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The Unlocks-for-All Edition Thursday, February 6, 2020

Apple Adds Ability For Developers To Sell Mac And iOS Apps As A Single Purchase, by Benjamin Mayo, 9to5Mac

With the latest beta releases, Apple has added the ability for developers to create unified purchases across Mac and iOS.

This means that a developer can list an iPad app in the App Store and a Mac version in the Mac App Store. When the customer buys either version, it automatically unlocks for all platforms. Previously, developers could only offer separate independent purchases.

New ‘CarKey’ Feature In iOS 13.4 Beta Brings Built-in Support For Unlocking, Driving, And Sharing NFC Car Keys, by Filipe Espósito, 9to5Mac

iOS 13.4 contains references to a “CarKey” API, which will make it possible to use the iPhone and also the Apple Watch to unlock, lock and start the car. According to the system’s internal files, users will be able to use CarKey in NFC compatible cars, as they only need to hold the device near the vehicle to use it as a key.

Privacy Matters

Wacom Drawing Tablets Track The Name Of Every Application That You Open, by Robert Heaton

If you too have a Wacom tablet (presumably this tracking is enabled for all of their models), open up the “Wacom Desktop Center” and click around until you find a way to disable the “Wacom Experience Program”. Then the next time you’re buying a tablet, remember that Wacom tries to track every app you open, and consider giving another brand a go.

Security Matters

Apple Reportedly Patches Catalina Bug That Showed Unencrypted Snippets Of Encrypted Emails, by Jay Peters, The Verge

Apple released macOS Catalina 10.15.3 last week, and the update apparently patched a bug that could let you read some text from encrypted emails as if they were unencrypted, according to IT specialist Bob Gendler.

Stuff

Diagrams Is A New Mac App That Lets You Easily Create Structured Flowcharts, by Filipe Espósito, 9to5Mac

The Diagrams app is extremely straightforward in what it aims to do, so you don’t have to spend time trying to understand how the app works. Once you open it, you just have to choose which elements you want to add on the canvas.

One Switch: My New Must-Have Mac Utility, by Josh Centers, TidBITS

By default, One Switch offers switches to hide or show Desktop icons, switch between Light mode and Dark mode, keep your Mac awake, turn on the screen saver, connect AirPods, and toggle Do Not Disturb, Night Shift, and True Tone.

These are settings I need all the time.

A Better Way To Type On An iPhone?, by Bob Levitus, Houston Chronicle

I’m relatively proficient with QWERTY, typing around 60 words per minute on any decent keyboard. But the iPhone keyboard isn’t a decent keyboard; I’m lucky if I type 10 words per minute on my iPhone (and even fewer if I make a mistake, which I invariably do).

And that is why I’m fascinated by Typewise, the first keyboard app designed from the ground up for a touchscreen, and it’s promise to reduce typos by up to 80 percent.

Nomad Unveils New iPhone 11 Leather Cases With Full Support For Moment Lenses, by Chance Miller, 9to5Mac

The new Nomad cases are fully compatible with Moment’s lenses. They feature an anchor point built-in for attaching a lens, as well as lanyard attachment points at the case of the case.

Notes

Surprise! Cheaper Apple Products Are Hits, by Jason Snell, Macworld

It feels like Apple’s new revenue calculus opens the door for the company to keep pushing out cheaper versions of their products in order to get people into its ecosystem, so long as it can balance those products with more expensive models with higher-end features. Because none of us, least of all Apple itself, should be surprised when a $199 Apple Watch is a big hit.

Why Apple's Streaming Strategy Is Such A Head-Scratcher, by Trey Williams, The Wrap

Yet Apple TV+’s virtual lack of impact at this point has been no surprise to industry experts.

At this point, Apple TV+ is seen as little more than a companion service — an add-on — for Apple to entice customers to buy new iPhones, iPads, MacBooks or any number of Apple products, which is what the company really wants.

“Where they go from there,” Leichtman said, “is kind of up in the air.”

Bottom of the Page

Stunts like what Wacom pulled only strengths the argument that we need someone like Apple to tighten the third-party app ecosystem.

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Thanks for reading.