Senior Correspondent Arnold Woodworth's Weekly Web Wrap-up

 

Here's a complete look at everything you get with Apple Music

http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-music-walkthrough-2015-6

 

 

 

How to turn off the worst feature in Apple Music

http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-remove-apple-music-connect-2015-7

 

 

 

It took me about 30 seconds of playing around with the service to realize why I'm switching from Spotify to Apple Music.

http://www.businessinsider.com/why-im-switching-from-spotify-to-apple-music-2015-7

 

 

 

Apple will replace your battery once it hits 80 percent health

 

Apple's recently changed the terms of its AppleCare+ extended warranty program. Now, no matter what iOS or OSX device you own (yes, even the Watch), Apple will replace the battery as soon as it hits 80 percent health.

 

The policy kicks in immediately for devices purchased after April 10th of this year.

 

http://www.engadget.com/2015/06/30/apple-will-replace-your-battery-once-it-hits-80-percent-health/

 

 

 

Apple Watch demand is looking worse than expected

Even if the watch is a flop, it doesn't matter. The iPhone is killing it for Apple, and that's how the company makes money. Any sales of the watch are a nice bonus.

It's possible the watch just isn't going to be a major product, at least not right away. It may take years of refinement before it really breaks out.

 

http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-watch-demand-is-looking-worse-than-expected-2015-7

 

 

 

Don't buy a Mac at an Apple store.

 

You could get a better deal at any other authorized store.

 

On any given Mac laptop or desktop computer, you’ll always find the highest price at the Apple Store.

 

You’ll always find a better deal by getting online and checking out the alternatives in the form of Apple Authorized Resellers and Apple's own special pricing departments.

 

http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Saving-Money/2015/0702/Don-t-buy-a-Mac-at-an-Apple-store.-Here-s-why

 

 

 

I hate iTunes. And I think Apple does, too

 

To figure out where this once-stellar program went so terribly wrong, you have to look at how it got to where it is today.

 

With iTunes 4, millions of people were suddenly granted instantaneous access to digital downloads on demand.

 

Movies, television shows, and music videos arrived for sale with iTunes 6 in 2005.

 

as Apple pushed out new generations and models of iPods, iTunes also became a device manager

 

So in just a few generations, iTunes went from being a svelte piece of software to an octopus of an application

 

http://qz.com/441111/i-hate-itunes-and-i-think-apple-does-too/

 

 

 

Mac-to-iPhone Handoff Question and Answer

 

Apple’s Continuity feature allows Macs and iOS devices to share certain tasks. However, all participating hardware needs to be set up properly for it to work.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/02/technology/personaltech/a-mac-to-iphone-handoff.html

 

 

 

Amazon May Pay Self-Published Authors no more than $0.006 for Each Page a Customer Reads

 

Amazon took a page out of Spotify's playbook, electing to start paying its self-published authors by the page rather than per download.

 

Update: An Amazon spokesperson told Fast Company that since the new payment plan only applies to subscription platforms, it does not impact the sale of purchased books.  He said:

"KDP author participation in this program is optional, and only applies to books borrowed through our subscriptions. It does not affect sales."

 

http://www.fastcompany.com/3048174/fast-feed/amazon-may-pay-self-published-authors-no-more-than-0006-per-page-read

 

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jul/02/amazon-pay-self-published-authors-per-page-read-kindle

 

 

 

It has the potential to disrupt the financial services industry, advocates say. 

It could ensure transparent and fair elections in the developing world. 

It could even help certain Central American countries, where reliable records are rare, track things like land ownership. 

What is this technology?

It's called the blockchain, and it's the digital ledger that forms the backbone of bitcoin.

Some enthusiasts envision a world in which versions of the blockchain - or some other blockchain-inspired protocol, but built on a unique foundation - will become the universal protocol that underpins our entire financial system.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-technology-behind-bitcoin-is-being-used-in-surprising-ways-2015-07-01

 

 

 

Someone is breaking into underground vaults in California to sever major internet cables

The FBI doesn’t know who or why.  Yet.

http://www.businessinsider.com/california-internet-cables-in-underground-vault-cut-in-attack-2015-7

David Cameron is going to try and ban encryption in Britain

Security experts warn that any attempt to weaken encryption or introduce “back doors” for the authorities can have unintended and dangerous consequences. There’s no back door that can only be used by the good guys, they argue, and weakening the tech will put consumers at risk from criminals and hackers.

 

Apple and Facebook are highly unlikely to agree to any demand from Cameron's government to weaken their encryption product, in part because it would create an extremely dangerous precedent. If Apple provides back doors in its software for Britain, then why not China, or Russia, or Saudi Arabia?

 

On a purely technical level, it's difficult to imagine how such a ban could ever be implemented.  The "great firewall of China" was built at enormous expense to the country, but activists are still able to circumvent it.

http://www.businessinsider.com/david-cameron-encryption-back-doors-iphone-whatsapp-2015-7