Senior Correspondent Arnold Woodworth's Weekly Web Wrap-up for Sunday, June 5, 2016

It's back! Apple has re-released iOS 9.3.2 into the wild for iPad Pro owners.

Ideally, this iteration of the update won't brick your tablet when you install it.

http://www.pcmag.com/news/344985/apple-tries-again-with-ios-9-3-2



How to stop your iPhone from annoyingly texting ‘ducking'

http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-stop-iphone-ducking-autocorrect-2016-5



Apple Watch Diary

of the eight different ways in which you can use the Apple Watch, I’m only using a subset of them.

This article lists the eight ways and how much the author uses each of them.  The reason he doesn’t use some of the ways is they are too slow.

http://9to5mac.com/2016/06/02/apple-watch-diary-native-apps/



Find your iPhone's IMEI number: How to find your phone's unique identity number, since Apple stopped printing it on the back of the iPhone 6s. Plus: What is an IMEI?

Every iPhone has a unique identifier code, known as an IMEI number. The letters IMEI stand for International Mobile Station Equipment Identity, and the number is used to identify each mobile phone.

in this article we show the 6 simplest and most useful ways of finding your iPhone's IMEI. You'll only need one, of course, so pick the method that's easiest for you.

http://www.macworld.co.uk/how-to/iphone/how-find-iphone-imei-number-3534703/



How Apple lost its way: Steve Jobs’ love of simplicity is gone

Four years ago, I wrote a book about Apple and the power of simplicity … when Apple’s stellar growth was rooted in Steve’s love of simplicity.

But that was four years ago.

Though Apple’s customers remain fiercely loyal, the natives are getting restless.

Now is a good time to put emotions aside and take a cold, hard look at Apple’s current “state of simplicity”.

the flaws and complexities now seem to be creeping into the products more frequently.

it’s hard to ignore the fact that Apple is struggling to present a simple image to its customers.

Despite its current challenges – and its lapses – I don’t see any other technology creating a simple experience as well as Apple.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jun/02/ken-segall-apple-steve-jobs-simplicity



The entire history of iPhone vs. Android summed up in two charts

The cool thing about these charts is that they cut away all the tactical day-to-day stuff like new models, screen sizes, color options and the like, and just distill the large-scale movements.

http://www.theverge.com/2016/6/1/11836816/iphone-vs-android-history-charts



The iPhone’s Biggest Threat Isn’t Android—It’s Amazon’s Echo

So says venture capitalist Mary Meeker.

Sales of the iPhone have been slowing, and according to Meeker’s projections, they’ll go into decline by the end of 2016. Right as this is happening, sales of the Amazon Echo are starting to take off.

http://www.wired.com/2016/06/mary-meeker-apple-iphone-vs-amazon-echo/



Internet Growth Is Flat. Phone Sales Are Meh. Hello, 2016

According to Mary Meeker’s much-hailed annual Internet Trends report.

It’s no wonder the global smartphone market is now flat: everyone who wants a smartphone probably already has one.

http://www.wired.com/2016/06/mary-meeker-internet-trends-report-2016/



Mary Meeker's stunning annual presentation on the state of the web

It’s her slide show.

http://www.businessinsider.com/mary-meeker-2016-state-of-the-web-presentation-2016-6



Computer Vision Syndrome Affects Millions

Dr. Reitano has a condition called computer vision syndrome. She is hardly alone. It can affect anyone who spends three or more hours a day in front of computer monitors.

the most common computer-related complaint involves the eyes, which can develop blurred or double vision as well as burning, itching, dryness and redness.

While prevention is most important, if you already have symptoms of computer vision syndrome, there are ways to reduce or eliminate them. Ophthalmologists suggest adhering to the “20-20-20” rule: Every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break and look at something 20 feet away.

Consciously blink as often as possible to keep eye surfaces well lubricated. To further counter dryness, redness and painful irritation, use lubricating eye drops several times a day. My ophthalmologist recommends products free of preservatives sold in single-use dispensers.

You can also reduce the risk of dry eyes by keeping air from blowing in your face and by using a humidifier to add moisture to the air in the room.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/05/30/computer-vision-syndrome-affects-millions/?em_pos=small&emc=edit_ct_20160602&nl=technology&nl_art=1&nlid=11893479&ref=headline&te=1&_r=0



How to save your vision if you stare at screens all day

http://www.techinsider.io/do-computer-screens-hurt-your-eyes-2016-6



Video:
Two sites you should check before buying anything on Amazon

CamelCamelCamel.com and FakeSpot.com

http://www.businessinsider.com/check-these-sites-before-buying-on-amazon-2016-6



Apartment building to tenants: ‘Like’ us on Facebook or be in breach of your lease

“This is one of the most absurd requirements I have EVER heard,” one Facebook user wrote

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/apartment-building-to-tenants-like-us-on-facebook-or-be-in-breach-of-your-lease-2016-05-31



How robots will kill Warren Buffett’s cash cow

Self driving cars will vastly reduce Geico’s insurance revenues.

Five insurers — State Farm, Geico, Allstate, Progressive, and USAA — hold about 53% of the market share for personal auto insurance and account for more than $101 billion in premiums a year, according to SNL Financial LC. 

If self-driving technologies radically reduce the number and severity of auto accidents on the road, analysts say, demand for traditional auto insurance will plummet — and rising product liability insurance revenue won’t cover the difference.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/why-robots-may-pay-less-for-car-insurance-than-you-will-2016-06-01



The auto industry will change more in next five years than prior 50, says GM’s president

The president of one of the oldest car manufacturers in the U.S. doesn’t think you’ll be driving its cars in the near future. That’s because they’ll be driving you.

the shift in consumer behavior from car ownership to ride sharing will drive the development of self-driving cars and electric vehicles

consumers will gradually turn to ride-sharing and ride-hailing services.

Companies like Uber and Lyft continue to grow their user bases, which makes them ideal platforms to introduce self-driving technology.

Driverless technology should be fundamentally safer than human drivers given the very high percentage of car accidents that are caused by human error.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/why-gms-president-says-you-wont-be-driving-its-cars-2016-06-01



Three’s ad-blocking initiative could kill the internet

We've known since February that the UK wireless carrier Three has had plans to block advertising on mobile devices. Today the company outlined their strategy by announcing that they would offer 500,000 of their customers the opportunity to opt-in to a test of this service, which will happen sometime next month.

With Three's feature, they are removing the "burden" of the advertising data from their customers. Since this is the sole means of revenue for many websites, this means that the website's operators must shoulder the cost of every one of Three's customers that visit their site. Every one of Three's customers that opts-in to this program will be costing website owners money, every time they browse the web.

Site owners must pay for the bandwidth that you use to browse their sites, and if you've blocked their only source of income (advertisements), they're losing money every time you click on a page.

What if ad-blocking becomes a trend?

Suddenly, tens of millions of people who didn't even know what an ad-blocker was are browsing the internet without seeing any ads. Websites could see more than half of their visitors bringing in zero revenue from advertisements.

Big social media sites might be able to survive, and maybe a few other really big ones could bribe the ISPs to have their websites whitelisted. However, every independent website would close up shop.

As for finding a new business model, there are really three options. The current industry model is to provide free content to anyone who wants it, in exchange for placing advertisements on your site.

The second business model is to charge for access to content. This is widely-regarded as a poor practice. If every website moved to this, then it would also kill most of them.

The third model is asking for donations. This can work for some websites with very loyal followings, but again, most people visiting a website aren't going to pay for it. If lots of websites moved to this model, they would also perish, because too many websites would be looking for handouts, and not enough people would be able to contribute.

I'm not currently aware of any other method to bring in money that is applicable to most sites.

http://www.slashgear.com/threes-ad-blocking-initiative-could-kill-the-internet-27441972/



FBI raids home of researcher who reported unsecured patient data on a public server

What does a security researcher get for responsibly disclosing a dental database vulnerability that is exposing the sensitive information of tens of thousands of patients? Not a bug bounty monetary reward. Not even a “thank you” from the company. He gets raided by a least a dozen armed FBI agents and may be charged under Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA).

http://www.networkworld.com/article/3076146/security/fbi-raids-home-of-researcher-who-reported-unsecured-patient-data-on-public-server.html



The shocking truth of how you'll be tracked online and why

Online tracking used to be all about getting you to buy stuff but in the future, it's going to be far more insidious and new tracking techniques, such as audio fingerprinting, are the tip of the tracking iceberg.

You can find an excellent example of how much data can be gathered by both active and passive fingerprinting on the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Panopticlick site.

http://www.networkworld.com/article/3076215/security/the-shocking-truth-of-how-youll-be-tracked-online-and-why.html

https://panopticlick.eff.org/results?&t=111&a=111&dnt=111