InPaint Photo Editing App Bundle for Mac and Windows: $24.99

We have a deal on the InPaint Photo Editing App Bundle for Mac and Windows, a collection of photo editing apps. Those apps include InPaint, iResizer, iResizer, Multi-View, Multi-View, BatchInpaint, and PhotoStitcher. All apps work on either Mac or Windows, but note that the license is for one device only. You can read up on the details of each app in the deal listing. This app bundle is $24.99 through our deal.

16 Web APIs Apple Avoided Over Privacy Concerns

ZDnet has a list of 16 Web APIs that Apple declined to add to Safari over concerns they could be used to track users.

The vast majority of these APIs are only implemented in Chromium-based browsers, and very few on Mozilla’s platform.

Apple claims that the 16 Web APIs above would allow online advertisers and data analytics firms to create scripts that fingerprint users and their devices.

Universal Mobile Phone Screen Magnifier with Speaker: $21.99

We have a deal on a Universal Mobile Phone Screen Magnifier. This device features an acrylic lens screen that zooms your phone screen 2 to 3 times to avoid visual fatigue and better viewing. It also features a built-in Bluetooth speaker. Check out the details on the full deal listing. This device is $21.99 through our deal.

Microsoft to Permanently Close Retail Locations

Microsoft is to close all but four of retail locations, The Verge reported Friday, including the one in London that is just steps away from the city’s flagship Apple Store. The sites that remain will be turned into experience centers, but will not sell any products.

Those locations are New York City (Fifth Ave), London (Oxford Circus), Sydney (Westfield Sydney), and the Redmond campus location. The London store only just opened about a year ago. All other Microsoft Store locations across the United States and globally will be closing, and the company will concentrate on digital retail moving forward. Microsoft says Microsoft.com and the Xbox and Windows storefronts reach “up to 1.2 billion monthly customers in 190 markets.” The company tells The Verge that no layoffs will result from today’s decision. “Our commitment to growing and developing careers from this diverse talent pool is stronger than ever,” Microsoft Store VP David Porter said in a LinkedIn post on the move.

macOS 11’s Design Language is Meant for Augmented Reality

Jack Koloskus wrote about an emerging design language called neumorphism. Some of the new icons in macOS 11 are part of this design, like the Messages bubble that looks 3D. He believes we’ll be seeing more of this, while I am of the opinion that Apple, with this design, is laying the foundations for an AR/VR user interface. Of course an AR interface looks a bit odd on a 2D screen.

When you boil it down, neumorphism is a focus on how light moves in three-dimensional space […] What sets neumorphism apart from its progenitor is that the focus is on the light itself and how it interacts with a variety of objects in a purely digital space. The light simulations in neumorphism are more complex, and are focused on how light from one object could affect another, or the function of the object itself.

Ozone Generator and Air Purifier: $29.95

Our friends at Stack Commerce have another cool gadget deal for us today, an ozone generator and air purifier. It has a built-in rechargeable 600mA battery so you can take it with you anywhere, and it has a max sound output of 35dB. This device is $29.95 through us.

AirPods and AirPods Pro Updates Coming With iOS 14

There is a lot coming with iOS 14. Some of the updates announced involved AirPods and AirPods Pro. AppleInsider has a good rundown.

Of all the new features coming in iOS 14, the most headline-grabbing is spacial audio for AirPods Pro. This works with 5.1, 7.1, and even Dolby Atmos encoded audio to create immersive sound that goes far beyond simple stereo playback. So much content is now coming in HDR Dolby Vision video and Dolby Atmos audio these days that it makes sense for Apple to continue to invest in these. Creating 3D sound from a set of headphones isn’t easy but Apple took it a step further.

Apple And Google Displayed Unaccountable Power Over COVID-19 Contact Tracing

Apple and Google have had a major influence in how COVID-19 contact tracing has progressed, or hasn’t, in various countries. Writing for Businesss Insider, Tom Loosemore, a cofounder of the UK’s Government Digital Service, expressed concern at their unaccountable power.

I hope I am wrong, but I fear that Google and Apple’s approach will not prove particularly valuable in the messy real world of contact tracing. It is just too crude. Google and Apple have given governments an abacus in an era of machine learning. I’ll admit I was instinctively pleased when I heard of Google and Apple’s decision. Throughout my career, I’ve defended people’s privacy from your typical state’s propensity to collect ever more data about their citizens, often without reason. But in the weeks since April 10, I’ve reflected more on the nature of power. Who has power? And how is it held to account?