Customers buying an iPhone on a Vodafone Unlimited plan will get a pair of AirPods, but the offer is only available for a limited time.
New ‘Everyone Can Code’ Program Supports Younger Students
Apple has redesigned its ‘Everyone Can Code’ curriculum to add more support for elementary and middle school students.
Mozilla Unveils 2019 Privacy Not Included Gift Guide
Mozilla announced its third annual 2019 *Privacy Not Included gift guide to highlight gadgets and toys that are secure, and ones that aren’t secure.
This year we found that many of the big tech companies like Apple and Google are doing pretty well at securing their products, and you’ll see that most products in the guide meet our Minimum Security Standards. But don’t let that fool you. Even though devices are secure, we found they are collecting more and more personal information on users, who often don’t have a whole lot of control over that data.
Apple's New Austin Facility, 100cameras and iPhone – TMO Daily Observations 2019-11-20
Andrew Orr and Charlotte Henry join host Kelly Guimont to discuss Apple’s Austin expansion and 100cameras using iPhones to teach photography.
Review: Photoshop for iPad Isn’t Great and Hopefully Improves
Andrew has spent the past couple of weeks testing and using Adobe’s Photoshop for iPad. He was happy that it uses Sign In with Apple.
Disney+ Could Rocket to 60 Million Subscribers Sooner Than Expected
Disney+ gained 10 million subscribers on its first day and the service’s growth shows no sign of slowing down. Variety reported that it could hit its target of 60 million subscribers by 2022, two years earlier than its aiming for.
Expectations were already enormous ahead of the launch. Disney Plus was largely expected to accrue about 8 million users across the seven remaining weeks in calendar 2019 — but not 10 million in one day. Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives believes that at its current pace, Disney could hit its 2024 goal of 60 million to 90 million global streaming subscribers potentially two years earlier than targeted. That would mark admirably aggressive growth. For context, streaming market leader Netflix boasts more than 60 million subscribers in the U.S. and 158 million worldwide, a base built over the last 12 years or so. Ives’ estimates suggest Disney could get within spitting distance of a nine-figure subscriber base in just three years.
Build Better Web Apps and Software with This Full-Featured API Tool for Mac: $21.24
We have a deal on Paw, a full-featured HTTP client that lets you test and describe the APIs you build or consume. It features a native macOS interface to compose requests, inspect server responses, generate client code and export API definitions. Paw is $24.99 through our deal, but coupon code BFSAVE15 brigs it down to $21.24 at checkout.
Some Google Stadia is Having Problems
Google Stadia opened up preorders for its subscription gaming service on June 6th. However, The Verge reported that some so-called ‘Founders’ who pre-ordered the service are having issues getting in.
Though Stadia is now live, many buyers are reporting they haven’t received the most crucial piece of the entire Stadia package: the invite email that opens the door to actually let them in. Many on Stadia’s official Discord server are performing what they’re calling a “code check” to let others know whether their codes have been sent, and whether their devices have actually been shipped. Others are reporting the usernames they wanted are already taken.
Spotify Free Tier Coming to Alexa, Sonos, And Bose Devices
Spotify’s free tier is coming to Alexa powered devices. It will also work on Sonos and Bose devices, Techcrunch reported. Previously only those with a premium subscription could access their music on such speakers.
In the case of Alexa devices, like Amazon Echo speakers or the Fire TV, users will be able to ask Alexa to play Spotify’s playlist, like “Today’s Top Hits,” or their personalized playlist, “Discover Weekly,” among others. The service can also be set as the default, so you can use commands like “Play my Discover Weekly,” “Like this song,” or “Pause,” and more, without having to say “on Spotify.” Meanwhile, on Sonos and Bose speakers, users can set up Spotify Connect from the Spotify app. This works with Bose smart speakers and soundbars, as well as all Sonos smart speakers, including the new indoor/outdoor speaker Sonos Move and the Symfonisk IKEA WiFi Speaker, integrated with the Sonos Home Sound System.
Humans Place in Suspended Animation for First Time
Humans have been placed in suspended animation for the first time, in a technique called emergency preservation and resuscitation (EPR).
EPR involves rapidly cooling a person to around 10 to 15°C by replacing all of their blood with ice-cold saline. The patient’s brain activity almost completely stops. They are then disconnected from the cooling system and their body – which would otherwise be classified as dead – is moved to the operating theatre.
A surgical team then has 2 hours to fix the person’s injuries before they are warmed up and their heart restarted. Tisherman says he hopes to be able to announce the full results of the trial by the end of 2020.
Years ago I remember reading in Popular Science of experiments like this involving dogs. It’s amazing that it’s moving to the human stage.
Construction Begins of Austin, Texas Apple Campus
Construction has officially started on the Austin, Texas Apple campus which is expected to open in 2022 to manufacture Mac Pros.
Apple TV+ Series 'Servant' Premieres in New York
Apple hosted a premiere for the upcoming Apple TV+ show ‘Servant’ at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House in Brooklyn, New York.
iPhone 11 Helps Teach Chicago Students About Photography and Storytelling
Apple partnered with 100cameras, a Chicago-based non-profit, over the fall on a providing iPhone 11s for a photography program.
Apple Music for Business Could Come to a Store Near You
Apple not only wants to provide music for consumers but also businesses in the form of muzak. It has 25 clients so far.
‘Settlers of Catan’ Could be Niantic’s Next AR Game
Niantic has had two popular AR games on its hands in the form of Pokémon Go and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. What possibly be next? Maybe Settlers of Catan.
Late last month, the company behind Catan said during a board games conference in Germany that it was working on a “upcoming massively multiplayer location based game” (albeit with no mention of Niantic). Called Catan: World Explorers, they noted that it “transforms the entire Earth into one giant game of CATAN”.
Tim Cook Talks Steve Jobs, Environment and Privacy at Salesforce Dreamforce
At the Dreamforce conference, Time Cook discussed Steve Jobs, Apple’s environmental efforts, and privacy with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff.
WT:Social is a New Social Network From WikiTribune
WT:Social is a new social network from Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia. He promises it will never sell user data and rely on donors.
BONDIC Pocket 3D Liquid Plastic Welding Kit: $14.99
We have a deal on a different kind of product today, the Bondic Pocket 3D liquid plastic welding kit. This liquid plastic that only hardens when you apply an included UV light to it, allowing you to cure it only when you want. The company says it’s a four step process: clean, fill, cure and shape to fix almost anything. Check out the promo video below to see it in action. It’s $14.99 through our deal.
Dr Mac and the New Logitech Mouse – TMO Daily Observations 2019-11-19
Bryan Chaffin and Doctor Mac join host Kelly Guimont to discuss their deep abiding love for Logitech mice, including the new MX Master 3.
Apple Partners With 100cameras for iPhoneography
Apple is partnering with the nonprofit organization 100cameras to teach Chicago students photography with iPhones.
Need the Tor Browser on iOS? Try Onion Browser
Need a Tor browser on iOS? Onion Browser is the only iOS app recommended on the Tor Project’s website. Starting out at the U.S. Naval Research Lab, Tor is a special network that helps people browse the internet with as much privacy as possible. You should note there are a couple of security advisories on its website: WebRTC/Media leaks: Due to iOS limitations, WebRTC and media files leak outside of Tor and are routed over the normal internet. This will reveal your real IP address to sites using these features. (If you are using a VPN, the VPN IP address is revealed instead.) To defend against this, you may set Strict security mode in Host Settings, which will disable Javascript. More information here. OCSP leak: Visiting EV “Green Bar” HTTPS sites may leak information that can be used to reveal the domain name of the website you are visiting. This is handled within iOS and cannot be changed by Onion Browser. There is no known workaround. A detailed report can be found here. App Store: Free
Apple's Very Parental App Store Decisions
When Apple banned 24 vaping apps from the App Store recent, lots of people were happy. The Macalope wasn’t. He explained why in his Macworld column.
For now those who have installed the apps can continue to use them, but in the long term developers have no way to deliver updates that could provide bug fixes or firmware updates. It’s worth pointing out that the canisters that did contain cyanide were counterfeit. The Macalope just checked his local liquor store and we haven’t banned alcohol sales because prison wine blinded some people. He also checked the App Store and we haven’t banned mixology apps, either. But one of the apps Apple banned actually checked canisters to see if they were counterfeit. (Tip o’ the antlers to Ben Thompson’s piece on this subject.) It’s very temping to make lifestyle judgements. We have waged a long war with the tobacco industry (which stands to benefit from banning vaping, by the way), so seeing young people vaping nicotine is concerning. But lots of choices adults make can be concerning.
The EU's Battle With Big Tech is Only Just Beginning
The EU’s executive, the EU Commission, has increasingly turned its attention on Big Tech in recent times. It fined Apple $14.5 billion in 2016, and is looking at alleged competition issues around the Walle App. At the center of it all is competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager. The New York Times has a really good profile of her, picked up by Cult of Mac. It shows’ that the EU’s battle with Big Tech is only just beginning.
A New York Times article writes that Vestager “envisions a more aggressive agenda” for moderating the tech industry. It notes that: “Ms. Vestager, a 51-year-old former Danish lawmaker, is doubling down. She has signed on for a rare second five-year term as the head of the European Commission’s antitrust division, and assumed expanded responsibility over digital policy across the 28-nation bloc…” There are few specifics in the article, aside from the overall sense that Vestager is looking to double-down on her moderating of tech companies. The European Commission is already looking into a number of tech giants. This includes the question of whether Apple is abusing its marketplace position with the App Store.
Did Apple Maps Forget Michigan’s Upper Peninsula?
The upgraded Apple Maps has been slowly rolling out across the United States this year. The team recently added some western and midwestern states to the redesign, including the lower peninsula of Michigan. But I live in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and don’t see the upgrade. No surprise there, because people often think the U.P. is part of Canada or Wisconsin. There’s even an entire subreddit dedicated to it. Since it looks like Wisconsin hasn’t gotten the upgrade either, I’m assuming Apple is in the latter camp.
In terms of area, this latest expansion is Apple’s largest yet……and it’s the second largest in terms of population. It also has arrived faster than almost all of the others.