Lisa Hamilton and Bob «Dr Mac» LeVitus join host Kelly Guimont to talk about Apple Setup Calls for new products, and Bob’s Cricut adventures.
GameClub: A Direct Challenger to Apple Arcade on iOS
Game subscription service GameClub is set to launch at a similar time to Apple Arcade, putting the two in direct competition. GameClub is though going to focus on bundling old games, reported FastCompany.
GameClub, a startup with $2.5 million in seed funding, plans to launch its own subscription service around the same time. But instead of funding new games, like Apple is doing, GameClub is bundling up old games from the dawn of the App Store, many of which have become unplayable on newer iPhones and iPads. GameClub is also working on an Android version of its service, which presumably won’t face competition from Apple. The goal, CEO Dan Sherman says, is to bring back the kinds of mobile games that have become less viable in a market dominated by ads and in-app purchases.
News+: Personalize Siri and Search
In the June issue of MacFormat magazine we find out how to personalize Siri and Search by changing certain settings. It’s on page 52 (it’s a PDF).
Siri takes repetition, the time of day and your location into account for its suggestions. As well as the Lock screen, suggestions can appear in iOS’s search results and in iOS’s Look Up feature. You may want to stop info from some apps leaking out onto the Lock screen in particular, so we’ll show you how.
This is part of Andrew’s News+ series, where he shares a magazine every Friday to help people discover good content in Apple News+.
Orange Is The New Black Final Season Trailer
The trailer for season seven of Orange Is The New Black is up on YouTube. Breaking down the fourth wall, it features all the inmates backstage, preparing to shoot, singing the now-famous theme song. Season seven will be the final season of the show. It will be available on Netflix from July 26.
Several Years Ago Snapchat Employees Accessed User Data
Several Snapchat employees accessed user data, anonymous sources say. Phone numbers, saved Snaps, and more were up for grabs.
…internal tools that allowed Snap employees at the time to access user data, including in some cases location information, their own saved Snaps and personal information such as phone numbers and email addresses. Snaps are photos or videos that, if not saved, typically disappear after being received (or after 24 hours if posted to a user’s Story).
Because of course they f*cking did.
GitHub Sponsors Lets You Pay Your Favorite Open Source Contributors
GitHub Sponsors is a way to support the developers who build open source software. It’s currently in beta.
As a thank you for these valuable contributions, GitHub Sponsors charges zero platform fees when you support the work of other developers. We’ll also cover payment processing fees for the first 12 months of the program to celebrate the launch. 100% percent of your sponsorship goes to the developer.
I love this idea. GitHub is one of the only open source “app stores” we have that isn’t tied to Android or Linux.
SpaceX Launches 60 Internet Satellites
It’s been an exciting week for Elon Musk. First, a leaked email showed Tesla was on course to beat its Q4 2018 record in Q2 2019. On Friday, BBC News reported, his SpaceX company launched 60 internet satellites. It is the start of the firm’s rollout of its orbiting broadband program.
A Falcon-9 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida late on Thursday, packed with 60 satellites capable of giving users on the ground high-speed connections to the internet. Entrepreneur Elon Musk’s firm aims eventually to loft nearly 12,000 spacecraft for its «Starlink» network. SpaceX is one of several commercial outfits with permission to fly an internet mega-constellation. Others include the UK-based start-up OneWeb, which began its roll-out in February with six operational spacecraft.
![Throwboy Makes [Apple] Iconic Pillows](https://www.macobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Throwboy.jpg)
Throwboy Makes [Apple] Iconic Pillows
From Kickstarter:
«5 throw pillows inspired by 5 iconic, game-changing products of the technology world. Each pillow takes you through a different era in the computer revolution and celebrates the memories we made during these times. Made of super soft, high quality plush material, these 3D pillows feature fine embroidery, smooth contours and artisan style craftsmanship.»
IGTV Now Supporting Landscape Video
IGTV, Instagram’s long-form video platform, is going to support landscape videos, The Verge reported. Previously only portrait videos could be uploaded. The change means YouTube content can be crossposted to the service.
“We realize this is an evolution from where IGTV started — we believe it’s the right change for viewers and creators,” the company says in a blog post. “In many ways, opening IGTV to more than just vertical videos is similar to when we opened Instagram to more than just square photos in 2015. It enabled creativity to flourish and engagement to rise — and we believe the same will happen again with IGTV»….The creators using the app seem to be pleased, but they also noted that they haven’t been able to monetize their content yet
In The Persistence of Chaos, Buy Six Notorious Computer Viruses For $1 Million
A computer infested with six of the word’s most infamous viruses is being sold as an art piece called ‘The Persistence of Chaos.’ The auction has topped US$1 million.
Bidding for a laptop infected with six of the world’s most famous computer viruses—WannaCry, BlackEnergy, ILOVEYOU, MyDoom, SoBig and DarkTequila—has topped more than $1.1 million at auction. The art project, titled “The Persistence of Chaos,” is a collaboration between Chinese internet artist Guo O Dong, and Deep Instinct, a cybersecurity firm based in New York. Those six viruses have caused billions of dollars in damage worldwide.
