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UK Tesco Shopper Orders Apples, Gets iPhone SE

Charlotte Henry ·

One happy customer in London, England ordered apples at a supermarket and came away with an iPhone SE. The Mirror reported that customer Nick James found out he’d randomly won the device when he went to pick up a ‘click and collect’ order at a Tesco Extra store.

Mr James was gobsmacked to receive a free iPhone SE in his click and collect order. He told the Mirror: “I was half expecting the surprise to be an Easter egg or something – I was a little bit shocked to say the least.” Tesco Mobile is giving away free Apple iPhones, AirPods and Samsung devices as part of a “super substitutes” promotion this week. Tweeting about his win earlier this week, he said: “A big thanks this week to Tesco and Tesco Mobile. “On Wednesday evening we went to pick up our click and collect order and had a little surprise in there – an Apple iPhone SE.

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Mac and Services to Provide AAPL Upside

Charlotte Henry ·

AAPL investors can still expect an upside when during Apple’s forthcoming earnings call thanks to Mac and services. That’s according to J.P Morgan analyst Samik Chatterjee in a note seen by AppleInsider.

Lead analyst Samik Chatterjee writes that the setup heading into Q1 2021 earnings is “dramatically different than the last one,” since the focus on near-term earnings drivers has moderated after the busy holiday season. Specifically, iPhone builds are slowing down, led primarily by softening smartphone shipments in China and slowing momentum of 5G-equipped iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro sales. Relative to sell-side consensus, Chatterjee believes investors are primed for softer results. However, the analyst still expects modest upside to investor expectations. He cites strong growth in Services and the current momentum in Mac and iPad shipments as the primary driver, despite concerns that work from home trends will wear off. JP Morgan is tracking iPhone revenue in line with expectations.

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No mini in 2022 iPhone Lineup, Says Ming-Chi Kuo

Charlotte Henry ·

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that there will be no iPhone 14 mini, in a new note seen by MacRumors. Despite its relatively poor performance, a smaller model is expected to be in the 2021 lineup.

“We predict that the new 2H22 iPhone will come in four models: the high-end 6.7″ and 6.1″, and the lower-end 6.7″ and 6.1″,” wrote Kuo. If there is no so-called iPhone 14 mini next year, the iPhone SE would regain the title of smallest iPhone with its 4.7-inch display. However, the current iPhone SE is actually slightly larger than the 5.4-inch mini model due to having thicker bezels and a Touch ID home button. The iPhone SE also has only a single-lens rear camera and is equipped with an LCD screen, whereas the iPhone 12 mini has a superior OLED display.

Big Library Read’s Latest Book Club Offering is ‘The Art of Taking it Easy’
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Big Library Read’s Latest Book Club Offering is ‘The Art of Taking it Easy’

Andrew Orr ·

Overdrive’s book club called Big Library Read announced its latest entry for readers called “The Art of Taking It Easy” by psychologist and stand-up comedian Dr. Brian King. Through Libby, OverDrive’s one-tap reading app, The Art of Taking It Easy is available for free, simultaneous use access from over 20K libraries and schools worldwide through April 19. Being selected for Big Library Read provides great exposure for King, with hundreds of thousands checkouts per program and the unique opportunity for readers to interact with the author and others in the online discussion.

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Security Firm Behind iPhone Unlocking Finally Discovered

Andrew Orr ·

The security firm that unlocked the iPhone of the San Bernardino shooter has been unveiled, and it’s an Australian company called Azimuth.

Azimuth is a poster child for “white hat” hacking, experts say, which is good-guy cybersecurity research that aims to disclose flaws and disavows authoritarian governments. Two Azimuth hackers teamed up to break into the San Bernardino iPhone, according to the people familiar with the matter, who like others quoted in this article, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

An interesting story, especially with the connection to Corellium.

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Spotify Launches First Hardware Product - Car Thing - in U.S.

Charlotte Henry ·

Spotify launched in-car entertainment system Car Thing in the U.S. on Tuesday, TechCrunch reported. It’s the company’s first ever hardware product.

The company explained its interest in Car Thing is about solving a need for customers who want a “more seamless” and personalized in-car listening experience. Although many cars today support Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, Spotify points out that the average age of a car in the U.S. is actually 11 years old and the average lifetime of cars is 18 years. That means there are still a large number of cars on the road that don’t support modern, in-car infotainment systems. Car Thing is being introduced to serve this market — and likely, to give Spotify the opportunity to explore future business models where it has a more direct relationship with customers inside the vehicle, though the company isn’t speaking to its longer-term ambitions at this time.

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Discord Servers Can be Marked NSFW and Blocked on iOS

Charlotte Henry ·

Discord servers can now be marked NSFW and blocked on iOS. The label is required and the messaging platform will mark relevant servers if users do not The Verge reported.

The NSFW marker does two things. First, it prevents anyone under the age of 18 from joining. But the bigger limitation is that it prevents NSFW servers from being accessed on iOS devices — a significant restriction that’s almost certainly meant to cater to Apple’s strict and often prudish rules around nudity in services distributed through the App Store. Tumblr infamously wiped porn from its entire platform in order to come into compliance with Apple’s rules.

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Behind ‘UID2’, a Way for Advertisers to Track Your Email

Andrew Orr ·

The EFF wrote a detailed post about UID2, a proposed way to make it easier for advertisers to identify people via their email.

UID2s will be connected to people, not devices. That means an advertiser who collects UID2 from a website can link it to the UID2s it collects through apps, connected TVs, and connected vehicles belonging to the same person. That’s where the “unified” part of UID2 comes in: it’s supposed to make cross-device tracking as easy as cross-site tracking used to be.

But this will also create new incentives for sites, apps, and connected devices to ask users for their email addresses.

All the more reason to use Sign In with Apple wherever possible or disposable email services.

TMO Deals

Recharge Your Phone Wirelessly or Keep Your Coffee at the Optimal Drinking Temperature: $49.99

Bryan Chaffin ·

We have a deal on a fun device, the OMNIA Q Hot Wireless Charging Cup Heater. It’s a Qi wireless charging pad for your iPhone or other Qi-enabled device, but it comes with a Sticky Cup Pad. When you put that on the bottom of your ceramic, steel, or glass mug, and place it on top of the pad, it will heat your drink up to 131°F. It’s $49.99 through our deal.