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The Additional-Levels Edition Friday, January 15, 2021

How Law Enforcement Gets Around Your Smartphone's Encryption, by Lily Hay Newman, Wired

Lawmakers and law enforcement agencies around the world, including in the United States, have increasingly called for backdoors in the encryption schemes that protect your data, arguing that national security is at stake. But new research indicates governments already have methods and tools that, for better or worse, let them access locked smartphones thanks to weaknesses in the security schemes of Android and iOS.

Apple Encryption Is A Balance Between User Convenience And Total Security, New Study Shows, by Mike Peterson, AppleInsider

This means Apple has additional levels of encryption and security that isn't being tapped by the operating system or installed applications. Apple is a consumer brand, however, and may not want a device so locked down a user's data is in danger of being lost forever.

Coming Soon

Apple Plans Upgraded MacBook Pros With Return Of Magnetic Charging, by Mark Gurman, Bloomberg

Apple Inc. is planning upgraded MacBook Pro laptops this year with much faster processors, updated displays and the return of its magnetic charger, according to a person with knowledge of the plans.

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The company is now bringing back MagSafe, the magnetic power adapter that means any accidental yanking of the power cable would simply detach it from the laptop rather than pull down the entire computer.

iOS 14.4 Will Introduce Warning On iPhones With Non-Genuine Cameras, by Joe Rossignol and Steve Moser, MacRumors

“Unable to verify this iPhone has a genuine Apple camera,” the message will read. As with a similar warning for non-genuine iPhone displays, the message will likely appear in the Settings app under General > About as necessary, and the warning may also appear as a notification on the Lock screen for a short period.

Stuff

Apple TV+ Website Gets First UI Update Since The Streaming Service Launched, by Benjamin Mayo, 9to5Mac

As of today’s overhaul, the new TV+ website homepage features the same featured header that you see in the Apple TV app, along with sections for latest releases and genre categories. This makes it feel much more familiar for customers who are used to the native TV app experience.

SpringNotes Is A Cross-Platform And Minimalistic Note-Taking App, by AppAdvice

With the app, you can easily write style Markdown notes that automatically sync across an iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Notes

Apple Working To Release Music And Podcasts Apps On Microsoft Store, by Filipe Espósito, 9to5Mac

Sources told 9to5Mac that Apple has been testing both Music and Podcasts apps for Microsoft platforms in a private beta. We cannot confirm if the apps will be compatible with Windows PCs or if they were developed to work exclusively with Xbox, just like the Apple TV app.

Doing Business With Apple Means You Probably Can't Tell Anyone About It, As Hyundai Learned, by Kif Leswing, CNBC

While nondisclosure agreements are common in high tech, people who work with Apple say it takes confidential information more seriously than competitors. Apple tells partners they can't mention Apple in public or to the media, according to people familiar with the matter who didn't want to be identified to avoid risking their relationship with Apple. One person who has worked with Apple described its secrecy requirements as a lot of hoops to jump through.

Bottom of the Page

I hope the future MacBook Pros can be charged via MagSafe and regular USB. No, not at the same time. But when I was still using my MacBook Air previously, when Apple had already transitioned to USB-C, I was worried that if anything went wrong with the MagSafe charger, I may not easily get a replacement.

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Thanks for reading.