Apple wants its stores to be the place you hang out at with your friends, and part of the push to make that happen includes a new program called “Today at Apple.” The program includes free seminars to teach creative skills using Apple products taught by employees, and where available, industry experts.
Alphabet's Waymo Offers 'Early Riders' Driverless Rides in Phoenix
Alphabet’s driverless car company—Waymo—announced an “Early Rider” program for its driverless cars. The company has invited the general public to apply to be part of the program, saying “We’re searching for early riders in parts of the Phoenix metropolitan area, including Chandler, Tempe, Mesa and Gilbert. Come join us in making it safer and easier for everyone to get around!” The feel-good video below features a family that participated in small-scale tests, and Waymo said it would accept a “limited number” of additional participants in the expanded program. Alphabet CEO Larry Page has been an enthusiastic pursuer of driverless car technology since before Google, and Waymo’s goal is to launch a ride-hailing service based on its driverless platform. Apple, Didi, Uber, and a variety of other tech companies are all invested in a similar vision. Waymo’s testing in Arizona is a sharp reminder that a driverless future is marching inexorably closer. You can apply at Waymo’s site.
Uber iPhone Tracking, Carpool Karaoke Delay - TMO Daily Observations 2017-04-25
Uber tried to pull one over on Apple by tracking iPhones in violation of App Store guidelines. Jeff Butts and Bryan Chaffin dive into what Uber did with Jeff Gamet, plus they share their thoughts on Apple postponing Carpool Karaoke’s premiere again.
Yet Another Report Pegs October, November for iPhone 8 Release
Another report saying the iPhone 8 won’t ship until October or November is out, and like those we’ve already seen it blames OLED displays for at least part of the problem.
Apple Bumps April's Carpool Karaoke Launch to Later this Year
Apple had planned on launching its Carpool Karaoke: The Series on Apple Music this month, but that’s been pushed out until some time later this year. This is the second delay for the show’s launch, and Apple isn’t offering up any explanation for the delayed debut.
1 Year Subscription to Instaread: $24.99
We have a deal on a 1-year subscription to Instaread. This service offers condensed digests of books on The New York Times Best Seller List. It’s half off through our deal, $24.99.
That Time Tim Cook Spanked Uber CEO Kalanick for Breaking the Rules
You ever hear the one about Tim Cook bending Uber CEO Travis Kalanick over his knee and spanking him? It happened in 2015, but went unreported until Monday. The New York Times offered an account of Tim Cook threatening to pull Uber’s app from the App Store if it didn’t stop behaving like a spoiled bully on at least one front. And, according to the story, Mr. Kalanick cried uncle.
Apple Snags Another AR/VR Expert, this Time from NASA
Apple has hired another expert in the fields of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). Bloomberg reported that Apple has hired Jeff Norris, an 18-year veteran of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
ecobee4 HomeKit Smart Thermostat Teased Ahead of May 5 Unveiling
Smart thermostat maker ecobee is teasing its upcoming ecobee4, which is set to debut on May 3rd. The new model is rumored to include a built-in microphone and speaker with Amazon Alexa voice control built-in. ecobee4 will reportedly have a sleeker, yet familiar, design and the separate room sensors are said to be silver instead of white. The company also lowered the ecobee3 price ahead of next week’s announcement from US$249 to $199. That’s a pretty sweet deal for a full-features smart thermostat that’s also HomeKit compatible. If you want to follow along with ecobee’s announcements next Wednesday you’ll need to head over to the company’s Facebook page.
Siri Could Access Federal Information One Day
The General Services Administration is launching a pilot program aimed at opening up access to federal information to third-party virtual assistants. Agencies include the departments of Energy, Homeland Security and Housing and Urban development. The purpose is to make it easier for American citizens to find governmental information they need.
A Network Scanner Helps You Secure Your Wi-Fi Router
When you secure your Wi-Fi or wired router, a network scanner is an essential utility you should have on your Mac and iOS device. Jeff Butts has explored several options for letting you know what devices are connected to your network, and gives you an overview of what they can and cannot do.
Apple's Next Mac Pro Will Require a Change in Design Philosophy
Apple’s design philosophy for consumer Macs has been that of simplicity, indeed minimalism. Approachable and beautiful. But even the 2008-2012 Mac Pro, designed in the Steve Jobs era, understood the needs of technical and creative professionals. Now that Apple has had time to digest what went wrong with the 2013 Mac Pro, it’s time, according to Marco Arment, to change the design thinking from that of “no!” to that of “yes!” Versatility should rule. It’s all on page 2 of Friday’s Particle Debris.
TMO Background Mode Interview with The Verge Senior Editor Lauren Goode
Lauren Goode is both a Senior Editor at The Verge and the co-host of the podcast Too Embarrassed to Ask. Lauren didn’t start out as a technical person. In high school, she was into competitive basketball and volleyball. But the seeds were evident as she became an expert with a camcorder. Her interest in basketball and English led her to Clark University. There, she developed her passion for writing and soon after she was working in media via cable TV. That’s where her passion for video technology flourished. Later, at the WSJ and AllThingsD Walt Mossberg was her mentor. Today, Lauren writes for The Verge, and we discussed her specialties: wearables, smartphones and apps, and laptop technology. Recently, she’s become involved with an interesting new series about cars, “Screen Drive,” that you’ll very much enjoy.
Apple Hires Final Cut Virtual Reality Plugin Maker Tim Dashwood
Apple sure is making it easy for us to believe they’re working on augmented reality, especially when the company hires someone like Tim Dashwood. He’s the guy behind the Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premier 360VR Toolbox plugins for creating virtual reality video, and now he’s on Apple’s payroll.
iPhone 8 Delays, Apple's Satellite Pros - TMO Daily Observations 2017-04-24
Word on the street says the iPhone 8 won’t ship until October or November. Bryan Chaffin and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to share their thoughts on potential iPhone 8 production issues, plus they dive into Apple’s satellite expert hires from Google.
Steel-Housing Lightning Cable in Black, Gold, Rose Gold: $29.99
We have a deal on Fuse Chicken’s Titan Lightning cable. Titan is wrapped in two layers of steel, and Fuse Chicken pitches Titan as, “The toughest cables on Earth.” We have a deal on a 1.5-meter (just under 5-feet) Titan cable in Black, Gold, or Rose Gold, for $29.99.
OLED Display Issues Pushing iPhone 8 Release to Late 2017
Patience, it seems, will be a virtue this fall when the iPhone 8 is announced because reports keep saying it won’t ship at the same time as the iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus. The latest report comes from KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo who says OLED production issues will keep the iPhone 8 from shipping until October or November.
iPhone 8 Dummy Model Backs Up Embedded Display Touch ID Sensor
iPhone 8 mockups are popping up nearly daily, and the latest shows a physical model that’s in line with the designs we’ve been seeing over the past couple weeks. The model sports a glass front and back, vertical rear-facing camera lenses, but no Touch ID sensor on the back.
Never Check Your NSA Email Over an Insecure Connection – Mac Geek Gab 654
Quick Tips, Cool Stuff Found and LOTS of questions. Sleeping Mac? No problem. VIP Mail help? No problem. Building a home? No problem. Want to know about VPNs? Well, now… just kidding. No problem! Mac Geek Gab answers your questions and shares your tips so everyone can learn at least four new things each week!
Apple Hires Satellite Experts away from Google
Apple has hired away a pair of Google’s top satellite experts, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Citing unnamed sources, Mr. Gurman reported that Apple hired John Fenwick, who previously led Google’s spacecraft operations, and Michael Trela, head of satellite engineering at Google. They are part of a new hardware team at Apple headed by another former Googler, Dropcam cofounder Greg Duffy.
