Apple’s Mac business alone amounts to $23 billion annually. Jean-Louis Gassée reminds us that’s as much as the annual revenues of the Northrop Grumman Corp. That’s not something to take lightly. Also, a defocus from Apple branded displays and routers could simply drive customers into the arms of the competition in other closely related product areas. Even computers. Rene Ritche calls it the “Horn Effect.” Page 2 of Friday’s Particle Debris has the conversation.
The Black Friday Mac Bundle 2.0: $19.99 Today
We have a slightly different deal for you today. It’s called the Black Friday Mac Bundle 2.0, a collection of 9 Mac productivity apps. The bundle itself isn’t new, but it’s back for a limited time at $19.99. What’s new is that the price is going to go up a dollar every day until the end of this week. That means buy early if you’re interested. Check out the list of apps in the deal description.
Fake News and Snatched iPhones – TMO Daily Observations 2016-12-05
The UK police got unlocked access to a suspect’s iPhone but, unlike the FBI earlier this year, they didn’t have to ask Apple to hack it. Interestingly, though, the FBI did something very similar to the UK police a few years ago. Listen to hear more. Then it’s on to how Apple might just be our last hope to save the integrity of the internet. John Martellaro explains!
Apple Watch Sales Decline 71% in Third Quarter Thanks to Late Series 2 Intro
The mid-September launch of Apple Watch Series 2 wasn’t in time to help the company’s third quarter sales figures. A new report from IDC claims that Apple Watch sales fell sharply year-over-year, while cheaper wearables from companies like Fitbit surged.
Apple Beta Testing Improved iCloud Photos Interface
Apple is now beta testing a number of improvements to iCloud.com Photos, including a new sidebar, easier navigation between photos, and initial support for the Touch Bar on the 2016 MacBook Pro.
Amazon Snowmobile is a Giant Truck That Can Move 100PB to the Cloud
Amazon’s servers provide the backbone for much of the Web, and while upload speeds are improving, what happens when you need a few dozen petabytes backed up to the cloud? Enter Amazon Snowmobile, literally a giant truck with a mobile data center capable of physically moving up to 100 petabytes of your data to Amazon’s cloud servers. The concept is the evolution, both in name and function, of the company’s “Snowball” service, which ships customers data units with capacities up to 80TB. As for price, it’s in the “if you have to ask…” category, although Amazon says it aims to make the Snowmobile cheaper than any network-based data transfer which, even at gigabit speeds, would take a while.
UK Police Circumvent iOS Encryption By Snatching iPhone Out of Suspect's Hands
Forget backdoors and lawsuits. Police in the UK have come up with an interesting solution to Apple’s strong iOS encryption: they simply waited for the suspect to unlock his device and then snatched it right out of his hands.
How to Show the User Library Folder in macOS Sierra
Can’t find your user Library folder in macOS Sierra? There are workarounds to temporarily reveal it, but here’s a quick tip to make the user Library folder show up in Finder, and stay there.
Apple Tells NHTSA That All Autonomous Car Prototypes Are Created Equal
Apple reignited interest in its autonomous car project with a letter to Federal regulators arguing that “new entrants” into the autonomous vehicle industry should have just as many rights as the established automakers when it comes to testing prototypes on public roads.
Podcasts
2016 MacBook Pro vs. 1989 Macintosh Portable: FIGHT
Think the 2016 MacBook Pro is overpriced and underpowered? Check out this comparison video of Apple’s latest laptop with the company’s first portable computer, 1989’s Macintosh Portable. While far from an in-depth technical analysis, the video offers some nice HD shots of how design at Apple has changed over the past 27 years. Bonus points for the Jean-Louis Gassée archival footage.
Mail Tips & Solving Generic Dock Icons – Mac Geek Gab 634
Quick tips to start: copying mail (instead of moving it), editing your default Touch Bar, a new way to create pinned tabs in Safari, ejecting an external Blu-ray, and disabling notifications. After that it’s time to answer your questions about secure email, SSD upgrades, keychain errors, portable audio recording setups and much more. Press play and enjoy!
![Apple Removes Fashion Executive Paul Deneve from Leadership Site [Update]](https://www.macobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/paul-deneve-apple-way-back-machine-wide.jpg)
Apple Removes Fashion Executive Paul Deneve from Leadership Site [Update]
Apple quietly removed Paul Deneve from its leadership website. Mr. Deneve came from the fashion world and was Vice President of Special Projects at Apple, where he was known to work on Apple Watch. [Update: Financial Times of London‘s San Francisco reporter Tim Bradshaw tweeted on Saturday that Apple said Paul Deneve remained at Apple, but would now be reporting to COO Jeff Williams, rather than directly to CEO Tim Cook. This makes his removal from the leadership page an issue of chain of command, rather than Mr. Deneve having left Apple. ]
Latest Apple Campus 2 Drone Shot Looks Star Trek
Apple’s spaceship campus is looking more impressive as construction gets closer to wrapping up, and TMO’s latest drone pic really drives that home. Taken Wednesday, our intrepid drone pilot’s flying skills let you see the roof solar panels are nearly all installed, landscaping is starting to come together outside the massive building, and the giant courtyard in the building’s center is taking shape, too. The building really looks like something from JJ Abrams’ Star Trek. Apple Campus 2.0 isn’t finished yet, but is moving along well enough that the company will likely start moving in some time in 2017.
How Apple Might be Our Last Hope Before the Internet Dies
Companies exist to make money. But when wealth beyond dreams, at any cost, is the driving force behind internet business, chaos results. Big tech companies have great power. How they use that power and their own sense of what constitutes ethical, disciplined behavior might all that’s left before the free internet and its free people are no more. Apple is leading the way, but cannot do it all.
Podcasts
Researchers Bypass iPad and iPhone Activation Lock
Vulnerability Lab has published a video to YouTube (via AppleInsider) demonstrating a method for bypassing the Activation Lock on an iOS device. Researchers discovered a convoluted series of steps one can go through starting with a buffer overflow, and also using a Smart Cover…it’s complicated. The bottom line, though, is that the method would allow someone to bypass the Activation Lock, meaning they could use a device that’s been locked by Find My iPhone. Apple is usually able to patch these bypasses, but this video nicely highlights the ongoing cat and mouse game involved with security. The video is presented in real time, meaning there are long stretches where not much is happening. It’s interesting, though, to see the steps necessary for the exploit and the end result.
How about a Computer Keyboard or Trackpad Made of Wood?
I have no idea how practical these products are, but they’re gorgeous. Check out the Orée Board and Orée Touch Slab, a keyboard and trackpad made from wood. The Board is portable and can connect via USB or Bluetooth. It’s designed to work with macOS and iOS, or Windows and Android. Each is made from a single piece of wood, making individual units unique. The Touch Slab is a multitouch trackpad that can also be used as a numeric keypad. Look closely and you’ll see the keypad outlined on top. It’s Bluetooth only, and works with macOS, and Windows 7 or 8. The Board is priced at US$129, while Touch Slab is $150. I haven’t tested them, but they totally caught my eye.
Social Networks Can Learn from Apple to Solve 'Fake News'
The proliferation of “fake news” has been blamed in part on social media companies’ hands-off approach to curation. Charlotte Henry argues this is one area where social media can take its cues from Apple and its heavily curated approach to Apple News.
Playing Catch-up on macOS Sierra, Printer Wars, Knockoff Apple Watch Straps
Dr. Mac follows up on whether or not it’s safe to upgrade to macOS Sierra; a longer-term report on his EcoTank vs. Instant Ink printer comparison; and a lower price on the leather loop Apple Watch bands he bought in July and August (and still loves).
Uber Sees You When You're Sleeping…Around – TMO Daily Observations 2016-12-02
“I’ll be watching you” is a line that might make Sting look a lot more prescient after you hear this episode. Uber and Waze want to know where you are even more than they used to, and Apple wants to put drones in the air over your roads and in front of your homes, at least for a little bit. It’s a brave new world. Our advice: don’t go outside without pants on.
macOS: Four Quick Ways to Find and Open Files
Today’s Quick Tip will give you tricks on finding and opening files within macOS. If you’ve ever wondered what the fastest ways are to do that, then this article’s for you! (Or heck, if you just want to tell us in the comments that we forgot your favorite method, then that’s fine too.)