The MacValley blog
Welcome to the MacValley blog, your first stop for all the latest MacValley news and views.
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The MacValley blog Editor: Tom Briant
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Saturday, October 28, 2017
Senior Correspondent Arnold Woodworth's Weekly Web Wrap-up for Wednesday, 10-25-2017
Check this web page for a daily list of free iOS apps.
A Bloomberg report made claims that Apple had reduced its requirements from suppliers on the accuracy level of Face ID. Apple has issued a statement stating that the report is “completely false” and that it expects Face ID to be the new gold standard of facial authentication.
Face ID uses a 3D camera array built out of a variety of technologies Apple has acquired since 2013 or so and miniaturized for use in the iPhone X.
Apple is calling into contention an earlier report from Bloomberg that claimed the company had lowered the accuracy of the face recognition in order to increase iPhone X production yields, calling the report “completely false” in a statement to The Verge.
The full statement from Apple elaborates that 1,000,000:1 accuracy it had originally announced is still valid. Depending on how you want to read the statement, it is possible that Bloomberg’s original report — which said that Apple had lowered quality specifications to allow components to be produced faster — is also correct, and that Apple is using careful wording here when referring to the “accuracy” of the sensor, which could remain the same, even if overall part quality control was reduced.
https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2017/10/25/16545764/apple-face-id-quality-change-report-bloomberg-false-accuracy
The full statement from Apple elaborates that 1,000,000:1 accuracy it had originally announced is still valid. Depending on how you want to read the statement, it is possible that Bloomberg’s original report — which said that Apple had lowered quality specifications to allow components to be produced faster — is also correct, and that Apple is using careful wording here when referring to the “accuracy” of the sensor, which could remain the same, even if overall part quality control was reduced.
https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2017/10/25/16545764/apple-face-id-quality-change-report-bloomberg-false-accuracy
Apple calls report of reduced iPhone X Face ID specs “completely false”
The Bloomberg report does not specify how Apple may have reduced the specifications for Face ID or whether the alleged reduction would have any tangible effect for consumers. Apple said that Face ID’s accuracy was 1,000,000:1 when it unveiled the iPhone X in September, well above the one-in-50,000 chance that a user could unlock someone else’s iPhone using the company’s Touch ID fingerprint sensor.
Best Buy has dropped the price of aluminum versions of the Apple Watch Series 2 down by another $40, resulting in 38mm models priced at just $230 and 42mm models at $260.
AW comment:
Clearance sale now that Series 3 is in stores.
The best deals on Apple products and accessories
Meet The Woman Who Wants To Change The Way You Buy Your iPhone: Apple’s retail chief Angela Ahrendts
She is now Apple’s highest-ranking woman, in charge of about 50% of the company’s workforce.
Like other high-ranking Apple executives, Ahrendts often shows up at retail stores unannounced.
Three years ago, Apple spent more than $73 million, mostly in stock, to convince Ahrendts to leave London, where she was CEO of the luxury fashion company Burberry, and move to Silicon Valley to head Apple’s online and physical retail presence.
Retail is central to Apple’s strategy: Apple Stores have greater sales per square foot than any other retailer in the world, including jewelry stores and car dealerships. In 2017, each square foot of Apple Store real estate translated to $5,546 in annual sales.
Retail is central to Apple’s strategy: Apple Stores have greater sales per square foot than any other retailer in the world, including jewelry stores and car dealerships. In 2017, each square foot of Apple Store real estate translated to $5,546 in annual sales.
Cook’s Half-Baked Defense of the Mac Mini: This Kit Is Not a Leftover
It has been three years since Apple released a major update to the Mac Mini family. However, Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, says that it does not mean that the minimalist systems are dead.
The Mac Mini, along with the Mac Pro, have not had any major overhaul in years, leading to speculations that Apple had likely given up on those lines in favor of its more profitable and better-selling MacBook laptop and iMac desktops lineup.
16 Years Today, Apple Unveiled the Original iPod
An interesting bit of history.
Three years after it launched, Apple Pay is finally starting to gain traction with retailers
There are signs that Apple Pay, which allows users to store their credit cards in their iPhones and to buy things in stores by tapping their devices on compatible payment card readers, is finally starting to catch on. When people do make mobile payments, they're almost always using Apple Pay, according to Apple. Meanwhile one of the big problems that's slowed adoption — the large number of retailers that don't accept mobile payments — is starting to be solved.
Video:
This 'crazy, irrational decision' Apple made 20 years ago turned out to be the key to its outrageous success over Samsung
Starting a chain of Apple Stores. That decision created more value for Apple (and their stockholders) than any other.
The Apple Store experience is vastly superior to the retail experience for other smart-phones found at various phone retailers (ATT, Verizon, Sprint, etc.)
What’s In Your Bag, Dieter Bohn?
My travel bag holds:
MacBook
iPad Pro
iPhone 6S
Google Pixel
Extra battery — Anker Powercore 13000
Digital Camera — Sony RX100 IV
Portable Game Console — Nintendo Switch
AW Comment:
That’s a lot more electronic stuff than I ever carry around.
How to get better Apple Watch battery life
Here are 21 tips for making your Apple Watch last longer between charges.
Users continue to experience sluggishness, battery life problems in iOS 11 after multiple updates
Users across nearly all generations of iPhones, including the iPhone 7 family from 2016 are reporting issues stemming from the update. The iPhone 8 is seemingly not impacted by issues in iOS 11.
iOS 11 appears to be to blame, and will likely be rectified in future updates to iOS.
Apple iOS 11.1 Release on 2017-10-25, It's A Big One
Apple has launched a new iOS 11.1 update which tackles by far the biggest problem facing iOS 11 upgraders today: battery life.
However, this update is currently available only to “Beta Testers”, and not yet to most iPhone and iPad users.
So when can we expect an iOS 11.1 official release?
All signs point to late October/early November to align with the release of the controversial iPhone X.
All signs point to late October/early November to align with the release of the controversial iPhone X.
Popular YouTuber iDeviceHelp was first to spot dramatic battery improvements in iOS 11.1. His video shows an iPhone 6S Plus, iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 8 Plus each gain up to three hours of additional screen-on time compared to when they were running iOS 11.0.3. This goes a long way to correcting the circa 60% drop many iPhones suffered after upgrading to iOS 11.
The One App Runners With An Apple Watch Should Download: iSmoothRun
It’s still not as complete an experience as you’ll get with a dedicated running watch, but iSmoothRun is as close as you’ll get while also having all the smartwatch features offered by the Apple Watch.
iOS 11: New iPhone Calculator App Adds Animations That Make Simple Addition Go Wrong
General Electric (GE) goes with Apple
Macs, iOS cheaper in long run – that means trouble for MS-Windows
GE quietly let slip that it is standardising on iPhones and iPadsand will let any GE employee who wants a Mac have one, instead of a Windows PC.
GE follows the lead of IBM, which has supplied 100,000 staff with Macs, and has been touting the lower cost of Macs in the enterprise as a result. IBM claimed last year that 40 per cent of Windows users called the IT help desk, compared to 5 per cent of Mac users - a shocking figure. A deployment of 90,000 required only five admins.
Apple’s iOS 11 operating system doesn’t do a great deal for the iPhone, but it transforms the iPad into a viable computer.
Here’s a discussion about the above article:
Walmart plans to deploy 100,000 Macs to save on employee PC costs
IBM noted that PC users drive twice the number of support calls compared to Mac users, and that PC support tickets require desk side support by IT personnel five times as often. The company's own analysis showed that each Mac deployed saves the company $270 in support costs compared to a Windows PC.
Delta Airlines allegedly switching flight crew hardware from Microsoft Surface to Apple iPad in early 2018
Airline Delta is allegedly in the process of switching its staff from Windows-based devices to iOS, with flight attendants set to replace Nokia handsets with the iPhone 7 Plus in early 2018, while pilots will apparently see their Microsoft Surface tablets exchanged for the 10.5-inch iPad Pro.
Delta Air Lines Says Goodbye to Microsoft Surface, Hello to Apple iPhone and iPad
Delta Air Lines will provide nearly 30,000 flight crew members with Apple iPads and iPhones, reversing course from a high-profile deal announced four years ago that armed flight crews with Microsoft hardware.
For the pilots, an iPad Pro will replace Surface tablets that were used as an “electronic flight bag,” which replaced paper maps, charts, and other documents that pilots typically carry.
Best ad blocker for iPhone and iPad
iOS 11 enhances the ad blocking experience even further, providing the ability to block trackers that watch what we do online and target ads at us based on that information.
The catch? It’s not enabled by default. You’ll need to download one of the hundreds of ad blockers now available on the App Store.
The catch? It’s not enabled by default. You’ll need to download one of the hundreds of ad blockers now available on the App Store.
This article discusses the author’s five favorite ad blocker apps.
iPad Pro and Pencil Review — Hands Down the Best Tablet Computer Around
The iPad Pro will shine is in the creative artist space. Not only do the upgrades provide a much smoother experience for designers, there’s a lot there for creatives of other mediums such as musicians.
Pencil is a brilliant device, and definitely worth the investment alongside the iPad Pro units.
Here’s what a professional photographer did after he went shopping for a “professional” level Mac and was disappointed by Apple offerings:
He custom built his own Windows computer.
He decided to leave Apple and for the first time in his life and built a PC. Not just any PC, “his” PC.
Apple iMac (2017) review
The 2017 iMac is a fine update to Apple’s desktop computing platform, but suffers from a few nagging design quirks, as well as its own place amid rapidly-evolving desktop design trends. Still, for Mac fans in need of an upgrade, the 21.5-inch model presents surprisingly impressive value.
Despite a few bugbears and an arguably dated design, the average Mac fan (or would-be fan) will find plenty to love about yet another iconic Apple computer.
The best cell-phone carrier deals for saving money on the iPhone X
We've rounded together the top carrier offers for the iPhone X below and what you need to know about each deal.
Everything you need to know about buying the iPhone X through Apple's iPhone upgrade program
Apple's iPhone upgrade program is a 24-month installment loan with 0% interest. It includes AppleCare and breaks down the cost of both the phone and the insurance plan into 24 equal payments. Sales tax is due up front, no matter how you buy it.
After at least six months and 12 payments, you can trade in your phone and upgrade to a newer model. But you don't have to. Once you make all 24 payments, the phone is yours to keep.
After at least six months and 12 payments, you can trade in your phone and upgrade to a newer model. But you don't have to. Once you make all 24 payments, the phone is yours to keep.
This article explains, in detail, how Apple's iPhone upgrade program works.
How to fix problems with iOS 11 on your iPhone or iPad
For some, iOS 11 has proven to be problematic —but not for everyone, and not on every device. Here are a few things to try to (hopefully) clean up some issues before Apple issues a fix in software.
A new Reddit client has launched today for iPhone and iPad that has been built specifically with iOS in mind. Apollo is a full featured Reddit client with 3D Touch support, customizable gestures, a fast Jump Bar, and much more.
Apollo is a free universal iOS app for iPhone and iPad with no ads. There is also a Pro version for $2.99 which unlocks submitting posts, automatic dark mode, customizing gestures, customizing the app icon, and more.
Faceoff: Siri vs. Cortana vs. Google Assistant vs. Alexa
Bottom line:
None of the AI assistants are perfect; this is young technology, and it has a long way to go. There were some questions that none of the virtual assistants on my list could answer.
None of the AI assistants are perfect; this is young technology, and it has a long way to go. There were some questions that none of the virtual assistants on my list could answer.
Judging purely on out-of-the-box functionality, I would choose either Siri or Google Assistant, and I would make the final choice based on hardware preferences. None of the assistants are good enough to go out of your way to adopt. Choose between Siri and Google Assistant based on convenience and what hardware you already have.
Google Pixelbook first impressions: Sleek, powerful, but that OS…
The hardware sure left me impressed. But the OS gives the impression that there’s quite a bit of work that could go into it for a better experience. In its current form, I’m definitely not trading in my Windows laptop or Macbook Air for a Pixelbook.
Chrome OS still doesn’t come across as a complete product.
While the Pixelbook supports gestures on the trackpad, the response is nowhere close to what a Macbook offers.
How to use and train Apple's Siri for Messages, Calendar, and iTunes Music on your iPhone
There are a lot of people trying out Apple's voice recognition technology every day —and getting upset that it's not exactly like a Star Trek computer. Siri does need training to be as good as it can, and to assist in that endeavor, there are a series of phrases and query construction tips to get started with.
If you're planning on using Siri a lot, speak to it normally, in your regular cadence. Your patience will be rewarded by more accurate interpretation the more you use it.
Lots more on how to get Siri working in this article.
Video:
How to Get Siri to Pronounce Your Friends' Names Right
Siri really sucks at pronouncing uncommon names. Thankfully, there’s a solution if you’re tired of hearing Siri mispronounce the same names over and over.
Play the video to learn how to fix it.
Steve Wozniak Says He Won't Buy the iPhone X on Day One: 'I'd Rather Wait and Watch That One’
The iPhone X is going to be the first iPhone I didn’t—on day one—upgrade to,” he said. “But my wife will, so I’ll be close enough to see it.”
iOS apps can turn on your camera any time without warning
A top iOS security researcher has uncovered yet another privacy loophole in Apple's mobile firmware.
Felix Krause, founder of Fastlane.Tools, said the way Apple's software handles camera access and recording is leaving many fans vulnerable to being spied on by apps on their gadgets without any notification or warning.
Krause explained today that because Apple only requires the user to enable camera access one time and then gives free rein without requiring a camera light or notification, a malicious application could go far beyond its intended level of access.
Felix Krause, founder of Fastlane.Tools, said the way Apple's software handles camera access and recording is leaving many fans vulnerable to being spied on by apps on their gadgets without any notification or warning.
Krause explained today that because Apple only requires the user to enable camera access one time and then gives free rein without requiring a camera light or notification, a malicious application could go far beyond its intended level of access.
With Camera Permission, iPhone Apps Can Take Pictures And Videos Without You Noticing
This is not a bug, but keep it in mind when a random app asks you for permission to access your camera.
This is not a bug, but keep it in mind when a random app asks you for permission to access your camera.
The author of this article says Apple stock is still a great investment.
He wrote:
Apple is no longer a device-driven company. Instead, it’s the ecosphere that’ll fuel another trillion dollars in growth as it pivots into a new business model most investors don’t yet understand, let alone recognize.
https://totalwealthresearch.com/2017/10/the-beginning-of-a-correction-or-another-buying-opportunity/
Creep signs plea deal for celebrity nudes hack
A third creep has pleaded guilty to phishing passwords for people’s Apple iCloud and Gmail accounts and then ransacking them for nude photos in the 2014 Celebgate photo thefts.
OOPS!!!! 1 + 2 + 3 does NOT necessarily equal 6, according the this app.
To make sure that the iPhone's numbers are right, the best thing is to wait until the animation has faded and press the button again, while at the same time making sure the number has appeared in the read-out at the top. (There are also other calculator apps, like PCalc, available in the App Store.)
Third person linked to 2014 iCloud hack that exposed explicit images of dozens of celebrities
Emilio Herrera signed a plea agreement and will plead guilty to a felony violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Herrera will face 5 years in federal prison at most.
It’s believed that he participated in a phishing scam to obtain iCloud and Gmail usernames and passwords for the celebrities. Over the course of April 27, 2013 through August 2014, Herrera sent emails to celebrities and other women posing as their Internet service provider. The emails would ask for username and passwords for accounts, which Herrera than used to access the photos in question.
When hundreds of nude photos of celebrities were leaked online in 2014, there was initial speculation that iCloud had been hacked, but following an investigation, Apple determined the celebrity accounts had been compromised by weak passwords. A Find My iPhone vulnerability that allowed multiple password entry attempts may have also been at fault.
Herrera sent email messages resembling legitimate correspondence from internet service providers in a bid to dupe victims into furnishing account usernames and passwords. During the operation, conducted from April 2013 through August 2014, more than 550 people fell for the gambit, allowing the hacker access to their iCloud and Gmail accounts.
In 2014, a cache of nude photos and video belonging to prominent entertainment industry figures circulated through the dark web before wide circulation via file sharing protocols like BitTorrent.
Though Herrera engaged in the phishing scheme, investigators have found no evidence that he shared or uploaded the compromising data, nor has he been linked to the 2014 leak.
All wifi networks' are vulnerable to hacking, security expert discovers
The security protocol used to protect the vast majority of wifi connections has been broken, potentially exposing wireless internet traffic to malicious eavesdroppers and attacks, according to the researcher who discovered the weakness.
Mathy Vanhoef, a security expert at Belgian university KU Leuven, discovered the weakness in the wireless security protocol WPA2, and published details of the flaw.
Mathy Vanhoef, a security expert at Belgian university KU Leuven, discovered the weakness in the wireless security protocol WPA2, and published details of the flaw.
Mac OSX Trojan malware spread via compromised software downloads
Downloads of a popular Mac OSX media player and an accompanying download manager were infected with trojan malware after the developer's servers were hacked.
Elmedia Player by software developer Eltima boasts over one million users, some of whom have may have also unwittingly installed Proton, a Remote Access Trojan which specifically targets Macs for the purposes of spying and theft. Attackers also managed to compromise a second Eltima product - Folx - with the same malware.
Elmedia Player by software developer Eltima boasts over one million users, some of whom have may have also unwittingly installed Proton, a Remote Access Trojan which specifically targets Macs for the purposes of spying and theft. Attackers also managed to compromise a second Eltima product - Folx - with the same malware.
Microchipping Humans: First They Traded Freedom For Security, Now It’s Privacy For Convenience
One technological wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing slipped unobtrusively into Europe as an apparent answer to accessibility in the workplace: RFID chips — grain-of-rice-sized, injectable, memory-packed, protean implants — designed to identify the bearer for use of equipment, purchases, logins, and other operations generally requiring more than the wave of one’s implant.
RFIDs cannot track a human being like a GPS-enabled device — functioning more like an office key card than homing device, microchip implants will only retain the data necessary for its specific duties — but that hasn’t quelled a murmur suspicious that advancements mean tracking is coming soon.
Several politicians across the U.S. have introduced legislation to ban forever mandatory RFID chip implantation.
How Social Media Endangers Knowledge
The idea behind Wikipedia—like all encyclopedias before it—has been to collect the entirety of human knowledge.
That trend toward rationality and enlightenment was endangered long before the advent of the Internet. As Neil Postman noted in his 1985 book Amusing Ourselves to Death, the rise of television introduced not just a new medium but a new discourse: a gradual shift from a typographic culture to a photographic one, which in turn meant a shift from rationality to emotions, exposition to entertainment.
Television reduced many aspects of modern life to entertainment, sensationalism, and commerce.
At first, the Internet seemed to push against this trend.
Social networks, though, have since colonized the web for television’s values. Social networks, though, have since colonized the web for television’s values. From Facebook to Instagram, the medium refocuses our attention on videos and images, rewarding emotional appeals—‘like’ buttons—over rational ones.
Now the challenge is to save Wikipedia and its promise of a free and open collection of all human knowledge amid the conquest of new and old television—how to collect and preserve knowledge when nobody cares to know. Television has even infected Wikipedia itself—today many of the most popular entries tend to revolve around television series or their cast.
Bill Gates and Steve Jobs raised their kids tech-free — and it should've been a red flag
"What is it these wealthy tech executives know about their own products that their consumers don't?" the authors wrote. The answer, according to a growing body of evidence, is the addictive power of digital technology.
Jobs, who was the CEO of Apple until his death in 2012, revealed in a 2011 New York Times interview that he prohibited his kids from using the newly-released iPad. "We limit how much technology our kids use at home," Jobs told reporter Nick Bilton.
In the years since Gates implemented his household policy, the billionaire philanthropist has taken a keen interest in personalized education, an approach that uses electronic devices to help tailor lesson plans for each student.
Technology in these cases is being used as specifically as possible — and in ways Gates recognizes as useful for a student's development, not as entertainment.
http://www.businessinsider.com/screen-time-limits-bill-gates-steve-jobs-red-flag-2017-10
Technology in these cases is being used as specifically as possible — and in ways Gates recognizes as useful for a student's development, not as entertainment.
http://www.businessinsider.com/screen-time-limits-bill-gates-steve-jobs-red-flag-2017-10
Editing Your History on Amazon
The shopping site keeps a record of the products you browse in the hope you’ll return to close the deal, but you can turn off the tracking.
Log into your Amazon account.
Click the “Browsing History” link.
Next, click “Manage History” link.
Find “Turn Browsing History on / off” and click the button.
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