We finally have the winner of our iPhone 16 Pro international giveaway! Congratulations to Oliver T., and a huge thank you to everyone who participated.
Uber Rent Car Hire Coming to UK to Help Social Distancing
Uber is rolling out Uber Rent, its car hire offering in the UK, The Verge reported. It will do so in collaboration with rental firm CarTrawler, in a bid to help maximize social distancing,
Users will be able to select the new “Uber Rent” option from within the app and then browse available cars for their chosen date and location. Rental cars can then be picked up from the “hundreds” of car hire company pickup locations. The UK launch follows trials in France and Australia. The process works a little differently from Uber’s bike or scooter rentals. Although Uber says you’re technically able to make your booking at the same time as you pick up the vehicle (as you would when renting one of its Jump bikes in the UK), it encourages you to make car reservations at least 24 hours in advance. Rentals can be cancelled up to 48 hours ahead of collection and Uber is promising discounts on rentals of up to 25 percent.
Not Just Apple vs Epic Games: App Store Drawing Scrutiny and Complaints in Japan
The Epic Games vs Apple App Store row has now attracted scrutiny and the airing of complaints in Japan – the world epicentre of gaming.
Facebook Introduces Messenger Forwarding Limit
Facebook is introducing a forwarding limit on Messenger to help slow the spread of misinformation about COVID-19 and the U.S. election.
Apple Pay Express Transit Now Works With LA Metro TAP Card
After some delay, the Apple Pay Express Transit now works with the Los Angeles Metro Transit Access Pass as well as in Washington, D.C.
Big Tech Sues Patent Office Over Legal-Related Rule
Apple, Cisco, Intel, and Google have sued the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office over it’s recent rule that it can refuse to adjudicate patent claims while litigation about them is pending in court.
The rule, which was introduced by the USPTO in March and became final in May, deals with the agency’s obligations around inter partes review (IPR) — a sort of expert-court process for assessing whether patent claims are valid. USPTO says deferring to an ongoing court case is more efficient than setting up a parallel review internally.
Apple Gives Developers More Time to Comply With iOS 14 Privacy
Apple is giving developers more time to comply with the iOS 14 anti-tracking feature that empowers users to consent to be tracked (or not).
'Boys State' Participants Reflect on Life After Apple TV+ Doc
The Apple TV+ film Boys State tells the tale of boys who go on a unique summer leadership and citizenship program in 2018. Three of the participants sat down with directors Jesse Moss and Amanda McBlaine to reflect on their experience and how they’ve change since, in a new video.
Apple Shares Details to Address iOS 14 App Privacy Questions
Apple shared an update on Thursday giving developers more information to address iOS 14 app privacy questions when it’s released.
Apple Owes Retail Workers Pay For Time in Security Screenings
Apple owes retail workers pay for the time they spent in security screenings at the end of their shifts. That’s according to a ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, issued Wednesday, Reuters reported.
A unanimous three-judge panel reversed a judge who had tossed the case and ordered him to enter summary judgment for the plaintiffs, after the California Supreme Court in response to certified questions in the case said in February that time spent undergoing security checks is compensable under state law.
Deepfake Detection, In-Depth Exposure Tracking – TMO Daily Observations 2020-09-03
Bryan Chaffin and Charlotte Henry join host Kelly Guimont to discuss Microsoft’s Deepfake Detector, and digging into exposure tracing in iOS.
Apple Shares New Privacy Video About Over-Sharing
Apple uploaded a funny privacy ad for the iPhone on Thursday. With the song “Diamonds Cutting Diamonds” by Lydia Ainsworth in the background, the commercial follows various people as they share private information to strangers, like their credit card number, “I browsed eight sites for divorce attorneys today,” and “I hate Lee, puke emoji” (As he sits right behind her). Apple includes a link to its privacy page in the video description.
More Apple News+ Promotion is Welcome. More Features Would Help Too.
Robert Williams, contributing editor at MediaPost, noticed his ear prick-up at the sound of an advert for Apple News+. However, he suggests that the service might need to offer a little more to back up the increased promotion.
Apple’s promotional activity for Apple News+ is another sign of how the company plans to promote the service. The company is said to be working on content bundles that offer savings when customers combine services such as Apple Music and Apple TV+ with offerings like its Apple Arcade gaming platform… I’d also like to see more dynamic content in Apple News+ aside from static magazine pages. A handful of titles have added video covers and links to shopping websites. There is also a possibility to develop a wider range of interactive features for the service.
Apple Investing in Two of The World's Largest Onshore Wind Turbines in European Renewable Energy Drive
Apple is investing in the construction of two of the world’s largest onshore wind turbines and opened a new data center run on renewable energy.
US Court Rules NSA Mass Surveillance Program Illegal
Seven years after NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden exposed the agency’s mass surveillance of Americans, a U.S. appeals court has deemed it illegal.
The ruling will not affect the convictions of Moalin and his fellow defendants; the court ruled the illegal surveillance did not taint the evidence introduced at their trial. Nevertheless, watchdog groups including the American Civil Liberties Union, which helped bring the case to appeal, welcomed the judges’ verdict on the NSA’s spy program.
The AAPL Stock Split Explained
On August 31, Apple underwent a four-for-one stock split. Editor-in-Chief Bryan Chaffin explained what this means for AAPL investors and the company itself.
[Apple Announces 4-for-1 Stock Split to Make AAPL ‘More Accessible’]
[Apple Worth $2.2 Trillion as Stock Hits Record High Following Stock Split]
TMO UK Associate Editor Charlotte Henry (#7) - BGM Interview
Charlotte is the Mac Observer’s UK Associate editor, based in London. A self described media junkie, she has also written for City A.M. (London’s daily business tabloid,) Computer Business Review, and The Times, amongst others. She is also a book author.
In this episode, Charlotte and I explore several streaming TV topics. We open with how Apple has built a coherent ecosystem that pleasantly entices customers to engage and stick with Apple TV+. Namely, strong content, theatrical releases such as Greyhound, services bundling, contingency bundling and quality content for kids. In part II, we explored research data from Reelgood that reveals how customers mix their streaming TV services. Reelgood published a fascinating, informative chart that we analyze. One upshot is that the newbies face an uphill battle. Charlotte knows her stuff, and it shows in this episode.
Apple Updates Apple Support With Wallet Passes
The Apple Support app was updated on Wednesday with a major feature: When you make a Genius Bar appointment you’ll see a button to add a pass to Wallet for faster check-in. Other updates included with version 4.1: Easier to find Advisors in your preferred language in regions with multiple languages; Accessibility improvements for VoiceOver, including Search navigation, labels, and more; Performance enhancements and bug fixes.
Your AC Will Never Run in an Empty Room Again with this Smart Thermostat and Room Sensor: $179
We have a deal on the Sensibo Air and Room Sensor. The Sensibo Air is small device that retrofits any air conditioner or heat pump to turn them into a smart sensing machine. With an always-on motion sensor, your AC and Climate React will turn on and off as needed. The package is $179 through our deal.
Amazon Removes Adverts For Staff 'Spies'
Amazon has removed adverts looking for union ‘spies’, BBC News reported. The initial title for the roles was ‘intelligence analysts’ but the company later said the wording “was not an accurate description of the role.”
Initially, Amazon indicated that it was standard practice for large businesses to employee people to carry out such activity. But overnight the adverts were withdrawn. Amazon later said: “The job post was not an accurate description of the role – it was made in error and has since been corrected.” Marianne Rawlins, principal at management consultancy Bradley Risk Management, told the BBC: “The job description implies labour spying, and that has been illegal in the US for 80 years. I expect that sadly it is pretty common among big corporations, but putting it is black and white for all the world to see looks like a mistake.”
Apple vs Epic Games Prompts 'Great Interest' From German Regulator
German regulators are following Apple’s row with Fortnite-maker Epic Games “with great interest, according to the country’s antitrust chief.
iOS 14: How to Add Captions to Photos to Add Context
iOS 14 lets you add captions to photos and it’s a great way to add more information to them to save your memories.
Apple Silicon Mac Mini, Streaming Subscription Data – TMO Daily Observations 2020-09-02
Charlotte Henry and John Martellaro join host Kelly Guimont to discuss the Apple Silicon Mac mini, and streaming subscription overlap.
Official Trailer for Apple TV+ Series 'Tehran' Arrives, Show Available September 25
The official trailer for the forthcoming Apple TV+ series ‘Tehran’ arrived Wednesday. The show is about an Israeli Mossad agent who infiltrates Iran. However, her mission goes wrong and she finds herself trapped. It will become available from September 25.
How Jodie Deinhammer Uses iPads to Bring Students Closer to Nature
Apple shared the story of Jodie Deinhammer, an Apple Distinguished Educator and how she uses iPads in teaching to get students closer to nature.