Apple Music Celebrates Black Music Month

June is Black Music Month. Apple Music will be celebrating and exploring the contribution Black artists have made with playlists and other content. It also released a new video celebrating “creators and the cross-cultural dialogues that bring the world so much texture, light, and joy.”

Will Apple Ever Give More Than 5GB iCloud Storage For Free?

Steve Jobs unveiled iCloud in June 2011 and, a decade on, the amount of free storage offered has still not increased beyond 5GB. 9to5Mac has published a good history lesson of the service, including speculation on how the paid tiers could change to help both Apple and users.

There is an argument to be made that Apple’s services revenue would actually benefit from giving away slightly more upfront to reel people in and entice customers into paid plans. 5 GB isn’t enough to even try out iCloud Photos in any meaningful capacity. If instead the free tier was matching Google’s at 15 GB, it would enable Apple users to get a reasonable amount of photos backing up to iCloud, experience some of the benefits of cloud sync, and then be more likely persuaded into committing to a paid plan. To pull this off, you’d have to adjust the paid tiers accordingly. Maybe a lineup of 15 GB free, 100 GB for $0.99/month, 300 GB for $2.99/month and 2 TB for $9.99/month could be compelling. An even cheekier approach could be to only increase the storage offered as part of Apple One, making the higher-value subscriptions more attractive for consumers migrating from the free plan.

Firefox 89 Gets Design Overhaul and ‘Total Cookie Protection’ Feature

Mozilla has released Firefox version 89 on Tuesday, bringing a new design for desktop users and a privacy feature called Total Cookie Protection added to private browsing.

We’ve enhanced the privacy of the Firefox Browser’s Private Browsing mode with Total Cookie Protection, which confines cookies to the site where they were created, preventing companies from using cookies to track your browsing across sites. This feature was originally launched in Firefox’s ETP Strict mode.

More information on Total Cookie Protection can be found on Mozilla’s blog.

You Have One Week to Opt Out of Amazon’s ‘Sidewalk’ Network Service

Amazon Sidewalk is the company’s network mesh service that shares your internet bandwidth with Amazon devices. You must opt out by June 8 if you don’t want this because the setting is turned on by default.

The new wireless mesh service will share a small slice of your Internet bandwidth with nearby neighbors who don’t have connectivity and help you to their bandwidth when you don’t have a connection.

By default, Amazon devices including Alexa, Echo, Ring, security cams, outdoor lights, motion sensors, and Tile trackers will enroll in the system.

Postal Workers Targeted With Phishing Campaign

Postal workers returning to the office after COVID-19 restrictions may find themselves targeted by a new phishing campaign.

The email-based campaign, observed by Cofense, is targeting employees with emails purporting to come from their CIO welcoming them back into offices.

The email looks legitimate enough, sporting the company’s official logo in the header, as well as being signed spoofing the CIO. The bulk of the message outlines the new precautions and changes to business operations the company is taking relative to the pandemic.

Meat Supplier JBS Hit With Cyber Attack, Data Not Affected

JBS SA shut down its computer networks for its operations in Australia and North America due to a cyberattack.

Backup servers were not affected, and the company is actively working to restore systems as soon as possible, according to a statement from JBS USA Monday. The processor said it’s not aware of any customer, supplier or employee data being compromised or misused.

How 'Cherry' Tries to Highlight the Veterans' PTSD

A new video, released on Memorial Day, explains how Cherry from Apple Original Films, Hideaway Entertainment, and AGBO looks to highlight the PTSD suffered by many veterans. As well as directors the Russo brothers and star Tom Holland, the clip features contributions from Timothy Wynn of the Philadelphia Veterans Court and IAVA CEO Jeremy Butler. The film itself is available to watch on Apple TV+ now.

Juice Jackers and Battery Drainers – Mac Geek Gab 873

Ever heard of Juice Jacking? Neither had John nor Dave. No problem, though, they dug in and found everything you needed to know. That’s the beauty of Mac Geek Gab, too: you ask the questions and then your two favorite geeks dig and see what they can find. Press play and learn at least five new things about battery draining, external drives, M1 displays, backups, and more!

In Observance of Memorial Day 2021

In honor of Memorial Day, a U.S. holiday, The Mac Observer will be taking the day off. We will resume our regular coverage of the Apple Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch world on Tuesday, June 1st. Please stay safe.

How Does a Blockchain Work? Here is a Simple Explanation

I’ve been slowly learning about all things cryptocurrency, or rather all things related to the blockchain. But what is a blockchain, anyway? I came across this video today, and the channel—Simply Explained—features more related videos, like explaining smart contracts, Cardano, and how a proof-of-stake system works as opposed to proof-of-work.