You can now sign up for an Apple Arcade yearly subscription. Previously it was only available as a US$4.99 monthly subscription.
Steve Jobs' Estate Wins Back Ownership of stevejobs.com Domain
Steve Jobs’ estate has won back ownership of the stevejobs.com domain, Cult of Mac reported. A man going by the name Steve Jobs Kim since 1999 previously owned it.
The Steve Jobs Archive, LLC made the case against Steve Jobs Kim. Steve Jobs’ widow Laurene Powell Jobs set up this organization after her husband’s death. It filed a complaint with Forum, a group formerly known as the National Arbitration Forum. This organization provides arbitration and mediation services to businesses. A three-person National Arbitration Forum panel looked into the case and decided that the owner of the site was trading off Steve Jobs’ name. The group concluded that the site gave the impression that it was authorized by the Steve Jobs or his successors. It offered consulting and technology news.
Disney+ Has Been Downloaded on 22 Million Devices
Disney+ is off to a very good start. According to a report by Apptopia, picked up by Marketwatch, it has been downloaded on 22 million devices.
The streaming service, which made its debut Nov. 12, has been downloaded 22 million times to mobile devices in what is probably the most successful launch in the nascent industry’s history, according to app-tracking firm Apptopia. The report says the app has averaged 9.5 million daily active mobile users, landing the top spot on Apple Inc.’s and Alphabet Inc.’s Google’s app stores. “I can’t imagine anyone topping this start,” Adam Blocker, who wrote the report, told MarketWatch. He says the combination of Disney+’s inexpensive price ($6.99 a month), the allure of a $12.99-per-month bundle with ESPN+ and Hulu, and the marketing muscle of Walt Disney Co. preordained its success.
FaceID Not Fooled By Masks, Unlike Other Facial Recognition Systems
Intelligence company Kneron tested out a number of facial recognition systems used in payments and banking. It found many could be fooled by photographs or masks. However, not Apple’s FaceID, reported Fortune.
Kneron conducted the experiments to learn about the technology’s limitations while developing its own facial recognition technology. The company, which is led backed by high-profile investors including Qualcomm and Sequoia Capital, is creating what it calls “Edge AI,” an artificial intelligence tool that does the job of recognizing individual entirely on devices rather than though cloud-based services. Kneron also noted that its experiments could not fool some facial recognition applications, notably Apple’s iPhone X. The company’s experiment comes at a time of intense debate over how broadly to deploy facial recognition.
Apple News to Partner With ABC News For 2020 Presidential Election Coverage
Apple News is going to partner with ABC News to provide election coverage from a Democratic debate in February until the 2021 inauguration.
Be Good and Don't Get Caught – Mac Geek Gab 793
macOS Catalina might finally be ready for prime-time with 10.15.2. Your two favorite geeks discuss. Then it’s on to your tips and questions. Listen as John and Dave talk through Keyboard Shortcuts, third-party display issues, full-page screenshots, watching TV in multiple locations, outbound VPN, Mail, Bluetooth, and more! We guarantee you’ll learn at least five new things before the band plays you out for the week.
I Love AirPods Pro (Part I)
Dr. Mac loves his 1st gen Apple AirPods, but it turns out he loves his new AirPods Pro even more, as he explains in episode #360 of his long-running Dr. Mac’s Rants & Raves column!
How Social Media Warps Democracy
Here’s a long read to put on your list as you head into the weekend. It examines social media and its impact on democracy and our psyche.
The problem may not be connectivity itself but rather the way social media turns so much communication into a public performance. We often think of communication as a two-way street. Intimacy builds as partners take turns, laugh at each other’s jokes, and make reciprocal disclosures. What happens, though, when grandstands are erected along both sides of that street and then filled with friends, acquaintances, rivals, and strangers, all passing judgment and offering commentary?
Monitor Your Eyesight Right at Home with This Automated Vision Tracking Device: $50.99
We have a deal on EyeQue VisionCheck, an MIT patented refractometer that allows you to test your eyes at home, get EyeGlass Numbers, and use them to order eyeglasses online. It works with an app on your iPhone or Android device. EyeQue VisionCheck is $59.99 through our deal, but coupon code MERRYSAVE15 brings the checkout price down to $50.99.
Cellebrite Now Uses iOS Exploit Checkm8
Checkm8 is an iPhone flaw in the bootrom that can lead to a jailbreak. It can’t be patched via software, and it affects the iPhone 4s through iPhone X. But attackers need physical access to your device, and the jailbreak can only be tethered, meaning that if the iPhone is restarted it disappears.
The Cellebrite UFED team is working quickly to provide users with support for the above-mentioned scenario. This will be included with the launch of our iOS extraction agent in an upcoming release. The team is committed to providing a comprehensive, forensically-sound solution that adheres to Cellebrite’s high standards, is fully tested, and is admissible in court.
Speaking about recent rumors, if Apple did remove the Lightning port from future iPhones, I wonder if it would defeat companies like Cellebrite. I’m not sure if they could still extract data via the wireless charger.