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.
The History Behind Apple vs Epic Games
Apple’s battle with Epic Games, the firm behind Fortnite, continues to escalate. Bloomberg Businessweek has a useful history on Nintendo and the rise of the platform ‘tax’.
It was the Nintendo Entertainment System that first introduced the platform fee in the early 1980s. It began when Namco Ltd., the creator of Pac-Man and a major provider of arcade games at the time, wanted to expand its distribution via Nintendo’s nascent console—called the Famicom when it was released in 1983 in Japan. Namco got together with another game maker, Hudson Soft Co. (creator of Bomberman), to persuade Nintendo Co. to open its platform to outside software makers, according to Hisakazu Hirabayashi, an independent industry consultant. Both were eager to be on Nintendo’s popular console, but Hudson couldn’t make its own cartridges, according to Hirabayashi. And so Namco proposed paying Nintendo a 10% licensing fee to be able to be on the console while Hudson paid an additional 20% for Nintendo to make its game cartridges. Nintendo agreed—and that two-component fee, licensing and manufacturing, became the basis of today’s 30% “tax.”
Did Apple Just Accidentally Reveal The Date of The September iPhone 12 Launch?
It looks like someone may have just let slip the date of an Apple event in September, assumed to be when the iPhone 12 will be unveiled.
Sun Chaser 20,000mAh Solar-Powered Wireless Phone Charger: $59.99
We have a deal on the Sun Chaser, a 20,000mAh solar-powered wireless phone charger. It can simultaneously charge up to 3 devices with its Qi-standard wireless charger and two USB ports and a USB-C port. In addition to charging with solar cells, it can also be charged through a microUSB port. And it has an LED floodlight built into it. The Sun Chaser is $59.99 through our deal.
Infinite Canvas: New AR-Inspired Art Documentary Lands on Apple TV
There is a new documentary available for free on Apple TV. It’s called Infinite Canvas and follows “seven visionary artists as they push the boundaries of their work by exploring the uncharted territory of augmented reality art,” including Nick Cave, Nathalie Djubjerg, and Hans Berg. The hour-long film is based on an AR[T] experimental art series that took place in Apple Stores in San Francisco, New York, London, Paris, Hong Kong, and Tokyo.
Amazon Smart Clock For Echo Flex
Amazon has released a new Smart Clock for the Echo Flex. The new accessory plugs into the Flex’s USB port and is discovered by Alexa. Users can select between a 12 or 24-hour using the Third Reality Skill, and the device clock can support up to 20 different timers simultaneously. The display automatically adjusts brightness using a built-in light sensor, but this can also be altered via Alexa commands.
Epic v. Apple Case Reassigned to Different Judge
The legal case known as Epic v. Apple has been reassigned to Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers who is already presiding over two Apple cases.
‘Deep Social’ Data Leak Exposes 235 Million Profiles of Instagram, TikTok, YouTube
A database containing almost 235 million social media profiles of users from Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube has been exposed because it wasn’t password-protected.
Evidence suggests that much of the data originally came from a now-defunct company: Deep Social. The names of the Instagram datasets (accounts-deepsocial-90 and accounts-deepsocial-91) hint at the data’s origin. Based on this, [security researcher Bob] Diachenko first contacted Deep Social using the email address listed on its website to disclose the exposure. The administrators of Deep Social forwarded the disclosure to Social Data. The CTO of Social Data acknowledged the exposure, and the servers hosting the data were taken down about three hours later.
'The Morning Show' Was Like '20 Years of Therapy', Says Jennifer Aniston
For Jennifer Aniston, Apple TV+ flagship series ‘The Morning Show’ was always about more than just an acting role.
Adobe Fresco 1.9 Update Brings Clipping Masks and Brush Management
Adobe announced updates to its Fresco drawing app on Thursday, bringing features like Clipping Masks, Brushes Management, and Brush Stamp Preview.
Mophie Launches New Powerstation Batteries With PD Fast-Charge
On Thursday mophie launched new powerstation universal batteries with Power Delivery fast-charge capabilities.
Apple's Strategy For Igniting Apple TV+ Subscriptions
The first wave of Apple TV+ subscriptions come up for renewal in early November. Apple is taking steps to make sure those subscriptions get converted from free to paid. John makes a list.
Incase, Bionic Launch Sustainable MacBook Accessories
Incase and Bionic are teaming up to launch a collection of sustainable MacBook accessories made from recycled ocean plastic.
Apple Oakridge Center Closing and Getting Major Revamp
The Oakridge Center in Vancouver, Canada is set for major renovations, which means that the Apple Store there will be closed until 2024.
Ted Lasso Renewed for Season Two on Apple TV+
Ted Lasso will return to Apple TV+ for a second season after Apple renewed the comedy, starring Jason Sudeikis.
Fall Hardware Releases – TMO Daily Observations 2020-08-19
John Martellaro and Bryan Chaffin join host Kelly Guimont to discuss what we know (and wish) about Apple’s impending hardware releases.
Apple Releases Public Beta 5 for iOS 14, iPadOS 14
Apple has released iOS 14 public beta 5 after releasing beta 5 for developers on Tuesday, bringing features like a taller Apple News widget.
AAPL First US Company to be Worth $2 Trillion
Apple became the first company in history to be worth $2 trillion as AAPL stock traded at $467 a share and above.
How to Use the New iOS 14 Precise Location Feature
We knew Apple was taking privacy seriously in iOS 14. The new iOS 14 Precise Location toggle helps protect your location privacy, too.
Instagram QR Codes Launch Globally
Instagram launched its QR codes globally on Wednesday, The Verge reported. It means businesses can easily direct users to their profile on the photosharing app.
Users can now generate QR codes that’ll be scannable from any supporting, third-party camera apps. It first launched the product in Japan last year. The idea is that businesses can print their QR code and have customers scan it to open their Instagram account easily. From there, people can see store hours, buy items, or just follow the account. To generate your QR code, go to the settings menu on your profile and tap QR code. You might still see Nametag there, but eventually, it’ll become QR code. You can then save or share the image. Instagram previously deployed a similar system called Nametags, which were internal QR-like codes that could only be scanned from the Instagram camera. It’s now deprecating the feature entirely.
A One-Word Email From Tim Cook That Sums up His Leadership
Tim Cook’s leadership style, and the contrast with that of Steve Jobs, is much discussed. Inc picked up on an email from the Apple CEO responding to the complaints of a developer that was made public as part of recent antitrust hearings and rather summed up his style and emotional intelligence. The email only contained one word.
How would Cook respond to the lengthy message? He forwarded the email to three of Apple’s highest decision makers, senior vice presidents Eddie Cue, Phil Schiller, and Craig Federighi, with a one-word question: “Thoughts?” On the surface, you may think there’s nothing special about that type of email. After all, it’s a single word. But let’s break it down. First, Cook, the CEO of one of the most valuable companies in the world, could have dismissed the original message as a small-time complaint coming from a programmer who didn’t understand Apple’s overarching goals and strategy. But he didn’t.
Marriott Facing Lawsuit Over Major Data Breach
Marriott is facing a class action in London, brought by millions of those who stayed in its hotels and later had their data hacked.
Apple Music 1 Shows Writing on The Wall For Beats Brand
Speculation has been rife for a while that Apple would retire the Beats branding at some point in the near future. There was certainly a step in that direction on Tuesday with the rebrand to Apple Music radio, notes Brian M. Wolfe on iMore.
As the shift from Beats 1 to Apple Music 1 shows, any current Beats product name change would be seamless and probably won’t come until new models arrive, perhaps as early as this fall. Some name changes would be easier to make than others, however. The BeatsX, urBeats3, and Beat EP are probably history, while the Powerbeats and Powerbeats Pro could live on with “Apple” in each product’s name. Something tells me the Solo Pro, Beats Solo 3 Wireless, and Beats Studio 3 Wireless will all ditch “Solo,” and rebrand with “AirPods” in the name. Finally, the Beats Pill+ is likely to morph into a lower-priced HomePod. We should find out whether Apple retires the Beats name entirely soon enough, as the company is expected to begin announcing new products starting next month and into October.
How to Get SHOWTIME Free with Apple TV+ and Existing CBSAA Subscription
If you are currently an Apple TV+ and CBS All Access subscriber, you can add SHOWTIME for free. John explains the slight trick involved.
Batch Rename Files on iOS Using This Shortcut
One task that was always easier on macOS was to rename multiple files at once using Automator. The Files app on iOS/iPadOS doesn’t have a lot of bulk actions. But I finally cracked it with Shortcuts to let you batch rename files on iOS and iPadOS. My shortcut lets you do three specific things: prepend text, append text, and replace text in a file name. If I think of more things to do with file names in the future, I’ll update the shortcut.