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.
Larry Tesler, Legendary Apple Employee Behind Cut, Copy, And Paste Passes Away Aged 74
Former, Apple employee Larry Tesler, who invented Cut, Copy and Paste and co-founded Arm, passed away on February 17, aged 74.
IRS Sues Facebook for $9 Billion Over Offshore Profits
The IRS is suing Facebook for US$9 billion, saying the company kept profits in subsidiaries based in Ireland.
The IRS argues that Facebook understated the value of the intellectual property it sold to an Irish subsidiary in 2010 while building out global operations, a move common among U.S. multinationals…Under the arrangement, Facebook’s subsidiaries pay royalties to the U.S.-based parent for access to its trademark, users and platform technologies. From 2010 to 2016, Facebook Ireland paid Facebook U.S. more than $14 billion in royalties and cost-sharing payments, according to the court filing.
If the IRS succeeds this would be one of Facebook’s biggest fines.
Filmage Screen Screen Editor and Video Editor for Mac: $29.99
We have a deal on Filmage Screen, an all-in-one video app for the Mac. It features an integrated screen recorder, basic audio recorder, professional video editor, useful video converter and video player to let you handle your videos once for all.
ISPs Sue Maine, Saying Privacy Law Violates Their Free Speech
ISPs are suing Maine over a privacy law that will go into effect this July, saying it violates their free speech rights. The law would force them to obtain user consent before collecting and selling their data.
Stock Market School, AAPL Style – TMO Daily Observations 2020-02-18
Bryan joins host Kelly to chat about Apple’s updated guidance, what guidance is, why it matters, and what exactly this update means for Apple stock.
Apple Pencil May Include a Grip-Monitoring Haptic System in The Future
Future versions of the Apple Pencil may include a haptic system that will monitor the user’s grip. That’s according to AppleInsider, who noticed a recently granted patent.
In a patent granted by the USPTO to Apple on Tuesday titled “Touch-based input device with haptic feedback,” the filing details how a system could be used to perform two jobs: providing haptic feedback to the user, while also being able to read force measurements from the user’s grip. Apple’s proposal involves the use of a piezoelectric device attached to the inside of the housing, one that would be connected to the user grip region of the housing. The grip section would be deformable, both inwards and outwards, allowing it to be used for providing information to the user as well as taking in grip data. The piezoelectric device would theoretically push out the housing in the grip region when it needs to alert the user via haptic feedback.
Smartphones Could Help Death Photography Make a Comeback
The New York Times has a piece today about death photography, and how it’s returning with the help of our ubiquitous smartphone camera.
“But we are returning to the older ways,” she went on, “a movement backward that some say began in the ’70s, with the back-to-nature movement and midwifery and natural births. The natural death movement is part of that. And these photos are unsurprising, too, because we carry our smartphones all the time, and it’s almost like if there isn’t a photo it didn’t happen. Now everyone is a photographer.”
Wait? Could HQ Trivia Come Back?!
HQ Trivia may live-on according to the CEO, despite the collapse of the company behind the live game-show app.
watchOS 6.1.3 Fixes a Bug for Watch Owners in Iceland
Apple has released watchOS 6.1.3 that fixes a bug for Apple Watch owners in Ireland. There’s also a watchOS 5.3.5 update for iOS 12 users.
Apple Maps Transit Directions Comes to Europe
Apple Maps transit directions are starting to appear in the app for European users, like in France, Ireland, and Norway.
Apple Leverages iOS for Advertising You Can’t Block
Tumblr software engineer Steve Streza makes the case that iOS is adware for all of Apple’s services.
iOS 13 has an abundance of ads from Apple marketing Apple services, from the moment you set it up and all throughout the experience. These ads cannot be hidden through the iOS content blocker extension system. Some can be dismissed or hidden, but most cannot, and are purposefully designed into core apps like Music and the App Store. There’s a term to describe software that has lots of unremovable ads: adware, which what iOS has sadly become.
This particularly annoys me with Apple News, where roughly half the space is dedicated to showing me News+ content, even though I don’t subscribe. On iOS you can swipe to “See Less Often” but you can’t do this on iPad.
How Jeff Bezos Built a Data Collecting Empire
BBC News published an inside look into “Why Amazon knows so much about you.”
“They happen to sell products, but they are a data company,” says James Thomson, one of the former executives interviewed.
“Each opportunity to interact with a customer is another opportunity to collect data.”
Founder Jeff Bezos frames it in terms of being a “customer obsession”, saying the firm’s first priority is to “figure out what they want, what’s important to them”.
Jeff Bezos Pledges $10 Billion to Help Fight Climate Change
Jeff Bezos said on Monday that he will contribute $10 billion in the fight against climate change, Yahoo Finance reported. Not so long ago, the Amazon founder was accused of being stingy after he donated $690,000 towards relief efforts following the Australian wildfires.
The Amazon (AMZN) CEO announced the launch on Instagram, asserting humans can save the Earth by using an inclusive approach that combines the efforts and resources of all stakeholders. “We can save Earth. It’s going to take collective action from big companies, small companies, nation-states, global organizations, and individuals,” the post stated. “I’m committing $10 billion to start and will begin issuing grants this summer. Earth is the one thing we all have in common — let’s protect it, together.” Bezos, who has a net worth of $130 billion, is no stranger to the climate change fight. In September 2019, the Amazon founder announced: “The Climate Pledge,” which stated that the retail behemoth’s ultimate goal is to become carbon-neutral by 2040.
Apple Will Miss Q2 2020 Revenue Guidance Following Coronavirus Outbreak
Apple announced that the coronavirus outbreak is limiting supply and sales in China, meaning it will miss its revenue guidance for Q1 2020.
TMO Contributor John Kheit (#4) - TMO Background Mode Interview
John Kheit is a New York attorney and a regular contributor to The Mac Observer. We share many common interests, including the 4K/UHD/HDR TV revolution, 8K TV and displays, Wi-Fi/5G technologies and the state of Apple.
In this special edition, I interview John about his new 2019 Mac Pro. I asked John about the configuration he ordered, what substitutions he made (graphics card), his add-on SSD, and whether he bought the Pro Display XDR. John shared lots of technical tidbits: a changed initial order, his total outlay, details of the T2 security chip, the various kinds (layer configurations) of SSDs, his display setup and observations about the cooling system. If you’re planning to purchase a new Mac Pro, this conversation is essential listening.
Charging Station with Qi Wireless with 5 USB and 4,000mAh Battery: $49.99
We have a deal on the Naztech Ultimate Power Station that features a Qi wireless charging pad, a charging dock for an included 4,000mAh portable battery, and 5 USB ports, counting the one on the portable battery. That means you can charge up to 6 devices at the same time from a single AC wall outlet. This device is $49.99 through our deal.
Coming March 6, Apple Shares Trailer for ‘Amazing Stories’
Amazing Stories is an upcoming sci-fi series for Apple TV+ by Steven Spielberg. Each episode will be a new story to “transport the audience to worlds of wonder through the lens of today’s most imaginative filmmakers, directors and writers.” It launches on March 6 and there will be 10 episodes in the first season. Stars include Josh Holloway, Sasha Alexander, Dylan O’Brien, Victoria Pedretti, and Robert Forster.
Podcasts From Apple...by Apple? – TMO Daily Observations 2020-02-17
Charlotte Henry and Dave Hamilton join host Kelly Guimont to discuss Apple’s role in podcasts, and how it could (or should) change over time.
iCloud is a Syncing Service, Not a Backup Service
It’s important to keep backups of your data. One way to do that is iCloud Backup, but that shouldn’t be your only backup method.
Mark Zuckerberg: 'There Should be Regulation on Harmful Content'...But...
Mark Zuckerberg conceded that there should be regulation of harmful content online but warned regulation could stifle innovation.
Instagram Seems to Think it’s a Startup When it Comes to an iPad App
When asked why there isn’t an Instagram iPad app yet, CEO Adam Mosseri said the company would like to create one, “But we only have so many people, and lots to do, and it hasn’t bubbled up as the next best thing to do yet.”
Instagram users have been asking for an official iPad app nearly since the social network launched in 2010, the same year that the first iPad was released. Some alternatives include third-party Instagram apps for iPad, browsing Instagram on the web on iPad, or using the upscaled iPhone app on iPad.
The obvious answer is, “Hire more people because you’re owned by one of the richest corporations in the world: Facebook.” But I wonder what the actual answer is. Invasive tracking isn’t as lucrative on iPadOS?
Mom Says Apple Watch Saved Her 13-Year Old Son's Life
A mother in Oklahoma says that an Apple Watch saved her 13-year-old son’s life, 9to5 Mac reported. It adds to the growing collection of stories whereby the wearable has helped people by highlighting major health issues.
13-year-old Skylar Joslin was sitting in class when his Apple Watch detected a heart of 190 beats-per-minute. Local news outlet KFOR tells the story: Skylar was sitting in class in April of 2018, when he got an alarming notification on his two-week-old Apple Watch. “I got a text message along with a screenshot of his heart rate that was 190,” said Skylar’s mom Liz. “The following message saying, ‘Mommy, there’s something wrong. I’m not doing anything.’” Liz then came and picked up Skylar from school and took him to the emergency room — his heart rate peaked at 202 bpm during the drive and as high as 280 bpm at the hospital. Doctors then diagnosed Skylar with supraventricular tachycardia, or SVT, which is a disease that forces the heart to speed up. Skylar then underwent a seven and a half hour cardiac ablation to help fix his heart’s rhythm.
Warren Buffet Sells $800 Million Worth of Apple Stock
Despite Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway’s recent sale of $800 million of Apple stock, it still remains the firm’s largest shareholder.
Your 2020 Playlist for Apple Music Replay is Available
Your Apple Music Replay 2020 playlist is here. Apple will make weekly playlists, not just a playlist at the end of the year.