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The iPod-AR Edition Tuesday, May 28, 2019

Apple Releases New iPod Touch Featuring A10 Fusion Chip, 256 GB Storage Option, by Benjamin Mayo, 9to5Mac

Apple has just announced a new iPod touch featuring an Apple A10 Fusion chip. The new Touch looks the same as the previous generation, with a 4-inch screen flanked by large bezels and a non-Touch ID physical home button.

It’s The Middle Of The Night. Do You Know Who Your iPhone Is Talking To?, by Geoffrey A. Fowler, Washington Post

IPhone apps I discovered tracking me by passing information to third parties — just while I was asleep — include Microsoft OneDrive, Intuit’s Mint, Nike, Spotify, The Washington Post and IBM’s the Weather Channel. One app, the crime-alert service Citizen, shared personally identifiable information in violation of its published privacy policy.

And your iPhone doesn’t only feed data trackers while you sleep. In a single week, I encountered over 5,400 trackers, mostly in apps, not including the incessant Yelp traffic. According to privacy firm Disconnect, which helped test my iPhone, those unwanted trackers would have spewed out 1.5 gigabytes of data over the span of a month. That’s half of an entire basic wireless service plan from AT&T.

Stuff

I've Been Switching Between The Powerbeats Pro And Apple's New AirPods For Weeks, And These Are The Most Important Differences Between Them, by Lisa Eadicicco, Business Insider

While they do share many characteristics, there are some important differences between the two, particularly when it comes to customization, comfort, and sound quality. I've spent the past several weeks switching between Apple's second-generation AirPods and the Powerbeats Pro, and here are some of the biggest differences I noticed.

Using An iPhone 8 Underlines The Benefits Of The iPhone X, by Ben Lovejoy, 9to5Mac

There is one iPhone X feature I miss massively – and that’s Face ID. To me, the difference is night-and-day. Somewhat for unlocking the phone. Swiping up on the iPhone X can be done very casually, and Face ID unlocks instantly; having to position a thumb on the Touch ID button feels clunkier in comparison.

Todoist iOS App Updated With Custom Icons And Apple Watch Complications To Show Tasks Remaining, by Michael Potuck, 9to5Mac

For watch faces like Infograph and Infograph Modular, users will see a status ring around the icon for how many tasks are left for the day or for an upcoming task.

The Best Apps For Teachers And Educators, by Jackie Dove, Yahoo

While school districts continue to integrate technology into the classroom, hardware is only one part of the puzzle. You also need the right software to inspire young minds. From creating lesson plans and keeping attendance to behavior records and communicating with students and parents, we’ve compiled a set of the best apps for teachers that enable them to leverage tech instead of fighting it.

Develop

Productivity And The Joy Of Doing Things The Hard Way, by Rob Walker, Wired

For now, this is one of the ways I try to resolve, or at least confront, the push-and-pull between the efficient and the unstructured. And I really think this has less to do with technology than with our own behavior. Our tech addictions exploit human nature—the tendency toward instant gratification, the instinct for paying attention to what everyone else is paying attention to. But one of the things that makes humans human is our ability (not always utilized) to override our immediate instincts, exercise personal agency, and act rather than merely react.

At a time when the pressure to maximize productivity seems particularly intense, we should give ourselves permission, now and then, to pass some time that serves no obvious purpose. We should allow ourselves to be surprised, to encounter the unexpected.

Power? No, Thanks, I’m Good., by Tim Kreider, New York Times

The wish to have power over others is altogether alien to me; I just don’t get it, any more than I get why anyone wants to have kids or play Settlers of Catan. Even sexual fantasies based on power dynamics don’t particularly appeal to me. Why would I want to boss other people around? What would I make them do? My taxes, maybe? It just sounds awkward, and like a huge hassle. I don’t even like being waited on by people I’d rather have a beer with; I’m uncomfortable holding the meager (and mostly illusory) power of grades over my students.

However: Doing what I want, and not being made to do things I don’t want to do, has been one of my main priorities in adulthood, the principle around which I’ve structured my life.

Notes

Pegatron Eyes Up To $1 Billion Indonesia Investment To Assemble Apple Phone Chips: Deputy Minister, by Cindy Silviana, Reuters

Taiwan electronics company Pegatron has signed a letter of intent stating it intends to invest 10 trillion to 15 trillion rupiah ($695 million to $1 billion) in an Indonesian factory to produce chips for Apple smartphones, the Indonesian deputy industry minister said on Tuesday.

A Goldman Sachs Rival Pulled Out Of The Apple Card Deal On Fears It Will Be A Money Loser, by Hugh Son, CNBC

Within the industry, the deal is widely perceived as one that's risky for a bank to take on. Citigroup was in advanced negotiations with Apple for the card, but pulled out amid doubts that it could earn an acceptable profit on the partnership, according to people with knowledge of the talks. Other banks, including J.P. Morgan Chase, Barclays and Synchrony also bid on the business. Apple and the banks declined to comment on this story.