Do you have United frequent flyer miles, but don’t want to risk being dragged bloody and battered from a United flight? It turns out you can buy Apple gear with your United miles. United’s MileagePlus program has an entire Apple Store that allows you to trade your miles for iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple Watches, Apple TVs, and even accessories. For instance, a 32GB iPad Pro (9.7-inch) Wi-Fi model is currently 79,900 miles. An aluminum Apple Watch with a Sport Band is 53,200 miles. AirPods are 21,200 miles, while MacBook Pros start at 173,200 miles. The store shops like Apple’s own, allowing you to choose options and configure your device as you want it. Plus, you won’t get thrown off a flight, thrown to the floor, or dragged out by your feet, which counts as a big win in my book. [Update: @markelp noted that Mileage Plus members with “status” get better deals on this gear. He noted, for instance, that the same Apple Watch I mentioned is 49,900 miles.]
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Apple is Converting Mac Pro From a Fad to a Monster Graphics Platform
In 2008, the venerable cheese grater Mac Pro was designed for Apple customers who needed high end performance and expandability. In 2013, Apple shifted gears and saw the Mac Pro as an iconic desktop system with great performance if one shared the company’s vision for both industrial design and OpenCL. Now, it appears that Apple sees the Mac Pro as a platform that will support its future initiatives. Can Apple hold to that pattern? That abiding faith in high end computation and visualization? A new trademark filing suggests Apple now sees the light.
Apple Watch Emergency SOS Helps Student In Car Crash
Apple Watch’s Emergency SOS has saved another life. 9To5Mac reports that Casey Bennett, a college student in Maryland, was driving to class earlier this month. Another driver hit his Jeep, and Casey flipped over. His iPhone dropped out of reach, but he had an Apple Watch. Andrew Orr tells us what happened.
Could 'Apple Cash' Take on Venmo?
Rumors swirl around Apple like confetti after a wedding. The latest addition to the speculation mill is that Apple is once again looking to enter the money transfer service. Jeff Butts has all the details about what he thinks might be called “Apple Cash.”
Apple's Wireless Charging Could Use Your Wi-Fi Router in a New Way
We’ve thought for a while that Apple was working on wireless charging for the next iPhone, and a recent patent filing reinforces that. What’s surprising is that the filing suggests the possibility of using a Wi-Fi router to transmit the power, but Apple’s not in that business anymore. Or are they? Jeff Butts thinks it might be too early to sound the death knell for the Airport router, and wireless charging might be the defibrillator needed to bring the device back to life.
A Tor Browser Might Not Be Your Best Solution for Internet Privacy
You’re becoming more privacy-minded, so you might be tempted to start using a Tor browser on your iPhone. Is that really the right move to make, though? Jeff Butts has tried out some of the best Tor-enabled browsers available, and has an interesting answer to that burning question.
Siri Could Access Federal Information One Day
The General Services Administration is launching a pilot program aimed at opening up access to federal information to third-party virtual assistants. Agencies include the departments of Energy, Homeland Security and Housing and Urban development. The purpose is to make it easier for American citizens to find governmental information they need.
A Network Scanner Helps You Secure Your Wi-Fi Router
When you secure your Wi-Fi or wired router, a network scanner is an essential utility you should have on your Mac and iOS device. Jeff Butts has explored several options for letting you know what devices are connected to your network, and gives you an overview of what they can and cannot do.
Never Check Your NSA Email Over an Insecure Connection – Mac Geek Gab 654
Quick Tips, Cool Stuff Found and LOTS of questions. Sleeping Mac? No problem. VIP Mail help? No problem. Building a home? No problem. Want to know about VPNs? Well, now… just kidding. No problem! Mac Geek Gab answers your questions and shares your tips so everyone can learn at least four new things each week!
Apple Injury Reports Hint at Augmented Reality Glasses
Thanks to a leaked health and safety report we have some clues into what projects Apple is working on, and it looks like augmented reality glasses may be on that list. Two employees suffered from eye injuries from lasers attached to some form of headgear, which sounds a lot like a wearable augmented reality device.
Set Up Your Own VPN Server in the Cloud for Free or Cheap
When it comes to choosing VPN servers, Jeff Butts just isn’t happy with the commercial choices. Rather than leave his Internet privacy up to someone else, Jeff built his own VPN server. You can, too, without much (if any) cost and just a little bit of time.
macOS: How to Roll Back the Firmware on Your AirPort
If you update your Time Capsule or AirPort Extreme and your network starts having issues, then just go and roll back the version you installed! This little-known feature will let you revert the firmware on your Apple network devices in case you run into trouble, and Melissa Holt’s gonna tell us how in today’s Quick Tip.
NAS, MDM, DGC and Other Fun Initials – Mac Geek Gab 653
Sometimes you have to get geeky. No worries, Dave and John will talk you through understanding what NAS and MDM mean and why you might want to use them. Don’t worry, fellow geeks, there’s stuff in here for you, too. After all, that’s how Mac Geek Gab rolls! Listen, enjoy, learn, and prosper at the same time!
Apple Celebrates the Joys of Water Balloons in New Commercial
Apple launched three commercials in the company’s Shot on iPhone series. All three spots were released for the Turkish market on the Apple Turkey YouTube channel. They were shot by 11 year old children on iPhones, and were released to celebrate National Sovereignty and Children’s Day in Turkey.
Apple Ready to Team with Foxconn for Toshiba Memory Business Bid
Apple is reportedly interested in bidding on Toshiba’s NAND flash memory business, and is looking into teaming up with Foxconn to make it happen. Apple is looking to invest several billion dollars in the company for at least a 20% stake that it would share with Foxconn.
Apple has a Secret Team Designing Diabetes Monitoring Sensors
Apple has a secret team working on non-invasive sensors to track blood glucose levels for diabetes patients. If the iPhone and Apple Watch maker is successful, it won’t be necessary to pierce the skin to get accurate blood sugar readings any more—something no other company has been able to figure out.
A New Drone Is Coming To Apple Stores
A new drone on the market called the Hover Camera Passport will soon be sold in Apple retail stores. Made by Chinese startup Zero Zero Robotics, and it will soon be available for in-store purchase at retail locations around the world.
8 Ways to See the Charge Level of Your AirPods
If you’ve got a pair of Apple’s bluetooth headphones, dubbed “AirPods,” then it’s good to know that there are tons of ways to check their battery levels. Considering that the AirPods don’t have a physical indicator of how much charge they’ve got, that’s a good thing! In today’s Quick Tip, Melissa Holt’s gonna go over a number of methods for finding out how much more listenin’ you can do.
Instagram Update Combines Disappearing Video and Photos with Direct Messages
Instagram is aiming to make Snapchat less relevant by making its own direct messaging features easier to use. An app update coming out today streamlines chats by combining disappearing photos and video with the direct message feature.
Watch Out, Imagination Technologies, Because Apple is Hiring More GPU Designers
Apple’s in-house GPU plans have the company on a hiring spree in London, which happens to be pretty close to where Imagination Technologies is based. That’s the company Apple partnered with for iPhone and iPad graphics processors before deciding to go it alone—and more than 20 employees have already left to join the Cupertino-based company.
iOS 11 May Not Include 32-bit App Support
Apple plans to drop 32-bit app support completely in iOS 11, or at least that’s what seasoned developer Steven Troughton-Smith is hearing. That means apps that haven’t been updated with 64-bit support won’t run at all even though current iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch processors still support both 32-bit and 64-bit code.
Physical Security Matters, Too – Mac Geek Gab 652
SMC Resets, Migration Assistant tricks, Auto-Upgrade solutions and Renting vs. Owning your Cable Modem are just the beginning for your two favorite geeks today. S/MIME is taken to a whole other level with guest Jeff Butts who helps us all understand how to make this work on both macOS and iOS! Then it’s time to dive into your system certificates – and which ones you can touch vs. those that you can’t. Security is always on the mind and a quick VPN discussion rounds that out. Then John and Dave move on to something more pleasing to the ear: sound, and how best to manage it on your Mac!
TSMC Drops Out Toshiba Memory Bidding, Foxconn Still in the Race
The number of companies bidding for Toshiba’s NAND flash memory business is getting smaller now that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, or TSMC, has dropped out of the race. Foxconn is still still in the race with the highest bid at about US$30 billion.
Pebble Update Lets Watches Work After Servers Shut Down
Pebble smartwatch owners got a welcome iPhone app update this week that removes the dependency on the company’s cloud servers for firmware updates and app installation. The update addresses a concern users and developers have had ever since Fitbit bought Pebble last year.