with a 4-by-4 MIMO antenna for better wireless connections.
A Chinese think-tank criticized Apple, Amazon and a number of other firms for the way they reference Taiwan and Hong Kong, Reuters reported. Tawain is considered a wayward-province by China. Hong Kong was returned to China by the British in 1997 and is a semi-autonomous region. Apple is amongst a number of firms that refers to both Hong Kong and Tawain as separate from mainland China, something the Chinese government has been trying to crack down on recently.
China last year ramped up pressure on foreign companies including Marriott International and Qantas for referring to Taiwan and Hong Kong as separate from China in drop down menus or other material. The report was co-written by [Chinese Academy of Social Sciences] CASS and the Internet Development Research Institution of Peking University. An official at the Internet Development Research Institution told Reuters that it had not yet been published to the public and declined to provide a copy.
...
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Private tax companies don’t want you to know this, but if your income is below US$66,000 the IRS offers free tax filing software. If your income is above US$66,000 you can still file for free, but you’ll have to do it manually with fillable forms. However, thanks to the long government shutdown this year, tax returns will end up being late.
China may be slowing iPhone sales worldwide, but Chinese people are driving Apple's App Store business. From a report: China accounted for nearly 50 percent of all app downloads in 2018, pushing the global downloads count to reach a record 194 billion, according to research firm App Annie. China, which is the world's largest smartphone market, also accounted for nearly 40 percent of worldwide consumer spend in apps in 2018, App Annie said in its yearly "State of Mobile" report. (Note: Google Play Store is not available in China.) Global consumer spend in apps reached $101 billion last year, up 75 percent since 2016. And 74 percent of all money spent on apps last year came from games. The battle between Silicon Valley companies and Chinese tech giants generated more than half of total consumer spend in the top 300 parent companies in 2018, the report said. The top company for global consumer spend was China's Tencent, which owns stake in several startups, companies, and games --...
| Read more »A group of Amazon shareholders has filed a resolution requesting the company stop selling its facial recognition technology to government agencies until a review can determine whether it has the potential to violate civil rights. Organized by the non...
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It’s not known how many participants will be in the study, or how long the study will run.
Troy Hunt, creator of the Have I Been Pwned? tool, wrote a blog post about the latest data breach called Collection 1.
Let’s start with the raw numbers because that’s the headline, then I’ll drill down into where it’s from and what it’s composed of. Collection #1 is a set of email addresses and passwords totaling 2,692,818,238 rows.It’s made up of many different individual data breaches from literally thousands of different sources.
To find out if your account credentials were leaked, visit haveibeenpwned.com.
Following Spotify's integration with Google Maps and Waze, the music streaming service is rolling out some in-car controls within its own app. 9to5Google has spotted a "Car View" mode inside Spotify for Android, which automatically enables a driver-f...
| Read more »Got $700 to waste? Louis Vuitton can help – the fashion company is offering some admittedly excellent in-ear true wireless headphones for $995. Which is $299 for the headphones and $696 for the logo …
The post Louis Vuitton wants you to pay them $700 for putting their logo on in-ear wireless headphones appeared first on 9to5Mac.
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The Apple Watch could include more gestures similar to Raise to Speak in the future, after the revelation Apple has explored the possibility of producing more hands-free ways to interact with wearable devices and other hardware.
Jeremy Burge did some side-by-side low light shots, showing the iPhone camera vs Android’s Night Sight. Scroll through the tweets below:
Whatever Apple does with the iPhone camera this year, they need to be able to compete with Pixel night mode. All taken on 18 month old Pixel 2 in challenging / dark conditions, and no iPhone photo at night comes close: pic.twitter.com/BaALCfqELO
— Jeremy Burge (@jeremyburge) January 11, 2019
To me, this is my iPhone camera’s biggest weakness, the one feature that tempts me to carry a Pixel 3, just for the ability to capture better low light images.
Google has a fantastic writeup on Night Sight in this blog post. Jump to the section titled “...
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Maybe you knew this or maybe not, but under Facebook ad preferences you’ll see a list of traits and interests the platform associates with you.
A new report from Barclays today predicts that this year’s iPhone XR will bring better cellular connectivity with a new LTE 4×4 MIMO antenna. This could bring the entry-level flagship more in line with the features and performance of the current iPhone XS and iPhone 11.
The post Report: 2019 iPhone XR to improve LTE with 4×4 MIMO antenna like current iPhone XS appeared first on 9to5Mac.
| Read more »Researchers have taught a robot dog to overcome one of the toughest challenges for a four-legged droid: how to get back up after a fall. In a paper published in the Science Robotics journal, its Swiss creators describe how they trained a neural netwo...
| Read more »Cocktail is a general purpose utility for OS X that lets you clean, repair and optimize your Mac. It is a powerful digital toolset that helps hundreds of thousands of Mac users around the world get the most out of their computers every day.
The application serves up a perfect mix of maintenance tools and tweaks, all accessible through a clean and easy to use interface. Cocktail's features are arranged into five categories that helps you manage various aspects of your computer. It also comes with an automatic Pilot-mode that allows you to simply press a button and relax, knowing that Cocktail will take care of the rest.
Version 11.7:
A think tank linked to the Chinese government is criticizing Apple, Amazon, Nike and other foreign companies for using "incorrect labels" in reference to Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.
https://9to5mac.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2019/01/9to5Mac-Daily-01-17-2019.mp3
The post...
| Read more »Some 773M email addresses have been exposed by hackers in what is the largest ever breach. Alongside the email addresses are 21M passwords …
The post PSA: 773M email addresses and 21M passwords exposed by hackers, check yours here appeared first on 9to5Mac.
| Read more »Rene Ritchie lays out his vision for the future of iOS. Some great ideas here. My favorite (and I’ve been cheering for this concept for a while now):
Lock Screen Complications
Apple Watch provides rich, on-demand information, through complications. With them, not just the time, day and date, but everything from the temperature to your next appointment, stock prices to your current activity level are instantly, glance-ably available. And so are the apps behind them, both the ones made by Apple and many from the App Store.
A variety of Android phones do this as well. Some persistently through always-on displays.
Unlike notifications, which bring event-based information to you as it happens, complications are just always there, chill, hanging out, available whenever you want them. And that makes for a huge improvement in convenience.
If Apple delivers just one thing from Rene’s wish list, customizable iPhone lock screen complications would top my...
| Read more »A new supply chain report this morning claims that new orders for iPad series products were granted to Apple suppliers GIS and TPK for H1
| Read more »Apple's chief executive has called for regulation to tackle the "shadow economy" of data brokers -- intermediaries who trade in the personal information of largely unsuspecting consumers -- as the company continues its push to be seen as supportive of privacy. Tim Cook, in an op-ed for Time Magazine published on Thursday, said: One of the biggest challenges in protecting privacy is that many of the violations are invisible. For example, you might have bought a product from an online retailer -- something most of us have done. But what the retailer doesn't tell you is that it then turned around and sold or transferred information about your purchase to a "data broker" -- a company that exists purely to collect your information, package it and sell it to yet another buyer. The trail disappears before you even know there is a trail. Right now, all of these secondary markets for your information exist in a shadow economy that's largely unchecked -- out of sight of consumers, regulators...
| Read more »Even if you don’t have a single bit of developer in you, this is a fascinating look at an Apple product that never made the official catalog.
A taste, from the beginning of Stephen Hackett’s MacStories writeup:
In his keynote introducing the switch to Intel, Steve Jobs introduced the weirdest Mac of all time: the Apple Developer Transition Kit.
After announcing the change, Jobs revealed a secret. The Mac he had been using to demo software all morning actually had a 3.6 GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor inside.
Needless to say, the crowd went wild.
Great read.
| Read more »USA Today reports that Apple and Johnson & Johnson are teaming up on a study to determine whether the Apple Watch Series 4, in conjunction with an app from the pharmaceutical company, can accelerate the diagnosis of atrial fibrillation.
AFib, is responsible for about 130,000 deaths and 750,000 hospitalizations each year in the U.S. Up to 30% of cases go undiagnosed until life-threatening complications occur. Worldwide, about 33 million people have the condition.
The controlled, randomized multi-year Johnson & Johnson study will launch later this year and be limited to people who are 65 years of age and older and wear the Apple Watch Series 4 in the U.S., according to USA Today. Specific details on how to participate haven’t yet been announced.
In November Apple, in conjunction with Stand...
| Read more »Apple chief Tim Cook has always been a vocal champion of privacy, even going so far as to publicly criticize other tech giants' data practices. Back in 2018, he called for GDPR-like laws in the US -- now he's calling for a regulatory body to oversee...
| Read more »This is a really well organized list of habits and resources to improve your online privacy and security. Spend a few minutes just scanning the list. Are you following these habits? If not, dig in a bit, follow the links.
And that thing about freezing your credit? Sound advice.
| Read more »Today the US Patent & Trademark Office published a continuation patent application from Apple relating to MacBook-like accessories. In one application the accessory would replace Apple's soft and foldable Smart Keyboard with a solid MacBook like embodiment...
| Read more »Christine Chan, iMore:
When you charge your iPhone in the Smart Battery Case, the iPhone will usually have priority when normal or fast charging. Once the iPhone reaches about 80 percent charged, the charging is split and allocated to the Smart Battery Case instead. However, if you use a power adapter that can provide more power, such as a MacBook Pro USB-C power adapter, then it can fast charge both the iPhone and Smart Battery Case at the same time. What has priority depends on how much power is being taken in.
Good to know.
| Read more »Apple is partnering with pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson to study whether the Apple Watch can be used to diagnose increased risk of a stroke.
A stroke is when poor blood flow in the brain results in brain damage. Common symptoms include partial paralysis, partial loss of vision and difficulties speaking or understanding speech …
The post Johnson & Johnson study to determine whether Apple Watch can diagnose stroke risk appeared first on 9to5Mac.
| Read more »Tim Cook, writing for Time Magazine:
That’s why I and others are calling on the U.S. Congress to pass comprehensive federal privacy legislation—a landmark package of reforms that protect and empower the consumer. Last year, before a global body of privacy regulators, I laid out four principles that I believe should guide legislation:
First, the right to have personal data minimized. Companies should challenge themselves to strip identifying information from customer data or avoid collecting it in the first place. Second, the right to knowledge—to know what data is being collected and why. Third, the right to access. Companies should make it easy for you to access, correct and delete your personal data. And fourth, the right to data security, without which trust is impossible.
And:
One of the biggest challenges in protecting privacy is that many of the violations are invisible. For example, you might have bought a product from an online retailer—something...
| Read more »As I’ve said numerous times, I don’t think Apple will ever release an Apple-branded automotive. However, if I’m wrong, such a vehicle could sport a holographic display.
Apple has filed for a patent (number 20190018364) for a “vehicle onboard holographic communication system.” In the filing, the tech giant says that electronic devices are increasingly incorporating intelligent computerized assistants in smart device applications as part of man-machine command and communication interfaces. For example, new automotive vehicle designs often incorporate voice commands and high-definition 2D graphics for various automotive infotainment, navigation, and vehicle control applications for driver and passenger entertainment and convenience.
Some automotive man-machine interfaces are also configured to capture and process naturalized human language as voice commands and accommodate in-dash Internet web browsing, videoconferencing, or other real-time multimedia communications...
| Read more »The next-generation iPhone XR will feature a 4x4 MIMO antenna design, according to a Barclays research note obtained by MacRumors.
4x4 MIMO, short for multiple-input, multiple-output, has the potential to significantly improve LTE transmission by increasing the number of data paths between cellular towers and a mobile device to four. Simply put, the next iPhone XR would feature four antennas, allowing for faster data speeds.
iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max models feature Gigabit-class LTE with a 4x4 MIMO antenna design, while the current iPhone XR supports 2x2 MIMO.
A few months ago, PC Magazine reported that the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max have "significantly better" LTE performance than the iPhone XR based on testing conducted by Cellular Insights and Rohde & Schwarz. The difference was...
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County tax incentives for Apple's second campus in Austin, Tex. could potentially more than double a quoted $16 million estimate, a report revealed this week.
Apple and Johnson & Johnson will launch a study later in 2019 to figure out if the Apple Watch in conjunction with trend monitoring can assist in preventing strokes, in particular, ones induced by atrial fibrillation.
Since 2015 Above Avalon has published a list of questions for Apple, across hardware, software, services, and “big picture.” Here are the questions for Apple in 2019.
January is a great time to embrace the unknown rather than come up with Apple predictions for the next 12 months. Accordingly, this is my fifth installment of Apple questions as a new year kicks off.
It’s a big, detailed list and lays out things we wonder and things rumors have suggested.
Intel hasn’t yet revealed its 2019 CPU line-up, but it has disclosed the names of this year’s chips and given a few details about what we can expect from them.
We can never know for sure when Apple will adopt a new generation of Intel CPU even when it is available, but we can make some educated guesses …
The post 2019 Intel CPU plans point to Wi-Fi 6 and much faster integrated graphics in MacBooks appeared first on 9to5Mac.
| Read more »Future Mac laptops could sport a trackpad that could pair with an iPhone and provide extra power — or vice versa. Apple has filed for a patent (number 20190018450) for an “electronic accessory device” that could “extend and expand usefulness of a portable computing device.”
According to the patent filing, the base portion of the laptop can include a port having a size and shape that can accommodate insertion and retention of an iPhone (or perhaps even an iPad mini). The port can also include a means for communication between the laptop and iOS device.
This means for communication can include ports and connectors for wired communication and/or suitable means for wireless communication. The wireless communication protocol can include WiFi, Bluetooth (BT), wireless telephony (LTE, GSM, etc.) or any appropriate radio access technology (RAT). Communication between the iOS device and the laptop can include data transfer and power transfer. In one embodiment, the laptop...
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Two suppliers of touch panels in Taiwan are anticipating a good first half of 2019, with the pair saying that they expect to supply screens for the fifth generation iPad mini and a new 2019 iPad.
mophie has embraced the USB-C PD spec for fast charging with its new powerstation PD and powerstation PD XL, two universal batteries designed to charge popular smartphones at the fastest speed possible. The former ($59.95) proves 6,700mAh of juice, while the second ($79.95) serves up 10,050 of battery power.
The folks at mophie claim that both will charge select iPhone smartphones up to 2.5 times faster compared to a standard 5W charger, or up to 50% in just 30 minutes. I’ve found this to be true when using the devices with my iPhone Xs Max.
The mophie powerstation PD and powerstation PD XL feature a shared USB-C PD input and output port, which delivers fast charging (18W) and recharging (15W). An additional USB-A port lets you charge two devices at once. With Priority+ charging, power is sent to connected...
| Read more »The Mac App Store sometimes throws out odd errors when you try to download and install software, errors that lack information on Apple’s support pages. These seem to come up most often with Apple’s own software, especially the five free apps (GarageBand, iMovie, Keynote, Numbers, and Pages) that require an Apple ID, but no prior purchase.
Just a few weeks ago, I explained how to solve “Update Unavailable with This Apple ID,” but that’s not the only one.
Another one that comes up with little help is, “Could not assign applications to your account.” Here are four ways that may resolve the problem and let you download the apps you’re attempting to.
| Read more »China has accused Apple, Amazon, Nike, Siemens and other global companies of using ‘incorrect’ descriptions of Taiwan and Hong Kong.
The companies refer to them as distinct regions or countries, instead of part of China …
The post China accuses Apple of ‘incorrect’ references to Taiwan and Hong Kong appeared first on 9to5Mac.
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Apple chip partner TSMC has issued a warning on its financial situation, advising of reduced revenue growth and plans to cut its investments as the company combats the global smartphone market slowdown that has affected many other device producers.
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
Apple is said to be launching two new tablets in the first half of this year, including the rumored "iPad mini 5" as well as a likely replacement for its current entry-level iPad.
DigiTimes made the claim today in a report highlighting stable shipment expectations for Apple's touch panel suppliers, Taiwan-based German Interface Solution (GIS) and TPK Holding.
Apple reportedly plans to launch two entry-level tablets in the first half of 2019, including a fifth-generation iPad mini and another entry-level iPad model, said the sources.The claim follows a rumor carried last month by the China Times that Apple is preparing to launch a new iPad mini in the first half of 2019, followed by a new entry-level iPad in two versions, with at least one featuring a 10-inch display within a narrower...
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) has forecast its biggest quarterly revenue drop in a decade as it warns of the impact of falling demand for smartphones. TSMC is the sole supplier for the A-Series chips used in current iPhones, and this is expected to remain unchanged this year.
The market has responded nervously …
The post TSMC expects biggest revenue drop in a decade as falling iPhone demand bites appeared first on 9to5Mac.
| Read more »Hello and welcome to another edition of “Hey, You Know That Thing That You Know? What If That Weren’t True?!”
Writing for The Mac Observer, John Kheit says, “Tim Cook Is a Failure at Operations.” (Tip o’ the antlers to Aaron.)
A failure! We’ve gone from “Tim Cook is a mastermind at operations” to “Tim Cook is a failure at operations” in seven years and it only took Apple having just its second-best quarter ever.
First, he has failed to keep the trains (i.e., products) running on time.
Stupid Cook! Be more like Mussolini! (Who, despite the credit given, did not actually make the trains run on time.)
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Tim Cook reiterated his call for greater data privacy protections in Time, arguing that new legislation and consumer tools are needed.
The new year is starting off with emphasis on both privacy and the government opening up data to its citizens. Today Apple's CEO presented his ideas of what the Government needs to include in writing legislation consumer privacy in context with online data.
| Read more »Apple is seemingly set to debut at least two new iOS devices in the first half of this year.
Digitimes is reporting that touch-screen suppliers are gearing up to supply components for two new iPads in the coming months. These tablets are described as ‘entry-level’ models, including a long-awaited update to the iPad mini 4 and an update to the 2018 $329 9.7-inch iPad.
The post Digitimes: New entry-level iPad and iPad mini 5 launching in first half of 2019 appeared first on 9to5Mac.
| Read more »Let’s face it, it’s been a while since the iPod was Apple’s flagship gadget. With the passing of the iPod Classic, the iPod Nano, and the iPod Shuffle, and with only the iPod Touch keeping the name alive, it seems as if a dedicated Apple music player might be going the way of the dodo.
Still, there are rumors of a new device.
According to Apple supply chain watchers Macotakara, the current iPod Touch (which was last updated in 2015) could see a revamp as Apple looks to funnel more people into things like Apple Music and iTunes in order to help boost revenue from the company’s “Services” division.
The 32GB iPod Touch, which retails for $199, is presently the third least expensive Apple product, behind the $150 Apple TV and the $160 AirPods. At present, the cheapest iPad is the standard, $329 9.7-inch model that was refreshed in spring of 2018 to support the Apple Pencil, suggesting a possible need for a new $200 to $250 device to fill that gap.
The...
| Read more »The Apple Watch could be coming to a Medicare plan near you.
Apple is presently rumored to be in talks with at least three private Medicare plans to subsidize the Apple Watch for at-risk seniors.
The Medicare insurers, which have yet to be publicly named, are said to be looking at options to subsidize the cost of Apple’s wearable device, especially given its $399 price tag. While many seniors could benefit from its features such as fall detection and ECG reading functionalities, the cost may be prohibitive.
In an interview with CNBC’s Jim Cramer, Tim Cook revealed that Apple has big plans for health in 2019. The nature of these health services isn’t known but Mr. Cook did say Apple has been working on them for multiple years.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via The Mac Observer and...
| Read more »The future of the Mac might be Apple-designed CPUs, but the present of the Mac is Intel. Apple is increasingly in charge of its own destiny, adding features like the T2 chip to Macs to handle as much of the system’s security, encryption, and other miscellaneous tasks as it can. Still, we expect Apple to ship most or all of its laptops and desktops this year with Intel inside.
The chip giant hasn’t yet announced the specific processors it will ship this year, but it has delivered a few sneak peaks at its roadmap. Here’s what we know about what Intel is cooking up for 2019, and how it might impact the Mac.
To read this article in full, please click here
| Read more »Best known for building high-end headphones and mics, Sennheiser is now getting ready to enter the soundbar market. We got a demo during CES.
| Read more »Best known for building high-end headphones and mics, Sennheiser is now getting ready to enter the soundbar market. We got a demo during CES.
| Read more »Data collection on smart TVs reveals an ugly truth about streaming video.
| Read more »Apple Pay now supports dual-network debit cards in Australia. This enables users to avoid credit card fees at merchants that support eftpos (electronic funds transfer) at point of sale.
The post Apple Pay in Australia now lets users switch between Visa and eftpos on compatible debit cards, and avoid credit card fees appeared first on 9to5Mac.
| Read 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:
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 8.37.0.98:
...
| Read more »While most headlines yesterday emphasized some slowdown in hiring, Apple's CEO made it clear that it wasn't across the board and it wasn't the solution to their missed quarter. Teams key to the company like Artificial Intelligence and original video content would continue hiring at a strong pace. According to Apple executives, the slowdown was a time for ...
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The U.S. Congress should implement comprehensive federal privacy legislation to protect and empower customers against "data brokers," Apple CEO Tim Cook has declared, calling for lawmakers to introduce landmark reforms that fundamentally change the rules by which companies should abide regarding the collection and storage of user data.
Apple CEO Tim Cook this morning has penned a column in TIME Magazine in which he calls for the U.S. Congress to pass “comprehensive federal privacy legislation.” Cook says that in 2019, it’s time for everyone to “stand up for the right to privacy.”
The post Tim Cook calls on FTC to establish ‘data-broker clearinghouse’ in TIME Magazine op-ed appeared first on 9to5Mac.
| Read more »U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) on Wednesday introduced the American Data Dissemination Act, legislation that would require the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to submit detailed recommendations for privacy requirements that Congress can impose on tech companies like Apple, Facebook, Google, and Twitter.
The bill is intended to address the lack of a single, comprehensive federal law regulating the collection and use of personal data in the United States with clear protections that consumers can understand and the FTC can enforce.
Not later than 180 days after enactment of the act, the FTC would be required to submit its recommendations to Congress. These requirements would be substantially similar to the requirements applicable to agencies under the Privacy Act of 1974, according to a press release from Rubio's office.
In the event Congress fails to...
| Read more »By default, notifications on iOS pop down from the top of the screen for a few seconds and disappear. However, there’s an option to change this so that notifications will stay at the top of your screen until you act on it. Follow along to learn how to enable persistent notifications on your iOS devices…
The post How to enable persistent notifications on iPhone and iPad appeared first on 9to5Mac.
| Read more »Network Radar is an advanced network scanning and managing tool. Featuring an easy-to-use and streamlined design, the all-new Network Radar 2 has been engineered from the ground up as a modern Mac application.
Features
Supported Network Interfaces...
| Read more »Postbox is a new email application that helps you organize your work life and get stuff done. It has all the elegance and simplicity of Apple Mail, but with more power and flexibility to manage even the most demanding workloads.
Features
Postbox is available in English, German, French, Spanish (Spain), English (British), Italian, Dutch, Portuguese (Brazilian), Russian, and Swedish.
... | Read more »MarsEdit is a blog editor for OS X that makes editing your blog like writing email, with spell-checking, drafts, multiple windows, and even AppleScript support.
It works with with most blog services including WordPress, Blogger, Drupal, Movable Type, TypePad, and many others.
Version 4.2.5:
Restored:
Improved:
Fixed:
OmniFocus is an organizer app. It uses projects to organize tasks naturally, and then add tags to organize across projects. Easily enter tasks when you’re on the go, and process them when you have time. Tap the Forecast view - which shows both tasks and calendar events - to get a handle on your day. Use the Review perspective to keep your projects and tasks on track.
Use OmniFocus to accomplish more every day. Create projects and tasks, organize them with tags, focus on what you can do right now - and get stuff done. Then let our free syncing system make sure you data is the same on every Mac. (And on OmniFocus for iOS, available separately.) Because your data is encrypted, it’s safe in the cloud.
OmniFocus comes in two feature levels: Standard, available for $39.99; and Pro, available for $79.99.
Version 3.2:
A Better Finder Rename is the most complete renaming solution available on the market today. That's why, since 1996, tens of thousands of hobbyists, professionals and businesses depend on A Better Finder Rename to organize and maintain files.
The Instant Preview feature eliminates guesswork and costly errors and helps you find the right settings quickly and accurately by providing as-you-type feedback.
A Better Finder Rename offers a complete set of renaming options that are organized into 15 categories covering all the text, character, position, conversion and truncation features that you would expect from a file renamer, but it does not stop there. The multi-step renaming feature allows multiple renaming steps to be combined to deal with complex renaming jobs in a single operation. Unlike other tools, A Better Finder Rename allows any number of renaming actions to be combined, re-ordered, copied and deleted.
Version 10.38:
Acorn is a new image editor built with one goal in mind - simplicity. Fast, easy, and fluid, Acorn provides the options you'll need without any overhead. Acorn feels right, and won't drain your bank account.
iMazing (was DiskAid) is the ultimate iOS device manager with capabilities far beyond what iTunes offers. With iMazing and your iOS device (iPhone, iPad, or iPod), you can:
BetterTouchTool adds many new, fully customizable gestures to the Magic Mouse, Multi-Touch MacBook trackpad, and Magic Trackpad.
These gestures are customizable:
Wireshark is one of the world's foremost network protocol analyzers, and is the standard in many parts of the industry. It is the continuation of a project that started in 1998. Hundreds of developers around the world have contributed to it, and it it still under active development.
Wireshark has a rich feature set which includes the following:
Viber lets you send free messages and make free calls to other Viber users, on any device and network, in any country!
Viber syncs your contacts, messages and call history with your mobile device, so you can start the conversation on the Viber mobile application and continue from the comfort of your Mac.
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Version 9.9.6:
Download Now]]>
Earlier this month, Apple filed a proxy statement with the SEC in which it was revealed the company spent $310,000 on personal security for Tim Cook in 2018. Now, Wired is out with a closer look at how Apple’s spending on personal security for Cook compares to other Silicon Valley CEO.
The post Apple spent $310K on Tim Cook’s personal security in 2018, here’s how that compares to other CEOs appeared first on 9to5Mac.
| Read more »Coincident with the announcement of Slack’s new branding, Pentagram posted some of the work they did for Slack. For example, this image showing seven takes on a new identity (alongside the old one). What they’re showing is shockingly bad work. I can’t believe Pentagram would present some of this to a client, and it’s even harder to believe they would show it publicly.
Exhibit A:
Slack uses colons like that for entering text shortcuts for Slack’s emoji-like “reaction” stickers. E.g., type :wave: and it’ll be replaced by a hand-waving sticker. No one who doesn’t use Slack would know that; many people who do use Slack don’t know that, because they have visual ways for choosing...
| Read more »Options abound for checking out all the championship action on whatever screen you choose.
| Read more »This week Benjamin and Zac discuss how Apple’s revenue miss is affecting iPhone prices in China, a new detail about how the battery replacement program affected upgrades, a new AirPower launch rumor, competing iPhone 11 rumors and renders, hope for a future iPod touch, and the debut of the leaked Smart Battery Case for iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max.
9to5Mac Happy Hour is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play Music, or through our dedicated RSS feed for...
| Read more »Samsung is planning to announce its new 2019 flagship smartphones on February 20, but ahead of their debut date, benchmarks of the new S10+ model were shared on Slashleaks.
According to the data, Apple's current crop of iPhones, equipped with A12 chips, will outperform the Snapdragon 855 processor in Samsung's smartphone.
The Galaxy S10+, which features 6GB RAM, earned a single-core Geekbench 4 score of 3413 and a multi-core score of 10256.
Comparatively, the A12 Bionic chip in the iPhone XS features a single-core Geekbench score of 4797 and a multi-core score score of 11264.
Apple's A-series chips often outperform the Qualcomm chips that Samsung...
| Read more »Popular HomeKit accessory maker ecobee has today released its long-awaited Apple Watch app. This means you can now control your ecobee accessories through Apple Watch, including adjusting your thermostat temperature and more.
The post Ecobee on iOS updated with new Apple Watch app for smart home control appeared first on 9to5Mac.
| Read more »In the age of digital media, users may sometimes forget what it was like with physical media formats, specifically with audio. Through the years we’ve had CD, cassette, digital, and vinyl. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to play vinyl through something like your Bluetooth headphones, modern speakers, or even HomePod?
We’ve scoured the web and have done extensive testing just for our readers. Here are the best ways to play vinyl through a digital audio source.
The post How to play vinyl with AirPlay or Bluetooth to HomePod, headphones, and more appeared first on 9to5Mac.
| Read more »Popular note-taking and annotation app GoodNotes has received a major update this week. Rather than update the existing GoodNotes 4 application, GoodNotes developers have released a completely new version of the app: GoodNotes 5, which is available for free to existing GoodNotes 4 users.
The post GoodNotes 5 now available as a free update with redesigned interface, improved search, more appeared first on 9to5Mac.
| Read more »Updating a product that was last revised for the iPhone 7, Apple has released smart battery cases for the iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max. All three are available now for $129.
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Apple plans to reduce the number of new hires for certain divisions after the company missed revenue guidance for the December quarter on weak iPhone sales, according to report Wednesday.
The privacy-focused search engine DuckDuckGo is integrating Apple Maps for search data on Apple devices. The question is, will anyone stop using Google long enough to notice?
| Read more »Group Facetime for up to 32 simultaneous participants, coming to iOS 12.1. (credit: Valentina Palladino)
A federal appeals court has upheld a landmark patent judgment brought by VirnetX against Apple, affirming a $440 million judgment in a years-long patent dispute.
On Tuesday, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit denied Apple's efforts to overturn a 2016 verdict that imposed $302 million in damages. That figure has since risen to encompass enhanced damages, interest, and more. Many would dub the Nevada-based VirnetX a "patent troll," as it has no meaningful source of income outside of patent litigation.
Previously, a jury found that Apple's VPN on Demand and FaceTime features infringed...
| Read more »Apple plans to cut back on hiring for some divisions of the company after disappointing iPhone sales during the holiday season, reports Bloomberg.
Apple CEO Tim Cook shared the news with employees at an all-hands meeting earlier this month. According to sources in attendance, Cook was asked if Apple would implement a hiring freeze, but he said that he didn't believe that was an ideal solution. Instead, select divisions will see reduced hirings.
Cook at the time said Apple had not yet determined which divisions would cut back on hiring, but groups like the AI team will continue to add employees. Cook also told employees that a division's importance to the future of Apple is not measured through hiring rates.
It's not clear how extensive the hiring reduction will be, but new Apple offices planned in Austin, Texas and Los Angeles...
| Read more »Since Steve and I can’t cover everything, at the end of each week day, we’ll offer this wrap-up of news items you should check out.
Apple's most recent proxy statement, filed earlier this month, shows the company spent $310,000 on personal security for CEO Tim Cook in 2018. But that's a fraction of other tech giants' expenditures, says Wired.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) will introduce a privacy bill today tasking the Federal Trade Commission with recommending, and Congress with finalizing, national rules for companies like Google and Facebook. The bill seems to steer clear of giving the FTC wide new authority, instead only letting the agency write rules itself if Congress fails to do so, according to Axios....
| Read more »Following Apple’s revision to its Q1 2019 earnings earlier this month, the company is said to be planning to reduce its hiring. According to a report from Bloomberg, Apple plans to “cut back on hiring for some divisions” following its slowdown in iPhone sales.
The post Apple planning ‘hiring reductions’ after slowdown in iPhone sales, report says appeared first on...
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Tesla launched its first charging system that can be plugged into a standard wall outlet using a common NEMA 14-50 plug.
Although big rear-shooting camera changes may be in store for 2019 iPhones, other components may not follow suit, a rumor claimed on Wednesday.
Apple Pay chief Jennifer Bailey will deliver a keynote address at major payments technology conference TRANSACT.
Apple's 2019 iPhones could feature upgraded front-facing and rear cameras, redesigned internal layouts, and Lightning ports, according to new details known leaker Steve Hemmerstoffer (aka OnLeaks) shared with Indian site ComparaRaja.
Over the course of the past week, Hemmerstoffer has shown off two possible prototype iPhone designs Apple is allegedly working on, featuring different three camera layouts. Today he's offering up additional information on the cameras we can expect to see in the triple-lens model, which rumors have suggested will be a 6.5-inch OLED iPhone XS Max successor.
One of the alleged triple-lens 2019 iPhone prototypes
One...
The iPhone XS looks almost exactly like the iPhone X, and that similarity is leading many people to wonder if they can use Apple’s spiffy new battery cases with the older handset. The answer appears to be a shaky yes, although enough doubt remains that I’m hesitant to recommend taking the $129 plunge.
Apple’s official landing pageRemove non-product link doesn’t explicitly say that the new case doesn’t work with the older phone. It only lists the iPhone XS under Compatibility.
To read this article in full, please click here
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Facebook will introduce stricter rules on political advertising to a number of countries holding elections this year. The rules and tools aimed at curbing election interference will go live in India, Nigeria, Ukraine, and the European Union. The rollout will begin on Wednesday in Nigeria. Katie Harbath, Facebook’s Director of Global Politics and Outreach, told Reuters that only advertisers located in the country will be able to run electoral adverts there. Rob Leathern, a Director of Product Management at Facebook, also discussed the importance of storing electoral adverts in a searchable library.
We’re learning from every country,” Leathern said. “We know we’re not going to be perfect, but our goal is continuing, ongoing improvement.” Facebook believes that holding the ads in a library for seven years is a key part of fighting intereference, he added.. The library will resemble archives brought to the United States, Brazil and Britain last year.
...
| Read more »It's being reported today that Jason Katims is departing his longtime home at Universal TV for a new multi-year overall deal at Apple that starts this summer. He has previously created shows like 'Parenthood,' 'Roswell,' and 'Boston Public' amongst others.
| Read more »Yesterday we got a look at a second potential iPhone 11 prototype with a more compact and centered rear camera module and smaller notch. Today, the same blog, CompareRaja along with OnLeaks are reporting that the iPhone 11 will include a 10MP selfie camera, may retain the Lightning port, offers some specifics on the rear camera system, and more.
The post iPhone 11 rumors: 10MP selfie camera, rear camera details, USB-C may not replace Lightning, more appeared first on 9to5Mac.
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The entire smartphone industry may be under a great deal of strain in 2019, with the biggest impact felt at the higher end as manufacturers like Apple and Samsung are poised to take a big hit, assuming a market analysis by J.P. Morgan is correct.
We’ve mentioned often here how we give up way too much data voluntarily. Some of it, like this “challenge”, while seemingly innocent, may actually be sneaky and insidious.
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Mastercard announced a new policy for merchants who keep your card information after you sign up with a free trial.
Senator Marco Rubio has announced a American Data Dissemination Act, a data privacy bill that aims to shore up existing privacy laws and establish a minimum standard for tech giants like Amazon, Apple, Google, and Facebook to obey.
Apple Business Chat was first introduced in 2018 and allows users to directly communicate with businesses via iMessage. The beta service has expanded with several new features and today, Sprint users can connect directly with an agent straight from their iOS device.
The post Apple Business Chat expands to Sprint customer service, now used by 44 companies appeared first on 9to5Mac.
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A product description for the iPhone X Smart Case referenced the AirPower Charging Mat. Those references have since been removed.
The Family Organizer app by Keepsolid offers several features, like a family calendar, shopping list, and family task manager. Fill your family calendar with collective and personal events, invite others, and schedule all sorts of activities. The calendar will be synchronized between your family members, allowing everyone to keep track of others’ plans. This is further facilitated by a handful of convenient features and colorful, clear visualization. Create and manage shopping lists, set reminders, and use other handy functionality to ensure that your groceries are done and that they are exactly what you needed. Never again will you lack an important ingredient or have unnecessary extra because of some confusion. Assign tasks to family members and track their completion with ease. You will always know how everyone’s faring, whether Lil’ Jimmy visited the dentist, or if someone needs your help. Great feature for everyday planning and collaboration. App Store...
| Read more »Yesterday when the FTC lead counsel Jennifer Milici said "Your Honor, the FTC rests its case," you could have heard a pin drop even if there had been thousands of people in the audience. Seconds before that procedural notice, former Qualcomm licensing president Marvin Blecker had been confronted ...
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Kelly Guimont has Bryan Chaffin and Andrew Orr on to discuss the state of IBM PC packaging and how to interpret Apple Watch heart rate data.
We have a deal on PDF Converter OCR 6 for Mac. This software allows you to make PDFs editable and searchable, while retaining the original layout, graphics, and hyperlinks. You can also scan 27 languages, merge multiple documents, and more. You can get this app for $19 through our deal.
We’ve heard a lot of these stories and we’ll hear a lot more. If nothing else, the Apple Watch is making many more people much more aware of the overall health and well being. I know it’s already helped me lose weight and I’ve only had it for a couple of weeks.
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Apple's original retail head Ron Johnson urged investors to buy the company's stock on Wednesday, calling it a good long-term bet, and arguing that iPhone sales will revive during the next cycle.
Mr. Katims as created moves like Parenthood, Roswell, About a Boy and Rise. He was also involved with Friday Night Lights, Boston Public, and The Path.
This is a great list for those of you who are looking for and can use alternative apps. There are a couple of apps I’m going to test out for color grading my drone footage.
| Read more »A Better Finder Rename is the most complete renaming solution available on the market today. That's why, since 1996, tens of thousands of hobbyists, professionals and businesses depend on A Better Finder Rename to organize and maintain files.
The Instant Preview feature eliminates guesswork and costly errors and helps you find the right settings quickly and accurately by providing as-you-type feedback.
A Better Finder Rename offers a complete set of renaming options that are organized into 15 categories covering all the text, character, position, conversion and truncation features that you would expect from a file renamer, but it does not stop there. The multi-step renaming feature allows multiple renaming steps to be combined to deal with complex renaming jobs in a single operation. Unlike other tools, A Better Finder Rename allows any number of renaming actions to be combined, re-ordered, copied and deleted.
Version 10.38:
Variety reports that Jason Katims — writer, producer, and playwright — is departing his longtime home at Universal TV for a new multi-year overall deal at Apple. The tech giant is expected to debut a streaming service at some point this year.
Katims is best known as the creator of several television series, including Relativity (1996), Roswell (1999-2002), Friday Night Lights (2006-2011), Parenthood (2010-2015), About a Boy (2014-2015) and Rise (2018). His film credits include The Vow, starring Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum, and The Pallbearer, starring David Schwimmer and Gwyneth Paltrow. He began his writing career as a playwright. His plays include The Man Who Couldn’t Dance and Who Made Robert De Niro King of America.
Katims and his True Jack Productions...
| Read more »Apple yesterday debuted new Smart Battery Cases for the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR, and review units are in the hands of members of the media.
Many iPhone X users have been wondering if the iPhone XS Smart Battery Case will work with the older model given that the two devices are nearly identical in design, but the answer is no.
iMore's Rene Ritchie tested the iPhone XS Smart Battery Case on an iPhone X and while the case physically fits on the iPhone X, it does not charge.
The speaker and microphone holes on the case do not line up on the iPhone X and when putting the case on the iPhone X, it gives a compatibility error.
As usual, Apple .com was/is correct.
iPhone XS Smart Battery Case DOES NOT WORK with iPhone X.
Camera fits but not tight, speaker/mic holes aren’t aligned, charging system throws up a compatibility error.
...
A new report posted today claims that Apple has been in talks with at least three private Medicare plans about subsidizing the Apple Watch for people over 65 to use as a health tracker, according to people familiar with the discussions. The insurers are exploring ways to subsidize the cost of the device for those who can't afford the $279...
| Read more »iPhone sales may be slow in China, but Chinese customers are driving Apple’s App Store business. In fact, China accounted for nearly 50% of all app downloads in 2018, pushing the global downloads count to reach a record 194 billion, according to research firm App Annie — as noted by VentureBeat .
The country also accounted for nearly 40% of worldwide consumer spending on apps in 2018, the report says. Global consumer spending on apps reached $101 billion last year, up 75% since 2016. And 74% of all money spent on apps last year came from games.
| Read more »Update: Ritchie now says the iPhone X he tried to use with the iPhone XS Smart Battery Case was not updated to iOS 12.1.3. Since updating, the iPhone X does work with the iPhone XS Smart Battery Case, but with inconsistent results.
Apple yesterday officially unveiled its new Smart Battery Cases for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR. iPhone X users, however, have been left wondering whether or not the iPhone XS case will function with their device. Now, we have our answer.
The post...
| Read more »MarsEdit is a blog editor for OS X that makes editing your blog like writing email, with spell-checking, drafts, multiple windows, and even AppleScript support.
It works with with most blog services including WordPress, Blogger, Drupal, Movable Type, TypePad, and many others.
Version 4.2.5:
Restored:
Improved:
Fixed:
Jason Katims, the showrunner behind some of Universal Television's hit shows, will be departing the TV studio this summer in favor of a shift to Apple, where he will help produce new video projects as part of a multi-year deal.
Well-known producer, writer, and show creator Jason Katims has departed Universal TV after inking a multi-year deal with Apple, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Under the exclusive deal, which kicks off this summer, Katims will create content for Apple under his True Jack Productions banner.
Katims has been responsible for many high-profile television shows, including "Parenthood," "Friday Night Lights," "Roswell," "Rise," and "About a Boy."
He will continue to work on "Away" and "Sisters," two projects that he has in the works with Universal TV, but future content will be exclusive to Apple.
Katims is rejoining Michelle Lee, who formerly served as head of development at True Jack before moving on to Apple's creative development team.
Apple has signed deals...
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