Apple released macOS Sierra 10.12.1 Monday (in addition to iOS 10.1). The first new feature that jumped out at me was “Improves reliability of Auto Unlock with Apple Watch,” a feature I love but is inconsistent. It also includes auto smart album of photos that use the newly unlocked Portrait Camera feature on iPhone 7 Plus, and some bug fixes.
TMO Daily Observations 2016-10-24: DDOS Attacks, Internet of Things, and HomeKit Security
Last Friday we all learned first hand what happens when hackers decide to target DNS hosts with a distributed Denial of Service attack. Dave Hamilton and The Maccast’s Adam Christianson join Jeff Gamet to look at Friday’s attack and how the Internet of Things played a major role in the incident. They also talk about how HomeKit devices may also be susceptible to hackers.
Apple Releases iOS 10.1 with Portrait Camera for iPhone 7 Plus, Replay iMessage Effects, More
Apple released iOS 10.1 to consumers on Monday. The update includes beta support for Portrait Camera on iPhone 7 Plus, as well as the ability to replay iMessage bubble and full-screen effects. There are also new features for Apple Watch, transit-related features in Maps, and other improvements to camera functionality and the Photos app.
AT&T to Buy Time Warner in $85.4B Deal
AT&T is about to get a lot bigger because the communication company struck a deal to buy Time Warner for about US$85.4 billion. The two companies hope to close the deal by the end of 2017, but are already facing scrutiny over the impact a combined AT&T and Time Warner.
Shimo VPN Client for Mac: $19
We have a deal for you today on Shimo, VPN management software for the Mac. You can manage and connect all of your VPN accounts through Shimo. It supports all the major VPN protocols, and you can establish multiple connections at the same time. It’s $19 through our deal.
How to Fix Apple Watch Contact Syncing Problems
Some people are experiencing problems with Contacts on their Apple Watch, or with initiating phone calls with Siri on your Apple Watch. The problem may be that your Contacts aren’t properly syncing, and Mac Geek Gab listener Bill wrote in (MGG 626) with the skinny on resetting it.
MGG 628: Cool Stuff Found and The DNS Achilles Heel
Cool Stuff Found includes how to keep Safari from opening iTunes automatically, a new USB circuit tester, bluetooth stereo speaker, a better way to backup your iPhone and more. Then it’s on to your questions, including a segment on managing your iPhone from the new Console app in macOS Sierra. Plus, your two favorite geeks talk through this week’s DNS outage and how they got around it. Download today and enjoy!
Apple Pay Used to Buy $1M Aston Martin DB5 Luxury Car
Turns out you can buy more than groceries and iPhone accessories with Apple Pay—like a crazy expensive car, for example. British car auctioneer Coys of Kensington just sold a 1964 Aston Martin DB5 for £825,000, which is a little over US$1 million. That’s the single largest Apple Pay transaction to date.
Perpetrator of Friday's Internet Outage Comes Clean
OMG…gasp…can’t stop…gasp…omg…the laughter…
I SORRY ABOUT DDDoSS THE INTERNAT I KEPT PUSH REFRESH BCAUSE I THOUGT I’M WOULD GET REFRESHMENTS I SORRY DONT WIKILEAK ME
— birdsrightsactivist (@ProBirdRights) October 21, 2016
macOS Sierra: Disable Auto-Logout if Sierra Enabled It
Some people have reported weird rebooting/logging out problems on their Macs after upgrading to macOS Sierra. Mac Geek Gab listener Ken was one of those folks, and he traced it to an auto-logout preference Sierra appears to have changed for him. Fortunately, resetting it is an easy fix. Bryan Chaffin shows you how.
Apple Regent Street Opening Photo Gallery
Keith Burton was at last weekend’s Apple Regent Street opening. He took some great photos—including a shot of Apple retail head Angela Ahrendts—of the event and was kind enough to let us publish them.
Apple and IBM Partnership: Macs, iOS and Watson Are The Glue
IBM and Apple have been partnering with each other for some time now. The action continues with Macs finding great favor within IBM. Also, education initiatives continue. Finally, IBM’s Watson has to be giving Apple some big ideas. This has the signs of becoming one of the most productive partnerships ever, amongst former rivals, in the tech industry.
Teens Steal $13,000 in iPhones from Natick Collection Apple Store
A group of teenagers wearing hoodies and hats stormed the Apple Natick Collection Store, making off with US$13,000 worth of iPhones. The teens spent less than a minute in the store, and the iPhones they stole were attached to security cables.
TMO Daily Observations 2016-10-21: iPhone 7 Fire, Microsoft Surface on the Rise
An iPhone 7 in Australia caught on fire in a car, and now the media is comparing the incident to Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 debacle. John Martellaro and Dave Hamilton join Jeff Gamet to look at what happened, and to sort out whether or not it’s appropriate to compare this iPhone 7 to the Note 7 fires. They also compare Microsoft Surface sales to the current state of the iPad.
iPhone 7 Blamed for Car Fire
An iPhone 7 is being blamed for causing a car fire, and it’s already being compared to Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 burning phone disaster. While it’s possible Apple is about to face a wave of burning iPhones, it’s possible this was an isolated incident, or that the iPhone wasn’t the cause of the fire.
HYFY Pro 1-Year Plan: $25
We have a deal for you today on HYFY Pro, a video screen capture extension for Google Chrome browser. It offers one-click recording that can also capture your microphone, and can then share out your capture Slack, JIRA, HipChat, or a shareable URL. We have a 1-year subscription for $25, 58% off retail. The deal listing has subscriptions for longer terms, too.
King of the Hill Intro in Pixel Art
I’m kind of in love with this video by YouTuber Mauri Helme (via The Next Web). It’s the intro to King of the Hill, a brilliant Mike Judge cartoon that ran for 13 seasons. It was one of the smartest comedies on TV, in my opinion, but Mr. Helme recreated the intro using Pixel Art, including an 8-bit version of the theme song. Enjoy!
Eddy Cue Dampens Expectations for Original Apple TV Programming
Eddy Cue, Apple Senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services, dampened expectations for original TV programming from his company. Speaking at the Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit in San Francisco, Mr. Cue said that Apple was focused on making it easy to access content from everyone.
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I think I’ve all but given up trying to read the Apple TV tea leaves.
Mad Max Available on Mac App Store and Steam
Feral Interactive announced Thursday that Max Max is now available for Mac and Linux. Mad Max is a violent game that puts the player in the title role. Combat centers around cars, with players chasing upgrades to make their cars better, faster, stronger. Gameplay doesn’t technically follow the 2015 movie Mad Max: Fury Road, but it was inspired by the look and feel of that movie. It’s US$29.99 and available now on the Mac App Store and on Steam.
Satechi Slim Rechargeable Aluminum Bluetooth Keypads
Apple seems resolute in its desire to keep us from having an Apple wireless keypad with our Apple wireless keyboards, but Satechi has a device for that. The company introduced the Satechi Slim Rechargeable Aluminum Bluetooth Keypad in Gold, Silver, and Space Gray on Thursday. They look pretty spiffy to me, and the battery lasts up to 2 weeks on a charge time of 1-2 hours. They’re priced at US$39.99 and are available now.
