Apple on Tuesday announced its annual list of App Store winners, highlighting 15 apps that reflected user trends in a year shaped by a global pandemic and political unrest.
Today Apple updated its Books and Podcasts apps with recognition of the most popular, and Apple’s selection of the best books, audiobooks, and podcasts of the year. There are ten different groups of selections, some just being the most popular items based on Apple’s metrics, and others being Apple’s own subjective favorites.
Apple today began selling the MagSafe Duo Charger that was announced alongside the new iPhone 12 models back in October. Priced at $129, the MagSafe Duo offers a MagSafe charging puck for the iPhone 12, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max, and 12 mini, along with an Apple Watch charger.
Earlier this year, Apple patched one of the most breathtaking iPhone vulnerabilities ever: a memory corruption bug in the iOS kernel that gave attackers remote access to the entire device—over Wi-Fi, with no user interaction required at all. Oh, and exploits were wormable—meaning radio-proximity exploits could spread from one near-by device to another, once again, with no user interaction needed.
This Wi-Fi packet of death exploit was devised by Ian Beer, a researcher at Project Zero, Google’s vulnerability research arm. In a 30,000-word post published on Tuesday afternoon, Beer described the vulnerability and the proof-of-concept exploit he spent six months developing single handedly. Almost immediately, fellow security researchers took notice.
HomePass was introduced in 2018 as an easy way to store and manage all HomeKit accessories setup codes, and since then, the app has been updated with more useful features. For those who like to use the app on iOS, HomePass for HomeKit is now available for macOS on the Mac App Store.
Zens today announced a new modular charging station for iPhone, AirPods, Apple Watch, and more. There are five separate pieces that you can buy individually, and attach together via magnets to build your preferred charging station.
Along with cloud storage, the app features automatic transfer from Sony cameras, gallery creation, and easy web delivery to photographers’ clients.
In response to further questions, it became apparent that the PR rep was referring to the Solo Loop policy and actually for my band I needed to go to an Apple Store in person, or fall back to the default send-the-watch-in policy. That’s not a great option for a lot of people, myself included.
In the past, vintage Apple products were no longer eligible for repairs at the Genius Bar or at Apple Authorized Service Providers, but Apple began offering extended repairs of select vintage products in 2018. Many of the iMac models listed below will likely remain eligible for service for the foreseeable future, subject to parts availability.
The legal actions mirror a class action in the US that led to a proposed settlement there worth up to $500m, following allegations that Apple engineered the software updates to induce users to buy newer models. Apple agreed to the US settlement in March, admitting no wrongdoing but saying it wanted to avoid protracted litigation.
Before these strange times, I mostly listened to my audiobooks during my daily rlong-ish commute. So when I started working from home, and my daily commute reduced to about half-a-minute each way, I thought I will be listening to much less audiobooks.
As I've discovered, I still listened to quite a few audiobooks. Listening to audiobooks in the morning while I get ready, as well as some bedtime listening before sleep are now my routines. I guess I really do like audiobooks now, and is not just something to fill my commute time.
Here are some audiobooks that I greatly enjoyed in the past year.
Piranesi, by Susanna Clarke, read by Chiwetel Ejiofor
Writers & Lovers, by Lily King, read by Stacey Glemboski
My Year of Rest and Relaxation, by Ottessa Moshfegh, read by Julia Whelan
The Answer Is…: Reflections on My Life, by Alex Trebek, read by Ken Jennings and Alex Trebek
The Shapeless Unease: A Year of Not Sleeping, by Samantha Harvey, read by Samantha Harvey.
And, one more that I haven't finished yet:
A Promised Land, by Barack Obama, read by Barack Obama.
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Thanks for reading.