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The Close-Loopholes Edition Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Teens Find Circumventing Apple’s Parental Controls Is Child’s Play, by Reed Albergotti, Washington Post

Kids are outsmarting an army of engineers from Cupertino, Apple’s headquarters in Silicon Valley. And Apple, which introduced Screen Time a year ago in response to pressure to address phone overuse by kids, has been slow to make fixes to its software that would close these loopholes. It’s causing some parents to raise questions about Apple’s commitment to safeguarding kids from harmful content and smartphone addiction.

Century-Old UK Opera Gets Augmented Reality Revamp Via iOS App & Snapchat, by Cristina Brooks, Next Reality

Curious visitors, limited to groups of 10 at a time, access the experience through an installed iOS app, created by digital production company Arcade Limited and only available via venue-provided iPhone XR smartphones paired with wireless headphones.

As users walk through elaborately colored, woodland-styled arches on a scene set, they point their phones at pictures of animals (really AR markers) that are logged by the iPhone's camera so that the scene tracks accurately, triggering the sounds of opera music and forest soundscapes.

"What is unique about this installation is it is physical as well as digital," Jon Meggitt, the CEO of Arcade Limited, told Next Reality. "We deliberately designed it that way so even people who don't engage with technology can get enjoyment out of the piece."

A Different View On Apple And China, by Neil Cybart, Above Avalon

My suspicion is that Cook doesn’t want Apple to become an idealistic mirage of itself with closed-mindedness reigning supreme. If Apple only did business in countries that have laws matching its beliefs, Apple would operate in just a handful of countries. Such a strategy would represent a big step back in Apple’s toolmaking mission as the biggest loser would be the Apple customer. In my view, that is a good enough reason for Apple to remain engaged with China and other countries rather than retreat into some kind of self-imposed bubble. The fact that the preceding opinion is now viewed as extremist in the U.S. shows just how far the narrative involving China has shifted. Ongoing issues between China and the U.S. regarding intellectual property theft and economic prowess have taken over the discussion, making Apple’s “engaged” strategy seem naive and out of date.

Stuff

iOS 13.1.3, iPadOS 13.1.3, And Catalina Supplemental Update Tackle Bugs, by Josh Centers, TidBITS

Apple has released iOS 13.1.3, iPadOS 13.1.3, and macOS Catalina 10.15 Supplemental Update to address a wide range of bugs that have plagued the new operating systems. These are purely bug-fix releases without any new features or even CVE entries.

iPhoto Users, You’re Out Of Time With macOS Catalina. What’s Your Next Step?, by Glenn Fleishman, Macworld

Now, iPhoto’s number is finally truly up. The outdated software won’t launch in macOS Catalina, because its core functions rely on a software framework Apple has also sent riding into the sunset.

If you upgraded to Catalina without first launching Photos or finding another solution, what options do you have? Plenty.

Why Can’t You Turn Off Personal Hotspot In iOS 13?, by Charlie Sorrel, Cult of Mac

iOS 13 isn’t just about exciting new bugs. Apple did a lot of cleaning up and moving things around in its latest mobile operating system. One big, behind-the-scenes feature change comes in the iPhone’s Personal Hotspot. You can no longer turn it off. Or rather, you haven’t been able to turn it off for a while now. It’s just that iOS 13 finally makes it explicit.

However, this doesn’t mean your iPhone will constantly broadcast its hotspot status, or that it will run down your battery. In fact, this feature is now easier to understand, and more sensibly described, than ever. Here’s what the Personal Hotspot changes in iOS 13 mean.

Tired Of Jetlag? The App Timeshifter Will Help Reset Your Clock, by Arielle Pardes, Wired

The app uses three pieces of information: your sleep pattern, your chronotype (morning person or night owl), and your itinerary. It uses these metrics to generate a “personalized” jet lag plan, noting when to seek light and when to avoid it, plus optional recommendations around the use of melatonin and caffeine. Beyer-Clausen claims that if you follow the app’s instructions to a tee, “you can shift the clock three to four times as fast as normal.”

Noisy Book Helps Any Story Come Alive, by AppAdvice

When reading a book, the iOS device will quickly process what is being said and automatically provide sounds effects. There are more than 600 to take advantage of. So, for example, when you read the word car, there is a short car horn beep.

Develop

Apple Makes Transporter Developer Utility Available Via The Mac App Store, by Chance Miller, 9to5Mac

Apple says the Transporter application allows developers to send apps, music, movies, TV shows, and books for distribution via the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV app, Apple Books, or iTunes Store.

Notes

Inside Apple's Long, Bumpy Road To Hollywood, by Lesley Goldberg, Hollywood Reporter

Apple executives have acknowledged entertainment isn't their expertise. "We don't know anything about making television," senior vp software and service Eddy Cue, the architect of the company's TV+ strategy, told audiences at South by Southwest in 2018. "We know how to create apps, we know how to do distribution, we know how to market. But we don't really know how to create shows."

But with AppleTV+'s Nov. 1 debut looming, Cue and company will need to prove that they've figured that out. Any hurdles they've faced leading up to the launch won't matter if their plan to offer a handful of original shows for $5 a month succeeds in attracting a fraction of their 1.4 billion Apple users. And many believe that it will. Wedbush estimates that Apple could attract 100 million TV+ subscribers by 2023 and generate between $7 billion and $10 billion in revenue from the product.

‘For All Mankind’ Drama Renewed For Season 2 By Apple, by Nellie Andreeva, Deadline

It is part of a strategy by Apple to get second seasons of most of its scripted series going ahead of lunch, which helps amortize costs and keep the Apple TV+ pipeline of original content going, avoiding lengthy hiatuses. Beyond The Morning Show, which had been picked up with a two-season order, Apple had not confirmed any renewals. Along with For All Mankind, also reportedly renewed or in the process of being renewed for a second season are such upcoming Apple series as the Jason Momoa starrer See; Emily Dickinson comedy Dickinson, starring Hailee Steinfeld, which Apple brass have been very high on; anthology immigrant comedy Little America; and the Hilde Lysiak young detective drama Home Before Dark.

Apple Takes Down Viral 'Countdown' Horror App, STX Brings It To Android Instead, by Janko Roettgers, Variety

An app that can predict the date and time of your death may have been too much for Apple to stomach: The iPhone maker removed a viral app inspired by the upcoming horror movie “Countdown” a few days ago, putting an end to its meteoric rise.