Get into the holiday spirit with our iPhone 16 Pro Max giveaway! Don’t miss your chance to win a brand-new iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Using iOS Shortcuts to Quantify Your Self
Jackson Dame shared how he uses iOS shortcuts and an Apple Watch for lifelogging. I experimented with lifelogging back in 2014-2015, but I gave up after a while. Shortcuts would’ve made it a whole lot easier. Mr. Dame shares a list of all of the data he collects and what tools he uses to collect it, like Data Jar (love this app), Timelines, iA Writer, Charity, Microsoft Excel, and more.
Total App Spending Hit $407.6 Million Over Christmas Period
Spending across the Apple App Store and Google Play Store hit rocked to $407.6 million over the Christmas period.
Privacy-Focused Browser Now Has Native Support For M1 Macs
Brave now offers native support for M1 Macs, 9to5Mac reported. This should help the privacy-focused browser utilize the faster speeds offered by Apple’s own silicon. That said, it is built on the Chrome engine, which often brings with it high memory usage and reduced battery performance.
The company says the latest version also has a fix for problems playing videos from a couple of key sites. “Our last desktop browser update of the year (v1.18.77) features native support for M1 Macs, a localization fix for Brave Rewards, and fixes for playing videos on HBO Max and IMDb.” Brave blocks ad trackers by default, and claims to be faster by blocking most ads too.
Apple Removes 39,000 Games From China App Store
Apple removed 39,000 games from its App Store in China on Thursday, before a deadline for developers to get a license hit.
Latest T-Mobile Data Breach Exposes Customer Data
The latest T-Mobile data breach (this is the third time and the second breach in 2020) has affected an estimated 200,000 people.
The data accessed did NOT include any names associated with the account, financial data, credit card information, social security numbers, passwords, PINs or physical or email addresses. The information that was accessed may have included phone numbers, number of lines subscribed to and in a small number of cases some call-related information collected as part of normal operation and service.
LG Display to Showcase Transparent OLED at CES 2021
LG Display is set to show off Transparent OLED at CES 2021, demonstrating how the technology can be used in smart homes and mobility.
Gazelle’s Smartphone Trade-In Program Shuts Down in 2021
Gazelle emailed its customers on Wednesday saying that it plans to cancel its smartphone trade-in program on February 1, 2021.
AirPods Pro Two Could be Available in Multiple Sizes
According to one leaker, the next generation of AirPods Pro will be available in multiple sizes, but not colors.
Looking Back At Apple's 2020 – TMO Daily Observations 2020-12-30
Bryan Chaffin and Dave Hamilton join host Kelly Guimont to discuss the year in Apple software and hardware. Tune in to see what stood out!
Twelve South Has a 20 Percent New Year's Sale
Twelve South have produced a range of products that we’ve highlighted at The Mac Observer during 2020. To end the year, the company has a sale, offering these items at a reduced price. There is 20 percent off everything through New Year’s Eve.
CISA Tells Federal Agencies to Update SolarWinds Software ASAP
In the wake of the SolarWinds cyber attack on the U.S. government, CISA urges agencies to update their software by the end of the year.
It's Official - Amazon is Buying Wondery
After some speculation as to who would acquire the podcast maker, Amazon has announced that it is purchasing Wondery.
Executive Producer of ‘Earth at Night in Color’ Talks on Podcast
Alex Williamson, executive producer of “Earth At Night In Color” on Apple TV+ spoke with Ben Consoli on the Go Creative Show podcast. Topics include filming the series, using special low-light cameras, discovering new animal behaviors, the benefits of using infrared light, the impact of using lights in nature, finding a narrator for the show, and how the pandemic affected production. It’s an hour-long show and you can listen by clicking the link below.
Pixelmator Pro Supports Apple ProRAW
Pixelmator Pro version 2.0.3 is now available and it fully supports Apple Pro Raw, as well as adding some other improvements.
Bug Meant Apple Hearing Study Collected More Data Than Required
Michigan Public Health has notified participants in the Apple Hearing Study that accidentally collected extra data through the Research app.
Apple Loses Copyright Lawsuit Against Corellium
Apple has lost a copyright battle against security company Corellium, a company that virtualizes iOS for security research.
New Films Prompt Huge Increase in Downloads of HBO Max and Disney+
HBO Max and Disney+ saw a huge increase in downloads of their respective apps on the back of big-name film debuts.
‘GetSchooled’ Charity Data Breach Exposes Data of 900,000 Kids
GetSchooled, a charity run by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has leaked the details of over 900,000 children in a data breach.
The breached information contains extensive personal details of children, teenagers and young adults including: full addresses, schools, full student PII including student phone numbers and emails, graduation details, ages, genders and more…
Full everything. What could be “and more”, medical records? GetSchooled got schooled.
Hudly Invisible Wireless Charger: $69.99
We have a deal on the Hudly Invisible Wireless Charger. This device uses long-range induction coils to charge your iPhone (or Qi-enabled Android device) through surfaces up to 1.6-inches thick. It comes with a removable adhesive for you to attach it to the underside of your desk or table, and it’s $69.99 through our deal.
Apple's Success Despite Ignoring Elon Musk – TMO Daily Observations 2020-12-29
Charlotte Henry and Bryan Chaffin join host Kelly Guimont to chat about Apple’s success in unlikely markets after advice against it (e.g., smartphones/maps/watches).
Apple Supplier ‘Lens Technology’ Used Forced Uighur Labor
Documents uncovered by the Tech Transparency Project show that Apple supplier Lens Technology has used forced slave labor from Uighur Muslims.
AirPlay 2 and HomeKit Support Comes to 2018 LG TVs
After previously resisting, LG has begun rolling out support for AirPlay 2 and Homekit for some of its 2018 smart TV models.
AAPL Stock Rockets to Intraday Record
AAPL stock hit an intraday record on Tuesday, reaching $138.79 per share at one point, after opening at $138.05.
The Streaming Wars Are Only Going to Intensify in 2021
2020 was, you may have noticed, a big year in the streaming wars. However, Input thinks things are going to escalate even further in 2021. Looking at the amount of content on the way, it’s hard to disagree.
Aside from Netflix, which had more than a year’s worth of content on hand before lockdowns began, every major service experienced significant delays, pushing back their original slates of programming. With Hollywood productions back up and running for 2021, this will be the year the streaming wars begin in earnest. Even when just looking at the smaller services, the year ahead should prove exciting. Apple TV+ is gearing up to release Foundation, its next flagship prestige series, along with new seasons of shows the service launched with. CBS All-Access will be rebranding to Paramount+, an effort to reflect the more diverse content offering outside the kind of shows geared to the, er, typical CBS audience. Amazon Prime will drop the first season of its incredibly expensive Lord of the Rings adaptation. Oh, and Funimation bought Crunchyroll, bringing the bulk of anime licenses into one place for the first time.