A British suit is seeking damages from Google for illegally collecting (and profiting from) data from iPhone users.
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
Taylor Swift's 'Reputation' Album Begins Streaming on Apple Music, Spotify
Fans of the pop star have reported seeing the album on Apple Music and Spotify in The Philippines and Australia.
BOBINE FLEX Flexible iPhone Dock: $19.99 with Coupon Code
We have a deal on BOBINE FLEX, which bills itself as the world’s most flexible iPhone dock. It can wrap around things and serve as a stand, tripod, or dock. It’s $24.99 through our deal site, but you can apply coupon code CYBER20 to get it for $19.99.
Apple Security FUBAR or SNAFU, Bitcoin Bubble, Tesla Bubble, and Oak Island - Pop.0 ep.22
In this video podcast, Bryan Chaffin and John Kheit ask whether the macOS High Sierra root access flaw indicates that Apple is FUBAR or was a simple SNAFU. They also discuss the huge spike in Bitcoin and whether or not we’re seeing a bubble. And speaking of bubbles, some Tesla critics say that company is experiencing its own. The cap the show with a look at The History Channel’s The Curse of Oak Island, and Bryan has a theory about the most recent episodes. (WARNING NSFW: PROFANITY & RANTS)
Apple Root Password Bug, Ajit Pai’s Net Neutrality Fight, Listener Topics – ACM 349
Apple fixed its root access flaw in macOS High Sierra, but the whole incident is a corporate black eye for a company known for executing. Bryan and Jeff also talk about Ajit Pai’s latest embarrassing comments defending his plan to gut net neutrality. They also talk about some of the topics suggested by the Apple Context Machine Facebook Group.
Apple Says It's Auditing Development Processes in Wake of Mac Root Access Flaw
Apple issued an apology to Mac users for the epic fail of the macOS High Sierra root access flaw and said it would audit its internal development processes to make sure this kind of buffoonery never happens again.
Marvel Avengers: Infinity War Official Trailer
Marvel Studios has released the trailer for Infinity War, the next epic installment of The Avengers series. The film brings intergalactic villain Thanos to Earth in his quest to collect all six Infinity Stones. It also marries the Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers worlds together, as both bands must unite to fight Thanos. That means it’s a huge cast of big names in the Marvel universe, including: Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Loki, Hulk, Star Lord, Nebula, Groot, Black Widow, The Collector, and roughly everyone else, too.
Coupon Brings RokBlok Down to $71.20
Stack Commerce gave us a coupon for RokBlok, the self-contained record player that actually rides your records. Bluetooth-enabled, it can pipe the sound to speakers, too. With coupon code CYBER20, it’s $71.20.
![macOS High Sierra Has a Severe Vulnerability Giving Anyone Root Access – Here’s How to Fix It [Update]](https://www.macobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/macos-high-sierra-system-preferences-users-groups-root.jpg)
macOS High Sierra Has a Severe Vulnerability Giving Anyone Root Access - Here's How to Fix It [Update]
It gives anyone with physical access to your Mac immediate and easy root privileges, meaning access to everything on your Mac. Fortunately, there’s a fix you can do yourself until Apple fixes this mess.
Apple Seeds tvOS 11.2 Developer Beta 5
This tvOS release cycle adds a developer API called AVDisplayManager for automatic display mode switching, and it brings back support for the Unwatched category in Home Sharing.
Apple Plans Holiday Shutdown of iTunes Connect December 23-27
Apple announced Tuesday a holiday shutdown of iTunes Connect, the portal for the App Store, iTunes, and iBooks.
Pay What You Want for the Cyber Monday Mac Bundle
We have a new Pay What You Want deal called the Cyber Monday Mac Bundle. Pay anything, even a penny, and you’ll get iLocker Pro and Timing Productivity. If you beat the average price paid, you’ll get all the apps in the bundle, including Path Finder 7, Photolemur, a three year subscription to VPN Unlimited, and several more. Beat the Leader’s price and get entered into a giveaway for an iPhone X.
Researchers Say Pokémon GO Has Caused 145,000 Traffic Accidents
Two professors from Purdue University have published a study (via Gizmodo) that suggests Pokémon GO has caused as many as 145,000 traffic accidents. The study, titled Death by Pokémon GO was based on statistics from one county in Indiana between March 1st, 2015, and November 30th, 2016. Pokémon GO was released in July of 2016, earning some 100 million downloads in its first month alone. The game was the breakout hit for augmented reality, and millions of fans scoured the city and countrysides looking for Pokémon to capture for fighting. The study found an increase in traffic accidents corresponding to the increase in players, as well as a corresponding decrease as the game waned. They specifically attributed a half million dollars in vehicle damage, 31 accidents, and two deaths in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, to the game. Scaling the data upwards to encompass the whole professors offered “speculative” findings that the game led to more than 145,000 accidents, 29,000 injuries, and 256 deaths, and that was just in a five month period. Which is interesting considering that augmented reality is just getting going. Society has a long period of adjustment coming as we learn how to deal with both augmented and virtual realities being a daily part of our lives.
Apple Promotes Face ID in 4 New Videos
They cover topics such as Animoji, how Face ID works in the dark, how it recognizes you no matter what you’re looking like today, and more.
PSA Reminder: You Can Gift Apple Music to the Android Users in Your Life
This seems like a good time to remind everyone you can gift Apple Music to the Android users in your life—here’s how it works.
Cyber Monday Deal for VPN Unlimited 3-Year Subscription: $17.99
We have a Cyber Monday deal for a three year subscription to VPN Unlimited. It features servers in more than 50 countries with unlimited bandwidth. It’s $29.99. but with coupon code CYBER40, it’s just $17.99.
The Miserable State of UI, HomePod Under Achieving, and Future Man - Pop.0 ep.21
We’ve had more than 30 years of mainstream GUI computer systems, and somehow user interfaces are still miserably bad. Bryan Chaffin and John Kheit also talk about Bloomberg’s report that said HomePod will focus on music even though the world is clamoring for an Apple home voice assistant. This week’s look at pop culture includes Future Man, a Hulu original they both like. (WARNING NSFW: PROFANITY & RANTS)
Frothy Rants about Encryption and Net Neutrality, Plus Apple's AR Goggles - ACM 348
A listener sparks an intense rant from Bryan and Jeff about encryption and passcode-attempt-based device wipes, and FCC Chairman Ajit Pai gets them going on Net Neutrality. They cap the show with the observation that Apple’s AR goggle project appears to be back on.
Apple Taps Sam Smith in 'Sway' Holiday Commercial for AirPods
Apple has a new holiday commercial out called Sway. The spot channels the feeling of Christmas without overtly mentioning that specific holiday, with a sound track by Sam Smith (“Palace”). It’s a subtle promotion of AirPods featuring two young dancers who meet and metaphorically fall in love. She gives him one of her AirPods, and they then dance and sway through the snow sharing the same song. The tag line is “move someone this holiday.” What do you think?
FRESHeBUDS Pro Magnetic Bluetooth Earbuds: $20.36
Check out the FRESHeBUDS Pro Magnetic Bluetooth Earbuds. They’re water and sweat resistant, and automatically pair to your phone when pulled apart so you don’t have to go through any setup. They fully charge in 90 minutes, and offer up to 10 hours of playback. You can get them for $23.95 through our deal, but coupon code BFRIDAY20 will get you another 20% off for a final price of $20.36.
Turning an iPhone X into Mobile Street Art (Video)
Artist and YouTuber Sketch Art turned an iPhone X into mobile street art. Using spray paint, lids, tape, paper, and techniques you might have seen performed live on a downtown sidewalk, he painted a “custom skin” for his iPhone. I’ve always been fascinated by this artform, and while I wouldn’t do it to my own iPhone X, I thought it was amazing. The video below is a 17 minute version where he walks us through the whole process. A 3 minute version posted to Facebook has garnered some 6 million views, but you’ll have to go there to view it.
RokBlock, a 4-Inch Long Record Player: $76
We have a deal on an interesting device called RokBlok. It’s billed as the world’s smallest record player, and it sits on your record, traveling around in a circle to play it. In the video below, you can hear that it produces a small sound, but it’s Bluetooth enabled for piping the sound to another set of speakers. It’s $89 through us, but coupon code GIFTSHOP15 takes another 15% off for a total of $75.65.
Windscribe VPN 3-Year Subscription: $19.99 with Coupon Code
We have a deal for you on a three year subscription to Windscribe VPN. It works with iOS, Mac, Windows, and Linux, with an Android app coming soon. It’s $22.49, but if you use coupon code “windscribesd11” it’s $19.99. There are other subscription lengths in the deal listing, too.
Photos and Thoughts from Opening Day at Apple Park Visitor Center
Bryan Chaffin stopped by the Apple Park Visitor Center, took some pics, bought a shirt, and talked to folks on opening day. Here are some of those photos and thoughts on this delightful place.