Investor Tells Tim Cook - 'The Time Has Come to Change Apple’s Approach' to Antitrust

One prominent tech investor has written to CEO Tim Cook urging the company to rethink its approach to antitrust cases and regulators. Roger McNamee had his letter published by Time.

Unless Apple rethinks its approach, regulators will likely have no choice but to undermine its advantage in privacy and security. As a customer, that will piss me off. As an activist trying to reform the tech industry, it will leave me wondering what might have been. I would like to suggest a path to a better outcome. Apple is no longer the plucky upstart it was when Steve Jobs returned two decades ago. The company has a market value bigger than the GDP of all but eight countries in the world. In the trailing four quarters, your firm enjoyed a tax rate of about 14%, which has attracted the attention of Senator Warren, among others, who believe it is too low. Apple has huge economic power, which it uses for competitive advantage. Some of the victims of that economic power are fighting back, not unreasonably, and Apple’s brand with policy makers has taken a beating. The company’s reaction? One of surprise and resentment, which is not working. The time has come to change Apple’s approach.

Major Apple Maps Update Rolling Out in Italy

A major update to Apple Maps is being rolled out in Italy, San Marino, Vatican City, and Andorra. It includes a host of new data and features users in other countries have enjoyed for a while, MacStories reported.

In one update, the entire region is gaining features that were released elsewhere over the past two years, including: Look Around, More detailed road coverage, pedestrian data, and land cover, Improved navigation, 3D buildings. Siri Natural Language Guidance. Speed camera data. Lane guidance, and more… When iOS 15 is released, transit stations in Italy will be easier to find, and riders will be able to pin their favorite transit lines in Maps and track when they should disembark on an iPhone or Apple Watch. Drivers will gain the ability to report accidents, hazards, and speed checks using Siri too.

Update to 'Sensei' Brings a Monitoring Tool to Check Your Mac's Performance

Sensei Monitor is a new feature in Sensei that allows you to monitor your Mac performance in realtime, right from the menu bar. Create and customize panels and status bar items with different widgets to create the ultimate Mac menu bar system monitor, tailored just for you. Sensei Monitor has been in development for over a year, and features an advanced statistics engine as well as a design that fits in perfectly with modern versions of macOS. Developed using cutting-edge technology such as SwiftUI, it features an intuitive editor where the user can customize their monitoring using drag and drop. Here are the Mac features you can monitor: CPU,  CPU Cores, GPU, RAM, Storage, Network, Temperature Sensors, Fan Speeds, Battery, Process Usage (CPU / RAM / Energy).

CarPlay Support Coming to Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is getting CarPlay Support, the company announced in a blog post about hybrid working, released Thursday. Thankfully the meeting service will be audio-only for participants on the road.

Flexibility comes from knowing that no matter where you work from, you are connected to your colleagues and work. The latest innovations in Teams bring your favorite applications and experiences together to help you remain efficient, focused, and connected in hybrid work. With Apple Car Play coming to Microsoft Teams this month, you can now join Teams meetings and make calls hands-free on the road using Siri.

New App 'Nocturne' Promises to Help Enhance Your iPhone Astrophotography

With Nocturne by Unistellar, you can take breathtaking pictures of your nighttime adventures and show the world your nocturnal perspective – all in one app. Using Unistellar’s proprietary image processing algorithms, Nocturne brings to life your night scape photographies, allowing you to capture your scene under a showstopping starry sky, at the press of a button. Simply stabilize your iPhone (using a tripod or resting it on a solid surface) and start the capture. The app will generate and stack images to bring out all visible stars on the final photo.

The 'Roy Is Sorry for Not Understanding Keeley Playlist' From 'Ted Lasso' is on Apple Music

In episode seven of Ted Lasso season two, Keely needs a little bit of space from Roy, something the former footballer initially fails to understand. However, when the issue dawns on him, he tries to make it up to his girlfriend by leaving her alone in the bath with a specially curated playlist. But what’s on it? Well, we now know, as it’s available on Apple Music! The ‘Roy Is Sorry for Not Understanding Keeley’ starts with ‘By Your Side’ by Sade, and ‘Morning’ by Beck, with much in between.

Security Researchers are Fed Up With Apple's Bug Bounty Program

For five years Apple has invited ethical hackers to break into its products to look for flaws. But these security experts are tired of the program.

The best programs support open conversations between the hackers and the company. Apple, already known for being tight-lipped, limits communication and feedback on why it chooses to pay or not pay for a bug, according to security researchers who have submitted bugs to the bounty program and a former employee who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of a nondisclosure agreement.

iRobot Releases J7+ Robot Vacuum With Upgraded Smarts

Tomorrow I’ll be publishing a review of an iRobot robot mop that I bought a few weeks ago. But today the company announced a new product, the j7+ robot vacuum.

Dozens of gradual improvements have resulted in the current operating system, the iRobot Genius 3.0. This system brings never-before-seen levels of A.I. personalization and control to robot vacuums. The system utilizes your phone’s location services to begin cleaning when you leave home and stop when you come home, ensuring a clean floor at all times.

Microsoft President Brad Smith Says Government Agencies Need to Share Data

Microsoft President Brad Smith says intelligence agencies need to share information to better protect the nation against cyberattacks.

Repeatedly in late 2020 we found people in federal agencies asking us about information in other parts of the government, because it was easier to get it from us than directly from other federal employees. A culture of holding information tightly is so ingrained in the government that even its contracts with us forbid us from letting one part of the government know that another part has been attacked.

President Biden has taken a couple of steps so far.