Senior Correspondent Arnold Woodworth's Weekly Web Wrap-up for October 11 2015

Apple is actively blocking Chinese access to the News app shipped as part of iOS 9

Without official comment Apple's motives remain unknown, though it is speculated that strict Chinese laws dictating Internet content censorship are to blame.

http://appleinsider.com/articles/15/10/10/apple-disables-ios-news-app-in-china-amid-censorship-concerns



Apple has allegedly turned off Apple News for anyone in China. You can open up the app, but Apple News says: "News isn't supported in your current region".

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2492924,00.asp



The situation puts Apple, which has branded itself as a progressive corporation that champions human rights and innovation, in a tricky position as it looks for growth in the world’s largest internet market, but one in which strict censorship rules exist.

http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-disabled-the-apple-news-app-in-china-2015-10



We pitted the iPhone 6S camera against Samsung's Galaxy Note 5, and there was a clear winner

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-cameras-on-the-new-iphones-set-a-new-standard-for-smartphone-photography-2015-9



Apple quietly made the iPhone 6s a lot more water resistant

Apple added a gasket around the new iPhones' frame, as well as silicone seals around important components, according to iFixit.

Apple's waterproofing measures for the new iPhones were never designed for extended water submersion or swimming. But the measures do help with some real-life situations where your iPhone could become damaged from water-based accidents, like dropping in toilets.

http://www.businessinsider.com/apples-new-iphones-are-surprisingly-resistant-to-water-2015-9



Apple Pencil, the company let animators at Walt Disney's Feature Animation studio take its upcoming tablet for a spin. Interestingly, the artists commented that the device's screen surface has "tooth," or textured roughness, to augment drawing feel.

Overall, Disney's animators seemed impressed with what Apple accomplished in iPad Pro, especially paired with Apple Pencil.

http://appleinsider.com/articles/15/10/06/disney-animators-test-apples-ipad-pro-reveal-screen-has-roughed-surface-for-drawing



Apple has a new, easier-to-use “two factor" system to protect your login if you’re running the latest major OS release and the latest iTunes on every device connected to the same iCloud account.

The new two-factor authentication (2FA) system requires that whenever you log in to a new device or browser, you have to enter not just your password but a confirmation code from another piece of equipment you’ve established is under your control. A second factor prevents someone from stealing or guessing your password and gaining access to your account.

http://www.macworld.com/article/2988668/security/apple-s-new-two-factor-authentication-bumps-up-security-and-ease-of-use.html



Apple iPhone 6S and 6S Plus specs fully revealed

http://www.technologynewsextra.com/apple-iphone-6s-6s-specs-fully-revealed/1831.html



Apple shoots down ‘Chipgate’ claims that its new iPhones have huge differences in battery life

http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-responds-to-chipgate-controversy-over-a9-chips-battery-life-2015-10?r=UK&IR=T



New York Court Orders Apple to Unlock their Security on an iPhone (& Judge Defers Ruling in Surprising Twist)

Apple was issued an order by the New York Eastern District Court, Brooklyn Office, to disable the security of a device (likely an iPhone) in New York.

Later, the court deferred the ruling to seek more information from Apple Inc. about technical feasibility and burden.

U.S. Magistrate James Orenstein said in his ruling that "Congress has done nothing that would remotely suggest an intent to force Apple, in the circumstances of this case, to provide the assistance the government now requests. Several of its members have introduced legislation to prohibit exactly what the government now asks the court to compel.”

President Obama has at the moment decided to not legislate a forced back door solution on tech companies regarding the issue of encryption for now. He's still hopeful that the two sides on this issue will be able to find a common ground solution.

http://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2015/10/new-york-court-orders-apple-to-unlock-their-security-on-an-iphone.html



Andrew Crocker, a lawyer with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said he believed that Orenstein was the first judge to question the government's legal authority under the so-called "All Writs Act" to compel Apple to unlock a phone.

http://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/federal-jurist-won-t-force-apple-to-disable-security-on-device-seized-by-u-s-1.10943147



An interesting analysis of how Apple’s new iPhone Upgrade Program will affect Apple’s future profits

The plan effectively helps to shorten the upgrade cycle for the iPhone, encouraging customers to upgrade every year, rather than the current estimated 2+ year cycle, while up-selling the high-margin AppleCare+ service plan.

After every 12 months, customers will be eligible to trade in for a new iPhone, as long as they extend their agreements for another 24 months.

Apple would be building a pool of customers who upgrade more frequently compared to its broader user base.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2015/10/08/how-the-iphone-upgrade-program-impacts-apples-financials/



7 social media apps your kids are probably using
And 4 apps you can use to make sure they stay safe.

You probably already know about Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. But what about Tinder? Or Whisper?

Beyond the usual safety precautions of not giving out personal info to strangers, kids need to be reminded that what happens online, stays online — forever. There is no such thing as a disappearing message or a permanently deleted picture.

http://www.mnn.com/green-tech/gadgets-electronics/blogs/7-social-media-apps-your-kids-are-probably-using



Google says mobile searches now surpass those on PCs

“This summer, world-wide Google searches on mobile devices surpassed those on personal computers for the first time” said Amit Singhal, head of search at Google parent Alphabet Inc.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/google-says-mobile-searches-now-surpass-those-on-pcs-2015-10-08



Australian engineers say they have cleared the final hurdle for making a silicon quantum computer, a new device that in terms of power, blows away existing computers.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/business/breaking-news/unsw-in-quantum-computing-breakthrough/story-fnn9c0hb-1227558494455



Why we're better off with fewer [facebook] friends

we have gained the powers to build relationships with people all over the world, and to maintain those relationships with hardly any contact. We never need to lose touch with anyone, ever again, as our Facebook friends and Twitter followers grow by the day.

Surely more friends equals more happiness?  Not true.  The growth in the number of our friends has actually been accompanied with an increase in social isolation, as Sherry Turkle describes. We are more connected, yet more alone.

http://qz.com/515255/why-were-better-off-with-fewer-friends/



How I found an amazing apartment near San Francisco with only my phone - and without using Craigslist

http://www.businessinsider.com/3-apps-to-find-apartment-in-sf-2015-10



The paranoid's guide to the Internet: 13 easy ways to make sure you're not hacked or tracked

http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-avoid-being-tracked-online-2015-9