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The Supports-(RED) Edition Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Apple Once More Supports (RED) For World AIDS Day: Four New Products, 20 Games & More, by Ben Lovejoy, 9to5Mac

The new products added this year are an iPhone 7 Smart Battery Case, iPhone SE Case, Beats Solo 3 Wireless On-Ear Headphones and the Pill+ Portable Speaker – all of which are available from today.

What's The Best Way To Migrate?, by Jason Snell, Six Colors

I have spent an awful lot of time migrating my data to various Macs over the years. (If you want to review a product, you need to use it, and that means bringing over enough of your stuff to do that.) Recently with the release of the new MacBook Pro models, I got to do two more data migrations, which led to a string of conversations on Twitter about the “right way” to move from one Mac to another.

Truth is, there’s no one right way to migrate. I’ve tried them all, and they all have their issues. Let’s walk through the options and consider their strengths and weaknesses.

iBooks StoryTime Brings Read-Aloud Books To Apple TV, by Michael E. Cohen, TidBITS

As an app designed for young readers, iBooks StoryTime has an exceedingly simple interface. You click to open a book from your iBooks StoryTime library and click to have the app start reading. Depending on the app’s settings, the app reads the book aloud and you just sit back and let it play. A press on the Siri Remote’s Play/Pause button starts or stops playback; a swipe or tap on the Siri Remote’s touchpad turns pages back or forward. For a quieter experience, the app’s settings menu (swipe down from the top of the touchpad) lets you disable the Read-Aloud feature.

Stuff

Apple Music Student Pricing Expands To 25 More Countries Around The World, by Juli Clover, MacRumors

Apple today began offering Apple Music Student Memberships in 25 additional countries around the world, cutting the cost of an Apple Music subscription by approximately 50 percent for students enrolled in a college or university. The discounts provided to students vary based on country.

Netflix Will Now Let You Download Videos And Watch Them Offline, by Steve Kovach, Business Insider

Netflix announced Wednesday that it will let you download videos and watch them even if your device isn’t connected to the internet. [...] Netflix hasn’t released a full list of compatible shows, but it appears to mostly include Netflix Originals like “Narcos” and “Stranger Things.”

Readdle Launching Spark For Mac, A Free Email App With Smart Inbox And ‘Snooze’ Features, by Zac Hall, 9to5Mac

Being available on each of Apple’s platforms is especially important for an email app like Spark. Readdle’s email client includes features that let you snooze messages for a later time so having that experience on your Mac, iPhone, and iPad is necessary for having a consistent experience.

Sony Launches Communities Smartphone App To Help You Find PS4 Friends, by Rich McCormick, The Verge

Sony has launched a new PlayStation Communities app for iOS and Android, allowing players to search for, join, and interact with groups of likeminded PS4 gamers from their smartphones. Communities can be used to find players of specific games, and work like forums, letting members post messages and images on the community wall. Members can also chat and join parties together to play multiplayer games.

Develop

New Developer Solution Aims To Help Companies Bring HomeKit Accessories To Market Faster, by Chance Miller, 9to5Mac

The solution introduced by Silicon Labs consists of two primary parts: custom software that has been pre-tested and approved by Apple and a Bluetooth-capable hardware module. The protocol from Silicon Labs is Bluetooth 4.2-compliant, which is crucial for HomeKit devices as it brings low-energy support, more secure pairing technology, and extensions for higher throughout.

App Review Downtime Announced, by John Voorhees, MacStories

Each year around the Christmas holiday, Apple’s App Review team takes a break from reviewing the thousands of apps that pour into the App Store on a typical day.

Notes

Apple Offering Refunds To Customers Who Paid For iMac Hinge Repairs, by Joe Rossignol, MacRumors

Apple has internally announced it will issue a refund to customers who previously paid for an iMac display hinge replacement or repair, according to a recently updated service document obtained by MacRumors. [...] Apple's service document acknowledges some 27-inch iMacs shipped between December 2012 and July 2014 may be affected by an issue with the display hinge, resulting in the screen no longer adjusting and continuously tilting forward.

Stop Using iPads In Lessons To Prevent Bullying, Minister Says, by Laura Hughes, Telegraph

Speaking to peers on the House of Lords Communications Committee, he said: "A problem in a number of schools which we've sought to address is the iPad or the tablet coming into schools and it forming far too much of the school day's activities of children and it being used inappropriately for some of the bullying and harassment that we know sadly goes on the back of it. [...]

Mr Timpson said schools need to find a "technology balance" and ensure that teachers still interact with pupils, so it doesn't become a "battleground" between them and their devices.

The Subtle Ways Your Digital Assistant Might Manipulate You, by Maurice E. Stucke and Ariel Ezrachi, Wired

If Facebook can affect users’ mood and engagement by simply promoting some content in the users’ News Feed, just imagine the power of digital butlers to affect our feelings and behavior. By complimenting and cajoling, encouraging us to communicate with others, and sending personalized notes on our behalf, it potentially can affect our moods and those of our friends. Further, as many have reported recently, Facebook’s personalization may affect our views and opinion, through a selective news feed.

AT&T Just Declared War On An Open Internet (And Us), by T.C. Sottek, The Verge

Last year we won the open internet back, but the new regulations had one big weakness: they didn’t explicitly ban a scheme called “zero rating.” Zero rating is a poison pill wrapped in a piece of cheese; it looks like a good thing for consumers (free video!), but ultimately has the capability to rot competition and the open internet. The FCC decided it would look at zero rating schemes on a case-by-case basis, which left the door open for wireless companies to play their usual games. AT&T just broke that door off its hinges.