MyAppleMenu

The Peace-of-Mind Edition Saturday, July 13, 2019

Why The Zoom Hack Showed Apple's Strength, Not Its Weakness, by Alex Blake, Digital Trends

It’s that combination of quick action and ingrained security systems that go to highlight Apple’s security strengths. These days no operating system is truly “malware-proof,” but the actions of the company that distributes it — be that Apple, Microsoft or anyone else — go a long way to keeping it secure and bringing peace of mind to us all.

Apple Restores Banned Parental Control App OurPact To The App Store, by Chaim Gartenberg, The Verge

Apple has reversed course on its ban of parental control app OurPact, allowing the ousted software to return to the App Store in its original form and without any limitations or restrictions. The move marks an end to a months-long dispute between Apple and a variety of parental control companies affected by Apple’s restrictions.

Stuff

2019 13-inch MacBook Pro Teardown Reveals Soldered-down SSD, Slightly Larger Battery, Modular Ports, by Michael Potuck, 9to5Mac

iFixit has gotten its hands on the 2019 13-inch MacBook Pro that was released this week, giving a detailed look at the changes under the hood. The base 13-inch Pro has a marginally larger battery, modular ports, but now has a soldered-down SSD. The teardown also checks out the notebook’s keyboard and more.

How AR Helps Online Retailers Build A New Sales Experience, by Gadjo C Sevilla, PC Magazine

Since the first e-commerce websites started selling products, a large segment of those online sales has always suffered from a second-rate customer experience. Customers buying certain goods—such as clothes, shoes, and watches—can't interact with the goods they are considering like they can in a brick-and-mortar store; this often adversely affects their buying decision. Now some of that is set to change, however, through the use of augmented reality (AR), which could well become a game changer for online micro-retailers that don't have any physical stores. These merchants will be able to use AR to retain customers and help influence a buying decision by making it easy to "try on" or interact with virtual versions of their products.

Develop

Beyond The Confetti: The Dark Side Of Startup Success, by Shalini Ramachandran and Rolfe Winkler, Wall Street Journal

Stress, of course, is a part of any leadership role, and startup leaders often have more resources than most to cope with mental-health woes. But it is also becoming clear that the swashbuckling creativity that pushes many startup founders to take bold leaps often comes with inner demons.

Notes

Jewel Changi Airport Photo Walk Launches Second Apple Store In Singapore, by Michael Steeber, 9to5Mac

Waiting in line for Apple Store grand openings has been a fun tradition for enthusiastic fans since the very first countdown in 2001. There’s still something special about being one of the first in the line, but the most recent store openings have been largely defined by their unique opening day Today at Apple performances and events. At the grand opening of Apple Jewel Changi Airport today in Singapore, early customers celebrated the day with the first public Photo Walk exclusive to the new location.

The End Of The Free Internet Is Near, by Declan McCullagh, Reason

Not too long ago, conventional wisdom held that the internet should enjoy minimal government oversight precisely because it was a technology that enabled open and free speech for everyone. The remedy for hateful and offensive remarks, that 1990s-vintage argument went, was more speech—or logging off.

This principle, which can be traced back through the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas and John Stuart Mill, was nicely captured in the U.S. Supreme Court's 1997 decision striking down certain speech-chilling provisions of the Communications Decency Act. "Through the use of chat rooms," Justice John Paul Stevens wrote, "any person with a phone line can become a town crier with a voice that resonates farther than it could from any soapbox. Through the use of Web pages, mail exploders, and newsgroups, the same individual can become a pamphleteer."

A generation later, Stevens' argument has been not merely discarded. It has been inverted.

Bottom of the Page

Someday, I've probably got to get down to Changi Airport and take a look at Jewel... Someday.

~

Thanks for reading.