Here's a Wallpaper Generator Shortcut For Those Apple Logos

Redditor u/wexford001 made a neat wallpaper generator shortcut. It uses the Apple logos (all 370 of them) that Apple created for tomorrow’s event. Every time you tap the shortcut it generates a random image based on your device. There are both white and black versions, in case you have an iPhone with an OLED screen.

All the code to actually get the image from imgur was the work of u/hinapupina in his “imgur downloader” shortcut. I modified it a bit, but i don’t understand it well enough to have done this on my own. Thanks!

You can download the shortcut for white wallpapers here, and the black version here.

Icon in iOS 12 Code Shows What to Expect From the New iPad Pro

iOS 12.1 keeps offering up more clues saying we’re about to see an iPad Pro refresh. The latest comes in the form of a device icon tucked away in the code. 9to5Mac’s Guilherme Rambo notes:

A new icon found within iOS offers a more detailed view of the 2018 iPad Pro, which we expect to be announced during the Tuesday event in Brooklyn. This icon shows an iPad with rounded corners, no Home button and no notch. An interesting aspect of this icon is how large the bezels look when compared to the recent iPhones.

No Home button means no Touch ID, and that means Face ID support—something that’s already been found in iOS 12.1 code. If other reports prove true, this will also be the first iOS device with USB-C instead of a Lightning port. Apple’s “There’s More in the Making” media event is scheduled for 10 Am eastern time on Tuesday October 30th. Be sure to check in with The Mac Observer for our coverage and analysis of the day’s announcements.

An Illustrated History of Apple's Mac mini

For many, Apple’s Mac mini is a beloved computer. For others, it’s a dream rack mount server. Last year, Tim Cook told a customer, “I’m glad you love Mac mini. We love it too.” Rumors suggest we’ll see a new model this year, maybe next week in New York. In any case, if you’re a fan, sit back and enjoy this lovingly crafted, illustrated history.

Apple's App Stores No Longer Listing All In-App Purchases

Our good friend Jim Tanous at TekRevue ran an important public service announcement today about the App Store no longer listing all in-app purchases for apps and games. This was always an important tool for consumers wondering just what the heck they were getting into with a so-called “freemium” app. While an app developer can independently list some in-app purchases, there no longer appears to be a “List all” option, on either the App Store or Mac App Store. You can get the details from TekReveu, but this snippet has the gist.

The problem with this new policy is that the nature and prices of in-app purchases vary wildly depending on the developer and type of app or game. Users could previously check out the description and prices of the in-app purchases to determine if they were reasonable before downloading or buying an app. Now, it seems, users must download and launch the app to see the same information. In-app purchase information was already slightly hidden, but still available for those who wanted to see it. Apple’s decision to remove it and rely instead on the developers to optionally provide such data is completely anti-consumer and frankly baffling. We can only hope that user feedback forces the company to restore this feature quickly.

Rich People are Banning Screens in Classrooms

Rich people are banning screens in classrooms, in a surprising turn in the digital divide debate.

It wasn’t long ago that the worry was that rich students would have access to the internet earlier, gaining tech skills and creating a digital divide…But now, as Silicon Valley’s parents increasingly panic over the impact screens have on their children and move toward screen-free lifestyles, worries over a new digital divide are rising. It could happen that the children of poorer and middle-class parents will be raised by screens, while the children of Silicon Valley’s elite will be going back to wooden toys and the luxury of human interaction.

At one point when I was growing up, my dad got rid of the television because us kids were glued to it. I didn’t like it then, but looking back I think it was a good decision. And I’ve already written about how kids are being raised by YouTube.