MyAppleMenu

The Jumpstart-Development Edition Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Apple And Google Release Sample Code, UI And Detailed Policies For COVID-19 Exposure-notification Apps, by Darrell Etherington, TechCrunch

The first version of the Exposure Notification API, which Apple and Google renamed from the ‘Contact Tracing API’ to more accurately reflect its actual use and purpose, was released to developers last week along with beta updates of iOS and Xcode. Today, Apple and Google are providing new sample resources for developers, including example UI assets, and sample code for both iOS and Android. These are designed as starting points that developers working on behalf of public health agencies can use to jumpstart their app development process.

[...]

Apple and Google had both targeted “mid-May” for the consumer-facing release of the API, with an eventual plan to release exposure notification as a system-level feature by sometime later this year.

Apple, Google Ban Use Of Location Tracking In Contact Tracing Apps, by Stephen Nellis, Paresh Dave, Reuters

Apple and Google said they will not allow use of GPS data along with the contact tracing systems. The decision will require public health authorities who want to use GPS location data to rely on unstable workarounds to detect encounters using Bluetooth sensors.

Privacy experts have warned that any cache of location data related to health issues could make businesses and individuals vulnerable to being ostracized if the data is exposed.

Stuff

New 13-Inch MacBook Pro With Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports Is Compatible With Apple's Pro Display XDR, by Joe Rossignol, MacRumors

Apple's new 13-inch MacBook Pro models with four Thunderbolt 3 ports are compatible with its Pro Display XDR at full 6K resolution, according to updated tech specs for the display. The base model with two Thunderbolt 3 ports remains incapable of this.

All But One Apple Store In Australia Reopen On May 7, by Michael Steeber, 9to5Mac

21 of Australia’s 22 Apple Stores will reopen on May 7 at 10:00 a.m. following extended closures due to the coronavirus pandemic. Apple has been cautiously reopening stores around the world as local conditions permit. [...]

Reduced operating hours, physical distancing, and a focus on support — it’s a familiar tune. Apple’s tried-and-true guidelines for safe and responsible store reopenings will extend to Australia.

Apple To Reopen First Retail Store In Europe May 5 Since Pandemic Shutdown, by Brad Gibson, Cult of Mac

Apple will reopen its store in Vienna, Austria, on Tuesday, as its retail operations slowly emerge from a worldwide shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Vienna store is Apple’s first outside of China and South Korea to reopen after the company shuttered its brick-and-mortar locations in March.

Develop

Chuck Frey's Simple 5-Step Process To Find Your Big Ideas On Demand, by Chuck Frey, The Sweet Setup

Like many things in business, creativity responds well to a process — one that guides you along the path of birthing, nurturing and implementing game-changing ideas.

Notes

Apple Borrows On The Cheap To Fund Buybacks, Dividends, by Kate Duguid, Joshua Franklin, Reuters

Apple Inc on Monday capitalized on the Federal Reserve’s emergency measures in response to the coronavirus outbreak to issue its cheapest bonds in years, making it the latest blue-chip company to do so to fund stock buybacks and dividends.

Bottom of the Page

Actually, why doesn't Apple (and Google) create a contact tracing app that they can 'license' to countries and authorities to use? Let the governments focus on the governing part, and let Apple (and Google) worry about testing, and UX, and bug-fixing.

~

Thanks for reading.