Enter our new international giveaway for a chance to win the brand new iPhone 16 Pro.
iPad 7, Apple Watch Series 5 Available for Preorder
News that might have gotten lost in the new of iPhone 11 is that the Apple Watch Series 5 and iPad 7 are available to preorder now, while we have to wait until tonight/tomorrow to preorder the new iPhones.
Apple Watch Series 5: Starting at 32GB of storage, Series 5 has an always-on display, a Compass app, and available in more finishes, colors, and materials, like titanium and ceramic. Preorder it here starting at US$399.
iPad 7th Gen: This is an updated version of what became known as the education iPad. It has a 10.2-inch display with thin bezels like the old 10.5-inch iPad Pro. The 10.2-inch Retina display has almost 3.5 million pixels, an A10 Fusion chip, and for the first time, an 100% recycled aluminum body. Preorder it here for US$329.
Both will be officially out on September 30.
Apple Card 3% Club, NSA in NYT – TMO Daily Observations 2019-09-12
Andrew Orr and Bryan Chaffin join host Kelly Guimont to discuss the latest 3% back offers on Apple Card, & a letter from the NSA in the NYT.
New Exploit Shows We Should Just Skip to iOS 13.1
A contacts exploit was discovered in iOS 13 that lets a person bypass Face ID / Touch ID to see an iPhone’s contacts.
Relatively little is at stake with this exploit. Beyond the inherent danger of an assailant having your iPhone, this method only allows someone to view the contacts within the target iPhone, provided that they have physical access to the target phone and can complete the VoiceOver exploit.
Little is at stake, but there have been so my iOS exploits in the news lately that we might as well go straight to iOS 13.1.
T-Mobile Offers iPhone 11 for 50% Off With a Trade In
T-Mobile has an aggressive strategy for the iPhone 11: People who sign up for a plan and trade in an old iPhone can get the iPhone 11 for up to 50% off.
Here’s the full pricing break down from T-Mobile: Save $550 when you trade in an iPhone XS Max 64GB or 256GB; save $500 when you trade in an iPhone XS 64GB or 256GB; and save $350 when you trade in an iPhone XR 64GB or 128GB, X 64GB, 8, 8 Plus, 7 or 7 Plus.
Those are great deals, especially for people with older models like the iPhone 7.
App Store Guidelines Modified for Kids Apps, Sign In With Apple
Apple has updated its App Store Review Guidelines for kids apps and its new Sign In with Apple technology, giving developers more time.
Uber Pushes Back Against New California Contractor Law
Uber pushed back against a new employment law in California, Wired reported. The law was designed with ride-hailing apps in mind, trying to get them classify drivers as employees not contractors.
The company’s argument rests on a premise that’s been a cornerstone since its early days: that Uber is a technology company, not a transportation one. The California law, called Assembly Bill 5, reaffirms a 2018 California Supreme Court decision that established a three-part test to separate independent contractors from employees, who are eligible for minimum wage, health care benefits, workers’ compensation, and other protections. A worker is only an independent contractor if she is not under the control or direction of the company while she’s working; if her work is “outside the usual course” of the company’s business; and if she is “customarily engaged” in the same kind of work that she does for the company. This three-part test is already in limited use in Massachusetts and New York.
Netflix Could be Overtaken by Apple TV, But Just For a Year
A free subscription with a new device means that Apple TV+ could overtake Netflix for a year, but it still faces a tough challenge.
Apple Becomes Trillion-Dollar Firm Once Again
Apple became a trillion-dollar company again after it disclosed details of the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro, and aggressive services pricing.
Apple News isn't Favorable to Local Newsrooms
Apple News is the poster child of the Pareto principle, which states that roughly 80% of effects come from 20% of the causes.
Apple TV+ Will Cost Just $1.40 in India
Apple TV+ will cost just $1.40 in India, with the promise of “thousands” of movies to rent and buy, alongside original content.
Custom Fonts Can Track You in iOS 13
Custom fonts may be able to track you in iOS 13. Google’s Crashlytics admitted as such on Twitter, including a unique identifier.
Walgreens Joins Apple Card 3% Daily Cash Program
Walgreens and Duane Reade join Uber and Uber Eats as part of Apple’s 3% Daily Cash program at stores, its app, and its website.
Apple's Billing Grace Period Should Give You Peace of Mind
Apple is introducing Billing Grace Period as a way to improve the customer experience surrounding subscriptions.
NSA Publishes Threatening Letter Calling for Encryption Backdoors
Glenn S. Gerstell, general counsel for the National Security Agency (NSA) published a letter in the New York Times, writing about how a “digital revolution threatens to upend our entire national security infrastructure.” He thinks backdoors into encryption is one answer (of course he doesn’t use the word backdoor), as well as the agency collecting even more data from citizens. Read his letter by clicking the link below, then read this take by Nefarious Laboratories.
Make no mistake, this letter is a thinly-veiled threat to every major corporation around the globe: provide the U.S. government with access to all of your data or else, “there is another path, and it is the one taken by authoritarian regimes around the world”.
Video: Apple's 'By Innovation Only' Event Was a Big Deal
Charlotte reacts to Apple’s ‘By Innovation Only’ event which saw the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro unveiled. There were also upgrades to the iPad and Apple Watch, and release date and pricing information for Apple Arcade and Apple TV+.
iPhone Naming Conventions Are a Mess
Ken Segall writes (Sep. 9) that it’s time to dump both the “i” in iPhone as well as the alphabet soup.
I think it’s amazingly cool that the i-thing happened, but everything has a beginning and an end. The trick is knowing when to end.
Smarts and forward-thinking always beats clinging to the past.
The truth is, Apple has already made the i-decision. It’s been years since a new i-product appeared. Apple Watch, Apple Music, Apple Pay, Apple Card—all would be i-things under the old rules.
Apple dropped the alphabet soup on Sep. 10 along with the bizarre “X” vs. “ten.” Will the “i” be next?
My Dilemma: iPad mini 5 or 7th Gen iPad?
John was all set to replace his iPad mini 3 with an iPad mini 5. Then Apple announced the low cost, 7th generation iPad for $329. Will he shift gears?
Hotel Lobbyists Fight Airbnb by Undermining the Internet
Hotel lobbyists don’t like Airbnb and its competition, so they’re introducing a bill to amend Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.
And they’re not just focused on pushing this loophole for Airbnb. It appears they’re going all in on stripping Section 230 protections from any internet service hosting 3rd party content. As part of this, they recently released what can only be described as a push poll to mislead people about Airbnb, the laws around these issues, and Section 230. Each question in the poll is at best actively misleading and at worst, completely bullshit.
Apple Slashes Price of iPad Pro 1TB Models
Apple is reducing the price of the iPad Pro 1TB models by US$200, according to its updated webpages.
12min Book Summary Library Lifetime Premium Subscription: $39
We have a deal on a subscription to 12min, a service that takes whole books and turns them in 12 minute summaries. The company has hundreds of micro books in text and narrative form, and new users can get a Lifetime Premium subscription for $39 through our deal.
This Fall, HomePod Will Have Ambient Sounds, Multi-User Mode
Apple didn’t mention the HomePod on stage yesterday, but Benjamin Mayo reports that a product refresh will appear later this fall.
A new forthcoming feature is called Ambient Sounds. This will allow users to easily play white noise sounds on their HomePods, including ocean waves, birdsong, rainstorms, and more. Right now, users are forced to AirPlay from another iOS device to easily play relaxing background audio on HomePod. Ambient Sounds will make this a first-party feature, fully integrated with Siri.
If Apple ever comes out with a cheaper HomePod, I’d probably buy one just for the ambient sounds.
Apple Watch Series 5 Starts With 32GB of Storage
Amazingly, the Apple Watch Series 5 will start at 32GB of storage, doubling the Series 4 storage point of 16GB.
At 32GB of storage for both GPS and Cellular models, the Apple WatchSeries 5 offers double the storage of the previous Series 4 models. Apple may have increased the storage in the new device due to the Apple Watch App Store that’s available in watchOS 6, set to be released on September 19.
Now if only watchOS 6 had the Files app so I could store a copy of my data on it.
TV+ Details, New iPad Decisions – TMO Daily Observations 2019-09-11
John Martellaro and Bryan Chaffin join host Kelly Guimont to talk about the new details of the Apple TV+ rollout and iPad comparisons.
5 iPhone 11 Cases For Your New Purchase
As you get ready to preorder your iPhone 11 this Friday, you might be thinking of cases as well. We’ve rounded up four iPhone 11 cases.