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Tom Briant

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Monday, December 5, 2016

Senior Correspondent Arnold Woodworth's Weekly Web Wrap-up for December 4, 2016

Researchers Break Apple's iPhone and iPad Activation Lock
 
The activation lock in iOS makes it very hard for someone other than the owner to wipe an iPhone or iPad and set it up as a new device. Very hard, but not impossible.
 
Two different bugs have recently been discovered that could allow someone to bypass Apple's activation lock. One impacts devices running iOS 10.1 and another on the most current version of the software, iOS 10.1.1.
 
 
 
 
Video:
A devious new spam trick is targeting iPhone and MacBook users — here's how to stop it
 
 
 
 
Ignore that iPhone Spam
 
Apple said it’s “sorry” about the uptick in junk calendar invites.
 
f you received similar sham promotions on your iPhone, a word of warning: neither “accept,” nor “decline,” nor reply with a namby-pamby “maybe.” Reacting will only alert the senders that you maintain an active account, opening you to future unwanted solicitations. Instead, disregard them. (Or, if the alerts really bother you, read the next article below for a temporary workaround.)
 
 
 
 
How to Delete iCloud Calendar Spam Without Alerting Spammers
 
 
 
 
 
Android and iPhone users do have personality differences
 
iPhone users are nearly twice as likely to be female.
 
Android users, meanwhile, are usually older males who don’t care about their social status or wealth.
 
 
 
 
Apple Warned iPhones Have A Serious Problem
 
The Chinese government has dismissed Apple’s attempts to downplay the situation.
 
Former Apple executive and so-called ‘father of the iPod’ Tony Fadell recently tweeted that his iPhone is shutting off unexpectedly “every other day”.
 
 
 
 
Apple Store workers are getting frustrated with the rampant iPhone battery flaw
 
A serious bug (or two) is causing iPhone batteries to malfunction, and Apple Stores are inundated with customer complaints, employees tell Business Insider.
 
 
 
 
The good news is Apple will now recycle your old Apple Watch for you. The bad news is Apple will not pay you a dime for your old Apple Watch.
 
Other Apple products already part of the Apple Renew Program include Macs, iPhones, and iPads. If you choose to let Apple recycle any of the aforementioned products you’ll receive an Apple Store Gift Card for your trouble. It won’t be anywhere near the value of the product, but it’s a nice gesture to encourage people to recycle their old tech.
 
 
 
 
 
Are smartwatches doomed?
 
We might very well be witnessing the demise of the smartwatch as we know it.

Is Apple Watch really only fit for fitness, or could it still one day fulfill its destiny and become a true wrist-based computing platform?
 
When Tim Cook unveiled the Apple Watch in 2014, it was all about apps.
Two years later, things look very different. Now it’s all about fitness, activity tracking and health. 
This is a massive pivot.
 
Apple Watch was ... a me-too product.
And, perhaps most importantly, Apple hadn’t found any meaningful job for its smartwatch to do.
 
Apple has not given up on smartwatches. Fitness is just a tactical short-term play to keep a toe in the water until the technology is ready to enable a truly game-changing wearable.
 
 
 
 
5 Signs That Smartwatches Are Nearly a Dead Product
 
 
 
 
Apple just addressed the flaw that's been randomly shutting off iPhones with 30% battery
 
Apple is still insisting that the problem is limited to a "small number of iPhone 6S devices" that have specific serial numbers.
 
Apple still believes that the issue is completely hardware, and is not the iOS 10 bug that some users have been reporting recently. 

The fix is still the same: check if your iPhone's serial number is covered, and if it is, then bring it to an authorized dealer, like an Apple Store. 

If you're having random shutdown problems with an unaffected phone, you're still out of luck.
 
 
 
 
7 simple tips for charging your iPhone as fast as possible
 
 
 
 
Fake Apple chargers fail safety tests
 
Investigators have warned consumers they face potentially fatal risks after 99% of fake Apple chargers failed a basic safety test.
 
 
 
 
You should stop using that fake Apple charger
 
The independent UL laboratory ran a series of basic electrical safety tests on fake chargers bought online from stores around the world. The results weren’t good: of the 400 counterfeit Apple chargers purchased, 397 failed a basic safety test conducted by the UL laboratory.
 
 
 
 
Stop using that cheap third party charger with Apple products

A third-party charger for Apple gadgets may be a lot cheaper than the ones hanging off shelves at the Apple Store, but a vast majority of those chargers aren't safe, a new study has concluded.
 
 
 
 
8 reasons why Google's Pixel is better than the iPhone
 
 
 
 
7 tips and tricks for the MacBook Pro's Touch Bar
 
 
 
 
Video:
4 apps to show off the MacBook Pro's Touch Bar
 
 
 
 
Why the MacBook Pro is limited to 16GB of RAM
 
Phil Schiller said:
“To put more than 16GB of fast RAM into a notebook design at this time would require a memory system that consumes much more power and wouldn’t be efficient enough for a notebook. I hope you check out this new generation MacBook Pro, it really is an incredible system.”
 
While this gives a good indication of the reasoning, let’s dig deeper.
 
 
 
 
Apple MacBook - If you own one of these laptops, your Mac could be almost obsolete

Providing the internal memo leaked to MacRumors is legitimate, the following four Macs will be classified as either vintage or obsolete (depending on where they were purchased) in the UK, Europe, United States, Canada, Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region from 2017.

• Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2011)
• Apple MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2011)
• Apple Mac mini (Early 2009)
• Apple MacBook (13-inch, Mid 2009)

http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/science-technology/738264/Apple-MacBook-Obsolete-List-2017
 
 
 
Apple updates Boot Camp audio driver that was causing blown MacBook Pro speakers
 
AppleInsider has confirmed that users who have installed Boot Camp since 1 p.m. Nov. 23 should already have the updated drivers. Older installations may require the user to manually run an Apple software update process from within the Windows installation.

Users who never booted into Windows through Boot Camp are not affected by the problem, nor are users running Parallels or other similar solutions.
 
 
 
 
Some interesting MacBook History

http://www.macworld.com/article/3146141/macs/the-evolution-of-apples-laptops-from-the-powerbook-to-the-macbook-pro.html



It will soon be illegal to punish customers who criticize businesses online
Consumer Review Fairness Act bans customer gag clauses, awaits Obama signature.

The Consumer Review Fairness Act voids any provision in a form contract that prohibits or restricts customers from posting reviews about the goods, services, or conduct of the company providing the product or service. It also voids provisions that impose penalties or fees on customers for posting online reviews as well as those that require customers to give up the intellectual property rights related to such reviews. The legislation empowers the Federal Trade Commission to enforce the new law and impose penalties when necessary.

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/11/congress-passes-law-protecting-right-to-post-negative-online-reviews/

https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/5111

 
 
Video:
An Apple fan just saved you $300 (Apple Book not included)
 
Some made fun of Apple's attempt at self reflection with its debut of the Apple Book, a minimalist photo book showing off the company's product design history. The punch line? The paper book about Apple's often expensive products costs $300.

Despite the $300 price tag for what amounts to a catalog, some Apple fans rushed to snag the book. One in particular (see video below) had the predictable yet brilliant idea of showing off many of the real life products next to the images of the products in the book.
 
 
 
 
 
Apple's ‘Think Different’ ad creator says its new commercial uses ‘oldest trick in advertising book’
 
In addition to his commentary, this article includes two videos:  First, Apple’s original “Think Different” ad.  Second, Apple’s latest MacBook Pro ad.
 
 
 
 
Stephen Hawking: Automation and AI is going to decimate middle class jobs
 

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