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Tom Briant

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Friday, December 2, 2016

Senior Correspondent Arnold Woodworth's Weekly Web Wrap-up for November 30, 2016

Apple iOS 10.1.1 Has Two Nasty Surprises
 
iOS 10.1.1 was fast fix to a serious problem with Apple Health.
But fast fixes often create new problems.
 
Three weeks after the launch of iOS 10.1.1, users are reporting the upgrade has two nasty surprises which are hitting iPhones.
 
 
 
 
Apple Watch Series 2 Nike+ review:
 
The Apple Watch Nike+ Edition isn't all that different from the Apple Watch Series 2.
The difference is the integration with the Nike+ Run Club app.
 
If you go with the Series 2 and start running later, you can still download and use the Nike+ Run Club app. But, you can't get that Siri-to-Nike connection, or those watch faces. If that matters, go for this model. You'll survive without it, though.
 
 
 
 
Apple Watch 2 review
 
The Series 2 is simply what the Series 1 should have been. It has been improved in nearly every way and is finally an all-in-one legitimate fitness tracker with the addition of GPS and water resistance (it should be noted, though, that the new Apple Watch cannot measure elevation, so climbers beware).
 
 
 
 
Read this if you are planning to buy Apple Watch 2 
 
Apple Watch has been more than a fashion accessory, it has actually improved productivity and my social life.
 
If you want to take a plunge into the world of Smartwatches, Apple Watch 2 is the right device. Go for it.
 
 
 
 
Free 'Track it!' app tracks seizures on Apple Watch
 
Nationwide Children's Hospital and SeizureTracker.com are introducing a new wearable app to help track seizures called Track It! – available for the Apple Watch in the Apple Store today.
 
"The benefits of Track It! are not only that patients and parents are able to better track and help their own children but also that they are helping others by participating in a shared database used by researchers studying epilepsy across the globe," said Anup Patel, MD.
 
 
 
 
Apple Watch for Dogs Created
 
 
 
 
Slide Show and Video:
14 things you didn't know your iPhone headphones could do
 
AW comment:  The hardest part will be remembering all these tricks.
 
 
 
 
MacBook Pro Diary: Temporary dongle hell as I migrate from my old machine
 
The process of migrating his stuff from his old MacBook pro to his new one didn’t go as planned.
He was, however, able to work around the difficulties, if in an inefficient manner.
 
 
 
 
Video:
Ask the Buffalo: MacBook Pro with Touch Bar or Surface Book?
 
 
 
 
Is MacBook Pro perfect? No, but it's worth $3,000 to me
 
despite Windows' considerable progress, I still find MacOS better at staying up and running, especially with countless wake-sleep cycles as I open and close the laptop lid. Also, I have yet to find a Windows machine that can match Apple's trackpads, especially three-finger drag, an option I adore.
 
Any laptop without a touch screen is living in the past, according to Brian Hall, corporate vice president of marketing for Microsoft Surface and other devices. Perhaps, but after nearly four years using the Chromebook Pixel, I still find its touch screen nice but not necessary.
 
Given that touch screens penalize cost, complexity and power consumption, I'm willing to side with Apple designer Jony Ive for this round.

I'm reserving judgment on the Touch Bar until I see how well it works with my escape-key muscle memory and with third-party software like Google Chrome and Adobe Systems Lightroom. But my instinct tells me it's not a mere gimmick, and I'm confident controls above the keyboard will be more conveniently accessible than a touch screen.
 
 
 
 
New MacBook Pro users should give Boot Camp the boot for now
 
Boot Camp is Apple’s way for a Macbook to run Microsoft Windows.
 
 
 
 
The Touch Bar MacBook Pro teardown: Nearly impossible to repair

The folks at iFixit have torn down the 13.3-inch, Touch Bar-equipped MacBook Pro, and found out that the device is extremely hard to repair on your own. 
 
 
 
 
Video:
Apple's massive pyramid of dirt has disappeared
 
Apple's new $5 billion campus is almost completed.
But the City of Cupertino, California, announced last month that the project's completion date had been pushed back to the second quarter of 2017.
 
 
 
 
 
Apple is testing more than 10 different prototypes of the iPhone 8
 
 
 
 
The newest Apple TV highlights a worrying trend across all of Apple's products
 
I've owned the fourth-generation Apple TV for over a year now. It's good, but in my opinion, it's not better than the older versions of the Apple TV.
 
Other new Apple products are only modest improvements over previous versions.
For example, the iPhone 7 is a modest update from the iPhone 6s, which is a modest update from the iPhone 6.
 
… it feels like newness is given priority over usefulness.
 
The company's latest products are good, not great.
 
 
 
 
Apple will foot the bill, issue refunds for repairs to iMac display hinge
 
Such repairs often cost more than $100.

 
 
 
 
How Apple Helped Democratize Typography In The ‘90s
 
When you talk to Thomas Rickner, you get the sense that one company played an outsized role in democratizing type during those years: Apple.
 
Let's back up a second. When Apple first released the Macintosh in 1984, one of the many ways in which it was revolutionary was in allowing users to choose between fonts.
 
When Rickner was hired by Apple in 1989, though, he was hired for a secret project: TrueType, an attempt by Apple to radically amp up MacOS's font rendering abilities.
 
Apple debuted TrueType in 1991, and to make sure it became a ubiquitous standard, it even licensed it to Microsoft, which introduced TrueType fonts with Windows 3.1.
 
"It's hard to overstate how revolutionary this was," says Rickner.
 
 
 
 
Apple says Wi-Fi isn’t interesting anymore
 
Apple pulled its AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule products from its stores. The removal of the latter product underlines quite how much Apple wants to get you hooked on iCloud for all of your back up needs, as long as you have the fare.
 
AirPort has always been an iconic product for Apple. That’s not because Apple invented Wi-Fi, but because it helped build one of the best standards the company ever managed to evangelize. 
 
 
 
 
Here are a few easy ways to clear up space on your iPhone
 
 
 
 
Airline makes iPhones mandatory for plane mechanics and staff
 
Finland’s largest airline, Finnair, is fully embracing iOS as a platform for a whole suite of new enterprise apps, thanks to a new partnership with IBM.
 
“Our collaboration with Apple and IBM is an important building block in our digital transformation,” Katri Harra-Salonen, Finnair’s Chief Digital Officer, said in a press release.
 
 
 
 
Later is a simpler replacement for Apple’s reminders
 
 
 
 
How to deal with iPhone calendar spam
 
Prevent push notifications
 
Make a secret spam calendar and then delete it
 
Stop syncing
 
 
 
 
Apple has a Calendar and Photos spam problem and it better fix it soon
 
 
 
 
Apple Needs To Quickly Address Another iPhone Problem
 
I’m talking about the slowly rising levels of calendar spam. Apple’s calendar app allows invites to be sent by unauthenticated users and pushed directly to a handset.
 
The danger for Apple is that the success of this route to potential customers will become a popular route for spammers.
 
If Apple acts quickly, calendar spam would be nothing more than a short-term annoyance.
 
 
 
 
Circulating five-second video causes Apple iPhones to freeze
 
iPhone owners are cautioned to be careful about tapping unsolicited links as a new five-second MP4 video, currently being shared online, is causing devices to freeze not long after it's played.
 
Notably the crash takes about 10 seconds, during which people can do other things on their iPhone as the device gradually slows down. Once an iPhone freezes the only option is to reboot it, though it should work as normal once it recovers.
 
 
 
 
iPhones secretly send call history to Apple, security firm says
 
Apple emerged as a guardian of user privacy this year after fighting FBI demands to help crack into San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook’s iPhone. The company has gone to great lengths to secure customer data in recent years, by implementing better encryption for all phones and refusing to undermine that encryption.

But private information still escapes from Apple products under some circumstances. The latest involves the company’s online syncing service iCloud.
 
“You only need to have iCloud itself enabled” for the data to be sent, said Vladimir Katalov, CEO of Elcomsoft.
 
Chris Soghoian, chief technologist for the American Civil Liberties Union, said it’s further proof that “iCloud really is the Achilles heel of the privacy of the iPhone platform. The two biggest privacy problems associated with iCloud don’t have check boxes [for users to opt out], nor do they require that you opt in either.”
 
“The takeaway really is don’t ever use iCloud. I won’t use it myself until I can be in control of the encryption keys,” Jonathan Zdziarski said.
 
 
 
 
How a Grad Student Found Spyware that Could Control Anyone’s iPhone from Anywhere in the World
 
Last summer, Bill Marczak stumbled across a program that could spy on your iPhone’s contact list and messages—and even record your calls. Illuminating shadowy firms that sell spyware to corrupt governments across the globe, Marczak’s story reveals the new arena of cyber-warfare.
 
It is exceedingly rare to find a never-before-seen vulnerability that allows a hacker to infiltrate the operating system of a computer or mobile phone. Amazingly, the program Marczak had found would be shown to target not one, not two, but three such vulnerabilities.
 
“This can spy on audio, e-mail, text messages . . . everything. Someone spent a lot of time creating this,” Blaich said.
 
Last August, came the startling confirmation from Apple itself: a genuine remote jailbreak “in the wild,” the one discovered and identified by Marczak and the Lookout researchers. To everyone’s surprise it had been out there operating secretly for years.
 
The story of how Apple created and issued a patch in only 10 days is uplifting, but the fact is Apple and other computer-makers are fighting a losing battle. As long as there are hackers, they will continue to find ways to hack any device that interfaces with them.
 
“What these cyber-arms dealers have done is democratize digital surveillance,” says the A.C.L.U.’s Chris Soghoian. “The surveillance tools once only used by big governments are now available to anyone with a couple hundred grand to spend.” In fact, they may be coming to your iPhone sometime soon.
 
 
 
 
Why you should quit all social media right now
 
Social media “diverts your time and attention away from producing work that matters and toward convincing the world that you matter,” Newport said.

“If you’re serious about making an impact in the world,” he added, “power down your smartphone, close your browser tabs, roll up your sleeves and get to work.”
 
 
 
 
I disagree with the complete abstention from social media. 

I had the opportunity to participate in some Facebook groups in which I had interest in the subjects being discussed.

From that period of heavy use - maybe a year or so - I learned how and why people interact as they do on social media. 

Then I pushed back from social media. And now I dabble and lurk there. Because: the discussions, attitudes and disinformation - not just political but even in business and career fields - was warping and distorting my ability to cope with objective reality. 

Some people talk about being addicted to Facebook. I submit that they are still part of the hive mind of Facebook and aren't yet objective about how immersive it is. 

In short, on social media, people cleave into groups that stereotype everyone else and who reinforce their own bullshit. I see the behavior on a FB freelancing group I'm on.

Every older person on this board holding back and turning their nose in the air here should broaden their horizons and go native for a while. I now understand exactly why Facebook and its ilk are so pernicious toward real critical thought. I did not understand it at all until I went native. 

Knowledge is important. 

I just don't want to be at the margins of society as the clueless old loser idiot who doesn't understand what everyone is talking about. Because I have broadened my knowledge, I know enough to know when bullshit is masquerading for reasoning in echo chambers.  You run that risk of being marginalized with the abstention policy.

http://www.computerconsultantsforum.com/forum/politics/twitter-was-taken-over/



Video:
Why Social Media Is an Evolving, Living Being
 
 
 
 
We Need to Stop Taking Facebook's Word For It - Part 1
 
Mark Zuckerberg has finally started publicly confronting Facebook’s fake news problem.
 
It’s still not clear exactly what role Facebook played in the election and if the company has done enough to prevent the spread of fake news. But we do know this: The only way to know for sure is for Facebook to release its internal metrics and stop ****ing with us.
 
 
 
 
We Need to Stop Taking Facebook's Word For It - Part 2
 
A story about Facebook’s Aquila drone, based entirely on Facebook information.
Many reporters never witnessed the “successful” test.
 
Several web sites failed to report the “structural failure”, apparently so significant that the National Transportation Safety Board has deemed it an “accident” and has launched an investigation.
 
Neither Wired, CNN, nor The Verge were present for the test flight and relied solely on the information provided by Facebook three weeks later. Here’s another fact: Facebook frequently peddles shit to the press that is later proved to be, at best, outright misleading, and at worst, untrue. Facebook deemed this flight a success. Is it successful if you can’t land a drone that took more than $20 million to develop without causing “significant” damage?
 
 
 
 
Fake News and How We Caused It
 
All you have to do to make money on the web is to get people to visit your site. And it turns out the easiest way to do that is to bait them with half-truths and outright lies about a topic they care about: a hotly contested Presidential election.  

Fake news is the inevitable consequence of our own folly. We built a system that uses clicks, impressions, and engagement as the only accessible means for putting a value to content. The web, heralded as the idea exchange of the future, has been corrupted into a crude tool for exposing people to advertising by any means necessary.
 
To save the web, to allow it to realize its potential as an idea exchange, we need a new and better revenue model, one that values the quality of content over its ability to place ads in front of its audience. What that better model is remains to be seen.
 
 I think the longer term solution may lie in shifting the value proposition from the content itself to its creation: Pay the creator for their skill, effort, and time, then release the resulting content to the world for free. It sounds like a crazy idea, but this is how free open source software is built, and the technologies that power the web, fake news and all, are all free and open source.
 
 
 
 
Video:
Most Students Cannot Distinguish Fake and Real News
 
 
 
 
5 Times Corporate Media Got Caught Publishing Fake News Causing The Death And Suffering Of Millions

http://www.activistpost.com/2016/11/5-times-corporate-media-got-caught-publishing-fake-news-causing-death-suffering-millions.html
 
 
 
Is Social Media Disconnecting Us From the Big Picture?
 
Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised that Donald Trump could be elected president, but I was.
 
even online, I wasn’t seeing many signs of support for him.  Social media completely failed me.
 
In hindsight, that failure makes sense. I’ve spent nearly 10 years coaching Facebook — and Instagram and Twitter — on what kinds of news and photos I don’t want to see, and they all behaved accordingly. Each time I liked an article, or clicked on a link, or hid another, the algorithms that curate my streams took notice and showed me only what they thought I wanted to see.
 
But considering that more than 40 percent of our country’s population consumes news on Facebook, finding alternative perspectives shouldn’t have been that hard.
 
User-generated content [for example on Snapchat, Tumblr and Vine], by and large, is not lucrative at a scale that satisfies investors, and as a result, most social-media companies are changing direction toward other revenue streams.
 
 
 
 
Hackers program bank ATMs to spew out millions of dollars in cash
 
Cybercriminals who once earned millions by breaking into individual online bank accounts are now targeting the banks’ own computers, with often dramatic results.

In Taiwan and Thailand earlier this year, the criminals programmed bank ATMs to spew cash. Gang members stood in front of the machines at the appointed hour and collected millions of dollars.
 
 
 
 
UK surveillance law marks a 'worse than scary' shift
The newly passed "Snooper's Charter" means British police and intelligence agencies will soon be able to see every website that everyone in the UK visits.
 
The UK has taken a deep plunge into surveillance with a far-reaching new law.

The problem, say critics, is that it goes too deep and too far.
 
Your browsing history has nowhere to hide.
 
 
 
 
The hacker who hacked San Francisco mass transit got hacked himself
 
In a stroke of irony, it turns out the person who hacked Muni ended up getting hacked himself.
 
 
 
 
 
Video:
Here’s how easy it is to buy anything — legal or illegal — on the 'dark web’
 
You may be familiar with the saga of illegal drug market the Silk Road, but that is just one small part of what is commonly called the "dark web."  Accessible only with a special browser, it has become known for the illegal goods and services available there.
 
Posted by Thomas Briant at 8:01 PM 0 comments

Thursday, November 24, 2016

Happy Thanksgiving and Why Apple won't bring back oodles of jobs to the US manufacturing sector anytime soon

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours throughout the United States. If you’re not an American, please, we’ve got plenty today. So sit down and enjoy the feast.

 

Now to the topic of my title. President-elect Trump told the New York Times that he had talked to Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple. He told Tim that he wants Apple to bring back manufacturing of iPhones to the US. 

Tim apparently hasn’t enthusiastically complied with Mr. Trump’s requests. I doubt that he can. I doubt that Mr. Trump’s chosen tools, the carrot of a proposed corporate tax cut and the stick of increased tariffs on imported goods from China, would do the trick in any case.

 

Apple has spent decade building up its supply chain in Asia. If Mr.Trump believes that all that effort could be uprooted and transplanted to America within his 4 year term, I feel this won’t happen. 

 

Apple and more importantly, its manufacturing contractors, would have to find and train an American  work force comparable to the current Chinese work force. 

Apple and its manufacturing contractors would have to build physical facilities to build the massive volume of iPhones. 

Most importantly, they would have to change the manufacturing processes designed for China to fit an American work force. 

 

 

Besides, who does build cell phones in the United States to begin with? Or any kind of consumer electronics? Samsung doesn’t. Hewlett-Packard doesn’t. 

 

Tom Briant

Editor, MacValley Blog

 

 

Posted by Thomas Briant at 3:25 PM 0 comments

Sunday, November 20, 2016

Senior Correspondent Arnold Woodworth's Weekly Web Wrap-up for Sunday, November 20, 2016

 

Apple’s New MacBook Pro: Fast and Light, but Not for Everyone
 
I tested the new MacBook Pros — which cost $1,500 to $2,800, depending on the model — while gathering reactions to the new computers from engineers and information technology professionals over two weeks. I concluded that while the new laptops are capable enough for many professionals, there is no need to rush to buy one.
 
The jury is still out on whether the Touch Bar will be a must-have. When switching back to a laptop with a normal keyboard, I didn’t feel as if I was missing anything. But much like the iPhone on Day 1, the Touch Bar is essentially a blank slate, and the onus is on app developers to make it more compelling.
 
 
 
 
How to use Touch Bar on the new MacBook Pro 2016
 
It's pleasingly intuitive to customise the functions that appear in the Touch Bar.
 
 
 
 
Apple Watch Series 1 review
 
Bottom line:  Apple Watch Series 1 has everything most people need at a lower price than Apple Watch Series 2.
 
WatchOS 3 is much-improved software over last year.
 
 
 
 
Video:
Which Apple Watch should you get?
 
 
 
 
John Hancock insurance is subsidizing the cost of the new Apple Watch
 
How does a health insurance company go about trying to help address health problems before they arise? Getting people moving is a start. After all, there are plenty of long issues that can be avoided or lessened by living a more active lifestyle.
 
 
 
 
Apple Watch Series 2 wins Wearable of the Year at TrustedReviewsAwards 2016
 
Apple’s second-generation Apple Watch only launched two months ago, but it’s already impressed us with its nippy Apple S2 processor, water-resistant design, and built-in GPS.

 
 
 
Here's a whole community of Apple HomeKit-powered smart homes
California home builder KB Home wants to use Apple HomeKit's connected home controls to sell houses -- and it's unveiling the first "HomeKit-enabled community" to help make the sale.
 
Pricing for a three-story, four-bedroom townhouse starts in the low $900,000s. Of course, this is California we're talking about, where real estate is  expensive to begin with.
 
 
 
 
10 hidden iPhone tricks Apple never told you about
 
 
 
 
Apple agrees to repair iPhone 6 Plus 'touch disease' malfunction ... for a price
 
Under a new policy, Apple will repair iPhone 6 Plus devices affected affected with the touch screen problems for a service fee of $228.95.
 
 
 
iOS 10 Problems: This iPhone Lock Screen Exploit Lets Hackers Access Your Sensitive Info, But Here's A Quick Fix - See more at: http://www.techtimes.com/articles/186395/20161119/ios-10-problems-this-iphone-lock-screen-exploit-lets-hackers-access-your-sensitive-info-but-heres-a-quick-fix.htm#sthash.RwNb7kAb.dpuf
 
Quick Fix:
If you do not want people to bypass the lock screen security of your iPhone with this exploit, here's what you can do: disable Siri from your iPhone's lock screen.
 
 
 
 
An NYC attorney has renewed a call for Apple to reverse its encryption
 
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance said Thursday that he wants Apple's encryption to go back to how it was in early 2014. Back then, police could basically extract any information they wanted after getting a warrant.
 
"Doing nothing about this problem will perpetuate an untenable arms race between private industry and law enforcement," Vance said on Thursday. "Federal legislation is our only chance to lay these arms aside.”
 
Vance said he's got 423 "lawfully-seized Apple devices" that his employees can't do anything with. Forty-two of those devices "pertain to homicide or attempted murder cases”.
 
 
 
 
You can enroll in thousands of online classes for $10 each with this pre-Black Friday deal

This article lists only 15 of the courses, but there are thousands more that you can buy from Udemy.
The offer expires on November 25, 2016.
 
 
 
 
Video:
On Tuesday, Google launched a new app called Photoscan that lets you easily digitize your old family photos and store them in the Google Photos app.

It lets you use a smart phone to scan old paper photos.
 
 
 
 
Smartphones' sleep-destroying effect isn't just because of blue light
 
A pair of new studies shows the flood of light isn't the only problem; it's the flood of information, too.
 
 
 
 
Defeating Malware With Its Own DNA
 
Malware DNA, also known as "malware provenance”...
 
Every malware variant has an immutable part derived from its predecessors all the way back to its original malware family. For example, CryptoWall 3.0 shares the same genome with CryptoWall and the previous CryptoDefense.

The technique is not only very accurate, but also very fast. It can identify malware at machine language speeds and even detect zero day malware -- that is, previously unseen malicious programs.
 
Up to now, malware fighters have been struggling to stem the tide of malware crashing over their systems.
 
"We've got stacks of Band-Aids," Igor Volovich told TechNewsWorld. "We keep adding more and more bandages, and we stop the bleeding for a while, but we never really fix the root cause."

“All zero day malware is a variance of previously seen malware,” said Arun Lakhotia.
 
"They're mostly not new malware code -- they're mostly variations of previous malware," he told TechNewsWorld.
 
That's where genetics enters the picture.
 
 
 
 
Two-thirds of the world's internet users live under government censorship
 
The report from Freedom House, a pro-democracy think tank, finds that internet freedom across the globe declined for a sixth consecutive year in 2016.
 
 
 
 
 
Booming e-business and tight censorship: China wants to have the internet both ways
 
President Xi Jinping voiced the idea of “cyberspace sovereignty”, an unambiguous announcement that Beijing will step up its censorship and control of the internet.
 
The problem for Beijing is that it wants to contain the role of the internet in fanning radical social changes, in the way social media facilitated the Arab Spring movement. But it also wants to use the internet to upgrade its economy.
 
restricted information flows hurt economic activities.
 
 
 
 
Over 300 million AdultFriendFinder accounts have been exposed in a massive breach
 
Adult dating service company Friend Finder Network has reportedly been hacked, with over 412 million accounts, e-mail addresses and passwords from their websites made available on criminal marketplaces.
 
 
 
 
Welcome to the Dark Net, a wilderness where wars are fought and hackers roam.
 
The Dark Net exists within the deep web, which lies beneath the surface net, which is familiar to everyone. The surface net can be roughly defined as “anything you can find through Google” or that is otherwise publicly indexed for all to see. The deep web is deep because it cannot be accessed through ordinary search engines. Its size is uncertain, but it is believed to be larger than the surface net above it. And it is mostly legitimate. It includes everything from I.R.S. and Social Security data to the internal communications of Sony and the content management system at The New York Times. It includes Hillary Clinton’s e-mails and text messages, along with everyone else’s. Almost all of it is utterly mundane.

Through the eyes of a master hacker turned security expert, William Langewiesche chronicles the rise of the Dark Net—where weapons, drugs, and information are bought, sold, and hacked—and learns how high the stakes have really become.
 
The Dark Net occupies the basement. Its users employ anonymizing software and encryption to hide themselves as they move around. Such tools offer a measure of privacy. Whistle-blowers and political dissidents have good reason to resort to them. Criminals do, too. White fades quickly through gray and then to black in the Dark Net.
 
The real action on the Dark Net is in the trade of information. Stolen credit cards and identities, industrial secrets, military secrets, and especially the fuel of the hacking trade: the zero days and back doors that give access to closed networks.
 
A short-lived back door to the iPhone operating system may sell for a million dollars.
 
Posted by Thomas Briant at 7:56 AM 0 comments

Sunday, November 13, 2016

Senior Correspondent Arnold Woodworth's Weekly Web Wrap-up for Sunday 11/13/16


13-inch MacBook Pro review: Too many tradeoffs

The entry-level 2016 MacBook Pro—the one without a Touch Bar—compromises on graphics, ports, and RAM speed.

http://www.macworld.com/article/3139597/macs/13-inch-macbook-pro-review-too-many-tradeoffs.html



2016 MacBook Pro Sales Defy Critics: Tops All New Laptops With Shoppers

In the first five days of availability, US online shoppers spent more on the new MacBook than any other laptop in 2016.

Interesting chart.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/brookecrothers/2016/11/08/new-2016-macbook-pro-sales-defy-criticism-initial-revenue-strong-says-market-researcher/



How Successful Is Apple's New MacBook Pro?

In its first five days on sale, Apple’s MacBook Pro has outsold the total sales of every major Windows-powered laptop.

The MacBook Pro has sold almost four times as many units as Microsoft’s Surface Book, nine times as many units as the Asus Chromebook Flip, and ten times the Lenovo Yoga 900.

Well played, Apple.

All of the indications are the future sales are assured, at least in the medium term.
Short- and medium-term prospects look rosy. Long-term will be a question for another day.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ewanspence/2016/11/09/apple-macbook-pro-sales-figures/#19b368b26bf0



Early adopters seem to like the new MacBook Pro Touch Bar

Apple’s new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar notebooks swiftly surpassed sales of almost every other decent quality notebook in the first five days availability.

http://www.computerworld.com/article/3140885/apple-mac/early-adopters-seem-to-like-the-new-macbook-pro-touch-bar.html



The MacBook Pro is a lie

Apple’s new MacBook Pro laptops are not designed for professional use.

Apple’s 2016 MacBook Pros carry on the Pro moniker dishonestly. At least we should all hope that's the case — because if Apple actually believes that these new laptops are suitable and sufficient for intensive professional needs, then the company's long and happy relationship with creatives may be heading toward a calamitous breakup.

http://www.theverge.com/2016/11/7/13548052/the-macbook-pro-lie



What the New MacBook Pro Means for the Future of iOS

The Touch Bar demystifies the concept of shortcuts for repetitive tasks and provides fast access to all types of functions within applications that will support it. This is why the Touch Bar matters. Once people start using it, Touch Bar will be viewed as a logical next step in UIs for laptops.

http://www.pcmag.com/commentary/349343/what-the-new-macbook-pro-means-for-the-future-of-ios



Easily Remove Geotag Data Using Mac’s Preview

If you’re using Mac OS X Yosemite, your Preview app has some new EXIF scrubbing capabilities. Simply open up your photo in Preview, go to Tools in your menu bar and select Show Inspector, hit the (i) icon for the info panel, select the GPS sub tab, and you’ll see a “Remove Location Info” button.

http://petapixel.com/2015/01/24/tip-easily-remove-geotag-data-using-macs-preview-windows-properties/



Steve Jobs Knew Tim Cook Would Kill Apple’s Innovation By Focusing on Sales and Marketing

In 2011, Apple lost more than Steve Jobs. They lost their unique, rebellious nature. With Steve in charge, they had a win-at-all-costs attitude, that went against business norms and the expectations of their investors and board.

By letting systems for optimization and heavy focus on profits lead the company, a lot of the creativity dies. Instead, they are more focused on incremental improvements to their existing devices.

Quite frankly, Apple’s time as the world’s foremost innovator may be over.

Steve Jobs knew this would happen when he appointed Tim Cook as CEO. In a video, Jobs talks about sales and marketing people taking over companies and pushing the creative, product oriented people out of the decision-making forums. He goes on to say, “As a result, the companies forget what it means to make great products.”

Innovative connections aren’t made through systematic processes. Innovation stems from controlled chaos.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/steve-jobs-knew-tim-cook-would-kill-apples-innovation-terry

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AxZofbMGpM



Your iPhone has a hidden signal strength meter

http://www.zdnet.com/article/your-iphones-has-a-hidden-signal-strength-meter/



Apple now sells refurbished iPhones

Apple already sells refurbished Macs, iPads, MacBooks, and Mac accessories, among other products, but this is the first time the company’s putting refurbished phones up for sale.

http://www.theverge.com/2016/11/8/13567010/apple-refurbished-iphone-online-store-sale



How to find my phone: How to track a phone - locate a lost Android, lost iPhone or lost Windows Phone

If you've lost your phone it's not necessarily gone forever. But don't wait until you lose your phone to prepare: you'll need to configure it now to enable you to find a lost Android, iPhone or Windows Phone. Here's how to set up phone tracking and how to find your phone.

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/how-to/mobile-phone/how-find-my-phone-locate-lost-android-iphone-or-windows-phone-track-update-3610199/



11 paid iPhone apps on sale for free for a limited time

http://bgr.com/2016/11/11/best-free-iphone-apps-ipad-nov-11-ios/



Comparing three top smartphone cameras: Google's Pixel, iPhone 7 Plus, Moto Z

http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20161112/business/161119790/

Become more productive with music scientifically designed to help you focus

not all music is created equal.

Brain.FM is an audio streaming service that's been created with the help of neuroscientists to provide music that's scientifically designed to boost your productivity and help you focus - whether you're trying to study, sleep, or simply relax.

http://www.sciencealert.com/become-more-productive-with-music-scientifically-designed-to-help-you-focus



In firing human editors, Facebook has lost the fight against fake news

In January 2015, Facebook updated its news feed to “reduce the distribution of posts that people have reported as hoaxes”. The problem is that people are easily fooled by fake news, and a plethora of tricky-to-distinguish fake news sites have emerged.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/aug/29/facebook-trending-news-editors-fake-news-stories



Google punishes web backsliders in Chrome

When Google flags sites for hosting malicious code or unwanted software, or running some kind of scam, users see warnings in Chrome and other browsers. The alerts appear as long as Google believes the site poses a threat.

But after making changes to align their sites with Google's "Safe Browsing" terms, webmasters may ask Google to lift the virtual embargo.

Not surprising, some took advantage of the mechanism for lifting the warnings. Sites would cease their illicit practices, but only long enough to get back into Google's good graces. Once Google gave the all-clear, the once-dirty-then-clean site would have a serious relapse and again distribute malware or spew phishing emails.

Google now punishes repeat offenders with a 30 days penalty before lifting the virtual embargo.

http://www.computerworld.com/article/3140227/web-browsers/google-punishes-web-backsliders-in-chrome.html



Programming human beings to build a hate-free Internet

How do we minimize certain types of speech without also quashing the free flow of ideas and creative collaboration that this radically democratized system of mass communication can unlock?

Some social networks are discovering that they can use their code to “program” people to do the right thing, that when their customers are prompted to reflect on antisocial behavior they tend to check themselves. Perhaps people aren’t inherently selfish and rude, after all. They just need a reminder, and perhaps a carrot or two.

… an algorithm that delivered rewards and penalties to individual players whenever it flagged certain behavior, along with a pop-up window explaining why the chosen words were or weren’t conducive to successful teamwork.

It proved to be a remarkably successful case of Pavlovian conditioning. Reports of verbal abuse at League of Legends immediately dropped by 40%.

Facebook and Twitter … have tended to rely on centrally controlled censorship as the go-to weapon against abusive behavior.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/facebook-twitter-want-stop-abuse-should-study-how-two-michael-casey

 

 

 

 

Posted by Thomas Briant at 8:25 AM 0 comments

Sunday, November 6, 2016

Senior Correspondent Arnold Woodworth's Weekly Web Wrap-Up for Sunday 11-6-2016


Video:
Apple — New Products — Full Announcement

New version iOS 10.1

New Watch OS 3

New Nike Plus version of the Apple Watch

New version of Apple TV

New Macbook Pro (26 minutes into the video — if you want to skip the other stuff)

Three models of new MacBook Pro, including prices — 75 to 79 minutes into the video.

http://www.apple.com/apple-events/october-2016/



MacBook Pro Review:  The Air Apparent

I’ve got some good news and some bad news.

The good news: Apple has finally updated its Pro laptop line with some genuinely new and powerful options. 

The bad news? Apple isn’t just giving, it’s also taking away.

The new MacBook Pro is precision engineering at its absolute finest.

I wrote this entire review on the 2016 MacBook Pro and I frankly don’t want to go back to typing on my Air. It’s a universally better experience.

The absolute biggest upgrade is the display. The new Pro’s 2560 x 1600 display is gorgeous, from literally any angle, and it matches the wider color gamut of the latest iPhone 7 models and Apple’s 5K iMac.

It has a much more powerful processor and smoother graphics to go along with a significantly improved keyboard and a titanic trackpad.

While the display, build quality, and looks of the new MacBook Pro are beyond reproach, they’re no longer beyond the competition.

http://www.theverge.com/2016/11/2/13490774/apple-macbook-pro-review-2016-13-inch-laptop



First Look: The no-Touch Bar MacBook Pro still delivers speed, style

For price-conscious buyers, this model still represents a good choice.

At $1,499, the base model's price lines up well in Apple's notebook strategy, as it costs a couple of hundred dollars more than the MacBook, and it's $300 less than the cheapest MacBook Pro with the Touch Bar.

Interesting list of pros and cons.

http://www.computerworld.com/article/3138826/apple-mac/first-look-the-no-touch-bar-macbook-pro-still-delivers-speed-style.html



Hands on: MacBook Pro review

To say the new MacBook Pro is a massive improvement over the previous model would be an understatement. It's more portable and more powerful, not to mention more enjoyable to use. But it's tough to justify the premium for that Touch Bar, no matter how cool it is.

AW comment:  The video in this article merely repeats Apple info.

This article includes a price list for all three of the new MacBook Pro models.

http://www.techradar.com/reviews/macbook-pro



Apple’s new MacBook Pro is expertly timed

It takes skill to pick the right new technology just as it’s becoming economically viable.
Example: Just when larger capacitive touchscreens were becoming viable, Apple struck. That’s as true of the iPhone in 2007 as it is of the iPad in 2010.

There’s no doubt that Apple deliberately shifted its schedule so that its downbeat earnings call could get buried in enthusiastic coverage of the MacBook Pro with a shiny new touch strip.

http://www.theverge.com/2016/10/27/13433320/apple-macbook-pro-hello-again-event-timing



New MacBook Pro Hands-on: Touch Bar Is NOT a Gimmick

The MacBook Pro is supposed to be for serious work, but the new Touch Bar is a lot of fun. Actually, it's a lot more than that. After spending just 20 minutes with the new 13-inch ($1,799) and 15-inch ($2,399) models, I've found it be a real time-saver.

http://www.laptopmag.com/articles/macbook-pro-2016-handson



Apple MacBook Pro (2016) hands-on review

It’s been four long years since the MacBook Pro saw a major update, and even that one - the Retina Display - was seen as very overdue when it arrived.

It’s going to take some mental recalibration to get used to the new Touch Bar controls, but my first impressions are that once you do, you’ll notice a genuine increase in overall productivity.

The Force Touch trackpad is also way larger than that of the previous model, so gesture controls don’t have to be cramped affairs. In fact, the new MacBook Pro is probably going to be the first MacBook you can comfortably use without having to reach for a mouse just because you feel restricted.

http://www.stuff.tv/me/apple/macbook-pro-2016/review-0



The MacBook Pro's Touch Bar Solves a Nonexistent Problem

The MacBook Pro's Touch Bar is a pathetic stopgap to having a full touch screen, but fanboys will probably love it.

AW comment:  The author of this article has been one of Apple’s most annoying critics for decades.

http://www.pcmag.com/commentary/349229/the-macbook-pros-touch-bar-solves-a-non-existent-problem



Apple cuts USB-C adapter prices in response to MacBook Pro complaints

Apple is cutting prices for all of its USB-C adapters following a week of complaints about the MacBook Pro’s inconvenient port situation.

The new MacBook Pro only has USB-C / Thunderbolt 3 ports, so the vast majority of the peripherals people use today will need adapters to work. Someday, all those devices will likely use USB-C, but that day is not today and the Pro users interested in Apple’s new computers have been vocal about the problem.

http://www.theverge.com/2016/11/4/13524272/apple-cutting-usb-c-adaptor-prices-macbook-pro



Apple provides a soft(er) landing for MacBook Pro buyers with deep discounts on peripherals and dongles

Apple is addressing the sudden and wide inexplicable fear of dongles driven by the MacBook Pro’s USB-C only approach with a store-wide discount on adapters.

The discounts range from 20%-40% on a variety of Apple and third-party products from both Apple’s online and retail stores.

https://techcrunch.com/2016/11/04/apple-provides-a-softer-landing-for-macbook-pro-buyers-with-deep-discounts-on-peripherals-and-dongles/



Apple is ditching its iconic startup chime with the new MacBook Pro

While the Apple product line has changed drastically since 1998, there’s one thing that has remained the same: the chime that signals that your computer is booting up. But with the new MacBook Pro, the distinctive, F-sharp major startup chime is no more.

http://www.theverge.com/2016/10/31/13472920/apple-macbook-pro-chime-gone



Using iMac As Monitor Requires Very Specific Cable

To use the new 27-inch iMac as an external monitor requires a very specific cable to work: a Mini DisplayPort to Mini DisplayPort cable, to be exact.

It does not work with a HDMI cable or a DVI cable, even when they are strung between a pair of Apple-branded Mini DisplayPort adapters.

There seems to be a lot of confusion about the issue on the web and even at Apple’s retail stores.

http://www.cultofmac.com/20176/using-imac-as-monitor-requires-very-specific-cable/



Apple’s Future HQ — November Update

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNgTDl28JNM


Apple’s Future HQ — Official Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxiBUeEsmH4



10 paid iPhone apps on sale for free for a limited time

http://bgr.com/2016/11/04/best-free-iphone-apps-ipad-nov-4-ios/



10 hidden iPhone gestures you probably don’t know about

http://bgr.com/2016/11/03/ios-10-tips-and-tricks-iphone-7-more/



Is Jailbreaking My New Apple iPhone 7 a Good Idea?

Well, that’s a tricky question to answer. We will list a few advantages followed by some disadvantages.

One thing is for sure, if you care for security and privacy more than anything else, you’d definitely want to stay away from jailbreaking your iPhone.

AW comment:  For most people, jailbreaking is more trouble than it’s worth.
                      But if you’re a nerd, it may be worthwhile.

http://www.gizbot.com/mobile/features/is-jailbreaking-my-new-apple-iphone-7-good-idea-036065.html



Here’s a video of an iPhone being jail-broken, presumably by the person(s) who wrote the software.
That software has not been publicly released, so you can’t jailbreak your iPhone yet.
And it’s anyone’s guess when (or even if) it will be released.

http://wccftech.com/ios-10-1-jailbreak-iphone-7-shown-video/



Apple takes more than 100 percent of smartphone profits after Samsung's Galaxy recall

A new estimate shows Apple took 103.6 percent of the profits from all smartphone sales in the third quarter of 2016.

How is that even possible, you might be wondering? Well, the fact that the smartphone industry continues to operate largely at a loss means that Apple can manage to capture profits beyond the 100 percent mark.

http://www.macworld.com/article/3138503/consumer-electronics/apple-takes-more-than-100-percent-of-smartphone-profits-after-samsungs-galaxy-recall.html



Forget market share, Apple’s iPhone is still making the most money by far

“Tim Long estimates that Apple accounted for 103.6% of smartphone industry operating profits in the third quarter,” Investor’s Business Daily reports.”Its share is over 100% because other vendors lost money in the business, resulting in Apple having more smartphone profit than the industry netted overall. In the year-earlier period, Apple grabbed 90% of smartphone profits, Long said in a research report Thursday.”

If Android manufacturers are still struggling to turn a profit when they’re dominating from a marketshare perspective, one has to wonder if any company will ever be able to come close to catching up to Apple.

http://bgr.com/2016/11/04/iphone-profits-apple-samsung-share/



Microsoft Designed the Touch Bar Long Before Apple's MacBook Pro

Microsoft started developing the technology, but later stopped in 2009.

The reason?  Microsoft didn’t sell computers then.

Now, though, Microsoft is decidedly in the hardware game,and many say the company’s Surface event last month overshadowed Apple’s Mac show.

http://fortune.com/2016/11/04/microsoft-apple-touch-bar/



MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar tech was a Microsoft idea first

Apple might have just gotten to the Touch Bar with its new MacBook Pro, but according to a new report, Microsoft was working on similar adaptive keyboard technology as early as 1999.

Ultimately, the job of the successful tech company is not just to be first with a particular idea, but to implement it in a way that makes sense at a time that fits with user requirements.

http://www.cultofmac.com/452622/macbook-pros-touch-bar-tech-microsoft-idea-first/



Why I like Windows 10 a lot more than the latest, greatest Apple MacOS

http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-macos-sierra-vs-windows-10-2016-11/



Apple’s recipe for success has become boring

Apple had long been a tech design keystone in both hardware (predominantly) and software (more or less), but seeing what Google was aiming at made Apple’s new software approach seem childish to my eyes.

And, beware: I say ‘childish’ not because of its execution — an entirely different matter — but rather in its scope. From that moment on I started reading about this upcoming post-mobile “cross war” between the two behemoths: is Google going to become good at design before Apple nails services? Almost 30 months later, I honestly feel like the answer to that question is yes.

Microsoft has also gotten much more aggressive at Apple’s own hardware game, in fact: look at Surface. They may have not cracked it with the first iterations — or, arguably, yet — but the Pro 3 and Pro 4 are fantastic devices. Bold, ambitious, beautiful and new, dare I say. Rings a bell?

I feel like Apple has, at least partially, lost its way.

https://9to5mac.com/2016/11/04/opinion-apple-recipe-for-success-has-become-boring/



Has Apple become boring?

Two authors debate.

http://www.cultofmac.com/452682/apple-become-boring-friday-night-fights/



We put Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant, and Cortana through a marathon of tests to see who's winning the virtual assistant race — here's what we found

None of them are at a place we could comfortably call "good." There is a ton of work to be done.

The problems here are large and sweeping.

All that said, if I had to take one, I'll give Google Assistant the slight edge.

http://www.businessinsider.com/siri-vs-google-assistant-cortana-alexa-2016-11/



How smartphone light affects your brain and body

The light from a smartphone has a similar effect to the sight of the morning sun, which causes the brain to stop producing melatonin, a hormone that gives your body "time to sleep" cues.

This can lead to sleep problems and even health problems.

http://www.businessinsider.com/blue-light-sleep-affects-body-2016-11



Facebook is finally getting serious about its ‘Snapchat problem’

Snapchat represents an existential threat to Facebook because it has managed to redefine how people share through photos and videos. While Facebook has become an essential utility for connecting people, Snapchat has popularized a new way of communicating that's highly visual, ephemeral, and fun.

If it's too late for Facebook to own Snapchat, then it's going to do the next best thing: copy it.

http://www.businessinsider.com/facebooks-plan-fight-snapchat-begun-2016-11



Federal officials approved broad new privacy ruleson Thursday that prevent companies like AT&T and Comcast from collecting and giving out digital information about individuals — such as the websites they visited and the apps they used — in a move that creates landmark protections for internet users.

By a 3-to-2 vote, the Federal Communications Commission clearly took the side of consumers. The new rules require broadband providers to obtain permission from subscribers to gather and give out data on their web browsing, app use, location and financial information. Currently, broadband providers can track users unless those individuals tell them to stop.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/28/technology/fcc-tightens-privacy-rules-for-broadband-providers.html?em_pos=small&emc=edit_ct_20161027&nl=technology&nl_art=0&nlid=11893479&ref=headline&te=1&_r=0



How the Internet Is Loosening Our Grip on the Truth

For years, technologists and other utopians have argued that online news would be a boon to democracy. That has not been the case.

The root of the problem with online news is something that initially sounds great: We have a lot more media to choose from.

Psychologists and other social scientists have repeatedly shown that when confronted with diverse information choices, people rarely act like rational, civic-minded automatons. Instead, we are roiled by preconceptions and biases, and we usually do what feels easiest — we gorge on information that confirms our ideas, and we shun what does not.

We all tend to filter documentary evidence through our own biases.

Today dozens of news outlets routinely fact-check the candidates and much else online, but the endeavor has proved largely ineffective against a tide of fakery.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/03/technology/how-the-internet-is-loosening-our-grip-on-the-truth.html?em_pos=small&emc=edit_ct_20161103&nl=technology&nl_art=0&nlid=11893479&ref=headline&te=1&_r=0

Posted by Thomas Briant at 9:31 AM 0 comments

Friday, October 28, 2016

Why Apple's take on the touch interface is better than Microsoft and Dell's

Yes, I believe that the touch interface is the way to go with working with your computer. Like the steam engine, automatic transmission, and color television, all of us will go through many iterations to get the darn thing right.

 

As I drove down Ventura Boulevard in the Valley the other day, every bus kiosk showed an ad for Dell’s XPS 13 notebook computer. It proudly proclaimed that it came with a touch screen, whereas the MacBook Air did not. Dell and Microsoft push this hard, that your modern notebook computer must come with a full-screen touch interface. Or you’re just not one of the cool kids. 

Hmm. I’m not longer a kid and have never been cool (although I do own Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue album). But I have been around several spins of this planet and several orbits around our sun, so I’ve seen a trend or two come and go. 

Apple likes the touch interface, too. They have a whole bunch of computing devices designed for a touch interface. I am sure they have observed how people use a real full-screen touch interface. 

To wit, they must have asked, “When do people touch the screen?” and “Where do people touch the screen?” Do they run their fingers all over the screen, or do they concentrate on certain areas?

I am presuming that they found that users only touched the screen a few times and they touched the same areas over and over again when they did. 

They also found that people like to touch buttons on a horizontal surface when they sit down. When they stand up, they prefer a vertical surface. My example of this is the light switch on the wall. Do you prefer to use it when you sit down or when you stand up?

So, people only touch a small part of the touch screen and they touch the same part over and over again. They also prefer to touch it when it lies on a horizontal surface.

And so the Apple Touch Bar was born. It lies in a convenient space on the keyboard, it can become whatever set of icons  you need to touch for a given purpose. It serves the same purpose as the use of iPads as second screens for your notebook. It’s just more convenient. 

I am sure that you will see similar touch bars on Windows PCs soon. Of course, they’ll have to pay a small fee to use Apple’s patent. 

Now who’s the cool kid?


Tom Briant

Editor, MacValley Blog

 

Posted by Thomas Briant at 8:19 PM 0 comments
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