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The Earn-Rewards Edition Saturday, January 25, 2020

Apple's New Connected Gyms Program Gives You Benefits For Working Out With Apple Watch, by Todd Haselton, CNBC

Apple on Thursday announced its new "Apple Watch Connected" gym initiative, a new series of partnerships with fitness facilities that makes it easier for people who own Apple Watches to track workouts, buy stuff and earn rewards for working out.

It's Apple's latest fitness expansion, helping it to build an entire ecosystem around the Apple Watch and providing owners with more places to use it to improve their fitness tracking. It creates yet another reason for people to buy Apple Watches: If you're trying to work out, why not get a watch that works seamlessly with the gym you're joining? And it helps gyms keep customers through rewards-based initiatives.

Apple And Microsoft Representatives Are Set To Join A Meeting On Monday Promoting Patient Access To Health Data, by Christina Farr, CNBC

Apple and Microsoft will each be sending a representative to a meeting on Monday hosted by a group that's supporting efforts by the Department of Health and Human Services to make it easier for patients to access and share their medical information.

[...]

They'll be meeting as part of an effort to push through a rule change proposed by HHS in 2019 to promote medical data interoperability. The proposal has been in a public comment period, with backers hoping it will be finalized in the coming weeks.

Stuff

Apple Stores Will Celebrate Black History Month With Over 40 Inspirational Sessions, by Michael Steeber, 9to5Mac

Starting February 1, select Apple Stores across the US will celebrate Black History Month with a special lineup of more than 40 Today at Apple sessions. This year’s lineup highlights creators shaping new cultural narratives through visual arts, photography, poetry, dance, film, and other mediums.

'Butter Royale' Debuts On Apple Arcade As Family-Friendly Take On Fortnite, by Joe Rossignol, MacRumors

The battle royale game is essentially a family-friendly version of Fortnite, replacing assault rifles and rocket launchers with sauce-shooting, baguette-blasting modified kitchen tools as weapons.

Develop

Apple Launches Shiny New Jobs At Apple Page To Entice Prospective Employees, by Stephen Warwick, iMore

Apple has overhauled its Jobs At Apple page to give it a brand new, striking look complete with colorful Apple logos and new feature sections!

Xcode Tip: Using Breakpoints As Bookmarks, by Jesse Squires

Any time I am exploring or getting familiar with a new codebase in Xcode, especially very large projects, I use disabled breakpoints as “bookmarks” to keep track of where I am, where I have been, and things I want to remember or need to revisit. Sometimes I even do this when debugging issues in codebases that I know well.

Notes

iPad Turns 10: Why Did It Take Ten Years For Apple's Tablet To Get Its Own Operating System?, by Jason Cipriani, ZDNet

I think, in general, it took a decade for the iPad to be ready to stand on its own because Apple has been trying to figure out the exact path forward for the iPad, and just how far to push it. The messaging from the marketing department didn't often align with what the iPad was truly capable of. Sure, it could replace a computer for some users, and with the iPad Pro lineup (and the added versatility it provided) that dream came closer to reality. Combine the hardware and the cascading of a dedicated keyboard for even the entry-level iPad, along with iPadOS, and it's clear that the iPad is more of a laptop now than it has ever been.

Tim Cook Says Apple Will Donate To Groups Helping People Affected By Coronavirus In China, by Chance Miller, 9to5Mac

Apple CEO Tim Cook took to Twitter this morning to honor Chinese New Year, also adding Apple sends its “love and support” to everyone impacted by the coronavirus.

According to Cook, Apple will also be donating to “groups on the ground helping support all of those affected” by coronavirus.

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Happy New Year!

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