If you’re using Zoom on your M1 Mac for virtual holiday get-togethers, you’ll be happy to hear that an upgrade is arriving in a timely fashion. 9to5Mac has learned that Zoom is rolling out a December 21st update that lets the video calling app native...

Journalists appear to have fallen prone to a particularly sophisticated digital espionage campaign. According to the Guardian, Citizen Lab has discovered that operators using NSO Group software, nicknamed Kismet, hacked the iPhones of 37 journalists...

Microsoft may go down the same route as Apple in shifting away from Intel for its products, with the software giant said to be working on its own processor designs that may end up in its Surface computer line.Apple's self-designed A-series chips used in the iPhone and iPad lineup, as well as the new Apple Silicon for Macs, has demonstrated it is possible for a hardware producer to create its own processor instead of relying on a third party like Qualcomm or Intel. Rumors from Microsoft suggest it too may pull off the same hardware maneuver in the future.According to sources of Bloomberg, Microsoft is working on an in-house processor design,...

The MacRumors site writes:
Facebook's recent criticism directed at Apple over an upcoming tracking-related privacy measure is "laughable," according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a non-profit organization that defends civil liberties in the digital world.
Facebook has claimed that Apple's new opt-in tracking policy will hurt small businesses who benefit from personalized advertising, but the EFF believes that Facebook's campaign against Apple is really about "what Facebook stands to lose if its users learn more about exactly what it and other data brokers are up to behind the scenes," noting that Facebook has "built a massive empire around the concept of tracking everything you do...." According to the EFF, a number of studies have shown that most of the money made from targeted advertising does not reach app developers, and instead goes to third-party data brokers like Facebook, Google, and lesser-known firms.

"Facebook touts itself in this case...

"New COVID-19 restrictions and worsening outbreaks have compelled Apple to temporarily close nearly one fifth of its retail stores during one of the busiest shopping weeks of the holiday season," reports 9to5Mac.

401 of Apple's 509 locations worldwide remain open as of publication. Most open locations in the US are limited to Express storefront pickup of online orders and Genius Support. Walk-in shopping and customers without an appointment are not accepted at Express locations.

The site also notes that Apple recently re-closed all 18 of its stores across Germany and the Netherlands. And the Verge confirms more store closings in the U.S. and around the world:

Every California store, all four in Tennessee, all three in Utah, all four in Minnesota, two in Oklahoma, and the stores in Portland, Oregon; Anchorage, Alaska; Omaha, Nebraska; and Albuquerque, New Mexico are all closed this upcoming week — as well as the 16 additional stores in the U.K., Mexico and...

Ninja’s clout in the streaming world didn’t ‘only’ net him a Fortnite skin. Mediatonic has surprise-released a cute-as-hell Ninja outfit for Fall Guys, letting you play as the big-time streamer while you chase victory on Fall Mountain or survive grie...

Adds full compatibility with macOS 11 Big Sur and initial support for M1-based Macs. ($29 new, free update, 311.5 MB, macOS 10.13+)

Brings a spate of improvements and bug fixes to the writing app. ($49.99 annual subscription, free update, 30.6 MB, macOS 10.14.4+)

The Trump administration elevated the role of Cyber Command in 2018, and now it’s apparently ready to give the division its own berth. Defense One reports that officials have proposed splitting Cyber Command leadership from the NSA. It’s not certain...

Need a way to wrangle all of your keys without a bulky keychain? Want to keep those keys firmly tucked away in a pocket without hearing that annoying jingle? The KeySmart™ Original Compact Key Holder has been around for awhile, but is still a HOT gift idea. For the first time ever, you can get it in the Apple World Today Deals Shop for just $15.99. ($29.99 for the titanium version)

KeySmart was founded on the idea that complex problems often have simple solutions. Was a key ring really the best way to carry keys? Not anymore. KeySmart is the world's first compact key organizer. This convenient tool makes your keys organized, compact, and comfortable to carry....

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has declared Facebook's attack against Apple's anti-tracking initiatives as a "laughable campaign," one that actually works against the small businesses that the social network is supposedly trying to protect.Facebook's ongoing media campaign to try and pressure Apple into halting its program of changes to limit the amount of ad tracking that takes place across Apple's ecosystem has already received criticism from Apple CEO Tim Cook and the company itself. Now, the privacy-focused non...

The Verge reports:

Firefox's latest update brings native support for Macs that run on Apple's Arm-based silicon, Mozilla announced on Tuesday. Mozilla claims that native Apple silicon support brings significant performance improvements: the browser apparently launches 2.5 times faster and web apps are twice as responsive than they were on the previous version of Firefox, which wasn't native to Apple's chips...

Firefox's support of Apple's Arm-based processors follows Chrome, which added support for Apple's new chips shortly after the M1-equipped MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac mini were released in November.

Firefox 84 will also be the very last release to support Adobe Flash, notes ZDNet, calling both developments "a reminder of the influence Apple co-founder Steve Jobs has had and continues to exert on software and hardware nine years after his death."
Jobs wrote off Flash in 2010 as successful Adobe software but one that was a 'closed' product "...

Apple hasn’t largely changed the MacBook Pro since the redesigned model of 2016 which also introduced the TouchBar. However, the last three years have been very bad for the Mac as a whole. 

Very soon, it was realized that the chassis of the 2016 MacBook Pro design was not good at cooling the machine. The relatively new butterfly keyboard which was introduced alongside the 2015 12” MacBook also brought over to the MacBook Pro suffered from major quality issues. 

The much hyped TouchBar falls short

The TouchBar which was sold by Apple as a revolutionary new way of input seldom receives any love. Apple touted the TouchBar as a major new input mechanism after having perfected the mouse with the first Macintosh in 1984 and the touch on the iPhone. However, the TouchBar fell short of the hype and as a result, the majority of the users wish that Apple would just bring back the function buttons instead.

The current generation MacBook Pro models are far better...

Facebook added banner ads criticizing Apple into some of its iOS apps, 9to5Mac reports, in its ongoing war against Apple's new privacy changes:
By tapping the Learn More button, the app opens an article written by Facebook in which the company says Apple's policies announced at WWDC 2020 with iOS 14 will "harm the growth of business and the free internet." Facebook refers both to the new App Store privacy labels and also an option in iOS 14 that prevents apps from tracking users.

The fact that Facebook is now showing these messages in its iOS apps criticizing Apple demonstrates that the company is trying to get popular appeal to change Apple's mind about its new App Store privacy rules. That's because Facebook is one of the companies that will be most impacted by Apple's new privacy policies as its social networks rely heavily on ads and personal data from users.

In a statement to 9to5Mac, Apple said it doesn't want to force Facebook to change its business...

Has your internet provider ever charged rental fees for a modem even after you bought one? You won’t have that pushback any longer. As Ars Technica notes, the Television Viewer Protection Act taking effect December 20th will ban ISPs and TV providers...

50% off deals are always welcome in our books. Imagine our surprise when Urbanears has slashed half off on its vaunted Ralis Portable Bluetooth Speaker lineup across all color options (Mist Grey, Haute Red, Charcoal Black and Slate Blue).

Today, you can buy the Ralis Bluetooth speaker for just $99.99 on Amazon. It’s designed for outdoor use with a carry strap and water-resistant material and design. The speaker touts Bluetooth 5.0 technology, which allows for steady connections on up to 30 ft in distance.

Preview
Product
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With COVID-19 cases still rising in Los Angeles Apple will be temporarily closing a number of retail stores in the area.

The occurrence is a first in a few months, and Apple will be closing its two Los Angeles Apple Stores today. Eleven others will be following on Saturday, and there’s no information on when operations will resume.

In December all of the South California population is under a ‘stay at home’ order, but non-essential stores can remain open. Malls and stores are expected to run at reduced capacity.

Corona virus cases are also climbing in the Bay Area but Apple has not made the move to close its stores there yet. Most are operating in ‘Express’ mode which allows for genius bar appointments and order pickups only.

Apple closed its shops in 2020 and reopened in June. The Cupertino-based company has mandated social distancing, regular deep cleaning and the wearing of face masks, as well as temp checks and limited store occupancy as part of its...

Apple has once again put a manufacturer on probation over reported labor abuses. The company told TechCrunch in a statement that it has halted new contracts for Wistron after discovering pay issues at the contractor’s factory in the Narasapura indust...

Renowned actor Samuel L. Jackson will be playing the lead role in the latest Apple TV+ acquisition, ‘The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey’.

‘The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey’ is based on the same-titled book by Walter Mosley. Apple will be adapting the novel for its streaming service with six episodes slated for release.

‘The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey’ tells the story of Ptolemy Grey, an old recluse who has been abandoned by friends and family, and is suffering from dementia. He then meets Robyn who gives him a drug that reverses the mental condition and uses the remaining time to solve his grand-nephew’s death.

Samuel L Jackson will serve as the lead actor and producer of the show. Jackson’s last stint in Apple TV+ was with Anthony Mackie, ‘The Banker’.

Apple TV+ is Apple’s streaming service and costs $4.99 per month. It contains exclusive Apple content such as ‘Defending Jacob’, ‘Dickinson’, ‘The Morning Show’ and more.

The post...

Popular review site iFixit has set its sights on the latest Apple product, the AirPods Max, and will determine whether the device will be repairable or not in the upcoming days.

During disassembly iFixit has had an x-ray done on the innards of the headphones. The crew found a battery cell found in each ear, microphone brackets, alignment magnets, dual ring speaker drivers and more.

Due to the amount of glue involved iFixit was not able to get into the AirPods Max easily. The logic board in each cup will be checked with greater detail in the next iteration of the teardown.

No other detail has been disclosed other than the ones mentioned above. iFixit mentioned that they will update content over the next few days and has teased ‘more to come’ and a surprise for headphone enthusiasts.

AirPods Max is...

If you want to run Windows on your Intel-based Mac, there's still time to take advantage of this Cyber Monday leftover bundle of 12 Mac apps worth over $1,266, including one year of Parallels Desktop Pro. Snap up the Mac app bundle for just $42 with coupon.Last chance to save on this blowout deal including Parallels DesktopThe Official Cyber Monday Mac Bundle Ft. Parallels Pro & Luminar 4 is a collection of 12 apps that can help accelerate your productivity. The collection of apps is valued at $1,266.17, but you can acquire the lot for $42 with promo code APPLEINSIDER40.

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Since the release of iOS 14, we have been covering several apps that offer different home screen widgets, including some that feature multiple customization options. However, this is the first time I see something like Flex Widgets — a new app that lets you create your own widgets exactly the way you want.

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The post ‘Flex Widgets’ lets you create and customize your own widgets for the iOS home screen appeared first on 9to5Mac.

You might not want to count on playing Xbox 360 Halo games online for much longer. Thurrott reports Microsoft and 343 Industries are winding down Halo Xbox 360 services over the next year. The two have halted digital sales of all Halo games for the p...

As we head into the holiday season, we’re working on wrapping up the rest of this year’s reviews. This week, we tested the MacBook Pro M1 to see how well the company’s new chipset would work for professionals. We also checked out Razer’s active noise...

The modern world would be a pale shade of itself if not for the myriad foundational technologies developed at the Bell Telephone Labs. Its engineers invented the transistor and photovoltaic cell, charge-coupled devices, frickin’ lasers — even Unix an...

After Sony pulled Cyberpunk 2077 from its PlayStation store, what could happen next? Well, Microsoft is still willing to sell the game on Xbox, but it has matched Sony’s offer with refunds for anyone who wants one. Meanwhile, CD Projekt Red itself wi...

2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E first drive: Worth the hypeLawrence Ulrich, AutoblogThe marketing hype was at an all-time high for Ford’s “Mustang” EV, but thankfully, the American automaker has met expectations. Autoblog took the Mustang Mach-E for a spin...

When I purchased the early 2020 MacBook Air, at the time, I said it was the ideal laptop for K-12. In a fashion that only Apple can do, they’ve topped their computer just a few months after its release. After switching to the M1 Apple Silicon MacBook Air a few weeks ago, it’s undoubtedly the best laptop ever built for education.

Sponsor: If you’re a business of school looking to find a trusted repair partner for your Apple devices, check out 9to5Mac’s Apple Repair Services.

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The post Making the Grade: Apple Silicon in K-12 represents one of the biggest upgrades since the first laptop appeared first on...

As Wistron removes a vice president in charge of India amid its wage-related worker riot, Apple has put the assembly partner on probation until it can rectify the situation.An image from a video showing the violence at the Wistron facility.Saturday's riot at Wistron's iPhone production facility in Narasapura, India continues to cause problems for Wistron. Following the damage caused to the factory through the violence, as well as state authorities determining it had broken labor laws, Wistron now has to contend with a loss of income from its client, Apple.

By David Balaban

I want to touch on the problem of the independent repair community not being fair to Apple. I almost never say things like that because I think Apple does a lot of bad things. I think they are too controlling, their reach is too far, and they prevent us from being able to extend the lives of our devices.

I think that we should call the tech giant out when it does bad things. At the same time, I think that we also must be fair because if we expect to be treated fairly, then we need also to be fair.

I think that this battery service issue that was being sensationalized needs some thought to be put on.

On a regular basis, Apple World Today posts a list of notable new apps or app updates that have been released. They may not necessarily be new, but they're popular and deserve mention. Here are this week’s picks.

macOS

MeisterApps has debuted MirrorMeister, their first screen mirroring app for macOS and iOS. 

It’s a cross-platform screencasting app, supporting more than 20 different Smart TVs brands, streaming devices, and televisions using the Android TV operating system. The folks at MeisterApps says you just need to download the app once and can stream music, cast photos, and videos from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac to any TV.

MirrorMeister is available for free at the Apple App Store and Mac App Store. However, you will need a monthly subscriptions to gain Pro functionality and enjoy regularly added features, updates...

The latest update aimed at addressing the long list of problems players are experiencing in Cyberpunk 2077 has already started to roll out on consoles. The 1.05 hotfix measures 16 to 17 GB on Xbox and PlayStation platforms, and you can read through t...

Apple is temporarily closing its retail locations in the Los Angeles area due to a rising number of COVID-19 cases in Southern California, reports Bloomberg. The article says this is the first time in months that the tech giant has shut retail locations in the area.

Apple has several stores in Los Angeles, including major outlets at The Grove and Beverly Center shopping centers, Santa Monica and the Glendale area. On its website, Apple said it is closing 11 local stores beginning Saturday and two stores Friday. However, it didn’t say when they would re-open.

Enlarge / Microsoft has so far neither confirmed nor denied Bloomberg's claims regarding in-house CPU designs. (credit: Aurich Lawson / Grid Engine)

This afternoon, Bloomberg reported that Microsoft is in the process of developing its own ARM CPU designs, following in the footsteps of Apple's M1 mobile CPU and Amazon's Graviton datacenter CPU.

Bloomberg cites off-record conversations with Microsoft employees who didn't want to be named. These sources said that Microsoft is currently developing an ARM processor for...

While Donald Trump said that at first he was “not really serious” when considering a Space Force branch of the military, it has become real, and has continued to progress despite the ongoing pandemic. As the former Air Force Space Command becomes its...

9to5Rewards is ending 2020 off with one of our biggest giveaways of the year. Thanks to our good friends at MacStadium, Mac users and readers have the chance to take home Apple’s new M1 Mac mini. Head below for an exclusive discount on MacStadium’s hosted Mac services and hit the form to enter the M1 Mac mini giveaway:

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The post 9to5Rewards: Win the new M1 Mac mini from MacStadium [Giveaway] appeared first on 9to5Mac.

Facebook is alerting business users on its platform that new privacy features in iOS 14 could "significantly impact" their marketing and advertising efforts.Credit: Brett JordanThe social media giant has criticized the upcoming privacy changes, which will make a specific tracking tag explicitly opt in, in a blog post and full-page newspaper ads.

Read more...

Now asks you if you want to reopen documents after a crash or force quit. ($49.99 new, free update, 18.7 MB, macOS 10.14.2+)

Introduces native support for M1-based Macs. (Free, 126 MB, macOS 10.12+)

ust because you once shared access to your Apple devices or accounts doesn’t mean you necessarily want to keep on sharing, especially if a relationship change means that you no longer feel safe with that person. Apple has published clear, sensible instructions for reviewing and revoking shared data and device access.

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Apple continues its focus on privacy and security with some new resources on how to protect your devices, accounts, and personal safety. Let’s look at the recommended steps to check who can access your iPhone, other Apple devices, and Apple accounts.

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The post How to check who can access your iPhone, iPad, and Apple accounts appeared first on 9to5Mac.

Electric vehicle company Canoo caught our attention last year with its plan to offer a subscription-only EV. It’s back with its latest creation, a stylish multi-purpose delivery vehicle that’ll start at around $33,000. Pre-orders are open for the mul...

The fallout from Cyberpunk 2077’s buggy release continues. Developer CD Projekt Red says its intention is to offer a refund to everyone who purchased a physical copy of the game or a digital one at retail, even if it means paying for the expense out...

Powerful Mac apps that won't break the bank

There’s something of a misconception when it comes to the Mac. While powerful tools like Photoshop or Final Cut Pro certainly have price tags commensurate with their robust feature sets, many of the greatest Mac apps won’t cost you anything more than the time they take to download them.

To read this article in full, please click here

Even though more products than usual are already back-ordered past Christmas, it’s not too late to get some excellent tech gifts in time for this holiday. Here are some 9to5Mac recommendations for last-minute tech gifts for under $100.

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The post 9to5Mac Gift Guide: Last-minute gifts for tech fans under $100 appeared first on 9to5Mac.

A bug in Apple's macOS software update process is causing issues for Mac system administrators and mobile device management deployments.Credit: AppleAs noted by microMDM, the issue surfaced after the release of macOS Big Sur version 11.1. There were widespread reports of system administrators not being able to see the software update, or not being able to download and install it.

Read more...

9to5Mac’s Benjamin Mayo and Zac Hall discuss the launch of Apple’s new MagSafe Duo charger, the upcoming launch of Apple Fitness+, new features in iOS 14.3, high-end Apple silicon Mac expectations, and the surprise debut of Apple AirPods Max.

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I'm sure this sounds familiar: You're trying to download and install the latest iOS release, or take some photos, or download that cool app your friend told you about, and your iPhone says the storage is full.

You’ve already deleted every app you don’t think you need, and there’s still not enough space. So you look at your iPhone storage in Settings page and, sure enough, your iPhone’s storage is full. Worst of all, a huge chunk of it is just listed as Other. What’s that supposed to mean? How do you get rid of it?

The Other storage section is mysterious and confusing, and there’s no one answer that works for everyone, but hopefully this guide will help you deal with this problem.

To read this article in full, please click here