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The Ancient-History Edition Friday, December 2, 2016

The Evolution Of Apple's Laptops, From The PowerBook To The MacBook Pro, by Jason Snell, Macworld

In a moment of somewhat unexpected nostalgia at its most recent media event, Apple pointed out that it was the 25th anniversary of the PowerBook. (It’s good to know that, 27 years later, Apple still would rather nobody remember the Mac Portable.) I’ve been a Mac laptop user since the original PowerBook era. That ancient history is my history. Since 1991, Apple has gone through seven distinct eras when it comes to its laptop strategy and design.

Fake Apple Chargers Fail Safety Tests, by BBC

Investigators have warned consumers they face potentially fatal risks after 99% of fake Apple chargers failed a basic safety test.

Trading Standards, which commissioned the checks, said counterfeit electrical goods bought online were an "unknown entity".

Of 400 counterfeit chargers, only three were found to have enough insulation to protect against electric shocks.

Researchers Bypass Apple's iOS Activation Lock On iPhone And iPad, by Mikey Campbell, AppleInsider

Apple remedied Joseph's Activation Lock bypass with the release of iOS 10.1.1 in October, but SecurityWeek reports researchers at Vulnerability Labs were able to recreate the exploit using iOS screen rotation and Night Shift mode.

Stuff

PDF Expert 2 Review: Goodbye Preview, Hello Affordable PDF Editing On Mac, by J.R. Bookwalter, Macworld

With the release of PDF Expert 2, Readdle not only delivers PDF editing, but it also comes surprisingly close to feature parity with the reigning PDF heavyweight, Adobe Acrobat DC.

Typinator 7.0, by Agen G. N. Schmitz, TidBITS

Ergonis has released Typinator 7.0, a major new release for the text-expansion tool that enables you to create interactive forms with pop-up fields, checkboxes, combo boxes, and more. The new release also introduces Publish & Subscribe, enabling you to share abbreviation sets with other Typinator users (with the sets getting automatically updated to new versions).

Spark Mail Stores Credentials In Cloud, by Michael Tsai

My guess is that the main reason Readdle wants their server (rather than just the app running on your phone) to be able to access your mail account is for push notifications.

iPhone Classic 'Tiny Wings' Gets New Levels And Apple TV App, by Nathan Ingraham, Engadget

The adorable graphics, procedurally generated levels and excellent music are all as charming now as they were when the game launched way back in 2011.

Puzzle Platformer Sally’s Law Brings A Series Of Fortunate Events, by Christine Chan, AppAdvice

The game mechanics are relatively simple but it’s still challenging, and the controls are intuitive and responsive, which is nice. The storytelling is fantastic as well, since it is revealed in both parts and you get the perspective of both Sally and her father. If this game doesn’t tug at your heartstrings, well then nothing will.

Develop

Apple’s App Store Switching From USD Pricing To Local Currency For Paid Apps And In-app Purchases In Eight Countries, by Benjamin Mayo, 9to5Mac

Later this month, the following App Store countries will now price apps in their local native currency; Egypt (Egyptian Pound), Kazakhstan (Kazakhstani Tenge), Malaysia (Malaysian Ringgit), Nigeria (Nigerian Naira), Pakistan (Pakistani Rupee), Philippines (Philippine Peso), Qatar (Qatari Riyal), Tanzania (Tanzanian Shilling) and Vietnam (Vietnamese Dong).

What The Pentagon Can Learn From The iPhone, by Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics

The idea is based on building the smallest capable component, he says, such as a phone constantly updated with new software and new apps. And that brings is to the Distributed Common Ground System, Lyman's test bed for his new way of thinking.

Notes

Apple Retail Stores Sporting Red Logos For World AIDS Day, by Juli Clover, MacRumors

Over 400 Apple retail stores around the world have red logos today, in recognition of World AIDS Day. The logos, which Apple has put up at its stores for the last several years on December 1, are meant to raise awareness for the global fight against AIDS.