Are Apple's iBeacons Secretly Tracking You?

Michael Kwet says that Google and Apple are secretly tracking you in retail stores, and with a phrase like, “What the media isn’t telling you,” you know it will be juicy.

Apple claims to be better than Google – they are a “hardware company”, not data miners, they insist. Yet iBeacons provide just one example of many to the contrary.

I think the subject is worth discussing, but Michael doesn’t give evidence that Apple is tracking you in the same way Google is. Because of this I think his article is flawed. I don’t know if iBeacons are used outside of Apple retail stores. But it sounds like customers have to opt-in for iBeacon to work. According to TechRepublic, iBeacon is “simply a location tool and doesn’t gather excessive data or track users…” 

Apple Hires Condé Nast Exec to Build Apple News

Apple has hired Liz Schimel, formerly of Condé Nast, to help build Apple News. The Information (via AppleInsider) reported (subscription required) that her new title at Apple is Head of News Business, according to her LinkedIn Profile. She’s a media veteran, and her most recent title was President of Condé Nast’s China business. I personally used to worry that Apple News would be yet another project launched and then forgotten by Apple, but the company is clearly intent on growing the service. I read tons of articles on Apple News every day on iPad and iPhone, and I expect to use it in macOS Mojave when that OS ships later this year. TMO has also seen an increase in traffic on Apple News, and that probably coincides with overall growth in the platform. All of which makes Apple investing in more resources and people to build and promote Apple News make sense.

Making the Case against Google AMP

Have you heard of Google AMP? That stands for Accelerated Mobile Pages, and it’s a way of making webpages so that they load faster and display more efficiently on mobile devices. Oh, and it puts your website under Google’s control. Polemic Digital has an explanarant (that’s part explanation, part rant) on AMP making the case not to adopt it. It’s an interesting read, and here’s a taste:

AMP allows Google to basically take over hosting the web as well. The Google AMP Cache will serve AMP pages instead of a website’s own hosting environment, and also allow Google to perform their own optimisations to further enhance user experience.

As a side benefit, it also allows Google full control over content monetisation. No more rogue ad networks, no more malicious ads, all monetisation approved and regulated by Google. If anything happens that falls outside of the AMP standard’s restrictions, the page in question simply becomes AMP-invalid and is ejected from the AMP cache – and subsequently from Google’s results. At that point the page might as well not exist any more.

Retro Gaming Console with 600+ Classic Games: $49.99

We have a deal on the Retro Entertainment Console, a gaming console with 600 classic games built in. It has a modern HDMI port for connecting to your TV, and it’s $49.99 through us. Check out some of the game: Super Mario Bros, Ninja Gaiden, Ninja Turtles, RoboCop 2, DigDug 2, PacMan & PacMan 3, Tetris & Tetris 2, BomberMan, Galaga, Ghostbusters, FIFA 2006, 1942, Alladdin 3, Battleship, Championship Bowling, Donkey Kong Classics, Harry Potter, Lucky Ball, Mickey Mouse, Ms. Pacman, PongPong, Transformers, Space Invaders, Star Fighter, Toy Story, Jurassic Park

Anyone Can Now Buy The Logitech Crayon Stylus

Aside from the Apple Pencil, the Logitech Crayon stylus is the only third-party stylus officially approved by Apple. The stylus was announced at Apple’s iPad education event earlier this year. At launch, the Logitech Crayon stylus was sold only to schools. Now however, anyone can buy one. Logitech announced today it will sell the Crayon through its website, as well as Apple Stores. For education customers the price was US$49.99, but for the general public the price has been increased to US$69.99. There’s a caveat though: The stylus is only compatible with the education iPad (sixth-gen), not the iPad Pro or older models. The Crayon charges with a built-in Lightning port and a single charge lasts about seven hours.