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The Digitally-Impenetrable Edition Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Forget iPhone X—Apple's Best Product Is Its Privacy Stance, by John Patrick Pullen, Time

As the iPhone X’s sticker soared over $1,000, even I paused. But then I thought of all the systems working to make this device digitally impenetrable, security apparatuses that weren’t needed when Apple’s world-changing smartphone first arrived 10 years ago. All of these things are working in concert to make this the most secure Apple product yet. And I can’t wait to stretch that photo of my kids across its glorious new screen. It’ll be really something — and I’m glad you won’t be able to see it.

Does Apple iPhone X Face ID Have A Sunlight Problem?, by Don Reisinger, Fortune

Anil Jain, another expert and professor at Michigan State University, said that “extreme sunlight illumination causes specular reflections on the face that make it difficult for the depth sensor…to accurately estimate the depth.” That, in turn, could technically cause Face ID to break down. But the chances of that happening too often to users appear to be minimal.

Bowyer, for instance, said that if users actually find that direct sunlight is a problem every now and then, all they’d need to do is “have their back to the direct sunlight” and it should work just fine.

First Look: Apple's Official iPhone X Leather And Silicone Cases, by Neil Hughes, AppleInsider

Anyone who has used Apple's previous official silicone and leather cases for the iPhone will be familiar with the quality of the new cases. Of course, they have been redesigned to fit the new chassis of the iPhone X, as well as the vertical rear camera array, but they still look, feel and fit like their predecessors, and feature an Apple logo emblazoned on the back.

Marketing X

In Unusual Step, Apple Touts Positive Comments From Early iPhone X Reviews, by Ben Lovejoy, 9to5Mac

Apple has just issued a press release rounding up some positive comments from early reviewers of the iPhone X. This is an unusual step from the company, which is taking a different tack to reviews of this year’s flagship phone.

PR, by Matt Alexander

Although it doesn’t pay respect to the folks who’ve thoughtfully and insightfully followed Apple for years, it likely allows Apple to have a much more successful week. It reduces noise about supply shortages. It makes the technical features seem more straightforward and comforting. And, as the week progresses, it allows the tech crowd to become more and more excited (and granular), as opposed to being, potentially, initially upset.

More Apple Updates

macOS 10.13.1 Update With New Emoji, First macOS 10.13.2 Beta + iTunes 12.7.1 Now Available On The Mac App Store, by Zac Hall, 9to5Mac

Alongside iOS 11.1, Apple has released the macOS 10.13.1 software update, which includes support for new emoji characters and more.

tvOS 11.1 Update For Apple TV (4th-gen) And Apple TV 4K Now Available, by Zac Hall, 9to5Mac

While tvOS 11.1 doesn’t include any new features, the latest software update for Apple TV likely includes bug fixes and security improvements.

watchOS 4.1 Introduces Apple Music Streaming And New Radio App, by Ryan Christoffel, MacStories

Today Apple released the latest software for Apple Watch: watchOS 4.1. This update includes the previously announced Apple Music streaming, including over cellular, plus the introduction of a brand new Radio app.

Apple Acknowledges Apple Watch Series 3 Issue Where 'Edge Stripes' Appear On Display, by Joe Rossignol, MacRumros

In an internal memo distributed to Genius Bars and Apple Authorized Service Providers, Apple said the issue is to be treated like any other Apple Watch repair. Since the issue appears to be a manufacturing defect, the repair should be free under Apple's standard one-year limited warranty policy.

Apple ID Holders Can Now Switch From Third-party Email Address Logins To Apple Email Domains, by AppleInsider

As noted in a new section regarding third-party email addresses, the company cautions that switching login information from a third-party service to an @icloud.com, @me.com or @mac.com account is a one-way process.

More Stuff

PhotoBulk 2 Is An Efficient Tool For Batch Editing And Watermarking Photos, by Michael Steeber, 9to5Mac

To test PhotoBulk, I opened a set of images I took this summer- a burst of 46 photos documenting the demolition of a building. I wanted to apply sequential filenames to these photos, reduce their file size, and watermark the images. PhotoBulk handled the task well, with multi-watermarking support and the ability to rotate, scale, and move text.

IKEA’s Trådfri Lighting System Adds HomeKit And Alexa Support, by John Voorhees, MacStories

After a miscommunication in August, IKEA has added Alexa and HomeKit support to its Trådfri smart lighting system, which it originally promised back in May. The lighting system includes a gateway, remote controls, and LED lightbulbs that can be mixed and matched in different configurations at prices that are competitive with rival systems.