We have a deal on Future.dj Pro, a software music mixer for the Mac and Windows. It features three vertical waveforms per deck for aligning your beats, and you can use up to 8 inputs and outputs. There is a comprehensive list of features in the deal listing, as well as a tutorial video that gives you a good idea of this software works. It’s $19 through our deal.
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
Online Voting, the Corporate Public Square, Picard’s Return to Star Trek - ACM 474
What will it take to make online or app-based voting safe, secure, and reliable? Bryan Chaffin and Jeff Gamet are joined by John Kheit to discuss the future of voting. They also explore the idea of corporate platforms (i.e. private platforms) becoming so big that they become synonymous with the public square and subject to the First Amendment. Then Bryan goes off on a weird tangent about how cool Patrick Stewart’s new episode of Star Trek could be if Jean-Luc Picard was a broken and bitter man. Good times!
Apple Tells Congress that Privacy Is Fundamental Human Right
The comment came in a response to a request from the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce asking about Apple’s data collection and privacy policies and practices.
ProtonVPN Plus Subscriptions with Swiss Legal Protections
We have a deal on ProtonVPN Plus, a VPN based in Switzerland, complete with Swiss legal protections. The service uses AES-256 encryption to protect your data, and it supports Mac, Android, Windows, and Linux. iOS support is available through the OpenVPN Connect app. A two year subscription is $79.99 through us, 66% off retail. A one year subscription is also available.
Apple Joins Technology Group for Mesh-Connected IoT Devices
Apple joined the Thread Group on Monday, the group behind the Thread protocol, an IPv6-based technology for creating mesh networks out of Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
AirVinyl's Leather AirPod Case: $17.99
We have a deal on AirVinyl’s Leather AirPod Case, a device I reviewed a couple of weeks ago (where I called it, “Outstanding! Get It Now!” It’s a leather case for your AirPods Charging Case made from high-quality, European leather that’s stretched over a rigid plastic frame. It gives your case some style without adding a big footprint in your pocket. It’s $17.99 through our deal.
Soundfreaq Pocket Kick Bluetooth Speaker: $39.99
We have a deal on the Soundfreaq Pocket Kick Bluetooth Speaker. As the name suggest, it’s a portable Bluetooth speaker designed to fit in your pocket. The grills are metal, and the company is using custom-engineered drivers in the speakers. It’s $39.99 through our deal.
iPad Refresh, Mac Sales, and App Store Affiliate Program - ACM 473
In this episode, Bryan Chaffin and Jeff Gamet take a look at the new iPad icons uncovered in iOS 12. They also discuss the 14% drop in Mac unit sales and wonder why Apple doesn’t use that one weird trick of making new Macs to goose Mac sales. They cap the show with a look at why Apple would cancel the App Store Affiliate Program.
Pay What You Want for the Adobe CC A-Z Lifetime Bundle
We have a new pay-what-you-want deal for you called the Adobe CC A-Z Lifetime Bundle. It features 12 training courses covering all of Adobe’s Creative Cloud apps (Photoshop, After Effects, Premier, Illustrator, InDesign, and topics such as UX/UI design). Pay anything, even a penny, and get Adobe After Effects: The Complete Motion Graphics Course. Beat the average price (currently $13.93), and you get all 12 courses. Beat the current leader’s price, and you’ll be entered into a drawing for a Nintendo Super NES Classic.
Apple to Cut Apps from iTunes Affiliate Program Because Discovery Will Rock in iOS 12 and macOS Mojave
Concerned about it’s bottom line, Apple found a way to boost Services earnings by no longer thanking publishers for spreading the word about apps in the App Store.
Paww WaveSound 3 Noise-Canceling Bluetooth Headphones: $74.99
We have a deal on a pair of Paww WaveSound 3 Noise-Canceling Bluetooth Headphones. These wireless, over-the-ear headphones feature active noise canceling using multiple microphones. They’re $74.99 through our deal.
![Apple Turns in Record June Quarter Driven by iPhone, Services, and Wearables [Update]](https://www.macobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/aapl-stock-graph-wide.jpg)
Apple Turns in Record June Quarter Driven by iPhone, Services, and Wearables [Update]
Apple reported a record June quarter on Tuesday, with record revenues of $53.3 billion, up 17% year over year, and record earnings per share of $2.34, up 40% year over year. [Update: This article was updated with more information.]
Apple Releases macOS Mojave Public Beta 4
Mojave is Apple’s latest version of macOS and is expected to ship this fall.
Sinji Smart WiFi Camera: $45
We have a deal on the Sinji Smart WiFi Camera. This device captures 1280p video, with app-controlled access including app-controlled zoom. It can also save recordings to your SD card. Check out the deal listing for even more features. The Sinji Smart WiFi Camera is $45 through us.
Apple Releases iOS 12 Public Beta 4 for iPhone and iPad
Apple released iOS 12 Developer Beta 5 for the iPhone and iPad on Monday, and now iOS 12 Public Beta 4 is available.
Watch This Robot Hand Learn How to Manipulate a Block
Check out this video from OpenAI of a robot hand learning how to manipulate a block. This an incredibly difficult task, and the level of difficulty is one of the many reasons Apple needs humans assembling iPhones. OpenAI used machine learning and virtual simulations for the robot to spend 100 years of trial and error to learn what you’ll see in the video (TechnologyReview has more details). Those virtual lessons were then used by the real-world robot hand, and it’s pretty darned cool. Check it out.
Apple Seeds iOS 12 Developer Beta 5 for iPhone and iPad
Apple released iOS 12 Developer Beta 5 on Monday for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touchl, part of Apple’s ongoing efforts to refine iOS 12.
10-Foot Cloth MFi-Certified Lightning Cable: $14.99
We have a deal on a 10-foot long, cloth covered MFi-Certified Lightning cable. The cloth is designed to be tangle-resistant, making charging from across the room that much easier. This very long Lightning cable is $14.99 through our deal.
Apple Opens App Store Search Ads for France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan, and South Korea
Search ads allow developers to promote their apps within the App Store, with ads that appear at the top of the page when users do searches.
The Inside Story of how a Call to Andy Grove May Have Helped Apple Buy NeXT
Check out this great account from former NeXT employee Chris MacAskill. He talks about how a phone call he made behind then-NeXT CEO Steve Jobs’s back (as you do) to Intel CEO Andy Grove probably played a role in Apple eventually buying NeXT. It’s a long story with lots of anecdotal details about working at NeXT and the things that were happening there in the lead-up to Apple buying the company. I love this stuff, I love the lore and the behind-the-scenes stories of how things happened. Mr. MacAskill isn’t taking all the credit for Apple buying NeXT, but he played a (hidden) role. If you like Apple history, this is a must-read. Here’s just a tiny taste:
The thing I loved most about working in developer relations at NeXT was how Steve could call anyone.
He would burst in my office and say, “I’m gonna call Bill about TrueType,” and gesture for me to follow. A minute later he’d have Bill Gates on the speaker phone with me in fly-on-the-wall mode.
“BUT BILL! You ripped off Adobe and made John cry.” (John Warnock was the CEO of Adobe.)
“Steve, we didn’t want to get into the font business. It’s a nightmare. But Adobe wouldn’t open their fonts until they had competition.”
Model 3 Hi-Res Convertible Wireless Earphones: $69.99
We have a deal on a pair of Model 3 Hi-Res Convertible Wireless Earphones. These devices support Bluetooth 4.1 for wireless listening, can convert to a headphone jack for wired listening. They can be charged via USB port, and their $69.99 through our deal.
AI Limitations, iMac Pro Kernel Panic Problem, Bryan’s HomePod Experiment - ACM 472
In this episode, Bryan Chaffin and Jeff Gamet discuss the current limitations of AI, and what real AI in the future might be like. They also talk about Apple’s T2 kernel panic issue and follow up on Bryan’s dual-HomePod TV experiment.
PixTeller Pro Online Design Tool 1-Year Subscription: $19.99
We have a deal on PixTeller Pro, an online design tool you use in your browser. There are 1.5 million photos in their library, and more than 74,000 existing designs you can customize. You can also choose from more than 100,000 shapes to use in your designs. A 1-year subscription is $19.99 through us.
TIVOO Pixel Art Bluetooth Speaker: $79
Check out the TIVOO Pixel Art Bluetooth Speaker. It’s a Bluetooth speaker designed to look like a retro TV, complete with a 16×16 LED screen that does lightning effects. It has a built-in 3,000mAh battery, and can play music up to 10 hours. It’s $79 through our deal.