Dr. Mac drops by to chat about prepping for travel and things to keep in mind as we all venture out into the world again (with a love note to libraries).
Encrypted Storage App ‘Boxcryptor’ Integrates Better With Files App
Boxcryptor received a major update for iOS and iPadOS that eliminates its own file browser. Instead, you’ll browse through your encrypted files completely within Apple’s Files app. Robert Freudenreich explains the decision: “By taking a ‘Files app first’ approach, we enable the best user experience for working with encrypted files in Apple’s Files app.” The integration with the Files app has been in place since iOS 11. But by eliminating the additional Boxcryptor-owned file browser, the Files app now becomes the exclusive file manager. For users, this primarily means an even simpler workflow.
Starlink Internet Speeds May Not Be Created Equal
Starlink, a satellite internet initiative from Elon Musk, has fast internet speeds in some areas while being slow in others.
Epic Games Versus Apple: A Legal Overview
Since it began on Monday, we have heard various bits of information coming out of the Epic Games trial against Apple. MacStories‘s John Voohres was a lawyer for many years and gave an outline of what we can expect as the case develops.
There is no legal prohibition against formulating a business strategy with the assistance of professionals to deal with a competitor. However, Epic’s actions arguably demonstrate a level of bad faith that could undermine its antitrust case, something Judge Gonzalez Rogers has essentially suggested at previous hearings. A very old legal principle that is known as the doctrine of ‘unclean hands,’ which Apple has raised and is based on the equitable notion that manufactured disputes should be discouraged, could prevent Epic from winning some or all of its claims, regardless of their merits.
Djay Pro AI Gets Major Update for iPhone and iPad
djay Pro AI announced a major update including an upgraded Automix AI feature with an enhanced neural mix thanks to the Apple Neural Engine.
Apple Wins Auction For Tom Hanks Movie 'Finch'
Apple Original Films won the rights to the movie, Finch in a highly competitive auction, meaning Tom Hanks is heading back to Apple TV+.
Deezer Now Works on HomePod and HomePod Mini
Music streaming service Deezer now works on HomePod and HomePod mini, and Siri can be used to play any song from its catalog of 73 million.
IBM Creates World-First 2nm Computer Chip
IBM has created a 2-nanometer chip using a prototype manufacturing process. It’s likely we won’t see these chips in the market until late 2024, however.
Chip makers routinely talk about their 10nm, 7nm, and 5nm nodes, in their efforts to pack more and more transistors on a piece of silicon. However, the nanometer nomenclature is often just marketing speak […] based on the company’s slides, there actually isn’t a component on the chip at a 2nm size. Instead, the announcement is more about a generational improvement from IBM’s earlier 5nm process, which debuted in 2017.
“The chips must be insulated from human thought, as an errant memory of grandma from 1970 can cause quantum effects in the chip.“
'Servant' From Apple TV+ on TV Choice Awards Longlist
Servant has added to Apple TV+’s growing collection of award nominations, being put forward in the Best Drama Series at the TV Choice Awards.
Eazy-Arm Magnetic iPhone Holder: $11.99
We have a deal on the Eazy-Arm Magnetic iPhone Holder. This device attaches to a laptop, computer monitor, or any vertical surface, with a magnetic holder for your iPhone. It has a charging port for your iPhone, and it’s available in black, blue, silver, or white. It’s $11.99 through our deal.
PopSockets Has Special Gifts for iPhone Moms
Accessory maker PopSockets has some products ready for Mother’s Day 2021. First, a gift guide shares various examples of its iPhone attachment in different designs. Other products include a bicycle mount, car vent mount, and others. Second, the company has a tool to design a custom PopSocket for your mom. The gift guide products and custom PopSockets range in price from US$10 – US$64.95.
Adobe Launches New Fonts Recommendations Feature
On Tuesday Adobe launched a new feature called Adobe Fonts Recommendations. It helps users receive the right fonts for their projects.
Poll Shows 63% of Americans Don’t Trust Their ISPs
Mozilla is releasing results from a survey conducted with YouGov, showing that 63% of them don’t trust their ISPs (n=1305).
63 percent of consumers do not trust ISPs to look out for their best interests, and 72 percent want control of what they see online without meddling or interference from ISPs, according to the findings released today from a new survey we conducted with YouGov.
Twitter to Warn Mobile Users to Review Replies With Potentially Abusive Language
On Wednesday Twitter announced that it will roll out a feature for English-language users on iOS and Android about their tweets.
Purple iPhone 12 Begins Shift to Randomized Serial Numbers
The transition towards Apple using randomzied serial numbers has begun. The recently released iPhone 12 model is the first device to have them, MacRumors reported.
With assistance from Aaron Zollo, host of the YouTube channel ZolloTech, we can confirm that the purple iPhone 12 released last month has a new 10-character serial number format, compared to the usual 12 characters for most other Apple products. Apple previously said its randomized serial numbers would initially be 10 characters long, so the purple iPhone 12 appears to be the first Apple product with a randomized serial number. The change likely extends to the purple iPhone 12 mini, but we’ve yet to confirm this.
When to Migrate, When to Nuke – TMO Daily Observations 2021-05-05
Dave Hamilton joins host Kelly Guimont to discuss migrating to a new computer, and when you could use an assist, and when to start over from “scratch.”
Superhuman Email Rolls Out Support for Zoom, Google Meet
Email app Superhuman is rolling out support for Zoom and Google Meet integrations into its calendar. The integration was one of the most highly requested features from Superhuman users. With the new integration, users will be able to add Zoom or Google Meet links to the calendar events they create in Superhuman. Like the rest of the calendar experience – you’ll be able to do so with the keyboard only. Superhuman mail is a US$30/month subscription.
Apple Responds After Australian Retailer Pulls AirTags Over Safety Concerns
Australian retailer Officeworks pulled AirTags off its shelves this week citing “safety concerns.” Apple has defended the product, reports TechRadar, insisting it meets all the relevant safety standards.
In response to the report, Apple issued the following statement to TechRadar: “AirTag is designed to meet international child safety standards, including those in Australia, by requiring a two step push-and-turn mechanism to access the user-replaceable battery. “We are following the regulations closely and are working to ensure that our products will meet or exceed new standards, including those for package labelling, well ahead of the timeline required.” As Apple’s statement above shows, the brand believes that it is conforming with the necessary regulations for sale of goods with coin batteries inside, and should be allowed on sale on Australian shelves.
Worlds With Friends and Farmville Running Mother's Day In-Game Events
To try and help those who need to celebrate Mother’s Day virtually, Zynga is offering in-game events via Words With Friends and Farmville.
Luna Display’s Target Display Mode Feature Adds Ethernet, Thunderbolt
M1 iMacs don’t support Apple’s Target Display Mode, but Luna Display has a workaround with Mac-to-Mac Mode.
Developers Have a New Area to Place App Store Ads
Apple announced on Tuesday that developers have a new area to place App Store ads for their apps.
Camera+ 2 Adds AI-Powered Monuments Mode
Monuments Mode is a new camera mode for Camera+ 2 to help photographers take great photos. The team says: “The basic idea was: what if we grab a bunch of high-resolution video frames from the camera feed, perfectly align them on top of each other, and then somehow select the best parts without the moving distractions.” The mode is designed to remove objects in motion that get in the way of a minimal shot, like taking a photo of a building with people walking by. App Store Link
Apple Awards US$410 Million From Advanced Manufacturing Fund to Laser Manufacturer II-VI
Apple has awarded an additional US$410 million from its Advanced Manufacturing Fund to optical technology manufacturer II-VI.
‘Ted Lasso’ and ‘Stillwater’ Earn Peabody Awards Nominations
Apple TV+ offerings ‘Ted Lasso’ and ‘Stillwater’ are amongst 60 shows announced as nominees for the 2021 Peabody Awards.