A private social network Andrew reviewed before is MeWe, and it just announced a featured called Journals for its premium subscription.
Mimeo Photos Adds a Wall Decoration Product
Last year Andrew reviewed a product called Mimeo Photos to create a photo book. They’ve just announced a new wall decoration product.
Apple Arcade Devs Have Games Canceled as Service Faces Shakeup
Apple Arcade appears to be undergoing some changes, with developers having games canceled as the service bids to better retain subscribers.
Imagination Hopes for Closer Relationship With Apple
British chip designer Imagination sees the possibility of a closer relationship with Apple, according to its interim CEO. Ray Bingham made the comments in an interview with
The company’s new licensing agreement with Apple “certainly opens the door for more engagement with that company,” interim Chief Executive Officer Ray Bingham said in an interview. They announced in January they’d signed a multi-year license deal giving the Silicon Valley company access to a wide-range of Imagination’s designs. Imagination isn’t allowed to discuss its relationship with Apple beyond saying the Cupertino, California-based company is a licensee, but news that the computer maker is planning to start making more of its own chips doesn’t affect “our relationship with Apple in any negative way,” Bingham said.
Spotify Duo Launches in U.S. And Apple Music May Follow Suit
Spotify launched its Premium Duo option in the U.S., UK, and other countries on Wednesday. It means a couple or two flatmates can each have a premium account for a total of $12.99 per month. That’s a $2 a month reduction on the family bundle. As 9to5 Mac notes, Apple Music tends to not be so far behind in making such moves.
In addition to each getting individual premium accounts, Spotify says Duo also gives you a joint playlist selected by Spotify on the basis of your joint tastes…. The Duo Mix allows you to choose between Chill and Upbeat playlists, and you can also opt to filter out explicit songs. You can check whether your country is included by visiting spotify.com/duo. Historically, Apple Music and Spotify have mirrored each other’s membership types, so it is at least possible that Apple will choose to offer a similar account for couples.
‘Defending Jacob’ Showrunner Signs Overall Deal with Apple
Mark Bomback, the showrunner behind Apple TV+ hit ‘Defending Jacob’, will develop projects exclusively for Apple.
Apple Acquires Rights to ‘Emancipation’ Film Starring Will Smith
Apple has acquired international rights to “Emancipation” an action-thriller starring Will Smith. The deal was reportedly over US$120 million.
Google Staff Told to Work From Home Until Labor Day After COVID-19 Spikes
Google spokesperson Katherine Williams confirmed to Reuters that the company will not reopen its U.S. offices as planned. The decision comes in the midst of a spike in COVID-19 cases in various states.
Williams confirmed a Bloomberg report that cited an internal memo to employees sent by a Google executive. “For all of you that are working from home, please continue to do so unless you are told otherwise by your manager,” Chris Rackow, Google’s vice president of global security, said in the memo. “We don’t expect this guidance to change until Monday, Sept. 7 (Labor Day) at the earliest,” Rackow wrote, adding that the recent rise in coronavirus cases in the United States demonstrates that “COVID-19 is still very much alive”.
Jamf Files For U.S. IPO With $100 Million Valuation
Jamf, which makes software that allows organizations to manage Apple devices, filed for U.S IPO on Tuesday. The initial valuation of the firm was $100 million, Bloomberg News, reported, although this will likely change.
The company was aiming to be valued at about $3 billion in the listing, Bloomberg News reported in January. Jamf, founded in 2002, makes MDM — mobile device management — software that lets organizations manage large numbers of iPhones, Macs, Apple TVs, and iPads. One of its features allows a company to update the software on all of its Apple devices at the same time. Apple itself has been a customer since 2010, the filing shows. Jamf’s dependence on the $1.6 trillion tech giant also features prominently in the section of the filing that outlines potential risks to its business, along with the potential financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic. In 2019, Apple represented less than 1% of Jamf’s total revenue.
Trailer for 'Boys State' on Apple TV+
The trailer for watch Boys State, a new documentary film telling a political coming-of-age story as politically obsessed young-men head to Texas in a bid to be ‘Governor’ was released Tuesday. The documentary film is set to land on Apple TV+ August 14, and it will also be in select theaters from July 31,
Apple Silicon-powered macOS on iPhone Reportedly Being Evaluated
Apple is reportedly assessing Apple Silicon prototypes with macOS running on the iPhone, giving a desktop experience on a mobile device.
This Mini Bar UV-C Light Plugs into Your USB-C Port and Kills 99.9% of Germs: $29.99
We have a deal on the Mobisan Mobile Plug-In UV Sanitizer Light. This UV sanitizer plugs into a USB-C port—including iPad and other mobile devices with USB-C—and produces a UV sanitizer light. According to the company, it kills 99.9% of disease-causing microbes in less than 10 seconds.
New News About News – TMO Daily Observations 2020-06-30
Charlotte Henry joins host Kelly Guimont to discuss updates to Apple’s News app, Google’s news partnerships, and iOS 14 updates to News+.
WWDC 2020: All The Recap Videos From This Year's Conference
Every day at WWDC 2020 Serenity Caldwell produced a video roundup, recapping the day’s events at the virtual conference.
New Ransomware ‘OSX.EvilQuest’ Found in Pirated Mac Software
A new piece of macOS ransomware has been spotted in the wild within multiple pirated Mac software, and it’s called OSX.EvilQuest.
What Does AirPods Pro Spatial Audio Mean for Augmented Reality?
Em Lazer-Walker digs into the AirPods Pro spatial audio feature announced at WWDC 2020. What does it mean for AR?
As Apple improves their indoor location technology, [spatial audio] could also easily become a big part of making indoor wayfinding viable before they ship AR glasses, since the ARKit model of “hold your phone out in front of you while you walk through a space” is both socially and physically awkward.
I can’t wait for spatial audio to arrive. I use an app I’ve mentioned before that uses 3D audio, and I wonder if Naturespace will make use of this technology.
iOS 14 Can Automatically Redirect Apple News+ Subscribers Pass Paywalls to App
iOS 14 will allow Apple News+ subscribers to open up web links to publications involved in the service directly in the News app.
Add Funds to Your Apple ID, Get a 10% Bonus Through July 10
Through July 10, Apple is giving customers a 10% bonus when adding funds to your Apple ID. The maximum amount you can add is US$200.
How Apple Disrupted Certificate Authorities With Safari
In February, Apple implemented a rule in Safari in which TLS certificates have a lifespan of 398 days. According to ZDNet, Apple made this decision on its own without going through the standard procedure with certificate authorities.
Instead of calling for a vote, Apple simply announced its decision to implement 398-day lifespans on its devices, regardless of what the CAs in the CA/B Forum thought of the issue.
What took place this year is, in no simpler words, a demonstration that browser makers control the CA/B Forum, and that they hold full control of the HTTPS ecosystem, and that CAs are merely participants with no actual power.
‘Path to Apple Card’ Helps You Get Approved for Apple Card
Path to Apple Card is a new program from Apple and Goldman Sachs to help you get approved for Apple Card if you were declined.
Here’s Why This Company Won’t Add ‘Sign In with Apple’
Today is the deadline for developers to add Sign In with Apple to their apps. One company, AnyList, doesn’t want to add it and explained why.
After considering the merits of Sign in with Apple, we have decided not to support it. We understand that this may surprise some of our customers, so we’d like to explain in detail why we made this decision.
A couple arguments make sense, but I’m not buying some others. 1) I’m not a programmer so I don’t know how hard it is to add Sign In with Apple. 2) Saying iCloud isn’t “real email” is stupid. 3) AnyList removed its Facebook login, which is still a privacy-positive move even without adding Apple login.
NASA is Sending a 'Helicopter' to Mars
NASA is set to launch the Mars rover Perseverance in the coming weeks. On board will be a small ‘helicopter’ which will be the first human vehicle to take-off from the surface of the Red Planet and fly in its skies. Forbes has the details, including an interview with one of the project managers involved.
Before the primary science phase of the mission begins, however, the rover will deploy its flying companion on the surface. Called Ingenuity, the small vehicle – just 0.5 meters tall – is equipped with two counter-rotating blades that will enable it to hover in the air. It will be deployed on the Martian surface at some point in the first 90 days of the mission. A team back on the ground will then command the helicopter to perform some checks, before attempting a first flight… It will be capable of one flight per day, with 30 days in total allocated for its mission. While it does have camerad on board and will take images, this is mostly a technology demonstration to see if rotorcraft could be useful for future missions to Mars, perhaps even human missions.
Apple TV+ Exec Who Oversaw The Morning Show Gets Promotion
Apple TV+ executive Michelle Lee has been promoted to become the streaming service’s director, domestic programming.
Former Apple Senior Director Michael Gartenberg (#11) - BGM Interview
Michael Gartenberg spent three years as Apple’s Senior Director of Product Marketing, reporting directly to SVP Phil Schiller. He is currently a freelance writer and has become a regular guest here on Background Mode. This BGM Interview is his 11th appearance.
We explored the WWDC 2020 Keynote in detail. We started with the production values and layout and how some elements of this new kind of presentation might show up in future events. Then we turned to the Mac on Apple Silicon transition and some of the considerations for users. Later, there was a healthy discussion of iOS 14, Scribble and then macOS 11 Big Sur’s design language and how that differs from the nature of the Mac for UNIX users. Michael always delivers keen insights on how Apple markets its products and always helps us better understand the WWDC Keynote.