Satechi recently launched a foldable, aluminum stand for iPhones and iPads with protective rubber grips to hold devices without slipping.
Andrew Orr
Since 2015 Andrew has been writing about Apple, privacy, security, and at one point even Android. You can find him most places online under the username @andrewornot.
Articles by Andrew Orr
Ashley Liao, Della Saba, Paul Sparks Join Apple TV+ ‘Physical’
Ashley Liao, Della Saba, Paul Sparks, Dierdre Friel, Rory Scovel, and Lou Taylor Pucci are joining Rose Byrne in a series on Apple TV+ called “Physical.”
Pixelmator Photo 1.5 Update Supports Apple ProRAW
Pixelmator Photo 1.5 brings a ton of new features, including support for Apple’s ProRAW photo format we’ll see in iOS 14.3. Here are other features: Adjust the tonal curve directly in your photos – tap the On-Image Curves button, then drag up in your photo to lighten those areas, or down to darken them; The Shadows and Highlights sliders will be able to recover much more detail than before; Support for the new, native iOS color picker means you’ll be able to pick colors more quickly and easily; You can now tap the histogram to switch between the RGB and Luminance histograms; plus more improvements and a bug fix.
FTC, 48 States Sue to Break up Facebook Over Monopoly Accusation
The Federal Trade Commission as well as 48 attorneys general have filed two lawsuits against Facebook on Wednesday.
Ahead of Apple’s ATT, WhatsApp Explains its Privacy Labels
Ahead of the upcoming iOS 14 App Tracking Transparency feature, Facebook-owned WhatsApp explains the privacy labels people will see on its App Store page. The app will collect contact information like your phone number, your (optional) email address, contacts, financial information to use certain features, shopping activity like product browsing and purchasing data, your IP address, general location, usage data, and diagnostics.
With end-to-end encryption, messages are not stored on our servers after they’re delivered, and in the normal course of operating our services we do not retain a record of the people you may message.
Hackers Hide Credit Card Web Skimmer Inside Image Metadata
MalwareBytes reports that hackers are using a new trick to skim credit card data form websites using a skimmer hidden inside image metadata.
We found skimming code hidden within the metadata of an image file (a form of steganography) and surreptitiously loaded by compromised online stores. This scheme would not be complete without yet another interesting variation to exfiltrate stolen credit card data. Once again, criminals used the disguise of an image file to collect their loot.
A devious, clever hack.
VSCO Gets Dark Mode and a Blur Tool
Photography company VSCO announced on Wednesday a redesigned in-app studio experience for photographers with new tools.
Favorited iCloud Photos Now Sync to Google Photos
Favorited photos stored in iCloud, as well as starred photos stored in Google, now sync with each other. Here’s how to enable the setting.
Will Apple’s Crackdown on Data Tracking Hurt Small Businesses?
Ben Thompson publishes good analysis on Stratechery, but I don’t agree with his latest piece. It’s about Apple’s privacy campaign and the new iOS 14 privacy “nutrition labels.” If I understand them correctly, he seems to have two main points: We should feel bad for small businesses because they won’t be able to collect our data in the same capacity as before, and that Apple’s attempts are futile because the internet is a giant shopping mall and “personal data wants to be free.” My summary is an oversimplification but I believe we should be combining Apple’s privacy with regulation like GDPR. In my opinion you can still have ads that don’t invade your privacy.
While transparency for customers is definitely a good thing, Apple’s simultaneous appeals to analog analogies and simplistic presentation of privacy trade-offs risks a similar path when it comes to the GDP of the Internet and to what extent power is disbursed versus centralized.
iOS Gamers Will Get Xbox Game Pass Ultimate in 2021
Microsoft announced on Wednesday that is cloud gaming service Xbox Game Pass will arrive on iOS in the spring of 2021.
Gear4 Launches iPhone 12 MagSafe Cases
Gear4 launched a line of protective MagSafe cases for the iPhone 12 line. They’re made with D3O, a special shock-absorbing material.
Why Does Apple Price Products Like This?
Jason Snell shares three things for Apple users to expect when they’re expecting a new product. Sometimes the price isn’t right and Apple doesn’t sell as many units as it hoped. But reports are saying the AirPods Max are already backordered until March, so it’s a good start.
Today’s Apple seems to be executing a different strategy, pricing their products a bit higher in order to provide some room for sales, deals, and other marketing efforts.
Fully Functional Apple I in Original Box Signed by Steve Wozniak Up for Auction
A fully functional Apple I signed by Steve Wozniak with rare original box is up for auction with a starting bid of US$50,000. The set includes: original Apple-1 board, original Apple-1 box, signed inside the lid in black felt tip by Steve Wozniak, “Woz”, original Apple Cassette Interface (ACI), original Apple-1 Operation Manual, original Apple Cassette Interface manual, a vintage Apple-1 power supply, a vintage Datanetics keyboard in wooden case, a vintage 1976 Sanyo monitor, and a vintage Panasonic cassette player. This Apple-1 computer was restored to its original, operational state in September 2020 by Apple-1 expert Corey Cohen, and a video of it running and functioning is available upon request. A comprehensive, technical condition report prepared by Cohen is available to qualified bidders; he evaluates the current condition of the unit as 8.0/10. Bidding starts December 10 until December 17.
Adobe Lightroom Adds Support for M1 Macs, ProRAW
Adobe Lightroom is now a native app for M1 Macs and supports Apple’s ProRAW photo format it will release in iOS 14.3 for iPhone 12 Pro/Pro Max.
As we’re getting started on desktop Arm / Apple M1, we’ll continue to optimize for Arm and M1 in subsequent releases. And if you’re on an Intel based computer, don’t worry…we’ll continue to invest in and improve Lightroom for you too.
‘For All Mankind’ Receives Early Renewal for Season Three
Apple announced on Tuesday that its show “For All Mankind” on Apple TV+ has been renewed for a third season.
Apple and Cloudflare Created a New DNS Protocol
Apple and Cloudflare have teamed up to create a new DNS protocol called Oblivious DNS-over-HTTPS, or ODoH.
Apple’s Fitness+ Service Launches on December 14
Apple’s Fitness+ service it announced this year will officially launch on December 14 on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV.
Apple Releases New ‘AirPods Max’ Over-Ear Headphones
Apple has launched a new product called AirPods Max, a wireless, over-the-ear headset with high-fidelity audio, active noise cancellation, and more.
Apple Releases iOS 14.2.1 for HomePod
Apple has released a 14.2.1 update for the HomePod and HomePod mini, bringing general bug fixes and improvements ahead of iOS 14.3.
Will We See an Apple Hardware Plus Software Subscription?
Analysts at Loup Ventures wrote a wish list of an Apple hardware + software bundle they call a 360° bundle. I call it a wish list because there are no rumors or evidence suggesting this is Apple’s plan, and the article tries to align shareholder wishes with consumer wishes. However, my opinion is that this sort of bundle is in the realm of possibility. The iPhone Upgrade Program is already a subscription, the only thing missing is the software.
For hardware subscriptions and ultimately a 360° bundle to gain wide adoption, the product family must work seamlessly together, the infrastructure to service and maintain those products must exist, and the products must hold their value over time. Apple is the only company that can bring all three of those together.
Apple Music is Now Available on Google Nest Speakers
Google announced on Monday that Apple Music is now available on its Nest product line of speakers, like Nest Audio, Nest Hub Max, and Nest Mini.
45 Years After Apple, Steve Wozniak Starts Another Company
Steve Wozniak co-founded Apple 45 years ago and now he’s starting another company. It’s called Efforce, and according to CNBC it will reside “business in the green tech and blockchain space.”
According to Efforce, “investors can participate in energy efficiency projects buy [sic] acquiring tokenized future savings,” while companies benefit from such improvements “at no cost.” Using blockchain, “a smart contract redistributes the resulting savings to token holders and the companies without intermediaries based on exact consumption/savings data.”
How Apple Brings HDR to Non-HDR Displays
Stu Maschwitz wrote an interesting article on Extended Dynamic Range, or how Apple brings High Dynamic Range to non-HDR displays. This doesn’t just refer to its Pro Display XDR; it’s how iPhone OLED displays can be defined as HDR.
So Apple has a method of showing HDR and SDR content together on the same screen. It works on every display Apple bills as “HDR,” even though the phones are performing the stunt using a different underlying technology than the 30″ Mac display. The XDR uses “local dimming” to light up an array of LEDs brighter behind the HDR pixels, as needed. The OLED displays drive each pixel to the desired brightness individually.
Dutch Antitrust Probe Targets Contactless Payments Like Apple Pay
The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets announced on Friday the start of an investigation into payment apps and NFC.