Enter our new international giveaway for a chance to win the brand new iPhone 16 Pro.
Bombich Software Releases Carbon Copy Cloner 6
Bombich Software has recently released Carbon Copy Cloner 6, the latest update for its backup program. The team says: “It’s a major upgrade with a redesigned interface and dozens of new features. It’s been almost four years since our last major release and we’ve packed in a ton of new features.” CCC can now use the macOS FSEvents service for a list of folders modified on the source since the last backup rather than scanning every folder for changes. The UI has also been redesigned and includes dark mode and a more detailed progress indication when a task is running, and more.
Apple Unveils Range of New Accessibility Software Updates
Apple announced a variety of new software features designed for people with mobility, vision, hearing, and cognitive disabilities.
Two Decades of Apple Retail – TMO Daily Observations 2021-05-19
Bryan Chaffin and Charlotte Henry join host Kelly Guimont to discuss twenty (!) years of Apple Retail, and how things have changed (or not) since then.
Pros and Cons of the new 2021 Apple M1 iMac
Tom Brant wrote a review of Apple’s new M1 iMac for PCMag, sharing some important pros and cons for people looking to buy the new product.
Play Golf Year Round with This Immersive Golf Simulator Package: $190
We have a deal on PhiGolf WGT Edition, a mobile and home smart golf simulator that comes with a Swing Stick. PhiGolf WGT Edition is an entertaining golf simulator where you control the gameplay with your real golf swing. It works with an iPhone or Android device, and comes with a Swing Stick and a Swings sensor. It’s $249, but coupon code GOLF10 brings it down to $190 at checkout.
Apple 'is a Ruthless Bully', Says Spotify Chief Legal Officer
Spotify’s chief legal officer Horacio Gutierrez accused Apple of being “a ruthless bully” in a piece for The Wall Street Journal.
Magnetic MOFT Snap Tablet Stand Launches on May 20
MOFT is releasing a new, magnetic iPad stand called MOFT Snap Tablet Stand, modeled after the MOFT X.
Lux Releases ‘Halide’ Camera App for the iPad
Lux, the company that makes the Halide and Specter camera apps, announced on Tuesday Halide for iPad.
We did bring all of the powerful features from iPhone, though: You can shoot RAW with your iPad, apply Instant RAW, view images and extensive metadata in detail in the reviewer, access our powerful Depth mode, and much more. Tons of refinements, design details and tidbits were added and changed to be great on the big screen, and we can’t wait for you to discover them all.
![[Update] Over 99 Percent of All Apple Stores Now Open](https://www.macobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/2018-11-20-17.52.14.webp)
[Update] Over 99 Percent of All Apple Stores Now Open
In a press release flagging the upcoming availability of new devices, Apple mentioned that over 99 percent of Apple Stores are now open.
LastPass Introduces Improved Multi-Factor Authenticator App
LastPass by LogMeIn announced on Wednesday that it enhanced its mobile authenticator app and integrates with VPN providers Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, and OpenVPN for businesses. However, the authenticator app is available to all LastPass users.
With this update, the LastPass Authenticator will offer a refreshed user interface that now offers search functionality to reduce user complexity and streamline the authentication experience.
New Kid Series 'Hello, Jack! The Kindness Show' Coming to Apple TV+
Apple TV+ has ordered the kids series Hello, Jack! The Kindness Show from Jack McBrayer and Angela C. Santomero.
ZAGG Releases Three New Wireless iPad Keyboards
On Wednesday, ZAGG announced three new wireless keyboards for the iPad, and two of them have a trackpad.
Inside Apple’s Controversial Relationship With the Chinese Government
On Monday, the New York Times published an investigative piece about Apple’s relationship with the Chinese government, and how it has to comply with its laws there.
Internal Apple documents reviewed by The New York Times, interviews with 17 current and former Apple employees and four security experts, and new filings made in a court case in the United States last week provide rare insight into the compromises Mr. Cook has made to do business in China. They offer an extensive inside look — many aspects of which have never been reported before — at how Apple has given in to escalating demands from the Chinese authorities.
The First Apple Store Open 20 Years Ago Today
The first Apple Store officially opened its doors 20 years ago today – May 19, 2001 – at the Tysons Corner Center in Virginia.
Foldable Flat Metal Laptop Stand: $21.99
We have a deal on the Foldable Flat Metal Laptop Stand by Fescony. It comes with 6 adjustable handles and soft pads for finding the right viewing angle for you. It’s $21.99 through our deal, and as you can see in the photo, it works with laptops and iPads, too.
Apple Lossless: Who Knows? Who Cares? – TMO Daily Observations 2021-05-18
Dave Hamilton and Charlotte Henry join host Kelly Guimont to discuss Apple Music’s new “lossless” stream, and who will benefit (or even notice).
Buy This Wireless Game Controller and get 4 Free Months of Apple Arcade
Gaming company SteelSeries announced a new offer that involves its Nimbus+ wireless gamepad controller.
How Music and Sound Influence the Endel App
Endel is an app that is meant to help users focus, sleep, and relax. Apple published an interview with one of its co-founders, CEO Oleg Stavitsky, in which he described the importance of music and art to the company and its products.
The unexpected makeup of Endel’s founding team — which Stavitsky emphasizes is more of an artist collective than a traditional app development team — provided a certain synergy around the power of sound. The collective’s first foray into app development was BUBL, a suite of digital art apps for kids blending abstract design, sound, and a carefully crafted user interface, launched on the App Store in 2013. “They almost looked like Wassily Kandinsky’s paintings that sort of came to life,” he says. “I was always fascinated with the correlation of color, form, and sound,” Stavitsky says. “That has everything to do with Kandinsky, who is one of my favorite painters, and then at the same time, with the minimalist composers of the ’70s, like Brian Eno, Philip Glass, and Steve Reich. And so even for our BUBL apps, we built a lot of technology that would generate musical composition in real time, depending on what someone was doing in the app.”
PSA: You Can Buy the New iMac, iPad Pro, and Apple TV 4k in Stores From Friday
The new iMac, iPad Pro, and Apple TV 4K will be available in stores from May 21, with previously placed orders starting to arrive too.
PopSockets Partners With TikTok on Limited Edition Product
PopSockets is partnering with TikTok to launch a limited edition product called TikTok PopMount 2 Flex to use as a hands-free phone stand.
Deezer Now Allows Users to Manage Playlists and Listen Offline on Apple Watch
Deezer subscribers can now download and manage their playlists and listen to music directly from their Apple Watch.
Apple Music Going Lossless, but Will Anyone Really Notice? — Media+
Adrian Weckler joins host Charlotte Henry to discuss the imminent arrival of Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos and lossless audio to Apple Music. It’s cool, but are many people actually going to notice the difference?
Summon the Seven Princes of Hell With ‘The Book of Asmodeus’
“5300 years ago Asmodeus wrote a book that people can summon his demons. If you defeat the demons, all earthly lust and pleasure are yours. In 2021 we found that book.” The Book of Asmodeus is an “interactive horror book and game” that involves using the augmented reality capabilities on your iPhone. The Kickstarter page lists it as an upcoming project, but the team’s Medium post shares the details. In the game it sounds like you “summon” AR demons and defeat them, all while writing your own story. It sounds like one of those Choose Your Own Adventure books. The book in question looks really cool. The team says it’s handmade with a 3D printed/polymer clay cover, with pages showing original artwork. There will be a PDF version for US$49 and a super early bird Kickstarter reward for the hardcover-US$79.
Apple Music Lossless Audio Doesn't Work on AirPods, Not Even Wired AirPods Max
It turns out that no AirPods will be able to play lossless audio when the feature arrives on Apple Music. This includes the US$549 AirPods Max, even when they are using a wired connection, The Verge reported.
“Lossless audio is not supported on AirPods, any model,” an Apple spokesperson said by email. “AirPods Max wired listening mode accepts analog output sources only. AirPods Max currently does not support digital audio formats in wired mode.” It makes complete sense that the AirPods and AirPods Pro have no way of playing lossless audio. They’re totally wireless, and Apple supports the AAC codec over Bluetooth. AAC sounds plenty good, but it’s nowhere near the bit rate of CD-quality or high-resolution tracks. To do any better, Apple would need to come up with some new wireless codec — its own version of Sony’s LDAC, sort of — or make these things play music over Wi-Fi instead of Bluetooth. None of that is happening today or by June when Apple Music will start offering lossless. Things are a little more complicated with the AirPods Max, which can be plugged into audio sources with a cable. However, it turns out that even if you have Apple’s $35 Lightning-to-3.5mm cable plugged into a device that’s streaming lossless Apple Music tracks, you’re not going to hear the full audio fidelity of the source.