Though originally covered in early drafts of a $200 billion escalation of President Donald Trump’s trade war with China, the product code covering these two Apple devices—as well as competing devices—will be exempted from tariffs.
Bryan Chaffin
Bryan Chaffin is the cofounder of The Mac Observer and currently serves as Afternoon Editor. He has contributed to MacAddict and MacFormat magazines, and co-authored the last two updates of iPad and iPad Pro for Dummies with Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus and Ed Baig. You can find out more about Bryan at his personal site, GeekTells, or find his Twitter link below.
Articles by Bryan Chaffin
Mailstrom Pro 1-Year Subscription: $29.99
We have a deal on a 1 year subscription to Mailstrom, an AI-powered email app designed to help you take control of your email. It features one-click unsubscribing from lists, sorting functions, support for OAuth2, and one-click blocking. A 1 year subscription is $29.99, with longer options available, too.
Vobot, the World's First Smart Clock with Amazon Alexa: $44.99
We have a deal on Vobot for folks in the Alexa ecosystem. It’s a smart clock with Alexa built into it. You can control it by voice, get information by voice, and snooze by turning it over. It’s $44.99 through our deal.
iPhone XS Max and Apple Watch Series 4 Delivery Times Quickly Slip in Early Hours
As of this writing, many iPhone XS configurations can be delivered or picked up on September 21st, whereas most iPhone XS Max configurations are available as early as September 28th, and as late as October 12th. Apple Watch Series 4 slipped to the middle and end of October.
The iPhone 'S' Year, Headphone Jacks, Siri Shortcuts - ACM 479
Reminder: this was an “s” year for the iPhone. Bryan Chaffin and Jeff Gamet discuss what this means, and how iPhone XS is a solid “nuts and bolts” update. They also look at some listener feedback about headphone jacks, and discuss whether or not Siri Shortcuts will be a thing.
Pay What You Want for the Ultimate Mac Bundle
We have a new Pay What You Want deal called The Ultimate Mac Bundle. The bundle includes 10 apps. Pay anything, even a penny, and get one of those apps. Beat the average price ($8.73 as of this writing), and you get all ten. If you beat the leader’s price, you’ll be entered into a giveaway for an electric scooter.
Cresuer Touchwave True Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds: $44.99
We have a deal on a pair of Cresuer Touchwave True Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds. These include Bluetooth 4.1 and CVC Noise Cancellation, and are priced at $44.99 through our deal.
Apple Releases iTunes 12.8 with AirPlay 2 and Multi-Room Audio
The update includes support for AirPlay 2 and multi-room audio.
Apple Will Release HomePod OS 12 September 17th with Phone Calls, Lyric Search, Find My iPhone
The update will feature the ability to search for songs by lyrics, set multiple named timers, make and receive phone calls, Find My iPhone, and use Siri Shortcuts.
Chargerito, The World's Smallest iPhone Charger: $29.99
We have a deal on the Chargerito, which the company claims is the world’s smallest iPhone charger. It’s a plug, charging connector, and iPhone stand, all in one device. We’re linking to a deal on just one of them for $29.99, but there’s also an option for a 2-pack ($49.99) and a 3-pack ($66.99).
Do This, and Apple Will Send You a Personal Tweet for Wednesday's Media Event
Here’s what you need to do to get a personalized Tweet from Apple reminding you of Wednesday’s media event.
Apple Surveys iMac Pro Owners about Pro Macs - If You Get the Survey, Please Respond
If you have an opinion on professional Mac needs and get the opportunity to take this survey, please do so.
Apple Buys Global Rights to 'The Elephant Queen' Documentary
Apple has purchased the global rights to documentary The Queen Elephant, according to Deadline. This film is about an elephant clan led by Athena. That’s her with the giant tusks. 😍 The documentary was filmed by Victoria Stone and Mark Deeble, who spent years with Athena’s family, as she coped with a drought. It sounds amazing, and I can’t wait to see it. Apple hasn’t said when it will be released, but one might imagine it will be part of whatever original streaming service the company has been cooking up for the last few years.
The iOS 12 and Xcode 10 Bootcamp: $15
We have a deal on the iOS 12 and Xcode 10 Bootcamp. You’ll create a Bitcoin Tracker, To-Do List app, and more in this 10-Day Training for Apple’s brand new OSes. It includes 85 lectures and 12 hours of content designed to help you get coding with iOS 12.
PSA: AI Suggestions for Siri Shortcuts Won't Be Available on iPhone 6 and 6 Plus
Apple senior vice president Craig Federighi confirmed the news to Redditor federicotrevisani1, but it will be little more than a minor inconvenience to Siri Short users on these older iPhones.
Apple Hires Condé Nast Exec to Build Apple News
Apple has hired Liz Schimel, formerly of Condé Nast, to help build Apple News. The Information (via AppleInsider) reported (subscription required) that her new title at Apple is Head of News Business, according to her LinkedIn Profile. She’s a media veteran, and her most recent title was President of Condé Nast’s China business. I personally used to worry that Apple News would be yet another project launched and then forgotten by Apple, but the company is clearly intent on growing the service. I read tons of articles on Apple News every day on iPad and iPhone, and I expect to use it in macOS Mojave when that OS ships later this year. TMO has also seen an increase in traffic on Apple News, and that probably coincides with overall growth in the platform. All of which makes Apple investing in more resources and people to build and promote Apple News make sense.
Making the Case against Google AMP
Have you heard of Google AMP? That stands for Accelerated Mobile Pages, and it’s a way of making webpages so that they load faster and display more efficiently on mobile devices. Oh, and it puts your website under Google’s control. Polemic Digital has an explanarant (that’s part explanation, part rant) on AMP making the case not to adopt it. It’s an interesting read, and here’s a taste:
AMP allows Google to basically take over hosting the web as well. The Google AMP Cache will serve AMP pages instead of a website’s own hosting environment, and also allow Google to perform their own optimisations to further enhance user experience.
As a side benefit, it also allows Google full control over content monetisation. No more rogue ad networks, no more malicious ads, all monetisation approved and regulated by Google. If anything happens that falls outside of the AMP standard’s restrictions, the page in question simply becomes AMP-invalid and is ejected from the AMP cache – and subsequently from Google’s results. At that point the page might as well not exist any more.
Retro Gaming Console with 600+ Classic Games: $49.99
We have a deal on the Retro Entertainment Console, a gaming console with 600 classic games built in. It has a modern HDMI port for connecting to your TV, and it’s $49.99 through us. Check out some of the game: Super Mario Bros, Ninja Gaiden, Ninja Turtles, RoboCop 2, DigDug 2, PacMan & PacMan 3, Tetris & Tetris 2, BomberMan, Galaga, Ghostbusters, FIFA 2006, 1942, Alladdin 3, Battleship, Championship Bowling, Donkey Kong Classics, Harry Potter, Lucky Ball, Mickey Mouse, Ms. Pacman, PongPong, Transformers, Space Invaders, Star Fighter, Toy Story, Jurassic Park
MacPaw Launches CleanMyMac X, Faster, Malware Detection, More
MacPaw says it’s “faster, funner, and smarter” than the previous version, which we’ll be putting to the test.
Re/code Covers Social Media Congressional Hearings
Peter Kafka of Re/code has great coverage of social media Congressional hearings on Wednesday. In attendance were Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Facebook CTO Cheryl Sandburg. The senior vice president Google wanted to send wasn’t high-ranking enough for the Senate committee that conducted the hearing. Here’s a snippet:
Sheryl did fine. Jack did quite well, all things considered. Google’s empty chair took a beating. And internet trolls showed up in real life to show what internet trolling looks like in real life.
And that’s pretty much all you need to know about what happened when Silicon Valley came to D.C. today.
Except that Re/code really has a lot more, and I found it a very interesting read.
1000X Zoom 1080p Microscope Camera: $38.99
Our friends at Stack Commerce put together another microscope deal for us. We ran a deal earlier for a device that clips on to your iPhone or iPad, but today we have a different approach in the 1000X Zoom 1080p Microscope Camera. As the name suggests, it magnifies objects up to 1000 times their original size, and it does so using a dynamic image sensor and 8 super-bright white LED lights to create crisp, detailed images. Get your science on for $38.99 through our deal.
Apple Wants to Hire a 'Senior System Neuroscientist'
This scientist would be, “building transformative neurotechnology,” and dollars to donuts says it’s related to Apple’s ongoing neural net projects.
Apple Shifts South Korea App Store to Won Pricing, Away from Dollars
The move affects both app downloads and in-app purchases.
Apple/Amazon Trillions, 5 Eyes Magic, iPhone Battery Replacement Reminder - ACM 478
Amazon was briefly the second company—after Apple—to be valued at US$1 trillion. Bryan Chaffin is joined by Jim Tanous to discuss what makes the two companies, and their valuations, different. They also examine the recent 5 Eyes statement attacking encryption, and then remind everyone to take advantage of Apple’s iPhone batter replacement program while they can.