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Walt Mossberg Looks Back on a Decade of Tim Cook

Andrew Orr ·

Apple journalist Walt Mossberg looks back at the past decade of Apple and how it fares under the leadership of Tim Cook.

Apple remains what it has been for many years: the single most important consumer tech hardware company, a major force not only in its industry but in society at large. And now, it is huge and rich to boot. But it’s still unclear if it can be anybody’s favorite music provider, TV network, or news service.

Or if it can launch another blockbuster device.

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Camera+ 2 Adds 12 Features for the Holidays

Andrew Orr ·

Camera+ 2 is a good camera for iOS, and LateNiteSoft added 12 new features just in time for the holidays. Here’s one feature that I like:

Sometimes the mood just isn’t quite right, and a bit of lighting makes all the difference. Enter, torch mode. But sometimes that little light on your device is just too bright. We want mood not glare right? Well we’ve got mood to spare now that we’ve given you a wheel to customize the brightness of your torch anywhere between 10 and 100%. So whether you’re roasting chestnuts by the fire or skating in the park, you’ll always have perfect lighting.

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The Pop-Up Store That is The Set For Apple TV's 'Helpsters'

Charlotte Henry ·

A pop-up shop appeared in New York City. It turns out it is the set of Apple TV+ kids show Helpsters, according to 9to5Mac.

Apple is continuing to expand the reach of its Apple TV+ content. In addition to various book partnerships, Apple is also opening a pop-up in New York to promote its “Helpsters” live-action puppet series. Update: This is actually the set and filming location for the show. This was spotted by Parker Ortolani on Twitter. The pop-up, located at 220 W 16 St, is free of Apple branding aside from a “Watch on Apple TV” badge on the window. The window displays showcase the characters from the show with the tagline “Four problems, big or small, we’re here to help solve them.”

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A WhatsApp Bug Could Crash the App And Delete Group Chats

Charlotte Henry ·

Security firm CheckPoint revealed a flaw in WhatsApp. It could repeatedly crash the messaging service and permanently delete group chats and associated media, ZDNET reported.

In order to launch the application-crashing attack, the attacker first of all needs to gain entry to the WhatsApp group they intend to target – although given that the chat app allows up to 256 users per group, this might not prove too difficult. An attacker would need to have some hacking skills in order to carry out the attack, with the ability to browse WhatsApp Web and open Chrome’s DevTools, as well as gaining access to the secret parameters used by the application as part of how group chats operate.

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Mac Pro Gets High Score in iFixit Teardown

Andrew Orr ·

iFixit recently completed its teardown of the Mac Pro, giving it a repairability score of 9 out of 10.

The Mac is back and more Pro than ever, throwing away the cylindrical “trash can” design in favor of something that resembles a computer. Its appearance may harken to the original Mac Pro from 2006, but can it compare in the repairability department? We dropped six thousand dollars and one block of hard cheddar to find out. Let’s tear it down.

They listed two negative things: The SSD cards are modular and custom-made by Apple. This could make replacing them a bit complicated. And it could be expensive to replace a part that isn’t on Apple’s already-limited list of approved repairs.

Podcast

Smile TextExpander Evangelist Jeff Gamet - TMO Background Mode Interview

John Martellaro · · Add Comment

Jeff Gamet the former managing editor of The Mac Observer, a position he held for 13 years. He’s also a book author and noted podcaster. About a year ago, Jeff left TMO to become the Smile TextExpander Evangelist.

With a year at his new job under his belt, I asked Jeff about his accomplishments, challenges, and ongoing change in perspective being an evangelist for a major software company. We chatted about being deep on macOS, the TextExpander transition to macOS Catalina, the change being heavily involved in Apple developer relations and the change in work habits, especially being no longer immersed in every Apple product and service. We also chatted about his new 16-inch MacBook Pro at some length. Jeff was as he always is: charming and warm.

TMO Deals

Last Chance for the 2020 Limited Edition Mac Bundle w/Parallels, iMazing, TextExpander, More: $48

Bryan Chaffin ·

You have one last chance at the 2020 Limited Edition Mac Bundle. This bundle has 13 Mac apps, including Parallels, iMazing, and TextExpander. You’ll also find PDF Expert, Windscribe VPN Pro, RapidWeaver 8, Disk Drill Pro, Aurora HDR 2019, and more. The 2020 Limited Edition Mac Bundle is $59.99 through our deal, but coupon code MACSAVE20 brings it down to $48. And the deal officially ends December 16th at 11:59 PM PST.

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New Keyboard ‘Typewise’ Claims 80% Fewer Typos

Andrew Orr ·

Typewise is a new keyboard that claims to reduce typos by 80% thanks to its hexagonal design. The developers invited me to test the app, and while there is a learning curve it does have a tutorial to follow. I haven’t given up the default keyboard though, but if you’re looking for an alternative I recommend you at least try Typewise out.

Typewise has been completely redesigned to provide an optimal typing experience on the smartphone. The layout was optimized for typing with two thumbs, because, according to the Cambridge study, 74% of users write this way and achieve the highest typing speed. Two space buttons placed in the middle of the keyboard allow these most frequently used keys to be reached as easily as possible.