Foxconn and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) are teaming up in a move to buy Toshiba Memory. Assuming the two companies can make the deal come together, they’ll be in a strong position to steal Apple’s memory business away from Samsung.
Ron Johnson on Steve Jobs, iPhone Numbers, Sonos PLAYBASE - TMO Daily Observations 2017-03-07
Former Apple executive Ron Johnson recently shared some insight into Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. Bryan Chaffin and Dave Hamilton join Jeff Gamet to share their thoughts on how Steve Jobs worked through new ideas before accepting them, plus they look at Apple’s iPhone numbers and the new Sonos PLAYBASE.
Apple Pay Comes to Ireland, Launching in Italy Soon
Apple Pay officially launched in Ireland on Tuesday, and the contactless payment system is heading to Italy soon, too. Currently, Apple Pay is available for Ireland’s boon, Ulster Bank and KBC customers.
Espionage 3 Encryption Software for Mac: $19.99
We have deal on Espionage 3, encryption software for your Mac. It allows you to create multiple master passwords, each protecting an isolated set of folders with a combination of AES-256 encryption and scrypt security. Our deal is for $19.99 on a lifetime license to Espionage 3, which includes all minor updates and major upgrades. Check out the deal listing for more details.
Sonos Puts the PLAYBASE Under Your Television
Today Sonos announced their new PLAYBASE, combining home theater sound and music playback in a low-profile base (just 2.28″ high!) that sits underneath your TV. The PLAYBASE is the result of nearly four years of iterative design work inside Sonos, and is made to complement the wall-mountable PLAYBAR in Sonos’ lineup. If your TV sits on a table, put a PLAYBASE under it; on the wall, put a PLAYBAR there. The PLAYBASE will hold TVs up to 77lbs, which should handle what most of you have.
While I haven’t yet tested the PLAYBASE in my home, I did get a chance to test it at Sonos’ offices last month, and the stereo spread and frequency response are impressive. They were able to fit a subwoofer in the thin design by use of a specially-engineered S-shaped port. It works, too, and really fills a room with sound for both music and video content. Of course, you’re able to use your iPhone or iPad to automatically tune the PLAYBASE to your room with Sonos’ Trueplay technology, ensuring the best possible sound for your environment. The PLAYBASE is priced at US$699 (same as the PLAYBAR), and will be released on April 4, 2017. Existing Sonos owners can pre-order starting today.
Save Space on Your Time Machine Drive
Don’t you hate when your Time Machine backups take forever? Even worse is when you begin getting notifications about your Time Machine drive running out of space. Jeff Butts is here to show you how you can slim down your backups, saving both time and precious hard drive space.
Lack of Products Means Absence of Product Vision by Apple
Soon after the first iPhone was launched, it was fairly easy to see that it would, by its design, eventually subsume the iPod. We watched it coming and expected iPod sales to wither. But in the case of the iPad and the Mac, the progression isn’t so clear. In these uncertain times, Apple could do a lot, with marketing and product rollouts, to provide warmer fuzzies about the roadmap (without spilling any secrets). Apple Has its Eye on the Ball, but Its a Different Ball set up the discussion, and page twocataloged some cases about how Apple’s lack of messaging, via product design, is creating customer angst.
TMO Background Mode: Interview with Six Colors Editor-in-Chief Jason Snell
Jason Snell is one of the best known Apple technical journalists. He’s the Editor-in-Chief of the Apple focused website Six Colors, and he told me the intriguing story about how that name came to be. Previously he was Senior VP and editorial director at IDG, publishers of Macworld, PCWorld, and TechHive. Jason always knew he wanted to be a journalist, and he told me the story about, as a kid, standing on his back porch in a rainstorm and pretending to do a live TV weather report. In 1991, he created InterText, one of the first online fiction magazines. Today, Jason writes and podcasts about everything Apple. In our show, Jason shared his thoughts about many of the most timely and pressing topics related to Apple today: the Mac and iPad futures and the Apple TV.
Here’s Your Chance to Buy a Steve Jobs Autographed NexTWORLD Poster
Here’s your chance to get something autographed by Steve Jobs, but you’ll need to bring your wallet. An auction for a NeXTWORLD poster autographed by Steve Jobs currently has 31 bids and stands at US$11,000. The poster, which was autographed by Steve Jobs in 1992, is part of an online auction by RR Auction. Bidding ends on March 8th.
WWDC 2017 Student Scholarships Open on March 27
Applications for 2017’s Worldwide Developer Conference student scholarships opens on Monday, March 27th. Apple offers WWDC scholarships for students coding apps for the Mac, iPhone, and iPad, and travel assistance is available for qualifying applicants, too.
