This thrilling episode (#395 for those keeping score) offers up a trio of inexpensive utilities Dr. Mac uses regularly to speed his workflow and keep his Macs running smoothly.
HYFIT GEAR 1 Smart Portable Training System: $229 with Coupon Code
We have a deal on the HYFIT Gear 1 Smart Portable Training System, an exercise device that works with an app on iPhone or Android. Gear 1’s smart sensors detect your resistance, calories burned, and force while counting your reps and exercise duration. The HyFit App uses this biometric data to help you make progress based on your specific needs and offers dozens of guided workouts from professional trainers in our Exercise Library. This device is $249 through our deal, but coupon code HYFIT20 takes $20 off at checkout.
Cleaning the Nano-Texture Glass on Your New iMac
If you’ve bought a 27-inch iMac with the nano-texture glass, you might wonder how to clean it. It’s simple, really, as Jeff Butts points out.
Apple Seeds First watchOS 7 Public Beta
On Monday Apple seeded the first watchOS 7 public beta to customers after having released the first macOS Big Sur public beta on Thursday.
Apple Music on Android, Apple Silicon and Trackpads – TMO Daily Observations 2020-08-10
John Martellaro and Jeff Butts join host Kelly Guimont to discuss Apple Music on Android, and the trackpad possibilities of Apple Silicon.
Mother And Son Found Guilty of iPhone Warranty Scam
A mother and her son were found guilty of a major iPhone scam exploiting the AppleCare+ warranty system, Securing Industry reported. The Chinese citizens committed the crimes in Switzerland, where they were sentenced.
Apple claims it lost more than CHF 1m ($1.1m) as a result of the scam, which mirrors a notorious case in the US last year, which also resulted in a three-year jail term for the main perpetrator. The court heard that the main defendant earned just CHF 10,000 from the fraud, and was a small but important part of a network which prosecutors believe is based in Hong Kong. The mother and son sent the genuine handsets they received from Apple to Hong Kong, getting just CHF 10 as commission on each device. They claimed they were unaware that the iPhones they exchanged were fake.
Apple Faces Forced Labor Accusations Over Store Staff T-Shirts
Apple is facing accusations that forced labor was involved in making t-shirts likely worn by Apple Store staff.
Google Maps Comes to CarPlay Dashboard and Apple Watch
Google announced on Monday that Google Maps is now compatible with CarPlay Dashboard and that the app is also on Apple Watch.
Apple Ranks Number 12 in Fortune Global 500
Fortune has published its Global 500 list of companies. Apple ranked twelfth place in revenue making US$260.174 billion.
Vaja Grip Case for iPhone Brings Classy Protection
If you’re the type of person who wants to protect your iPhone while also keeping its elegant appearance, the Vaja Grip Case for iPhone has you covered.
Tim Cook: “People Have Left Crying” After Meetings With Apple CEO
A new profile of Tim Cook reveals the good and bad about the Apple CEO’s time at the top of the company after succeeding Steve Jobs.
Audio Tips, Cool Stuff Found, Rural Broadband, and More! — Mac Geek Gab 828
The summer heat hasn’t stopped your two favorite geeks — or you, with your questions — and this week’s episode shows all of that and more. You’ve had a ton of questions about audio devices and podcast management lately, so John and Dave dig into that first to re-open the doors on that conversation. Then it’s on to tips and Cool Stuff Found, with a couple of return entries in the latter, including the very, very first Cool Stuff Found to ever have been mentioned! Press play, and enjoy watching (or listening) as you learn five new things.
Apple Gains Some Repairability Points for 2019 iMac Models
iFixit, which regularly provides readers with hugely helpful teardowns, has praised Apple for making available (deliberately or otherwise) repair manuals for the 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMacs released in 2019. It even upgraded the repairability score for the devices. This is interesting, given it recently emerged that flash storage cannot be removed from the logic board in the latest 27-inch iMac, surely reducing its repairability.
But with publicly available repair manuals, however painful the actual procedures can be, this device offers a greater sense of long-term service potential. It’s a tricky thing, providing this recognition to Apple. The company puts a significant amount of effort into lobbying against Right to Repair bills that would, among other things, make all such internal manuals available to the public. And we know, by way of emails provided to Congress, that the release of the iMac repair manuals was an aberration. Since then, Apple has simultaneously produced its most repair-friendly device in many years, the Mac Pro, and chosen not to release any more manuals for its other devices. Still, this tiny revelation feels like the first signs of spring after a long winter. Apple published service manuals and the world didn’t end.
3.3 Foot Supercord 3-in-1 Charging Cable: $19.99
We have a deal on the Supercord, a 3.3-foot charging USB charging cable with three interchangeable connectors: Lightning, USB-C, and microUSB. The sleeve of the cable is braided with kevlar, and it’s $19.99 through our deal.
Trump’s China App Ban Will Affect Apple Due to WeChat
President Trump’s ban on Chinese apps, in particular WeChat, is going to affect Apple, writes Michael Kan.
Forty-five days from now, the White House can begin punishing US companies and individuals for making “transactions” that are related to WeChat. That means Apple will likely need to pull the product from the iOS app store.
“For Apple, it would be all iPhone sales in China will go to zero because no one in China will buy a WeChatless phone,” tweeted podcaster Carl Zha.
As I understand it, WeChat is THE most popular app in China. It’s what Facebook aspires to be with Messenger. It’s used for everything like messaging, mobile payments, a hub for businesses, etc. Like Mr. Kan notes, it won’t affect Google because apps can be sideloaded on Android. But the App Store is the single repository of iOS apps.
Government Contractor ‘Anomaly Six’ Used SDK to Track Phones
A U.S. government contractor called Anomaly Six used its SDK embedded in over 500 apps to track people. Which apps have this SDK is unknown.
Users Cannot Remove Storage From Logic Board in New 27-inch iMac
Flash storage cannot be removed from the logic board in the new 27-inch iMac – some models have flash storage expansion.
Security Friday - Intel, LastPass, Clario – TMO Daily Observations 2020-08-07
Andrew Orr and Jeff Butts join host Kelly Guimont to discuss Security Friday news, and a new headphone option coming with iOS 14.
iPhone 12 Camera Lenses Encounter Quality Control Problems
Camera lenses set for the iPhone 12 have encountered problems, according to a note from analyst Ming Chi Kuo, seen by 9to5 Mac. However, it could save Apple some money.
The problem was spotted during a high-temperature, high-humidity test designed to ensure that the cameras can cope with use in tropical climates… The issues occurred with the camera modules destined for the non-Pro 5.4-inch and 6.1-inch models, with units made by Yujingguang. It’s not yet known whether the company will be able to fix the problem in time for the launch. While Apple will undoubtedly not be impressed by the failure in the iPhone 12 camera lenses, there may be an upside to it. Kuo believes that the lens supplier will be forced to offer Apple a substantial discount on the agreed price in order to win back the business.
New Executive Orders Target WeChat and TikTok
U.S. President Donald Trump has signed Executive Orders banning transactions with Chinese companies behind WeChat and TikTok.
Apple to Donate to Beirut Relief Efforts
Apple is to make a contribution to relief efforts in Beirut, following the devastating blast in the Lebanese city this week.
Apple and T-Mobile Give 1 Million iPads to California Students
Apple and T-Mobile are partnering with the California Department of Education to give up to one million iPads to students in need.
Facebook Gaming App Launches on iOS... With no Games
Facebook hit out at Apple’s App Store policies as it launched its Facebook Gaming app on iOS… without any games.
‘Have I Been Pwned’ Database Now Open Source
Troy Hunt is making his Have I Been Pwned database open source. He says it’s already a community project with companies like Cloudflare providing free services to HIBP.
The single most important objective of that process was to seek a more sustainable future for HIBP and that desire hasn’t changed; the project cannot be solely dependent on me. Yet that’s where we are today and if I disappear, HIBP quickly withers and dies.