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The Stem-The-Spam Edition Thursday, December 1, 2016

Apple Apologizes For iCloud Calendar Invite Spam, Actively ‘Identifying And Blocking’ Senders, by Benjamin Mayo, 9to5Mac

The company says it is actively “identifying and blocking suspicious senders” to try and stem the spam.

Tim Cook Says He Expects AirPods To Ship Over 'Next Few Weeks' In Email To Customer, by Joe Rossignol, MacRumors

Apple CEO Tim Cook allegedly responded to a customer, saying he anticipates AirPods to begin shipping "over the next few weeks."

Apple's Tim Cook Talks Corporate 'Values' And Company's Expanded (RED) Intiative, by Marco della Cava, USA Today

Might Apple — one of the best known brands on the planet with a market value of nearly $600 billion, a third of which is holds in cash — use its considerable consumer muscle to tackle new social issues in the coming year? Cook suggests that his company may well become as known for its stands on matters of societal importance as its popular technology gadgets.

"We haven't shied away from being visible on a number of topics, and if it's something in our wheelhouse, we'll always be visible and stand up to protect as well as advance people's rights," he says. "Every generation has a responsibility of expanding the definition of those rights, to move forward. So we'll very much continue to do that."

Apple Now Accepting Apple Watch On Trade-in Site, But Currently Free Recycling Only, by Jordan Kahn, 9to5Mac

That means that customers can now send their old Apple Watch to be responsibly recycled through the company’s Apple Renew program free of charge, but it’s not offering customers a gift card or any credit in exchange like it does with iPhones, iPads, and Macs.

Stuff

Apple Updates Boot Camp Audio Driver That Was Causing Blown MacBook Pro Speakers, by Mike Wuerthele, AppleInsider

Apple has issued an update to Boot Camp drivers within Windows, preventing the random, loud pops from over-ranging and damaging the new MacBook Pro's speakers. However, the driver doesn't fix speakers already damaged by the problem.

Workflows Of A Casual Apple Pencil User, by Ryan Christoffel, MacStories

My initial take on the Pencil was that it seemed like a great device, but it wasn't for me. I don't sketch, I'm not a fan of handwriting notes, and using the Pencil for system navigation never appealed to me. But I bought one to give it a try. Apple's return policy made sure no money would be wasted if the Pencil became merely a pretty paperweight in my life. Within a few hours of use I discovered that while the Pencil isn't a daily-used tool for me, it is a device that, for specific tasks, I would never want to be without.

Namoo Wonders Of Plant Life (For iPad), by Tony Hoffman, PC Magazine

It’s informative, it’s interactive, and it includes gorgeous graphics that show the different parts of a plant and how they function. Namoo should whet the interest of budding botanists in (as the app’s name suggests) the wonders of plant life.

Attenborough Story Of Life (For iPad), by Tony Hoffman, PC Magazine

The Attenborough Story of Life iPad app is a magnificent tribute to Sir David Attenborough, who has narrated numerous wildlife documentaries on location in a career spanning more than six decades. Featuring more than 1,000 clips narrated by Attenborough, the app showcases the wonder and diversity of life on Earth.

Take Your Smartphone Photography To The Next Level, by Kit Eaton, New York Times

With Apple’s iPhone 7 and Google’s new Pixel phones putting such an emphasis on powerful camera technology, smartphone photography is more robust than ever. And while phones typically have great built-in photography apps, many other options can be easier or expand your range.

Hardbound Expands Into Daily News With The Nightcap, by Ryan Christoffel, MacStories

The Nightcap is a curated summary of some of the top news stories of the day, produced and published every Monday-Thursday night. It consists of six of the day's most important or interesting news stories, as determined by the Hardbound team.

Notes

Scoop: Emails Between Apple And FDA Hint At Future Plans, by Jonah Comstock, Mobile Health News

These emails show that Apple and the FDA have discussed the App Store review process, the 510(k) process, ResearchKit apps, diagnostic apps, working with the FDA in an “unregulated” way and more. The FDA even invited Apple to participate in regular briefings designed to help guide an international effort to harmonize medical software regulation. Though much of the sensitive information is redacted, the emails also point to three regulated medical devices that Apple is seriously pursuing: an app for diagnosing Parkinson’s disease and two separate but related cardiac devices. [...]

[T]hese incremental moves deeper into healthcare will soon take Apple over the FDA’s regulatory line. The emails tell us that Apple won’t be crossing that line unprepared — that in fact, the company has been steadily laying the groundwork for three years.

The Entire Internet Will Be Archived In Canada To Protect It From Trump, by Jordan Pearson, Motherboard

As Donald Trump careens towards the Oval Office, promising jail time for flag-burners along the way, an organization that archives the internet for anyone to peruse aims to create a full backup in Canada in order to protect the digital library from censorship.

‘Daily Mile’ Craze In Britain Hopes To Tackle National Obesity Crisis, by Karla Adam, Washington Post

Every day, tens of thousands of school children across Britain — in addition to regular physical-education classes — run, jog or walk a mile under a voluntary scheme dubbed the “daily mile.” They don’t change clothes. They don’t compete. They don’t know when their teacher will give the green light to rush outside.

But at some point during the day, come (non-torrential) rain or shine, children complete a mile.

Michael James Delligatti, Creator Of The Big Mac, Dies At 98, by William Grimes, New York Times

Last week, McDonald’s began testing two new versions of the Big Mac in Texas and central Ohio: a Mac Jr. and a supersize Grand Mac. Big Mac, in other words, might become Middle Mac. But the sales remain huge, leading many to believe that Mr. Delligatti, as its inventor, must have reaped a windfall worth billions.

Not so. “All I got was a plaque,” he told The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in 2007.

Bottom of the Page

Apple does seems to be quite resolved to not ever doing a Mac with touchscreen... but, will Apple ever do a Mac that doesn't support (finger) touch, but does support the Apple Pencil? Or is that too Windows-XP-Tablet-PC-Edition?

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Thanks for reading.