Enter our new international giveaway for a chance to win the brand new iPhone 16 Pro.
Apple, Johnson & Johnson Launch ‘Heartline’ Study
Apple and Johnson & Johnson partner on the Heartline study to determine if the accompanying app as well as Apple Watch can reduce the risk of a stroke.
Firefox Enables Encrypted DNS by Default
Starting today, Firefox will begin rolling out support for encrypted DNS over HTTPS for U.S.-based users.
We’re enabling DoH by default only in the US. If you’re outside of the US and would like to enable DoH, you’re welcome to do so by going to Settings, then General, then scroll down to Networking Settings and click the Settings button on the right. Here you can enable DNS over HTTPS by clicking, and a checkbox will appear.
You can choose between Cloudflare and NextDNS. As I mentioned in my roundup of DNS services, I’ve been using NextDNS for the past couple weeks and I love it.
TMO Editor-in-Chief Bryan Chaffin (#2) - TMO Background Mode Interview
Bryan Chaffin is the co-founder and Executive Vice President of The Mac Observer. He is also our Editor-in-Chief. He’s been working lately as co-author of a new edition of iPad For Dummies, and so I enlisted him to discuss the future of the iPad.
We chatted about how the iPad has made enormous gains in CPU and graphics power over the last 10 years. But iOS and then iPadOS not so much. In the early days Apple wasn’t quite sure where the iPad would go, and that’s perhaps a factor in its development. We examined how multi-tasking has been implemented, the prospects for larger displays, home screen operations, consumption vs. productivity, the stagnation of sales, and whether there needs to be a new product between the iPad and Mac. Bryan resurrects the notorious concept of the ::gasp:: toaster-fridge. There’s much more.
The Mac Utility Audio Software Bundle: $24.99
We have a deal on the Mac Utility Audio Software Bundle, which includes WALTR 2, Softorino Youtube Converter 2, and iRingg Ringtone Creator for Mac. You get all three utilities for $24.99 through this bundle.
New IEEE 802.11ay Wi-Fi Standard Could be Heading to iPhones
The next generation of iPhones could support a Wi-Fi standard known as IEEE 802.11ay, which could help facilitate communication between nearby devices.
Netflix Top 10 Lists Appear Today to Show Popular Content
Starting today Netflix is rolling out a Top 10 lists feature that will update every day. It will feature the platform’s most popular content.
“Starting today you’ll notice something new when you go on Netflix: The Top 10 row,” the company said in a tweet. “The lists update daily to show what’s popular in your country and are broken into three categories: Netflix overall, shows & films.”
The most popular Netflix offerings in your country should show up in their own row once you log in to your Netflix account, the company said. “The list is rolling out globally now and should be on your homepage by the end of the day at the latest.”
Today at Apple Sessions Celebrate International Women’s Day 2020
Apple retail stores will celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8 with a series of Today at Apple sessions called “She Creates”.
Apple Ups iPhone 12 Chip Orders Despite Coronavirus Outbreak
Apple has reportedly aggressively increased orders for processors to go into a forthcoming 5G iPhone. Cult of Mac learned about the situation via a note from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who pushed back on the idea that the coronavirus outbreak will dent Apple’s plans.
Apple is believed to have aggressively increased its orders for the new processors, which will power this year’s iPhone and iPad Pro — as well as Apple’s first Arm-powered Mac that is said to be scheduled for early 2021. “The 5nm process will be the core technology for Apple’s new products in 12–18 months,” reads the latest report from reliable TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, seen by Cult of Mac. “Therefore, the COVID-19 has no impact on Apple’s investments for 5nm, and Apple has increased shipment forecasts and pulled in for 5nm-related equipment after the epidemic outbreak.”
UK Users Can Get a Year of Disney+ for £49.99
Disney+ is heading to Europe in just under a month. In an attempt to build up the excitement, the streaming service is offering a discount to those who pre-order. UK users can get a year of Disney+ for £49.99 instead of £59.99 if they sign up by March 23. In Europe, users can purchase an annual subscription for €59.99 instead of €69.99 ahead of launch day. A monthly subscription costs £5.99/€6.99 per month. Disney+ goes live on March 24. To get the deal, head over to https://preorder.disneyplus.com.
HackerOne Punished Researchers Who Disclosed PayPal Bugs
HackerOne is a bug bounty platform that connects companies with security researchers. Recently, when researchers used the platform to disclose six PayPal vulnerabilities, they were punished.
When our analysts discovered six vulnerabilities in PayPal…we were met with non-stop delays, unresponsive staff, and lack of appreciation…When we pushed the HackerOne staff for clarification on these issues, they removed points from our Reputation scores, relegating our profiles to a suspicious, spammy level.
This happened even when the issue was eventually patched, although we received no bounty, credit, or even a thanks…We’ll assume that HackerOne’s response is representative of PayPal’s response.
Favorite Steve Jobs Memories, Location Data Clipboard Leak - TMO Daily Observations 2020-02-24
John Martellaro and Andrew Orr join guest-host Bryan Chaffin to celebrate Steve Jobs’s birthday with some of their favorite memories. They also discuss a report that location data can be leaked through the Clipboard in iOS.
Target Inventory Indicates New Apple TV, iPod Touch, and Apple Watch Bands
Images from the Target inventory that appeared to show a new Apple TV, new iPod Touch, and new Apple Watch wristbands.
New Xbox Series Will Pack 12 Teraflops of GPU Performance
We learned new details about the forthcoming Xbox Series X console. Microsoft said it will have 12 teraflops of GPU performance, amongst other impressive specs, The Verge reported.
The biggest new confirmation is that the Xbox Series X will include 12 teraflops of GPU performance, which is twice what’s available in the Xbox One X and eight times the original Xbox One. This type of performance puts the Xbox Series X beyond most mid-range graphics cards from AMD and Nvidia, and it’s an impressive jump for a game console. It certainly shows that the next-gen Xbox and PS5 are going to go far beyond the Xbox One X and PlayStation 4 Pro.
Supreme Court Rejects Apple’s Appeal in VirnetX Case
The U.S. Supreme Court today has refused to hear Apple’s appeal to avoid paying US$440 million in damages in VirnetX patent case.
Steve Jobs Would Have Been 65 Today
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs would have been his 65 today, and CEO Tim Cook shared how he was remembering his friend and former colleague.
Location Data Can Leak Through iOS Clipboard, Apple Doesn’t View it as a Problem
Researchers found that location data can be leaked to apps on iOS and iPadOS via the clipboard. Apple doesn’t see it as a problem.
Stardew Valley 1.4 Update Finally Available for iOS
Long awaited by mobile gamers, the huge Stardew Valley 1.4 update is finally available for iOS and iPadOS. There are new 14 heart events for every spouse, a new late-game building upgrade in town, Fish Ponds for farming, over 60 new items, 24 hairstyles, 181 shirts, and other new clothing items, or create your own clothes with the Tailoring skill, sheds can be upgraded, 14 new music tracks, transfer save files on PC to mobile, and various Quality of Life improvements.
Intuit Could Buy Credit Karma for $7 Billion
Financial services giant Inuit, which has products like TurboTax and Mint, is close to a deal to buy Credit Karma for US$7 billion.
There is a potentially significant business opportunity for Intuit if it completes a deal. For example, Intuit could try to match all the tax data its TurboTax customers provide with the credit-scoring data that Credit Karma holds.
That could let Intuit serve up better customer prospects to credit card issuers — and eventually let Intuit charge lenders more for access to its hoard of data.
Taming System Preferences, Podcasts, Email, and More – Mac Geek Gab 803
Sometimes things just get out of hand with your devices and need to be wrangled back into line. Today’s targets: System Preferences, the Podcasts app, IMAP email, and much more. Plus, some early replies on our search for the best way to tame our episode watch lists are already in, too! Listen as John and Dave talk through all of this, add some Cool Stuff Found, and more.
Exciting New Rumors: iMac and MacBook Pro for 2020
John has found some fascinating rumors regarding the 2020 iMacs and 13-inch MacBook Pro. Buckle up.
Tesla Begins Deforestation in Germany to Build New Gigafactory
Tesla has resumed cutting down trees in eastern Germany following local opposition, Reuters reported. The deforestation is so it can build an enormous factory in the area.
The U.S. electric carmaker last November said it will build a factory in Gruenheide in the eastern state of Brandenburg near Berlin, creating up to 12,000 jobs, a decision that was initially lauded as a vote of confidence in Germany. Tesla wants to start production in 2021, but environmentalists have exploited legal loopholes in the planning process to halt felling of trees until an environmental audit is finalised to gauge whether any rare species could be endangered.
These Tiny Chips Could Help Stop Counterfeits
MIT researchers created tiny (0.002 square inches) chips that could help combat supply chain counterfeiting.
It’s millimeter-sized and runs on relatively low levels of power supplied by photovoltaic diodes. It also transmits data at far ranges, using a power-free “backscatter” technique that operates at a frequency hundreds of times higher than RFIDs. Algorithm optimization techniques also enable the chip to run a popular cryptography scheme that guarantees secure communications using extremely low energy.
Sounds interesting. I wonder if these could be used for more than counterfeits.
Featured Image credit: MIT News
Earth 3D Brings Gorgeous Live Wallpapers to Your Mac
Earth 3D is a cool app we recently discovered in the Mac App Store. It gives you live wallpapers and screensavers of the earth.
Security Friday: Data Breaches, DNS – TMO Daily Observations 2020-02-21
Andrew Orr joins host Kelly Guimont for Security Friday, discussing a new data breach and keeping your ISP from selling your web history.